PLATTSMOUTH - “Behind every great man is a great woman,” so the saying goes.

 And so is the case with the American Legion Auxiliary, which is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

According to American Legion Auxiliary President of AML Post 56 in Plattsmouth Kathy Day, the organization was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a war-time veterans organization based on the four pillars for veterans, national security, Americanism, children and youth.

Day: “The ALA was established on Nov. 10, 1919, at the first national convention of the American Legion.”

Day, who also serves as the county and district ALA president, represented the organization at the Nov. 18 Plattsmouth City Council meeting where Mayor Paul Lambert proclaimed Nov. 18, 2019, as  the American Legion Auxiliary Centennial in the town.

Whether ALA organizations serve locally, statewide or nationally, their mission is to serve veterans, military members and their families.

Lambert: “The value of the American Legion Auxiliary members’ volunteer service has impacted our veterans, military families, youth, scholarships and communities in the last year by an estimated $1.1 billion.”

Over the years, The American Legion Family has influenced considerable social change in America, won hundreds of benefits for veterans, helped military families through transition and produced many important programs for our country’s youth.

Today, ALA members across the country are helping military families cope with the effects of multiple deployments. The toll on our all-volunteer force and their families has been enormous. The Auxiliary’s efforts are focused in three primary areas of veterans/military support and advocacy; family support; and youth development.

The ALA’s centennial celebration will continue through 2019 and end in November 2020.