The American Legion is a mutual-aid organization of veterans of the United States armed forces chartered by the United States Congress. It was founded to benefit those veterans who served during a wartime period as defined by Congress. The American Legion was founded in 1919 by veterans returning from Europe after World War I, and was later chartered under Title 36 of the United States Code. The organization is headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana, and also has offices in Washington, D.C. The group has nearly 3 million members in over 14,000 Posts worldwide.[2]
In addition to organizing commemorative events and volunteer veteran support activities, the American Legion is active in issue U.S. politics. Its primary political activity is lobbying on behalf of the interests of veterans and service members, including support for veterans benefits such as pensions and the Veterans Affairs hospital system. The Legion has also been involved as a conservative voice in more general political and cultural issues.
At the state level, the American Legion is organized into "departments", which run annual civic training events for high school juniors called Boys State. Two members from each Boys State are selected for Boys Nation. The American Legion Auxiliary runs Girls State and Girls Nation. The American Legion also hosts many social events.
In addition to organizing commemorative events and volunteer veteran support activities, the American Legion is active in issue U.S. politics. Its primary political activity is lobbying on behalf of the interests of veterans and service members, including support for veterans benefits such as pensions and the Veterans Affairs hospital system. The Legion has also been involved as a conservative voice in more general political and cultural issues.
At the state level, the American Legion is organized into "departments", which run annual civic training events for high school juniors called Boys State. Two members from each Boys State are selected for Boys Nation. The American Legion Auxiliary runs Girls State and Girls Nation. The American Legion also hosts many social events.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Legion
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