“We don’t get a lot of those guys.”
That’s the response I hear over and over from veterans who fill the roster at our local VFW, American Legion and Disabled Veterans’ Association.
Those guys. Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans. Young members. All of the above.
After my husband retired it was a relief, at first, to empty my calendar of FRG meetings, luncheons and other spouse trappings that come with military life. Then, we moved. And I wasn’t really sure where the heck I was supposed to go to make friends.
Love them or hate them, those exhausting, sometimes drama-filled, always too long meetings were a good place to meet your new best friend. As retirees, we moved to a small town where everyone knew everyone, except for us, and that wasn’t necessarily a good thing. We were the odd man out.
So, we went to the local American Legion. And suddenly felt like we were attending our grandparent’s 75th wedding anniversary. We were the token young family. We had the only kids under age 30. We were the only ones in the room under age 40. Uh oh.
Turns out this is the scene that is unfolding at veterans’ organizations across the nation. Last month The Washington Post reported that only 15 percent of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans who were eligible to join the VFW have done so. The average age of a current member is 70.
Both the VFW and the American Legion have reported rapidly declining memberships. Each organization has lost 1 million members since the 1990s. And it seems the halls full of elderly gentlemen drinking, smoking and reminiscing is turning the younger generation of warriors away.
The Post article cites a growth in local service organizations and groups that plan outings and are active physically. Young veterans and their families, it seems, aren’t ready to sit and slow down. They want to return home and continue to build their communities, not sit and be thanked for their service.
I agree. We attended a summer barbeque at the local legion hall. It was nice. People were friendly. But, we were bored. Our kids were lonely. They were stuck sitting at a table. We were stuck sitting at a table. This seriously couldn’t be as good as it gets as retirees.
So, what to do? Change.
As the nation ages, things change. The same is true for these organizations. The Post interviewed a former Army captain in Kansas who didn’t like what he saw at his local VFW. So, he recruited his friends to join, they ran for office at the hall, won and began to morph the programming and events to serve the needs of all veterans, young and old. Their attendance skyrocketed and retired families in that town now have a place to call their own.
We will keep attending our local veterans’ organizations, and doing what we can to help them welcome and serve young veterans. I urge you to do the same. These storied organizations have celebrated 100 years of service to our veterans. But they need to change with the time. To change, they need us, military families and veterans who can show them what the new generation needs.
Please visit your VFW or American Legion Hall this Veterans’ Day. Meet the men and women who have gone before us. Volunteer to help. Build bridges between the generations and show them that we can take the helm and drive these outstanding organizations into the next century.
