Last week we learned about the “Flag Code” established by The American Legion in 1923 and adopted by the National Flag Conference later that year. It was eventually adopted by Congress in 1942.
We also found out that The Legion created the American Legion Baseball Program in 1925 for youth ages 13-19. Today, more than 82,000 have been in the program and there are 68 Major League Baseball players in the Baseball Hall of Fame who began in American Legion Baseball.
Founded in 1932, The Sons of the American Legion (SAL) is a non-profit organization of male descendants of men or women who served honorably in the U.S. Military and were eligible for membership in The American Legion. Today there are over 380,000 members nationwide. The mission of the SAL is to support veterans and their families and policies of their parent organization, The American Legion.
In June 1935 the first American Legion Boys State convened in Springfield, Illinois, to help youth gain an understanding of the structure and operation of the federal government.
The first Boys Nation, which brought together youth leadership from all the Boys State Programs, was convened in 1946. Today more than 19,500 boys participate in Boys State from 49 of the 50 states. This year, Post 261 in Blanchard sent four boys to Boys State here in Oklahoma. On June 1, 1938, the final round of the Legion’s first annual National High School Oratorical Contest was conducted in Norman. The American Legion Oratorical Contest exists to develop deeper knowledge and appreciation for the U.S. Constitution among high school students. Since 1938, the program has presented participants with an academic speaking challenge that teaches important leadership qualities, the history of our nation’s laws, the ability to think and speak clearly, and an understanding of the duties, responsibilities, rights and privileges of American citizenship.
Scholarships are awarded to the three finalists. First placereceives$25,000,second gets $22,500, and third takes $20,000. Each individual state winner certified into, and participating in, the first round of the national contest receives a $2,000 scholarship.
The program has featured numerous public servants and prominent contestants over the years, including former presidential candidate Alan Keyes, national television commentator and talk radio host Lou Dobbs, and former U.S. Vice President Mike Pence.
Next week we learn how one of The American Legion’s greatest single legislative achievements — the “GI Bill of Rights” — comes to be a reality.
