Rhode Island Veterans Posts

About Veterans Organizations in Rhode Island

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

History of Veterans Organizations in Rhode Island

Rhode Island, the smallest state in the union by area, has carried a military significance disproportionate to its size since the earliest days of the republic. The colony's General Assembly declared independence from Britain in May 1776, two months before the Continental Congress, and Rhode Island sailors served on Continental ships and privateers throughout the Revolutionary War. The state's identity as a maritime and naval community has shaped its veteran organizations to this day. The American Legion arrived in Rhode Island in 1919, and the Department of Rhode Island was chartered the same year.

The state's first Legion convention met in Providence, and within months posts had been organized in Providence, Newport, Pawtucket, Woonsocket, Cranston, and Warwick. Despite its small geographic size, Rhode Island had sent thousands of men into uniform during the First World War, with substantial naval enlistment given the state's maritime tradition and the location of the Naval War College and Naval Training Station at Newport. Many of the founding Rhode Island Legionnaires were sailors and Marines as well as soldiers, giving the state department a more naval character than many of its peer departments. The interwar years saw the Rhode Island Legion grow steadily, and during the Great Depression Legion posts in Pawtucket, Woonsocket, and other mill towns served as informal social safety nets for unemployed textile workers who happened to also be veterans.

The Second World War transformed Rhode Island's veteran community. Quonset Point Naval Air Station was established in 1941 and would become one of the most important naval aviation training and operations bases on the East Coast. The Newport Naval Station expanded dramatically. Tens of thousands of sailors and Marines passed through Rhode Island during the war, and many returned afterward to settle and join Legion posts.

The Korean War, Vietnam, and the post-9/11 wars added their own waves of members. Today the Department of Rhode Island American Legion is headquartered in Providence and oversees a compact but active network of posts across the state.

Oldest and Most Historic Posts in Rhode Island

American Legion Post 1 in Providence traces its charter directly to 1919 and remains one of the most prominent posts in southern New England. Post 2 in Newport, organized in the same founding year, has a particularly distinctive character given the Naval War College and the deep naval heritage of Aquidneck Island. Post 4 in Pawtucket and Post 7 in Woonsocket originated in the original wave of charters and have served the state's mill cities for over a century. American Legion Post 14 in Westerly, in the southwestern corner of the state, has anchored the seaside community for generations.

Post 27 in East Greenwich and Post 30 in Bristol are smaller but historically continuous. American Legion Post 64 in North Providence and Post 53 in Cranston serve some of the most populous suburbs in the state. Newport's Post 18, often associated with naval aviation veterans of the World War II era and after, has long maintained ties with active duty personnel at the Naval Station. Many Rhode Island posts occupy historic buildings, including former mansions, mill buildings, or purpose-built post halls dating to the 1920s and 1930s.

The state's compact geography means that almost every Rhode Islander lives within a short drive of a Legion post.

VFW Posts in Rhode Island: A Closer Look

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Rhode Island organized in the early 1920s, with founding posts in Providence, Newport, and Pawtucket. The state's strong naval foreign-service population from World War I, the China station, and the Caribbean expeditions provided early VFW eligibility numbers. The Department of Rhode Island VFW grew dramatically after World War II, when the state's military expansion and the return of tens of thousands of foreign-service veterans added substantial membership. Notable Rhode Island VFW posts include Post 152 in Providence, Post 406 in Newport, and Post 7771 in Cranston.

The Department of Rhode Island VFW is one of the smallest state departments by absolute count but consistently ranks among the most active per capita. Buddy Poppy distribution, Voice of Democracy and Patriot's Pen scholarships, and military assistance programs are all active. Rhode Island VFW members have been particularly prominent in advocating for naval veteran issues including asbestos exposure on older ships, Agent Orange Blue Water Navy claims, and Camp Lejeune contamination claims for those Marines who passed through Newport.

