Last week we found out the American Legion was instrumental in the formation of the Boy Scouts and is the chartering agency for more than 2,500 scouting units made of over 64,000 youth. In addition, the American Legion annually honors the Eagle Scout of the Year with a $10,000 scholarship and the three runners- up each receive a $2,000 scholarship.
On August 9, 1921, the Legion’s efforts resulted in the creation of the U.S. Veterans Bureau, the forerunner of the Veterans Administration. Today, the Legion continues to lobby for adequate funding to cover medical, disability, education, and other benefits for all veterans.
In Oklahoma, the Legion works with the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs (ODVA) to provide resources and services to military veterans residing in the state of Oklahoma. This includes assistance with state and federal benefits, disability claims, burial and survivor benefits, healthcare, employment, education, mental health/suicide prevention, veteran-owned businesses, women veteran services, and veterans in agriculture.
ODVA operates seven longterm care facilities for veterans throughout the state. The ODVA central office is located at 2132 NE 36th, Oklahoma City, OK 73111. For Oklahoma veterans not registered yet with the ODVA, you can call them at 405-523-4000 or toll free at 855-701-6382 or go to https://registry.odva.ok.gov/ registration to get signed up.
Our ODVA Service Officer for American Legion Post 261 in Blanchard and the Tri-City area is James Collins, and he can be contacted at 405-5234000 or email at james.collins@ odva.ok.gov.
I strongly urge all honorably discharged veterans to get registered with the Oklahoma Department of Veterans Affairs and begin getting your benefits you are entitled to for rendering military service to our country.
Next week we will learn how the Legion was instrumental in the creation of the “flag code” in 1923 and the creation of the American Legion Baseball Program in 1925.
