Why have more of our generation not joined the VFW?

The fact is, in the past, WWII Vets and Vietnam Vets had the same issue. It seems to me that if you put you name on the dotted line and wound up in the jungle or desert, Korea, Iraq, or Vietnam; you took just as much chance as the previous generation. There is not one Veteran better than another veteran. In the military you are separated by rank, in the business world by title, but in the VFW you are a Veteran who was willing to sacrifice it for God Country and Family. God Bless our troops and lets make the VFW a great place to socialize no matter what generation.

I am disappointed in my post. Have stopped going to meetings. Nobody wants to accomplish any thing. When I joined I thought we would be doing things in the community to help educate them about our veterans and help veterans in need. Nothing was being done no matter what I suggested no one wanted to do anything. Younger members would join and after 2-3 meetings would stop coming because of this.

I'll just give my honest viewpoint. The perception that I have is that its dated, worn-down, and requires transformation as in social media engagement, targeting the youth and etc. Now, I know that's not fully true... but it's what I feel. I normally pass by buildings that are worn down across the states and I receive letters with a certificate is insanely generic and free member items that I can purchase at the dollar store. I have not been involved, but I just do not feel geared towards the organization. I think it's more of a perception problem.

It's like McDonalds trying to convince me to eat Big-Mac's again or Taco Bell pushing the Double Decker Taco... they taste good... but why not go after the new stuff? I'm just providing a viewpoint, not to criticize the organization... hopefully what I provide helps. Any organization supporting vets I am always grateful for.

My Wife and I are Lifetime Member of my VFW Post, and this comes up all the time. How do we get more of the younger generation to join and participate? A few of the problems at our post we have found is:
- Our Post's failure to adapt to changing technology and making use of email, Facebook, or any other Social Media to spread the work.
- It seems like a lot of the older generations forget that a lot of us are in the middle of raising families and working. Three kids and a full time job you work 50+ hours a week at tend to cut into you after work activities. We plan and attend as many functions as we can.
- Letting old shit go so that we can plan for a better future. I don't mean to belittle things that happened in the past, but at some point we have to accept it and move forward. Last meeting we were lecture for half an hour on how bad the Vietnam Vets were treated upon returning and how lucky we had it. It was a very unproductive meeting.
- Woman served in Combat. My Wife is also a Combat Veteran and a Lifetime Member of our post. Yet every time we show up to meetings and or events they continue try to push Her into the Woman's Auxiliary instead of recognizing her Service and accepting her as a Veteran.

As of now we have some new leadership in place and have developed some committees to try and improve things. As of now we still can't get a list of the committees, contact details, or anything else so we can set meetings up and get things done. Hoping to clear some of that up at the next meeting.

In years past the VFW was the social network. Folks went there to get the latest news and to keep up with their buddies, today that’s no longer the case. Folks can get all the news they want and easily keep in touch without having to physically go to the VFW or anyplace else.

I am a VFW member.

The VFW would been amazingly strong if they would have changed with the times instead of letting organisations like WWP or DAV to come in with a modern view on marketing. The VFW could be strong again, but most of the voters are quite old and does not want to change. This is very unfortunate.

Yes I'm a life member. I'm also a life member in the DAV.

I am a lifetime member. I moved to my current town and transferred my membership, but the VFW is nothing but a nasty old bar with very few people hanging around. My wife is a veteran, but we find the Women's Auxillary concept a bit offensive. We need to update the VFW to reflect the current times.

It's because the VFW and American Legion are pretty much just a bar where old men go to drink. I know that they advocate for veterans, but the majority of young vets don't see that.
Instead of asking why young vets aren't taking the reins of the VFW, why not ask why the VFW isn't throwing it's weight behind powerful working vet groups like Team Rubicon? Our vets are still young, strong, and want to make a difference in the world. If the VFW wants to attract people, they need to partner with these groups to show what the VFW can offer.

IAVA, is one answer. I have not joined VFW, but I do go their events and network.