Founded in 1932, Sons of The American Legion exists to honor the service and sacrifice of Legionnaires. SAL members include males of all ages whose parents or grandparents served in the U.S. military and were eligible for American Legion membership. Members of The American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary and Sons of The American Legion comprise the Legion family, which has a combined membership
of nearly 4.2 million. Although Sons has its own membership, the organization is not a separate
entity. Rather, SAL is a program of The American Legion. Many Legionnaires
hold dual membership in SAL. The Sons organization is divided into detachments at the state level and
squadrons at the local level. A squadron pairs with a local American Legion post; a squadron's charter is contingent upon its parent post's charter. However, squadrons can determine the extent of their services to the community, state and nation. They are permitted flexibility in planning
programs and activities to meet their needs, but must remember SAL's mission: to strengthen the four pillars of The American Legion. Therefore, squadrons' campaigns place an emphasis on preserving American traditions and
values, improving the quality of life for our nation's children, caring for veterans and their families, and teaching the fundamentals of good
citizenship. Since 1988, SAL has raised more than $5 million for The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation. SAL members have volunteered over 250,000 hours at veterans hospitals and raised over $915,688 for VA hospitals and VA homes. The Sons also support the Citizens Flag Alliance, a coalition dedicated to
protecting the U.S. flag from desecration through a constitutional amendment.
