The American Legion There are many soldiers, whether they be active or retired who are unaware of what the American Legion has to offer and what they are all about. First of all, it is good to know that the American Legion was chartered and incorporated by Congress in 1919.
. American Legion RidersSecessionsWebsiteThe American Legion is a headquartered in,. It is made up of state, U.S. Territory, and overseas departments, and these are in turn made up of local posts. The legislative body of The American Legion is a national convention, held annually. The organization was founded on March 15, 1919, at the American Club near in, by members of the, and it was chartered on September 16, 1919, by the.The organization played the leading role in the drafting and passing of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, otherwise known as the '.' In addition to organizing commemorative events, members provide assistance at.
It is active in issue-oriented U.S. Its primary political activity is on behalf of interests of and, including support for such as pensions and the. The organization has also historically promoted '.' Contents.Eligibility Veterans who served at least one day of during wartime, or are serving now, are potentially eligible for membership in The American Legion. Members must have been honorably discharged/discharged under honorable conditions or are still serving honorably. Who served from December 7, 1941, to December 31, 1946, are also eligible.
War or conflictFromToandAugust 2, 1990Present dayDecember 20, 1989January 31, 1990andAugust 24, 1982July 31, 1984February 28, 1961May 7, 1975June 25, 1950January 31, 1955December 7, 1941December 31, 1946veterans were also eligible during their lifetimes; the, died in 2011.War or conflictFromToWorld War IApril 6, 1917November 11, 1918Note: Membership eligibility is under review at this time. Read more at this link.History Membership peaked for The American Legion right after World War II, when enrollments doubled from 1.7 million to 3.3 million. After the Korean War, there were 2.5 million Legionnaires.
As the joined, its membership increased to 3.1 million in 1992. However, membership has slowly been decreasing since then. In 2013, National Headquarters of The American Legion reported 2.3 million members. 19th century The aftermath of two American wars in the second half of the 19th century had seen the formation of several ex-soldiers' organizations.
Former soldiers of the of 1861–65 established a fraternal organization called the (GAR), while their brethren would join together in the (UCV). Both organizations emerged as powerful political entities, with the GAR serving as a mainstay of the, which controlled the Presidency from the Civil War through William Howard Taft's administration except for the two terms of office of.
In Southern politics the UCV maintained an even more dominant position as a bulwark of the which dominated there. The conclusion of the brief of 1898 ushered in another soldiers' organization, the American Veterans of Foreign Service, today known as the (VFW). 1915 American Legion.
The Legion believes in making instantly available to our country, in case of war, all men who already have military or technical training valuable in modern warfare by land or sea. Members of the Legion enroll themselves in advance for this purpose to be used as the Government (not they themselves) may see fit, according to their qualifications.— (November 1915)Concerned about the United States' absence from the world war and the preparedness of its army and navy, magazine editor and writer Stephen Allan Reynolds founded The American Legion in February 1915, inspired by a letter from reader E. They lobbied government to strengthen the military. They held a preparedness parade in and made a film America Prepare Officers included, and,.
Its officers were at 10 Bridge Street, New York City. In 1917, when war was declared the Legion had 23,000 members skilled in 77 professions pledged to fight. Their pledge cards were shared with the government and ultimately used to raise two regiments of. The Legion was discorporated in 1917. Post-World War I With the termination of hostilities in World War I in November 1918, some American officers who had been participants in the conflict began to think about creating a similar organization for the two million men who had been on European duty. The need for an organization for former members of the was pressing and immediate. With the war at an end, hundreds of thousands of impatient found themselves trapped in France and pining for home, certain only that untold weeks or months lay ahead of them before their return would be logistically possible.
Morale plummeted. Cautionary voices were raised about an apparent correlation between disaffected and discharged troops and the uprisings taking place in, and.This situation was a particular matter of concern to Lt. Col., eldest son of the. One day in January 1919, he had a discussion at General Headquarters with a mobilized officer named, a former newspaper editor with the Portland. After long discussion, he suggested the establishment at once of a new servicemen's organization including all members of the AEF, as well as those soldiers who remained stateside as members of the, and during the war without having been shipped abroad.
