[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[S. 504 Enrolled Bill (ENR)]
S.504
One Hundred Sixteenth Congress
of the
United States of America
AT THE FIRST SESSION
Begun and held at the City of Washington on Thursday,
the third day of January, two thousand and nineteen
An Act
To amend title 36, United States Code, to authorize The American Legion
to determine the requirements for membership in The American Legion, and
for other purposes.
Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the
United States of America in Congress assembled,
SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE.
This Act may be cited as the ``Let Everyone Get Involved in
Opportunities for National Service Act'' or the ``LEGION Act''.
SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND SENSE OF CONGRESS.
(a) Findings.--Congress makes the following findings:
(1) Since the end of World War II, the Federal Government has
designated specific periods of war, the dates of which are
important for qualification for certain benefits or membership in
veterans organizations established by Congress.
(2) In between those recognized periods of war, during so-
called peacetime eras, the United States military has been involved
in not fewer than 12 known eras, which are unrecognized by the
United States Government as periods of war, resulting in numerous
United States personnel combat casualties.
(3) Those 12 unrecognized war eras occurred at the direction of
the then President of the United States, with full knowledge and
consent of the then Congress.
(4) The first of those 12 unrecognized war eras involving
active United States military personnel was the Greek Civil War,
fought in Greece from 1946 to 1949 between the army of the
Government of Greece, supported by active military personal of the
United States and the United Kingdom, and the Democratic Army of
Greece, the military branch of the Communist Party of Greece.
(5) During the Greek Civil War, one member of the Armed Forces
of the United States sacrificed his life in service to the United
States, and five others suffered non-combat deaths.
(6) The second of those unrecognized war eras involving active
United States military personnel was the Chinese Civil War, which
occurred during the aftermath of World War II.
(7) During the Chinese Civil War, the United States military
equipped, trained, transported, and supplied the Kuomintang-led
Government of the Republic of China with approximately
$4,430,000,000 in its resistance to the Communist Party of China.
(8) During the Chinese Civil War, 14 members of the Armed
Forces of the United States sacrificed their lives in service to
the United States, 150 non-combatants of the United States lost
their lives in the war, and 51 were wounded, resulting in 215
United States military casualties.
(9) The third unrecognized war era involving active United
States military personnel is known as the Cold War.
(10) The Cold War was a period spanning from approximately 1947
until 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed.
(11) Although no direct large-scale military fighting occurred
between the militaries of the United States and the Soviet Union,
active United States military personnel served in multiple regional
conflicts during the Cold War, resulting in the deaths of not fewer
than 32 members of the Armed Forces who sacrificed their lives in
service to the United States and not fewer than 12 additional
casualties.
(12) The fourth unrecognized war era involving active United
States military personnel is known as the China Cold War.
(13) The China Cold War started when the Kuomintang-led
Government of the Republic of China retreated to the island of
Taiwan and lasted until 1972, after President Richard Nixon
conducted a landmark state visit to China.
(14) During the military operations of the China Cold War, not
fewer than 16 members of the Armed Forces of the United States
sacrificed their lives in service to the United States.
(15) The fifth unrecognized war era involving active United
States military personnel was the Lebanon Crisis of 1958, which
involved more than 14,000 United States personnel and resulted in
the death of one member of the Armed Forces who sacrificed his life
in service to the United States and five non-combat deaths.
(16) The sixth unrecognized war era involving active United
States military personnel was the Bay of Pigs invasion in April
1961.
(17) The Bay of Pigs invasion was a failed military invasion of
Cuba undertaken by a United States military group sponsored by the
Central Intelligence Agency that resulted in not fewer than one
death of a member of the Armed Forces who sacrificed his life in
service to the United States and 19 non-combat deaths.
(18) The seventh unrecognized war era involving active United
States military personnel was the Cuban Missile Crisis, which took
place between October 16 and October 28, 1962.
(19) The Cuban Missile Crisis directly related to homeland
protection against the deployment of a Soviet ballistic missile in
Cuba.
(20) During the Cuban Missile Crisis, one member of the Armed
Forces sacrificed his life in service to the United States and 19
others died as non-combatants.
(21) The eighth unrecognized war era involving active United
States military personnel was the Dominican Civil War in 1965.
(22) Operations during the Dominican Civil War resulted in the
deaths of 27 members of the Armed Forces who sacrificed their lives
in service to the United States, 20 non-combat-related deaths, and
283 wounded.
(23) The ninth unrecognized war era involving active United
States military personnel was the Iran Hostage Crisis, which lasted
from November 4, 1979, through January 20, 1981.
