THE AMERICAN LEGION

The American Legion is a congressionally chartered patriotic, mutual-aid veteran’s organization of the United States Armed Forces.

It is the largest veteran organization in the world with 2.8 million members in the United States, District of Columbia, and several foreign countries. All members are current or former members of the U.S. Armed Forces with honorable service on active duty during periods of armed conflict. In addition to organizing commemorative events and volunteer veteran support activities, the American Legion is active in U.S. politics.

At the state level, the American Legion is organized into “departments,” which run annual civic training events for American youth. Notable among these are American Legion Baseball, the National High School Oratorical Contest, Scouting, and, of course, Boys State and Boys Nation.

For more information about the American Legion and their programs, visit the American Legion Department of Arkansas website.