Posted on Mar 30, 2016
What's the difference between the American Legion and the VFW besides being a veterans bar to go and have some drinks?
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Posted in these groups: 
The American Legion
Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)
The American Legion Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)
Posted >1 y ago
Responses: 22
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I know VFW and AMVETS are like a congregation place to be and have some drinks but I rarely seen an American Legion have bars to drink at. Maybe it's my town that doesn't have American Legion barst. I do know that American Legion is like a more well organized organization to help vets with what they need. The same for VFW but I think American Legion has a more pronounced support in politics due to the fact that it fights for Veteran rights in US Congress and such. When I was in Fort Hood, they are usually well expressed in our Permanent Party welcome and orientation for newcomers.
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PO2 Jeffrey Sheibels
The American legion Post 409 in San Bruno has a bar. However, they do not operate it like some other posts across the country do. it is usually only open when the event hall is rented out and the renters want to be able to have drinks. The Post brings in a bartender or two to work that event with compensation + 100% of the tips.
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SCPO (Join to see)
Every AL post, of which I've been a member over they years, has had a bar/lounge except one. That's 7 to 1. The public has always been welcomed in those bars IF the guest of a post member who is present with them.
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Whichever one will accept me, being that I served from 81 to 86
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American legion have to have either been in the service or have a direct relative who has. To be in the VFW you need to have been deployed to a foreign war I believe.
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What is ironic is that some can qualify for VFW membership but not qualify for American Legion membership. Now how can that be if VFW eligibility requires "in theater" wartime service and the American Legion only requires service during designated war-time periods? Here is one example- The VFW recognizes 30 consecutive days or more in Korea from the start of the Korean war to the present as qualifying service for membership eligibility. So a veteran who did a tour or deployment longer than 30 days in Korea at any time can join the VFW, but can't join the American Legion if their service period doesn't fall into any of the eligibility date windows. That wasn't always the case, they changed their by-laws to help with lagging membership. The American Legion would be well served to do the same thing and open to Cold War veterans, but requires so much bureaucratic red tape and Congressional approval, it will never happen. One thing the American Legion did do, was keep the eligibility dates open from the start of Desert Shield/Storm to the present, their longest eligibility date window.
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It all depends on your area. Some places the VFW is larger and others the American Legion is larger. It all depends. All service organizations are having trouble with membership. The younger people are not coming in at the rate that is needed.
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Not much difference. The Legion has a motorcycle riding club. Other than that, Legion allows all veterans while the VFW only allows combat vets.
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SCPO (Join to see)
C'mon, Captain...WRONGO!!! The Legion allows anyone of any service of any rank to join who served in specifically designated wars and conflicts. The VFW is for military members who served in foreign conflicts, as its name implies. They DO NOT have to be actual combat veterans. That also applies to the Legion and its membership. The VFW also has its own biker groups. Both organizations are allowed to obtain the appropriate licenses to operate private club bars on site, though nowhere near all of the posts from either group actually does.
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SSgt (Join to see) is absolutely correct. The American Legion will accept membership from any former armed service members and they do not have to be veterans. The VFW is strictly for veterans with wartime deployments.
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SCPO (Join to see)
Wrong. The VFW membership DOES NOT limited its membership to combat veterans. Its singular restriction is that the war must have been based on foreign soil. Viet Nam is one example: Blue Water Navy personnel serving in the Tonkin Gulf may have never seen a rifle fired at an enemy, let alone any greater combat activity. Air Force personnel on Guam, servicing the B-52s, for example, never saw actual combat, either.
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