Every acronym, every slang word tells a story. Every tradition preserves a legacy. Learn the history and customs that honor those who answered the call to serve.
Refers to immediate family members of service members currently serving on active duty during a war or conflict. The term comes from the traditional Service Flags flown in windows, which display a blue star for each family member in the armed forces.
Refers to families who have lost a loved one who died in the line of duty, either in combat or during a qualifying conflict. When a service member makes the ultimate sacrifice, their family replaces the blue star on their service flag with a gold star.
The American Legion played the leading role in creating and standardizing the U.S. Flag Code. On Flag Day, June 14, 1923, the American Legion hosted a National Flag Conference in Washington, D.C., convening delegates from over 60 patriotic, civic, and military organizations to draft a comprehensive set of rules for the respectful display and care of the U.S. flag. These foundational guidelines, published by the American Legion, were formally adopted into federal law by Congress nearly two decades later on June 22, 1942.
The American Legion's advocacy has shaped federal law for over a century: securing landmark benefits, reforming the VA, and protecting veterans' rights across generations.
Widely considered the Legion's single greatest accomplishment. The Legion wrote and lobbied heavily for this landmark legislation, which provided World War II veterans with tuition for college and vocational training, low-cost mortgages, and unemployment benefits: profoundly reshaping the American middle class.
Early lobbying efforts resulted in the consolidation of various federal agencies, creating the U.S. Veterans Bureau: which eventually evolved into today's Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).
The Legion was a driving force in updating GI Bill benefits for the modern era, securing expanded educational assistance, living stipends, and the ability to transfer unused benefits to family members.
The Legion heavily advocated for this historic legislation, the Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act, which expanded VA healthcare benefits and disability compensation to millions of veterans exposed to burn pits, Agent Orange, and other toxic substances.
The Legion championed this bill, which consolidated and expanded community care programs, allowing veterans to receive medical treatments from private doctors outside the VA system when necessary.
Officially named the Harry W. Colmery Veterans Educational Assistance Act: in honor of the Legionnaire who drafted the original GI Bill. This legislation eliminated the time limit for veterans to use their GI Bill benefits and expanded coverage for vocational and STEM programs.
Backed by the Legion, this act modernized the VA's notoriously backlogged appeals process, giving veterans more options to resolve their disability claims.
Championed to improve the quality of the VA, this bill granted the VA Secretary greater authority to remove, demote, or suspend poorly performing or negligent employees.
For more than a century, American Legion Baseball has helped young athletes develop through competition, sportsmanship, teamwork and citizenship. Its alumni include some of the greatest players ever to step onto a Major League field: and 90 former Legion Baseball players are now enshrined in the National Baseball Hall of Fame.
Hi-Boy Drive / Post 340 · Independence, Missouri
703 career home runs. Three MVP Awards. Two World Series championships. Before becoming one of baseball's greatest hitters, Pujols played American Legion Baseball for Post 340.
Fred W. Stockholm Post 245 · St. Louis, Missouri
Ten World Series championships and three MVP Awards. The Hall of Fame catcher was also a Navy veteran who participated in the D-Day invasion.
San Diego, California
521 home runs and a .344 lifetime batting average. "The Splendid Splinter" was also a decorated Marine Corps aviator who served during World War II and Korea.
Donora, Pennsylvania
3,630 hits, three MVP Awards and seven batting titles. "Stan the Man" went from Legion Baseball to becoming one of the most beloved players in Major League history.
Variety Post 313 · Iowa
266 wins and three no-hitters. Legion Baseball helped the Iowa farm boy get discovered before he became a Hall of Fame pitcher — and later a decorated Navy veteran.
Post 24 · Anadarko, Oklahoma
Two MVP Awards, 10 Gold Gloves and two World Series championships. Widely regarded among baseball's greatest catchers, Bench was The American Legion's 1973 Graduate of the Year.
Post 237 · Pleasanton, California
586 home runs, a Triple Crown and MVP Awards in both leagues. Robinson later broke another barrier as Major League Baseball's first Black manager.
Post 27 · Long Beach, California
3,141 hits and eight National League batting titles. "Mr. Padre" became one of the greatest pure hitters of the modern era and entered Cooperstown in 2007.
Post 8 · Las Vegas, Nevada
355 wins and four consecutive Cy Young Awards. One of baseball's greatest control pitchers went from Legion Baseball to Cooperstown.
