Sons of the American Legion

Together, members of The American Legion, The American Legion Auxiliary, The American Legion Riders and the Sons of The American Legion make up what is known as The Legion Family. All four organizations place high importance on preserving our American traditions and values, improving the quality of life for our nation’s children, caring for veterans and their families, and perhaps most importantly, teaching the fundamentals of good citizenship. Sons have always assisted Legionnaires with Legion Family programs. Our Family boasts a combined total membership of nearly 3 million Legion family members nationwide. There are approximately 1,500 SAL Squadrons, with approximately 360,000 SAL members.

What is the main purpose of the Sons?

The mission of the Sons is to support veterans and their families and the policies of our parent organization, The American Legion. Virtually everything that involves the Sons could be grouped under three areas:

1) Support for veterans and their families,

2) Promoting patriotism and Americanism and

3) Promoting programs which benefit the youth of our country.

About Squadron 555

Squadron 555 was established in Spring of 2016 and received its charter on November 9, 2016, with fifteen charter members. Currently the membership has grown 41 active members. Membership renewals have exceeded 100% for every year since its existence with the exception of 2020-2021 due to COVID. The squadron received recognition for achieving 167% in membership growth after COVID.

The squadron along with the Legion serves as an outreach of the American Legion Triple Nickel Riders. Many of the Squadron members are members of the of the Triple Nickel Riders.

The Squadron’s priority is to focus is on assisting Post 555 programs and activities in support our veterans, youth and community. At the same time focusing on growth in membership of the Squadron and the filling of leadership positions with those that are committed to our goals and mission.

The Squadron support a number of charity efforts such as American Legion Children Welfare Foundation, American legion 100 Miles Program and the annual Christmas Family Charity Project.

Squadron 555 is part of Division 2 of the 23rd District of the Alabama Department of the American Legion.

The SAL annual membership fee for 2022 is $20.00 and is payable to: Matthew Blount Post 555. The application and sponsor's service verification can be mailed to:

The American Legion

Matthew Blount Squadron 555

50 Racquet Club Parkway

Pelham, AL 35124

Or it can be submitted in person at any meeting. The squadron meets at the address above which is located in the Pelham Senior Center on the second Tuesday of the month at 7:00pm. We invite you to join us at our next Squadron meeting and get to know our 555 family. All Sons of American Legion members are also invited to attend the Post 555 Legion meetings on the first Thursday of each month at 6:00 pm for meal and meeting at 7:00pm.

Membership

Am I eligible to join?

To be eligible, you must be one of the following:

The male descendant (includes stepsons and adopted sons) of a current member of The American Legion. Or…

The male descendant (stepsons and adopted sons included) of a veteran who died in service during World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, or the Persian Gulf War (see Eligibility Dates below). Or…

The male descendant (stepsons and adopted sons included) of a veteran who died subsequent to (after) his or her honorable discharge from service in World War I, World War II, the Korean War, the Vietnam War, Lebanon, Grenada, Panama, or the Persian Gulf War (see Eligibility Dates below).

I am a male descendant of a female veteran, does this make a difference?

All veterans are veterans. It makes no difference to your eligibility if you are qualifying through a male or a female veteran.

What are the Active Duty Service Eligibility Dates?

Potential S.A.L. members should use these dates to determine if their parents or grandparents are/were eligible for membership in The American Legion.

World War I

April 6, 1917 – November 11, 1918

World War II

December 7, 1941 – Present

I am eligible to join, now how do I prove it?

The American Legion establishes proof of eligibility based on a DD-214 form. The DD-214, or DD Form 214, is a document of the United States Armed Forces issued by the Department of Defense upon a military service member’s separation or discharge from the active duty military.

The full name of the document is “Defense Department Form 214”, however the document is often shortened to be called a DD-214, DD Form 214 or simply as a “sep doc”. A DD-214 is also commonly referred to as “Discharge Papers”; however this is slightly misleading as the document is more often issued for release from active duty and transfers to the inactive reserves than it is for final discharge from the military.

DD-214 is widely regarded as one of the most important documents in the military as it is a complete record of a service member’s time in the military, awards and medals, and other pertinent service information such as promotions, combat service or overseas service, and Military Occupational Specialty identifiers. DD-214 is commonly used by various government agencies, chief among them the Department of Veterans Affairs, to secure veteran benefits.

Where can I find the DD-214 form?

If the veteran through whom you qualify doesn’t already have their DD-214 form readily available, then the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) has provided a website for veterans to gain access to their DD-214 online: www.vetrecs.archives.gov. This may be particularly helpful when a veteran needs a copy of his DD-214 for employment purposes or for membership in The American Legion.

Veterans and the next of kin of deceased veterans may now use a new online military personnel records system to request documents. Our Post Service Officer can assist you in obtaining a DD214. Other individuals with a need for documents must still complete the Standard Form 180, which can also be downloaded from the online web site.

Because the person making the request will be asked to supply all information essential for NPRC to process the request, delays that normally occur when NPRC has to ask veterans for additional information will be minimized.

Sons are encouraged to pass this information on to former military personnel and their dependents.

I have the DD-214 form, what’s next?

This is what you need to do to join The American Legion Matthew Blount Post 555 SAL.

Complete the SAL application form. Application Form

Include copy of the veteran’s DD-214 or Discharge Certificate. If documents are not available, submit your application without documents and request for the DD-214 per above instructions. Military verification must be completed no later than Sixty (60) day following receipt of application.

Check for $20 for new members payable to:

“Matthew Blount Post 555”

Either mail the application, service verification and membership fee to the address below, or bring them to the next Post meeting on the first Thursday of the month at 7:00 PM. Fellowship begins at 6:15 pm if you would like to come early and fellowship with members.