In 1946, forty-two veterans met and signed a petition for a charter for a post named in memory of Robert Ihlang, who was killed in Italy during World War II, and its first officers were commander Victor Suneson, first vice commander Eric Anderson, second vice commander Lester Harsted, finance officer Ragnar Moline, service officer Reuben Skeie, historian O.A. Nelson, and sergeant-at-arms Allen Dilley. In 1947, land was purchased for a building forty-eight feet by sixty-two feet, the first meeting in the new basement was held later that year, and the post first directed the observance of Memorial Day in the village of New London. From then on, it gave grants, gifts, and scholarships to many individuals and organizations and sponsored village programs such as summer recreation, school patrol, and scouting. In 1948, a charter was granted for the American Legion Auxiliary with twenty-seven members, and it contributed generously to community projects and outside charities, including child welfare, aid to families in distress, cash donations to veterans hospitals, and a complete kitchen for the legion building. In 1954, a lighting project costing $3,800 was donated to the village of New London for an athletic field used by schools and the town softball team. In 1955, land was purchased from Oak Hill Cemetery and named Soldiers Rest, dedicated in memory of Robert Beaudette, who was killed during the Korean War. In 1958, a flag pole was erected on the cemetery plot, where every Memorial Day a short service includes the reading of the names of all deceased veterans buried in Oak Hill Cemetery, and small flags are placed on individual graves. In 1962, a bathhouse building at Tourist Park was sponsored and completed at a cost of $3,000. In 1995, a new post was built at a cost of $851,022, and in 1998 an addition was added at a cost of $67,541.77.