AMVETS stands for American Veterans. Our members are active duty and honorably discharged veterans from all branches of services, including National Guard and Reservists. We are chartered by congress to assist veterans in all aspects of their lives from disability claims to finding jobs.
Do you have to serve in combat to be an AMVETS member?
You do not have to be a combat veteran to join. All active duty and honorably discharged military personnel are eligible to become AMVETS members.
What are the membership dues?
Annual dues are $40 a year; $15 goes to AMVETS National, $15 goes to AMVETS State and $10 to AMVETS Post 55. Life membership is $250.
What is a Member at Large (MAL)?
When you join online through through the National or State AMVETS website, you are assigned to the state of your choice. You can be a MAL in your home state or the state you are stationed in. MALs have access to all AMVETS canteens and restaurants and can use all of our member discounts. Members at large do not have a vote in AMVETS elections. To be a voting member of AMVETS, you must join a Post. Please join Hap Arnold Post 55, Sonoma, CA.
How can I join and AMVETS Post?
You can request a transfer from MAL status to a Post 55. By joining Post 55, you can actively help veterans through a variety of AMVETS programs. Go to our Contact page and let us know you are interested in joining our post and we will help you with the transfer.
How was AMVETS started?
When troops returned to America at the end of WWII, many used their newly earned GI bill benefit to complete a degree, a goal usually reserved for the wealthy. Veterans found they we comfortable with other veterans on campus and they formed veterans clubs. These clubs became active in shaping American policy and on July 23, 1947, President Harry Truman signed public law 216 which granted a Congressional Charter to AMVETS (American Veteran).