Maryland Veterans Posts

About Veterans Organizations in Maryland

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

History of Veterans Organizations in Maryland

Maryland is one of the most concentrated military-installation states in the country, and that density has shaped its veteran organizations for more than a century. The state's military lineage runs from the Maryland 400 of the Revolutionary War, through the defense of Baltimore at Fort McHenry that gave America its national anthem, through the Civil War borderland struggles, and into both world wars. By the time the American Legion was chartered in 1919, Maryland AEF veterans were ready to organize, and the Department of Maryland chartered its first wave of posts within months. Baltimore, Annapolis, Frederick, Hagerstown, Cumberland, Salisbury, and the rapidly suburbanizing communities of Montgomery and Prince George's counties served as the early urban anchors.

Aberdeen Proving Ground, established in 1917 as the U.S. Army's premier ordnance test facility, brought a steady stream of soldiers and civilian-uniformed engineers into Harford County, and Legion posts in Aberdeen, Bel Air, Havre de Grace, and Edgewood reflect that century-long relationship. The U.S. Naval Academy at Annapolis, founded in 1845, has been turning out commissioned officers for generations, and the Annapolis-area posts have always carried a distinctly Navy and Marine Corps flavor.

Joint Base Andrews (formerly Andrews Air Force Base), home of Air Force One, has produced thousands of Air Force veterans who settle in southern Prince George's County. Fort George G. Meade, home to the National Security Agency and U.S. Cyber Command, has a vast active-duty and retiree population that crosses Anne Arundel and Howard counties.

Fort Detrick in Frederick, with its biomedical research mission, has shaped Frederick County's veteran demographics. Patuxent River Naval Air Station in St. Mary's County, the Navy's premier flight test center, has done the same for southern Maryland. WWII saw enormous wartime growth at all these facilities, and the postwar generation of veterans poured into Maryland Legion posts in record numbers.

Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War, and the post-9/11 conflicts each added their layer. Maryland Legion posts are notable for their proximity to the federal government and the close working relationships many of them maintain with the VA Maryland Health Care System.

Oldest and Most Historic Posts in Maryland

Maryland chartered some of its first American Legion posts in 1919. Albert F. Rowe Post 1 of Baltimore is one of the oldest in the state and has long anchored downtown Baltimore Legion activity. Annapolis Post, organized to serve the Naval Academy community and the Anne Arundel County seat, dates to the original founding wave.

Frederick, Hagerstown, Cumberland, and Salisbury all chartered posts in 1919 and 1920. Cumberland's post is particularly notable because of the Allegany County coal-and-rail veteran tradition that fed it. Several Eastern Shore posts in Cambridge, Easton, Chestertown, and Salisbury chartered in the early 1920s and built post homes that still stand. The Aberdeen post has a long lineage tied to the Proving Ground.

The Department of Maryland has been deliberate about preserving the original charter numbers of its founding posts even when consolidation has been necessary. A handful of Maryland posts have origins that predate the Legion proper, having begun as Spanish-American War veteran clubs that converted to Legion charters in 1919 and 1920. The Annapolis post and several Baltimore posts maintain particularly strong ties to active-duty installations and to the VA medical centers in Baltimore and Perry Point. Several Maryland posts trace their physical buildings to the late 1920s and early 1930s, when post home construction was a national priority for the Legion.

VFW Posts in Maryland: A Closer Look

The Veterans of Foreign Wars established a Maryland presence in the years following the Spanish-American War, with Baltimore providing the original organizing nucleus. The Department of Maryland VFW grew rapidly after WWI as overseas veterans of the AEF organized their own posts. WWII brought a massive expansion, with new VFW posts chartering across all 23 counties and Baltimore City. Today the Department of Maryland VFW operates a strong network with particular concentration in the Baltimore, Annapolis, Frederick, and Salisbury markets, as well as around the major federal installations.

Maryland VFW posts are well known for their crab feasts, oyster roasts, and bull and oyster roasts, which combine local seafood traditions with veteran fundraising. The department has been a consistent contributor to scholarship and welfare programs at the national level, and the proximity of Maryland VFW leadership to Capitol Hill has historically made the department influential in legislative advocacy.

