Post Officer Duties - Adjutant

AMERICAN LEGION POST OFFICERS GUIDE – ADJUTANT: Duties Of

Adjutant (Recording Adjutant)

“My comrade, you have been chosen to assist your commander in the wise and effective administration of the office and to serve not only your fellow Legionnaires, but also those whose relationship to our organization has led them to look to us for guidance and relief.  You will find the duties many, varied, and at times taxing of your crowded hours and resources. The successful accomplishment of our program depends, to a great extent, upon you and your performance of the duties of your office.”

 —Charge from Installation Ceremony

The adjutant holds the same relative position in the post as the secretary of any other organized body—and a little more—the office serves as the “first sergeant” of the company.  Post activities revolve around the adjutant. 

Most posts find it wise to retain a good adjutant in office over a period of years. The adjutant may well be regarded as the “continuity person” in the post.  While the commander’s duties are largely inspirational and executive, an adjutant’s duties are administrative.  The Commander navigates the ship, but the adjutant is the engineer who runs the ship’s machinery.

The adjutant is the personnel officer, the intimate contact with the individual post member, maintains the membership records, minutes of meetings, checks up and assists the work of the other officers and committees, and publishes official orders, announcements and instructions.

All post records should be in the adjutant’s custody; for ready access to all sources of information, and it is to his/her interest to develop a comprehensive filing system.

The adjutant is primarily concerned with ways and means and, by virtue of a key position, can add effectiveness to all post activities.  The office involves a great deal of work, and it is urgently recommended that some degree of compensation be paid the adjutant, particularly in large posts.

Suggestions for New Adjutant

The only indispensable qualifications are honesty and willingness.  The adjutant should get a set of post account books from the Emblem Sales Division, National Headquarters.  They require no special knowledge of bookkeeping. He/She should go through all the post records at the first opportunity.  The constitution, minutes of meetings, and reports of officers and committees will give an insight into the post’s policies and traditions.  Communications from department headquarters shall put the adjutant up to date on instructions.

A special Post Adjutant’s Manual is available with full information on the handling and processing of the automated membership card system plus other matters related to the duties of a post adjutant.  Every adjutant should have a copy of the Post Adjutant’s Manual.

Duties at William Clinton Story Post 342:  From Post By-Laws

ARTICLE IV-DUTIES OF OFFICERS

Section 3. I. Duties of Post Recording Adjutant-The Recording _

Adjutant shall have charge of and keep a full and correct record of all proceedings, of all meetings, keeping such records as the department and national organizations may require, render reports of membership annually or when called upon at a meeting.