American Legion History

The American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization. Focusing on service to veterans, servicemembers and communities, the Legion evolved from a group of war-weary veterans of World War I into one of the most influential nonprofit groups in the United States. Membership swiftly grew to over 1 million, and local posts sprang up across the country. Today, membership stands at over 2.4 million in 14,000 posts worldwide. The posts are organized into 55 departments: one each for the 50 states, along with the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, France, Mexico and the Philippines.

Post 65 History

Philbrick-Clement Post 65 was established November 17, 1919. It was named for two servicemembers, one from WWI and the second from WWII. The first servicemember was Pvt. George A. Philbrick, 40th Company, 151st Depot Brigade, U.S. Army. He died in service on September 21, 1918. The second servicemember was PFC Richard D. Clement, 3rd Army, 5th Division, 3rd Battalion, Company K. He was killed in Wallertheim, Germany March 23, 1945.