He and White advocated ceaselessly for this proposal until ultimately they found sufficient support at headquarters to move forward with the plan. General issued orders to a group of 20 non-career officers to report to the in Paris on February 15, 1919. The selection of these individuals had been made by Roosevelt. They were joined with a number of regular Army officers Pershing selected himself. Twenty National Guard and Reserve officers serving in the A.
F., representing the S. S., ten infantry divisions, and several other organizations, were ordered to report in Paris. Included in this number were Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., of the, Lieutenant Colonel of the S. S., and Lieutenant Colonel of the.
All of these officers have since told me that when they left their divisions they were distinctively permeated with the desire to form a veterans' organization of some comprehensive kind. When they got to Paris they immediately went into conference with the other officers. A dinner was spread in the, on the night of February 16th. At that dinner the American Legion was born.— The Story of The American Legion (1919)The session of reserve and regular officers was instructed to provide a set of laws to curb the problem of declining morale.
After three days, the officers presented a series of proposals, including eliminating restrictive regulations, organizing additional athletic and recreational events, and expanding leave time and entertainment programs. At the end of the first day, the officers retired to the Inter-Allied Officers Club, a converted home across the street from the YMCA building. Roosevelt told them his proposal for a new veterans' society. Most of those present were rapidly won to Roosevelt's plan. The officers decided to make all of their actions provisional until an elected convention of delegates could be convened and did not predetermine a program for the unnamed veterans organization.
Photograph taken by a photographer who slipped in a half-hour before the session began, with more than half the Paris caucus delegates absentHaving immediately received a blizzard of acceptances to attend the opening of the 'Liberty League Caucus', as he had begun to refer to it, Temporary Secretary Eric Fisher Wood began to search for use of a room of sufficient size to contain the gathering. The Cirque de Paris had been retained, a large, multisided amphitheater sufficient to accommodate a crowd of about 2,000. Delegates began to assemble from all over France. The 10:00 am scheduled start was delayed due to various logistical problems, with a beginning finally made shortly after 2:45 pm.As 'Temporary Chairman' Teddy Roosevelt, Jr. Had already departed for America, the session was gaveled to order by Eric Wood, who briefly recounted Roosevelt's idea and the story of the 20 AEF officers who had jointly helped to give the new organization form. In his keynote opening remarks Wood recommended to the delegates of the so-called Paris Caucus that they do three things: first, set up an apparatus to conduct a formal founding conference in the United States sometime in the winter; second, the body should draft a tentative name for the organization; and finally, the body should compose a provisional constitution to be submitted to the founding convention for its acceptance or rejection.was selected to preside.
Convention rules were decided upon and four 15-member committees were chosen. The Committee on Name reported back that they had considered a dozen potential names, including Veterans of the Great War, Liberty League, American Comrades of the Great War, Legion of the Great War, and The American Legion, among others. This list was whittled down to five ranked choices for the consideration of the Caucus, with 'The American Legion' the preferred option. It was noted in passing during the course of debate on the topic that Teddy Roosevelt, Jr. Had been responsible for an earlier organization called 'The American Legion' in 1914, a 'preparedness' society with a claimed membership of 35,000 which had been absorbed into the in 1916.The Committee on Constitution reported with a report containing the draft of a Preamble for the organization, specifying organizational objectives.
This document stated that the group. This cover of the first official organ of The American Legion emphasizes the unemployment problem facing many ex-soldiers during the post-war recession.The Paris Caucus in March was by its nature limited to soldiers of the AEF who remained in Europe; a parallel organizational meeting for those who had returned to the American preparatory to a formal organizational convention was deemed necessary. This was a conclave dominated by the presence of Theodore Roosevelt Jr., who called the convention to order amidst mass akin to that of a —'We Want Ted-dy!
We Want Ted-dy!' A minor crisis followed when Roosevelt twice declined nomination for permanent chairman of the session, to the consternation of many overwrought delegates, who sought to emphasize the symbolism of President Theodore Roosevelt's son maintaining the closest of connections with the organization.The work of the St.
Louis Caucus was largely shaped by the fundamental decisions made by the earlier Paris Caucus. Its agenda was in addition carefully prepared by a 49-member 'Advance Committee', which included at least one delegate from each fledgling state organization and which drew up a draft program for the organization in advance of the convention's opening.As time before the scheduled start of the convention was short, delegation to the assembly was highly irregular. On April 10, 1919, Temporary Secretary Eric Fisher Wood mailed a letter to the of every state, informing them of the forthcoming gathering and making note of the non-partisan and patriotic nature of the League. Follow-up cables by Roosevelt and Wood encouraged the organization of state conventions to select delegates.
