Excerpts from American Legion Extension Institute
The American Legion was
born at a caucus of the American Expeditionary
Force (A.E.F.) in Paris, France. This caucus
was the result of a proposal by Lt.
Col.
Theodore Roosevelt Jr. to a group of representatives of A.E.F. divisions and
service
units. Roosevelt's vision resulted in the founding Paris caucus of March
15-17,
1919, and subsequent organizational caucus held May 8-10, 1919, in St.
Louis,
MO. His unwavering service during these vital times won him the
affectionate
title, "Father of The American Legion."
As the weary, homesick
delegates assembled for that first Paris caucus,
they
brought with them the raw materials with which to build an association of
veterans
whose primary devotion was to God and Country. In minds of those
veterans
of the A.E.F. were a number of lofty ideals, uppermost among them:
One:
Creation of a
fraternity based upon the firm comradeship born of wartime service
and dedicated to
fair and equitable treatment for all veterans, particularly the
disabled, and
widows and orphans whose loved ones paid the ultimate price for
freedom.
Two:
Maintaining
national security for America, including a universal military training
program for the
prevention of future world conflicts; an
Three:
Promotion of
patriotism and the combating of materialistic and totalitarian
ideologies that
recognize neither the honor nor the dignity of the individual.
It was
this Paris caucus that The American Legion received its name. The
honor of naming
the new organization went to Maurice K. Gordon, then a major
in the 36th
Division and later a judge in Kentucky. A controversy had developed
concerning the
name, and it was Gordon who made the successful motion to
label the
fledgling group The American Legion.
While
lofty principles were expounded at the Paris caucus, it was decided to
leave the
definition of permanent policies for a later and more representative
meeting to be
held in the United States. An executive committee of 100 members
was named to
complete the organization in the A.E.F., while a sub-committee of
17 returned to
the United States to promote interest among those who had
already
returned to the States.
Even
though the American Legion was formed overseas, organizers
realized
members of the armed services had no choice whether they served
in the United
States or overseas. Accordingly, it was decided that membership in
The American
Legion should be open to all who served honorably in the armed
forces in World
War I. (Eligibility requirements for membership have since been
revised to open
membership in the Legion to veterans who served honorably in
the armed
forces of the United States in World War II, the Korean War, the
Vietnam War,
Lebanon and Grenada, Panama and the Persian Gulf.)
"A
representative democracy in a federal republic" was the plan adopted by
the Paris
caucus for the formation of The American Legion. Advance committees
of two members
from each state met May 6, 1919, in St. Louis, MO., to prepare
for a general
caucus May 8-10, 1919. This St. Louis caucus, attended by some
1,100
delegates, produced the blueprint of The American Legion, approved the
principles set
forth at the Paris caucus, adopted a tentative constitution and
created the
machinery to provide for a permanent organization.
It was at
the St. Louis caucus that the Preamble to the Constitution of The
American Legion
was put into final form. A short preamble had been written at
Paris by a
sub-committee consisting of Frank White, William H. Curtiss and
Redmond C.
Stewart. In St. Louis the now-immortal Preamble was developed by
the fertile
minds of John C. Greenway of Arizona, Hamilton Fish of New York and
George N. Davis
of Delaware.
Organizational
work proceeded rapidly after the St. Louis caucus.
Temporary
offices were opened in New York City and on Sept. 16, 1919, the
Congress of the
United States chartered The American Legion, thus giving
official
sanction to the constitution adopted in St. Louis.
The
charter convention of The American Legion met November 10-12 1919,
in Minneapolis,
MN. The rapid pace with which The American Legion was
building its
organization was evident by the presence of many delegates still in
the uniforms of
the armed forces. The Minneapolis convention of 1919 approved
the acts of the
temporary organization and adopted a permanent structure. The
first American
Legion National Convention parade, which was to set the pace for
what has become
the epitome of patriotic pageantry, color and music, was on the
first
anniversary of Armistice Day, Nov. 11,1919. Included in the line of march
were the 648
delegates representing the infant organization's membership of
648,000.
