Nov. 11, 1919: Delegates to The American
Legion's first annual convention in Minneapolis vote 361-323 to
locate the Legion's National Headquarters in Indianapolis, Ind.,
rather than Washington, D.C.
Aug. 9, 1921: The U.S. Veterans Bureau, forerunner
of the Veterans Administration, is created as a result of efforts
by The American Legion. Today, the Legion continues to lobby for
adequate funding of the Department of Veterans Affairs.
June 15, 1923: The first "Flag Code" is
drafted during a conference called by The American Legion in Washington,
D.C. Congress eventually adopted the code in 1942. Today, the
Legion is at the forefront of efforts to gain a constitutional
amendment to protect the American flag from physical desecration.
July 17, 1925: American Legion Baseball program
is created. Today, more than 60 percent of professional baseball
players are graduates of The American Legion Baseball program.
About 89,000 high-school-age youths play on Legion-sponsored teams
each year.
June 23, 1935: The first American Legion
Boys State is convened in Springfield, Ill., to help youths gain
an understanding of the structure and operation of American government.
The first Boys Nation was organized in 1946.
June 1, 1938: The final round of The American
Legion's first annual National High School Oratorical Contest
is held in Norman, Okla. Today, more than 25,000 high school students
from around the country compete annually in the contest designed
to develop a greater understanding of the U.S. Constitution. Winners
are awarded thousands of dollars in college scholarships.
Sept. 19-21, 1942: The Preamble to the Constitution
of The American Legion is changed for the first and only time
since its creation in 1919 -- the word "War" is changed to "Wars."
Oct. 29, 1942: The American Legion's charter
is amended to allow veterans of World War II to join the organization.
Dec. 15, 1943: Harry W. Colmery, past national
commander of The American Legion, writes in longhand on hotel
stationery the first draft of what will later become the "GI Bill
of Rights", the Legion's greatest single legislative achievement.
Today, the Legion is at the forefront of efforts to improve benefits
for this nation's newest veterans, those who've served during
Desert Shield/Desert Storm and are serving today in a variety
of peacekeeping roles.
June 22, 1944: President Franklin Roosevelt
signs the GI Bill into law.
May 29, 1946: A $50,000 grant from The American
Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary is presented to a small,
struggling organization, the American Heart Association, to inaugurate
a nationwide program for the study, prevention, and treatment
of rheumatic heart disease.
Aug. 28, 1946: Legion membership surpasses
three million.
Sept. 1, 1949: The first World War II veteran
is elected national commander of The American Legion.
May 4, 1950: The American Legion votes to
contribute funds to the field of mental health with the provision
that the three major mental health organizations then in existence
be amalgamated into one. They accepted this provision and the
National Association for Mental Health was born.
Dec. 28, 1950: Korean War veterans are approved
for membership in the Legion.
July 9, 1954: The American Legion Child
Welfare Foundation is formed. Since that time, the foundation
has awarded $4 million to youth-oriented organizations and projects
designed to help America's children.
Sept. 1, 1966: Vietnam War veterans are approved
for membership in the Legion. The American Legion voices great
concern over the fate of POWs in Vietnam. Today, the Legion continues
to press for a full accounting of POW/MIAs and has formed a special
group from among the nation's major veterans organizations to
take the lead on this issue.
May 1, 1972: The American Legion implements
the Halloween safety program for children. Today, it remains the
only national program of its kind.
Aug. 26, 1982: The American Legion presents
a $1 million check to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund toward
the construction of "The Wall" in Washington, D.C. The Legion,
which had solicited donations from its members, eventually became
the largest single contributor to the project.
July 21, 1983: The American Legion announces
its sponsorship of an independent study on the effects of exposure
to Agent Orange on Vietnam veterans. The results of "The American
Legion-Columbia University Study of Vietnam-era Veterans" were
presented to Congress in 1989.
Aug. 25, 1983: The first Korean War veteran
is elected national commander of The American Legion.
Sept. 8, 1988: The first Vietnam War veteran
is elected National Commander of The American Legion.
Jan. 1, 1989: The new Department of Veterans
Affairs, elevated to cabinet- level status, begins operations.