This was, however, largely a failed formality, as states lacked sufficient time to organize themselves and properly elect delegates to St. In practice, the fledgling organization's provisional Executive Committee decided to allow each state delegation twice as many votes at that state had in the and left it to each to determine how those votes were apportioned.Participants at the St.
Louis Caucus were enthusiastic although the session was not a productive one. Fully two days were invested choosing ceremonial officers and selecting Minneapolis as the site for the organization's formal Founding Convention in the fall. Over 1100 participants competed to gain the floor to speechify, leading one historian to describe the scene as a 'melee' in which 'disorder reigned supreme.' Consequently, passage of the program by the gathering was largely a pro forma exercise, rushed through during the session's last day, with the actual decision-making process involving such matters as the constitution and publications of the organization being done in committee at night.The preamble of the constitution adopted in St. Hundreds of thousands of African-Americans were in segregated units in World War I, mostly assigned to non-combat duties. The early American Legion left the question of integration, the formation of 'Negro' posts, or exclusion of black soldiers from membership altogether up to the states and the posts themselves, often resulting in gross disparities of opportunity.The formal founding convention was held in, from November 10 to 12, 1919.
It was attended by 684 delegates from around the United States.From the outset The American Legion maintained a strictly orientation towards electoral politics. The group wrote a specific prohibition of the endorsement of political candidates into its constitution, declaring. In this political cartoon from the Portland Telegram a Legionnaire prepares to hit a ball labeled 'Bolshevism' with a rifle butt labeled '100 per cent Americanism' beside a quote from Theodore Roosevelt: 'Don't argue with the reds; go to bat with them and go to the bat strong!' November 11, 1919, the first anniversary of and the occasion of The American Legion's formal launch at its Minneapolis Founding Convention, was also a historical moment of violence and controversy. On that day a parade of Legionnaires took place in the mill town of, located in Southwestern.Plans were made by some of the marchers at the conclusion of their patriotic demonstration to storm and ransack the local hall maintained by the, a labor union founded 14 years earlier at a convention of socialists, anarchists, Marxists and radical trade unionists from all over the United States, which had been the target of multiple arrests, large trials, and various incidents of mob violence nationally during the months of American participation in World War I.
Plans for this less-than-spontaneous act of violence had made their way to the ears of the union members (commonly referred to as Wobblies), however, and 30 or 40 IWW members had been seen coming and going at their hall on the day of the march—some of whom were observed carrying guns.At 2.00 pm the march began at the city park, led by a playing 'Over There.' Marchers included, members of the local, active-duty sailors and marines, with about 80 members of the newly established Centralia and American Legion posts bringing up the rear. As the parade turned onto Tower Avenue and crossed Second Street, it passed IWW Hall on its left. The parade stopped and Legionnaires surrounded the hall.Parade Marshal Adrian Cormier rode up on horseback and, according to some witnesses, blew a whistle giving the signal to the Legionnaires to charge the IWW headquarters building.
A group of marchers rushed the hall, smashing the front plate glass window and attempting to kick in the door. Just as the door gave way, shots were fired from within at the intruders.
This provided the signal to other armed IWW members, who were stationed across the street to set up a crossfire against potential invaders and they also began firing on the Legionnaires. In less than a minute the firing was over, with three AL members left dead or dying and others wounded.Taken by surprise by the armed defense of IWW headquarters, many Legionnaires rushed home to arm themselves, while others broke into local hardware stores to steal guns and ammunition. Now armed, a furious mob reassembled and charged the IWW Hall again, capturing six IWW members inside. The mob proceeded to destroy the front porch of the hall and a large bonfire was built, upon which were torched the local Wobblies' official records, books, newspapers and mattresses.One local Wobbly named escaped through a back door when he saw the mob approaching the hall.
