(Posted Sept. 24, 2015)
By Kristy Zurbrick, Madison Editor
Two local veterans organizations are working together to recruit new members.
Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 746 and Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7005 will host a cookout from 1 to 4 p.m. Oct. 4 at the VFW Post, 1 Veterans Way, West Jefferson. The Posse band will perform. Porkchops and side dishes will be served. Anyone interested in learning more about membership in either organization is welcome to attend the free event.
Dave Cunningham, commander of VVA 746, said there is pride in belonging to a veterans organization. Both the VVA and the VFW send color guards to veterans’ funerals, march in parades, decorate veterans’ graves for Memorial Day, and give back to the community in a variety of ways, from scholarships to children’s holiday parties.
In addition to pride, there is power in membership, Cunningham said.
“Strong veterans groups have more power in Congress with bills that support veterans,” he said.
Ronald Clark, commander of VFW 7005, sees recruitment of new members, especially younger ones, as essential to the vitality of the organizations.
“We need some young people. We’re not going to live forever. We need some new ideas,” he said.
Both organizations are open to new regular members and auxiliary members. To be eligible for regular membership in the VFW, a person must have a service medal from a war zone from any war up to and including wars going on now. To be an auxiliary member, a person must have a spouse, father/mother, grandfather/grandmother, or brother/sister who earned a service medal in a war zone.
To be eligible for regular membership in the VVA, a person must have served in the military during the Vietnam War era, 1961 to 1965. Anyone can be an auxiliary member of the VVA; military service or relationship to someone who served is not necessary.
The VFW meets at 6:30 p.m. the first Sunday of each month at the post, which is open through the week to members. For more information, call Ronald Clark at (614) 879-7313 or the post at 879-6333.
The VVA meets at 2 p.m. the fourth Sunday of each month, alternating locations between the VFW post in West Jefferson and American Legion Post 105 in London. For more information, call Dave Cunningham at (740) 852-0331.
