The Oro Valley American Legion Auxiliary Unit 132.
The American Legion Auxiliary:
Founded in 1919, it is comprised of male and female spouses, grandmothers, mothers, sisters, and direct and adopted female descendants of members of The American Legion. Many of the members are veterans themselves. It is one of the world’s largest patriotic organizations. The 700,000 members are a strong collective voice advocating for veterans’ issues and supporting the programs of The American Legion.
The mission of the Auxiliary is to support The American Legion and its many programs and to honor the sacrifice of those who have and those who are currently serving our great country. We do this by enhancing the lives of our veterans, military personnel, and their families both at home and abroad.
Oro Valley Auxiliary Unit 132:
Auxiliary Unit 132 is an award-winning unit renowned for its programs that benefit veterans, service members, and their families. Its programs are dedicated to preserving American traditions and values and enhancing the quality of life of the youth of our community. For more information email ovunit132@gmail.com or visit webpage www.ovunit132.info.
Mailing address: Auxiliary OV Unit 132, P.O. Box 69246, Oro Valley, AZ., 85737.
Awards and recognition received by Auxiliary Unit 132:
• 2012: The “Outstanding Community Partner of the Year” awarded by the Arizona National Guard. The recipient of this award is selected from among the hundreds of Arizona National Guard civilian community partners. This was jointly awarded to Oro Valley American Legion Post 132.
• 2013: The prestigious national “Community Purple, Partner of the Year” awarded by the U.S National Guard Bureau. It is the only time an organization from Arizona has received the prestigious national award. This was jointly awarded to Oro Valley American Legion Post 132.
• 2014 – 2022: Recognized as the “Go-to Veterans Service Organization” for helping Veterans in need. Awarded by the Tucson Veterans Serving Veterans (TVSV) organization. This was jointly awarded to Oro Valley American Legion Post 132.
Partial list of programs supported by Auxiliary Unit 132:
• The annual event to provide care and assistance to homeless and “At Risk” veterans and their families
• Provide supplies to the lounge of the State Veterans Home
• Distribute poppies throughout the local community during Memorial Day weekend. One of only a few Arizona Auxiliary Units still spreading the word, among the public, of the poppy’s symbolism and of the service and sacrifice of our military heroes.
• Provide support to the families of the deployed local Guard and Reserve Units.
• Provide backpacks filled with school supplies to the children of local Guard and Reserve members
• Wreaths Across America
• Girls State. A week-long program for girls entering their junior year of high school. It is a participatory program in which the delegates create and run a fictional 51st state including local, county, and state government bodies. Participants learn the rights, privileges, and responsibilities of citizenship.
Are you eligible for membership in the Auxiliary?:
You are if you are a female who served in the U.S. Armed Forces during one of the eligibility periods of the American Legion or are a male spouse of an American Legion member, or are the mother, daughter, sister, granddaughter, or grandmother of someone living (if living must be an American Legion member) or deceased, who served during one of the American Legion eligibility periods.
American Legion eligibility Periods (see Guard and Reserves eligibility below):
For membership in The American Legion, you must be currently serving or have been honorably discharged from the U.S. military and served at least one day on active duty during one of the following periods: (Eligibility periods are established by the U.S. Congress)
• 12/7/41-12/31/46 – World War II.
• 6/25/50-1/31/55 – Korean War.
• 2/28/61-5/7/75 – Vietnam War
• 8/24/82-7/31/84 – Lebanon.
• 12/20/89-1/31/90 Grenada & Panama.
• 8/2/90 – TBD – War on Terror (Termination of this currently open-ended eligibility period to be determined by Congress)
• 12/7/41 – TBD – Other Conflicts. Served at least one day of active military duty since Dec. 7, 1941, and honorably discharged or are still serving honorably. This covers all honorable active-duty military service during any period since Dec 7, 1941 not defined for one of the above eligibility periods). This is a new eligibility period included in the American Legion Act signed into federal Law in 2019.
National Guard and Reservists eligibility: If federally activated (including basic training) during the any of the American Legion eligibility periods listed above.