American Legion Accomplishments from 1919-2020
1918 Nov 11, Lt Col. Theodore Roosevelt Jr Begins Drumming up interest for a Veterans Organization.
1919 March In Paris, The first official Meeting of the group that would be known at the American Legion.
1919 May in St. Louis, A constitution is drafted, and the American Legion’s Name is Officially adopted.
Also, Roosevelt declines Nomination to serve as first National Commander.
1919 Sept 16, The American Legion becomes the first Veterans Service Organization to receive a Federal charter.
1919 Nov 10-12, The first American Legion National Convention takes place in Minneapolis.
Delegates vote to locate the organization’s National headquarters In Indianapolis and Franklin
D’Olier of Pennsylvania is elected as National Commander.
1921 August, The Legion’s efforts result in the creation of the U.S. Veterans Bureau, Forerunner of the
Veterans Administration.
1922, The American Legion sets Clear objectives for its Child -Welfare program: to ensure care and
protection for the Children of Veterans and improve the lives of all children.
1923, The first U.S. flag code, which would be adopted by Congress in 1942, is drafted during an
American Legion Conference in Washington.
1925, The American Legion Baseball program is created to offer young men healthy, wholesome
recreational Activity.
1931, The Veterans Administration is created, a victory for American Legion-Supported to consolidate
federal agencies tasked with providing benefits to those who service in uniform. Also,
membership in the American Legion passes the 1 million mark.
1933, The Economic Act of 1933 strips more than $400 million in Veterans Benefits and more than
10,000 veterans are thrown out of VA and military Hospitals.
1934, The American Legion successfully restores many benefits forfeited in the Economic Act of
1933 by fighting for passage of Public Law 141.
1935, The first American Legion Boys State convenes in Springfield, Ill., to help young men gain
an understanding of the structure and operation of the state government.
1938, The final round of the legion’s first annual National High School Oratorical Contest is
conducted in Norman, Oklahoma
1940, The American Legion testifies before Congress about the lack of available bed space in VA
hospitals, an issue that will become a crisis as World War 11 unfolds.
1941, After the bombing of Pearl Harbor, Legionnaires step up to serve again. More than 150,000 return
to the military, and nearly 400,000 serve as air-raid wardens, 300,000 as volunteer police
officers and 50,000 as volunteer firefighters.
1943, Past National Commander Harry W. Colmery drafts what will become known as the GI Bill of
Rights, which is considered the legion’s single greatest legislative achievement.
1944, President Franklin D. Roosevelt signs into law the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act, the first
GI Bill, which enables some 8 million World War II veterans to attend College, buy houses
and raise families.
1944, The American Legion pushes for passage of the Veterans Preference Hiring Act, which gives
employment advantages to veterans seeking federal government jobs.
1946, The first Boys Nation brings together youth leaders from the Legion’s Boys State Program
Nationwide.
1946, The Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary present a $50,000 grant to a small organization
known as the American Heart Association, which goes on to become a national leader in
the study, prevention and treatment of heart disease.
1950, Membership eligibility is opened to those serving in the Korean War.
1950, The Legion votes to contribute funds to the field of mental health, helping to establish the
National Association for Mental Health.
1950, The American Legion establishes its national headquarters at a 100,000-square-foot limestone
building in Indianapolis.
1951, President Truman signs the Universal Military Training and Service Act after heavy pressure
From The American Legion, to better prepare citizen soldiers for warfare.
1951, The legion dedicates a new 39,000-square-foot building near the white House for its
operations in Washington, D.C.
1952, The legion helps win passage of a Korean War GI Bill.
1954, The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation is founded to support nonprofit organizations
that provide help for young people facing challenges.
1960, The Legion’s “Our Kind of Guy” program reaches out to newly discharged veterans to
Advise them of their VA benefits.
1960, The American Legion lobbies for the establishment of a VA Cemetery System.
1961, The American Legion welcomes veterans of the Vietnam War into its membership
1964, The Legion rallies support for Vietnam War veterans through a program called “Show
Your Colors,” distributing U.S. flag pins and messages of support to returning troops
1965, The American Legion Passes a resolution supporting “U.S. assistance to Vietnam” and “increased
commitment of American forces to that area.”
1966, The legion voices serious concern over the fate of prisoners of war in Vietnam, leading to a
national movement demanding a full accounting of all POWs and MIAs.
1969, The Legion’s National Executive Committee establishes the National Emergency Fund to provide
to provide relief for Legionnaires who suffered losses in the aftermath of Hurricane Camille.
