VFW members, are you out there?

Are there any fellow VFW members out there?


I'm a life member of Stones River post 12206.

 

At what age is it socially acceptable to be a VFW member and start wearing veteran hats around?

 

I don't think there is a certified age. If you're crusty enough to not give a crap what others think; it really doesn't matter what is socially acceptable. I personally, I haven't got around to buying the VFW hat, but I do like going to the meetings whenever possible. I do have an American Legion hat somewhere, but I let that membership laps due to the cost.

 

I tried both the AL and VFW, neither for me. To each their own I guess.

 

What turned you off?

 

Give me 5 more years and I'll be joining this thread brother

 

You don't have to wait for retirement to join.

 

Do you join by location?

 

Yes and no, you can just join the national, or you can join a specific post. The price to join shouldn't matter which. The VFWs life membership is pretty affordable, especially compared to the AL. When I joined it was at the WAC gun show in Puyallup just after I got home from Iraq. I didn't signup with a particular post. So my membership was placed somewhere with the state/national level org. After I moved to TN, I transferred my membership to my local post 12206.

https://www.vfw.org/Join

 

member, help out a little, won't wear the hat or show up that often lol.

But hey, a lot of lodges sponsor scout groups, etc. That's pretty cool and still doing civic service. Also ours hosts a lot of events for the community.

 

So one of the 80%...

 

Heh.... I helped revamp the website and made it easy to administer, does that count? Although suggestion #1 was 'hey I can just make it a redirect to the facebook' ...

 

A whole combination of things. I don't drink. I don't drive a motorcycle. The Legion allows non-vets to join...and drink. I'm not into traditions (pledges, prayers, parades), and I don't like the hats they wear. That said, I value my 23 years on active duty, and have the utmost respect for my fellow vets.

 

Crazy but a life member and have never been to the first meeting. I keep meaning to go but for whatever reasons whenever I think about it there is always have something else going on.

A few months into my first deployment (May/June 03) and a VFW post sends a free year membership offer. So I filled it out. A year later I’m back from Iraq and get a letter saying it’s time to renew. The life was cheap and the wife said do the life for less than 2 or 3 annual ones. I thought ‘why not, I’ll go.’ Turns out the one who sent the offer is a couple hours away. There is a local one and tell myself I should go every time I go past it.

 

Life member JV Daniels Post #2813

 

My membership started out similar to yours. I was a state member for the first 15 years after I joined. Then I finally decided I needed something else to do, so I emailed the local posts in the area to see what was up. My post CO got my membership transfer from WA and I put the meetings on my calendar. If I'm home, I try to make the effort to go. I probably make a little over half the monthly meetings each year. You should look up your local post and try sending them an email. It was pretty easy way for me to start.

 

Not every post has a bar. I think we have two guys that ride motorcycles in my post. My experience with posts that do have bars is slim. Kalispell, MT post 2252 has an awesome bar. It's open to all, and members get a discount. It's quite a popular hangout for the locals. My post doesn't own it's own building. We used to use a space at the local airport for meetings, but we didn't anything of ours there. Last years we started using a local club on a day they are closed for our meetings, they help support us and give us a little corner by the front door to put up our flag which is pretty cool.

 

Not a member, nor did I serve so perhaps I shouldn't post here but...

In my second job I deal with a lot of bars/private clubs as they sponsor the teams for my league. There are a few VFW posts that sponsor teams, and a few more that used to but no longer do..some of the clubs closed, others just don't get the players required anymore. I was talking to some of the board about holding one of our tournaments there also.

Some take the stance of playing at the VFW means cheap booze, and to each thine own I guess. I played for a couple of years out of 1046 in Brockton MA and they were always very welcoming of us and others, even if nobody on the team was a member.

Brockton also would hold (among other things) Scouting events, comedy shows, wrestling events, and fundraisers. The main room was rather small but the big area in which the events happen is very spacious.

 

Thanks. We have two ALs in my town, one with a bar, and one without. I was just listing the bar thing as one of many reasons. Overall, VFWs and ALs just aren't my thing. I think part of it is also because I spent so much time in a uniform that I just want that 'culture' a cherished part of my past, not my present.