Why have more of our generation not joined the VFW?

I am a life member of the VFW because I know some of my dues go to advocate for veterans. I am however an At-Large member despite the presence of a local VFW hall because, quite frankly, there's nothing drawing me there.

It is a great repository of anecdotal military history, but as a fraternal organization, the VFW has failed to adapt to the the most current generation of combat zone veterans.

I did try to joint a VFW when I first got out back in 1992 and was told I'd need to join the women's auxiliary. I asked if the women's auxiliary was made up of female veterans and was told that's what the wives of veterans joined. Needless to say, I still hold a grudge.

Hello "Brothers and Sisters in Arms",

I apologize now this will likely be a long post.

VSOs in general have a uphill battle against the current culture of our nation. VSOs were largely founded on an all but gone community culture that many veterans of previous conflict/wars shared. This is the reason most VSOs need to make changes to accommodate younger veterans, the old ways need to change with the culture.

Before I joined my local VFW almost 2 years ago, I did some research on the current status of VSOs and how they were fairing in the current national culture. What I found very quickly is that most if not all VSOs were shrinking in overall membership and many post were closing due to low membership and low activity.

I’ll give you a brief background about me to show you my prospective. I served 18 years US Army – Medical Discharged for lower back injury in the line of duty, 30% disability rating from VA, BA in Business Admin. – Marketing, MA in Business and Organizational Security Management.
I moved from Southern California to North Idaho in April of 2013. During that long drive I made a decision to be part of the community I live in rather than just live in the community. I decided months later to join the VFW in my community. So I looked up the nearest post and found via the website when there post meeting were. So I show up and as soon as I walk in the door, everyone in the room turns and looks at me. One of the members asked “Are you a member?” I replied “not yet”. I quickly got a reply “you cannot come in; this is a members only meeting”. I turned and left the room, a membered followed me out and gave me quick explanation why I was not allowed to attend and that he did not have time to see to making me a member right now. There were only about 10 members in the room and only one of them was below the age of 50. I came back on another day and paid my dues and became a “card carrying member”. From there I attend most of the VFW functions and quickly became a “pain in the arse” to many of the older members, with my new ideas and spitfire attitude.
Looking back I understand that many posts will come off with the good ol’ boy attitude, but sticking with it will often times overcome that built in culture. I also found that when I gave an idea that I needed to back it up with action and reap the respect from its success. Over the last 19 months, I have been given enough rope to hang myself and instead used that rope to make a bridge between the post and our community. Here are some of the new things our post has done in the last 18 months and the out comes from those events:
Hosted a Game convention in alliance with our local Game store
60 people attended and the event made the front page of the paper.

The post made over $18,000 dollars in donations and donated over $18,000 to veterans in our community. There were no 30% costs or administration fees put on this money. Every dime we were donated went back to the veterans in our community.
We supported Women Warrior Retreat and recruited several female veterans.
We planned and will hold our first Veteran Family Retreat this weekend, in hopes of making it an annual event.
From these events and activities I have learned that activity breeds activity. The older the average age of a post is the more difficult it will be to stay activity in the community. So recruiting members is and will always be the life blood of VSOs. If you are not getting new “younger” members, your post is effectively dying a slow death. As you all know many posts have a bar that at one point in time with the “best watering hole in town”. That watering hole is now all dried up! The younger veterans that would be considered the market for VSOs are in the stage of their life that they have kids and jobs, alcohol though legal is not the preferred method of building loyalty with a veteran family. In my opinion the posts that perpetuation the stereo typical of veterans wasting their days away drinking and smoking at the “Watering hole” is doing more damage to VSOs than anything else. VSOs must be active in their community or they will waste away.
Some of the ways a post can be active in its community are: providing a Veteran Family Retreat, putting on a month Family movie night, have a weekly coffee and donut (free) where all veterans are welcome. This is just a few ways to move in the right direction, I’m sure there are many more. I would enjoy hearing about them.
Since joining the VFW, I have been placed/voted into several positions: Post Jr Vice, Post Sr Vice, District QM and District Chief Recruiter, I also attended the state conventions, I decided to focus on my community rather than focus on trying to move up the chairs in district. As many of you know VSOs are a bureaucracy and that means “Red Tape” and paper work. After holding the positions, I understand the need for the paper work. My goal is to change my community’s view of the VFW and provide for the veterans in my community. VSOs are a community based organization and that being said they add value to their community or they will go away.

