Chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization, The American Legion began overseeing the nation's Memorial Day activities after World War I. In the early 1920s they also vigorously advocated the creation of the U.S. Veterans Bureau, the forerunner of the Veterans Administration; in 1989, they fought again to elevate it to presidential cabinet-level status and it was re-named the Department of Veterans Affairs. Other significant American Legion accomplishments include: *In 1923 they drafted the original "Flag Code"; Congress officially adopted it in 1942. *In 1925, created the American Legion Baseball program; currently, more than 50% of Major League baseball players are graduates of this program & approximately 100,000 young people play on Legion-sponsored teams each year. *In 1943, composed the initial draft of the "GI Bill of Rights"; on June 22, 1944, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt signed it into law; it is considered the Legion's single greatest achievement. Because of the GI Bill, 8 million veterans went to school, got better jobs, bought houses in the suburbs and raised families. An encouraging statistic: For every dollar spent on educating veterans, the U.S. economy eventually gets $7 back. *In 1946, funded the American Heart Association. *In 1950, funded the National Association for Mental Health. *In the 1970s, implemented the only national program for children's Halloween safety. *In the early 1980s, became the largest single monetary contributor to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund for construction of “The Wall” in Washington; also sponsored a monumental study of the effects of Agent Orange on Vietnam War veterans. *In the mid-1990s, created the "Citizens Flag Alliance," which continues to work for a constitutional amendment to protect the U.S. flag from desecration. *In 2008, the "Post 9/11 Veterans Educational Assistance Act" (i.e., a new GI Bill) was signed into law; it provides substantially better education benefits to all veterans & has already sent an unprecedented number of veterans to college. *Today, the American Legion remains committed to Memorial Day! Along with the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), they were instrumental in establishing the earliest "poppy" sales in the United States during the early 1920s. In 1923, when a shortage of fresh poppies from France threatened the fledgling charitable endeavor, these veterans' groups quickly mobilized. Unemployed & disabled veterans were soon manufacturing artificial poppy flowers. The American Legion & the VFW continue to participate in this massive Memorial Day fundraiser that was originally intended to help orphans and others left destitute by war. Today, with volunteers annually distributing approx. 14 million poppies worldwide, the iconic red flower continues to provide a financial and therapeutic benefit to the hospitalized and disabled veterans who construct them. Distributed in exchange for donations that are used exclusively to assist and support veterans and their families, the poppy continues to serve as a reminder of the past sacrifices & continuing needs of our veterans. We salute all veterans who have served and died for their country in all wars & we trust that you'll proudly wear a memorial poppy in their honor at the end of May!
This color coordinated collection of fashion fabrics was first featured in our Vogue Fabrics By Mail Summer 2011 catalog of swatches. Subscribe to receive home delivery of these catalogs every other month.
This color coordinated collection of fashion fabrics was first featured in our Vogue Fabrics By Mail Summer 2011 catalog of swatches. Subscribe to receive home delivery of these catalogs every other month.
