The American Legion was chartered and incorporated by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization devoted to mutual helpfulness. It is the nation’s largest veterans service organization, committed to mentoring and sponsorship of youth programs in our communities, advocating patriotism and honor, promoting a strong national security, and continued devotion to our fellow servicemembers and veterans.
In contrast to other veterans organizations, the Legion offers a number of local programs and activities to strengthen its commitment to our nation’s grass roots and the people we serve. American Legion Baseball is one of the nation’s most successful amateur athletic programs; it continues to educate youths on the importance of sportsmanship and develops the quality of our country’s citizenship. The Heroes to Hometowns program is the only nationwide reintegration assistance service for wounded veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan. Additionally, millions of dollars in donations have been given to fellow veterans and their families in times of grief, and various scholarship opportunities ensure the future success of our youth.
The American Legion is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization with great political influence perpetuated by its grass-roots involvements in the legislation process. Legionnaires’ sense of obligation to their community, state and nation drives an honest advocacy for veterans in Washington. The Legion stands not behind politics, but the issues and people that institute progress by focusing on veterans rights and quality of life.
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.
The Four Pillars of The American Legion Booklet (PDF)
Need a Lift? To educational opportunities, scholarships, grants, student loans, careers and employment.
The American Legion publishes a comprehensive roundup of educational opportunities – including state and federal education benefits for veterans – in a booklet titled “Need a Lift?” Nearly 30,000 copies are distributed to educational institutions each year. It contains up-to-date information on:
- The basics of higher-education funding
- A listing of federal education benefits and programs, including loans, grants, scholarships, work-study opportunities, tax benefits and educational IRAs
- A listing of state education benefits and programs
- Scholarships, grants and loans administered or supported by The American Legion
- Military resources
- Private funding sources
- An index of books and e-newsletters on education benefits
- Basic information on four-year colleges around the United States
- Contact information
The American Legion is again competing for $250,000 for the Legacy Scholarship Fund in July. Additionally, we are entered for August on behalf of job fairs, in which we are quite active. Let’s make it a point to let our “address books” know that we need them to vote every day for the next two months in order to win $500,000 for American Legion Charities. Go to www.legion.org and click on the Pepsi Refresh icon.
Portion of proceeds will benefit Legion programs
INDIANAPOLIS (June 9, 2010) – A new documentary detailing the 91-year history of The American Legion has just been released and is currently available through the organization’s Web site and Flag & Emblem Sales division.
“History of The American Legion: A National Legacy” was produced by Blackhorse Productions, a California-based company that specializes in military documentaries. Narrated by actor Neal McDonough (Band of Brothers), the movie traces the World War I roots of The American Legion and follows its history from its founding through its support for the military during the Global War on Terrorism.
“The American Legion has been the leading voice for veterans and the military since 1919,” National Commander Clarence E. Hill said. “While many people know that The American Legion played a pivotal role in the creation of the GI Bill, they don’t necessarily know the fascinating history behind it. From the elevation of the VA to cabinet-status to the administration of some of the most successful youth programs in the country, The American Legion has too many noteworthy accomplishments for me to mention here. I am pleased that we now have a DVD that brings the illustrious history of The American Legion to life. This would make a great gift for any Legionnaire and a great educational tool for the general public.
“The National Executive Committee passed Resolution 6 during its October 2008 meetings, which authorized The American Legion to cooperate with Blackhorse Productions in the creation of the documentary. The project was completed at no cost to The American Legion, with a portion of the sales proceeds being allocated to The American Legion Legacy Scholarship Fund, Child Welfare Foundation and National Emergency Fund.
“Preserving history and teaching viewers about the contributions and sacrifices made by our veterans is a passion for Blackhorse Productions,” said Jason Heit, Executive Producer and CEO. “We were extremely excited to not just tell the great story of The American Legion, but to include the American Legion Auxiliary, Sons of the American Legion and the American Legion Riders.”
