American Legion at the convention and later became known as Legionnaires' disease ("Legionellosis"). The bacterium that causes the illness was later named "Legionella". In 1988, after over 44 years of opposing U.S. Merchant seamen from receiving benefits under the G.I. Bill, they allowed Merchant seamen to join The American Legion. This followed Merchant seamen being granted limited veterans status by the United States Secretary of the Air Force on January 19, 1988. After a 1989 U.S. Supreme Court decision ("Texas v. Johnson"), The American Legion launched and funded an unsuccessful campaign to win a constitutional amendment against harming the flag of the
1976 Philadelphia Legionnaires' disease outbreak which then spread it through the building. This finding prompted new regulations worldwide for climate control systems. Complicating the situation was a fear among the public that the original cluster of 14 cases, six of whom died within a few days of each other, represented an outbreak of swine flu. The total number of cases reached 211, and of those, 29 had died. At the time of the outbreak, epidemiological investigation protocols did not include active participation by both the laboratory specialists and investigators. No effective communication existed between scientists in the field interviewing patients, and those in the laboratory