A somber
note was injected at this first convention with the arrival of news
that four
legionnaires of a newly formed Post at Centralia, Washington were shot
down in cold
blood while marching in the Armistice Day parade in their home city
by members of
the Industrial Workers of the World, a radical group incited by
propaganda
based on class hatred. Thus, The American Legion received its first
challenge by
un-American elements, some of which to this day classify the
Legion as their
greatest enemy.
Franklin D'Olier
of Pennsylvania became the first National Commander, and
Lemuel Bolles
of Washington the first National Adjutant. D'Olier later became
president of
the Prudential Insurance Company and performed several non-
salaried tasks
for his country during World War II.
Representatives
of five cities, Detroit, Indianapolis, Kansas City,
Minneapolis and
Washington, D. C., bid to gain the new organization's
permanent
national headquarters. Indianapolis won, and the national
headquarters of
The American Legion was moved in late 1919
from its
temporary location in New York City to Hoosier capital.
Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation
When the founders of The American Legion met at the St. Louis
Caucus, they
recognized
that a major concern of the organization would be the plight of the
disabled
veteran. The extent of the concern for these veterans is evident in the
final
phrase of the Preamble, "...to consecrate and sanctify our comradeship by
our
devotion to mutual helpfulness."
The
D'Olier administration completed the organization of the National Service
Bureau, which
worked with state service bureaus and service officers of
individual
Posts to assist veterans with problems of war risk insurance,
compensation
for disabilities, hospital treatment and vocational training. The
American Legion
received financial assistance in this phase of the program from
the American
Red Cross.
Immediately
after the close of the 1920 convention in Cleveland, Ohio,
National Commander
Fredrick W. Galbraith Jr. called a conference in
Washington,
D.C., to consider the plight of disabled veterans resulting from the
unwieldy mass
of laws and regulations administered by a multitude of
government
bureaus. Out of that conference came The American Legion's
request for a
presidential committee to investigate existing conditions. As a
result, the
Dawes Committee, which included representatives of The American
Legion, was
appointed. The Dawes Committee report, accompanied by White
House recommendations,
brought about congressional action consolidating most
of the
activities dealing with World War I veterans into a new independent agency
--- The United
States Veterans Bureau (now the Department of Veterans Affairs).
The Veterans
Bureau continued under careful study by The American Legion
during the next
two years, and many reforms were suggested by Legion
leadership and
put into effect, eliminating abuses that deprived veterans of
hospital
treatment and other rights authorized by Congress. It was in the same
period that The
American Legion improved its own procedures of handling
veterans'
matters by organizing the National Rehabilitation Committee to promote
better
administration of this important and highly complex activity. The National
Rehabilitation
Committee later became the National Rehabilitation Commission
and, as the
result of action taken at the 1970 National Convention, was renamed
the National
Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Commission.
Justice
for the disabled veteran was now The American Legion's fight in
earnest. In
1923, the San Francisco Convention drafted 91 constructive
recommendations
for liberalization of laws and regulations governing veterans'
benefits. Before
the next National Convention was to gather, Congress had
enacted the
World War Veterans Act of 1924, which included many of the
American
Legion's proposals and extended the presumption of service-
connection for
certain classes of disability.
Throughout the remainder of
the 1920s and early in the 1930s, The American
Legion
continued to register legislative achievements necessary for the care and
rehabilitation of disabled veterans.
On July
21, 1930, the Veterans Bureau and other agencies administering
veterans'
benefits were consolidated into the Veterans Administration, a new
independent
agency which thereafter handled most veteran benefit programs.
The American Legion's
efforts on behalf of disabled veterans' benefits faced
one
of its greatest challenges during the Great Depression. In 1933, the new
administration
passed what became notorious as the Economy Act, which wiped
out a wide
range of programs and benefits that had been won for and by disabled
veterans since
the end of World War I.
However,
The American Legion rallied to the crisis in veterans' affairs. The
National
Rehabilitation Committee at the convention in Chicago that same year
put forth the
famous Four-Point Program. This was, briefly, that:
One:
no
veteran disabled in the line of duty would suffer any reductions in benefits
granted
under legislation in effect prior to March 19,1933;
Two:
federal
hospitalization be afforded to veterans not dishonorably discharged, who
were requiring
such care and were unable to afford treatment;
Three:
presumption of
service-connection for all veterans properly granted such service-
connection
under laws that were in effect prior to
March 20, 1933, be continued;
and
Four:
benefits
provided for dependents by World War Veterans Act be restored and the
principle
established that in no event should widows and orphans of deceased
World War
veterans be without government protection.
