American Legion Auxiliary is the largest women’s patriotic organization in the United States. It is affiliated with the American Legion. Women eligible for membership are (1) wives, mothers, sisters, and female descendants of American Legion members; (2) wives, mothers, sisters, and female descendants of men and women who died in World Wars I and II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, the Persian Gulf War of 1991, the Iraq War, and the military conflicts in Grenada, Lebanon, and Panama, or of men and women who died after they were honorably discharged from the armed services; (3) female military veterans eligible for membership in the American Legion; and (4) female members of the Legion.
The Auxiliary conducts programs to benefit veterans, their families, and the community. It sponsors Girls State, an annual program that educates high school girls about the U.S. government and citizenship (see Girls State ). The Auxiliary also helps sponsor the National Veterans Creative Arts Festival. The first national American Legion convention in 1919 authorized the formation of the Auxiliary. The organization held its first convention in Kansas City, Missouri, in 1921. The Auxiliary’s headquarters are in Indianapolis.
