The American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic, mutual help, wartime veterans' organization. It has evolved into a community service organization that now numbers nearly 3 million members -- men and women -- in nearly 15,000 Posts worldwide. These Posts are organized into 55 Departments, one for each State, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Mexico, France and the Philippines.

The American Legion's National Headquarters is in Indianapolis, Indiana, with additional offices in Washington, D.C. In addition to the thousands of volunteers serving in leadership and program implementation capacities in local communities, all the way to the Legion's standing national commissions and committees, the national organization has a full-time staff of about 300 employees.

Membership eligibility is based on service in the U.S. Armed Forces during specific periods. Click on the "Eligibility/Membership" Link at upper left for details.



Preamble to the Constitution of The American Legion

For God and Country

we associate ourselves together for the following purposes:

• to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America;

• to maintain law and order;

• to foster and perpetuate a one hundred percent Americanism;

• to preserve the memories and incidents of our associations in the great wars;

• to inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the community, state and nation;

• to combat the autocracy of both the classes and the masses;

• to make right the master of might; to promote peace and goodwill on earth;

• to safeguard and transmit to posterity the principles of justice, freedom and democracy;

• to consecrate and sanctify our comradeship by our devotion to mutual helpfulness.