S. 504 

One Hundred Sixteenth Congress 

of the 

United States of America 

AT THE FIRST SESSION 

Begun and held at the City of Washington on Thursday, 

the third day of January, two thousand and nineteen 

An Act 

To amend title 36, United States Code, to authorize The American Legion to 

determine the requirements for membership in The American Legion, and for 

other purposes. 

Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of 

the United States of America in Congress assembled, 

SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. 

This Act may be cited as the ‘‘Let Everyone Get Involved 

in Opportunities for National Service Act’’ or the ‘‘LEGION Act’’. 

SEC. 2. FINDINGS AND SENSE OF CONGRESS. 

(a) FINDINGS.—Congress makes the following findings: 

(1) Since the end of World War II, the Federal Government 

has designated specific periods of war, the dates of which 

are important for qualification for certain benefits or membership in veterans organizations established by Congress. 

(2) In between those recognized periods of war, during 

so-called peacetime eras, the United States military has been 

involved in not fewer than 12 known eras, which are unrecognized by the United States Government as periods of war, 

resulting in numerous United States personnel combat casualties. 

(3) Those 12 unrecognized war eras occurred at the direction of the then President of the United States, with full knowledge and consent of the then Congress. 

(4) The first of those 12 unrecognized war eras involving 

active United States military personnel was the Greek Civil 

War, fought in Greece from 1946 to 1949 between the army 

of the Government of Greece, supported by active military 

personal of the United States and the United Kingdom, and 

the Democratic Army of Greece, the military branch of the 

Communist Party of Greece. 

(5) During the Greek Civil War, one member of the Armed 

Forces of the United States sacrificed his life in service to 

the United States, and five others suffered non-combat deaths. 

(6) The second of those unrecognized war eras involving 

active United States military personnel was the Chinese Civil 

War, which occurred during the aftermath of World War II. 

(7) During the Chinese Civil War, the United States military equipped, trained, transported, and supplied the Kuomintang-led Government of the Republic of China with approximately $4,430,000,000 in its resistance to the Communist Party 

of China. 
S. 504—2 

(8) During the Chinese Civil War, 14 members of the 

Armed Forces of the United States sacrificed their lives in 

service to the United States, 150 non-combatants of the United 

States lost their lives in the war, and 51 were wounded, 

resulting in 215 United States military casualties. 

(9) The third unrecognized war era involving active United 

States military personnel is known as the Cold War. 

(10) The Cold War was a period spanning from approximately 1947 until 1991 when the Soviet Union collapsed. 

(11) Although no direct large-scale military fighting 

occurred between the militaries of the United States and the 

Soviet Union, active United States military personnel served 

in multiple regional conflicts during the Cold War, resulting 

in the deaths of not fewer than 32 members of the Armed 

Forces who sacrificed their lives in service to the United States 

and not fewer than 12 additional casualties. 

(12) The fourth unrecognized war era involving active 

United States military personnel is known as the China Cold 

War. 

(13) The China Cold War started when the Kuomintangled Government of the Republic of China retreated to the island 

of Taiwan and lasted until 1972, after President Richard Nixon 

conducted a landmark state visit to China. 

(14) During the military operations of the China Cold War, 

not fewer than 16 members of the Armed Forces of the United 

States sacrificed their lives in service to the United States. 

(15) The fifth unrecognized war era involving active United 

States military personnel was the Lebanon Crisis of 1958, 

which involved more than 14,000 United States personnel and 

resulted in the death of one member of the Armed Forces 

who sacrificed his life in service to the United States and 

five non-combat deaths. 

(16) The sixth unrecognized war era involving active United 

States military personnel was the Bay of Pigs invasion in 

April 1961. 

(17) The Bay of Pigs invasion was a failed military invasion 

of Cuba undertaken by a United States military group sponsored by the Central Intelligence Agency that resulted in not 

fewer than one death of a member of the Armed Forces who 

sacrificed his life in service to the United States and 19 noncombat deaths. 

(18) The seventh unrecognized war era involving active 

United States military personnel was the Cuban Missile Crisis, 

which took place between October 16 and October 28, 1962. 

(19) The Cuban Missile Crisis directly related to homeland 

protection against the deployment of a Soviet ballistic missile 

in Cuba. 

(20) During the Cuban Missile Crisis, one member of the 

Armed Forces sacrificed his life in service to the United States 

and 19 others died as non-combatants. 

(21) The eighth unrecognized war era involving active 

United States military personnel was the Dominican Civil War 

in 1965. 

(22) Operations during the Dominican Civil War resulted 

in the deaths of 27 members of the Armed Forces who sacrificed 

their lives in service to the United States, 20 non-combatrelated deaths, and 283 wounded. 
S. 504—3 

(23) The ninth unrecognized war era involving active 

United States military personnel was the Iran Hostage Crisis, 

which lasted from November 4, 1979, through January 20, 

1981. 

(24) The Iran Hostage Crisis involved military intervention 

by the United States which resulted in the deaths of 8 members 

of the Armed Forces who sacrificed their lives in service to 

United States. 