AMVETS, DAV, and Other Veterans Organizations in Rhode Island

AMVETS in Rhode Island has a small but active footprint, with posts in Providence, Cranston, Warwick, and several other communities. The state department coordinates community service and scholarship activities. The Disabled American Veterans organization maintains a Rhode Island department headquartered in Providence, with chapters across the state operating transportation networks that bring disabled veterans to the Providence VA Medical Center. Given the state's small size, Rhode Island DAV transportation requires shorter average runs than in larger states, but volume is high because of the state's older veteran population.

DAV service officers in Rhode Island have particular expertise in naval-related claims, including asbestos exposure and radiation exposure for those who served on older Cold War ships and submarines.

Rhode Island Veterans Posts by the Numbers

Rhode Island is home to approximately 60,000 to 65,000 veterans, a small absolute number reflecting the state's small population of just over 1 million. The state hosts Naval Station Newport, which includes the prestigious Naval War College, the Naval Justice School, the Officer Training Command, and the Naval Undersea Warfare Center. The Coast Guard maintains stations along the Rhode Island coast. The American Legion Department of Rhode Island maintains approximately 65 to 75 chartered posts and reports active membership in the range of 8,000 to 11,000.

The VFW Department of Rhode Island operates around 30 posts. AMVETS has a smaller footprint of about a dozen posts. Rhode Island's compact size makes it possible for state Legion conventions and events to draw members from every post in a single afternoon, a characteristic that distinguishes the small department.

How to Join a Veterans Post in Rhode Island

Joining the American Legion in Rhode Island follows national eligibility rules. Any veteran with at least one day of honorable federal active duty since December 7, 1941 may join an Rhode Island post, as can current honorably-serving members. National Guard and Reserve members federally activated qualify. The Rhode Island National Guard, including the 43rd Military Police Brigade and various aviation units, has had substantial federal mobilizations to Iraq, Afghanistan, and other operations.

Annual dues at Rhode Island posts typically run from $30 to $50, with paid-up-for-life options widely available. The Sons of The American Legion is active in Rhode Island, with squadrons across the state. The American Legion Auxiliary in Rhode Island sponsors Ocean State Girls State each summer and runs an active poppy distribution program. Rhode Island Legion Riders are particularly visible at funeral honor missions throughout New England, given the state's central location in the region.

Veterans interested in joining can find a post through legionfinder.com or by contacting the Department of Rhode Island office in Providence.

Notable Rhode Island Veterans in History

Rhode Island has produced and hosted notable military figures across American history. General Nathanael Greene, the Quaker-born Rhode Island general who served as George Washington's most trusted subordinate during the Revolutionary War, conducted the brilliant southern campaign that pushed the British out of the Carolinas. Commodore Oliver Hazard Perry, born in South Kingstown, Rhode Island, won the Battle of Lake Erie in 1813 and uttered the famous words 'We have met the enemy and they are ours.' Commodore Matthew C. Perry, his younger brother, was the commodore who opened Japan to American trade in 1853.

Admiral Raymond A. Spruance, who commanded U.S. naval forces at the pivotal Battle of Midway in 1942, served at the Naval War College in Newport for many years and considered Rhode Island his professional home. The Naval War College itself, established in 1884, has been the educational seat of nearly every senior U.S.

naval officer for over a century. Modern figures include Senator Jack Reed, a West Point graduate and Army Ranger veteran who has been one of the most influential voices on military policy in the U.S. Senate. Several Rhode Island Legion posts are named for local Medal of Honor recipients and World War II naval heroes.

Frequently Asked Questions: Rhode Island Veterans Posts

Sources & Further Reading

• https://rilegion.org/
• https://www.legion.org/
• https://www.vfw.org/
• https://www.amvets.org/
• https://www.dav.org/
• https://www.va.gov/vetdata/
• https://www.vets.ri.gov/
• https://usnwc.edu/
• https://cnrma.cnic.navy.mil/Installations/NS-Newport/