Why are fewer young Veterans joining Veteran organizations (VFW, American Legion) post military service?

For us in Susanville, Ca, we try to get those from our generation active in the organizations. The only people who move to our town right now are veterans. We mostly go through the community college's gunsmith program. As our VFW commander says (Vietnam era), "If we don't get anyone from your generation active in the post, there won't be anyone to do our funerals and pass on what we stand for."

Thanks for posting this as I felt this for a long time. My father got me started in the American Legion the day I joined the Army. Right now I don't participate much in my post because I am so far away but I am going to look into my nearby post. I think that there is a stigma that these organizations are something older folks goes to tell old war stories and play bingo. Not too many of us want to talk about our stories in our generation. I am a strong believer that our younger generation should be more involved in an organization like the American Legion or VFW. These organizations can open up new doors for you and give some insight on a better tomorrow, not to mention they are big supporters of local communities.

I've been a member of the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) for several years and have served on the board of directors for the local chapter on Fort Knox. All of the service organizations are doing important work for veterans, retirees and active duty members. i you have to pick and choose, pick the one that makes the most sense for you. Our numbers have been dwindling which makes our voice at a national level less influential. We need the numbers to make those on capitol hill listen.

I've seen this type of post before. Some people running away because they were once redirected to the women's auxiliary because women veterans aren't as common as men, so she got offended. Buck up and prove them wrong.

I have seen the clique in other posts and that is a difficult problem to fix. Only way to get to that changed is to get in or convince those who are that it is detremental to the longevity of their organization.

Others don't want to just sit around and drink like some organizations do. The younger generations are more about running 5k races and Crossfit, color runs, etc.

The way to change it is to get into and change it within. I hope that more people consider joining American Legion and VFW. The more specific groups, like Vietnam Veterans and IAVA will fizzle out because someday there won't be anyone alive who is eligible for the clubs. AL and VFW have been around along time and have contributed to all the benefits that Veterans now have.

Good luck, everyone!

Hello,
I am an Afghanistan Veteran and have recently decided to pursue an active involvement into the VFW, AMVETS, and AL. Here is my personal opinion. It is actually tough to do this without help. When I signed up, I signed up for life memberships to VFW and AMVETS. AL has the PUFL program, but doesn't allow you to do it up front. There are ways to find a post for VFW, but no information on how to join a post, online. This means I need to reach out and pursue it myself. I drove by the closest vfw post and it is closed (sad to say). The next closest is about 25 miles away. I was able to call them and will be going for a visit this weekend. It was easy to pay the lifetime fees, but actually getting involved is a bit of a challenge.

Now, this will deter most of my generation, but for anyone that is in their 20's and 30's and are bypassing these old guard groups, please think twice. My grandfather was a member of DAV, AL, VFW. I am proud to have the ability to join the veteran groups I can.

I read an article that laid it out plainly. 15% of post DS veterans that are eligible join these groups. There is a 50% decline in members since the mid 90's. Vietnam Vets make up the majority of the members and are now reaching "that age." I get that a lot of old guard vets dislike the new vets. This hasn't changed. If the old salty dogs of Vietnam can remember what the the previous old salty dogs thought of them, when they got back stateside, it might remind them how it is and might help them be less surly.

Now, here is the message i give every young vet. If it wasn't for these groups continually fighting on Capital Hill for us. We would not have the benefits we do today. These benefits are not entitlements, they must be fought for, or we will lose them. I understand that the average age for some of these groups is in the high 60's and low 70's. The major complaint I always here, is that these groups are out of touch. Do you really think that the old guard should adjust to our modern way? It is our responsibility, dare i say duty, to pick up these reins and move forward. Got your feelings hurt for an old salty dog not liking the new way of living? deal with it. If you don't like the way things are, bring in more of your veteran buddies. We all have common ground and someone needs to preserve and keep these groups strong and alive. My generation needs to put their big boy (girl) pants on and get some tough skin and earn the respect to take the reins forward.

as for all you salty dogs, remember what your old guard thought of you and try and make it a bit easier on our generation. If not, we all lose.

As someone that joined both the American Legion and the VFW, I have to say that it serves as a point of comroderie that transcends the age gap. Often times people people in these organizations have many years experience and can be a great resource for solutions that happen in today's military. Also, being able to talk to a group of people that have also been in and been to war gives an outlet that some (if not most) civillians would not comprehend. From friends that are gone (but not forgotten) to embracing the suck in a third world country, these people understand.

I saw this post yesterday and it struck a chord with me. Last night I signed up and am now a member of the VFW Post 6978. Thanks for the inspiration.

Could it be that in "the old days," people were more interested in face to face friendships?

Also, we don't have to seek privacy to have a beer and a smoke. I think at one time, that was not something done with the family in tow; you needed a special place.

But for some vets, 60 years ago, they HAD to go out for entertainment. There were no 24 hour movie channels, no FOX or CNN around the clock. No VCRs or Internet.

Maybe we need to have more face to face friendships, and fewer facebook to facebook friendships.

1SG Okerson,

I always thought that the VFW is for older vets who've completed their service. It never occurred to me to join, or even to look up the eligibility requirements. Thank you for posting this question. Hopefully it will raise people's awareness.

Maybe these organizations should consider marketing on FaceBook or Twitter. There are probably lots of young vets who would join if they were aware these organizations existed.

There is a large generational gap to start with. The older members were used to having a different work ethic as part of their life. Just about every one of them was thinking about what they were going to do to make ends meet at 16 if not earlier. Society today is much slower to fully engage with their adult responsibilities. For the WWII generation it was simple. You were good to go, or you weren't. You were worth something or you weren't. Your word meant you could be trusted or not. There were no extra issues with all the excuses for why you did something. I think that creates a separation with the older vets. For some reason I find that I can talk with the older vets more easily than I can with just about any other population. I share theri attitudes in regard toward what a person is worth. I have also extensively studied our military history from WWII and Viet Nam. Maybe they helps create a bond that would be tenous otherwise.