The American Legion Auxiliary
The American Legion's success depends entirely on active membership, participation and volunteerism. The organization belongs to the people it serves and the communities in which it thrives.
Founded in 1919, The American Legion Auxiliary has almost a million members from all walks of life. The Auxiliary administers hundreds of volunteer programs, gives tens of thousands of hours to its communities and veterans and raises millions of dollars to support its own programs, as well as other worthwhile charities familiar to Americans. It is all accomplished with volunteers.
While originally organized to assist The American Legion, the Auxiliary has achieved its own unique identity while working side-by-side with the veterans who belong to The American Legion. Like the Legion, the Auxiliary's interests have broadened to encompass the entire community.
The American Legion Auxiliary is the world's largest patriotic service organization. Through its nearly 10,500 units located in every state and some foreign countries, the Auxiliary embodies the spirit of America that has prevailed through war and peace. Along with The American Legion, it solidly stands behind America and her ideals. Please fill out The American Legion Auxiliary Application to join.
Sons of the American Legion
Founded in 1932, Sons of The American Legion exists to honor the service and sacrifice of Legionnaires. SAL members include males of all ages whose parents or grandparents served in the U.S. military and were eligible for American Legion membership. Members of The American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary and Sons of The American Legion comprise the Legion family, which has a combined membership of nearly 4.2 million.
Although Sons has its own membership, the organization is not a separate entity. Rather, SAL is a program of The American Legion. Many Legionnaires hold dual membership in SAL.
The Sons organization is divided into detachments at the state level and squadrons at the local level. A squadron pairs with a local American Legion post; a squadron's charter is contingent upon its parent post's charter. However, squadrons can determine the extent of their services to the community, state and nation. They are permitted flexibility in planning programs and activities to meet their needs, but must remember SAL's mission -- to strengthen the four pillars of The American Legion. Therefore, squadrons' campaigns place an emphasis on preserving American traditions and values, improving the quality of life for our nation's children, caring for veterans and their families and teaching the fundamentals of good citizenship.
Since 1988, SAL has raised more than $4 million for The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation. SAL members have volunteered over 250,000 hours at veterans' hospitals and raised over $915,688 for VA hospitals and VA homes. The Sons also support the Citizens Flag Alliance, a coalition dedicated to protecting the U.S. flag from desecration through a constitutional amendment. Visit the Detachment of Connecticut website for more information or download the Sons of The American Legion Constitution & By-Laws.
American Legion Riders
American Legion Riders chapters are well known for their charitable work, which has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for local children's hospitals, schools, veterans' homes, severely wounded service members and scholarships. Since 2006, Riders nationwide have participated in the annual Legion Legacy Run to raise money for the Legacy Scholarship Fund, established to provide scholarships to children of U.S. military personnel killed since September 11, 2001. For the latest in Riders apparel and gear, including patches, go to Legion Rider Merchandise - Emblem Sales.
Currently, 106,000 American Legion Riders meet in over a thousand chapters in every domestic department and at least three foreign countries. Riders in Iowa have formed an honor guard called The Five Star Freedom Riders and Riders in Mulvane, Kansas, founded the Patriot Guard to protect the sanctity of military funerals from protesters. Riders in all states have escorted military units returning home from combat tours overseas, conducted massive cross-country fundraising events for wounded warriors from all services and have raised millions of dollars for countless local, state and national charities. True to the Legion's grassroots traditions, each chapter manages its programs at the Post level, where the best ideas are born. The Riders are part of many projects and events, including:
