Aging Membership Presents Challenge for American Legion

As the World War II fighters who have been its most loyal members age and pass on, the American Legion is campaigning to attract younger veterans and shore up its declining ranks, The New York Times writes.

The nonprofit veterans’ group’s national membership has dropped 11 percent since 2000, to less than 2.4 million, and the number of operating Legion posts has declined from 14,700 to 13,800 in that period.

Mark Sutton, a spokesman for the American Legion Department of Michigan, said the Legion must overhaul its image of “the building on the corner where the old guys go to drink beer” and publicize services for younger veterans, such as help filing medical claims and applying for G.I. Bill benefits. The national organization recently launched a campaign to bring membership back to 3 million by the Legion’s centenary in 2019.