Happy 105th Birthday American Legion

Rusty Myers • Mar 20, 2024

Like all good SONs, Squadron remembers Legion's Birthday!

submitted by Rusty Myers, Adjutant, Sons of the American Legion Squadron 105

(15 MARCH 2024) – BELLEVILLE, NJ – The American Legion Family of Post 105 of Belleville, NJ celebrated the 105^th birthday of the national organization on 15 March 2024, on a Friday evening at the Post’s clubroom. With perhaps 50 people in attendance, “the 105” had a brief ceremony, a speech by the commander, and of course a birthday cake.

Every year, Posts around the world – around 12,000 local posts in 55 departments – celebrate 15 March 1919 as the official founding of the American Legion. On that day 105 years ago, about 1,000 officers and enlisted men from the Allied Expeditionary Force met in caucus in Paris, France to create an organization which would specifically advocate for the young veterans of the Great War returning home. Some of the more famous founding members included Lieutenant Colonel Theodore Roosevelt, Jr. (son of the president), Sergeant Alvin York (one of World War I’s most decorated soldiers), and Colonel Henry L. Stimson (an ex-Secretary of War).

Since then, the American Legion has grown to be the largest wartime veteran’s organization in the world, with around 2 million veteran members, a million American Legion Auxiliary (ALA) members, and around 400,000 members of the Sons of the American Legion (SAL). The organization has been instrumental over the past 105 years by pushing for the creation of the Veterans Administration, the GI Bill of Rights, the US Flag Code, and many other veterans’ rights initiatives like the federal PACT Act and the “Be The One” campaign intended to destigmatize the need for mental health support thereby curbing the veterans suicide epidemic.

In so many words, the American Legion serves as a force for good in the world.

At a meeting of the Sons of the American Legion Squadron 105 in early March, the membership voted unanimously to purchase a cake for the following Friday night, when the Post normally celebrates members birthdays. The Sons wanted to do something for the American Legion Birthday to stand in solidarity with the veterans for whom they support.

At 10pm, Post 105 Commander Joe Cobianchi read a prepared speech, after the Pledge of Allegiance was recited and a moment of silence remembering our departed members.

“National Defense, Americanism, Veterans and Youth. These are the bedrock principles that made The American Legion a great idea in 1919 and make it a great organization today”, the commander read.

Following his speech – and photo ops with the cake emblazoned with the Legion’s logo – all of the members stood together to take a group photo, raising their hands holding up their pointer fingers, which has become nationwide the “Be The One” symbol when Legion family members get together for pictures. Many in the photo were also wearing red, which is worn on Fridays – standing for Remembering Everyone Deployed.

Post 105 will celebrate its 105^th birthday on 9 September 2024, which is the date in 1919 when it received its charter. The national organization received its federal charter from congress on 16 September 1919 – making Post 105 in Belleville, NJ one of the first Post’s within the organization. 105 years later, we are still serving our veterans – and always welcome any serviceman, veteran, male descendent, or direct relation to a veteran to join as a member of the Legion Family. We are located next to the Motorcycle Mall on Washington Ave, and are terrifically active – and invite anyone who would like to be involved to drop by.