Ocean Beaches Post 129 American Legion          1151 4th St South, Jacksonville Beach, FL
American Legion Post 129
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HISTORY OF THE SONS OF THE AMERICAN LEGION

 Born in the midst of the Great Depression of the 1930’s, and almost killed by  the one-two punch of two wars, the Sons of The American Legion lives on. The  idea of a junior American Legion organization was first discussed at the  Legion’s 3rd National Convention in 1922. Because so few Legionnaires had yet  become parents, the idea had little national appeal. But by the late 1920’s,  Legion Posts around the nation were enrolling Sons of Legionnaires in junior organizations on their own. These groups were variously known as Legion-Heirs, 
the Junior Legion, Sons of American Legionnaires, and Sons of World War Veterans.


The Legion’s 1930 National Convention created a committee to study the  feasibility of a junior Legion. The establishment of the Sons as a non-profit,  nonsectarian civilian organization was authorized by action of The American  Legion’s 14th National Convention in Portland, Oregon in September 1932. The  933 National Convention officially changed the name of the organization to "The Sons of The American Legion," authorized the abbreviation "S.A.L." and set annual national membership dues at 25 cents.


The first Squadron chartered was Bruce P. Robison Post #133 in Indianapolis,  Indiana. The very first membership card was issued to John P. Ragsdale; his  brothers Edward and Robert were also charter members and received cards #2 and  #3. John was killed in an aerial mission over Germany in 1943. In 1946, the name of the Post was changed to Robison-Ragsdale Post 133. By 1934, the S.A.L.  expanded to 24 Detachments, 170 Squadrons, and 524 members. In the late 1930’s,  Sons were closely involved with Legionnaires in nationwide radio programs and  printed a monthly national newspaper called "The Legion Heir." There were over  60,000 members in 1938 when Paramount Pictures released a film entitled "Sons of The Legion" starring Donald O’Connor, William Frawley, and Evelyn Keyes. The 
movie played in thousands of theaters around the country where local S.A.L.  musical units furnished live entertainment.


The S.A.L. had over 70,000 members in the late 30’s and was growing rapidly.  But World War II erupted and most Sons marched off to war and many of them never  returned. Sons who remained on the home front also did their part by working in  civil defense, helping to operate aircraft warning posts, participating in war  bond drives, collecting scrap metals and working in defense plants.


When Sons returned home after World War II, they found their military service  had made them eligible to join the ranks of The American Legion. In the decade  between 1946 and 1956, an era, which included the Korean War, millions of  ex-servicemen and women, joined The American Legion. As the membership of The  Legion swelled, membership in the Sons dropped to fewer than 6,000 and the 
organization almost became extinct.


Only through the efforts of dedicated Legion Family members did the S.A.L.  membership turn around. In 1958, membership inched passed the 10,000 mark and  then climbed to nearly 17,000 in the early 1960’s. The Legion’s 44th National Convention in October
1962 appointed a special  study group to revamp the structure of the Sons. A study group met in April 1963  and recommended increasing dues to 50 cents per member, eliminated military  sounding S.A.L. officer titles and designated an official S.A.L. uniform. The  study group met again in January 1964 and recommended updating the S.A.L.  Constitution, initiating membership awards and
revising the S.A.L. handbook.


The Sons’ first National S.A.L. Workshop was conducted during the Legion’s  1964 National Convention in Dallas. National Workshops continued annually   through 1967, and then were replaced by National Caucuses, which were held  annually through 1971. All Past National Caucus Chairmen are now recognized as  Past National Commanders of the S.A.L. In 1972, the Legion’s National Executive 
Committee approved the creation of a National S.A.L. organization under the full   supervision and control of the Legion’s N.E.C. This opened the door for the Sons  of The American Legion to hold their first National Convention in Chicago in  August 1972. Robert Faust of California was elected the 1st National Commander  of the Sons.


Sons celebrated their 75th Anniversary in 2007. At the S.A.L. National  Convention in Reno, Nevada the Sons held a Gala Silver Anniversary Banquet. A 75th Anniversary Book and special commemorative lapel pins were  issued and the movie "Sons of The
Legion," produced in 1938, was shown.


In 1992, the S.A.L. National Organization began a reorganization of its  commissions and committees. Various committees were placed under the oversight  of one of six national commissions for the purpose of coordinating activities.  Under this new structure, the S.A.L. established Squadron Americanism Awards in  1993, Scholastic Awards for Boys Nation and Junior Shooting Sports in 1994, and 
re-established the S.A.L. National Color Guard Award in 1996.


The Sons conducted their first Training Institute for Detachment Commanders  in 1995, providing state officers with valuable leadership skills and managerial  expertise. At their 1996 National Convention in Salt Lake City, Sons celebrated  their Silver Anniversary National Convention. That same year, S.A.L. members  nationwide contributed more than $116,000 to the American Legion’s Child Welfare
  Foundation, making them the largest contributor to the Foundation that year. 
 


Every year since the establishment of the National Organization in 1972, the  S.A.L. has recorded new all-time membership records. In 1990, membership in the  Sons exceeded 100,000 for the first time ever. S.A.L. membership broke the  200,000 mark in 1997.

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