An Cosantóir

14 | The late Commander Mike Sheahan (left) presenting a flag at a ceremony in Tipperary. The American Legion and Ireland I reland and her people have enjoyed a marvellous relationship with the US government and its people and both countries have benefitted immensely from each other. Ireland has often looked westward during difficult times and indeed many of her sons and daughters have found new livelihoods in the US including in her military. After military service with the US military the American Legion becomes a great resource for veterans as its members form bonds with other veterans who work together for a common goal. The American Legion has currently about 3,000,000 members in some 14,000 posts worldwide and is currently the largest veteran organisation in the world. The American Legion was chartered and incorporated by Congress as a patriotic veterans organisation devoted to mutual helpfulness. It is committed to assisting our fellow veterans and service personnel, mentoring youth and sponsorship through wholesome programmes, and advocating patriotism and honour while promoting a strong national security. The Legion was founded by American veterans serving in the Allied territories shortly after the Great War and is the oldest veterans' organisation in the world. The primary objective of the Paris Caucus in March 1919 that founded the American Legion was to attend to the immediate welfare of repatriating American military personnel of the American Expeditionary Force. Its objective has essentially remained the same ever since. The AL's ideals are simple, to defend the US Constitution, assist US wartime veterans, and promote Americanism in the country's youth through wholesome activities. One of its greatest tenets, particularly in Ireland, is to remember the sacrifice of war by honouring its war dead. Through their efforts the public are made aware of the magnificent sacrifice made on their behalf for our common freedoms that are nowadays so often taken for granted. In defence of our Constitution, they remind the public that these freedoms have been paid for in blood by the countless millions of service personnel whose lives were cut short, seri- An Cosantóir September 2013 www.dfmagazine.ie by Seán T Rickard, BSc, MA - Adjutant, (IR02), Fr Francis P Duffy Post, American Legion, Killarney, Ireland. ously altered by injury and/or disease and all put in harm's way to protect the world from evil regimes and unjust ideologies. These reminders also serve as a permanent lesson for future political endeavours lest we forget past sacrifices. The AL is also the most powerful political lobby in the US Congress for US veterans. The Legion's, which has its national headquarters in Indianapolis, Indiana, has basically three tiers of leadership. The highest is the National Committee. The next level is the departments, which are generally based on geographical areas, with each US state having its own department, and departments for posts located overseas. The final level is the 'post' often equivalent to the branch in foreign veterans' groups. Posts are often named after US patriots. The Irish AL posts are currently under the Department of France, though at one time it had its own department. All members of the American Legion must be veterans of the US armed services having served in time of war and honourably discharged. For this reason we don't have associate members like other veterans' organisations, nor can we accept their goodwill to join our ranks. However, through partnership we are more than willing to work together with other veterans' organisations who share our common goals. The early history of the Legion in Ireland is obscure. However, it was undeniably engaged in the burials of ex-US service personnel here, and perhaps involved in the repatriation of ex-US servicemen to Ireland after WWI, most of whom obviously had very strong Irish connections. The first Irish post was the Michael O'Donoghue (IR01) of Cork City, which was granted a temporary charter in 1930 and held at least some of its meetings in Cobourg Street, Cork. The members of this post, largely consisting of WWI veterans, disbanded in May 1960 after most of its members had passed on. The AL is a relatively small but increasingly active group in Ireland. American Legion members in Ireland are largely Irish born or of Irish-American extraction. Others are Americans of other

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