The American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic, mutual-help, and community-service organization which now numbers 2.4 million – men and women – in more than 14,000 American Legion Posts worldwide. These Posts are organized into 55 Departments – one each for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, France, Mexico, and the Philippines.
The American Legion has its headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana, with offices in Washington, D.C. In addition to thousands of volunteers, serving in leadership and program implementation capacities from the communities to the Legion’s standing national commissions and committees, the national organization has a professional staff of about 250 employees.
Membership eligibility in The American Legion is based on honorable service within the U.S. Armed Forces between:
- April 6, 1917 – November 11, 1918 (World War I)
- December 7, 1941 – December 31, 1946 (World War II)
- June 25, 1950 – January 31, 1955 (Korean War)
- December 22, 1961 – May 7, 1975 (Vietnam War)
- August 24, 1982 – July 31, 1984 (Lebanon/Grenada)
- December 20, 1989 – January 31, 1990 (Operation Just Cause – Panama)
- August 2, 1990 until the date of the end of hostilities as determined by the government of the United States.
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