Posted: 9/15/2002 2:22:51 PM EDT
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Anyone here a member of the VFW? If yes, why did you join? And what Post are you a member of? If No, why not? |
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My dad would not join after he returned from Vietnam because they did not consider Vietnam a War. He never forgot that and never joined. I joined the Army Navy Union. "The Army and Navy Union of the United States of America, founded in 1886, is the oldest veterans' organization in America. It is the only American veterans' organization in which membership is not limited to any specific form, in branch, place or nature of the military service rendered, nor is membership restricted by considerations of racial origin or religious creed. ANY and ALL Men who have ever served Honorably in the armed forces of the United States, or who are still serving Honorably in uniform, are eligible to membership, provided they obligate themselves.............." "TO SERVE OUR COUNTRY IN PEACE AS WELL AS IN WAR" [url]http://www.armynavy.net/[/url] |
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QCMGR 2) To serve our Nation in peace as well as in war, through sincere devotion to God, by fostering the ideals of faith and patriotism, loyalty, justice, and liberty; by inculcating in the hearts of young and old, through precept and practice, the spirit of true Americanism; by participation in activities for the good of our country and our community; How sincere is this part? I would be very interested in joining- but I am not a religious person in any way. I guess I'd be considered agnostic- Don't believe in any religion. Aside from that, I think it looks like a good group. |
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Quoted: QCMGR 2) To serve our Nation in peace as well as in war, through sincere devotion to God, by fostering the ideals of faith and patriotism, loyalty, justice, and liberty; by inculcating in the hearts of young and old, through precept and practice, the spirit of true Americanism; by participation in activities for the good of our country and our community; How sincere is this part? I would be very interested in joining- but I am not a religious person in any way. I guess I'd be considered agnostic- Don't believe in any religion. Aside from that, I think it looks like a good group. I think if you read through the history of the organization it might shed more light. I think you would be pleasantly surprised. |
| Joined a few years ago. Member at large - no post. VFW is actively recruiting everywhere they can now. I think the WWII crowd realizes they aren't going to be around forever! I joined to keep informed about veterans issues, such as healthcare, which American Legion and VFW actively lobby for. |
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That's right. Their monthy magazine is packed full of veteran's issues, what's being lobbied on our behalf in Congress, military unit reunions, benefits, exclusive stories of military events, and interviews of the troops in active combat. There is much more contained in the mag...too much to list, but I'm pretty fortunate to have that resource. I think I'll continue my membership (9 years and counting). |
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I am a membr in my hometown post, though I don't recall the number. The VFW has come under increasing fire due to several people in key positions found to be honor thieves. A few years back, due to low recruiting, they adjusted the requirements for membership. Now, anyone awarded an Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal is eligible for membership. I have read the requirements for this medal, and still have no idea why I have three of these. Best as I can tell, it is for going somewhere and doing something, though not in Combat or in support of Combat operations. One of those "feel good" awards. If the VFW really wants Veterans of Foreign Wars to join their organization, perhaps they should again re-adjust the eligibilty requirements to either a CAR or CIB. Seems there are an awful lot of wanna-be's hanging out in the VFW these days. I will continue to support the VFW as long as they make the effort to keep those who truly don't belong out of the ranks, and push for veterans rights, but I have a sad feeling that it won't be long until the "never been there, never done that's" take over. If you are interested, go to some of the veteras forums that have the articles of honor thieves posted. Sad number are post commanders or district commanders of the VFW. |
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A customer of mine asked me if I would be interested in joining after he found out I was in Desert Storm...although I never saw combat. However, after talking with him and a couple of the other guys, and finding out they were Clinton supporters I decided not to even pursue it. ...I hope this situation was only in my area. |
