A Trip Down Memory Lane with AAFMAA

It’s a story for the history books. In June 1876, The Battle of the Little Bighorn led twelve companies of the 7th U.S. Cavalry Regiment to a devastating loss, including the death of the Regimental Commander, Lieutenant Colonel George Armstrong Custer. An ill-timed attack against an unusually large encampment of Lakota, Northern Cheyenne, and Arapaho tribes in the southeastern Montana Territory proved to be the regiment’s downfall. The campaign faltered when Custer underestimated the number of warriors in the native village a few miles away. When his scouts informed him that his troops’ position had been discovered, Custer immediately attacked their village, thinking he held the upper hand. But his decision proved disastrous, which is why the Battle is also known as “Custer’s Last Stand.”

Approximately 700 men under Custer’s charge were embroiled in battle that day, and 263 did not make it out alive. The outcome of those events has endured as a cautionary tale of a valiant, yet failed military engagement in history books for over 140 years.

There is another story intertwined with the outcome of that battle that also endures to this day — one that is inspiring and equally significant. It’s our unique and meaningful story, which began simply with the tradition of “passing the hat” between the remaining officers on the battlefield to raise funds for widows left behind upon their soldiers’ passing. At the Battle of the Little Bighorn, that tradition faced a challenge: There were too few survivors to pass the hat — leaving the deceased soldiers' families in need.

To avoid facing that unfortunate situation again, in 1879 the Army Mutual Aid Association (AMAA) — our original name — was created to ensure families would receive the care they required and deserved. Since then, we have written our own history book — a book that boasts the signatures of our original members, including many well-known names still celebrated as part of U.S. military and world history.

Today, 142 years later, what used to be “AMAA” is now known as the American Armed Forces Mutual Aid Association (AAFMAA). Though our name has changed over the decades and our services have expanded — with life insurance options, as well as wealth management and mortgage solutions — our mission remains. AAFMAA still stands beside all American warfighters, Veterans, and servicemembers with a continuing dedication to aiding their family members “in a prompt, simple, and substantial manner.”

In fact, we consider it our imperative responsibility to provide all AAFMAA Members and their families with exclusive survivor assistance services that treat them with compassion, trust, and protection at the most challenging times in their lives. We’re there for them always, because we are part of their story — as a team of dedicated employees, most of whom are military themselves or have military members in their families.

Helping others is a commitment AAFMAA has never taken lightly. We’re proud to say that we’ll be there with our nation’s servicemembers on every battlefield they face, ready to write the next chapter of history together.