Post 6 · DeLand, Florida
468 home runs, an MVP Award and a World Series championship. The Atlanta Braves icon was also named The American Legion's Graduate of the Year in 2000.
Today, 90 American Legion Baseball alumni are enshrined in Cooperstown, with Jeff Kent becoming No. 90 in July 2026. The list stretches from Bob Feller and Ted Williams to Tony Gwynn, Greg Maddux, Chipper Jones, CC Sabathia and beyond. For more than 100 years, American Legion Baseball hasn't simply developed great ballplayers. It's helped develop great Americans.
"Before the big leagues. Before the records. Before Cooperstown. There was Legion Baseball."
Learn more about Legion BaseballInteresting military fun facts from across the ages.
The U.S. Army was established by the Continental Congress on June 14, 1775: more than a year before the Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776.
During World War II, a Syrian brown bear named Wojtek was officially adopted and enlisted as a private in the 22nd Artillery Supply Company of the Polish army. He helped carry heavy artillery shells and loved drinking beer and smoking cigarettes.
During the Battle of Outpost Vegas in March 1953, a small Mongolian mare named Reckless served with the 5th Marine Regiment in Korea. Purchased for $250 from a Seoul racetrack, she was trained to carry 75mm recoilless rifle rounds up steep, enemy-fire-swept hills: and then return to the supply point alone to reload. On March 26, 1953, she made 51 solo round trips in a single day, carrying nearly 5 tons of ammunition under fire. She was wounded twice and kept going. Reckless was formally promoted to Staff Sergeant by the USMC in 1953: a rank she wore on her blanket with full ceremony. She is the only animal in U.S. military history to hold an official non-commissioned officer rank. After the war, she was brought to the United States and lived out her days at Camp Pendleton, California.
A tactical deception unit in WWII used inflatable tanks, sound effects trucks, and fake radio transmissions to trick the enemy, saving an estimated 15,000 to 30,000 human lives.
During World War II, the U.S. Navy spent $1 million to build a floating ice cream barge for the Pacific Theater because morale was so important: it could produce 500 gallons of ice cream per hour.
The U.S. Army owns over 15 million acres of land in the United States. If it were a state, it would be the 42nd largest by area: beating out Maryland and Hawaii.
During WWII, the Marine Corps Women's Reserve collaborated with Elizabeth Arden to create "Montezuma Red" lipstick to match their uniform accessories, making a coordinated look part of the standard issue.
More surprising historical stories and little-known facts about armed forces around the world are coming soon!
From the barracks to the battlefield: the unofficial vocabulary of the U.S. Armed Forces.
1.Candy, snacks, or junk food: especially the kind stashed in a pack or locker for personal consumption. The term dates back to at least World War II. "Pogue" (also spelled "pogy") was slang for a rear-echelon or non-combat service member, and the snacks were said to be what lured them away from the front. Today it's used affectionately by all ranks for any unauthorized or personal treat food.
1.Military shorthand for "minute," derived from the NATO Phonetic Alphabet where "Mike" is the code word for the letter M. Shortening words to single syllables keeps radio communication fast, clear, and unambiguous. Common uses: "Wait one mike" (hold on for one minute), "Five mikes out" (arriving in five minutes), "Three mikes" (three minutes). The plural is simply "mikes."
1.An all-purpose expression of acknowledgment, enthusiasm, agreement, or motivation. Used to convey anything from "yes" and "understood" to "let's go": as long as it isn't "no."
1.The Marine Corps battle cry and motivational exclamation. Similar in use to the Army's "Hooah," it signals enthusiasm, readiness, and esprit de corps. Never to be confused with the Navy's "Hooyah."
1.The Navy and Coast Guard equivalent of a battle cry. Widely used by Navy SEALs and other special operations forces to signal motivation, agreement, or acknowledgment.
1.Describes a person, place, or thing that is organized, prepared, and in perfect order. A squared-away Marine has a clean uniform, shined boots, and a sharp bearing. High praise in military culture.
1.Military slang for one kilometer (approximately 0.62 miles). Derived from the metric system used in military navigation. "The objective is two klicks north" means the target is two kilometers away.
1.An informal time expression meaning very early in the morning: well before dawn. In the 24-hour military clock, "zero" denotes midnight hours, and "dark thirty" emphasizes the pitch-black pre-dawn hour. Often used to describe brutally early wake-up times.
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