III 111th CONGRESS 1st Session S. RES. 260 IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES September 10, 2009 Ms. Snowe (for herself, Mrs. Lincoln, Ms. Collins, and Mr. Chambliss) submitted the following resolution; which was considered and agreed to RESOLUTION Designating September 16, 2009, as The American Legion Day.

Whereas, on September 16, 1919, Congress issued to the American Legion a Federal charter as a wartime veterans service organization; Whereas the American Legion remains active in communities at the national, State, and local levels; Whereas members of the American Legion (commonly referred to as Legionnaires) provide millions of hours of volunteer service to medical facilities of the Department of Veterans Affairs and State homes for veterans throughout the United States; Whereas the American Legion continues to sponsor activities for children and youth, including the National Oratorical Contest, Boy Scouts, American Legion Baseball, Boys State, and Boys Nation; Whereas the American Legion awards millions of dollars in college scholarships to young men and women; Whereas the American Legion National Emergency Fund provides financial assistance to Legionnaires displaced by natural disasters; Whereas the American Legion Family Support Network provides assistance to members of the Armed Forces of the United States and their families; Whereas the American Legion Child Welfare Foundation has provided millions of dollars to programs focused on youth in the United States, including the Special Olympics and the Children’s Miracle Network; Whereas the American Legion Temporary Financial Assistance provides grants to veterans with children experiencing financial hardships; Whereas the American Legion remains second to none in steadfast support of strong national defense; Whereas the American Legion supports maintaining a viable and principled foreign relations agenda; Whereas the American Legion is a staunch advocate for the principal missions of the Department of Veterans Affairs; Whereas the American Legion wrote the original draft of the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944 (58 Stat. 284, chapter 268), commonly referred to as the G. I. Bill of Rights; Whereas the American Legion continues to support employment programs and opportunities for veterans; and Whereas Legionnaires believe that a veteran's service to the United States continues long after the veteran is honorably discharged from the Armed Forces of the United States: Now, therefore, be it

That the Senate designates September 16, 2009, as The American Legion Day.