He fled into nearby woods, exchanging gunshots with his pursuers. One of those chasing the fleeing IWW man was hit in the chest several times with bullets and was killed, running the death count of Legionnaires to four. Everest was taken alive, kicked and beaten, and a belt wrapped around his neck as he was dragged back to the town to be. Local police intervened, however, and Everest was taken to jail, where he was thrown down on the concrete floor.At 7:30 pm, on cue, all city lights in town went out for 15 minutes and Legionnaires stopped cars and forced them to turn out their headlights. The Elks Hall gathering entered the jail without meeting resistance and took Wesley Everest, dragging him away to a waiting car but leaving other incarcerated Wobblies in jail cells unhindered. A procession of six cars drove west to a railroad bridge across the.A rope was attached to Everest's neck and he was pushed off the bridge, but the lynching attempt was bungled and Everest's neck was not snapped by the fall.
Everest was hauled up again, a longer rope was substituted, and Everest was pushed off the bridge again. The lynch mob then shined their car headlights on the hanging form of Everest and shot him for good measure.Although a mob milled around the jail all night, terrorizing the occupants, no further acts of extra-legal retribution were taken. Everest's body was cut down the next morning, falling into the riverbed below, where it remained all day. As night fell Everest's body was hauled back to town, the rope still around his neck, where it was refused by local undertakers and left on the floor of the jail in sight of the prisoners all night. No charges were ever filed in connection with the lynching.Twelve IWW members were ultimately indicted by a grand jury for in connection with the killing of the four Legionnaires and a local left wing lawyer was charged as an accessory to the crime. A January 1920 trial resulted in the conviction of six defendants on charges of.
Crowd at American Legion Convention held in, 1922The American Legion was very active in the 1920s. The organization was formally, endorsing candidates of no political party.
Instead the group worked to the spread of the ideology of Americanism and acted as a lobbying organization on behalf of issues of importance to veterans, with particular emphasis on winning a 'soldier's bonus' payment from the government and for the alleviation of the unemployment to which many soldiers returned. The Legion also served a strong social function, building and buying 'clubhouses' in communities across America at which its members could gather, reflect, network, and socialize.The Legion's efforts to promote Americanism during the 1920s included urging its members to report on publication materials perceived to be subversive, left-wing, or reflective of radical foreign political views, and established a National Americanism Commission to oversee its actions related to subversive activities. It commissioned the development of textbooks that promoted American patriotism, worked with members of the to promote the teaching of history from an American perspective, and sought the removal of textbooks it saw as 'un-American'.
It also supported legislation restricting immigration and, and used its influence in an effort to deny public forums to speakers whose views it opposed.In 1924, the Legion, led by its lobbyist Col., and other veterans organizations won their battle for additional compensation for World War I veterans with the passage of the. Most payments were scheduled to be paid in 1945.In 1923, American Legion Commander cited as a model for defending the nation against the forces of the left. Owsley said:If ever needed, The American Legion stands ready to protect our country's institutions and ideals as the Fascisti dealt with the destructionists who menaced Italy! The American Legion is fighting every element that threatens our democratic government—Soviets, anarchists, IWW, revolutionary socialists and every other red.
Do not forget that the Fascisti are to Italy what The American Legion is to the United States.The Legion invited Mussolini to speak at its convention as late as 1930.The American Legion was instrumental in the creation of the, now known as the. The Legion also created its own Program, hosting national tournaments annually from 1926.Commander Travers D.
Carmen awarded its 'Distinguished Service Medal', the medal's first recipient, on July 22, 1927. American Legion national convention was held in Paris in September 1927. A major part of this was drum and bugle corps competition in which approximately 14,000 members took part.1930s to 1950s The in, was completed in 1930. The Traverse City city commission decided to purchase dedication plaques for $100 at the request of The American Legion in 1930.The formed at The American Legion's 14th National Convention in, on September 12–15, 1932.
Membership is limited to the male descendants of members of The American Legion, or deceased individuals who served in the armed forces of the United States during times specified by The American Legion.In the spring of 1933, at the very beginning of his presidency, President sought to balance the federal budget by sharp reductions in veterans benefits, which constituted one quarter of the federal budget. The of 1933 cut disability pensions and established strict new guidelines for proving disabilities. The American Legion generally supported the FDR administration and the Act, while the VFW was loudly opposed. After a VFW convention heard speeches denouncing FDR's programs, The American Legion invited Roosevelt to speak and he won the convention's support.
