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DETACHMENT OF GEORGIA
SONS OF THE AMERICAN LEGION
FOR GOD AND COUNTRY
About the S.A.L.

 

 

The Sons of The American Legion was created in 1932 as an organization within
The American LegionNew Detachment officers The S.A.L. is made up of boys and men of all ages whose parents or grandparents served in the United States military and became eligible for membership in The American Legion. 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. Christmas toy driveAll 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.  Sons have always assisted Legionnaires with Legion Family programs. Our Family boasts a combined total membership of nearly 4.2 million members. This year, Sons  Sons as volunteersattained an all time high national membership of over 325,000. The largest Detachment, Pennsylvania, has over 38,000 members. Trophies and awards are given to Detachments and Squadrons for the largest membership and the largest increase in membership. 

 Just as each Legion post determines the extent of its service to the community, state, and nation, each S.A.L. squadron is permitted flexibility in planning programs and activities to meet its own needs. Helping Fisher HouseThe S.A.L. has study programs recommended for younger members. One such program, called "The Ten Ideals," teaches the elements of patriotism, health, knowledge, training, honor, faith, helpfulness, courtesy, reverence, and comradeship. If a member completes the Ten Ideals program, he is eligible to continue with another program called the "Five-Point Program of Service." This program covers patriotism, citizenship, discipline, leadership, and legionism.The Legion Family

 Sons focus on much more than just membership. At all levels, Sons support The American Legion in promoting a wide variety of programs. Sons assist their Posts in other activities such as Veterans programs, Veterans Administration home and hospital volunteerism, Children Youth projects, and fund raising.  Assisting veterans and their familiesIn just the past ten years, Sons have raised more than a million dollars for The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation. Members have volunteered over 223,900 hours to date in 2007 in Veterans Hospitals throughout the country and raised over $915,688 that has gone directly to VA hospitals and VA homes for a variety of items including TVs, radios, medical equipment, and clothing for the patients. 

Teaching proper flag disposal technique There are many men who are members of, both, The American Legion and the Sons of The American Legion. Often, these indivduals started out as young members of the Sons. Then, when they were old enough to serve the military, they also became eligible to join The Legion. Such individuals are known within our organization as dual members. 

 The Sons of The American Legion is one of many organizations that sponsors and supports the Citizens Flag Alliance, a coalition formed to secure flag protection legislation Proud to appear in paradesthrough an amendment to the U.S. Constitution. S.A.L. volunteers work to establish local networks by having petitions available and handing out informational material. They alert their communities to the importance of respect for the flag and they encourage flag education programs in schools and other local organizations. 




Our Emblem

The design of our emblem was taken from the emblem of our parent organization, but is oval in shape so as to be easily distinguished.

   

The star in the center represents our country, and the five points of the star represent the five-point program of The Sons of The American Legion.

The sun in the background represents The Sons of The American Legion and the rays represent the loyalty of its membership.

The blue of the emblem, like the blue of our flag, stands for justice.

The two stars in the blue border stand for freedom and democracy.

The wreath below the star is in memory of our comrades; and those of our fathers who willingly gave their lives for their country.

The ten points of the emblem represent the ten ideals of every Legion son.

 

The Squadron

The basic unit of the Sons, associated with a local American Legion Post, is the Squadron. A group of Squadrons in a geographic region form a District. There are 11 districts in the Detachment (state) of Indiana.
 
   
Squadron Officers and Duties

   
 
Squadron Commander
 
 
This individual is entrusted with the important duty of teaching and protecting the cardinal principles of the Sons of The American Legion and the supervision of duties of all other officers of the squadron. He is guided by the squadron constitution and by the decision of the squadron as a body. Yet, responsibility for the squadron's success rests largely upon his shoulders.  Accomplishments of squadron depend greatly upon the leadership abilities of the commander. During his term in office, the commander presides over squadron meetings and makes every effort to see that meetings are conducted properly. A recommended order of business and the ceremonial ritual for the opening and closing of a squadron meeting are outlined elsewhere in this handbook.
   
