"FIRST IN THE WORLD"
Post #14 American Legion Ambulance Service
In 1924, the members of the David C. Harrison American Legion Post
#14 initiated the first American Legion ambulance service in the
world. Its eighteen founding members were veterans of World War I
who volunteered their time to transport the sick and injured to
hospitals in Wilmington, Dover, Milford, and beyond. Prior to this
time, persons needing medical assistance were transported by train.
This practice was often time-consuming and thereby dangerous to
patients who were seriously ill and in need of treatment. At the
time of its founding, services were provided to a district that
extended from Summit Bridge to Milford. Originally located on South
Main Street in Smyrna, the service was moved to this location in
1961.
The Post #14 American Legion Ambulance Service has been in
continuous operation since its founding, and now serves an area from
the Delaware Bay to the Maryland border, and from Collins Beach to
Garrison's Lake. Staffed largely by volunteers, the service was
responsible for answering more than 25,000 calls for assistance
during its first seventy-five years of operation.
Delaware Public Archives - 2001 KC-67