Posted on 11/14/2011 6:13:24 AM PST by TSgt
Even as more troops return home from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, local VFW posts do not expect a boost in membership. That lack of interest could hurt those posts financially.
Chuck Hangbers with Post 7670 in Hamilton says unfortunately, returning service men and women tend to shy away from VFW posts. Hangbers says the younger people tend to move on when they return home. He says they focus on getting their lives together. That is leading to fewer members-only about three or four new members a year.
At 7670, Hangbers says there may be forty to sixty people a day---back in the 1980's there may have been up to 80 members a day. Fewer numbers also means fewer dollars to support them. As a result, Hangbers says posts have to cut corners at the canteen where members come in to eat and drink.
Not only is the membership dwindling, he says the economy is preventing members from spending as much money as they used to.
While a dwindling membership and a dragging economy are hurting the post, Hangbers says the post can continue its tradition of providing holiday food baskets to families in need.
What is the opinion of younger veterans regarding the VFW? Are you a member? Why or why not?
What about older veterans and current VFW members. What are you seeing at your post with regard to membership?
I am a veteran... I am not eligable to join...you see, I served under carter, and we are not considered part of the real military....
VFW halls were designed for men born in the 30’s
VFW halls were designed for men born in the 30’s
VFW halls were designed for men born in the 30’s
sorry, for the triple post, I’m posting from a phone.
Ditto. The impression I had and have is a bunch of old guys sitting around smoking and drinking cheap booze in a dark room. No thanks.
I was considering joining in 1975. I walked in with a friend that was amember and the first 2 guys I saw were brothers and sons of the former head of the local draft board. Both of them were healthier than I and both had been classified(surprise, surprise)4F. I asked and found that they were associate members or something. I left and to this day have not set foot in a VFW.
Upon my return from SWA, I joined up as a life member with the big VFW.
However your comment: I didn’t have the time to “hang out” and couldn’t stand the thought of sitting in a smoke filled room.” is my situation as well.
The post has a good member base (Ruskin, FL) but I don’t like having my clothes and hair smell like an ashtray when I leave.
I served my country 20 years, I am ready to move on and let the younger guys have a turn.
Hi, TSgt! No, I’m not a veteran but my son was able to attend a service for fallen VFW veterans last year. Long story short... he wrote a school paper on one of the WWII vets for a class assignment. The VFW really enjoyed the paper and contacted him after the Vet passed away. The numbers are dwindling since many of the WWII and Korean War Vets are passing away. From what I was told, many of the Vietnam Vets didn’t feel “welcomed” by our Country upon their return and didn’t join that type of organization. Newer Vets assume that the VFW is just a group of “old guys” and any of the activities aren’t geared towards younger people. This is a very interesting question and I was able to talk to several members of our local VFW about this issue.
Then there are the methods for conducting meetings that sometimes rival the masons for the ceremony and filler that's involved.
Finally, I think their higher organization, at least in our area, were into meddling and pretending to be a higher headquarters sending missions and emissaries to lower echelons. They clearly believed in the wrong formula, “lower supports higher”, than in its reverse.
1) Returning veterans don’t have the luxury of time to ‘hang out’ in bars like their fathers and grandfathers did.
2) The military has changed the mind set on drinking, it is now frowned upon — Tailhook-itis.
3) The economy is tough and spending time/cash on clubs is not a priority.
4) Older vets gave Vietnam vets a hard time about joining the VFW ( they said they lost the war, it was not a real war like WWII, etc) — which poisoned the well as the kids today’s fathers were of the Vietnam War age.
Most of my family (WWII/Korea generation) belonged to the VFW but now not a single one of the younger generation does.
What y’all talkin’ bout, I think, reflects the wide crack in american (what used to be American) society...it all startted w/the hippies and progressed from there...
That makes two of us.
I served between 1975 and 1981, so of course, my service doesn’t count.
I’m not a vet, but I come from a long line of vets. My mother’s father served in the silent service in WWII. My father’s father was an aircraft mechanic in Korea. Two uncles served USMC in ‘Nam. Two cousin’s served recently in Afghanistan, and I’ve lost 5 very close friends to the war in Iraq.
All of that aside, my impression from the outside looking in is that the VFW is somewhat elitist in their membership, and they are aging rapidly. My airman grandfather said that the VFW’s changed over the last 50 years, and more modern wars/conflicts are seen as lesser than the great wars at the start of the 20th century.
My younger airmen cousins came back from Afghanistan and were more interested in finding jobs and starting families than reminiscing about their time as MPs in Kabul. Seems the old war fighters like to remember their time in the trenches and the younger generations see military service as a necessary lily pad to leapfrog into a job after their 4 years.
Making a career out of the military is no longer really an option for younger generations. I would’ve put in 20 years or more if I’d made it in to the Marines, but my large size and eventual acceptance into college changed my life around.
God bless the men who served in our great wars and those who have served since. Thank you all for your service and dedication to my freedom. Your sacrifice will not be forgotten.
I don’t know if I can be a member. I didn’t serve during wartime - can I join?
Join organizations like the Fleet Reserve Association. FRA gives voice to all current and former enlisted members of the Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard. Every enlisted person serving.
Do your drinking at home. Safer and cheaper.
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