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The Soul of The American Legion
An organization’s soul is shown in its stated values – its purpose and mission. The American Legion’s soul is revealed in the preamble that we recite at the beginning of all general meetings at every level of the organization. For an organization to be successful, its culture needs to reflect its soul. A culture develops as it becomes aligned with the values, purposes and mission of its individual members. Together we develop the culture through sharing our common values, our beliefs, our souls.
The preamble to the American Legion Constitution states its values and we can take a closer look at what each purpose statement means. The opening statement, “For God Country, we associate ourselves together for the following purposes:” shows that its members believe in a higher power and will defend the place that espouses such.
- To uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America; We pledged to defend the U.S. Constitution under oath, and as veterans we continue to do so and expect that any person who takes the same oath will do the same.
- To maintain law and order; We ensure that all citizens are safe in their lives and property. We endeavor to be the ones who do the right things.
- To foster and perpetuate a one hundred percent Americanism; We are the flag waivers who open profess love for our country and teach others why it is important to be patriotic.
- To preserve the memories and incidents of our associations in all wars; We remember the heroes, sacrifices and tragedies of war and develop a sense of camaraderie with those who share common experiences of military service.
- To inculcate a sense of individual obligation to the community, state and nation; We encourage a sense of responsibility to the community, state, and nation promoting our values at all levels of American life.
- To combat the autocracy of both the classes and the masses; We lead the fight against the autocracy of both the classes and the masses because we are a government of the people, by the people and for the people.
- To make right the master of might; We are the ones that will protect the rights of human freedom so that is will not to perish from the earth.
- To promote peace and goodwill on earth; We promote peace and goodwill on Earth. Nobody understands the full cost of defending freedom like the veteran.
- To safeguard and transmit to posterity the principles of justice, freedom and democracy; We safeguard and pass on the principles of justice, freedom, and democracy to ensure a strong America.
- To consecrate and sanctify our comradeship by our devotion to mutual helpfulness. We strengthen the bonds of comradeship through mutual helpfulness.
As individuals, we legionnaires need to check our souls to see if align with the soul of The American Legion as professed in the Preamble of our Constitution. If we can stand in a meeting and recite these hallowed words, then we must believe in them. It is through this belief that we can sustain a strong Legion culture at Post 32.
Yours in service,
Ralph
Ralph Bozella, Commander Post 32
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