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HISTORY AND ORGANIZATION

compensation for disabilities, hospital treatment, and vocational training. The American Legion received financial assistance in this phase of the program from the American Red Cross.

Immediately after the close of the 1920 convention in Cleveland, Ohio, National Commander Frederick W. Galbraith, Jr., called a conference in Washington, D. C., to consider the plight of disabled veterans resulting from an unwieldy mass of laws and regulations administered by several different government bureaus. Out of that conference came The American Legion's request for a Presidential committee to investigate existing conditions. As a result, the Dawes Committee, which included representatives of The American Legion, was appointed. The Dawes Committee report, accompanied by White House recommendations, brought about Congressional action consolidating most of the activities dealing with World War I veterans into a new independent agency-The United States Veterans Bureau (now the Veterans Administration).

The Veterans Bureau continued under careful study by The American Legion during the next two years, and many reforms were suggested by Legion leadership and put into effect, eliminating abuses that deprived veterans of hospital treatment and other rights authorized by Congress. It was in the same period that The American Legion improved its own procedures of handling veterans' matters by organizing the National Rehabili tation Committee to promote better administration of this important and highly complex activity. The National Rehabilitation Committee later became the National Rehabilitation Commission and, as the result of action taken by the 1970 National Convention, it was renamed the National Veterans Affairs and Rehabilitation Commission.

Justice for the disabled veteran was now The American Legion's fight in earnest. In 1923 the San Francisco Convention drafted 91 constructive recommendations for liberalization of laws and regulations governing veterans' benefits. Before the next National Convention was to gather, Congress had enacted the World War Veterans Act of 1924, which included many of The American Legion's proposals and extended the presumption of service connection for certain classes of disability.

Throughout the remainder of the 1920's and early into the 1930's, The American Legion continued to register legislative achievements necessary for the care and rehabilitation of disabled veterans.

Veterans Administration Established

On July 21, 1930, the Veterans Bureau and other agencies administering veterans' benefits were consolidated in the Veterans Administration, a new independent agency which thereafter handled most veteran benefit programs.

The American Legion's cause in behalf of disabled veterans' benefits faced one of its greatest challenges during the depression of the early 1930's. In

11.

1933 the new national administration passed what has since been knov as the infamous Economy Act, which wiped out a wide range of progra and benefits which had been won for disabled veterans by patient effo since the end of World War I.

However, The American Legion rallied to the crisis in veterans' affai The National Rehabilitation Committee at the convention in Chicago tl. same year put forth the famous Four-Point Program. This was, briefly, that

1. No veteran disabled in line of duty suffer any reductions in benefi granted under legislation in effect prior to March 19, 1933;

2. Federal hospitalization be afforded veterans not dishonorably di charged, requiring such care, and unable to pay reasonably for treat

ment;

3. Participation of service connection for all veterans properly grante such service connection under law in existence prior to March 20 1933, be continued;

4. Benefits provided for dependents in the World War Veterans Act b restored and the thought established that in no event should widow: and orphans of deceased World War veterans be without government protection.

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HISTORY AND ORGANIZATION

The American Legion's unceasing fight in behalf of disabled veterans was rewarded March 28, 1934, when Congress enacted Public Law 141, carrying out in full the recommendations of the first three provisions of the Four-Point Program. Although this bill met with a Presidential veto, Congress overrode the veto. Thus, The American Legion recorded an outstanding accomplishment in the restoration of the major part of the benefits taken from disabled World War veterans by the Economy Act.

From this significant milestone, The American Legion has worked successfully for the passage of further legislation, liberalizing benefits for disabled veterans and bringing about the fourth provision of the Four-Point Program concerning protection of widows and orphans.

Since that major victory in 1934, the Legion has repeatedly mustered its resources to meet effectively subsequent challenges to reduce the role of the Veterans Administration in its essential mission of providing for our sick and disabled veterans. The increasing demand for VA hospital and medical services resulting from the returning wounded and disabled from Vietnam not only justified the Legion's earlier position in this matter but also strengthened its intensified endeavors for adequate Congressional appropriations to meet some of the needs of the newest generation of disabled war

veterans.

