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From Pup Tent 7 (Hub Bugs): For the latest news from the Hub Bugs, see the current edition of VFW Post 3036 Newsletter. 

 

 

 

MILITARY ORDER OF COOTIE

 

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Pup Tent 7 (Hub Bugs)
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Seam Squirrel
The MOC can trace its ancestry to the Imperial Order of the Dragon - a similar fun-loving auxiliary that was affiliated with the United Spanish American War Veterans (USAWV). After World War I, two veterans who were members of both the USAWV and the VFW thought that the VFW might be able to attract more members if it formed an auxiliary modeled on the Imperial Order of the Dragon. These men, Fred Madden and F.L. Gransbury, began recruiting members for the new auxiliary on September 17, 1920, at the VFW National Encampment in Washington, D.C. By the end of the encampment, nearly 300 members had been enrolled, and Fred Madden had become the first Seam Squirrel (commander). Later that year, a complete slate of officers was assembled and ratified at a special meeting held in Cavalry Baptist Church in New York City. Madden developed a constitution and by-laws while Gransbury authored the ritual. (Together with the official uniform, these were approved in 1924.)  
In the years after its founding, the MOC took on several special projects designed to bring smiles to the faces of two special groups of people - hospitalized veterans and residents of the VFW National Home. Its involvement with the National Home came first. In fact, the Cooties were the first to back Amy Ross's plan for the Home, and, in 1924, helped persuade the VFW to sponsor the project. Since then, there has never been a period of any extended length in which the Cooties have not been involved in some project for the Home's betterment or for the happiness of those who live there.

 
 
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