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The American Legion
----- Still Serving America
The American Legion is the largest wartime veterans
group in the nation, with approximately 2.8 million
members. In recent years, a new generation of wartime
veterans has become eligible to join. The American
Legion, the millions of service men and women who served
on duty during the Persian Gulf War, Somalia and Haiti.
Their wartime service gives them eligible, just as those
who served during Grenada, Panama and Lebanon. Today's
active duty service men and women are currently eligible
for Legion membership, because the Persian Gulf period
has not yet been declared over by the U.S. government.
Not only is the Legion the largest, it is the most
active veteran's organization. Veterans care and
benefits have always been at the top of The American
Legion agenda. The Legion constantly battles for
adequate funding for the Department of Veterans Affairs,
especially to restore veterans' medical care to a level
promised them by a government they swore to serve and
defend. The Legion has introduced comprehensive
proposals to improve the VA Health Care System and to
reform its unfair and complicated eligibility rules.
The Legion has long been the leader of the efforts to
gain adequate care and compensation for Vietnam veterans
and their families affected by exposure to Agent Orange
and for those who suffer from post-traumatic stress
disorder. Based upon that experience, the Legion was
among the first to call attention to the phenomenon of
strange illness reported by those who served in the
Persian Gulf, and thus demanded that those sick veterans
be compensated for service-oriented illnesses.
Because of drastic downsizing of the armed forces , The
American Legion has voiced strong and consistent concern
for out nation's national defense. Today's men and women
in uniform are some of America's finest citizens: yet,
they are over deployed and underpaid. The American
Legion is reconnecting with those in uniform to help
them at the local level while pushing hard at the top
levels of government for essential increases in pay and
funding.
More than a veterans organization, The American Legion
stands second to none in patriotism and has led the
movement to return to the people their right to protect
the American Flag from acts of physical desecration.
With the formation of the Citizens Flag Alliance, a
coalition of like-minded organizations founded in 1944
by The American Legion, the voice of the people is heard
in Congress. Forty-nine state legislatures have
petitioned Congress to send them a flag-protection
amendment for ratification. Legislation to achieve
protection will be considered in the 107th Congress.
The American Legion is dedicated to improving America
through involved and committed volunteerism. The Legion
donates more blood than any other organization in the
country. In 1999-2000, Legionnaires gave more than $28
million to Children and Youth programs, such as its
long-standing sponsorship of American Legion Baseball,
Boys State and Boys Nation, and Boy Scouts. More than $9
million was donated to charitable organizations such as
the United Way and Red Cross. And last year,
Legionnaires gave more than 3.9 million hours in
volunteer service to their communities and VA hospitals.
Those who stood to defend their nation in time of war...
who continue to stand for a strong national defense in a
changing world...and who steadfastly work to preserve
the fabric of the nation...that is today's American
Legion, STILL SERVING AMERICA
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