The
American Legion's unceasing fight on behalf of disabled veterans was
rewarded March
28, 1934, when Congress enacted Public Law 141, carrying out
in full
recommendations of the first three provisions of the Four-Point Program.
Although this
bill met with a presidential veto, Congress overrode the veto. Plus,
The American
Legion recorded an outstanding accomplishment in the restoration
of the major
part of the benefits taken from disabled World War veterans by the
Economy Act.
From this
significant milestone, The American Legion has worked
successfully to
pass further legislation liberalizing benefits for disabled veterans
and bringing
about the fourth provision of the Four-Point Program concerning
protection of
widows and orphans.
Since that
major victory in 1934, the Legion has repeatedly mustered its
resources to
meet subsequent challenges attempting to reduce the role of the
Veterans
Administration and its successor -- the Department of Veterans Affairs–
in their
essential missions of providing for our sick and disabled veterans. The
increased
demand for VA hospital and medical services resulting from the
returning
Vietnam wounded and disabled not only justified the Legion's earlier
position in
this matter, but also strengthened its campaign for adequate
congressional
appropriations to meet the needs of the then-newest generation of
disabled war
veterans.
Closely
allied with its concern for the disabled veteran is The American
Legion's
interest in the welfare of the children of deceased and disabled
veterans. There
is no definite time nor place that can pinpoint the beginning of
The American
Legion's Children and Youth Program (formerly known as the
Child Welfare
Program). Like many of the purposes and principles set forth in the
Preamble, the
child welfare concepts undoubtedly were first formed on the
battlefields of
France during World War I, where shared dangers and hardships
created a deep
sense of responsibility for the children of fallen comrades.
The
American Legion has two child welfare objectives: first, to assure care
and protection
for the children of veterans; second, to improve conditions for all
children. These
objectives are expressed in the slogan, " A Square Deal for
Every
Child."
First
activities in the field of child welfare by The American Legion were
carried on by
Legion rehabilitation workers who, as early as 1922, saw the need
for special
effort on behalf of these unfortunate youngsters.
In the
mid-1920s, American Legion child welfare efforts were centered around
the
establishment of Legion-sponsored institutions known as "billets,"
where
children of
deceased and disabled veterans were housed and cared for.
However, the
experience of only a few years proved the institution approach
inadequate and
unsatisfactory. A new concept of child care gradually emerged,
placing the
emphasis on maintaining the family in the home.
In 1925, a
National Child Welfare Division was established in National
Headquarters at
Indianapolis. Within three years, the national organization had
completely withdrawn from the institutional approach
and had replaced it with a
program of
direct temporary assistance to needy children in their own homes.
This new
concept of child care by The American Legion provided the impetus
for other
public and private organizations to develop their own home-care
programs for
children.
In order
to finance its child welfare and rehabilitation programs, The American
Legion launched
a campaign in 1924 to raise a $5 million endowment fund. This
goal was
reached in a little over a year. In 1945, the endowment fund was
increased to $7
million. In addition, the national budget for children and youth
received
generous contributions annually from the Legion's affiliated
organizations--the
American Legion Auxiliary, the eight and forty, and until 1959,
the forty and
eight.
After
World War II, the National Child Welfare Commission recognized the
need to
establish programs for all American children in order to guarantee care
and protection
of veterans' children.
The
commission also recognized that many of the larger problems of child
welfare
couldn't be met solely by offering direct help to individual children. For
example, immediately
after World War II a major cause of death among school-
age children
was rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. Spurred by the
National Child
Welfare and Rehabilitation commission, in 1946 the National
Executive
Committee responded by appropriating $25,000 to the American Heart
Association to
begin research on this health problem. The American Legion
Auxiliary also
donated a like amount, and the $50,000 became, to a great extent,
the seed money
for the American Heart Association's current program. The
research
financed by these grants helped contribute to the decline in rheumatic
fever deaths
among children.
