A second century of service awaits us

One hundred years ago, no VA existed. GI Bill benefits were a pipe dream. There was no Veterans Preference Hiring Act, no U.S. Flag Code, no Boys State or Boys Nation. Military-connected exposure to toxic substances was at first ignored, and later denied, by the government. PTSD was unrecognized as a distinct psychological condition. U.S. military veterans were usually misunderstood, even pitied, by a public that did not fully understand the price of its freedoms.

It took vision and a collective effort to shift that culture. Veterans of the first world war dreamed of a stronger, better and prouder America, one that stands strong for its military men and women, cares for veterans, mentors youth, obeys the law, and promotes responsible, united citizenship under the colors of our country.

The American Legion was born of such vision March 15-17, 1919, in Paris. Thus began a journey to strengthen America to its very core, from the planes, tanks and ships needed for U.S. security and the liberation of others to the millions of teenagers who would immerse themselves in the U.S. Constitution to compete in American Legion Oratorical contests. Somehow it all fit together, this idea that national security extends from foreign battlefields to community baseball diamonds where fitness, teamwork and discipline are essential for success.

The American Legion’s accomplishments are often not well-quantified, because they are countless. Throughout the past century, Legionnaires have fulfilled the purposes for which we associate as individuals, posts, departments and national ambassadors for a strong America, reaching every level of U.S. society. From the Legionnaire in Nevada who makes it his mission to raise funds so needy children can have hearing aids to the complex debate over the multibillion-dollar future of VA health care, no part of the mission has been too big or too small.

The founders could never have imagined the profound influence they would wield in the decades ahead. They did not gather in Paris to plan a Legion Baseball program, a school safety camp, the GI Bill, Flag Day ceremonies in a city park, relief for wildfire victims, or one-on-one benefits assistance for veterans and their families. That all came later.

They gathered because they believed – and history has proven them correct – that a nation worth defending during wartime is a nation worth strengthening, honoring and serving for as long as a veteran lives.

We don’t know what the next century will bring. But it’s a safe bet that needs will always arise in communities, states and the nation that will be met by veterans of The American Legion and their families in the American Legion Auxiliary and Sons of The American Legion. That is why, in honor of the vision our founders set in motion, we must continue to associate together and put in the effort necessary to fulfill the purposes for which we associate, long into our second century.