American Legion members in Newton County took time last week to celebrate their organization’s 100th birthday during a dinner at East Central Community College’s Gold Room.
The organization that has three posts in Newton County — Post 89 in Decatur, Post 173 in Hickory and Post 236 in Newton — celebrated its centennial on March 15, and members from the posts were invited to a joint celebration on March 12.
James Till, Central Area Commander for the American Legion in Mississippi, said the organization has done a lot to improve the lives veterans over the years.
“Before the American Legion was founded, veterans didn’t get much help from the government,” Till said. “Now, veterans enjoy a number of benefits that the American Legion helped lead the fight to get. That includes getting VA hospitals, everything in the G.I. Bill to provide funding for veterans’ education. If it hadn’t been for the American Legion and other veteran organizations, then veterans wouldn’t enjoy the benefits they have today. There’s still more to do, but we’ve come a long way.”
Till said that the American Legion isn’t the only veterans organization chartered by Congress, but it’s the largest. Anyone who was in active duty military can join the American Legion while other organizations, such as Veterans of Foreign Wars, have stricter requirements that limit its number of members.
Till said the organization formed not long after World War I in Paris to help look out for the rights of veterans. In that day, veterans were needing help with “shell shock,” which would now be known as post traumatic stress disorder. However, there was nothing in place to help veterans at that time.
Not long after the organization was founded, the American Legion was able to petition Congress to set up to honor veterans with the opening of Veterans Affairs hospitals, low interest VA loans and to provide funding to put flags on the graves of veterans’ graves.
Later on, the legion was able to ask Congress to donate $1 million toward the Vietnam War memorial in Washington, D.C.
“Without the American Legion, there wouldn’t be a lot of the things that veterans enjoy today,” Till said. “There’s still work to be done, but we’ve come a long way.”
