Membership eligibility requirements:
Eligibility for American Legion membership is limited to those honorably discharged veterans and current personnel of the United States Army , Navy , Marine Corps , Coast Guard or Air Force who served at least one day of active duty during any of the following periods: [13] [14]
•WORLD WAR I : April 6, 1917, to November 11, 1918
•WORLD WAR II : December 7, 1941, to December 31, 1946 (Note: U.S. Merchant Marine eligibility runs December 7, 1941, to August 16, 1945).
•KOREA : June 25, 1950, to January 31, 1955
•VIETNAM : February 28, 1961, to May 7, 1975
•LEBANON and GRENADA : August 24, 1982, to July 31, 1984
•PANAMA : December 20, 1989, to January 31, 1990
•GULF WARS ( Desert Shield , Desert Storm , and Operation Iraqi Freedom ): August 2, 1990, through present, and continuing until cessation of hostilities as determined by the U.S. government. As such, open eligibility thus applies to all current active-duty service members. [15]
Auxiliary memberships are also available.