 | This article is missing information about the American Legion's efforts against Harold Rugg's social studies textbooks. (July 2023) |
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 American Legion National Headquarters Indianapolis, Indiana, United States | |
| Established | March 15, 1919 |
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| Founded at | Paris, France |
| Type | 501(c)(19), war veterans' organization |
| 35-0144250 | |
| Headquarters | 700 North Pennsylvania Street, Indianapolis, Indiana |
| Coordinates | 39°46′37″N 86°09′22″W / 39.7770°N 86.1562°W |
Area served | Worldwide |
Membership (2018) | ~1,800,000 |
| Rev. Daniel Seehafer (WI) Since August 2023 | |
| Rodney Rolland (GA) Since May 2024[1] | |
National Executive Committee | 61 voting members
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Key people |
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| Publication | The American Legion |
| Subsidiaries | Sons of The American Legion |
| Secessions | Forty and Eight |
| Affiliations |
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| Website | legion |
The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is an organization of U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It comprises state, U.S. territory, and overseas departments, in turn made up of local posts. It was established in March 1919 in Paris, France, by officers and men of the American Expeditionary Forces (A.E.F.).[2] It was subsequently chartered by the 66th U.S. Congress on September 16, 1919.[3]
The Legion played the leading role in drafting and passing the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, commonly known as the "G.I. Bill". In addition to organizing commemorative events, members assist at Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) hospitals and clinics. It is active in issue-oriented U.S. politics. Its primary political activity is lobbying on behalf of veterans and service members, including for benefits such as pensions and the Veterans Health Administration.[4]
- ^ "Marine Corps veteran named American Legion national adjutant".
- ^ Wheat 1919 pp. 14–15, 206
- ^ Statutes of the United States of America, passed at the First Session of the Sixty-sixth Congress, 1919... Washington: Government Printing Office. 1919. pp. 284–285. OL 20608782M – via Internet Archive.
- ^ Burtin, Olivier (2020). "Veterans as a Social Movement: The American Legion, the First Hoover Commission, and the Making of the American Welfare State". Social Science History. 44 (2): 329–354. doi:10.1017/ssh.2020.5. ISSN 0145-5532. S2CID 218778378.