What does the George E. Hayward VFW Post do?

The VFW is Veterans of Foreign Wars. To be eligible for membership you must have served in a foreign country during a period of war or crisis, such as World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Iraq, Afghanistan, etc.

9295 is the post number, named for George E. Hayward, a Mentor High School graduate who lost his life while flying helicopters in Vietnam. He is buried here in Mentor Cemetery.

We are a proud group of veterans who served our country, but are just as proud of continually serving out community and area since being discharged from the military.

We were behind the drive to secure the veterans memorial at the corner of Center Street and Civic Drive and not only pushed it but contributed thousands of dollars to help. We also help maintain the flags to this day.

Several years ago the post established scholarships at Lakeland Community College for veterans. Even though they get help from VA, there are still many other charges they have to cover; so we set up $500 scholarships. To date, we have given 20 and are adequately funded for the future. This past year, because our veterans are aging, we added that family members could apply.

The post has a charity fund which supports causes too numerous to list. I have never been to a meeting when we did not make donations to deserving causes.

We have veterans who call on numerous assisted living and nursing homes to visit veterans so they are not forgotten. We at times put on ice cream socials, pizza parties, happy hours, Christmas parties and Veterans Day activities to help make their stay more enjoyable.

The post provides color guards and honor guards for schools, churches, parades and funerals when requested or needed.

We have put on fundraisers for young people with serious illnesses when needed.

This is just a portion of all the activities and needs of the community that we support.

I feel we are a strong part of the community and have been good citizens.

Sometimes when I try to recruit a member, I hear that veterans clubs are just where they go to smoke, drink and tell war stories. We follow the law; no smoking is ever allowed in the post. Yes, we might drink, but I can assure you, you will not get too much. And finally we do not allow foul language; if you use it, you will be asked to stop and if you don’t, you will be told to leave.

As for war stories, all are veterans of foreign wars and if you were to start, you would probably be embarrassed as the party you are trying to impress would have done more.