Come join the millions of members of the American Legion family; for God & Country since 1919.
This page contains eligibility requirements and helpful instructions for joining: The American Legion, Sons of the American Legion, and the American Legion Auxiliary.
Who is eligible to join?
There are three ways to join our Legion family ... see which one fits you below:
1. The American Legion
If you are currently serving in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines or Coast Guard or have served during the date ranges of one of the times of conflict listed below under 'Eligibility Dates', and were honorably discharged.
or ...
2. Sons of the American Legion
To be eligible, you must be a male descendant (includes stepsons and adopted sons) of a member of The American Legion. (Once they are signed up, you can sign up yourself.) You can also have a dual membership of both the Legion, and Legion Auxiliary.
or ...
You would also be eligible to join the Sons of The American Legion if you are the male descendant (stepsons and adopted sons included) of a veteran who died in service during one of the date ranges listed below under 'Eligibility Dates'.
or ...
You would also be eligible to join the Sons of The American Legion if you are the male descendant (stepsons and adopted sons included) of a veteran who died subsequent to his or her honorable discharge from service during one of the date ranges listed below, under 'Eligibility Dates'.
or ...
3. American Legion Auxiliary
If you are the mother, wife, daughter, sister, granddaughter, great-granddaughter or grandmother of a veterans who is a member, or a deceased veteran who qualifies as a member.
or ...
If qualifying for yourself, if you are in the service or have served during one of the date ranges listed below, under 'Eligibility Dates', and were honorably discharged. You can also have a dual membership of both the Legion, and Legion Auxiliary.
Eligibility Dates
The below dates reflect eligibility requirements for either yourself OR the veteran through whom you are applying for membership in the case of the Sons of the American Legion, or American Legion Auxiliary.
World War I
April 6, 1917 to November 11, 1918
World War II (as Veteran)
December 7, 1941 to December 31, 1946
World War II (as Merchant Marine)
December 7, 1941 to August 15, 1945
Korean War
June 25, 1950 to January 31, 1955
Vietnam War
February 28, 1961 to May 7, 1975
Lebanon/Grenada
August 24, 1982 to July 31, 1984
Panama
December 20, 1989 to January 31, 1990
Persian Gulf War
August 2, 1990 to today
I am eligible to join, now how do I prove it?
The American Legion establishes proof of eligibility based on a DD-214 form. The DD-214, or DD Form 214 is a document of the United States armed forces issued by the Department of Defense upon a military service member's separation or discharge from the active duty military.
The full name of the document is "Defense Department Form 214", however the document is often shortened to be called a DD-214, DD Form 214 or simply as a "sep doc". A DD-214 is also commonly referred to as "Discharge Papers", however this is slightly misleading as the document is more often issued for release from active duty and transfers to the inactive reserves than it is for final discharge from the military.
DD-214 is widely regarded as one of the most important documents in the military as it is a complete record of a service member's time in the military, awards and medals, and other pertinent service information such as promotions, combat service or overseas service, and Military Occupational Specialty identifiers. DD-214 is commonly used by various government agencies, chief among them the Department of Veterans Affairs, to secure veteran benefits.
Where can I find the DD-214 form?
If the veteran through whom you qualify doesn't already have their DD-214 form readily available then the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) has provided a website for veterans to gain access to their DD-214 online: National Personnel Records Center. This may be particularly helpful when a veteran needs a copy of his DD-214 for employment purposes or for membership in The American Legion.
Veterans and the next of kin of deceased veterans may now use a new online military personnel records system to request documents. Other individuals with a need for documents must still complete the Standard Form 180, which can also be downloaded from the online web site. Because the person making the request will be asked to supply all information essential for NPRC to process the request, delays that normally occur when NPRC has to ask veterans for additional information will be minimized.
I have the DD-214 form, what's next?
Either stop by the Post at 219 Rand Hill Road, Morrisonville, NY 12962 or call post at (518) 561- 8706 and we will be happy to help you.
Additional Benefits:
In addition to being welcomed as a valued member of our Post, as a member you will also have a large number of member benefits listed online with national companies when staying in hotels, renting vehicles, moving, buying computers or even sending someone flowers! Click here for more info: Legion Member Benefits .
If you have any questions, please stop by or call the post at (518) 561- 8706