Georgia Veterans Posts

About Veterans Organizations in Georgia

A deep look at the history, oldest posts, membership process, and notable veterans connected to Georgia.

History of Veterans Organizations in Georgia

Georgia's veteran organizations exist at the intersection of one of the largest active-duty military footprints in the country and a deep retiree community shaped by decades of soldiers who chose to stay near where they served. The American Legion Department of Georgia was chartered in 1919, and from its earliest days it organized around the major Army installations that have defined Georgia's military identity: Fort Benning at Columbus, established in 1918 as Camp Benning and now known as Fort Moore following the 2023 redesignation; Fort Stewart near Hinesville and Hunter Army Airfield in Savannah; Fort Gordon outside Augusta, redesignated Fort Eisenhower in 2023; and historically Fort McPherson in Atlanta, which closed in 2011 but for a century anchored Atlanta's veteran community. Georgia also hosts Robins Air Force Base in Warner Robins, Moody Air Force Base near Valdosta, Naval Submarine Base Kings Bay on the Atlantic coast, and Marine Corps Logistics Base Albany. The combination produces a steady year-after-year flow of soldiers, sailors, airmen, and Marines who finish their service and stay, and that flow has built Legion and VFW posts that often run on the active blend of recently retired E-7s and E-8s, mid-career officers building post-service civilian careers, and older veterans who arrived with their World War II and Korea-era moves.

The Department of Georgia headquarters in Atlanta oversees the state's twelve districts, and the department has long been an aggressive advocate at the Gold Dome for veteran-friendly tax legislation, in-state tuition expansion, and license-plate programs that fund veteran outreach. Georgia's military identity also encompasses the Civil War, which devastated the state, and Sherman's march to the sea remains a memory invoked at history-conscious posts. The Korean War saw heavy mobilization through Atlanta, and Vietnam-era helicopter pilots trained at Fort Rucker just across the Alabama line came home to settle in Georgia in large numbers.

Oldest and Most Historic Posts in Georgia

American Legion Post 1, the Atlanta Post, was the first chartered post in Georgia in 1919 and has anchored Atlanta's veteran community for over a century from various locations through the city's repeated expansions and redevelopments. Post 2 in Savannah dates to the same year and serves both the city's older maritime community and the Hunter Army Airfield population. Post 3 in Macon, the Burton-Ingram Post, has long served Middle Georgia and remains a substantial clubhouse operation. Post 6 in Augusta drew heavily from Camp Hancock and later Fort Gordon.

Post 28 in Columbus, near Fort Benning, became one of the most active posts in the state because of the constant flow of infantry and Ranger graduates and retirees. Post 45 in Athens served the University of Georgia veteran-student population after World War II. Post 52 in LaGrange and Post 67 in Marietta represent the early small-town and suburban charters. Post 76 in Albany, Post 105 in Brunswick, and Post 134 in Valdosta extended the Legion presence into the South Georgia counties.

Many of Georgia's older posts maintain active baseball programs through American Legion Baseball, which has been a fixture of summer youth athletics in Georgia for nearly a century, and posts in Macon, Columbus, and Albany have produced multiple state and regional championship teams.

VFW Posts in Georgia: A Closer Look

The VFW Department of Georgia operates from headquarters in Atlanta and oversees several hundred posts across the state. Georgia's VFW grew rapidly after both World Wars but exploded after Vietnam, when the helicopter aviation training pipeline at Fort Rucker just across the Alabama line, combined with infantry training at Fort Benning and Ranger training at Fort Stewart, sent tens of thousands of combat veterans through Georgia. VFW Post 660 in Atlanta is one of the older posts in the state. Post 4660 in Columbus serves the Fort Moore community and is among the busiest in the department.

Post 5719 in Savannah caters to the Fort Stewart and Hunter Army Airfield population. Posts in Augusta, Macon, Albany, and Warner Robins maintain busy operations and have produced multiple department commanders over the decades. The Georgia VFW has been particularly active in advocacy for combat-injured veterans given the state's heavy infantry and Ranger population, and post leadership has frequently testified before the Georgia General Assembly on benefits parity and on expanded mental health resources for combat veterans. The department's Voice of Democracy program has produced multiple national finalists.