Thank you for taking the time to read this lengthy post and if you are in need of direction when it comes to a VSO please feel free to contact me.

I've been to a few American Legion and VFW meetings and we all smell old. We have little in common with young vets who are struggling to find jobs and women. Sadly, many of us treat younger vets poorly. Our memories of our daring adventures have swollen into legends and we look down our noses at these kids who didn't fight "a real enemy", just some stone age Arabs who set off IEDs and run away.

Now, before you jump all over me because you don't recognize irony when you see it, let me assure you that I'm not saying what ought to be. I am merely reflecting on what sadly the situation is. My vision is taken from the complaints that I've heard from young vets.

To be fair, I avoided the veterans organizations until I smelled as old as them. It took that long for me to realize that I owed a debt to my brothers and sisters who served and that participation in a post (two actually - one AL and one VFW) was the best way of paying off that debt. I hope today's young vets don't wait as long as I did. The need is great and the government is failing in its obligations to veterans as they always have in the past and always will in the future. What do you expect? They're only politicians and bureaucrats.

Because I'm busy trying to be committed to my new civilian life as a full time student, father of two, and guardsman. I don't have time to hang out at the bar spending money on cheap beer while being regaled with stories of the good old days (when the army was still hard) all the while trying to not get a DUI on the way home. I'm much more likely to join up with the vet running group I heard about a few weeks ago. Sounds much more positive and a good use of my time.

I did not join the VFW or the American Legion for one reason. I will not sit in a bar, drink and tell war stories. That is all I have ever seen since I was a boy scout at an American Legion and my scoutmaster was a VFW post commander. I did not need to sit with a bunch of old men and drink my sorrow away. I found a good job and and made something of myself and raised a family.

I was a member in the early 90's after returning from Desert Shield/Storm but during a recruitment drive I discovered that there were two separate posts in my area. Yes, you guessed it, one for white members and one for black members. I was told by the post Commander (a WWII veteran) that it would be that way as long as he was alive. I immediately resigned and have not set foot in a post since then. It was the same for the American Legion. AmVets was the only integrated veterans organization in my area. Things may be different now, but this left a very bad taste in my mouth and I refuse to be a part of any such shenanigans.

In 1968, I was talked into joining the VFW and went down there to fill out an app. I was told I couldn't join because Vietnam wasn't considered a war. I told that A hole to take that app and stick it where the sun don't shine, then walked out, and never looked back. Two years ago, a friend of mine, another Vietnam vet, wanted me to join the American Legion. I took a chance and went with him on a meeting night. There was so much cigarette smoke and drunks, I politely thanked him but said no. Besides that I don't like to sit around and tell war stories. Actually I'm not that friendly to people I don't know. Last year it was found out the Legion post commander had lied on his app and was never in Vietnam or any combat. There ya go. Another lying phony. I rest my case.

I've honestly never had a real desire to join either VFW or AL, any more than I had a desire to join fraternal organizations while in service. I'm simply not wired that way and I've always had a disdain for people who advanced their fraternal members over other deserving Soldiers. I've seen it firsthand, especially early in my career, and it's not something which should be tolerated.

As for the veteran's advocacy which VFW and AL do at times, I agree that it's certainly necessary, but I don't see either doing more than other, less socially prominent, organizations like AUSA. As a whole, my view of VFW / AL is that of a good ole boys club and I want no part of something like that.

As others have pointed out, the whole dues thing is a big turn off as well. If you really want to organize veterans in a community, why require financially gated access? Where's the brotherhood and camaraderie in that, especially when so many of us are historically not so well off? If you want to raise funds to do things for and with the community, that's fine, but that doesn't mean you should require payment just to associate with other veterans. We've ALL paid our dues. The hard way.

In short, get away from the club mentality as it does nothing but drive away people like me who want nothing to do with such things. I *would* however, freely associate with other veterans and retirees whom I found some common ground with, so long as mutual respect was the rule and not the exception. It's good to know that there are others who are willing to have your back and have a good idea of what you've been through and are going through.

I wanted to join as I just retired. Specifically I wanted to be a part of their Motorcycle Club. I was told as I ride a sport bike and not an American "cruiser style" bike I would not be allowed. Piss on them. I should sue for discrimination. I will never join a group that will tell a potential member that.