The DVDs cost $19.95 each and are available online at www.emblem.legion.org or by calling 1-888-453-4466. The stock number is 755.906.
With a current membership of 2.5-million wartime veterans, The American Legion was founded on the four pillars of a strong national security, veterans affairs, Americanism, and the mentoring of youth. Legionnaires work for the betterment of their communities through more than 14,000 posts across the nation.
Vote everyday for the Pepsi Refresh Project for The American Legion Legacy Scholarship benefits college-bound students whose mom or dad lost their lives serving in the U.S. Armed Forces since 9/11. As college tuition and expenses continue to increase it becomes increasingly difficult for a single parent to afford. The American Legion Legacy Scholarship provides assistance with the cost of tuition, fees, and room and board.
Estimates are that over 10,000 children have lost a parent in the US Military since 9/11. This number will continue to rise as more children graduate from high school. Funds from the Pepsi Refresh Everything Project will allow The American Legion Legacy Scholarship Fund to help meet this increasing need by providing assistance to deserving students. The American Legion and The American Legion Legacy Scholarship Fund will be there to help fulfill President Lincoln’s promise “…to care for him who shall have borne the battle and for his widow and his orphan…”
As the department convention is approaching, I’m preparing several mini-movies to be shown before, during, or even right after the convention sessions. The mini-movies will be pictures of our Pennsylvania American Legion “Posts-in-Action” set to patriotic music. And I want to include pictures from your Post, your District, your programs!
This year’s Pennsylvania American Legion Department Convention will be held at the Hilton Hotel in Harrisburg from July 15th to the 18th. After the convention, I will post the mini-movies to Department’s website for everyone to view.
The mini-movies will be made from pictures of the events involving our Pennsylvania Legion Posts. You can send pictures of your Post meetings, Christmas party, Oratorical contest, summer picnic, Legion baseball, testimonial dinner, the front of your Post building, Memorial Day parade, Veterans Day event, visiting a local school, welcoming home our current military, flag burning ceremony, or any other event held by your American Legion Post supporting your community, children & youth, Americanism and of course our veterans.
The mini-movies will be similar to the movie shown at the January Housing for Homeless Veterans benefit dinner. If you did not see the movie you can go to Department’s website to view the movie.
You can:
Send me your pictures taken during the 2009 -2010 membership year via email no later than June 15, 2010
Send as many as 25 pictures to be included as part of the mini-movies – you can send as many emails as necessary to send the 25 pictures
Write your Post # on the subject line of the email
Or mail a CD with the 25 pictures on it to Shannon Kyle, 2072 Rockfield Road, Pittsburgh Pennsylvania 15243 – please include your Post number with the CD
Do Not send the actual pictures – I need the pictures by email or CD only
If you don’t have pictures then ask around; you may have a Post Historian, Post Adjutant, Post Commander, or even any other members from your Post can have pictures from this current membership year 2009-2010.
Washington (April 20, 2010) — Less than a week after The American Legion urged Congress to give jobless veterans the “proper training and tools” they need to gain employment, three U.S. senators introduced a new bill today that will help America’s veterans get back into the civilian work force.
The Veterans Employment Act of 2010 was unveiled at a press conference today in front of the U.S. Capitol by its three sponsors: Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash.; Amy Klobuchar, D-Minn.; and Mark Begich, D-Alaska.
“This bill appears to be a legislative home run because it touches all the bases in addressing key challenges faced by our unemployed veterans,” said Peter Gaytan, executive director for The American Legion here.
“Senator Murray and her colleagues are focused on critical areas that will also provide help for those veterans who are entrepreneurs. For instance, the bill’s Veterans Business Center Program will prove to be a valuable asset. And, once this legislation is passed, The American Legion looks forward to participating in the semi-annual Veterans Entrepreneurial Development Summit,” Gaytan said.