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Quoted: My dad would not join after he returned from Vietnam because they did not consider Vietnam a War. He never forgot that and never joined. Interesting. I had a somewhat similar experience in 1981! A group of mainly WWII VFW members came to talk me into joining when they found me in Providence,RI. Soon after the initial chit-chat one of them asked me why it seemed that so many of the VN vets --not me, he went on to explain--seemed to be angry and had a chip on their shoulder. I got quite upset but kept my compossure,and went on to give him my take on it. I said: I don't really know why,but I imagine it might be because most of us "went alone and came back alone",unlike WWII where men often went as a unit and often remained in a more cohesive group in their units. I also told him it might have to do with a country with a divided opinion,not one that supported their fighting men overseas. [b]We never asked the country to support the war,only their fighting men![/b] How about the at best cold reception we received upon coming home which made us want to get rid of our uniforms as soon as possible, and not readily admit that we had fought in an unpopular war? And on and on I went,after which he said: "You see what I mean? Most of you are angry and have a chip on your shoulder! I quickly told him I was not interested in joining their VFW crowd and escorted them out of my VA hospital office! I still get their invitation letters but am reluctant to join. |
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Not being a VFW (I'm eligible by way of the DMZ, but really......) I think they are looking to keep the membership from dropping. You know, I read a lot of history, and a lot of the WWII vets saw less combat than Vietnam GI's did. Most Grunts in Vietnam spent 12 months in country. Of that, they spent perhaps a week in-processing, maybe the same out processing. Between that time they spent 80-90% of their time in the bush. We're talking 10 or more months of continuous field operations, ie "in combat." Even in WW2 a Grunt joining in 1943 would have seen the same or less time in similar conditions. Not to disparage WWII vets, but I think a lot of them have an ego thing about it (my war was a real war. yeah, but you were a truck driver in England for three years. How dare you mock me!). Tim PS, Ed, my father in law was a surgeon in Vietnam, and one in RI the same time frame you were in Providence. Did you work at the VA hospital? I know a couple of guys at the gun club who are nurses there. |
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Quoted: ...And on and on I went,after which he said: "You see what I mean? Most of you are angry and have a chip on your shoulder!... Truly sad. I believe I would've been angrier knowing he wasn't even paying attention. This is disheartening, hearing so many negative accounts about the VFW. Is there nothing anyone has been witness to that would make a member proud? I'm thankful for the fact that, if it hadn't been for my local VFW, I wouldn't have learned that my neighbor 10 houses down was a POW in WWII. He was an Army Infantryman, captured by the Germans. I've gotten to learn a bit more of our nations combat history first hand. Now I visit my neighbor often. I've even volunteered to mow his lawn once a week. So, I guess the VFW helped us both out. It really sounds as if the VFW, back in the 60s - 70s, were maintaining a "gatekeeper" attitude. Truly sad. |
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I joined a few years back in only because they were having a push for new members and it was free. Got to meet some really nice people and hear some great stories but it got old quick. After going there for about a month every friday for dinner after work in uniform I found myself having to defend my reason for being there. The way I saw it they asked me to join I more than met the requirements,2 Armed Forces expeditionary medals ,2 Combat action awards. I just got tired of having to prove myself to a room full of WWII vets that I earned the right to be there. Now let me clarify that I in no way shape or form have anything but the utmost respect for ALL who have served this nation. I just got the feeling that they only welcomed WWII vets. My opinion is soon there will be none of those guys left and the VFW will fade away entirely. On an up note the VFW in Bellevue WA is a very nice facility with a great menu and a really cheap bar. Just my two cents. DC1 |
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Quoted: PS, Ed, my father in law was a surgeon in Vietnam, and one in RI the same time frame you were in Providence. Did you work at the VA hospital? Tim I was not a doc in VN. I went to college and med school after I came back in 1969. I was a scout with recon platoon 2/505 of the 82nd Abn.We all transferred from different batallions to the Brigade sent to Chu Lai on Feb 14th 1968. My first job, after specialty training (pathology) was at the VA hospital in Providence,RI (July 1981 to June 1982) Great restaurants on Federal Hill! Send me your dad's last name on email to see if I remember him. |