Similarly,
in 1950, The American Legion gave $25,000 to the National
Association for
Mental Health for its research.
Accordingly,
to avoid possible misunderstanding and to clearly define the
purpose and
scope of its children's programs, The American Legion, by action of
its 1970
National Convention, changed the name of the National Child Welfare
Commission to
the National Commission on Children and Youth.
The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation, Inc.
By 1954, the wisdom of the
grants to the American Heart Association and the
National
Association for Mental Health was quite apparent, as was the need for a
mechanism
to provide future grants that would bring the best result to the
greatest number
of children. Consequently, that year The American Legion Child
Welfare
Foundation, Inc. was authorized by the National Executive Committee
with two
primary purposes:
One:
to add to the sum total of knowledge about children and youth through research, study, etc.; and
Two:
to help distribute information that society already possesses about children in order that it be better used.
Through
its grants each year, The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation
continues the
Legion's traditional children and youth programs by stimulating
preventive
research, complementing the Legion's long-standing program of direct
assistance and
Capital Hill efforts to secure legislation that would benefit children
and youth. The
foundation is supported primarily through the generous
contributions
of individuals, Posts, Units, Departments and the national
organization of
the American Legion Auxiliary. Many donations are bestowed in
memory of
departed comrades.
In
addition to research, The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation is
authorized to
use funds for special projects such as the prevention of juvenile
delinquency and
venereal disease, and programs that aid blindness, mentally
handicapped
children, mental health, institutional care, education and physical
fitness.
From the very beginning The American
Legion was not content to confine its
interest and
support to easing the plight of deceased or disabled veterans and
their dependents.
One of its major projects also has been the preservation and
furtherance
of basic American concepts and principles. At the charter convention
in
Minneapolis in 1919, the Nation Americanism Commission was established.
Among
its first responsibilities were combating anti-Americanism, educating
citizens
in the ideals of true Americanism, distributing information about "the
real
nature
and principles of American government," and fostering the teaching of
Americanism
in all schools.
It is the objective of the
National Americanism Commission to impart these
precepts,
principles and ideals to Posts and other groups and individuals.
This mission has led the National
Americanism Commission over a difficult
route
at times. Early in the 1920, unemployment and a period of general national
unrest
coincided with an upsurge of communism and other subversive theories.
The
Americanism Commission has met these challenges through the years
with
education and action. Much of the commission's work include combating
unemployment
until that problem was eventually assigned to the National
Economic Commission.
In order
"to foster and perpetuate 100 percent Americanism," a large segment
of the
Americanism Commission's efforts are channeled into education programs
and citizenship
activities for the leaders of tomorrow -- America's youth. Millions
of young
Americans have gained a better understanding of the Constitution of the
United States
through The American Legion's National High School Oratorical
Contest, in
which several thousand students participate annually.
National Security
The
deep-rooted interest of The American Legion in the security of the nation
was born in the
hearts and minds of its founders and those who piloted it through
the treacherous
waters of its early years. The bitter experiences of seeing
comrades
wounded and killed through lack of proper training crystallized the
determination
of these veterans to fight for adequate defense establishment
capable of
protecting the sovereignty of the United States.
The tragic events of World
War I, largely precipitated by unpreparedness,
were
still vivid in the minds of combat veterans when the committee on military
policy
met at the 1919 National Convention in Minneapolis. The charter
convention
approved 10 committee resolutions embodying the important
principles
of Universal Military Training, retention of a small Regular Army
establishment
and creation of a citizens' army composed of an Organized
Reserve
and National Guard units.
In the
intervening years, this original committee has grown to become the
National
Security Commission and Committees, which focus Legion attention on
all segments of
the nation's defense. In the years since the birth of The American
Legion, the
United States has engaged in another World War and fought in
Korea, Vietnam,
Lebanon, Grenada, Panama and the Persian Gulf to oppose
further
aggression by the totalitarian regimes. Perhaps these wars would not
have occurred
had our nation followed the call of American Legion
recommendations
on National Security matters.
