On behalf of the membership of The American Legion Renton-Pickering Post # 79 welcome to our website!  The American Legion has a long and proud history and was founded based on a proposal written by Lt. Col Theodore Roosevelt, Jr., and delivered to a group of veterans of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) shortly after World War I.  This proposal resulted in the Paris Caucus of March 15-17, 1919.    It was at this caucus that The American Legion received its name.  The American Legion was chartered by Congress in 1919 as a patriotic, mutual-help, war-time veterans’ service organization. 

Even though The American Legion was created overseas, organizers realized that members of the armed services had no choice whether they served in the United States or overseas.  Accordingly, it was decided that membership in The American Legion should be open to all who served honorably in the armed forces during World War I regardless of where they served.  Eligibility for membership has since been revised to include veterans who have served honorably in the armed forces during all of our nation’s subsequent wars and conflicts.

Today, The American Legion is the largest veterans’ service organization in the world and now numbers nearly 2.7 million members – men and women – in nearly 15,000 American Legion Posts worldwide. These Posts are organized into 55 Departments – one each for the 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, France, Mexico, and the Philippines.  The four pillars on which The American Legion continues to focus on include:  A Strong National Defense, Taking Care of Veterans, Mentoring Youth, and Promoting Patriotism and Honor.  Today, American Legion posts worldwide support a variety of programs related to the four pillars.

The Renton-Pickering Post # 79 of The American Legion has a long and distinguished history.  Our post is named after David Renton and Lester Pickering, two Snoqualmie Valley residents who were killed in World War I.  Originally there were two posts chartered in 1919 in North Bend, and 1922 in Duvall respectively.  These posts consolidated in 1925.  We have been located in our current building since the late 1920’s, and have been an active and important part of our community ever since. 

We hope that this website will provide you with the information you are seeking concerning our post, but if you have any questions about The American Legion or any of our programs, please feel free to contact us.

Still Serving America,

Steven Fenton

Commander

Email:  Commander@Post79.org

Please note AM/PM indication at center of each clock.

Last Updated:  June 10, 2009