American Legion

More to Explore

People and Groups

Themes

Events

Related Topics

This Day in History

Feb 9

Vietnam War

U.S. sends first combat troops to South Vietnam, 1965

A U.S. Marine Corps Hawk air defense missile battalion is deployed to Da Nang. President Johnson had ordered this deployment to provide protection for…

Recommended Articles

  • America's Wars: The 20th and 21st Centuries

    Timeline of America's Wars, specifically the 20th and 21st Centuries.

  • Veterans Day

    Veterans Day

    November 11 is Veterans Day, a U.S. federal holiday dedicated to honoring veterans who served honorably in war or peacetime.

  • America's Wars

    America's Wars

    Military conflicts throughout U.S. history have shaped the country's policies, influenced its culture, defined its borders and cost thousands of lives.

  • American History

    American History

    Explore the history of the United States from the colonial period to modern-day America.

Organization of U.S. war veterans. It was founded in Paris on March 15–17, 1919, by delegates from combat and service units of the American Expeditionary Force. A national charter was granted to it by the U.S. Congress on September 16, 1919; the charter was later amended to admit veterans of World War II (1942), the Korean War (1950), the Vietnam War (1966), the Lebanon, Grenada, and Panama hostilities (1990), and Operation Desert Shield/Storm (1991). Nonpolitical and nonsectarian, the American Legion's membership requirement is honourable service and an honourable discharge. Its annual conventions are among the largest volunteer group meetings in the United States. The national headquarters are in Indianapolis, Indiana.

One of the Legion's major concerns has always been care of disabled and sick veterans; it was instrumental in establishing hospitals and other services for World War I veterans, services that have been expanded to meet the needs of veterans of later wars. It champions compensation and pensions for the disabled and for widows and orphans. The Legion successfully sponsored the creation of the U.S. Veterans Administration in 1930. In 1944 it played an important role in the enactment of the GI Bill of Rights for World War II veterans, and later in supporting similar legislation for Korean War veterans. These measures afforded college or vocational training to more than 10,500,000 veterans and enabled more than 5,600,000 veterans to purchase homes under the loan provisions of the act.

The Legion's Americanism and youth programs include projects in which young people are given practical instruction in the functions of democratic government. It also sponsors thousands of Boy Scout troops and junior baseball teams. At the turn of the 21st century the total membership of the Legion was about 3,000,000 enrolled in 15,000 local posts, or groups.

Copyright © 1994-2011 Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc. For more information visit Britannica.com.

Fact Check We strive for accuracy and fairness. But if you see something that doesn't look right, contact us!

Advertisement

Shop HISTORY

See More

Classroom Study Guides

  • Vietnam in HD Teacher's Guide (PDF)

    Classroom companion for the new HISTORY series Vietnam in HD.

  • Band of Brothers: Episode 3 - Carentan (PDF)

    Teacher's guide to Easy Company's mission to take the French town of Carentan. It focuses on Pvt. Albert Blithe as he struggles to adjust to the violence, carnage and disorientation of combat.

  • Band of Brothers: Episode 4 - Replacements (PDF)

    Teacher's guide to Operation Market-Garden, in which the Easy Company head into German-occupied Holland. The strategy calls for the company to enter Germany through the Netherlands, but fierce German resistance demonstrates that the plan will not work.