American Legion should open its doors to non-wartime veterans, we must begin with a look at the organization itself: its mission, its outreach programs and, above all, the benefits today’s Legion is able to provide for a worldwide membership now approaching three million men and women. Meeting in Paris some five months after the armistice of November 1918, delegates from combat and service units of the American Expeditionary Force resolved to found an organization that would protect the interests of veterans through the years that followed. These delegates, who no doubt had witnessed the nation’s failure to benefit Civil War and Spanish-American War veterans -- and who were themselves only months removed from the battlefields of what was even then called the war to end all wars -- had a special concern for the sick and disabled among their number, as well as for the widows and children of their fallen comrades. And their powerful commitment brought about the act of Congress, which established the American Legion in September 1919.With a framework for service, the new organization quickly moved to find hospitals and other services for World War I veterans. It’s leaders championed the cause of compensation and pensions for the disabled, widows and orphans, then lobbied for a government agency specifically dedicated to veterans’ needs; and their efforts helped to establish the U.S. Veterans Administration in 1930. In 1944, the Legion played a prominent role in the enactment of a G.I. Bill of Rights for World War II veterans, and later supported similar legislation for veterans of the Korean War. These measures would ultimately make possible college or vocational training for more than 10.5 million veterans, and provide the low-interest loans that would enable an estimated 5.6 million veterans to purchase their own homes. As the Legion grew in both membership and influence, so, too, did its agenda. Champion...
