Posted on 11/14/2011 6:13:24 AM PST by TSgt
While I am a veteran and served during the Panama excursion and Desert Shield/Storm, I wasn’t sent into either of those combat zones. So it doesn’t bother me that my veteran status didn’t include actual combat and makes me inelligible for the VFW. The American Legion has tried to get me to sign up. But I have a lot on my plate as it is and don’t see any real benefit of joining at this time.
We visited Sea World in San Antonio this Summner, and the Shamu show had all the Veterans in the audience stand up to be recognized...This is a regular thing they do at each performance IIRC, and I was reluctant till I got a poke in the ribs by my wife, and I was standing up an older gentleman about two rows down from us got up about as slowly as I did, and before we all sat down I went down to shake his hand and help him back into his seat...
He looked up at me and realized I was stnding up behind him and you could see the joy in his eyes as we recognized each other in only the way we can...
I had a hard time consentrating and really enjoying the show after that because I was very moved by that man...
I wish my wife hadn’t had such a boney elbow!!! ;-)
For an unbeleivably low ticket price, you got all the beer you wanted, and every kind of stinky and great food imaginable. Most of the food was the kind you never got to eat because there was no way in hell your wife would ever make it, and the rest of the food was the kind you would eat every day if you could.
Plus, they had over a dozen TV's brought in for that day, so that every college football bowl game was on a different TV.
That was probably the only event they had where I honestly looked forward to going.
Yes, many of them have seen declining membership. Take a look at this news article.
Masons, other service groups fight membership declines
http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2011-01-31-masons31_ST_N.htm
With the various economic and social order shifts and breakdowns that have taken place over the last 50 years I’m not surprised to see this.
Once family goes on the decline so does the rest of a nation.
Brilliant research, Jack Hydrazine! That is what I had suspected. When I was a kid, a lot of the men in the neighborhood belonged to something. It was the K of C, Rotary, VFW... something. I don’t know any of the men in our neighborhood now that belong to a group or organization like the ones mentioned in the article. In our entire neighborhood, there is one Dad that is a Scout leader... that’s it.
Does the government fly Viet Nam vets to D.C. to see their memorial?
When men are playing the role of women as moms where are they going to find the time to be involved in organizations that are male-oriented/dominated? Plus, those organizations become the target of the Feminists who demand they be allowed in or be dis-banded.
The FRA did have a good bar on the Honch in Yokosuka.
Regarding the VFW, I was a member for one year. Didn't find it worth renewing.
????
What’s funny is I am the one always telling my husband that he should go fishing or to a football game with his friends. He declines. With rotating shifts, business trips... he said he enjoys whatever time he has at home. Plus... I feed him super well. LOL! I think with both husband and wife working full time... the amount of leisure time is super limited. To be honest, I don’t know how they do it. If both don’t chip in, divide the duties and conquer them... it just doesn’t get done. Personally... I wouldn’t care to join such organizations. Just not my cup of tea. It is too bad that Feminists can’t simply see that men who meet together isn’t a slam against women. No different than a group of women meeting for dinner. It isn’t a slam against men. Silly, isn’t it?!
I think one of the reasons men used to go to hang out with the guys at the VFW halls and such is to get away from those wives whom they couldn’t stand to be around too much but really couldn’t divorce them since divorce back in the old days was rather taboo.
But if the men have great women taking care of them why would they want to go anywhere else?
Branch 46 in Honolulu was nice I must admit. :-)
My wife and I won our first microwave oven in a VFW raffle at the VFW Club in Dover, Ohio in 1980. Her mother entered her. We sold it to my wife’s sister after about a week or so.
Nice profile page, brother. You a snipe?
LOL! I’ve heard the same thing from others. The only guys I’ve ever known that were members were old guys that liked to drink(a lot)and smoke.
I had belonged to the Legion but never in the VFW until a few years ago. VFW has the biggest building but membership keeps going down. Leading is work and no one has that time. Newsletters are vital but non-existent. This goes for other organizations also. People don’t want to join. Only children’s organizations prosper ‘for the children’ works.
Just last year my post has:
1. Participated with Samsung (matched 1/2 by our post) 4 - $20,000 scholarships to children of vets.
2. Contributed $250 each to 8 boyscout troops.
3. Built 6 baseball dugouts for youth baseball.
We have done so much more but it would be boring for most with the bad attitudes here.
Last Friday night I had a rifle and we had a 21 gun salute and (God forbid) a prayer meeting for 23 of our own vets that just passed last year from our Legion alone.
Proud of the VFW here in Pennsylvania.
No, QM.
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