160 Legionnaires awarded for recruiting 9,601 new members

For the 2016-2017 American Legion membership year, 107 Legionnaires earned the Gold Brigade award and 54 earned the Silver Brigade award for their exceptional recruiting efforts. Together, the Legionnaires recuited 9,601 new members into The American Legion.

See a list of the Gold Brigade recipients here; and the Silver Brigade recipients here.

Patricia Liddell of Post 333 in Columbus, Ga., earned her second consecutive National Recruiter of the Year award for recruiting 841 new members. This is Liddell's 14th Gold Brigade award; over the last two years she has brought 1,659 new members into the The American Legion. As the 2017 National Recruiter of the Year, Liddell will receive an all-expense paid trip to the 99th National Convention in Reno, Nev., and tickets to the National Commander's Banquet for Distinguished Guests.

Legionnaires who recruit 50 or more new members (transfers do not count as new members) into The American Legion by the May target date qualify for enrollment in The American Legion’s elite Gold Brigade. And a Legionnaire who recruits 25-49 new members (transfers do not count) into the Legion by the May target date qualifies for the Silver Brigade award.

The Gold Brigade recipients will be awarded unique gifts that designate affiliation with the Gold Brigade of The American Legion. First-time members will receive a Gold Brigade patch, a special Gold Brigade cap pin, a Gold Brigade certificate, and a designer jacket, polo shirt or sweater with a Gold Brigade logo. Second time/repeat Gold Brigaders will receive a Gold Brigade patch and certificate, a hash mark for a jacket sleeve, and a designer jacket, polo shirt or sweater with a Gold Brigade logo. A Gold Brigader who has won the award for five consecutive years is eligible for a distinctive Gold Brigade blazer. A Legionnaire may only qualify once every five years. And a Gold Brigader who has earned the award for six consecutive years or more is eligible for a $150 check and a Legion cap with the inscription “Master Recruiter.”