American Legion celebrates 100 years
The American Legion is marking 100 years, and many of Butler County's 11 American Legion posts are making plans to commemorate the national organization's centennial, both during the actual birthday window of March 15 to 17 and throughout the rest of 2019.
Following the end of World War I, the American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization.
The Legion evolved from a group of war veterans into an influential nonprofit group, winning hundreds of benefits for the nation's veterans and producing programs for children and youth.
Today, membership stands at over 2.4 million in 14,000 posts worldwide.
“A lot of people don't realize it is a wartime veterans association; members have to have served on active duty during a time of conflict,” said Todd Rockburn, commander of American Legion Post 852 in Harrisville, as well as the Legion's Butler County Council.
Today there are 2,676 Legionnaires belonging to Butler County's Legion posts.
People often have the misconception Legion posts are little more than private bars where veterans can go to swap war stories.
“Some people have that impression,” Rockburn said. “Of the 11 posts in Butler County, only five have bars.
“The Slippery Rock post meets at the community park. The Evans City post meets in a church,” he said.
He noted some of the posts themselves are as old as the national organization.
Find out how and when local posts are celebrating the centennial in Sunday's Butler Eagle or subscribe online.
