The American Legion Birthday

The American Legion was formed March 15–17, 1919, when about 1,000 officers and enlisted men of the American Expeditionary Forces convened in Paris, France, for the organization’s founding caucus amid the aftermath of World War I. They adopted a tentative constitution and the name “The American Legion” to support veterans and promote patriotism. Congress officially chartered it as a patriotic veterans organization on September 16, 1919.

The Legion celebrates its birthday on March 15 (the start of the Paris caucus), marking its founding as the key origin date — now over a century of advocacy for veterans, communities, and national security.