The American Legion had fought hard for the Veterans Administration
to become a cabinet-level department, arguing that veterans --
as an important segment of society deserved representation in
the highest councils of government.
Oct. 16, 1989: The longstanding objectives
of The American Legion to improve adjudication procedures for
veterans' claims are achieved as the U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals
begins operations. Most of the provisions contained in the law
creating the court originally were included in the Veterans Reassurance
Act, which was written by the Legion and introduced in Congress
in 1988.
Aug. 2, 1990: The American Legion files suit
against the federal government for failure to conduct a study,
mandated by Congress, of the effects of Agent Orange on the health
of Vietnam veterans.
Oct. 11, 1990: The "Family Support Network"
is formed by The American Legion to assist the families of military
personnel deployed during Operation Desert Shield/Desert Storm
in the Middle East. The Network stepped in to help in a myriad
of ways, from offering financial assistance to mowing lawns to
baby- sitting to providing a sympathetic ear. Today, the Legion's
Family Support Network continues in existence to assist America's
newest veterans, particularly with employment, as they return
to civilian life.
June 15, 1991: The American Legion's first
annual Junior Shooting Sports National Air Rifle Championships
are conducted at the Olympic Training Center at Colorado Springs,
Colo. Each year more than 600 high school students enter the contest,
which is designed to teach gun safety and marksmanship.
Dec. 3, 1991: Veterans of Desert Shield/Desert
Storm are approved for membership in The American Legion. Today,
the Legion continues to press for improved educational and medical
benefits for Gulf War veterans.
April 5, 1993: The first class of recently
discharged veterans begins training in Sterling, Va., for eventual
placement in well-paying jobs in the construction industry. The
landmark training and job-placement program is a joint effort
by The American Legion and the Laborers' International Union of
North America to assist veterans returning to an uncertain job
market.
Aug. 24, 1994: The American Legion announces
creation of the Citizens Flag Alliance, a coalition of organizations
and individual citizens, to work for a constitutional amendment
to protect the American flag from physical desecration.
Sept. 24, 1994: The American Legion announces
partnership with the Air and Space Museum to develop an exhibit
for the bomber Enola Gay, which dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima.
Previous museum plans had drawn intense criticism from veterans,
scholars and the public.
Jan. 30, 1995: The American Legion announces
Legion's acceptance of a scaled-down exhibit "without political
commentary" for the Enola Gay, ending the greatest controversy
in the Smithsonian Institute's 149-year history.
March 21, 1995: Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
and Howell Heflin (D-AL) introduce Senate Joint Resolution 31,
calling for an amendment to the US Constitution to protect the
American flag from physical desecration; Representatives Gerald
Soloman (R-NY) and G. V. "Sonny" Montgomery (D-MS) introduce a
similar bill, House Joint Resolution 79, in their chamber.
April 22, 1995: Hawaii state lawmakers adopt
flag memorializing resolution becoming the 49th state to do so;
Vermont is the only state not to pass the measure.
June 28, 1995: HJR 79 clears House 312-120;
290 votes were needed for the two-thirds majority required for
passage of a constitutional amendment.
July 20, 1995: SJR 31 passes Senate Judiciary
Committee in a 12-6 vote.
Oct. 1, 1995: The American Legion forms its
Persian Gulf Task Force to enhance TAL's service to America's
newest generation of wartime veterans, thousands of whom suffer
from illnesses linked to their service in the region.
Feb. 13, 1996: Reps. Gerald Solomon (R-NY)
and William Lipinski (D-IL) introduce HJR 54, a flag-protection
constitutional amendment.
Sept. 16, 1996: The American Legion awards
a $20,000 postsecondary scholarship to each of the 10 inaugural
Samsung American Legion high school scholars.
June 11, 1997: The American Legion National
Emergency Fund surpasses the $1 million mark in cash grants given
in 1997 to flood victims who belonged to The American Legion,
the American Legion Auxiliary and the Sons of The American Legion.
Most of the grant recipients reside in the Ohio River flood plains
of Ohio, Kentucky and Indiana as well as in Red River flooded
areas of Minnesota and North Dakota.
June 12, 1997: US House passes HJR 54, a
flag-protection constitutional amendment, by a vote of 310-114.
