 
Assembly Resolution No. 597
 
BY: M. of A. Barrett
 
        COMMEMORATING   the   103rd   Anniversary  of  The
        American Legion
 
  WHEREAS, It is the sense  of  this  Legislative  Body  to  recognize
veterans' organizations which have positively impacted and substantially
contributed to the vitality of their communities; and
 
  WHEREAS,  Attendant  to  such  concern,  and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this  Legislative  Body  is  justly  proud  to
commemorate the 103rd Anniversary of The American Legion; and
 
  WHEREAS,  The American Legion is a veteran's organization founded in
Paris on March 15, 1919, by three officers of the American Expeditionary
Forces, who fought in World War I; and
 
  WHEREAS, On May 8, 1919, the St. Louis Caucus was held  to  organize
the  soldiers  and  sailors in every state to become members of this new
organization known as The American Legion; about 97 delegates  from  New
York  State  organized the Department of New York while at the St. Louis
Caucus; and
 
  WHEREAS, On May 24,  1919,  the  national  organization  issued  the
Department  of  New  York  American  Legion its charter, recognizing New
York's founding roots to both Paris and St. Louis Caucus; and
 
  WHEREAS, The Department of New York issued its first Post charter on
June 2, 1919, and exactly two months later, issued  a  charter  for  its
200th post; and
 
  WHEREAS,  On  September 16, 1919, the United States Congress charted
The American Legion; and
 
  WHEREAS, Nine New  Yorkers  were  among  some  20  founders  at  the
organizational  meeting  in Paris on February 15-16, 1919, which set the
stage for the Paris Caucus (March 15-17) and the St. Louis  Caucus  (May
8-19);  they included Theodore Roosevelt Jr., the son of the 26th United
States President; and
 
  WHEREAS, The focus of The American Legion is  on  securing  services
and  benefits  for  veterans,  the  families of service members, and the
communities where the veterans live and work; and
 
  WHEREAS, Among the programs  The  American  Legion  sponsor  include
baseball  teams,  Boys State, Legion Riders, Operation Comfort Warriors,
National Emergency Fund, and Oratorical Contest for students  under  the
age of 20; and
 
  WHEREAS,  The  American  Legion has departments in all 50 states, as
well as the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, France,  Mexico  and  the
Philippines; and
 
  WHEREAS,  Starting  in  the  late  1930s,  The  American  Legion was
instrumental in prodding the federal government  to  create  the  United
 
States Veterans' Bureau, which later became the Veterans Administration,
and  in  1989,  the  Department  of  Veterans  Affairs,  a cabinet level
department to give veterans  representation  at  the  highest  level  of
government; and
 
  WHEREAS,  In  1944,  The American Legion was the moving force behind
the drafting and enacting of the Servicemen's Readjustment Act, which is
commonly known as the GI Bill; and
 
  WHEREAS, This landmark legislation provided for low-cost  mortgages,
low-interest  loans  to  start  a business, cash payments to attend high
school,  college  or  vocational/technical  school  and  one   year   of
unemployment compensation; and
 
  WHEREAS,  Since  World  War  II, The American Legion has been in the
fore-front of supporting additional veterans benefits including  in  the
1950s  mental  health treatment which led to the National Association of
Mental Health, and in the 1980s the Legion sponsored and funded  studies
assessing the effects of Agent Orange; and
 
  WHEREAS, The American Legion created the American Legion Scholarship
Fund  for children of military members killed in active duty on or after
September 11, 2001 and in 2016, the scholarship criteria were amended to
include the children of veterans with 50 percent or  greater  disability
ratings granted from the Department of Veterans Affairs; and
 
  WHEREAS,  In  August  2018, The American Legion began its centennial
recognition at the 100th National Convention in Minneapolis,  Minnesota,
the site of the first American Legion National Convention; and
 
  WHEREAS, The American Legion Department of New York State celebrated
its  100th  Annual Department Convention July 19-21, 2018, in Rochester,
New York; and
 
  WHEREAS, It is  with  great  pleasure  that  this  Legislative  Body
acknowledges  this  important  milestone  in the history of The American
Legion; now, therefore, be it
 
  RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its  deliberations  to
commemorate  the  103rd  Anniversary  of  The American Legion; and be it
further
 
  RESOLVED, That copies of this  Resolution,  suitably  engrossed,  be
transmitted  to  The  American  Legion  Department of New York Commander
Francis A. LaMarsh and Department of New York Adjutant James W. Casey.
Commemorating the 103rd Anniversary of The American Legion

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