Dwindling Membership is Hurting VFW Posts (Opinions from veterans wanted)

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.

I’m an OIF II Vet, a female and joined my local VFW. My husband and I quickly got involved with the post and I am now the Adjutant. I like the people at the post and occasionally help out tending bar (and make a little money in the process from the tips!). I can go to the canteen and catch up with the regulars that are there every day. I don’t need to drink alcohol either. I don’t go every day but sometimes I go on Thursdays when they have lunch or when they have the dinners. My husband and I have taken a very active role at our post pitching in bbqing and making food to bring from home. There is no smoking allowed (California) and the smokers go to the back patio to smoke. We have dinners once a month, we had a great superbowl party and New Year’s Eve party. Everyone that is a member participates and brings food and has a really fun time. We’re planning a block party in May, we’re participating in a local car show and planning weekly dinners as the Spring and Summer months approach. We have karaoke nights and we’re putting together a pool league.
As far as the membership of younger members like me, there is a former member who gave us a bad name to the veterans in town and we’re currently trying to recover from that. We used to have a lot of members but since the former member gave us a bad name, we’re having to get our reputation back slowly. I have hope that this year we will be able to get our good reputaion back and have the recently returned local veterans join and participate like I have.
The first step is participation!! You have to participate to get results. One more thing: we don’t sit around reminiscing about our time at war. We talk about what is going on in our lives now. We are a family and if someone needs help or a shoulder to cry on, we’re there for each other.
There is a reason it’s called Veterans of Foreign Wars. You had to have been deployed to a war zone to be a member. But we have an Auxiliary. That is for the family members who either weren’t in the military at all or who weren’t deployed. Also, if you had a family member who was deployed to a war zone (such as your deceased grandparent), you are eligible to join the Auxiliary. Talk to your local post to find out.

I went to join when I still had bright red scars from an AK47 in 1970.

A real snot sitting behind the desk told me I wasn’t in a declared war and couldn’t join - I wanted to bust his face.
The AK scars have shrunk but not the one that snot gave me that day.

Now I get invites from them and all I have to say is;

Don’t let the door hit ya where the lord split ya VFW.

I’m the commander of post 6790 in Wellton Arizona I personally in the last two months have signed up 10 new members all presently in the US Marines who have served in the gulf war 3 of witch became life members yes some of us are old and some of us do smoke but there are plenty of spaces in all posts where no smoking is allowed all our members are war veterans and a great bunch of men and women who love having fun we have dinners games and karaoke we have a lot of fun and comradeship we also donate to the community to schools support the police, fire,and ambulance service.

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