Legion’s second century a focus of membership meeting
Membership & Post Activities Committee Chairman Randy Goodman (standing) and Past National Commander Dave Rehbein in Indianapolis, Jan. 13.

Legion’s second century a focus of membership meeting

In 2019, The American Legion will celebrate 100 years of service to veterans, military personnel, their families and communities. To honor the Legion’s centennial, many events at the national, department and post level will occur starting at the 2018 National Convention in Minneapolis and continue throughout the 2019 convention in Indianapolis. However, following the 2019 convention, all the resources and enthusiasm created leading up to the Legion’s centennial must continue afterward to lead the organization into its second century, Past National Commander Dave Rehbein of Iowa and chairman of the organization’s 100th Anniversary Observance Committee stressed to members of the Legion’s Membership and Post Activities Committee on Jan. 13 in Indianapolis.

“We have to build our brand to continue talking about what The American Legion is, who we are, what we do and what we are doing,” Rehbein said. “We have to take ownership and make these (centennial) things stay alive.”

Rehbein shared several centennial items currently in consideration that will promote the Legion’s history for the upcoming celebration and thereafter to continue building brand awareness and membership strength for a strong second century. These include a:

  • Centennial kit that provides detailed background information of the Legion’s history, creation of its programs and services. Most of this information will be adapted from www.legion.org/history.

  • Special issue of American Legion Magazine in November 2018 that will be a commemorative product to share with the public about the organization’s 100-year history.

  • Calendar that shares what happened daily in the history of The American Legion.

  • Centennial print that features a World War I soldier and today’s soldier connected by The American Legion emblem. The print will be for sale.

  • Poster that outlines the history of the Legion that can be displayed in a post home.

  • Life-sized Legion centennial wall graphics manufactured by Fathead that can go inside posts.

Legion centennial promotions currently in existence include:

  • “The Greatest Legislation: An American Legion Centennial Salute to the GI Bill,” which is a traveling exhibit that features illustrated panels and more than 20 videos in touch-screen kiosks. It’s been on display at the World War II Museum in New Orleans, at the recent Student Veterans of America conference in San Antonio, Texas, and starting Jan. 17 through March 2018 it will be at the Bob Hope Patriotic Hall in Los Angeles.

  • Centennial web page (www.centennial.legion.org) where nearly 2,600 posts have created profiles of their charter, history and accomplishments. Rehbein would like to see that as a kick-off to each post celebrating its 100th anniversary, that post members visit the gravesite of their first commander and clean it up and place an American and Legion flag on it.

  • Merchandise, including a coin, hats, apparel, cap patch and more through Emblem Sales here.

The committee announced they would like to create a special 100th anniversary Gold Brigade and Silver Brigade patch to award to recipients in 2019. And leading candidate for 2018-19 national commander Brett Reistad of Virginia had other centennial awards he would like to see as well, that included special recognition of the 2019 Legion centennial Gold Brigader, a post centennial award for membership efforts, and a centennial membership ribbon.

"We need to use the centennial year to our best advantage, make it special, and encourage stakeholders, old and new, to actively participate in our centennial year," Reistad said.