Creating a legacy worth remembering

The following is Department of Kansas Adjutant Charles Yunker’s recent column from the department’s monthly newsletter. It’s a reminder of the importance of remembering how we got here as we look for ways to move forward and create a legacy worth remembering every year.

In The American Legion Department of Kansas Sunflower Legionnaire newsletter, I added the title "For God and Country" to my column to examine and explain each segment of the Legion’s Preamble to the Constitution, which begins with those same words. Admittedly, I have strayed from that task in recent months, but I intend to return to it in the future. Until then, I want to acknowledge those who gave us our Preamble.

Sadly our founders are no longer with us, but their impact and the tools they laid out still serve us well. Much like the U.S. Constitution, the constitution and by-laws of The American Legion were crafted by very gifted and visionary individuals. And they didn’t just stop with the Preamble or by-laws; they gave us programs that have touched the lives of millions (of veterans, servicemembers, their families and youth). A few programs include American Legion Baseball, Boys State and Boys Nation, and the Oratorical Contest. They too drafted the first U.S. Flag Code and GI Bill of Rights which were adopted by Congress. These programs can be traced directly back to the efforts of our nation’s World War I veterans who organized the first congressionally chartered veterans service organization.

One of the first steps of the organization was to recognize service to our nation in the military regardless of where you served. During the Paris Caucus (March 1919), our founders didn’t forget those back in America who kept them supplied with everything they needed in the trenches. They realized whether you were drafted or volunteered, more often than not you had little to say about where you were stationed. If you served honorably during the Great War, you were eligible for Legion membership. A veteran is a veteran regardless of gender, race, color, creed, or where they served.

Like many, I agree our nation’s World War II veterans were our greatest generation. But don’t forget the heroic generation before them, the founders of The American Legion, who gave World War II veterans the tools to take America from a war-torn economy to a time of peace by helping them aid the nation in avoiding a recession or perhaps even returning to the pre-war depression.

They did it by providing the original GI Bill of Rights, also known as the Serviceman’s Readjustment Act of 1944. The bill enabled about 20 million World War II veterans to buy houses and earn college degrees, thereby helping to create America’s post-war middle class.

My intention is to remind every (Legion) member that like the Sons of The American Legion’s Preamble begins, they should be a "Proud possessor of a priceless heritage" that was provided by our founders.