1970, The American Legion Service-officer program flourishes as Vietnam War Veterans restart their
lives as civilians.
1972, The legion implements a Halloween Safety program for children that remains the national
program of its kind.
1975, The American Legion-sponsored freedom bell goes aboard the Freedom tran for a tour of the
Country in celebration of the nation’s bicentennial.
1982, The Legion presents a $1 million check to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund for Construction
Of the Wall in Washington, making the organization the largest single contributor.
1983, The legion announces its sponsorship of an independent study on the effects of exposure to Agent
Orange on the Vietnam War veterans, leading to service-connected disability compensation
for millions of veterans afflicted with a variety of conditions caused by the exposure.
1989, Following strong lobbying by the legion, the Veterans Administration is elevated to cabinet-level
status as the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
1989, The long-standing objective of the Legion to improve adjudication procedures for Veterans
claims is achieved when the U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals becomes operational. Most of
the provisions contained in the law creating the court were originally included in the Veterans
Reassurance Act, written by the legion and introduced in Congress in 1988.
1990, The Legion files suit against the Federal Government for failure to conduct a Congress-mandated
study about the effects of Agent Orange on veterans who served in Vietnam.
1990, The legion creates the Family Support Network to assist families of servicemembers deployed
in operations Desert Sheild and Desert Storm. Through local posts, the network offers a wide
range of assistance, including financial assistance, lawn-mowing, babysitting and more.
1991, The Legion conducts its first annual Junior Shooting Sports National Air Rifle Championships
at the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
1994, The Legion announces the creation of the Citizens Flag Alliance, a coalition of organizations
and individual citizens united to work for a constitutional amendment to protect the U.S
flag from physical desecration.
1995, The legion forms the Persian Gulf Task Force to improve health-care service for the newest
generation of wartime veterans, Thousands of whom suffer from mysterious illnesses linked to
the operations.
1996, The Legion awards a $20,000 college scholarship to each of the 10 first Samsung American
legion high-school scholars.
1997, The National Emergency Fund surpasses the $1 million mark in cash grants given to flood
victims in Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana, Minnesota and North Dakota.
1997, The legion presents its first National Law Enforcement Officer of the year award at the 79th
National Convention in Orlando, Florida.
2000, American Legion-supported Senate Joint Resolution 14, the Constitutional Amendment that
would return the people’s right to protect the U.S. Flag from physical desecration, Falls just
four votes short of the necessary 67 to override a presidential veto.
2001, Following the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, the American Legion established the legacy Scholarship
Fund to provide College Education to the children of U.S. servicemembers killed on duty after
9/11.
2002, The Legion launches the national “I Am Not A Number” campaign to document the delays
veterans face in obtaining medical care from the VA. The campaign leads to the System Worth
Saving Task Force and its annual report to congress on a variety of issues facing VA
Health-care facilities nationwide.
2005, Delegates at the 87th National Convention in Honolulu pass Resolution 169, unanimously
declaring support for U.S. Troops and their mission in the Global War on Terrorism.
2008, President George W. Bush signs into law the Post-9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act
, a next-generation GI Bill strongly supported by the Legion.
2010, The Legion’s PTSD/TBI task Force meets to formulate recommendation on how to best treat the
signature wounds of the War on terrorism: post-traumatic stress and Traumatic brain injury.
2011, At the Legion’s 93rd National Convention in Minneapolis, Fang A. Wong is elected national
Commander. The retired Army warrant officer is the first veteran of Chinese descent elected
to lead the nation’s largest veterans organization.
2014, Amid appointment waiting-time scandals at the Phoenix VA Medical Center and other
facilities nationwide, American Legion National Commander Daniel Dellinger Calls for , and
ultimately receives, the resignation of VA Secretary Gen. Eric Shinseki. The American Legion then
conducts nearly 30 Veterans Crisis Command Centers and Veterans Benefits Centers nationwide
to provide firsthand assistance to veterans.
2017, At the Legion’s 99th National Convention in Reno, Nev., Dense Rohan becomes the Legion’s
first female National Commander.
2019, The American Legion celebrates 100 years of service with its 101st National Convention in the
home city of its National Headquarters, Indianapolis.
2020, The COVID-19 pandemic cancels American Legion youth program championships and national
meetings but advances hundreds of local relief initiatives nationwide, including food distributions,
delivery of protective face masks and Buddy Checks to communicate with isolating veterans
and offer assistance.