AMVETS, DAV, and Other Veterans Organizations in Maryland

AMVETS established a Maryland department after WWII and grew steadily through the postwar years. The Department of Maryland AMVETS today operates posts across the Baltimore metro, the Washington, D.C. suburbs, and the Eastern Shore, and runs a service-officer program that helps veterans navigate VA claims through the VA Maryland Health Care System and the Perry Point VA Medical Center. Disabled American Veterans (DAV) is well organized statewide and operates an active transportation network.

The Maryland Department of Veterans Affairs maintains the Charlotte Hall Veterans Home in St. Mary's County and supports the various National Cemetery sites in the state, including Baltimore National Cemetery and the Maryland Veterans Cemeteries in Cheltenham, Garrison Forest, Crownsville, and Flintstone. The cooperation among Legion, VFW, AMVETS, and DAV in Maryland is generally close, and the proximity of the national headquarters of several veteran service organizations in the D.C. metro provides additional resources to Maryland veterans.

Maryland Veterans Posts by the Numbers

The Department of Maryland American Legion charters roughly 200 to 220 posts across all 23 counties and Baltimore City, with total membership in the range of 28,000 to 34,000. The Auxiliary contributes another 9,000 to 12,000 members, and the Sons of the American Legion squadrons add several thousand more. Maryland VFW figures are in the neighborhood of 110 to 130 active posts and approximately 14,000 to 18,000 members. AMVETS in Maryland is smaller but stable.

Maryland's veteran population is estimated by the VA at approximately 370,000 to 400,000, swelled significantly by the active-duty and retiree populations around Aberdeen, Andrews, Meade, Detrick, and Patuxent River. Anne Arundel, Prince George's, Baltimore, Harford, and St. Mary's counties have particularly high veteran populations.

How to Join a Veterans Post in Maryland

Joining an American Legion post in Maryland requires honorable service in the U.S. Armed Forces during any period recognized under the LEGION Act of 2019. The Department of Maryland processes new applications either at the post level or through department headquarters in Elkridge, where the state adjutant manages post charters, membership records, and statewide programs including Free State Boys State. Annual dues range from approximately forty to sixty-five dollars at the post level, with a portion forwarded to department and national.

Many Maryland posts offer paid-up-for-life memberships at age-tiered rates, and several large posts have life-member endowment funds that subsidize new outreach. The Auxiliary welcomes spouses, mothers, daughters, sisters, granddaughters, and great-granddaughters of eligible veterans, and the Sons of the American Legion is active across the state. The Legion Riders program is particularly visible in Maryland, with chapters at many posts and a strong presence at the annual Rolling to Remember event in the Washington area. Active-duty service members at Andrews, Meade, Aberdeen, Detrick, and Patuxent River are eligible for membership and many take dual or transferable memberships during their assignments.

Notable Maryland Veterans in History

Maryland has produced an extraordinary roster of distinguished service members. The Naval Academy in Annapolis has commissioned thousands of officers including admirals, generals, astronauts, and a U.S. President (Jimmy Carter, USNA 1947). General John Kelly, a Boston native who served as a Marine commander, retired to Maryland after his service.

Admiral Hyman G. Rickover, the father of the nuclear Navy, spent significant time in Maryland during his decades of service. General George S. Patton, born in California, attended West Point but had East Coast and Maryland connections through his Army career.

WWII Marine and Medal of Honor recipient Lewis Burwell Puller (Chesty Puller) had Virginia roots but is honored across the Maryland Marine Corps community. Senator Daniel Brewster of Maryland was a WWII Marine Corps combat veteran. Senator Joseph Tydings, while better known politically, served in the Army during WWII. Medal of Honor recipients from Maryland span every modern conflict, and the state hosts the United States Naval Academy Cemetery, where many of those heroes are buried.

The Star-Spangled Banner Flag House in Baltimore and the Fort McHenry National Monument and Historic Shrine reflect Maryland's foundational role in American military commemoration.

Frequently Asked Questions: Maryland Veterans Posts

Sources & Further Reading

• https://www.legion.org/
• https://mdlegion.org/
• https://www.vfw.org/
• https://www.amvets.org/
• https://www.dav.org/
• https://www.va.gov/vetdata/
• https://home.army.mil/apg/
• https://www.usna.edu/
• https://veterans.maryland.gov/
• https://www.nps.gov/fomc/