The absolute number one reason you should belong to the American Legion is because:

•    It is “veterans helping veterans”
•    Their families, and
•    Their communities 

The legion is active every day.  we are:

•  VA volunteers – Legionnaires collectively donate around one (1) million hours of service a year at veteran’s health care facilities across the country.
•  The Legion provides assistance to veterans with transition from military to civilian life
• The legion provides resources for career, education, child care and much, much more. 
• We, at post 180 in Marthasville provide services through our post service officers, who make themselves available 24/7 to aid and assist a veteran whenever the need arises. 
• We sponsor fund raisers, such as meat shoots to raise money to provide phone cards for deployed service members in war zones, or gas cards to veterans trying to get home. 
• We have “operation comfort warriors” where we provide veterans with rehabilitation equipment including wheel chairs, hospital beds, walkers, just to name a few, all free of charge to the veteran.

These are just a few of the many services we provide locally at Post 180 in Marthasville. I will expand further on our local services and contributions as I touch briefly on how the services of the American Legion are classified nationally, as well as locally, under the organization’s four pillars which are:

• 1. Veteran’s affairs and rehabilitation
• 2. National security
• 3. Americanism
• 4. Children and youth

Pillar 1 – Veteran’s Affairs: the American Legion lobbies Congress aggressively for well-funded, appropriately staffed, veteran’s affairs offices to handle benefit claims, quickly and efficiently. as most of you will remember, scandal broke in 2014, when it was revealed that in VA hospitals and VA clinics across the country, there were unacceptable delays in veteran’s not receiving timely appointments and some dying while they waited for the treatment they earned in service to their country. the American Legion led the national conversation to address this issue at the highest levels. as a result of this, the American Legion began and continues today to host monthly veterans benefit centers across the country. At these centers, veterans receive one-on-one assistance with filing claims, setting appointments and receiving counseling and health screens and more. Accredited American Legion Service Officers) provide expert assistance, free of charge to our veterans and their families.

Post 180 provides an extended military honors guard when requested as well as a color guard at various patriotic functions in our community. We visit the veteran’s home in Mexico, Missouri and bring clothing, books, magazines and games to help our veteran’s who are in need of companionship and comfort. We participate in Wreaths across America raising money to place wreaths on our local veteran’s grave sites. 

Pillar 2 – National Security. the American Legion’s position on national defense, homeland security, border control and military support is based on the long held value that the key to world peace and stability is a strong well-resourced defense.

Toward this end :

• Posts across the country have adopted military units to deliver care packages, 
• They provide emotional support for families of deployed service members, 
• They  make every effort to ensure military quality of life, and, 
• They support tricare.

Very important to the American Legion and our local Post 180 is a full accounting of POW/MIA’S. American Legion riders have, for the past two years, held a POW/MIA memorial service to recognize those service members that have not come home.

Pillar 3 – Americanism: the Legion makes a difference in local communities in many ways.

• Support of Boys and Girls State/Nation.
• Junior shooting sports
• Oratorical competition – locally, Lindenwood University provides scholarships along with the American Legion. Boy Scouts of America – many posts are chartered organizations that support boy scout troops and cub scout packs in their local communities.
• Education assistance- the American Legion provides many different scholarships to students needing assistance. The legion riders with more than 1500 chapters nationally have raised more than $5,000,000 in legacy scholarships for children of fallen service members.
• ROTC both junior ROTC in high school and in college.
• Flag protection and education.

Pillar 4 – Children and Youth - the American Legion’s children and youth pillar is guided by three objectives that help children in need.  

          1. Strengthen the family unit – the temporary financial assistance program was established for those families struggling and have minor children at home. And a family support network was established to help provide child care services; yard work; car repairs, and more to those loved ones that are struggling at home while a military member is deployed. 

        2. Support organizations that help children in need – the American Legion Child Welfare Foundation provides grants to help enhance communications for groups that tackle problems from childhood neglect to substance abuse.

        3. Provide communities with well-rounded programs to provide hope and opportunity for young people facing difficult challenges.

This is a very basic overall picture of what the American Legion organization is on a national level as well as our own Legion Post 180 on the local level. 

Everyone should be sure to come out and visit our post and I invite you to visit our national website where you will find  information and web addresses for those who may be in need or requiring any contact information such as www.legion.org/join.