Commander Ron Ramos
Welcome to our Website!
For those who may ask the questions - What is the American Legion, How did the organization start, and what does the American Legion stand for, we offer the following:
Twenty military officers who served in the American Expeditionary Forces (A.E.F.), a group of U.S. Armed Forces who were sent to Europe in World War I, is credited with planning the American Legion while in France. Facing low troop morale, these officers were asked to suggest ideas on how to improve the conditions. One specific officer who proposed an organization of veterans who could speak to the United States government in a united voice happened to be Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., the eldest son of President Teddy Roosevelt. In February, 1919, this group formed a temporary committee, and selected several hundred officers who had the confidence and respect of the whole army. Unfortunately, Lieutenant Colonel Roosevelt died in France 36 days after leading the first wave of troops at Utah Beach during the Normandy Landing in 1944, an action which earned him the Medal of Honor.
The first American Legion meeting then took place in Paris during March, 1919, where approximately 1000 officers and enlisted men attended. The meeting, known as the Paris Caucus, adopted a temporary constitution and the name, “The American Legion.” The Legion held a second organizing caucus in St. Louis, Missouri in May, 1919. It completed the constitution and made plans for a permanent organization, as well as establishing temporary headquarters in New York City and began its relief and implementation of Americanism programs.
The American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic, mutual-help war-time veteran’s organization. The American Legion is a community-service organization which now numbers nearly 3 million military veteran members – men and woman – with nearly 15,000 American Legion Posts worldwide. These posts are organized into 55 Departments – one each of the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, France, Mexico and the Philippines.
The American Legion is founded upon, and continues to maintain its Four Pillars of Service as the foundation of the organization: Defense – Fostering a Strong National Security; Veterans – Taking care of Veterans; Youth – Mentoring the Youth of Our Nation; and Patriotism – Promoting Patriotism and Honor. It is these Four Pillars of Service that American Legion programs and community services are based upon. They serve as an organizational guide and organizational purpose for developing and implementing veterans and community service programs.
The Preamble of American Legion’s Constitution reads as follows:
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 masses;
- To make right the master of might;
- To promote peace and good will 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.
As our 16th president of the United States, Abraham Lincoln, said, “In the end, it’s not the years in our life that count; it’s the life in your years”. The members of Smyth-Bolter Post 58 believe these words as spoken some 150 years ago should continue to resonate with each of us as much today as they were intended then!
So we ask you this question: If you are a qualifying war time veteran and not involved with a veterans service organization and/or would like to extend your involvement because of a desire to put life in your years, then why are you not a member of The American Legion? If this resonates with you and you’re interested in being involved, give us a call and become a member of one the greatest volunteer community based, national veterans service organizations in the world!