PRINTER'S NO. 460
THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF PENNSYLVANIA
SENATE RESOLUTION
No.
46
Session of
2019
INTRODUCED BY BROOKS, GORDNER, BROWNE, BAKER, BARTOLOTTA,
FOLMER, KILLION, LANGERHOLC, MARTIN, PHILLIPS-HILL, REGAN,
SCAVELLO, K. WARD, COSTA, BREWSTER, DINNIMAN, FONTANA,
SCHWANK, STREET AND L. WILLIAMS, MARCH 20, 2019
INTRODUCED AND ADOPTED, MARCH 20, 2019
A RESOLUTION
Commemorating the 100th anniversary of the American Legion and
recognizing and honoring the American Legion for its years of
dedicated service to the United States Armed Forces service
members, veterans and their families.
WHEREAS, The American Legion was created on March 15, 1919,
when members of the American Expeditionary Force held the first
American Legion caucus in Paris; and
WHEREAS, The American Legion became officially chartered by
the Congress of the United States on September 16, 1919; and
WHEREAS, The American Legion was formed to be a veterans
organization focused on serving members of the United States
Armed Services, veterans and their communities; and
WHEREAS, There are currently more than two million members of
the American Legion in more than 13,000 posts in the United
States, Puerto Rico, Mexico, France and the Philippines; and
WHEREAS, The American Legion rapidly developed into one of
the most trusted and effective leaders in veterans advocacy; and
WHEREAS, The American Legion drafted the first Flag Code
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during a conference on June 15, 1923, which would later be
enacted by the Congress of the United States in 1942; and
WHEREAS, As a result of the efforts of the American Legion,
the United States Veterans Bureau was created on August 9, 1921;
and
WHEREAS, Moreover, the American Legion was instrumental in
the creation of the United States Department of Veterans
Affairs, a Federal cabinet-level department created to ensure
that veterans are represented at the highest level of the
Federal Government; and
WHEREAS, The American Legion drafted the GI Bill of Rights
during World War II, which would eventually be signed into law
by President Franklin D. Roosevelt as the Servicemen's
Readjustment Act of 1944; and
WHEREAS, Better known as the original GI bill, the
Servicemen's Readjustment Act of 1944 established hospitals for
veterans, provided college tuition and expense funding for
veterans seeking higher education and made available low-
interest mortgages to assist veterans in purchasing homes; and
WHEREAS, The American Legion's efforts in advocating for
improved adjudication for veterans' claims was recognized on
October 16, 1989, with the establishment of the United States
Court of Veterans Appeals, now known as the United States Court
of Appeals for Veterans Claims; and
WHEREAS, The American Legion became the single biggest
contributor to the construction of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Wall in Washington, DC, with a contribution of $1 million; and
WHEREAS, Through the American Legion Legacy Scholarship, the
American Legion has awarded over $1 million in scholarships to
all of the following:
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(1) children of members of the United States Armed
Forces who died while on active duty on or after September
11, 2001; and
(2) children of veterans serving after September 11,
2001, with a VA disability rating of 50% or greater;
and
WHEREAS, The American Legion has made a great impact on the
youth of our nation through the American Legion Baseball
program, a program in which more than half of all Major League
Baseball players have participated and about 82,000 children
participate each year; and
WHEREAS, The American Legion is the chartering organization
for the Boy Scouts of America, chartering 1,700 scouting units
and serving for more than 64,000 Boy Scouts; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That the Senate commemorate the 100th anniversary
of the establishment of the American Legion; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Senate honor the American Legion for its
years of dedicated service to the United States Armed Forces
service members, veterans and their families; and be it further
RESOLVED, That the Senate call upon all residents of this
Commonwealth to join in the commemoration of the centennial
anniversary of the establishment of the American Legion.
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