Nevertheless, the Legion's stance was unpopular with its membership and membership plummeted in 1933 by 20% as 160,000 failed to renew their memberships. The VFW then campaigned for a 'Bonus Bill' that would immediately pay World War I veterans what they were due in 1945 under the 1924 World War Adjusted Compensation Act. The Legion's failure to take a similar position allowed the much smaller, less prestigious VFW to rally support while accusing the Legion of ties to the FDR Administration and business interests.In 1935, the convened in. The American Legion's first National High School Oratorical Contest was held in 1938.After the 1935, which killed about 480 former servicemen and women, the Legion was very critical of the government and the safety of the 's camps. Taylor testified about the event in front of the House Committee on World War Veterans' Legislation in 1937, he tried to have the Legion's report 'Murder at Matecumbe' read into the Congressional Record. He was stopped by Chairman and asked to leave a copy for the committee to review. It was made clear that the copy would not be put into the record.In 1942, the Legion adopted the practice of the VFW to become a perpetual organization, rather than die off as its membership aged as that of the was rapidly doing.
The Legion's charter was changed to allow veterans of World War II to join.Throughout the 1940s, The American Legion was active in providing support for veterans and soldiers who fought in World War II. The American Legion wrote the original draft of the Veterans Readjustment Act, which became known as the.
The original draft is preserved at the Legion's National Headquarters. It was passed in 1944 by a conservative coalition in Congress that want to reach practically all wartime veterans, as opposed to the Roosevelt administration that wanted a much smaller program limited to a small elite.
The American Legion mobilized its members across the country and secured passage in June 1944. Benefits included low-cost mortgages, low-interest loans to start a business, cash payments of tuition and living expenses to attend high school, college or, as well as one year of.
It was available to veterans who had been on active duty during the war years for at least 120 days and had not been dishonorably discharged—exposure to combat was not required. The Legion helped veterans fill out the paperwork and obtain the benefits.The first program was held in 1946.Late in 1950, at least some local Legion organizations began to support Senator, sponsoring his appearance at an 'Americanism' rally in Houston. During his speech, the senator falsely claimed there were 205 Communists in the State Department.
The Legion also took a McCarthyist stance on film, threatening to boycott any theater that screened director Edward Dmytryk's Salt to the Devil (also known as Give Us This Day) (1949) because of Dmytryk's involvement with the blacklist.At the Legion's 1951 convention at, it formally endorsed its 'Back to God' movement. When launching the program in 1953 with a national television broadcast that included speeches by President and Vice-President, the Legion's National Commander Lewis K. Gough said it promoted 'regular, daily family prayer, and the religious training of children.' The Legion's Americanism activities continued through the 1930s to the 1950s. It promoted the passage of state bills requiring of school teachers, and supported the activities of anti-Communist newspaper publishers, including, in identifying Communist sympathizers in academic institutions.
It was also influential in the creation of state-level legislative investigations into communist or un-American activities, and staged a mock Communist takeover of that garnered national headlines. Its programs were rejuvenated by increased membership after World War II, and in its 1950 convention called for members of the to be tried for. Along with the VFW, it maintained files on supposed Communist sympathizers, and it shared the fruits of its research with government investigators. Local posts picketed films they perceived as anti-American, and the national organization was formally involved in efforts to clear films of such influence.
The list of names and organizations the Legion provided to movie studios formed the basis for the, and supported the work of the and its predecessors before and during the. It was unsuccessful in applying pressure to the movie studios when the blacklist began to crumble in the late 1950s.The Legion's political activities were opposed from an early date by organizations like the (ACLU), which characterized them as a danger to political and civil rights. In a report issued in 1921, the ACLU documented 50 instances of what it described as illegal acts of violence by Legionnaires. In 1927, the ACLU reported that the Legion 'had replaced the as the most active agent of intolerance and repression in the country. The Legion, for its part, branded the ACLU as a un-American organization at every convention it held between 1920 and 1962. In 1952, the Legion asked for a congressional investigation into the ACLU to determine if it was a communist or communist front organization.Veterans of the Korean War were approved for membership in The American Legion in 1950, and The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation was formed in 1954.1960s to 1980s. American Legion Memorial Hall in,On May 30, 1969, the Cabin John Bridge, which carried the (I-495) across the Potomac River northwest of, was officially renamed to the ' in a ceremony led by, director of the.In 1976, an outbreak of occurred in a convention of The American Legion at in.
This pneumonia killed 34 people at the convention and later became known as ( Legionellosis). The bacterium that causes the illness was later named.In 1988, after over 44 years of opposing from receiving benefits under the, they allowed Merchant seamen to join The American Legion. This followed Merchant seamen being granted limited veterans status by the on January 19, 1988.After a 1989 decision ( ), The American Legion launched and funded an unsuccessful campaign to win against of the United States.
The Legion formed the Citizens' Flag Honor Guard and it later became the. 1990s to present. American Legion sign in MaineIn 1993, the Commonwealth of renamed a bridge in the city of to the 'American Legion Memorial Bridge'.Also in 1993, two members of, American Legion Post 396 shared an idea that would bond motorcycle enthusiasts in the Legion from the idea of Chuck Dare and post commander Bill Kaledas, creating the American Legion Riders. Joined by 19 other founding members, the group soon found itself inundated with requests for information about the new group. As a source of information was set up, and it continues to be a source of information worldwide.
By 2009, the American Legion Riders program had grown to over 1,000 chapters and 100,000 members in the United States and overseas.In a letter to U.S. President in May 1999, The American Legion urged the immediate withdrawal of U.S. Troops from in. The National Executive Committee of The American Legion met and adopted a resolution unanimously that stated, in part, that they would only support military operations if 'Guidelines be established for the mission, including a clear exit strategy' and 'That there be support of the mission by the and the American people.' In 2006, the Chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, (R-Ind.), announced that he planned to eliminate the annual congressional hearings for Veterans Service Organizations that was established by President.
In response, National Commander of The American Legion Thomas L. Bock said, 'I am extremely disappointed in Chairman Buyer's latest effort to ignore the Veterans Service Organizations. Eliminating annual hearings before a joint session of the Veterans Affairs Committees will lead to continued budgetary shortfalls for VA resulting in veterans being underserved.'
The American Legion has criticized the ACLU for using the threat of attorney fees to pressure locally elected bodies into. As such The American Legion states that it 'is leading a nationwide effort to combat the of our American heritage', stating that the phrase ' is nowhere mentioned in the The American Legion released a document titled 'In the Footsteps of the Founders – A Guide to Defending American Values' to be available to the citizens of the United States of America. The veteran's organization has done this to curtail religious-establishment cases against the and the official display of the and other religious symbols on public property, in coordination with other. In October 2011, National Commander Jimmie L. Foster objected to courts allowing homosexuals to serve openly in the military.On March 25, 2014, The American Legion testified before Congress in favor of the bill '.'
They argued that the legislation would 'benefit service members, as well as those who eventually employ veterans in civilian work-force easing the placement of qualified veterans in civilian careers, and matching civilian employers with skilled veteran employees.' The American Legion argued that this committee was important to the process of matching military certifications with their corresponding civilian ones, smoothing that transition for veterans, and that the committee provided much needed expertise on these matters to the VA. The American Legion said that 'there is a definite need to resume this independent body with expertise in matters relating to licensing and credentialing which can present new solutions to VA's senior leadership and congressional members as well as other stakeholders.' In 2014, Verna L.
Jones was appointed as the first female executive director of The American Legion. In August 2017, Denise H. Rohan was elected as the first female national commander of the American Legion. Programs At the state level, The American Legion is organized into 'departments', which run annual civic training events for high school juniors called.
Two members from each Boys State are selected for Boys Nation. The American Legion Auxiliary runs. In addition to Boys State, The American Legion features numerous programs including American Legion Baseball, Scouting, Oratorical Contests, Junior Shooting Sports, Youth Alumni, Sons of the American Legion, American Legion Riders, and Scholarships at every level of the organization.Publications The organization's official publication in its initial phase was a magazine called The American Legion Weekly, launched on July 4, 1919.
This publication switched its frequency and renamed itself The American Legion Monthly in 1926. In 1936 the publication's name and volume numbering system changed again, this time to American Legion Magazine. Organization. This section needs additional citations for.
Unsourced material may be challenged and removed.Find sources: – ( November 2016) National The main American Legion Headquarters is located on the in Indianapolis. It is the primary office for the National Commander and also houses the historical, library, Membership, Internal Affairs, Public Relations, and the Magazine editorial offices. The Legion also owns a building in Washington, D.C., that contains many of the operation offices such as Economics, Legislative, Veterans Affairs, Foreign Relations, National Security, and Media Relations. A National Officer or National Executive Committee Representative is distinguished by a red garrison cap with gold piping.Departments The head department for each state is located in that state's capital. There is a total of 55 lodges: one for each of the 50 states, in addition to the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, France, Mexico, and the Philippines.
