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The American Legion Auxiliary (ALA) is a separate entity from the
American Legion The American Legion, commonly known as the Legion, is a non-profit organization of U.S. war veterans headquartered in Indianapolis, Indiana. It is made up of state, U.S. territory, and overseas departments, and these are in turn made up of lo ...
that shares the same values. Composed of spouses, mothers, daughters, granddaughters, and sisters of American war veterans. Founded in 1919, the ALA is dedicated to serving veterans, military, and their families.


History

After the end of World War I in 1918, 20 officers who had served in the
American Expeditionary Forces The American Expeditionary Forces (A. E. F.) was a formation of the United States Army on the Western Front of World War I. The A. E. F. was established on July 5, 1917, in France under the command of General John J. Pershing. It fought alo ...
were asked to suggest ideas for improving troop morale. One officer, U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel
Theodore Roosevelt Jr Theodore Roosevelt III ( ), often known as Theodore Jr.Morris, Edmund (1979). ''The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt''. index.While it was President Theodore Roosevelt who was legally named Theodore Roosevelt Jr., the President's fame made it simpl ...
., proposed an organization of veterans, the American Legion. After its formation in 1919, a number of existing women's organizations wanted to become the official affiliate of the Legion. The committee decided to create a new organization made up of the women most closely associated with the men of the Legion. This Auxiliary would perform those phases of Legion activities that were more suitably performed by women. In less than one year, 1,342 local units in 45 states of the Women's Auxiliary to the American Legion had been organized. In 1954, the American Legion Auxiliary organized "Operation Book Swap" in which hardcover books were handed out to children in exchange for turning in ten
comic books A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are oft ...
. This was largely a response to the publication and publicity of
Fredric Wertham Fredric Wertham (; born Friedrich Ignatz Wertheimer, March 20, 1895 – November 18, 1981) was a German-American psychiatrist and author. Wertham had an early reputation as a progressive psychiatrist who treated poor black patients at his Lafarg ...
's book '' Seduction of the Innocent''. The collected comics were then publicly burned or destroyed.


Eligibility

In 2019, the American Legion's National Convention voted to replace the word "wife" with "spouse" in the organization's constitution and bylaws section regarding eligibility to be a member of the American Legion Auxiliary; since then, male and female spouses of U.S. veterans have been eligible. Previously, only female spouses of U.S. veterans were.


Programs

The American Legion Auxiliary's mission outreach committees are Americanism, Children and Youth, Community Service, Education, ALA Girls Nation, Junior Activities, Legislative, National Security, Poppy, and Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation. ALA members who work these programs help provide scholarships to military children; bring veterans to classrooms; give young women leaders an opportunity to learn how the federal government works; allow girls to develop leadership skills through volunteer experiences and other activities; advocate for veterans by supporting legislative priorities that benefit them; promote the poppy to raise awareness and respect for veterans who have died; and host stand downs and other events to improve the lives of veterans in the community.


Notable Members

*
Cora M. Beach Cora May Brown Beach (August 3, 1878 - March 30, 1968) was an American genealogist and historian, author of ''Women of Wyoming'' (1927). Biography Cora May Brown was born on August 3, 1878, in West Oxford, Ontario, the daughter of James Emerson B ...
* Othilia Carroll Beals * Edith Bolte MacCracken * Sara E. Morse * Isabel Neill * M. Elizabeth Shellabarger * Rachel Applegate Solomon * Zatae Leola Longsdorff Straw * Vera Blanche Thomas


References


External links

*
American Legion Auxiliary Politicians
at
The Political Graveyard The Political Graveyard is a website and database that catalogues information on more than 277,000 American political figures and political families, along with other information. The name comes from the website's inclusion of burial locations ...

American Legion
entry in Encyclopædia Britannica {{Authority control American Legion Organizations established in 1919 Non-profit organizations based in Indianapolis