History

SIGNIFICANT DATES IN THE HISTORY

OF THE AMERICAN LEGION

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.