(25) The tenth unrecognized war era involving active 

United States military personnel was the Salvadoran Civil 

War. 

(26) The Salvadoran Civil War lasted more than 12 years, 

through the terms of two Presidential administrations of the 

United States, and resulted in the deaths of 22 members of 

the Armed Forces who sacrificed their lives in service to the 

United States, 15 non-combat deaths, and 35 other casualties. 

(27) The 11th unrecognized war era involving active United 

States military personnel started on April 5, 1986, when the 

La Belle discotheque in West Berlin, Germany, was bombed, 

killing two United States soldiers and wounding 79 other members of the Armed Forces, which triggered what became known 

as the Libyan Conflict. 

(28) The military operations of the Libyan Conflict included 

numerous air strikes by United States military forces and 

resulted in the deaths of two members of the Armed Forces 

who sacrificed their lives in service to the United States. 

(29) The Libyan Conflict led to the 12th unrecognized war 

era involving active United States military personnel, known 

collectively as the Persian Gulf Conflicts, which lasted from 

July 24, 1987, through September 26, 1988. 

(30) The Persian Gulf Conflicts involved United States 

military missions to protect Kuwaiti-owned oil tankers which 

represented the largest United States naval convoy operation 

since World War II. 

(31) The Persian Gulf Conflicts resulted in numerous military operations and the deaths of not fewer than 39 members 

of the Armed Forces who sacrificed their lives in service to 

the United States and 31 wounded. 

(32) Since the armistice that ended the hostilities of the 

Korean War on January 31, 1955, nearly 100 active United 

States military personnel have sacrificed their lives in service 

to the United States in South Korea, and more than 132 people 

of the United States have been wounded in-country. 

(33) Since January 1, 1947, through all of the unrecognized 

war eras involving active United States military personnel, 

not fewer than 778 combat and non-combat members of the 

Armed Forces have sacrificed their lives in service to the United 

States and not fewer than 797 have been wounded. 

(34) Since January 1, 1947, the unrecognized war eras 

involving active United States military personnel who were 

wounded and killed serving their country were administered 

under orders from the commander in chief and with the consent 

of Congress, proving that the United States has been conducting 

deadly wartime service to protect the country consistently since 

December 7, 1941. 

(35) Eligibility for membership in The American Legion 

is determined by Congress through the establishment of specific 
S. 504—4 

dates of declared and officially recognized hostilities in which 

United States military personnel are on active service. 

(36) The American Legion provides invaluable services to 

its members and supports the community of veterans who 

sacrificed in service of the United States. 

(37) Membership in The American Legion allows veterans 

to engage in public service activities, such as supporting Boys 

and Girls State and Nation, youth mentorship programs, and 

benefit assistance, career fairs, and employment assistance for 

veterans. 

(38) The American Legion has gone on record as supporting 

the 12 unrecognized war eras involving active United States 

military personnel since the beginning of World War II. 

(39) The American Legion has aided, assisted, and comforted the families of the men and women who were called 

to serve or volunteered to serve during all of the unrecognized 

war eras and continues to provide support to veterans of those 

eras. 

(40) The American Legion has commended the heroic 

actions of all military personnel who risked their lives in 

defense of freedom during each of the unrecognized war eras 

involving active United States military personnel. 

(b) SENSE OF CONGRESS.—It is the sense of Congress that, 

in accordance with the history, tradition, and purposes of The 

American Legion, it is fair, proper, and reasonable that the privilege 

of membership in The American Legion should be extended to 

all military personnel who served on active military duty during 

all of the unrecognized war eras involving active United States 

military personnel. 

SEC. 3. ELIGIBILITY FOR MEMBERSHIP IN THE AMERICAN LEGION. 

Section 21703 of title 36, United States Code, is amended— 

(1) in paragraph (1)— 

(A) in subparagraph (A), by striking ‘‘during any period 

from—’’ and all that follows through the end of clause 

(vii) and inserting the following: ‘‘during— 

‘‘(i) the period from April 6, 1917, through 

November 11, 1918; or 

‘‘(ii) any time after December 7, 1941; or’’; and 

(B) in subparagraph (B), by inserting ‘‘or time’’ after 

‘‘a period’’; and 

(2) in paragraph (2), by inserting ‘‘or time’’ after ‘‘that 

period’’. 

SEC. 4. NONDISCRIMINATION WITH RESPECT TO THE REQUIREMENTS 

FOR HOLDING A STAFF POSITION IN THE AMERICAN LEGION. 

(a) IN GENERAL.—Chapter 217 of title 36, United States Code, 

is amended by inserting after section 21704 the following new 

section: 

‘‘§ 21704A. Nondiscrimination 

‘‘The requirements for holding a staff position in the corporation 

may not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, 

or national origin.’’. 
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(b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.—The table of sections at the beginning of such chapter is amended by inserting after the item relating 

to section 21704 the following new item: 

‘‘21704A. Nondiscrimination.’’. 

Speaker of the House of Representatives. 

Vice President of the United States and

President of the Senate.