A History of the Sons of The American Legion

The Sons of The American Legion was created in 1932 as a program of The American Legion. The Sons of The American Legion is an organization of men of all ages whose parents or grandparents served in the United States military and became eligible for membership in The American Legion. During thre 1930's and early 1940's the Sons of The American Legion grew by leaps and bounds and were even featured in a Feature Film. With the Advent of World War IImany of the members became veterans and joined The American Legion. As a result the membership of the Sons of The American Legion's membership fell and the programwas all but forgotten. In the late 1960's the Sons of The American Legion saw a reimergence and today has a membership of over 300,000 members.Together, members of The American Legion, The American Legion Auxiliary and the Sons of The American Legion make up what is known as The American Legion Family.

All three organizations place high importance on preserving our American traditions and values, improving the quality of life for our nation's children, caring for veterans and their families, and perhaps most importantly, teaching the fundamentals of good citizenship. The Sons of The American Legion assist Legionnaires membersand American Legion Auxiliary with The American Legion Family programs.

The Sons of The American Legion has study programs recommended for the younger members. One such program, called “The Ten Ideals,” teaches the elements of patriotism, health, knowledge, training, honor, faith, helpfulness, courtesy, reverence, and comradeship. If a member completes the Ten Ideals program, he is eligible to continue with another program called the “Five-Point Program of Service.” This program covers patriotism, citizenship, discipline, leadership, and more.

Since 1988, SAL has raised more than $5 million for The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation. SAL members have volunteered over 250,000 hours at veterans hospitals and raised over $915,688 for VA hospitals and VA homes. The Sons also support the Citizens Flag Alliance, a coalition dedicated to protecting the U.S. flag from desecration through a constitutional amendment.