All dependent sons of military members who attended school in Europe - such as Nuremberg, Frankfurt and others to include the Asia-Pacific region - sons of active and retired veterans attending school in the USA, or older adults whose father or grandfather were veterans, are invited to join the Sons of The American Legion. Founded in 1932, Sons of The American Legion exists to honor the service and sacrifice of Legionnaires. SAL members include males of all ages whose parents or grandparents served in the U.S. military and were eligible for American Legion membership. Members of The American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary and Sons of The American Legion comprise the Legion Family, which has a combined membership of nearly 4.2 million.
A major milestone occurred at American Legion Post 42, Ocean Springs, Miss., with the charter of the Sons of The American Legion on April 20, 2015. Roy Roberts and Raymond Thorton, representatives of the Mississippi Sons of The American Legion, officially presented the charter to Post 42. All male descendants, adopted sons and stepsons of members of The American Legion, and such male descendents of veterans who died in service during World I, World War II, Korea, the Vietnam War, Lebanon, Grenada, Panama and the Persian Gulf War, or who died subsequent to their honorable discharge, shall be eligible for membership in the Sons of The American Legion. The Sons will meet the same night as Post 42, each third Monday of the month at the Senior Citizens Center, Washington Avenue, Ocean Springs, at 6:30 p.m. All veterans, men and women and sons of veterans, are invited to join us in supporting patriotism. You may not be able to have a voice as an individual; however, if you join the above organizations you will be a true visible patriot whose voice will be heard all the way to the halls of Congress. Mississippi Commander Thorton stated that the Sons of The American Legion contributed $486,000 to national Child Welfare programs this past year alone.
Sons of The American Legion has its own membership, but the organization is not a separate entity. Rather, SAL is a program of The American Legion. Many Legionnaires hold dual membership in SAL and the local American Legion post. The Sons organization is divided into detachments at the state level and squadrons at the local level. The SAL Post 42 squadron pairs with local Emile Ladnier Post 42 of Ocean Springs. A squadron’s charter is contingent upon its parent post’s charter. However, squadrons can determine the extent of their services to the community, state and nation. They are permitted flexibility in planning programs and activities to meet their needs, but must remember that SAL’s mission is to strengthen the four pillars of The American Legion: (I) Veterans Affairs & Rehabilitation; (II) National Security; (III) Americanism; (IV) Children & Youth. Squadrons place an emphasis on preserving American traditions and values, improving the quality of life for our nation’s children, caring for veterans and their families, and teaching the fundamentals of good citizenship. Since 1988, SAL has raised more than $5.8 million for The American Legion Child Welfare Foundation. SAL members have volunteered over 500,000 hours at veterans hospitals.
The Sons theme this year is "Building Bridges," stated Mike Moss, national commander for the Sons of The American Legion. He knows the future lies in our youth and young adults, supported by older members of The American Legion. Mike's father served in the Air force during the Korean War. He remembers when he was 8 years old, giving away poppies made by disabled veterans at a local store. Many made donations, enhancing the post's programs such as Boys State, the Oratorical Contest and others. This Memorial Day weekend, Saturday and Sunday May 23 and 24, 2015, Post 42 will distribute poppies as a donation activity at a local retail store in Ocean Springs. When you see an American Legion member that weekend, support this patriotic organization with your donation, who sacrificed to ensure your freedom to shop and live in peace. The use of the poppy was inspired by the World War I poem "In Flanders Fields." Its opening lines refer to the many poppies that were the first flowers to grow in the churned-up earth of soldiers' graves in Flanders, a region of Europe that overlies a part of Belgium. The poem was written by Canadian physician and Lt. Col. John McCrae in World War I after witnessing the death of his friend, a fellow soldier. If you are a veteran or son of a veteran, join us each third Monday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at the Senior Citizens Center, next to the Walter Anderson Museum.

The attached picture shows Mississippi Commander of the SAL Raymond Thorton and Vice Commander Sandra Reid of Post 42,in the absence of Commander Marvin Anglin, who is ill,accepting the charter.