 The
Sons of The American Legion was created in 1932 as an organization
within The American Legion. The S.A.L. is made up of boys and
men of all ages whose parents or grandparents served in the
United States military and became eligible for membership in
The American Legion. Together, members of The American Legion,
The American Legion Auxiliary, and the Sons of The American
Legion make up what is known as The Legion Family. All three
organizations place high importance on preserving our American
traditions and values, improving the quality of life for our
nation's children, caring for veterans and their families, and
perhaps most importantly, teaching the fundamentals of good
citizenship. Sons have always assisted Legionnaires with Legion
Family programs. Our Family boasts a combined total membership
of nearly 4.2 million members. This year, Sons attained an all
time high national membership of over 240,000. The largest Detachment
(Indiana) has over 28,000 members. Trophies and awards are given
to Detachments and Squadrons for the largest membership and
the largest increase in membership.
Just as each Legion post determines the extent of its service
to the community, state, and nation, each S.A.L. squadron is
permitted flexibility in planning programs and activities to
meet its own needs. The S.A.L. has study programs recommended
for younger members. One such program, called "The Ten
Ideals," teaches the elements of patriotism, health, knowledge,
training, honor, faith, helpfulness, courtesy, reverence, and
comradeship. If a member completes the Ten Ideals program, he
is eligible to continue with another program called the "Five-Point
Program of Service." This program covers patriotism, citizenship,
discipline, leadership, and legionism.
Sons focus on much more than just membership. At all levels,
Sons support The American Legion in promoting a wide variety
of programs. Sons assist their Posts in other activities such
as Veterans programs, Veterans Administration home and hospital
volunteerism, Children Youth projects, and fund raising. In
just the past ten years, Sons have raised more than a million
dollars for The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation. Members
volunteered over 170,000 hours in 2000 in Veterans Hospitals
throughout the country and raised over $700,000 that went directly
to VA hospitals and VA homes for a variety of items including
TVs, radios, medical equipment, and clothing for the patients.
There are many men who are members of, both, The American Legion
and the Sons of The American Legion. Often, these individuals
started out as young members of the Sons. Then, when they were
old enough to serve the military, they also became eligible
to join The Legion. Such individuals are known within our organization
as dual members.
The Sons of The American Legion is one of many organizations
that sponsors and supports the Citizens Flag Alliance, a coalition
formed to secure flag protection legislation through an amendment
to the U.S. Constitution. S.A.L. volunteers work to establish
local networks by having petitions available and handing out
informational material. They alert their communities to the
importance of respect for the flag and they encourage flag education
programs in schools and other local organizations. |
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