Lt. Col. Theodore Roosevelt Jr. envisioned as early as 1915 a national organization of U.S. military veterans who would be ready to serve in the event of war. The first American Legion was incorporated that year in the State of New York and grew to more than 25,000 members whose military and technical skills were documented for potential wartime use. Roosevelt was its director, and several founders of the future American Legion were members
- Among the founding principles that have guided The American Legion since its birth include:
- Military rank in the service would be irrelevant for American Legion membership and office positions.
- Wartime veterans who served stateside duty were eligible for membership.
- Gender and race were not to be considered for membership eligibility, nearly a year before women had the right to vote and 45 years before the Civil Rights Act was passed.
- Policies and positions of the organization would come from the grassroots level upward, through a resolution process designed to begin at the local post and move through the department and then to the National Executive Committee and/or National Convention.
The Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation Commission of The American Legion became the most prominent stakeholder voice on all the service arms of the Veterans Administration that it helped create:
- Health care
- Pensions and benefits
- Education
- Homelessness prevention
- Employment opportunities
- Cemetery benefits
More information on the History can be found in the four pillars of the American Legion.
The American Legion Endowment Fund, established in 1925, created the Temporary Financial Assistance program to provide financial support for minor children of eligible veterans. The TFA program was augmented in 1990 during Operation Desert Storm with the Family Support Network, which connected American Legion volunteers with military families in need of support during deployments. The terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, led to a surge in patriotism and support for those serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. The American Legion quickly went to work reviving the Blue Star Banner program, identifying homes with loved ones serving in the war. Within months of the attacks, The American Legion launched the Legacy Scholarship Fund to provide college scholarships to the children of military men and women who lost their lives on duty during or after the attacks; scholarship eligibility was later expanded to include the children of veterans with a combined disability rating of 50 percent or greater.
The American Legion established the Legacy Scholarship Fund for the thousands of children whose parents died while on active duty on or after 9/11