About The American Legion
Our Mission
The American Legion was chartered and incorporated by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veteran’s organization devoted to mutual helpfulness. It is the nation’s largest wartime veterans service organization, committed to mentoring youth and sponsorship of wholesome programs in our communities, advocating patriotism, and honor, promoting strong national security, and continued devotion to our fellow servicemembers and veterans.
Hundreds of local American Legion programs and activities strengthen the nation one community at a time. American Legion Baseball is one of the nation’s most successful amateur athletic programs, educating young people about the importance of sportsmanship, citizenship, and fitness.
The Operation Comfort Warriors program supports recovering wounded warriors and their families, providing them with “comfort items” and the kind of support that makes a hospital feel a little bit more like home. The Legion also raises millions of dollars in donations at the local, state, and national levels to help veterans and their families during times of need and to provide college scholarship opportunities.
The American Legion is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization with great political influence perpetuated by its grass-roots involvement in the legislation process from local districts to Capitol Hill. Legionnaires’ sense of obligation to community, state and nation drives an honest advocacy for veterans in Washington. The Legion stands behind the issues most important to the nation’s veteran’s community, backed by resolutions passed by volunteer leadership.
The American Legion’s success depends entirely on active membership, participation, and volunteerism. The organization belongs to the people it serves and the communities in which it thrives.
American Legion Four Pillars
Still Serving: It’s Who We Are
In 1919, The American Legion was founded on four pillars: Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation, National Security, Americanism, and Children & Youth. Each of these pillars encompasses a variety of programs that benefit our nation’s veterans, its service members, their families, the youth of America and ordinary citizens. These programs make a difference in hundreds of thousands of lives each year.
Our organization’s positions and programs are guided by resolutions passed by American Legion National Convention delegates, and committee and commission members who represent nearly 2 million wartime veterans and their families. These programs, and the men and women who take the time to perform them, are what allow The American Legion to make a difference locally, and on the state and national levels. It’s who we are and what we do.
Pillar I – Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation
- VA Claims Backlog
- Access to VA Health Care
- Network of Service Officers
- VA Vet Centers
- Health-care Funding Formula
- Veterans with Special Needs
- Volunteering
- Final Respects
- Heroes to Hometowns
- Careers for Veterans
- Homelessness
- GI Bill Benefits
Pillar II – National Security
- Support for the Troops
- Size of the Armed Forces
- Quality of Life
- Homeland Security
- POW/MIAs
- Operation Comfort Warriors
Pillar III – Americanism
- Flag Protection
- Illegal Immigration
- Voter Registration and Participation
- Boy Scouts of America
- The Pledge of Allegiance
- Establishment-Clause Lawsuits
- Legacy Run
- Boys Nation
- American Legion Baseball
Pillar IV – Children & Youth
- Catastrophic Illness
- Intellectual Disabilities
- Immunization
- Family Integrity
- Media Violence
- Drug Abuse
- Child Sexual Exploitation
- Family Support Network
- Temporary Financial Assistance
- Samsung Scholarship
- Child Welfare Foundation
Preamble to the Constitution
FOR GOD AND COUNTRY, WE ASSOCIATE OURSELVES TOGETHER FOR THE FOLLOWING PURPOSES:
To uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America;
To maintain law and order;
To foster and perpetuate a one hundred percent Americanism;
To preserve the memories and incidents of our associations in all wars;
To inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the community, state and nation;
To combat the autocracy of both the classes and the masses;
To make right the master of might;
To promote peace and goodwill on earth;
To safeguard and transmit to posterity the principles of justice, freedom and democracy;
To consecrate and sanctify our comradeship by our devotion to mutual helpfulness.
About The
Legion Riders
Currently, over 110,000 American Legion Riders meet in over 2,000 chapters in every domestic department and in at least three foreign countries.
350 North State Street
PO Box 148000
Salt Lake City, Utah 84114
(801) 539-1013