AMVETS, DAV, and Other Veterans Organizations in Georgia

AMVETS Department of Georgia maintains roughly forty active posts, with strong concentrations in Middle and South Georgia. AMVETS posts in Macon, Warner Robins, and Albany have been particularly active in homeless veteran outreach and emergency assistance programs. The Disabled American Veterans Department of Georgia operates a major transportation network bringing veterans to VA medical centers in Atlanta, Augusta, and Dublin, plus the numerous community-based outpatient clinics scattered through North and South Georgia. DAV Chapter 4 in Atlanta and Chapter 9 in Columbus are among the most active in the department, and Georgia DAV service officers process a high volume of complex combat-related claims given the state's heavy infantry and Ranger population.

The Vietnam Veterans of America maintains active chapters across Georgia, particularly in the Atlanta and Columbus metros, and several chapters jointly run honor flight programs taking aging veterans to Washington to visit the war memorials.

Georgia Veterans Posts by the Numbers

Georgia is home to approximately 700,000 veterans according to recent VA estimates, making it one of the larger veteran populations among Southern states. The American Legion Department of Georgia maintains roughly 350 to 400 active posts with a combined membership in the 60,000 to 70,000 range. The VFW Department of Georgia operates around 250 posts. Georgia hosts three VA medical centers, in Atlanta (Decatur), Augusta, and Dublin, plus more than 25 community-based outpatient clinics.

The state operates the Georgia War Veterans Home in Milledgeville and the Georgia War Veterans Nursing Home in Augusta. The state's active-duty military population, including dependents, exceeds 100,000, which means each year thousands of new veterans transition into Georgia's veteran community. Georgia National Cemetery in Canton, opened in 2006, has rapidly become one of the busier national cemeteries in the Southeast.

How to Join a Veterans Post in Georgia

Joining the American Legion in Georgia requires honorable federal active-duty service since December 7, 1941, under the LEGION Act of 2019. With several hundred posts statewide, Georgia veterans rarely have to drive far to find a local post. Annual dues vary by post and typically run from $35 to $55. The VFW in Georgia requires combat-zone or hostile-fire-area service documented on a DD-214.

AMVETS welcomes all honorably discharged veterans plus active Guard and Reserve. Georgia is unique in the strength of its multi-generational military families: it is common for a Georgia post to count three generations of the same family on its rolls, with the grandfather a Korea or Vietnam veteran, the father a Cold War or Desert Storm veteran, and the son or daughter a post-9/11 veteran. The Sons of the American Legion in Georgia is correspondingly large. The Legion Riders chapters in Georgia run frequent escort missions for fallen-soldier funerals at Georgia National Cemetery and at hometown ceremonies across the state.

Notable Georgia Veterans in History

Georgia has produced and retained a remarkable roster of notable veterans. President Jimmy Carter, the 39th president, served seven years in the Navy as a submarine officer including under Admiral Hyman Rickover in the early nuclear program, and his Plains, Georgia hometown remains a pilgrimage site. Senator Sam Nunn, the longtime defense policy leader, was an Army veteran. Senator Saxby Chambliss was a defender of the military procurement programs that supported Robins Air Force Base.

General Henry H. Shelton, the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, retired to Georgia. Lieutenant General Hal Moore, the Vietnam War commander made famous by the book and film We Were Soldiers, lived his later years in Auburn, Alabama, but maintained close ties with Fort Benning's veteran community. Sergeant Major of the Army Daniel Dailey is a native Pennsylvanian whose career was shaped at Fort Benning.

Medal of Honor recipient Sergeant First Class Paul R. Smith was killed in Iraq in 2003 and is honored at Fort Stewart, where he had been stationed with the 11th Engineer Battalion. The Tuskegee Airmen included multiple Georgians, and the Georgia chapter of Tuskegee Airmen Inc. preserves their legacy.

Frequently Asked Questions: Georgia Veterans Posts

Sources & Further Reading

• https://www.legion.org/
• https://www.vfw.org/
• https://www.amvets.org/
• https://galegion.org/
• https://veterans.georgia.gov/
• https://www.va.gov/