Soldiers' Sailors' Marines Coast Guard & Airmen's Club

The Soldiers' Sailors' Marines' Coast Guard & Airmen's Club (SSMAC) was founded in 1919 by Mrs. Francis Rogers (an ambulance driver in WWI), Mrs. Theodore Roosevelt and the ladies of the New York Community Service. With General John G. Pershing's support they raised funds to start 'The Soldiers' and Sailors' Club' to accommodate WWI heroes returning by ship to New York City from France in 1919. The Club's chief mission is to promote the general welfare of the men and women of the Armed Forces of the United States, it's Allies and their families, by maintaining and offering club and lodging rooms in it's 19th century brownstone located on Lexington Avenue. Since 2004, the facilities of SSMAC have also been made available to members and dependents of the Police Department, Fire Department and Emergency Medical Services.In war and peace, the SSMAC has been funded exclusively through private donations from patriotic individuals and organizations. And, each October, the Club holds its principal fund-raiser, the gala Military Ball, to honor the U.S. Armed Forces together with prominent civilians who's achievements reflect a lifetime of dedication to the men and women of the Armed Forces and the traditions of the United States.