III. Children and Youth

C

`LOSELY ALLIED with its concern for the disabled veteran is The American Legion's interest in the welfare of the children of deceased and disabled veterans. There is no definite time nor place which can be described as the beginning of The American Legion's Children and Youth Program (formerly known as Child Welfare Program). Like many of the purposes and principles set forth in the Preamble, the child welfare concepts undoubtedly were first formed on the battlefields of France during World War I, where shared dangers and hardships created a deep sense of responsibility for the children of fallen comrades.

The American Legion has two child welfare objectives: first, to assure care and protection for the children of veterans; second, to improve conditions for all children. These objectives are expressed in slogan form as "A Square Deal for Every Child."

First activities in the field of child welfare by The American Legion were carried on by Legion rehabilitation workers, who saw as early as 1922 that there was a need for special effort on behalf of these unfortunate youngsters.

In the mid-20's American Legion child welfare efforts were centered about the establishment of Legion-operated institutions known as "billets," where children of deceased and disabled veterans were housed and cared for. However, the experience of only a few years proved the institutional approach inadequate and unsatisfactory. A new concept of child care gradually emerged, placing central emphasis on the maintenance of the family home.

In 1925 a National Child Welfare Division was established in National Headquarters at Indianapolis. Within three years, the national organization had completely withdrawn from the institutional field and, in its place, was furthering a program of direct temporary assistance to needy children in their own homes.

This forward step by The American Legion, which was considered a new concept in child care, gave great impetus to the development of programs by many other organizations, both public and private, for the home care of children.

In order to finance its child welfare and rehabilitation programs, at least in part, The American Legion in 1924 launched a campaign to raise a $5,000,000.00 endowment fund. This goal was reached in little more than a year. In 1945 the endowment fund was increased to $7,000,000.00. In addition, the national budget for children and youth received generous contributions annually from the Legion's affiliated organizations-the American Legion Auxiliary and the Eight and Forty, and, up to 1959, from the Forty and Eight.

Emphasis Shifted to Concern for All Children

After World War II, the National Child Welfare Commission recognized the need to place added emphasis on sound public programs for all children in order to fulfill the purpose of guaranteeing care and protection to children of veterans. Because of the greatly increased segment of the nation's population which now was classified as "veteran" it was evident that the majority of all children in the United States would be of veteran parentage.

The change in emphasis to encourage and support good public programs for all children was the major factor in permitting The American Legion. to fulfill its purposes in this area.

The National Child Welfare Commission recognized that many of the larger problems of child welfare cannot be met on the basis of direct help

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HISTORY AND OrganizatiON

to individual children. For example, immediately after World War II, a major cause of death among school age children was rheumatic fever and rheumatic heart disease. As a result of the joint interest of the National Child Welfare and Rehabilitation Commissions, the National Executive Committee in 1946 appropriated $25,000.00 to the American Heart Association to begin research on this problem. The American Legion Auxiliary appropriated a like amount, and the $50,000.00 so provided, in a large measure, launched the present program of the American Heart Association. As a result of this organization's research in medical science, we now know that rheumatic heart disease is an outgrowth of rheumatic fever and that rheumatic fever can actually be prevented. The research which was financed by this grant has been an important contribution to the decline in the rheumatic fever death rate among children.

Similarly, in 1950 The American Legion contributed $25,000.00 to the National Association for Mental Health, and the progress which has been made by research financed by this organization indicates that substantial results are being achieved in this critical area.

In order to avoid possible public misunderstanding of the purpose and scope of its child welfare program, The American Legion, by action of its 1970 National Convention, amended its Constitution and By-Laws in order to redesignate the National Child Welfare Commission as the National Commission on Children and Youth. This change did not affect the composition, purpose, or functions of the Commission and its program.

The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation, Inc.

By 1954 the wisdom of the grants to the American Heart Association and the National Association for Mental Health was quite apparent, and the need was felt for a recognized method by which future grants could be made which would bring the best results to the greatest number of children. In that year The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation, Inc., was authorized by the National Executive Committee with these two primary purposes:

1. To add to the sum total of man's knowledge about children and youth through research, study, etc.;

2. To help distribute information society already possesses about children in order that such information may be more adequately used.

This Foundation in no way supplants or supersedes The American Legion's traditional and continuing program for children and youth. Through its stimulation of preventive research, the acquisition and wide application of new knowledge and similar long-range efforts, the Foundation will supplement and make even more effective The American Legion's long standing program of direct assistance, legislation pertaining to children and youth, and