Founded in 1932, the 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 3 million.
Although SAL 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 of The American Legion 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 $8 million for The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation. SAL members have volunteered over 500,000 hours at veterans hospitals and raised over $1,000,000 for VA hospitals and VA homes. The SAL also supports the Citizens Flag Alliance, a coalition dedicated to protecting the U.S. flag from desecration through a constitutional amendment.
All male descendants adopted sons, and stepsons of members of The American Legion, and such male descendants of veterans who died in service during World War I, and December 7, 1941, to date, as set forth in Article IV, Section 1, of the National Constitution of The American Legion, or who died subsequent to their honorable discharge from such service, shall be eligible for membership in the Sons of The American Legion.
There shall be no forms or class of membership except an active membership.
Sons Membership FAQs
Are girls or women eligible to join the Sons?
No. Only males are eligible to join the Sons. Women who are veterans and are eligible to join The American Legion are welcome and encouraged to do so. The American Legion Auxiliary was established to provide Legion Family membership for female relatives of Legionnaires.
How can I sign up for the Sons?
You should check with someone at The American Legion Post nearest you. There is a good chance that Post will have its own Squadron of the Sons. If not, someone at the Post should be able to tell you where to find a Squadron near you. If not, contact the S.A.L. National Headquarters for information about finding a nearby Squadron.
I am a member of The American Legion. Can I also belong to the Sons?
Yes! Many veterans who are eligible for membership in The American Legion are also eligible to join the Sons. They are very much welcome to belong to both organizations. We call these individuals dual members. They are quite often an important link between the Sons and The Legion Post in their hometowns.
How much does it cost to belong to the Sons?
There is no simple answer to this question. Each Squadron establishes its dues requirements. Also, many Squadrons have a reduced dues rate for youngsters. Generally speaking, annual dues normally run between $10 and $30. We have a slogan within the Sons that addresses the issue of dues: It's not the price you pay for membership...it's the price your forefathers paid to make you eligible!"
I am moving to a new town and want to transfer my membership there. How do I get a new card?
Be sure to report your new address. You can do that in person through your new Squadron Adjutant, or you can do it electronically by going to The Legion's Web site and filling out an electronic form.
The American Legion offers programs for honorary memberships and "Paid Up For Life" (PUFL). Does the S.A.L. offer these same membership programs?
Not really. Squadrons that want to honor an individual with an honorary membership must take care of renewing that individual's membership annually. There is no way to pre-pay for future years' memberships. Also, there is no program for an individual to make a lump-sum payment that will cover his membership for the rest of his life. In these respects, the Sons are quite different from its parent.
Can a S.A.L. member sign up a new Legion member and vice versa?
Yes! The same applies to Auxiliary membership. As long as the necessary membership application is filled out and the prospective member provides a copy of his/her DD-214 discharge papers (this applies to Legion membership...prospective S.A.L. and Auxiliary members need to supply a copy of discharge papers for the relative through whom their eligibility is established) and they pay the appropriate amount for dues, simply submit these materials to the Legion or S.A.L. Adjutant. In fact...many members of the Sons like to carry around blank copies of membership applications for each of the Legion Family organizations, just in case.
The Sons of The American Legion was created in 1932 as an organization within The American Legion. The SAL 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. All 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.
The SAL 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.
Proud possessors of a priceless heritage, we male descendants of veterans of all 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 association of our members and our forefathers in all wars; to inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the Community, State and Nation; to combat the autocracy of both the classes and the masses; to make right the master of might; to promote peace and goodwill 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.
