Volume 81, Issue 3
A Century of the American Legion Reporter: Noah Weaver The year is 1919, exactly one century ago, and the U.S. only had 48 states. According to their official website, the legion “was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veteran’s organization.” Members of the American Expeditionary Force came together while in Paris for the first American Legion caucus. Within a few months the group was made official through the publication of a constitution. A few months after that, a 361323 vote decided that Indianapolis would house the headquarters of the legion, and a resolution was passed supporting the Boy Scouts of America. Following that, the Legion had a very eventful century. Over the next 10 years the Legion gave funding for education, medical bills and disabilities for veterans, as well as starting a baseball program that over half of today's professional baseball players have graduated from. Over the next five years the Legion continued on, providing funding and honoring many different organizations, then in 1935 something special was created. The very first "Boys State" in the nation was held on the grounds of the Illinois State Fair. Within a few years, 34 States had a Boys State program, and today 49 states conduct the program, Hawaii being the only state without a program. There has been a program every year with the exception of 1945 due to the Second World War, and again in 1952 due to flooding of the grounds.
Wednesday, June 12th, 2019
Today, the American Legion hosts over 19,500 young men through the Boys State program. In May of 1945 the Legion gave a grant of $50,000 to a struggling company called the American Heart Organization, continuing the tradition of funding companies for the betterment of America. Recently, donations for the Legion are at an all-time high. During the war in Vietnam, the Legion voiced great concern over the lives of all war prisoners in Vietnam, demanding a full accounting of all troops captured. In 2013, more than $1.1 million was raised for Operation Comfort Warriors during the 2012-2013 fundraising year. It easily surpassed his original goal of $500,000. In 2014, $4.4million was raised for the Legion’s charities and programs. Recently, in 2017, Denise H. Rohan of Wisconsin was elected as National Commander, becoming the first woman to hold this role in Legion history. The American Legion has 100 bright years in the past with, hopefully, many more to come.
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