Veterans of Foreigh Wars: History and purpose
By Sam Erickson
Feature Writer
The Veterans of Foreign Wars is the oldest surviving veterans service organization in the United States. The national organization began in Denver in 1899 as the first official post of the Veterans of Foreign Wars and was officially charted by Congress in 1914.
Dedicated to working on behalf of veterans, it lobbies Congress for health care and benefits for veterans. It is also an important civic organization dedicated to integrating veterans into their local communities.
One of the organization’s many goals is to promote awareness through community involvement. The VFW has a long-standing relationship with the Boy Scouts of America and sponsors thousands of units across the country.
It also sponsors scholarships like the Scout of the Year award, focused on citizenship and national service. It is also committed to helping the local community. With several thousand posts in diverse communities across the country, the organization offers programs based on local need and coordinates many volunteer efforts, including blood drives, community food kitchens and visits to hospitalized veterans.
The primary focus is to develop community service and increase active citizenship in communities, with a heavy focus on shaping young people into model citizens.
In addition to its work in the community, the VFW connects active military units with locals in a number of ways. It provides free phone calls to deployed service members and those in the hospital recovering from injury. It helps local posts support active units through welcome-home and going-away events. It provides assistance to families who are deployed and have unexpected financial hardships.
If you are looking for a way to support veterans in remembrance of this Veterans Day, consider making a charitable contribution to your local VFW post. While it is a government-chartered nonprofit organization, it receives no government contributions and relies solely on local contributions to keep its services afloat.
Few people not directly involved in the military are aware of the contributions made by active veterans groups like the Veterans of Foreign Wars. As a veteran, if there is a local post in your area, connecting with it can help you stay in touch with issues important to you and give you a chance to help shape the youth in your community, continuing the trend of service started in the armed forces.
Send questions/comments to the editors.
