What is Religious Emphasis Week, and why does The American Legion encourage it?

Different institutions and colleges may conduct Religious Emphasis Weeks throughout the year to celebrate and bring attention to the religious part of their history, if applicable, and the Legion is no exception.

The marking of Four Chaplains Sunday — the first Sunday of each February — kicks off the Legion’s Religious Emphasis Week. During this time, posts are encouraged to hold events highlighting the special role faith and religious ideas have played in the history and development of the United States.

Religious Emphasis Week is part of the "Service to God and Country" Americanism program, which according to the Americanism Manual "is basic Americanism" and "emphasizes the vital part the church must play in every community." More information can be found in the manual, which can be downloaded free of charge here or at www.legion.org/publications.

This year, Four Chaplains Sunday falls on Feb. 3 – the actual anniversary of the 1943 tragedy – and Religious Emphasis Week runs from Feb. 3 to 9.