Together, members of The American Legion, The American Legion Auxiliary and the Sons of The American Legion make up what is known as The Legion Family. All three organizations place high importance on preserving our American traditions and values, improving the quality of life for our nation’s children, caring for veterans and their families, and perhaps most importantly, teaching the fundamentals of good citizenship.

The American Legion

The American Legion (TAL) was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic, war-time veterans’ organization, devoted to mutual helpfulness. It is a community-service organization which now numbers nearly 3 million members, men, and women, in nearly 15,000 American Legion posts worldwide. These posts are organized into 55 departments — one each for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, France, Mexico, and the Philippines.

The American Legion’s national headquarters is in Indianapolis, with additional offices in Washington, DC. The Department of Iowa headquarters is located in Des Moines, Iowa. The Department Service Office is located in the Federal Building in Des Moines.

The American Legion Auxiliary

The American Legion Auxiliary (ALA) is a U.S.-headquartered patriotic service organization for women interested in voluntary service. It is a non-profit organization, affiliated with The American Legion (a veterans’ service organization). There are nearly one million Auxiliary members in 10,100 communities across the world.

The American Legion Auxiliary is an organization with dedicated, empowered women across the world, who are devoted to America’s veterans (current and past) and children and youth, with the notion of inspiring Auxiliary members’ communities.

The American Legion Auxiliary is responsible for programs such as Girls State, Girls Nation, Freedoms Foundation, educational scholarships and is a national co-sponsor of the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival.