Pennsylvania Veterans Posts

About Veterans Organizations in Pennsylvania

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

History of Veterans Organizations in Pennsylvania

Pennsylvania's relationship with American military service runs deeper than that of almost any other state. The Continental Army wintered at Valley Forge in the brutal cold of 1777 to 1778, the Whiskey Rebellion was put down by federalized militia in the western Pennsylvania hills in 1794, and Gettysburg's three days in July 1863 remain the most consequential battle ever fought on American soil. By the time the American Legion was chartered in 1919, Pennsylvania had already been the home of the Grand Army of the Republic in its strongest form, and many GAR members lived to welcome the new generation of doughboys home from France and help organize Legion posts. The Department of Pennsylvania American Legion was chartered in 1919, with its first state convention meeting in Harrisburg.

From the start, the Pennsylvania department was one of the largest in the nation. The state had sent more than 350,000 men into uniform during the First World War, and they returned to a heavily industrialized economy with hundreds of mill towns, mining communities, and steel cities, each capable of supporting one or more Legion posts. By 1925 Pennsylvania had nearly 1,200 Legion posts and a membership base in the hundreds of thousands. The interwar years saw the department grow further, and during the Great Depression Pennsylvania Legionnaires were active in the Bonus Army movement and in advocacy for unemployment relief.

The Second World War transformed Pennsylvania once again. The Philadelphia Naval Shipyard built and repaired ships at unprecedented pace, the Pittsburgh steel mills supplied the Arsenal of Democracy, and Pennsylvania National Guard units, including the 28th Infantry Division, fought from Normandy to the Hurtgen Forest. The Carlisle Barracks, the home of the U.S. Army War College, has been a center of military education in Pennsylvania since the early 20th century.

The Korean War, Vietnam, and the post-9/11 wars each added their generations of Pennsylvania Legionnaires. Today the Department of Pennsylvania American Legion is headquartered in Harrisburg and consistently ranks among the three or four largest department memberships in the country, with hundreds of thousands of members across nearly a thousand chartered posts.

Oldest and Most Historic Posts in Pennsylvania

American Legion Post 1 in Pittsburgh, the Allegheny Post, traces its charter to 1919 and has historically been one of the largest urban posts in the eastern United States. Post 2 in Philadelphia, organized in the same year, anchored Legion activity in the City of Brotherly Love. Post 3 in Harrisburg, the capital city post, has long served as the symbolic seat of state Legion gatherings. American Legion Post 5 in Erie, Post 7 in Scranton, and Post 8 in Allentown all originated in the founding wave of charters and remain active.

Pennsylvania has many posts associated with specific industrial communities. Post 396 in Bethlehem, near the historic Bethlehem Steel works, has long had members from the steel industry. Post 415 in Carlisle, near the Army War College, has served generations of senior officers and Department of the Army civilians. American Legion Post 21 in Reading has occupied a striking historic post home for decades.

Post 559 in Hershey, in the chocolate town, has been associated with the Hershey company veteran community. Many of Pennsylvania's oldest posts have particularly rich historical archives, given the state's continuous military heritage from the Revolution through the Civil War and both World Wars. Some posts in the anthracite coal region of northeastern Pennsylvania trace their charters to communities that no longer exist as they did in 1919, but their posts have absorbed members from successor communities and continue to operate.

VFW Posts in Pennsylvania: A Closer Look

The Veterans of Foreign Wars in Pennsylvania has roots that predate the founding of the modern VFW. Several Pennsylvania veteran organizations from the 1890s and 1900s, formed by Spanish-American War and Philippine Insurrection veterans, were among the constituent bodies that merged in 1914 to form the modern VFW. The Department of Pennsylvania VFW has been one of the largest and most politically influential state departments since its inception. Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Harrisburg, Scranton, and Erie all have VFW posts that trace their charters to the 1910s and 1920s.

After World War II, Pennsylvania's VFW grew explosively, and the department came to operate roughly 700 posts at its peak. Notable Pennsylvania VFW posts include Post 1 in Philadelphia, often considered one of the foundational posts of the entire national organization, and Post 92 in Pittsburgh. The Department of Pennsylvania VFW maintains a state office in Harrisburg and runs vigorous Buddy Poppy, Voice of Democracy, and Patriot's Pen programs. Pennsylvania VFW members have been prominent advocates on Agent Orange, Gulf War illness, burn pit, and Camp Lejeune water contamination issues, and the state department has been at the forefront of advocating for VA expansion in rural Pennsylvania.

