[Congressional Record Volume 165, Number 143 (Monday, September 9, 2019)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1106]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




           RECOGNIZING THE CENTENNIAL OF THE AMERICAN LEGION

                                 ______
                                 

                        HON. BILL PASCRELL, JR.

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                       Monday, September 9, 2019

  Mr. PASCRELL. Madam Speaker, I rise today to recognize the centennial 
of The American Legion, which was founded in Paris, France on March 15, 
1919 by delegates from combat and service units of the American 
Expeditionary Force. For those who do not know this history, the United 
States Congress granted a national charter to the delegates on 
September 16, 1919.
  While initially The Legion was composed only of those who served 
during World War I, it later admitted veterans of World War II (1942), 
the Korean War (1950), the Vietnam War (1966), the Lebanon, Grenada, 
and Panama hostilities (1990), Operation Desert Shield/Storm (1991), 
and the wars in Afghanistan (2001) and Iraq (2001).
  To this very day, the focus of The American Legion is on the care of 
disabled and sick veterans. The American Legion has been instrumental 
in establishing hospitals and other support services for veterans. The 
hard work of those involved with The American Legion was influential in 
the creation of the U.S. Veterans Administration in 1930 and the 
enactment of the GI Bill of Rights in 1944. These two policies have 
helped more than 10,500,000 veterans afford college or vocational 
training programs and assisted more than 5,600,000 veterans in their 
efforts to purchase homes.
  The American Legion does not just help the veterans who are members. 
It is an organization dedicated to charity and community. Posts across 
the country donate more than 3.7 million hours of volunteer service. 
Posts have also helped collect more than 80,000 pints of blood every 
year for donation. This makes The American Legion the single largest 
blood donor. And The Legion and its members are focused on future 
generations by awarding more than 8,000 medals to Junior ROTC students 
and sponsoring more than 2,500 Scouting units that serve over 64,000 
young people. Finally, they have awarded more than $4 million in awards 
to support individuals to go to college.
  In New Jersey, The American Legion is currently led by Department 
Commander Robert B. Newell. It does an extraordinary job advocating on 
behalf of veterans and their families. With a membership of over 4,000, 
American Legion Posts in Bergen County, New Jersey are celebrating 100 
years of service with a celebration in Lodi, New Jersey on September 
29. I am pleased to recognize the positive contributions and role The 
American Legion serves in our community. The Legion's myriad of 
contributions to the good and welfare of veterans, service members and 
the community at large cannot possibly be measured. But it is important 
that they continue to receive our full support.

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