Our clubhouse bar is open to the general public, we offer hall and bar rental, for private parties. As I have grown up in this country, I have been able to witness many different community organizations. One of them that stands out the most is the American Legion. The American Legion was founded in March of 1919 in Paris France. Over the rest of that year, they adopted by laws, an emblem, a preamb
le, and got chartered by the US Congress as "The American Legion." Their preamble begins with "For God and Country." One of the first resolutions that they pass is to be a charter sponsor for th Boy Scouts of America. At the time, that meant sponsoring 1700 Scouting Units involving 64,000 boys. In 1923, they adopted the first flag code. This was to protect the image of the American Flag from physical desecration. The US congress also adopted this code that same year. Today the American Legion has over 3 million members and about 15,000 Posts world wide. Their goals cover many areas. They support the troops, education, the poor and needy, State and Federal government, as well as local municipalities just to mention a few. The American Legion emblem stands for many things. The outer ring looks like sun rays to give light where there is darkness. The wreath in the center is for those that gave their lives in combat. The star is for victory during WWI. The large rings are for disabled Americans. The smaller rings are for loyalty to America. Lastly, the words American Legion stands for togetherness for truth, honesty, remembrances, and service to America. To be a member of the American Legion, you had to serve on active duty at any place in the world today or during the war years. There are a total of seven military periods that are included for membership. They are during the times of WWI, WWII, Korean War, Vietnam War, Lebanon-Grenada, Operation Just Cause-Panama, and Operation Desert Storm/Shield. In my community the American Legion has supported other civic organizations. We have a volunteer fire department that they help support by hosting fish fries, dances, and dinners. They open their building in the winter so that Seniors can walk safely for exercise. They support both the Kiwanis and Lion's Club in many venues of action. They provide college scholarships for deserving students. During the Great Mississippi Flood, they set up water stations in their parking lot and sanitary showers. They work with the American Red Cross for blood drives. They send boxes of supplies to our troops over seas. They collect food for the poor and needy. I can go on and on about how important they are to our community. I am sure that are just as important to our cities and towns as well. In November of 2002, they launched a program called "I am not a number." This program was to focus on disabled veterans that were not being taken care of properly in a timely manner by the Department of Veteran Affairs. Today they keep up the pressure on Congress to provide the needed equipment and supplies to help our troops in Iraq. Their primary focus at the present time is our troops and what they need for support from the home front. The American Legion has been a blessing for our country since it first began in 1919. They will continue to strive to support our country and troops as long as they exist.