During the
22 years separating the birth of The American Legion and the
attack on Pearl
Harbor, which brought the United States in to World War II, The
American Legion
had been a consistent, though too often unheeded, voice
advocating
adequate military strength.
The
efforts of the American Legion, acting through its National Security
Commission and
Committees, resulted in the enactment of the National Defense
Act of 1920,
which gave the nation its first workable plan for a small Regular
Army, augmented
by a large National Guard and Organized Reserve. However,
because
appropriations for carrying out the provision of this act were repeatedly
denied, the
military establishment -- which at the end of World War I had been as
well prepared
as that of any country in the world -- was steadily reduced.
In the
face of discouraging setbacks, The American Legion continued to
propose recommendations
which have had a profound effect on our nation's
history. Twenty
years prior to Pearl Harbor, The American Legion was calling for
the equivalent
of a two-ocean Navy and firmly supported the development and
use of a new
weapon system, the airplane.
Throughout
those 20 years before our entry in World War II, The American
Legion remained
unrelenting in its struggle for a strengthened national defense.
In 1938, The
American Legion demanded an Air Force of 8,000 planes,
production of
1,500 planes annually, a strengthening of our Pacific defenses, and
the
discontinuance of shipment of war supplies to Japan. Had it not been for The
American
Legion's efforts to alert America to the need for continuing
preparedness,
our nation at the time of Pearl Harbor would have been notably
weaker than it
was.
After the surrender of
Germany and Japan in 1945, The American Legion
again
faced the unpleasant task of calling for a retention of adequate military
strength
in the face of an overwhelming popular demand for demobilization.
Despite
Legion opposition, the American people permitted the greatest defense
machinery
in history to disintegrate and in so doing, encouraged communist
aggression
throughout the world.
Just as it had after World
War I, The American Legion urged Congress to
enact
Universal Military Training legislation following World War II, but it took the
commitment
of American troops fighting again on foreign soil-this time in Korea-
to
convince the nation's lawmakers of the vital need of a Universal Military
Training
program. However, the legislation embodying the principles of universal
military
training, which was passed by the 82nd Congress, contained several
flaws
that remained uncorrected until the enactment of National Security Training
Law
in July 1955.
Today,
with the evolution of space technology and scientific advancement of
both
conventional and nuclear weapons, The American Legion is again proving
itself a
pioneer by insisting on an adequate arsenal and a properly trained
fighting force
to deter aggressors.
Of
interest to all American veterans has been the matter of foreign affairs.
This is as true
today as it was with our nation's first veterans who, after the
Revolutionary
War, became leaders in the new republic. With each war, the
veterans became
more intense in their desire to seek peace and national
security. Such
was the case with The American Legion following World War I.
Not only did the
veterans of this war have a keen desire to sustain peace, but
they also had a
solemn wish to perpetuate the battlefields and
cemeteries
overseas as
living shines to sacrifice and achievement. From its earliest
convention, The
American Legion has expressed concern and interest in foreign
affairs based on
these principles. Neither conservative nor liberal, neither
international in
character nor isolationist in principle, this foreign policy has been
consistent in two
respects: first, by continuing to protect American sovereignty
and right; and
second, by seeking world peace on the premise that the
diplomatic
front is often the first theater of operations that, if lost, inevitably leads
to armed
conflict.
In the
period after World War I, while the infant veterans' organization was
struggling for
its very survival, its foreign-relations policy was becoming more
complex in
character. Primarily, this policy was directed toward major items of
concern to
legionnaires in the overall interest of America, with emphasis directed
toward
maintaining international peace. During the World War II era, the goal of
The American
Legion was to bring the war to a successful conclusion and secure
world peace.
Discussions during that period showed an interest on the part of
many to create
an international organization similar to that known today as the
United Nations.
Because the League of Nations after World War I had become a
partisan,
political issue in the United States, the young American Legion had
neither
endorsed nor repudiated it.