Mark Walker, one of several Legionnaires at the press conference, testified April 15 before the House Veterans’ Affairs Subcommittee on Economic Opportunity, calling upon its members to step up congressional action to provide more employment opportunities to veterans - especially those returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“This bill contains several provisions that The American Legion has been advocating for some time,” Walker said. “It will expand GI Bill education benefits to include apprenticeship and training programs, so that veterans can get the licenses and certificates they need for new careers. It also calls for small-business training and counseling, and creates pilot programs to help veterans market their military training more effectively in the civilian sector.
“These are some of the same issues that I just testified on last week before a congressional subcommittee,” Walker said. “Veterans deserve all the job opportunities we can give them -in health care, IT, green jobs - so they can take care of themselves and their families. And The American Legion is going to continue its dialogue with Congress to ensure that employment for veterans remains a high priority.”
Murray’s bill also addresses training requirements for two Dept. of Labor job categories: disabled veterans’ outreach program specialist (DVOP) and local veterans’ employment representative (LVER).
“As a former DVOP in North Dakota, I am fully aware of the important role these positions can be in helping veterans overcome employment barriers and become more marketable,” said Steve Robertson, legislative director for The American Legion.
“Veterans have so many transferable skills that most potential employers need - solid work ethic, self-discipline, reliability, mission-oriented and team players,” he said.
According to a news release from Murray’s office, the new bill is the “first legislation that takes a comprehensive approach to addressing skyrocketing veterans unemployment rates. The bill includes a series of proposals that improve training, skills transition, education, and small business assistance programs.”
Current Dept. of Labor statistics indicate that veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are among the hardest hit of unemployed Americans, with an alarming jobless rate of 14.7 percent. Among younger veterans (18 to 24 years old), the 2009 unemployment rate was 21.1 percent.
The American Legion Race Team will be honoring all veterans on Armed Forces Day weekend (May 14-16, 2010) at Dover International Speedway in Dover, Del. The No. 76 American Legion/David Law Firm “Freedom Car” will be on display all weekend in the FanZone area at the Monster Mile. This event is a wonderful and unique opportunity for members of the Legion “family” to join the American Legion race team, in paying tribute to our veterans, and to show support for our present day troops.
SPECIAL OFFER: By purchasing tickets to the May 16, 2010 NASCAR Sprint Cup Series race this Armed Forces Day weekend, $10 per ticket will be donated back to participating posts and a donation will be made to “Operation Freedom Car.”
This program sends a popular and much needed “4-in-1” hygiene product (shampoo, conditioner, body wash and shave-gel all in one bottle) to our troops in Iraq and Afghanistan.
To purchase tickets, or for more information, please contact Jeff Bedekovich with Dover International Speedway at 302-883-6557or jbedekovich@dovermotorsports.com The American Legion Race Team thanks you in advance for your ticket order and support. Be sure to stop by and visit YOUR No. 76 “Freedom Car” in the FanZone! See you at the races! Track information: DoverSpeedway.com American Legion Race Team website: LegionRacing.org
Click here for a copy of the information for the American Legion Race Team
Photo credit Pfc. Andrya Hill
Study finds morale, mental health better in Iraq than Afghanistan. Source: www.army.mil
WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Nov. 13, 2009) — While the mental health and morale of Soldiers in Iraq is improving, according to the latest study, more behavioral-health providers are needed in Afghanistan.
The sixth Mental Health Advisory Team, or MHAT 6 report, provides a “snapshot” of the morale and behavioral health of Soldiers deployed last spring and during the early summer in Iraq and Afghanistan, said Lt. Gen. Eric B. Schoomaker, Army surgeon general and commander of the U.S. Army Medical Command.
A total of 2,442 Soldiers were surveyed in Iraq between December and March for MHAT 6, along with 154 mental-health providers. In Afghanistan, 1,549 surveys were collected from Soldiers between April and June of this year, along with 31 from mental-health providers. In addition, teams of research psychologists, social workers, nurses and other mental-health professionals conducted focus-group interviews and examined data in theater.
