The American Legion was chartered and incorporated by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic veterans organization devoted to mutual helpfulness. It is the nation’s largest wartime veterans service organization, committed to mentoring youth and sponsorship of wholesome programs in our communities, advocating patriotism and honor, promoting strong national security, and continued devotion to our fellow servicemembers and veterans.
The VFW mission is to "honor the dead by helping the living" through veterans' service, community service, national security and a strong national defense. The VFW mandates are: By prevailing upon Congress and the administration to fulfill the nation's commitment to care and provide for her defenders and their dependents in their time of need and to ensure that the United States remains ever vigilant while maintaining a strong national defense.
The VFW has and should always be an engine to Honor our dead, foster patriotism and bring veterans together. We teach flag etiquette and participate in various ceremonies on Veterans’, Memorial and Pearl Harbor Day. VFW 973 does a lot of other things, too. We support programs like:
- Matilda’s closet at the VA Hospital,
- Custodians of the Orange County Veterans’ Memorial in the City of Newburgh,
- Flag Retirement Ceremonies on June 14th to Fostering Americanism through Competitions like Voice of Democracy & Patriots’ Pen.
