Beginnings
The establishment of the Sons of The American Legion as a non-political, no-sectarian civilian organization was authorized by the 14th National Convention of The American Legion on September 15, 1932, at Portland, Oregon.
In 1939, the S.A.L. was riding the crest and had a numerical size of about seven percent as large as the parent organization. The S.A.L. organization seemed destined to grow even larger, but looming on the horizon was World War II. With the passing of time, thousands of young men suddenly found themselves old enough to be in the armed services.
Many of the S.A.L. members never returned from World War II and those that did found that their service had made them eligible to join the ranks of the American Legion itself, which, in 1942 opened the door to the returning World War II veterans.
Membership dropped from a high of 72,633 in 1939 to a low of 5,631 in 1953. Many factors caused the lean years for the S.A.L. program. The former S.A.L., now veterans of World War II, had no grown children in the immediate postwar years. Housing shortages, a nation on the move, the G.I. Bill that sent thousands of veterans back to school, and the Korean War that put reservists back in uniform were some of the contributing factors.
1960–present
However, by 1963, enrollment had climbed to nearly 17,000. In noting this renewed growth, the National Executive Committee, in regular meetings assembled in Indianapolis, Indiana, April 30 – May 1, 1964, [passed Resolution 22, urging that the S.A.L. program "be encouraged and implemented by internal promotion and increased public recognition through the national Headquarters staff and the various Departments of the American Legion." Approval was given for the S.A.L. to conduct their first National S.A.L. Workshop during the Legion's National Convention in Dallas, Texas in 1964.
In noting a need for a small national body to give the S.A.L. program national direction and stimulation, the Legion's NEC gave its approval to Resolution 60 at its May 8–9, 1969, meeting in St. Louis, Missouri. Resolution 60 created a four-member Sons of The American Legion Committee.
After conducting a long and detailed study of the over-all organizational structure of the S.A.L., the Sons of The American Legion Committee reported that there was a "definite need for a national Sons of The American Legion organization and the updating of the National Constitution and By-Laws of the S.A.L., as approved by the Legion's NEC back in May 1933, and be subsequently amended".
At its fall meeting in Indianapolis, IN, October 17–18, 1973, the Legion gave its approval to Resolution 15, abolishing the National S.A.L. Committee created by Resolution 60 by the Legion's NEC at its meeting May 8–9, 1969, in St. Louis, MO. Residual responsibilities of the National S.A.L. Committee are now assigned to the Legion's National Internal Affairs Commission.
Since 1988, The Sons have raised more than $8 million for the American Legion Child Welfare Foundation. [1]
In early to mid 2014, mySAL was launched to Sons of The American Legion squadron adjutants can now access membership information, reports and electronic membership tools online.
As of 2016, the membership total is over 360,000. [1]