 
First Vice Commander
 
 
The responsibilities of this office are devoted largely to the membership enrollment activities of the squadron and other duties as assigned by the Commander. There is nothing more important to the life and blood of the squadron then the membership. The First Vice Commander should be willing and able to fill in for the Squadron Commander if the need arises.
   
 
Second Vice Commander
 
 
The responsibilities of this office are concerned primarily with patriotic observances, the development of squadron activities, and planning entertainment and social features that may be scheduled in conjunction with squadron meetings.
   
 
Adjutant
 
 
This officer is the secretary of the squadron, maintaining contact with individual squadron members and higher levels of the organization, keeping squadron records, and publishing any necessary orders, announcements, and instructions.
   
 
Finance Officer
 
 
This officer has the responsibility of receiving squadron moneys and paying all squadron bills when the Squadron Commander, and/or the Post Officials have given authorization for payment. The Finance Officer should have financial reports ready for every Squadron meeting.
   
 
Chaplain
 
 
This officer is responsible for the spiritual leadership of the squadron. In addition to attending all meetings, he should be ready upon occasion to take part in the initiation of new members, dedication ceremonies, and the funeral services of a comrade. Ms opening and closing prayers should be in tune with the type of meeting being attended. The Chaplain needs to be aware of the sick and injured members of the Squadron and take it upon himself to send the appropriate cards or well wishes.
   
 
Historian
 
 
This officer maintains a current record of the activities of the squadron as a mean of continuing a historical account of its endeavors over the years. The Historian should start a scrapbook, take pictures, send articles to newspapers, and become the public relations persons of the squadron.
   
 
Sergeant-at-Arms
 
 
This officer is the sentinel or outer guard of the squadron. In addition to being the custodian of the flag and squadron standards, he should be ready at all times to assist the Squadron Commander. During meetings, he is the eyes and ears for the Commander, keeping the flow of traffic to a minimum during meeting and announcing and escorting any guests to the speakers table.

 

Sons of The Amercan Legion Preamble

 

Proud possessors of a priceless heritage, we male descendants of veterans of the Great Wars, associate ourselves together as “Sons of The American Legion” for the following purposes:

To uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America; to maintain law and order; to foster and perpetuate a true spirit of Americanism; to preserve the memories of our former members and the associations of our members and our forefathers in the Great Wars; to inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the community, state and nation; to combat the autocracy of both the classes and masses; to make right the master of might; to promote peace and good will on earth; to safeguard and transmit to posterity the principles of justice, freedom and democracy; to consecrate and sanctify our friendship by our devotion to mutual helpfulness; to adopt in letter and spirit all of the great principles for which The American Legion stands; and to assist in carrying on for God and Country.

Membership

If you meet the eligibility requirements for membership in the Sons of The American Legion, we'd love to have you join our ranks!  Simply contact an American Legion Post near you to see if a squadron of the Sons has been organized at that Post. If not, an officer of that Post should be able to tell you where to find the nearest S.A.L. squadron. You can also contact The S.A.L. Detachment (state) or National headquarters to find the location of a Sons squadron near you. 

You should be able to get an official S.A.L. Membership Application from just about any American Legion Post in the country, or you can download one by clicking here.

Not everyone is eligible to become a member of the Sons of The American Legion. There are specific membership requirements:  you must be a male descendant (includes stepsons and adopted sons) of a member of The American Legion – or a deceased veteran who would have been eligible to join The American Legion before he died.  The specific dates of eligibility for veterans to join The American Legion are: 

Active Duty Service Eligibility Dates for Membership in The American Legion (note: potential S.A.L. members should use these dates to determine if their parents or grandparents are/were eligible for membership in The American Legion):

World War I
April 6, 1917 - November 11, 1918

World War II
December 7, 1941 - December 31, 1946

Korean War
June 25, 1950 - January 31, 1955

Vietnam Era
February 28, 1961 - May 7, 1975

Lebanon/Grenada
August 24, 1982 - July 31, 1984

Panama
December 20, 1989 - January 31, 1990

Persian Gulf
August 2, 1990 - (this eligibility period remains open)

The Sons of The American Legion
Detachment of Georgia
3035 Mount Zion Road
Stockbridge, GA 30281

 

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