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
315,000. The largest Detachment, Pennsylvania,
has over 38,000 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 have volunteered over 223,900 hours to date
in 2007 in Veterans Hospitals throughout the country
and raised over $915,688 that has gone 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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