The departments located overseas are intended to allow active duty military stationed and veterans living overseas to be actively involved with The American Legion similar to as if they were back in the United States. The main Department of France consists of 29 posts located in 10 European counties, the Department of Mexico consists of 22 posts located in Central America, and the Department of Philippines covers Asia and the Pacific Islands. A department officer or department executive committee representative is distinguished by a white garrison cap with gold piping.Districts Each Department is divided into Divisions and/or Districts. Each District oversees several Posts, generally about 20, to help each smaller group have a larger voice.
Divisions are even larger groups of about four or more Districts. The main purpose of these 'larger' groups (Districts and Divisions) is to allow one or two delegates to represent an area at conferences, conventions, and other gatherings, where large numbers of Legionnaires may not be able to attend.
A District Commander is distinguished by a navy blue garrison cap with a white crown and gold piping.Counties Each U.S. County comprises several Posts and oversees their operations, led by a County Council of elected officers. A County Commander is distinguished by a navy blue garrison cap with white piping.Posts The Post is the basic unit of the Legion and usually represents a small geographic area such as a single town or part of a county. There are roughly 14,900 posts in the United States. The Post is used for formal business such as meetings and a coordination point for community service projects.
A Post member is distinguished by a navy blue garrison cap with gold piping.Notable members., 1919–1920., 1920–1921. John G. Emery, 1921., 1921–1922., 1922–1923.
John R. Quinn, 1923–1924. James A.
Drain, 1924–1925. John R. McQuigg, 1925–1926., 1926–1927. Edward E. Spafford, 1927–1928., 1928–1929.
O. Bodenhamer, 1929–1930., 1930–1931. Henry L. Stevens, Jr., 1931–1932., 1932–1933., Illinois, 1933–1934. Frank N. Belgrano, California, 1934–1935.
Ray Murphy, Iowa, 1935–1936. Harry W. Colmery, Kansas, 1936–1937. Daniel J. Doherty, 1937–1938. Stephen F. Chadwick, Washington, 1938–1939.
Raymond J. Kelly, Michigan, 1939–1940. Milo J. Warner, Ohio, 1940–1941. Lynn U. Stambaugh, 1941–1942.
Roane Waring, 1942–1943., California, 1943–1944. Edward N. Scheiberling, New York, 1944–1945., Illinois, 1945–1946.
Paul H. Griffith, Pennsylvania, 1946–1947.
James F. O'Neal, 1947–1948.
S. Perry Brown, Texas, 1948–1949., Indiana, 1949–1950., 1950–1951. Donald R. Wilson, West Virginia, 1951–1952.
Lewis K. Gough, California, 1952–1953. Arthur J. Connell, 1953–1954.
Seaborn P. Collins, 1954–1955.
J. Addington Wagner, Michigan, 1955–1956., 1956–1957., Illinois, 1957–1958.
Preston J. Moore, 1958–1959., New York, 1959–1960. William R. Burke, California, 1960–1961.
Charles L. Bacon, 1961–1962. James E. Powers, Georgia, 1962–1963.
Daniel F. Foley, 1963–1964. Donald E. Johnson, Iowa, 1964–1965. L.
Eldon James, Virginia, 1965–1966., North Dakota, 1966–1967., 1967–1968. William C. Doyle, 1968–1969. J. Milton Patrick, Oklahoma, 1969–1970.
Alfred P. Chamie, California, 1970–1971., Illinois, 1971–1972. Joe L. Matthews, Texas, 1972–1973. Robert E. Eaton, 1972–1973. James M.
Wagonseller, Ohio, 1974–1975. Harry G. Wiles, Kansas, 1975–1976. William J.
Rogers, 1976–1977. Robert C.
Smith, 1977–1978. John M.
Carey, Michigan, 1978–1979. Frank I. Hamilton, Indiana, 1979–1980. Michael J. Kogutek, New York, 1980–1981.
Jack W. Flynt, Texas, 1981–1982.
Al Keller, Jr., Illinois, 1982–1983. Keith A. Kreul, 1983–1984. Clarence M. Bacon, Maryland, 1984–1985. Dale L. Renaud, Iowa, 1985–1986.
