Let Everyone Get Involved in Opportunities for National Service Act
This bill authorizes The American Legion to expand membership eligibility to include veterans and service members who served during times that were not designated periods of war. Currently, only veterans and service members who served during periods of time specified by Congress are eligible to join The American Legion.
[Congressional Bills 116th Congress]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office]
[H.R. 1641 Introduced in House (IH)]
<DOC>
116th CONGRESS
1st Session
H. R. 1641
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.
_______________________________________________________________________
IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES
March 8, 2019
Mr. Correa (for himself, Mr. Cline, and Mr. Cisneros) introduced the
following bill; which was referred to the Committee on the Judiciary
_______________________________________________________________________
A BILL
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''.
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.
(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 Kuomintang-led
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 non-
combat 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-combat-
related deaths, and 283 wounded.
(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 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.
(31) 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.
(32) 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.
(33) 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.
(34) Eligibility for membership in The American Legion is
determined by Congress through the establishment of specific
dates of declared and officially recognized hostilities in
which United States military personnel are on active service.
(35) The American Legion provides invaluable services to
its members and supports the community of veterans who
sacrificed in service of the United States.
(36) 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.
(37) 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.
(38) 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.
(39) 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(1)(A) of title 36, United States Code, is amended--
(1) in clause (vi), by striking ``or''; and
(2) by adding at the end the following new clause:
``(viii) such other beginning dates through
such other ending dates as are provided in the
constitution and bylaws of the corporation;
or''.
<all>
Introduced in House
Introduced in House
Sponsor introductory remarks on measure. (CR E276)
Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary.
Referred to the Subcommittee on Immigration and Citizenship.
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