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1
HOUSE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois House of
3Representatives wish to congratulate the American Legion on the
4100th anniversary of its founding; and
 
5    WHEREAS, The American Legion was founded in March 1919 in
6Paris, France by U.S. World War I military personnel stationed
7there who were dedicated to four pillars of service and
8advocacy: veterans, military personnel, youth, and patriotic
9values; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Today, the American Legion consists of 55
11"departments" in each of the 50 states, the District of
12Columbia, France, Mexico, the Philippines, and Puerto Rico;
13there are approximately 13,000 local posts worldwide; and
 
14    WHEREAS, The American Legion currently has a membership of
15approximately two million; combined with the American Legion
16Auxiliary and the Sons of the American Legion, the number of
17members exceeds three million; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Originally, American Legion membership was open
19to military personnel and veterans who served their nation on
20active duty during wartime; since August 2, 1990, membership
21has been open to all who have served on active duty; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, The American Legion has been instrumental in the
2creation of a number of major institutions of American society,
3including the formation of the Department of Veterans Affairs,
4the creation of U.S. Flag Code, the passage of the GI Bill, and
5more; and
 
6    WHEREAS, The American Legion annually donates over 3.7
7million hours of volunteer service; it provides assistance on
8more than 181,000 VA benefits claims and cases and donates over
980,000 pints of blood to collection centers nationwide, which
10makes it the nation's single largest blood donor; it sponsors
11over 2,500 Scouting units, serving over 64,000 young people,
12and awards over $4 million in college scholarships; and
 
13    WHEREAS, The American Legion will mark its 100th
14anniversary with a 15-month celebration that began with its
15national convention in August 2018 and culminates on Veterans
16Day 2019; therefore, be it
 
17    RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE ONE
18HUNDRED FIRST GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that
19we congratulate the American Legion on the 100th anniversary of
20its founding and wish it many more successful years; and be it
21further
 

 

 

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1    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
2presented to the American Legion as a symbol of our respect and
3esteem.