THE AMERICAN LEGION

The American Legion is an organization of military veterans and is best described by the Preamble to the Constitution of The American Legion:

For God and Country we associate ourselves together for the following purposes:
To Uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America; To maintain law and order; To foster and perpetuate a one hundred percent Americanism; To preserve the memories and incidents of our associations in the great wars; To inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the community, state and nation; To combat the autocracy of both the classes and the masses; To make right the master of might; To promote peace and good-will on earth; To safeguard and transmit to posterity the principles of justice, freedom and democracy; To consecrate and sanctify our comradeship by our devotion to mutual helpfulness.

CAPSULE HISTORY OF THE AMERICAN LEGION

A group of twenty officers who served in the American Expeditionary Forces (A.E.F.) in France in World War I is credited with planning the Legion. A.E.F. Headquarters asked these officers to suggest ideas on how to improve troop morale. One officer, Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., proposed an organization of veterans. In February, 1919, this group formed a temporary committee, and selected several hundred officers who had the confidence and respect of the whole army.

When the first organization meeting took place in Paris in March, 1919, about 1000 officers and enlisted men attended. The meeting, known as the Paris Caucus, adopted a temporary constitution and the name "The American Legion." It also elected an executive committee to complete the organization work. It considered each soldier of the A.E.F. a member of the Legion. The executive committee named a subcommittee to organize veterans at home in the U.S.

The Legion held a second organizing caucus in St. Louis, MO in May, 1919. It completed the constitution and made plans for a permanent organization. It set up temporary headquarters in NY, NY and began its relief, employment and Americanism programs.

"Congress granted the Legion a national charter in September, 1919. The first national convention, held in Minneapolis, adopted a permanent constitution and elected officers to head the organization."

(NOTE: A more detailed history is recalled in the bulletin, History of The American Legion. This bulletin is free by writing to the office of the National Historian, The American Legion National Headquarters, P.O. Box 1055, Indianapolis, IN 46206.

LEGION SERVICE TO THE COMMUNITY

Legionnaires every day are making a difference in their communities. They promote patriotic holidays, provide assistance to needy veterans and their families, and provide aid and comfort to the children in the community. Nothing better demonstrates this service than the annual Consolidated Post Reports, submitted each year to American Legion National Headquarters by Posts. Consider the range and depth of what Legion members accomplished in Legion year 1995-96:

- 47,844 Legion family members donated 99,000 pints of blood to local collection agencies
- 17,046 young men attended Department Boys State programs at a cost $3.1 million
- 4,300 American Legion Baseball teams and other athletic teams sponsored at a cost of $1.9 million
- 7,200 educational scholarships awarded, the scholarships valued at 3.7 million
- 2.8 million community service hours worked by volunteers at an estimated value of $7.7 million
- $2.25 million in direct cash aid to needy children and in-kind donations valued at $2.9 million
- More than 1.3 million volunteer hours at VA hospitals and other veterans' facilities; $2.4 million in emergency cash aid to needy veterans; and $2 million in contributions to VA Voluntary Service programs; and - Total financial donations to outside charitable agencies totaling $9.6 million.

Source: The American Legion Dispatch, October 10, 1996

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