In 1945,
then-National commander Edward Scheiberling was an observer at
the conference
in San Francisco where the United Nations organization took
substantial
form. At its National Convention that year in Chicago, The American
Legion voted
its full approval of the United Nations. At its next five National
Conventions,
the Legion, recognizing weakness within the structure of the United
Nations, advocated
strengthening of the U.N. charter. The American Legion
issued early
and prophetic warnings that "the persistent misuse of the veto power
by Soviet
Russia is destroying the ability of the United Nations to prevent war,"
and that Russia
"sought to sabotage the United Nations and thus weaken it for
world peace and
justice."
Thus, at
the conclusion of World War II and the establishment of the United
Nations, The
American Legion's foreign policy become more intricate and more
complex than
ever before. The World War II veteran returned to civilian status far
more
internationally-minded than those predecessors of World War I. Veterans
had served in
the Pacific areas, in Europe and in other world regions. They were
not only keenly
mindful of the extreme need for sustaining peace, but were also
intimately
familiar with the many countries with which America must work to
maintain peace.
The Korean
War eventually brought to the ranks of The American Legion a
new veteran
who, for the first time in American history, had fought as a member
of an
international force. These were the first American veterans to meet in
combat the
ruthless communist forces bent on world domination. As a veteran
and
Legionnaire, the soldier who had faced communism's fire has offered one
more conerstone
in the formation of the Legion's foreign policy.
The American Legion's
foreign policy -- blueprinted at the St. Louis Caucus,
endorsed
and broadened at the first National Convention in Minneapolis and
adjusted
to world conditions through the ensuing years -- has reflected attainable
goals
in the interest of promoting the security of America peace and good will on
earth.
Emanating
from every community throughout the nation and representing all
classes and
religions in America, the Legion's foreign policy reflects the hopes
and fears, the
very desires and wants, of most Americans. In it are found the
sentiments of
the nation and through it a better American foreign policy can be
developed to
ensure peace and freedom throughout the world.
As The
American Legion began to take form in the spring and summer of
1919, its
leaders soon saw the need for a central legislative agency that could
present the
Legion's legislative programs effectively to Congress.
Therefore,
one of the first committees created was the National Legislative
Committee (now
Commission), which was established before the first National
Convention was
held at Minneapolis.
The early
responsibilities of the National Legislative Committee are described
by Marquis
James in his history of The American Legion: "...an essential cog in
the national
machinery to make veterans' voices heard and heeded in the
council chambers of the nation where the laws are made, in the executive offices
where they are enforced and in the hundreds of Department bureaus, great and
small, from which the actual administration is directed."
The initial action of the
newly formed committee was to request congressional
recognition
of The American Legion. The 66th Congress overwhelmingly
endorsed
"An Act to Incorporate The American Legion," which became Public
Law
47 with the president's signtaure on Sept. 16,1919. The charter limited
membership
to honorably discharge veterans with service between April 6, 1917,
and
Nov. 11, 1918. Subsequent amendments have been made to establish
eligibility
dates for membership of veterans of World War II, Dec. 7, 1941, to Dec.
31,
1946; the Korean War, June 25, 1950, to Jan.31, 1955; the Vietnam War,
Dec.
22, 1961, to May 7, 1975; Grenada and Lebanon, Aug. 24,1982, to July 31,
1984;
Panama, Dec. 20 1989, to Jan. 31 1990; and the Persian Gulf, Aug. 2,
1990, with no closing date as of May 1996.
Although
not authorized to formulate policy, the National Legislative
Commission is charged
with the exclusive responsibility of petitioning Congress
on behalf of
any and all legislation in which The American Legion is interested.
Declaration of
legislative policy is the right and responsibility of National
Conventions.
Between conventions the National Executive Committee
may mandate
legislative action.
Since it
has no program of its own, the National Legislative Commission
serves the
entire American Legion and many American Legion programs. In the
various states,
Department legislative committees operate much the same way,
their efforts
resulting in legislative successes in such areas as rehabilitation, aid
to war veterans
and child welfare.
In 1919, war veterans
returned to a nation that was almost totally unprepared
to
cope with the needs of sick and wounded. There were scant provisions for
alleviating
the suffering and distress of the families of those who gave their lives
in
the war. There was little help toward the readjustment of thousands whose
lives
had been disrupted by service and who were in need of rehabilitation. It was
a
dark age for the returning defenders of democracy. On top of this came a
depression.
