100th Birthday Wishes
Our personal birthdays are very important to us and our families. A birthday signifies our beginning and the joy of life. Every human on earth has been given a chance to further their own unique mission. This momentous occasion cannot be overstated.
Since 1919, The Legion has been serving veterans and their families through our Four Pillars. As Legionnaires, we have the distinct honor and privilege to celebrate the birthday of The American Legion.
The precedents from this birthday are staggering. They include, but not limited to, the inception of over 12,000 posts nationwide, with over 580 posts here in Iowa. There is the creation of the Veterans Bureau in 1921 now known as the Veterans Administration. The “Flag Code” was drafted and Congress adopted in 1942. Let’s not forget the G.I. Bill or the “Servicemen’s Readjustment Act”, penned by a Former National Commander and signed into law by President Roosevelt in 1944. There are many programs promoting Americanism such as Junior Shooting Sports, Boys and Girls State and Nation, Legion Baseball, and The Oratorical Program. The American Legion also initially sponsored more than 2,500 Scouting units across the country among other most noteworthy patriotic and “Nation Building” programs.
A birthday or a continuation of “Americanism” focused on our mutual service to our veterans? Quite a birthday indeed, my fellow Legionnaires. God Bless this great Nation and the American Legion for standing steadfast and steady beyond our country as we move into the next 100 years of selfless service.