Sept. 3, 1997: The American Legion presents
its first ever National Law Enforcement Officer of the Year award
to Cpl. William T. Rhodes of Huntington, Pa., during its 79th
National Convention in Orlando, Fla.
Sept. 23, 1997: National Commander Anthony
G. Jordan testifies before members of the US House and US Senate
Veterans Affairs Committees. US Rep. Robert Stump (R-AZ) promises
congressional hearings would be held on the GI Bill of Health,
TAL's plan to improve the Department of Veterans Affairs health
care system.
Feb. 4, 1998: Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
and Max Cleland (D-GA) introduce S.J. Res. 40. The amendment has
61 co-sponsors to date.
Oct. 7, 1998: Sen. Majority Leader Trent
Lott brings SJR 40 to the floor of the U.S. Senate asking for
unanimous consent to proceed to debate and vote. Sens. Robert
Kerrey (D-NE) and Patrick Leahy (D-VT) objected to consideration
of the resolution, citing lack of time to sufficiently debate
the amendment. With that the measure was lost in the 105th Congress.
Feb. 24, 1999: Reps. Randy "Duke" Cunningham
(R-CA) and John Murtha (D-PA) introduce H.J. Res. 33, a constitutional
amendment which would return to the American people the right
to protect their flag. Rep. John Sweeney (R-NY), who replaced
retired Congressman Gerald Solomon, is also leading the co- sponsor
drive by shoring up support among newly elected members of Congress.
Mar. 17, 1999: Senators Orrin Hatch (R-UT)
and Max Cleland (D-GA) introduce S.J. Res. 14. The amendment has
54 cosponsors. In all sixty-four Senators have pledged their support
of the amendment.
June 24, 1999: The U.S. House of Representatives,
by an overwhelming majority, passes H.J. Res. 33 by a 305-124
margin, 15 votes more than was needed for the two-thirds majority
required for passage of a constitutional amendment.
March 29, 2000: Senate Joint Resolution
14, the Flag Protection Constitutional Amendment, falling four
short of the necessary 67 votes, is lost 63-37 in the United States
Senate. Once again a clear, but insufficient, majority supported
it. Once again, a small number of US Senators made it clear they
place no trust in the American people and have a mere spoken regard
for the importance the people place on the Flag of the United
States. For the remainder of the year, the Citizens Flag Alliance
focuses in two broad areas: recognizing supporters in the 106th
Congress and determining the position of every candidate seeking
a seat in the 107th. Three hundred sixty-eight members of Congress
(305 Representatives and 63 Senators) receive a formal, personal
thank-you and a small memento from the CFA groups in their state.
More than 1,000 candidates for federal office are queried on their
support for a flag protection amendment. When election returns
are finalized, more than 300 Representatives and 60 Senators are
seated and on the record as flag amendment supporters.
March 2001: The CFA produces another in
a continuing line of video pieces that depict the importance of
the flag and call to action, during the 107th Congress, the 141
Organizations that make up the Citizens Flag Alliance.
March 13, 2001: A press conference is called
in Washington, DC, to announce the introduction of the flag protection
amendment in both chambers of the 107th Congress. Senators Max
Cleland (D-GA) and Orrin Hatch (R-UT) become the Chief Cosponsors
in the US Senate, while Representatives Randy "Duke" Cunningham
(R-CA) and John Murtha (D-PA) champion the cause in the US House
of Representatives. The House resolution, HJR 36, enjoys official
co sponsorship from more than 100 members. In the Senate, SJR
7 counts 40 official cosponsors. Efforts toward a cosponsor drive
in both chambers continue.
Sept. 11, 2002: The American Legion takes
lead in conducting "A Day To Remember" events to mark the anniversary
of the terrorist attack on the nation.
November 2002: The American Legion launches
national "I Am Not A Number" campaign to identify and document
the delays veterans face in obtaining earned medical care benefits
from the Department of Veterans Affairs.
April 2003: The American Legion turns up
the effort to eliminate the Disabled Veterans Tax, known as 'concurrent
receipt' in political circles. As the last quarter of the year
begins lawmakers continue to search for a solution as they feel
the pressure from their constituents.
