11 Key Things to Know About the Legion Act
Legislation extends ongoing declared period of war back to December 7, 1941
(Dear Reader, the following material was taken from the American Legion Dispatch, August 2019 edition, a National Headquarters Publication)
With President Trump’s signature on the LEGION Act, the ongoing declared period of war was extended back to December 7, 1941. The congressionally approved act is a way to honor thousands of veterans who were killed or wounded on duty during periods not previously considered a time of war.
“Finally Congress has acknowledged the service and sacrifice of at least 1,600 veterans who died or were wounded in previously undeclared periods of war,” said American Legion Judge Advocate Kevin Bartlett.
“This new law honors the memories of those veterans while allowing other veterans from those previously undeclared eras to receive all the American Legion benefits they have earned through their service.”
The LEGION Act – Let Everyone Get Involved in Opportunities for National Service Act – also redefines The American Legion’s membership eligibility dates. The eligibility now spans from December 7, 1941, until a time when the U.S. is no longer at war, as determined by Congress.
Here are answers to 11 key questions about the new law and what it means for the American Legion.
No commentsNassau County American Legion Family Dinner Dance 2019
On Thursday evening, September 12, 2019, the Nassau County American Legion Family will be honoring the Department Commander, the Department Auxiliary President, and Department Detachment Commander with a Testimonial Dinner and Dance. This Testimonial Dinner will be our way of showing that Nassau County is the Empire County of the Empire State.
The Testimonial Dinner and Dance will take place at the Massapequa American Legion Post 1066, 66 Veterans Boulevard, Massapequa, New York 11758. Festivities will begin at 6:30 p.m. and conclude at 11:00 p.m. There will be a dinner with all the trimmings, cake and coffee, and open bar. There will be music for your listening and dancing pleasure.
The cost for this affair, for Merrick Post 1282, is $48 per person and their guest pays $24 making it a total of $72 for two people. Make your checks out to Merrick Post No 1282, American Legion; earmarked Department Family Testimonial Dinner. The cutoff date for tickets is September 1, 2019. Please try to get your tickets in early.
We sincerely hope that you can attend and show the Department Family Leaders a big Nassau County Welcome.
The Wall That Heals
The organization, Heroes Among Us, is proud to host the Wall that Heals, which is a 375 foot, three quarter scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial located in Washington, D C, this wall replica, bears the names of more than 58,000 service members who lost their lives in Vietnam. The Wall that heals is open to the public 24 hours a day from, Thursday, August 29, 2019, through, Sunday, September 1, 2019, until 3:00 p.m. It will be held at Eisenhower Park, Field number 2, at 1899 Hempstead Turnpike, East Meadow, New York. All ages are welcomed and encouraged to view this Wall, visitors will be able to create name rubbings of individual service member's names. The opening ceremony will be Thursday, August 29th, at 10:00 a.m. Candlelight Vigil will be Friday, August 30th, at 7:00 p.m. Closing Ceremony: Sunday, September 1st at 2:30 p.m. For more information: visit www.heroesamongus24.org or call 239-834-9240. Thank you.
The Legion Act
Congress and the White House agree to expand definition of war eras to include all who served since Dec. 7, 1941.
More than 1,600 members of the U.S. Armed Forces were killed or wounded in periods of time not designated as war eras since the end of World War II. The newly signed Let Everyone Get Involved in Opportunities for National Service Act of 2019 – The LEGION Act – honors those veterans, their spouses and descendants, extending membership eligibility in The American Legion Family to hundreds of thousands who had previously been excluded.
The LEGION Act offers American Legion membership eligibility to any U.S. military veteran who served at least one day of active military duty since Dec. 7, 1941, and was honorably discharged or is serving now. The act also affects membership in the American Legion Auxiliary and Sons of the American Legion, expanding eligibility for those groups, as well.