American Legion Membership Card: Fill & Download for Free

I have been falsely accused in a bar by someone who “claimed” he served.I served in the Marine Corps from 2002 to 2007. I was an Avionics Electrician. MOS 6433. I fixed helicopters at the Intermediate level of repair. Basically I fixed parts to go back on the helicopter. Control sticks, generators, autopilot computers, things like that.I came out as transgender in 2017. I found a Gay bar in Chicago that played country music and had country dancing on Fridays and Sundays.After I became a regular and was known on sight, I came in one evening on the Marine Corps Birthday. Since it was Veteran's Day the next day, the bar offered a discount on drinks for veterans that weekend.When I came in the manager waved me over. There was a guy claiming to be a Marine. The manager wasn't sure and knew I was a Marine. He asked me to question the guy. I walked over to the guy and he was talking about how he was a “sniper” who was sent to all these areas around the world to kill “dictators and drug cartel leaders.”A huge red flag went up. So the manager hands me my drink and I started talking to the guy. I raised my glass for a toast and wished him a happy birthday. He looked at me and said it wasn't his birthday. Red Flag number two. I then raised another toast to Chesty Puller, Dan Daly, and Smedley Butler. He didn't know who they were. Red Flag number three.So I told him I was a Marine too and I fixed helicopters. He tried to tell me that Marines didn't have any aviation assets and that I was lying.I finally started laughing and called him out. I explained that the Marine Corps Birthday was November 10 and that was the reason I wished him happy birthday. Then I explained that the Marine Corps had aviation assets and it was even referenced in the Marine Corps Hymn.“We will fight our Country's battles in the AIR, on land, and sea.”I then looked at him and said,“I will tell you how I know you were never a Marine and it isn't your BS story about being a sniper. It is the fact that you don't know who Chesty Puller, Dan Daly, and Smedley Butler are.”I then pulled out my VA ID card along with my membership cards to the Marine Corps League and American Legion. I then pulled out my DD-214 and challenged him to prove that he was really was a Marine.He just sat there and the manager told him to leave. The guy started to walk out and as he neared the door I said loudly,“I never want to hear that you ever claimed again that you served in MY BELOVED MARINE CORPS!”The manager gave me free drinks the rest of the night.

Membership in The American Legion (TAL) is for honorably discharged veterans of congressionally recognised conflicts. The Sons of The American Legion (SAL) is a program of TAL, and membership is restricted to the male offspring (natural, adopted, step) of TAL members (or eligible deceased veterans). If you are eligible to be SAL and have served honorably as well, you can be a member of each. You cannot be SAL under yourself.The American Legion Auxiliary (ALA) is a completely different organization, comprised of female spouses and daughters (natural, adopted, step) of TAL members. If you are eligible to be an ALA member, and have served honorably, you can be a member of both ALA and TAL.TAL, SAL, ALA comprise of The American Legion Family (TALF). Legion Riders is a program of TAL, and membership is restricted to TALF members in good standing.If you are a male spouse of a TAL member, but not eligible to be SAL, you *cannot* be a member of The American Legion Family, nor the Legion Riders. This is not to imply you cannot participate, it just means you cannot have a membership card. There are NO OTHER FORMS OF MEMBERSHIP.

I used to be a member of both, though I haven't paid dues to either in many years.And I will never again support the Legion in any way, ever since the cover story on their magazine was all about their stance against marriage equality. Never mind that it's a bigoted position on the wrong side of history; how is it a veteran issue in the first place (other than for the veterans in same sex relationships who were directly affected by it & needed the kind of advocacy the Legion is supposed to exist to provide)? I didn't stick around to find out & won't be back.The VFW still has its issues, but I'm hopeful that a couple of new generations of vets will eventually turn it around. We'll see. Meanwhile the VFW hall still lets me in with my long expired membership card, so that's cool.