The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
ORGANIZATION SEES DECLINING NUMBERS
Members of VFW reach out to younger vets
“A lot of these kids really don’t know what the VFW is. You go up to them and they don’t know what it stands for or anything else.”
Veteran service organizations such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars, American Legions, and Amvets appear to be on a decline with the deaths of WWII, Korean and Vietnam veterans.
Willowick VFW Commander Robert Webber wouldn’t say the organizations are dwindling or struggling, but they just aren’t getting the amount of people into the from the Iraq or Afghanistan era that they would like to.
“We are getting some,” he said. “A lot of these kids really don’t know what the VFW is. You go up to them and they don’t know what it stands for or anything else.”
Webber said the VFW is always trying to recruit. Members reach out to newer/younger veterans every time there is a function or they are out in public.
“We explain to them that we are a family-oriented group and
we try to help them,” Webber said. “We have a service officer that can help them with paperwork and medical problems.”
He attributes soldiers coming home to families as a reason for a decline.
“We have guys coming back who are married with young children and they join but they are not at the post all the time because they work and don’t want to bring the children out,” he said.
He does note that there are some posts out there that are struggling and/ or closing.
“Back when the VFWs first started by an act of Congress you had millions of people, but now there are very few WWII vets left and Korean and Vietnam vets are dying and for some reason these kids (Iraq and Afghanistan vets) are just going elsewhere,” Webber said. “We try to appeal to the younger guys. It’s just finding out what they want. It’s a different world out there.”
Richard Brady, the building chairman and past commandant for the local Marine Corps League, said although their numbers are shrinking they are doing fine and holding strong as one of the largest detachments in Ohio.
“We did decline, but we got that to turn around a lot when we got involved with the Marine Corps recruiting office,” he said.
Brady attributes one the keys to keeping numbers steady at the Marine Corps League is having a full-time cook on duty and having lots of parties and events such as clambakes and chili cook-offs that draw in the families and kids.
“We give a lot of stuff away but it keeps people involved and coming in,” Brady said. “Our primary goal is charitable, we do give a lot back to the community. People go out and do work around here, we do scholarships and help disabled vets, all vets not just Marines.”
Brady wonders if perhaps one day all the veteran service organization might merge into one.
Brent Woerner, post commander for the Palmer-Roberts American Legion Post 214 in Willoughby, believes their membership numbers have stayed steady over the years, and he also notes that the hardest thing is trying to recruit Iraq and Afghan War vets.
“There is a general decline from the national to the local level,” he said. “If you are located near a military installation the numbers are a lot higher, but as you get further from the military installations the numbers go down.”
While Northeast Ohio has some reserve bases, the closet military installation is Wright Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton.
Woerner notes that there is some proactive activity taking place to try to keep numbers up such as an American Legion Post located on campus at Lakeland Community College along with a veteran services program. The problem there is those are transitional. Members are there three to four years and then they carry on with a career and move on.
Veteran service organizations are based on community service.
“The younger generation isn’t so much volunteer driven like they used to be so memberships are dwindling in other fraternities for that simple reason,” Woerner said
The Palmer-Roberts currently has about 340 veteran members, compared to back in the 1970s and early ’80s there were 750, he said. As the years go by the numbers dwindle tens and twenties here and there to get to the current level.
“It’s been within the last 10 to 15 years the decline has been steady,” Woerner said.
“It’s been within the last 10 to 15 years the decline has been steady.” — Brent Woerner, post commander for the Palmer Roberts American Legion Post 214 in Willoughby