Last week we talked about The Legion presenting a $1 million check to the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial fund for the construction of “The Wall” in Washington DC, and becoming the largest single contributor to this project.
In July 1983, The Legion announced its sponsorship of an independent study on the effects of Agent Orange on Vietnam War Veterans. In 1989, Congress received the results of the “American Legion-Columbia University Study of Vietnam-Era Veterans.” In January 1989, the Veteran’s Administration is finally elevated to Cabinet-Level status as the Department of Veteran’s Affairs (VA). The Legion fought hard for this change, arguing veterans deserve representation at the highest level of the U.S. Government.
Then in October 1989, the long-standing objective of The Legion to improve adjudication procedures for veteran’s claims is achieved when the U.S. Court of Veterans Appeals becomes operational.
Moving on into the 1990s, we find that in August 1990, The Legion filed suit against the federal government for failure to conduct a Congressmandated study about the effects of Agent Orange on veterans who served in Vietnam.
In October 1990, The Legion created the Family Support Network (FSN) to assist families of service members deployed for operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm in the Middle East. Through local posts, the network offered a wide range of assistance including financial assistance, mowing lawns, baby-sitting and more.
Today the FSN continues to assist families affected by military activation and deployment.
In August 1994, The Legion announced the creation of the Citizens Flag Alliance, a coalition of organizations and citizens united to work for a constitutional amendment to protect the U.S. flag from physical desecration.
On September 24, 1994, The Legion announced partnership with the Smithsonian Institute’s Air and Space Museum to develop an exhibit for the bomber, Enola Gay, which dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan.
In January 1995, The Legion announced acceptance of a scaled-down exhibit “without political commentary” for the Enola Gay, ending the greatest controversy in the Smithsonian Institute’s 149-year history.
Next week we will conclude The Legion’s actions during the 1990s and move into the 2000s era where we find The American Legion getting involved with support networks following the terrorist attack on September 11, 2001.
