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 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.

Hundreds of local American Legion programs and activities strengthen the nation one community at a time. American Legion Baseball is one of the nation’s most successful amateur athletic programs, educating young people about the importance of sportsmanship, citizenship and fitness. The Heroes to Hometowns program connects local Legionnaires with recovering wounded warriors and their families, providing a variety of support activities. The Legion raises millions of dollars in donations at the local, state and national levels to help veterans and their families and to provide college scholarship opportunities.

The American Legion is a nonpartisan, not-for-profit organization with great political influence perpetuated by its grass-roots involvement in the legislation process from local districts to Capitol Hill. Legionnaires’ sense of obligation to community, state and nation drives an honest advocacy for veterans in Washington. The Legion stands behind the issues most important to the nation's veterans community, backed by resolutions passed by volunteer leadership.

The American Legion’s success depends entirely on active membership, participation and volunteerism. The organization belongs to the people it serves and the communities in which it thrives.

Find out more information about our organization on https://legion.org.

Matt Sampson is a retired Army officer. A native of Iowa, he graduated and was commissioned from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. He served a 20-year career in the Army with tours of duty stateside and overseas, including a 15-month deployment to Iraq. His final assignment was Professor of Military Science at WVU Army ROTC in Morgantown. Matt has been a volunteer at Mountaineer Boys State since 2010, first as a Counselor, then a Senior Counselor and now as Assistant Director. He is a quadruple member of the Mountaineer Post 174 Legion Family: Legion, Auxiliary, Sons, and Legion Riders. Matt is a 2021 graduate of the National American Legion College. He and his wife, who is also an Army veteran and a dual member of the Legion and Auxiliary, reside in Morgantown. They are the parents of a son and a daughter who are members of the Sons of the American Legion and the American Legion Auxiliary, respectively. Matt’s father is a Navy veteran and 57-year member of the Legion. Additionally, both of Matt’s brothers retired from military careers.