James P. Dean, 1986–1987. John P. Comer, Massachusetts, 1987–1988., North Dakota, 1988–1989. Miles S. Epling, West Virginia, 1989–1990.
Robert S. Turner, Georgia, 1990–1991. Dominic D. DiFrancesco, Pennsylvania, 1991–1992. Roger A. Munson, Ohio, 1992–1993.
Bruce Thiesen, California, 1993–1994. William M. Detweiler, Louisiana, 1994–1995. Daniel A.
Ludwig, Minnesota, 1995–1996. Joseph J. Frank, Missouri, 1996–1997. Anthony G.
Jordan, Maine, 1997–1998. Harold L. Miller, Virginia, 1998–1999., 1999–2000. Ray G. Smith, North Carolina, 2000–2001. Richard J. Santos, Maryland, 2001–2002.
Ronald F. Conley, Pennsylvania, 2002–2003., Texas, 2003–2004. Thomas P. Cadmus, Michigan, 2004–2005. Thomas L. Bock, 2005–2006.
Paul A. Morin, Massachusetts, 2006–2007. Martin F. Conatser, Illinois, 2007–2008. David K. Rehbein, Iowa, 2008–2009. Clarence E.
Hill, 2009–2010. Jimmie L. Foster, 2010–2011., New York, 2011–2012. James E. Koutz, Indiana, 2012–2013. Daniel Dellinger, Virginia, 2013–2014.
Michael D. Helm, Nebraska, 2014–2015. Dale Barnett, Georgia, 2015–2016.
Charles E. Schmidt, 2016–2017. Denise H. Rohan, Wisconsin, 2017–2018. Brett P. Reistad, Virginia, 2018–2019List of Honorary Commanders. American Legion.
1958 – via. Ceplair, Larry (2011). Anti-communism in Twentieth-century America: A Critical History. Santa Barbara, CA: ABC-CLIO. (1979). New York:.
Heale, M.J. American Anticommunism: Combating the Enemy Within, 1830–1970. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press. Rumer, Thomas A. New York: M Evans & Co. Skeyhill, Tom, ed. Garden City, NY:.
– via. Wheat, George Seay (1919). The Birth of the Legion. New York and London:.
– via.Further reading. Littlewood, Thomas B. Carbondale:. Moley, Raymond (1966).
New York:. Pencak, William (1989). Boston:. Spencer, Dewey, ed.
History of The American Legion, Department of Arkansas, 1919–1979. Little Rock.External links Official. on. as amended through September 3, 2015.General information. at the. at the. at.
at. at the Department of Defense Vietnam War Commemoration Program Office.
at. at the United States Foundation for the Commemoration of the World Wars. Emery. Quinn. Drain. McQuigg. Spafford.
Bodenhamer. Stevens.
Belgrano. Murphy. Colmery.
Doherty. Chadwick.
Kelly. Warner.
Stambaugh. Waring. Scheiberling. Griffith. O'Neal.
Brown. Wilson. Gough. Connell. Collins. Wagner. Moore.
What Are The Qualifications To Join The American Legion 2017
Burke. Bacon. Powers. Foley. D. Johnson. James.
Doyle. Patrick. Chamie. Matthews. Eaton.
Wagonseller. Wiles. Rogers. R. Smith. Carey. Hamilton.
Kogutek. Flynt. Keller. Kreul. Bacon.
Renaud. Dean.
Comer. Epling. Turner. DiFrancesco. Munson. Thiesen. Detweiler.
Ludwig. Frank. Jordan. Miller.
R. Smith. Santos. Conley. Cadmus. Bock.
Morin. Conatser.
Rehbein. Hill. Foster. Koutz. Dellinger. Helm.
Barnett. Schmidt. Rohan. Reistad.
Together, we make a differenceThe American Legion was chartered and incorporated by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization devoted to mutual helpfulness. It is the nation's largest wartime veterans service organization, committed to mentoring youth and sponsorship of wholesome programs in our communities, advocating patriotism and honor, promoting strong national security, and continued devotion to our fellow servicemembers and veterans.The American Legion's success depends entirely on active membership, participation and volunteerism. The organization belongs to the people it serves and the communities in which it thrives.BENEFITS OF MEMBERSHIP.