92 years of 'For God and Country'

March 15 is the designated birthday of The American Legion. On that date in 1919, the first American Legion caucus, held by members of the American Expeditionary Force, convened in Paris. Much as the birthday of the United States is celebrated on July 4 - the date in 1776 when patriots declared the independence of the British colonies and the spirit of America was born - March 15 is the date when The American Legion came to life.

A guidelined speech for the Legion’s birthday, drafted by the Public Relations staff at National Headquarters, is now available here. The staff drafts these speeches for various events and patriotic holidays as a template for Legionnaires to use to go out into their communities and talk about what The American Legion is all about. They are not meant to be recited verbatim; members are encouraged to amend them in whatever way best fits their situation.

Many posts throw special Legion birthday parties. Click here for descriptions of some of these. All posts are encouraged to upload stories and photos of their birthday celebrations and other activities to the blog Legiontown USA. By creating an account, members can highlight the good their posts do every day, and see the good other posts across the country are doing.