ANNUAL DUES =

ELIGIBILITY

As provided in the Constitution, Article IV, Section 1: Any person shall be eligible for membership in The American Legion who was a member of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Coast Guard or Air Force of the United States and assigned to active duty at some time during any of the following periods: April 6, 1917, to November 11, 1918, and December 7, 1941, to the date of cessation of hostilities as determined by the government of the United States; all dates inclusive, or who, being a citizen of the United States at the time of his entry therein, served on active duty in the armed forces of any of the governments associated with the United States during any of said periods; provided, however, that such service shall have been terminated by honorable discharge or honorable separation, or continued honorably during or after any of said periods; provided, further, that no person shall be entitled to membership who, being in such service during any of said periods, refused on conscientious, political or other grounds to subject himself to military discipline or unqualified service.

Section 2. There shall be no form or class of membership except an active membership, and dues shall be paid annually or for life.

Section 3. No person may be a member at any one time of more than one post.

Section 4. No person, who has been expelled by a Post, shall be admitted to membership in another Post without the consent of the expelling Post, except that where such consent has been asked for and denied by such Post, he may then appeal to the Executive Committee of the Department of the expelling Post for permission to be admitted to membership in another Post, and shall be ineligible for membership until such permission is granted. 

Per Title 36 of the US Code, Chapter 217, Section 21703, 

An individual is eligible for membership in the corporation [The American Legion] only if the individual—

(1) has served in the Armed Forces of—

(A) the United States at any time during—

(i) the period from April 6, 1917, through November 11, 1918; or

(ii) any time after December 7, 1941; or

(B) a government associated with the United States during a period or time referred to in subclause (A) of this clause and was a citizen of the United States when the individual entered that service; and

(2)  was honorably discharged or separated from that service or continues to serve honorably during or after that period or time.

The United States Space Force was created by the National Defense Authorization Act of 2020, signed by the President on December 20, 2019. It became Public Law No: 116-92,

‘‘§9081. The United States Space Force

‘‘(a) ESTABLISHMENT.—There is established a United States Space Force as an armed force within the Department of the Air Force….

(c) SPACE FORCE AS AN ARMED FORCE.—Section 101(a)(4) of title 10, United States Code, is amended by inserting ‘‘Space Force,’’ after ‘‘Marine Corps,’’.

Thus, as amended, Section 101(a)(4) of title 10, United States Code reads:

(4)  The term “armed forces” means the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Space Force, and Coast Guard.

Therefore, as title 10 of the United States Code now includes Space Force as an “Armed Force” and our federally chartered membership criteria uses the same wording [“has served in the Armed Forces….any time after December 7, 1941”] there are no necessary acts required to extend membership to all who have served or continue to serve in the United States Space Force.