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NEW VET SAYS OF VFW: "I DIDN'T FEEL LIKE IT WAS
FOR ME" -- VFW Post spokesman says: "...We have
got to adapt, and we have got to change the VFW
to
be more in tune with a newer generation of
people."
For more about the VFW, use the VA Watchdog
search engine...click here...
http://www.yourvabenefits.org/sessearch.php?q=vfw&op=and
Story here...
http://www.jacksonholestartrib.c
om/articles/2008/07/20/news/wyoming/98e6
9805b573e18f8725748b00211e6a.txt
Story below:
-------------------------
'I didn't feel like it was for me'
By JARED MILLER
Star-Tribune staff writer
CHEYENNE -- With around 1,000 Wyoming service members back from Iraq and
Afghanistan, it might seem like veterans' service groups would be seeing a
major membership boost.
They’re not. But group representatives say that’s no big surprise.
American Legion posts in Wyoming have seen membership climb by about 130
since President Bush declared the war on terror, spokeswoman Julie A. Rust
said.
A national Veterans of Foreign Wars spokesman said he did not know the
number of new recruits in Wyoming since 2003, but he said there has been
some growth.
The newest generation of veterans seems to be following the same path into
service groups as World War II and Vietnam-era vets took decades ago,
representatives of the groups said.
Initially, veterans are too busy with jobs, children, school and other
time-consuming events to join outside groups, said Jerry Newberry,
director of communications at the national VFW headquarters in Kansas
City, Mo.
"They have a lot of things going on in their lives, so what happens is
they typically won’t join a volunteer organization because they don’t have
the time," Newberry said.
 "As
time goes on, and they get established, once they’ve caught up to their
peer group, then they will start giving thought to other matters," he
added.
That was the case for Ron Steffensmeier, who served with the Air Force in
Thailand and is now the senior vice commander for VFW Post 9439 in Casper.
"There’s just so much to do with family," said Steffensmeier, noting that
he put off joining the VFW for years because he was raising a family. He
finally joined, at age 43, after his son graduated from high school.
Some veterans service groups are pushing hard to recruit new members.
Some VFW posts send members to post-deployment sites to attract new
members before they reach home, said Philip Harris, spokesman for VFW Post
1881 in Cheyenne.
The problem, Harris said, is that many of the newcomers don't show up for
volunteer service activities, probably because they don't have time.
Some VFW posts offer membership incentives to new recruits, including an
online sign-up option that waives dues for a year. But Harris said his
organization needs to do even more to bring young members into the fold.
"My perspective is we have got to adapt, and we have got to change the VFW
to be more in tune with a newer generation of people," Harris said.
Some young veterans say they simply don't want to join an organization
whose members are so much older than themselves.
Staff Sgt. Chris Hickman of Douglas, who served two tours in Iraq, let his
VFW membership lapse after a year because he said he didn't fit in with
the older members.
"A lot of the members are Vietnam and Korea vets, and they were all pretty
much my dad’s age and older ... and I’m over here looking like one of
their grandkids or something when I’d go in," Hickman said. "It just
didn’t feel like it was for me."
Members of some veterans service groups say it’s difficult to keep
newcomers interested.
"We’re begging for new members ... We’d love to have them join," said Jim
Channel, commander of Yellowstone VFW Post 883 in Rock Springs. "But we’re
not seeing those (returning veterans) coming and joining up, and I have no
reason why."
Not all service groups are as welcoming, apparently.
Jay Norby, commander of VFW Post 10969 in Mills, said a Vietnam veteran
discouraged him from joining a Casper VFW post because he “only served in
Iraq.” Norby opted to join the Mills post instead.
Norby said that while the case is probably an isolated one, there may be
anxiety among older generations of veterans that they may soon lose
control of the groups.
"The Vietnam veterans have ruled the roost for so long, they don’t want to
give that up," Norby said.
Another reason for the shortage of new recruits, said Robert Niezwaag Jr.,
who served with the Army in Iraq, could be the stereotypes about veterans
service groups.
"It’s not all about drinking beer and getting trashed," said Niezwaag, who
is active in the VFW in Riverton.
Niezwaag said his local VFW offers camaraderie much like the military, and
it doesn’t matter what conflict the other members served in.
"There is a common bond, because war is war, whether it’s Iraq,
Afghanistan, Vietnam, World War II, or whatever," he added.
Reporters Jeff Gearino and Kristy Gray contributed to this report.
Reach reporter Jared Miller at (307) 632-1244 or e-mail
jared.miller@trib.com.
-------------------------
posted by Larry
Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org
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