AMVETS, DAV, and Other Veterans Organizations in Pennsylvania

AMVETS in Pennsylvania organized in the late 1940s as World War II veterans pushed for benefits specific to their generation, and the state department grew rapidly to hundreds of posts. The Pennsylvania AMVETS department maintains an active footprint across the state with concentrations in the Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, and Scranton metropolitan areas. The Disabled American Veterans organization has deep Pennsylvania roots and the state department, headquartered in Harrisburg, operates one of the largest DAV transportation networks in the country. DAV vans bring disabled veterans to VA medical centers in Pittsburgh, Philadelphia, Coatesville, Wilkes-Barre, Lebanon, Erie, Altoona, and Butler.

Pennsylvania's heavy industrial history, combined with its large Vietnam-era veteran population, has meant that DAV service officers in the state are particularly experienced with Agent Orange, asbestos exposure, and PACT Act burn pit claims.

Pennsylvania Veterans Posts by the Numbers

Pennsylvania is home to approximately 760,000 to 820,000 veterans, ranking it among the top six veteran populations in the United States. The state hosts Carlisle Barracks, home of the U.S. Army War College and the Army Heritage and Education Center; Tobyhanna Army Depot in northeastern Pennsylvania; Letterkenny Army Depot near Chambersburg; the 911th Airlift Wing at Pittsburgh; the 193rd Special Operations Wing at Harrisburg; and historically, the Philadelphia Naval Shipyard, which though closed as an active naval installation in the 1990s remains an important industrial site. The American Legion Department of Pennsylvania maintains approximately 950 chartered posts, one of the largest networks in the country, and reports active membership well in excess of 150,000.

The VFW Department of Pennsylvania operates approximately 600 posts. AMVETS maintains hundreds of posts. The combined Pennsylvania veteran service organization presence is one of the densest networks in the nation.

How to Join a Veterans Post in Pennsylvania

Membership in the American Legion in Pennsylvania follows the federal eligibility framework. Any veteran with at least one day of honorable federal active duty since December 7, 1941 may join, as can current honorably-serving members. National Guard and Reserve members federally activated qualify. The Pennsylvania National Guard, including the historic 28th Infantry Division 'Keystone Division,' has had substantial federal mobilizations for Iraq, Afghanistan, the Sinai, Kosovo, and various stateside duty, and many of those soldiers have joined Legion posts.

Annual dues at Pennsylvania posts vary from approximately $30 to $55, with paid-up-for-life options. The Sons of The American Legion in Pennsylvania is one of the largest detachments in the country. The American Legion Auxiliary maintains units across the state, sponsors Keystone Girls State, and operates an active poppy program. Pennsylvania has a particularly strong Legion Riders presence, with chapters that perform funeral honor missions and ride in patriotic parades throughout the year.

Many Pennsylvania posts maintain distinctive traditions tied to their local industrial or military heritage, from coal-region anthracite parades to Pittsburgh steel-town remembrance ceremonies.

Notable Pennsylvania Veterans in History

Pennsylvania's roster of notable veterans is enormous. General George C. Marshall, the architect of the U.S. military victory in World War II and later Secretary of State whose Marshall Plan rebuilt postwar Europe, was a Pennsylvania native born in Uniontown.

General George B. McClellan, who commanded the Army of the Potomac early in the Civil War, was Philadelphia-born. Astronaut Alan Shepard, the first American in space, was not Pennsylvania-born but had family ties to the state. Senator John Heinz, a Vietnam-era Air Force veteran, was a long-serving Pennsylvania advocate for veteran issues.

Senator Arlen Specter, an Air Force veteran, served Pennsylvania for three decades. The 28th Infantry Division has produced numerous Medal of Honor recipients, and Carlisle Barracks has been home to nearly every senior officer in the modern Army at some point in their career. Modern figures with Pennsylvania ties include Senator Pat Toomey's Air Force veteran predecessors, and Medal of Honor recipients like Sgt. Alvin York, who though Tennessean had Pennsylvania training connections.

Several Pennsylvania Legion posts are named for local Medal of Honor recipients of every war from the Spanish-American War through Iraq and Afghanistan.

Frequently Asked Questions: Pennsylvania Veterans Posts

Sources & Further Reading

• https://www.pa-legion.com/
• https://www.legion.org/
• https://www.vfw.org/
• https://www.amvets.org/
• https://www.dav.org/
• https://www.va.gov/vetdata/
• https://www.dmva.pa.gov/
• https://www.armywarcollege.edu/
• https://ahec.armywarcollege.edu/