What are the requirements for joining the Legion Riders?
First, you must be a current member in good standing of the American Legion, American Legion Auxiliary or Sons of the American Legion and
Second, you must be either the legally registered owner of a motorcycle of at least 350cc engine displacement, or you must be the spouse of an ALR 199 member in good standing.
Do I have to be a Vet to join the American Legion Riders?
No there are 3 ways to join the American Legion Family thereby becoming eligible to join the Legion Riders:
Who is eligible to join?
There are three ways to join our Legion family … see which one fits you below:
1. The American Legion – If you are currently serving in the U.S. Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines or Coast Guard or have served during the date ranges of one of the times of conflict listed below under ‘Eligibility Dates’, and were honorably discharged.
or …
2. Sons of the American Legion- To be eligible, you must be a male descendant (includes stepsons and adopted sons) of a member of The American Legion. (Once they are signed up, you can sign up yourself.)
or …
You would also be eligible to join the Sons of The American Legion if you are the male descendant (stepsons and adopted sons included) of a veteran who died in service during one of the date ranges listed below under ‘Eligibility Dates’.
or …
You would also be eligible to join the Sons of The American Legion if you are the male descendant (stepsons and adopted sons included) of a veteran who died subsequent to his or her honorable discharge from service during one of the date ranges listed below, under ‘Eligibility Dates’.
or …
3. American Legion Auxiliary –
If you are the mother, wife, daughter, sister, granddaughter, great-granddaughter or grandmother of a veterans who is a member, or a deceased veteran who qualifies as a member.
or …
If qualifying for yourself, if you are in the service or have served during one of the date ranges listed below, under ‘Eligibility Dates’, and were honorably discharged. You can also have a dual membership of both the Legion, and Legion Auxiliary.
Eligibility Dates
The below dates reflect eligibility requirements for either yourself OR the veteran through whom you are applying for membership in the case of the Sons of the American Legion, or American Legion Auxiliary.
World War I
April 6, 1917 to November 11, 1918
World War II (as Veteran)
December 7, 1941 to December 31, 1946
World War II (as Merchant Marine)
December 7, 1941 to August 15, 1945
Korean War
June 25, 1950 to January 31, 1955
Vietnam War
February 28, 1961 to May 7, 1975
Lebanon/Grenada
August 24, 1982 to July 31, 1984
Panama
December 20, 1989 to January 31, 1990
Persian Gulf War
August 2, 1990 to today
The American Legion establishes proof of eligibility based on a DD-214 form. The DD-214, or DD Form 214 is a document of the United States armed forces issued by the Department of Defense upon a military service member’s separation or discharge from the active duty military.
The full name of the document is “Defense Department Form 214”, however the document is often shortened to be called a DD-214, DD Form 214 or simply as a “sep doc”. A DD-214 is also commonly referred to as “Discharge Papers”, however this is slightly misleading as the document is more often issued for release from active duty and transfers to the inactive reserves than it is for final discharge from the military.
DD-214 is widely regarded as one of the most important documents in the military as it is a complete record of a service member’s time in the military, awards and medals, and other pertinent service information such as promotions, combat service or overseas service, and Military Occupational Specialty identifiers. DD-214 is commonly used by various government agencies, chief among them the Department of Veterans Affairs, to secure veteran benefits.
Where can I find the DD-214 form?
If the veteran through whom you qualify doesn’t already have their DD-214 form readily available then the National Personnel Records Center (NPRC) has provided a website for veterans to gain access to their DD-214 online: www.vetrecs.archives.gov. This may be particularly helpful when a veteran needs a copy of his DD-214 for employment purposes or for membership in The American Legion.
Veterans and the next of kin of deceased veterans may now use a new online military personnel records system to request documents. Other individuals with a need for documents must still complete the Standard Form 180, which can also be downloaded from the online web site. Because the person making the request will be asked to supply all information essential for NPRC to process the request, delays that normally occur when NPRC has to ask veterans for additional information will be minimized.
I have the DD-214 form, what’s next?
NEW MEMBERSHIP
1. Click the link to open the American Legion Riders Application.
2. Complete and print out two (2) copies. Sign one copy and keep one copy for your records.
– or –
Save the completed form on your computer and email it as an attachment to [email protected] with “ALR Membership Application” as the subject.
3. Make out a check payable to American Legion Riders Chapter 199 for first year’s dues.
$13 Full membership
$8 for companion membership
DO NOT SEND CASH.
4. Mail a completed and signed copy of the American Legion Riders Membership Application, copy of the requested related veteran’s information if available, and dues payment to the Post.
5. If all information is correct, your membership will be approved and you will be notified.