Many are called, but few are chosen. That applies to many things in life. As a fellow American, you chose to give service to your country when you joined the military.

For those of us who have served in time of war, there is a bond that cannot be broken. Our lives and our backgrounds can be as different as night and day, but we are joined by battle, by service and by experiences that are uniquely ours.

And we are joined, too, by an organization, founded to serve us only with privileges and benefits we have earned with blood, sweat and courage.

In 1919, the United States Congress approved the charter of The American Legion as an organization of veterans. Some of our members served overseas during war-time while others served stateside. Yet we all served during periods defined by Congress as war-time service.

The support your membership gives to our brave young men and women on active duty is paramount. As more veterans return home from the War On Terror, some will need our immediate help while others will need help down the road. Membership entitles you, active-duty personnel and families to:

• Professional help in obtaining full medical, educational, and insurance benefits from the Department of Veterans Affairs
• Assistance in preparing VA claims and getting accurate information concerning financial services.
• Professional representation of veterans’ interests in Congress by our staffing Washington, D.C., who are fighting for legislation that protects the benefits of all veterans and their families.

The American Legion is the nation’s most influential, effective and dependable advocate of veteran affairs. Your membership in the Legion will strengthen our fight for better active-duty pay, improved housing for active-duty families, and help insure that the VA’s medical system can properly care for the sick and wounded returning from Iraq and Afghanistan.

Plus, membership in the Legion gives you added savings, discounts and family-protection benefits including:

• Job placement assistance
• A full year’s subscription to our monthly magazine, The American Legion Magazine
• Discount rates at thousands of hotels and motels, on car rental, and with moving expenses
• Full eligibility to participate in Legion Members-only insurance plans
• Additional discounts through the American Legion’s new prescription drug plan

Legionnaires are also heavily involved with community activities ranging from hospital services and blood drives to youth programs such as Boy Scouts, American Legion Baseball, scholarships and the annual American Legion Boys State/Boys Nation programs.

More important than material benefits, your membership in The American Legion is a tangible way to honor the other men and women who have sacrificed so much for our country. It’s the best way to help preserve programs that benefit you, our nation and our fellow veterans.

The true value of joining The American Legion can’t be measured in dollars and cents. It is a unique way of being a part of something bigger than any individual.