AMVETS (American Veterans) is the nation’s most inclusive Congressionally-chartered veterans service organization, representing the interests of 20 million veterans. AMVETS is open to and fighting for all who honorably served in the United States military, including the Reserve and Guard. With more than 300,000 members nationwide, we are veterans serving veterans.
AMVETS NATIONAL MISSION STATEMENT: To enhance and safeguard the entitlements for all American Veterans who have served honorably and to improve the quality of life for them, their families, and the communities where they live through leadership, advocacy and services.
AMVETS good works in Hawaii includes…
The AMVETS Memorial Carillon Bell System at Punchbowl is maintained by AMVETS Service Foundation, IAW, AMVETS-Cemetery MOA. AMVETS decided that a “living” memorial, a carillon whose bells, symbolic of Thomas Jefferson’s historic words, “Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty,” tolling as a constant reminder that the sacrifices made by those who died were not in vain, but also serves to remind us of our legacy and of our debt to those who fought to preserve freedom throughout the world.
AMVETS is the proud “Keepers of the USS Arizona Memorial Marble Shrine Wall”
AMVETS built the first Memorial Wall and replaced the Wall 3-times; most recently, AMVETS raised the $350,000 dollars needed and rededicated the Memorial Wall on Veterans Day, 11 NOV 2014, IAW, AMVETS – National Park Service MOA
Pearl Harbor Visitor Center Shoreside Dock Restoration Project
AMVETS Past National Commander, Regi Riley (2018-2019) selected the Shoreside dock to be his Signature Project, raising over $65,000 dollars in August 2019.
U.S. Department of the Interior, National Pork Service (NPS) Ewa Field Grant – $63,000
In September 2018, NPS entered into a Grant Agreement with AMVETS Hawaii Service Foundation Corporation pursuant to the Battlefield Preservation Assistance provisions of the American Battlefield protection program with the NPS to identify, evaluate, interpret, and protect historic battlefields and sites associated with wars on American soil.
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Note. AMVETS Hawaii is an All-volunteer organization nonprofit Veterans Service Organization (VSO).
Our Purpose:
AMVETS has been proudly serving American veterans for more than half a century. Founded by World War II veterans, the organization has grown to where, today, its membership enrolls veterans from all areas, Anyone who has honorably served in the United States Armed Forces after Sept. 15, 1940, to include those on active duty as well as in the Reserve Components. The purpose and goals of AMVETS, as spelled out in the organization’s 1947 congressional charter, still ring true today.
Among these aims are:
- To preserve for ourselves and our posterity the great and basic truths and enduring principles upon which this nation was founded.
- To maintain a continuing interest in the welfare and rehabilitation of disabled veterans and to establish facilities for the assistance of all veterans, to represent them in their claims before VA and other organizations.
- To dedicate ourselves to the service and best interests of the community, state and nation to the end that our country shall be and remain forever a strong and free nation.
- To encourage universal exercise of the voting franchise to the end that there shall be elected and maintained in public office men and women who hold such office as a public trust administered in the best interests of all people.
- To advocate the development and means by which all Americans may become enlightened and informed citizens and this participate fully in the functions of democracy.
Note: American Veterans or “AMVETS” formerly known as American Veterans of World War II, was founded by nine World War II veterans clubs in Kansas City, Missouri on Dec. 10, 1944.
Less than three years later, on July 23, 1947, President Harry S. Truman signed Public Law 216, making AMVETS the first World War II organization to be chartered by Congress.
Since then, the original charter has been amended several times to admit as members those who served in different eras. On 16 October 2002 the 107th Congress enacted Public Law 107-241 (H.R. 3214), an Act to amend the Charter of the AMVETS organization to “AMVETS (American Veterans)”. Today, membership in AMVETS is open to anyone who is currently serving, or who has honorably served in the U.S. Armed Forces from World War II to the present, to include the National Guard and Reserves.
AMVETS is an organization that benefit veterans of the United States Armed Forces. Internal Revenue Code section 7701(a)(15) defines “Armed Forces of the United States” to include all regular and reserve components of the uniformed services which are subject to the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Defense, the Secretary of the Army, the Secretary of the Navy, or the Secretary of the Air Force, and each term also includes the Coast Guard. AMVETS members are members of the United States Armed Forces, past or present.
- AMVETS Hawaii Service Foundation Corp. is a 501(c)3, public, non-profit Veterans’ Service Organization (VSO)
- AMVETS Department of Hawaii and Posts are 501(c)(19), non-profit, all-volunteer Veterans’ Service Organization (VSO)
- Our members are Veterans and Active Duty Service members serving in the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marines, U.S. Air Force, Coast Guard, Hawaii National Guard and Reserve.