The American Legion Library houses an amazing amount of information in all types of media. The holdings at National Headquarters in Indianapolis include:
Legionnaires spent nearly a year steadfastly lobbying Congress before President Roosevelt signed the GI Bill into law June 22, 1944.
A tribute to the unrelenting effort can be found at National Headquarters, where the original handwritten draft of the bill is on display. Click here for a look.
Passage of the Servicemen’s Readjustment Act of 1944, or the GI Bill, meant that veterans would receive funding for education, unemployment, loans and medical care. The work of the Legion was not without opposition from other veteran groups, some of which assumed the bill would be filled with “handouts.”
But the Legion stressed that veterans had to be willing to help themselves to gain assistance. An editorial in the Army Times summed up the need for the GI Bill: “What kind of people do you think are fighting and winning this war? The GI Bill of Rights is not charity. It merely provides a chance for service men and women to navigate under their own power. They have been taken from jobs, homes and futures to win a war. Certainly they deserve a little assistance in making their readjustments.”
More than six decades and several wars later, the Legion went back to work with Congress a few years ago to overhaul the GI bill with updated benefits. More than three years of effort led to passage of the Post-9/11 Veterans Education Assistance Act, signed into law June 30, 2008, and implemented Aug. 1, 2009.
The updates in benefits and more information on the contemporary GI Bill can be found at www.mygibill.org.
History buffs in need of background on The American Legion can turn to Legion librarians for guidance. Housed in collections at National Headquarters or at other libraries are several notable books:
In need of other topical books? Try contacting the library staff at (317) 630-1200 or library@legion.org for sources on topics such as:
Interested in learning more about the 1st Marine Division? You know someone from the 8th Infantry Division? You need to know about the 9th Tactical Air Command? A relative served on the USS Baltimore (CA 68)?
American Legion library staff members will try to help. They will check the Legion’s limited collection of unit histories. Just give them a try by notifying them of the specific unit in which you are interested.
Give them a call at (317) 630-1200 between 8:30 a.m. and 4 p.m. weekdays or e-mail library@legion.org.
If you’re seeking military service records, contact:
National Personnel Records Center
(Military Personnel Records)
9700 Page Blvd.
St. Louis, MO 63132-5100
Further information about access to military service records is available online: http://www.archives.gov/research_room/obtain_copies/veterans_service_rec...
With access to a printer and the Adobe Acrobat Reader software, you may download and print a copy of the Standard Form 180 - Request Pertaining to Military Records at: http://www.archives.gov/research_room/obtain_copies/standard_form_180.pdf
Many American Legion members don’t know the great visual history lessons to be found on the fourth floor of National Headquarters in Indianapolis.
War buffs can view all types of weaponry, from an automatic machine gun adopted by Americans in 1917 to ceremonial sidearms used by enemy officers in World War II.
Images of Audie Murphy, the most decorated serviceman of World War II, or President Harry Truman, founding member of his Legion post in Independence, Mo., are also on the tour.
More contemporary history is included as well, including desert camouflage uniforms from the Persian Gulf War of 1990-1991 or a flag flown over the World Trade Center Ground Zero site.
Blackmore is credited with the enthusiasm that went into developing the museum. In his role as national adjutant from July 1, 1956, until his death on April 21, 1967, he had a personal interest in establishing it.
Also found in the museum are treasures from American Legion Baseball, artifacts from Drum & Bugle contests, and mementos from conflicts since World War I.
Other museum highlights are an oil painting of Harry Truman with a Legion cap in hand, a bust of Legion founder and Brig. Gen. Theodore Roosevelt Jr., and a diorama of the D-Day landing.
Unique to the museum is a diorama of the rescue of Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch from Iraq. Prisoner Larry James spent six months fashioning the tribute, using mostly scraps of paper. He also scrounged for potato-chip bags, bread ties, toilet paper and popsicle sticks to work on the diorama in his cell at the Wabash Correctional Facility near Terre Haute, Ind
On your next trip to Indianapolis, you can view the fine details of the diorama and other treasures by visiting the museum for free from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays.
Many American Legion library and museum items are donated by individuals who wish to honor the memory of a deceased individual or highlight the accomplishments of someone still living.
Others may have artifacts or artwork they would like to consider for addition to the Legion’s collections. Contact Howard Trace, librarian and museum curator, at:
Howard Trace
The American Legion
700 N. Pennsylvania St.
P.O. Box 1055
Indianapolis, IN 46206
(317) 630-1200
library@legion.org
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