July 30, 2019

Manchin Attends President's Signing Of The LEGION Act

Washington, D.C. – Today U.S. Senator Joe Manchin (D-WV) went to the White House to attend the President’s signing of his legislation, The Let Everyone Get Involved in Opportunities for National Service (LEGION) Act. This bill will allow all Veterans to join the American Legion, no matter when they served their active duty. Membership in The American Legion allows Veterans to engage in public service activities, such as supporting Boys and Girls State and Nation, youth mentorship programs, and benefit assistance, career fairs, and employment assistance for Veterans. Until this bill, only Veterans from officially recognized war-time eras could join. Now, any Veteran who has serviced since December 7, 1941 will be eligible to join the American Legion.

“I was honored to join the President at the White House today to sign the LEGION Act. All of our Veterans, no matter when they served, have answered their country’s call and served with honor and dignity. That’s why I introduced the LEGION Act, to make sure that all Veterans are able to join the American Legion and take advantage of this important and useful organization. As a member of the Senate Committee on Veterans’ Affairs, I will continue to fight for the Veterans who have sacrificed so much for our nation,” said Senator Manchin.  

The American Legion is the nation’s largest wartime veteran’s service organization and is committed to the wellbeing of all Veterans. Previously, Veterans could only join if they served during specific dates which were declared hostilities. However, the American Legion identified more than 1,600 Veterans who were injured or killed in conflict that took place outside of the hostilities.