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Looks like we've got an interesting thread going here. QCMGR "My brother is a member of the Catholic war vets and he said the VFW was allowing non-combat veterans to join in his area due to low enrollment." I think they've always allowed non-combat (REMFS) in, as they compose most of those serving in any war. They just had to serve in the combat theater. EmbraceTheHate "A few years back, due to low recruiting, they adjusted the requirements for membership. Now, anyone awarded an Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal is eligible for membership. I have read the requirements for this medal, and still have no idea why I have three of these. Best as I can tell, it is for going somewhere and doing something, though not in Combat or in support of Combat operations. One of those "feel good" awards. If the VFW really wants Veterans of Foreign Wars to join their organization, perhaps they should again re-adjust the eligibilty requirements to either a CAR or CIB. Seems there are an awful lot of wanna-be's hanging out in the VFW these days." The AFEM is awarded in lieu of a service medal when an action is just too small to warrant one. The AFEM actually ranks above all the service medals such as the Korean*, Vietnam, Kuwait, etc. service medals. The AFEM was awarded for Vietnam service up till 1964, when the VN service medal was issued, and the AFEM can be "traded in" for the VN medal. The CAR, CIB, and CMB certainly qualify you for VFW but they aren't required, as most in the war theater saw no action. VFW just requires service in the war theater as opposed to the American Legion, which only requires that you served during a time of war, no matter where you were! Sweep "A customer of mine asked me if I would be interested in joining after he found out I was in Desert Storm...although I never saw combat. However, after talking with him and a couple of the other guys, and finding out they were Clinton supporters I decided not to even pursue it." See above regarding combat. And those Clinton supporters are everywhere, including this forum! EdAvilaSr "Quoted: "My dad would not join after he returned from Vietnam because they did not consider Vietnam a War. He never forgot that and never joined. Interesting. I had a somewhat similar experience in 1981!" I think we all had similar experiences when we came home. I pretty much kept it to myself unless someone specifically asked. When the Gulf War ended and the homecoming parades began, I think enough people realized someone had been left out, and chose to start honoring the Vietnam crowd ever since. It was getting stuffy in that closet anyway! eastsideDC1 "I just got tired of having to prove myself to a room full of WWII vets that I earned the right to be there. Now let me clarify that I in no way shape or form have anything but the utmost respect for ALL who have served this nation. I just got the feeling that they only welcomed WWII vets. My opinion is soon there will be none of those guys left and the VFW will fade away entirely." That's why I didn't join the local post. It's all WWII types who, after a brief meeting, commence to play poker and get drunk. I only attended one meeting to be sworn in, and they showed me no disrespect at all, just welcomed me in and thanked me for my service. I'd venture to say each post is a little bit different. The leadership roles in VFW are slowly being taken over by the Vietnam generation, so hang in there! I'm a life member so that's what my intentions are. *My mistake - the Korean service medal comes before the AFEM! |
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After I got out the Legion helped me a lot with the VA and I joined as a 'thank you'. After a year they assigned me to a post near my home. I went there a few times, and it was nice and the guys were okay, but they were OLD and I was not. We had my wedding reception at the post and it was great as I got a discount. I then kept up my membership through law school even though I can't think that a post would be allowed in Ann Arbor. I then joined the post up here. This post is full of REAL OLD vets. They see the problem and are taking steps. They have begun stocking good high quality beers (plural) and rotate the selection. The prices are great. I have nothing in common with the older vets, though. My military was different, the places I served were different, and I hate the unions and the dems. What is really funny is that they have taken extreme steps to keep the post going, allowing any vets son to join the SAL. A son pays half what I do to belong with full bennies of the post, including drinking and room rental rates. I now drink there one or so Friday afternoon per month, and do so with at least one senior partner in my law firm. They pay half what I do to be there, and they make five times what I do. Life is funny. The Legion is dying. |
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No, but I belong to the American Legion, Post 57 (Lebanon/Grenada Era) and am a devoted member in the Cold War Veterans Association (www.coldwarveterans.org). By the way, there is a petition out to recognize CW Vets. You can sign the online version at: http://www.PetitionOnline.com/pfcmongo/petition.html |