Since there was no national agency like today's Department of
Veterans Affairs, veterans' hospital care was inadequate.
Such was
the Herculean task facing the infant American Legion and its
legislative
committee. The years 1919 to 1933 saw unrelenting legislative efforts
by the Legion
to: establish the Veterans Bureau, which was later named the
Veterans
Administration (forerunner of today's Department of Veterans Affairs);
gain realistic
compensation programs for the disabled and their dependents;
provide
hospitalization for the disabled; create education programs for the
service-connected
disabled; and obtain other veterans' benefits.
In addition to beneficial
legislation affecting veterans and their dependents,
the
National Legislative Committee's work in Americanism and national security
also
bore fruit. Its endeavors contributed to the passage of anti-subversive laws,
as
well as legislation to strengthen our military forces, including the National
Guard
and Reserves. These were busy years for the committee, and during
that period The
American Legion was recognized as having the most powerful
and effective
legislative lobby in Washington.
Compared
to the standards of the time, the veterans' programs at the
beginning of
1933 were in excellent condition, but our nation was in the depths of
the Great
Depression. The Legislative Committee of The American Legion had
been so
successful that economy-minded members of Congress, reinforced by
the National
Economy League, worked for passage of "An Act to Maintain
the Credit of the
United States," which became Public Law 2 with the president's
signature on
March 20, 1933.
Passed by Congress without a hearing --
with no opportunity being given The
American Legion
to oppose it -- the measure dictated: "All public laws granting
medical or hospital
treatment, domiciliary care, compensation and other
allowances,
pension disability allowance, or retirement pay to veterans and
dependents of the
World war are hereby repealed." One stroke of the pen wiped
out 13 years of
American Legion legislative efforts.
The
American Legion quickly organized a legislative counteroffensive. With
one out of
every five veterans in its ranks to give it strength, the Legion took to
the highways
and byways and descended upon the main streets of the nation to
advise the
people of the terrible consequences of Public Law 2. Meanwhile, the
National
Legislative Committee organized its plans for the 1934 session of
Congress.
Overwhelming veteran support, combined with the Legislative
Committee's testimony
before Congressional committees, brought about a
complete
reversal by Congress on March 28, 1934, when the measure became
law over
President Franklin D. Roosevelt's veto. A great amount of credit for this
notable
achievement must be given to the indomitable spirit and courage of then
-- National Commander Edward A. Hayes of
Illinois.
The
greatest single legislative achievement of The American Legion was the
enactment of
the Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944, more popularly known
as the GI Bill
Rights. Not only is The American Legion universally recognized as
the originator
of this complex and multi-dimensional bill, but also as the force
which overcame
major political opposition by massing public opinion in favor of
the measure.
With over
15 million men and women in the U.S. Armed Forced in World War
II, The
American Legion resolved that its post-World War I experiences would not
be repeated.
The painful memories of disabled men waiting more than five years
for legislation
that would secure their rights to hospital care and compensation
inspired
American Legion leaders to work for the enactment of GI Bill -- a law
described as
the most comprehensive piece of social legislation ever enacted.
The GI Bill of Rights embodied all The
American Legion had learned during a
quarter
century. Its preparation involved many months of careful research,
analyzing
convention mandates and exchanging ideas with the military and
experts in
educational, financial and employment fields. Invaluable in drawing up
this
legislation was the input of the National Rehabilitation Commission of The
American
Legion. The GI Bill of Rights is best described by its subtitles:
1. Hospitalization,
claims and procedures; 2. Education of veterans; 3. Home,
farm and
business loans; 4. Employment of veterans; 5. Readjustment
allowances for
the unemployed; and 6. General administrative and penal
provisions.
The
Veterans Administration was made the focus of most benefits under the
law and the
point contact for the veteran in matters falling under other
government
jurisdictions. The drafting of this legislation has been called the
greatest single
feat of statesmanship in the history of The American Legion. The
methods by
which it was guided through Congress to the president's desk
demonstrated
the strong links that bind The American Legion to all segments of
American life.
With the
government's commitment of American troops to meet aggression in
Korea in 1950, South Vietnam in 1964 and