Iraq improving, Afghan trend opposite
The MHAT 6 study found the mental health of Soldiers in Iraq better than at any time since the first such survey there in 2004, Schoomaker said during a media roundtable Nov. 13. He added, however, that marital problems were increasing, especially among Soldiers with multiple deployments. Moreover, morale issues and mental-health problems in Afghanistan had increased significantly since 2005, he said, along with an increased exposure to combat there.
Only three such MHAT studies have been conducted in Afghanistan, Schoomaker said, and this year’s report indicates unit morale rates there are lower than in 2005 and 2007.
About 14 percent of Soldiers deployed in Afghanistan had psychological problems, according to the report. Just under 12 percent of the Soldiers in Iraq reported psychological problems such as acute stress, depression and anxiety.
A “normal” rate of psychological problems would be about 10 percent among a non-deployed population, Schoomaker said, noting this was based on a study in the New England Journal of Medicine.
More providers needed
The MHAT 6 study calls for an increase in mental-health providers, especially in Afghanistan. Currently there is one mental-health provider for every 1,123 Soldiers deployed in Afghanistan. Schoomaker said he would like the ratio to be one provider for every 700 Soldiers.
“In Afghanistan, we’re finding a tyranny of terrain and weather makes it difficult to move Soldiers to where care can be delivered,” Schoomaker said.
The dispersion of Soldiers to remote forward operating bases makes it difficult for mental health-care providers to reach the troops, said Lt. Col. Paul Bliese, the director for the Division of Psychiatry and Neuroscience at Walter Reed Army Institute of Research and the officer who led the MHAT VI study.
He said now there is typically one mental heath-care provider in Afghanistan for each brigade combat team. If that provider travels to remote combat outposts to administer care, it leaves the big FOB uncovered, he said. Thus MHAT 6 recommends a “dual provider” model which would assign an additional behavioral health-care provider to each BCT.
The study recommends each battalion be assigned a behavioral health advocate - an NCO who has been trained in the basics of behavioral health. In addition, it recommends a senior NCO behavioral-health technician at the brigade level, and the assignment of behavioral-health professionals to National Guard BCTs.
Stigma: Maneuver vs. Sustainment
Significant differences were found between Soldiers in maneuver units and sustainment units. While combat units were more likely to have a higher rate of mental-health problems, sustainment units had a higher rate of marital problems.
Soldiers in combat units were also less likely to seek mental-health care and were more likely to perceive a stigma associated with it, according to the study.
“Stigma is a resistant problem,” Schoomaker said, “and a tough problem to tackle.” He said there’s a certain culture among combat troops that makes stigma “a tough nut to crack.”
Overall, there’s been a small but steady decrease in stigma over the past five years, Bliese said. “This year, unfortunately, we didn’t see the trend hold out,” he said.
Marital problems, dwell time
Marital problems overall have been increasing each year since the first MHAT study in 2004. This year 16 percent of Soldiers surveyed reported plans to divorce or separate.
Dwell time at home between deployments is a significant factor when it comes to both marital and mental-health problems, according to the study.
MHAT 6 states that two years between deployments will return a unit to almost the normal rate of mental-health issues. With a dwell time of 30-36 months, a unit will be completely normal, Schoomaker said.
Resiliency improves mental health, morale
The MHAT 6 teams also identified coping skills that help build resiliency during deployments. The Battlemind training has improved coping skills, officials said.
The study found that two hours of Internet connectivity or gaming in off-duty hours was likely to improve morale and mental health, while excessive gaming did just the opposite. The one thing that could be done in excess and still improve mental health was physical-fitness training, according to the study.
The availability of gyms, morale-welfare and recreation facilities and good food all contributed to morale, Bliese added.
While the study looked at both officer and NCO leadership, Bliese said good officer leadership was found to be a significant factor in platoons that were deemed “resilient.” These were platoons with a high rate of combat exposure, without a corresponding high rate of combat stress or anxiety, Bliese said.
The study recommended that new resiliency training be developed and validated. The report went on to state that several groups are now working to test such training.
Article by Gary Sheftick from www.armil.mil