(24) The Iran Hostage Crisis involved military intervention by
the United States which resulted in the deaths of 8 members of the
Armed Forces who sacrificed their lives in service to United
States.
(25) The tenth unrecognized war era involving active United
States military personnel was the Salvadoran Civil War.
(26) The Salvadoran Civil War lasted more than 12 years,
through the terms of two Presidential administrations of the United
States, and resulted in the deaths of 22 members of the Armed
Forces who sacrificed their lives in service to the United States,
15 non-combat deaths, and 35 other casualties.
(27) The 11th unrecognized war era involving active United
States military personnel started on April 5, 1986, when the La
Belle discotheque in West Berlin, Germany, was bombed, killing two
United States soldiers and wounding 79 other members of the Armed
Forces, which triggered what became known as the Libyan Conflict.
(28) The military operations of the Libyan Conflict included
numerous air strikes by United States military forces and resulted
in the deaths of two members of the Armed Forces who sacrificed
their lives in service to the United States.
(29) The Libyan Conflict led to the 12th unrecognized war era
involving active United States military personnel, known
collectively as the Persian Gulf Conflicts, which lasted from July
24, 1987, through September 26, 1988.
(30) The Persian Gulf Conflicts involved United States military
missions to protect Kuwaiti-owned oil tankers which represented the
largest United States naval convoy operation since World War II.
(31) The Persian Gulf Conflicts resulted in numerous military
operations and the deaths of not fewer than 39 members of the Armed
Forces who sacrificed their lives in service to the United States
and 31 wounded.
(32) Since the armistice that ended the hostilities of the
Korean War on January 31, 1955, nearly 100 active United States
military personnel have sacrificed their lives in service to the
United States in South Korea, and more than 132 people of the
United States have been wounded in-country.
(33) Since January 1, 1947, through all of the unrecognized war
eras involving active United States military personnel, not fewer
than 778 combat and non-combat members of the Armed Forces have
sacrificed their lives in service to the United States and not
fewer than 797 have been wounded.
(34) Since January 1, 1947, the unrecognized war eras involving
active United States military personnel who were wounded and killed
serving their country were administered under orders from the
commander in chief and with the consent of Congress, proving that
the United States has been conducting deadly wartime service to
protect the country consistently since December 7, 1941.
(35) Eligibility for membership in The American Legion is
determined by Congress through the establishment of specific dates
of declared and officially recognized hostilities in which United
States military personnel are on active service.
(36) The American Legion provides invaluable services to its
members and supports the community of veterans who sacrificed in
service of the United States.
(37) Membership in The American Legion allows veterans to
engage in public service activities, such as supporting Boys and
Girls State and Nation, youth mentorship programs, and benefit
assistance, career fairs, and employment assistance for veterans.
(38) The American Legion has gone on record as supporting the
12 unrecognized war eras involving active United States military
personnel since the beginning of World War II.
(39) The American Legion has aided, assisted, and comforted the
families of the men and women who were called to serve or
volunteered to serve during all of the unrecognized war eras and
continues to provide support to veterans of those eras.
(40) The American Legion has commended the heroic actions of
all military personnel who risked their lives in defense of freedom
during each of the unrecognized war eras involving active United
States military personnel.
(b) Sense of Congress.--It is the sense of Congress that, in
accordance with the history, tradition, and purposes of The American
Legion, it is fair, proper, and reasonable that the privilege of
membership in The American Legion should be extended to all military
personnel who served on active military duty during all of the
unrecognized war eras involving active United States military
personnel.
SEC. 3. ELIGIBILITY FOR MEMBERSHIP IN THE AMERICAN LEGION.
Section 21703 of title 36, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in paragraph (1)--
(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ``during any period
from--'' and all that follows through the end of clause (vii)
and inserting the following: ``during--
``(i) the period from April 6, 1917, through November
11, 1918; or
``(ii) any time after December 7, 1941; or''; and
(B) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ``or time'' after ``a
period''; and
(2) in paragraph (2), by inserting ``or time'' after ``that
period''.
SEC. 4. NONDISCRIMINATION WITH RESPECT TO THE REQUIREMENTS FOR HOLDING
A STAFF POSITION IN THE AMERICAN LEGION.
(a) In General.--Chapter 217 of title 36, United States Code, is
amended by inserting after section 21704 the following new section:
``Sec. 21704A. Nondiscrimination
``The requirements for holding a staff position in the corporation
may not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, or
national origin.''.
(b) Clerical Amendment.--The table of sections at the beginning of
such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating to section
21704 the following new item:
``21704A. Nondiscrimination.''.
Speaker of the House of Representatives.
Vice President of the United States and
President of the Senate.