Month & Day
|
Year
|
Event
|
March 15-17
|
1919 |
The American Legion is
founded in Paris by members of the American Expeditionary Force.
|
September 16
|
1919 |
The U S. Congress charters The
American Legion. |
November 10-12
|
1919 |
First national convention of The
American Legion convenes in Minneapolis, Minn. Organization's
Constitution and Preamble are adopted. Resolution adopted
supporting the Boy Scouts of American as first youth program.
|
August 9
|
1921 |
U.S. Veterans Bureau, forerunner of
the Veterans Administration, is created as a result of efforts
by The American Legion. |
June 15
|
1923 |
First "Flag Code" is drafted during
conference called by The American Legion. Congress adopted the
code in 1942. |
July 17
|
1925 |
American Legion Baseball program is
created. |
June 23
|
1935 |
First American Legion Boys State
convenes in Springfield, Ill. |
June 1
|
1938 |
First American Legion National High
School Oratorical Championship held in Norman, Okla.
|
September 19-21
|
1942 |
Preamble to the Constitution of The
American Legion is changed for the first and only time since it
was written in 1919. The word "War" is changed to "Wars." |
December 15
|
1943 |
Harry W. Colmery, past national
commander of The American Legion, writes in longhand on hotel
stationery the first draft of what will become the "GI Bill of
Rights." |
June 22
|
1944 |
President Franklin Roosevelt signs The
GI Bill into law. |
May 29
|
1946 |
A $50,000 grant from the American
Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary is presented to a
small, struggling organization - the American Heart Association
- to inaugurate a nationwide program for the study, prevention
and treatment of rheumatic heart disease. |
May 4
|
1950 |
The American Legion votes to
contribute funds to the field of mental health with the
provision that the three major mental health organizations then
in existence be amalgamated into one. They accepted this
provision and the National Association for Mental Health was
born. |
July 9
|
1954 |
The American Legion Child Welfare
Foundation is formed. |
September 1
|
1966 |
The American Legion voices great
concern over the fate of POWs in Vietnam. |
August 26
|
1982 |
The American Legion presents a
$1million check to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund toward the
construction of 'The Wall' in Washington, D.C. |
July 21
|
1983 |
The American Legion announces its
sponsorship of an independent study of the effects of exposure
to Agent Orange on Vietnam veterans. (The results of "The
American Legion Columbia University Study of Vietnam-era
Veterans' were presented to Congress in 1989.) |
January 1
|
1989 |
The Department of Veterans Affairs
begins operations. The American Legion fought for the VA to
become a cabinet-level department, arguing that veterans
deserved representation in the highest conuncils fo government.
|
October 16
|
1989 |
Longstanding objective of The American
Legion is achieved as the U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals begins
operations. |
October 11
|
1990 |
The Family Support Netword of The
American Legion is formed to assist the families of military
personnel deployed during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm.
|
June 15
|
1991 |
The American Legion's first Junior
Shooting Sports National Air Rifle Championships are held at the
Olympic Training Center at Colorado Springs, Colo. |
April 5
|
1993 |
The First class of recently discharged
veterans begins training in Sterling, VA for eventual placement
in well-paying jobs in the construction industry. The landmark
training and job-placement program is a joint effort by The
American Legion and the Laborers' International Union of North
America. |
August 24
|
1994 |
The American Legion announces creation
of the Citizens Flag Alliance to work for a constitutional
amendment to protect the American flag from physical
desecration. |
September 24
|
1994 |
The American Legion announces
partnership with the Smithsonian Institute's Air and Space
Museum to develop an exhibit for the bomber Enola Gay, which
droped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan. Previous museum
plans and drawn intense criticism from veterans, scholars and
the public. |
January 30
|
1995 |
The American Legion announces
acceptance of scaled-down exhibit "without political commentary"
for the Enola Gay, ending the greatest controversy in the
Smithsonian Institute's 149-year history. |
October 1
|
1995 |
The American Legion forms a Persian
Gulf Tast Force to enhance the organization's service to these
veterans. |
September 16
|
1996 |
The first $20,000 postsecondary
scholarship in the Samsung -American Legion High School Scholars
program are granted to 10 students. |
June 11
|
1997 |
The American Legion National Emergency
Fund exceeds the $1 million mark in grants to flood victims in
Ohio, Kentrucky, Indiana, Minnesota, and North Dakota.
|
September 3
|
1997 |
The first National Law Enforcement
Office of the Year award is presented during the 79th National
Convention in Orlando, Fla. |
March 28
|
2000 |
The American Legion, the American
Legion Auxiliary and the Fons of The American Legion donate $2.7
million to the World War II Memorial Fund. Donations exceed 3.4
million by year end. |
September 5
|
2000 |
The American Legion presents the first
"Spirit of Service" Award to active duty service members for
their off-duty volunteer activities. |
August 28-30
|
2001
|
The American Legion passes resolution
to rekindle Blue Star Service Banner program. |
September 12
|
2001 |
The American Legion reactivates the
Family Support Network following terrorist attacks in New York
and Washington, D.C. |
October 10-11
|
2001 |
The American Legion creates the
American Legacy Scholarship Fund for children of military
members killed on active duty on or after September 11, 2001
|
September 11
|
2002 |
The American Legion takes lead in
conducting "A Day To Remember" events to mark the anniversary of
the terrorist attacks on the nation. |
November 8
|
2002 |
The American Legion launches national
"I Am Not A Number" campaign to identify and document the delays
veterans face in obtaining earned medical care benefits from the
Department of Veterans Affairs. |
October 17
|
2003 |
American Legion efforts on Capitol
Hill break the deadlock on the Disabled Veterans Tax when
Congress creates a 10-year phase-in for service-connected
disabled retirees to receive military retired pay and VA
disability compensation without subtraction from either. Legion
efforts also result I passage of the Military Family Tax Relief
Act. |
September 3
|
2004 |
American Legion lobbying leads to more
progress in elimination of the Disabled Veterans Tax with
passage of PL 108-375 that eliminates the 10-year phase-in for
100 percent service-connected retirees, allowing them to
immediately begin receiving both retired pay and VA disability
payments. |
September 19
|
2004 |
The American Legion launches a
national program, the Blue Star Salute, where posts across the
country hold public events to recognize troops, their families
and local businesses on Armed Forces Day. |
May 7
|
2005 |
The American Legion lobbied
successfully to remove from VA funding legislation
administration-proposed increases in VA prescription co-payments
and institution of user fee for Priority Group 8 veterans using
VA health facilities. Efforts focus on legislation to provide
mandatory, vice discretionary, funding of VA health care.
|