Eligibility
The American Legion, Inc. is a federally chartered corporation formed in Paris on March 16, 1919 by veterans of the American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.).
Eligibility for American Legion membership is limited to those honorably discharged veterans, immediate family members of veterans (such as children and grandchildren), and current personnel of the United States Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard or Air Force who served at least one day of active duty during any of the following periods:
World War I (April 6, 1917 to November 11, 1918) were also eligible; the last such member of that group died in 2011.
World War II: December 7, 1941 to December 31, 1946 (except that for the U.S. Merchant Marine eligibility dates are December 7, 1941 to August 16, 1945)
Korean War: June 25, 1950 to January 31, 1955
Vietnam War: February 28, 1961 to May 7, 1975
Lebanon and Grenada: August 24, 1982 to July 31, 1984
Panama: December 20, 1989 to January 31, 1990
Persian Gulf War and Global War on Terrorism: August 2, 1990 to present
Membership peaked for the Legion right after World War II, when enrollments doubled from 1.7 million to 3.3 million. After the Korean War, there were 2.5 million Legionnaires. As baby boomers joined, membership increased to 3.1 million in 1992. However, membership has slowly been decreasing since then. In 2013, the Legion reported 2.3 million members.