[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 45 (Wednesday, March 13, 2019)]
[House]
[Page H2703]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE AMERICAN LEGION

  (Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania asked and was given permission to 
address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend his remarks.)
  Mr. THOMPSON of Pennsylvania. Madam Speaker, I rise today to 
congratulate The American Legion on its centennial anniversary.
  On Friday, March 15, The American Legion will celebrate 100 years 
since it was formed in Paris, France, after World War I. More than 
1,000 people gathered for The American Legion's first caucus at the 
American Club in Paris on March 15, 1919.
  Since then, The American Legion has grown to be the Nation's largest 
wartime veterans service organization, boasting more than 2 million 
members and 13,000 posts across all 50 States, the District of 
Columbia, Puerto Rico, France, Mexico, and the Philippines.
  Its dedication to veterans, servicemembers, and their families 
extends from local community programs to State and Federal policy 
initiatives, including the establishment of the Veterans Administration 
in 1930 and the GI Bill in 1944. Hundreds of local American Legion 
programs and activities strengthen the Nation one community at a time.
  Madam Speaker, I thank The American Legion for its service and wish 
its members a happy 100th birthday this Friday.

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