RECRUITING A FUTURE VETERANS CLUBS FRESHEN IMAGE TO ATTRACT YOUNGER MEMBERS.

Byline: Holly Edwards Staff Writer

Faced with aging ex-soldiers and declining membership rolls, veterans service clubs in the San Fernando Valley have hosted picnics and even built playgrounds at their posts in a bid to attract younger recruits with families.

Long the lifeblood of veterans service organizations, World II veterans are dying or growing too old for volunteerism, making it essential for American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars posts to recruit new members to survive.

While flagging interest has prompted the closure of posts nationwide, successful posts are revamping their image and luring younger members with more family-oriented events.

``We're trying to get rid of the image of the overweight veteran sitting in a corner drinking a beer and wearing his war medals,'' said Dan Ortiz, a 31-year-old Gulf War veteran and spokesman for the state VFW office. ``Right now we're getting ready to launch a PR campaign to let people know this isn't the same organization your grandfather joined. Now we have something for the whole family.''

Canoga Park VFW Post 2805 has increased its membership from 350 five years ago to more than 500 members now, through membership drives, family events, and the construction of a picnic area and children's playground, said Jack Cummings, 72, commander of the post.

Last week, the post hosted a Christmas party that attracted 50 children.

``We send out mailings and every member carries a membership application in his wallet,'' Cummings said. ``We had trouble for years getting younger vets to join, but now they're starting to realize the importance of supporting the VFW because it's the voice of vets when they need help.''

Recruiting new members is critical; about 1,000 World War II veterans die each day, Ortiz said.

But the VFW's membership has remained stable nationwide because of aggressive recruitment campaigns and a change in focus from a bar atmosphere to family events, he said.

And while VFW membership has decreased in California during the past five years, Ortiz said no VFW posts closed last year in the state.

The American Legion closed 110 posts nationwide during the past five years, but opened more than 350 during the same period, said Joe March, spokesman for the national office of the American Legion.

However, March said, American Legion membership has decreased by about 100,000 since 1997 with the annual deaths of some 90,000 members nationwide.

March agreed that the service club had to become more family-oriented to endure, particularly in entertainment rich urban areas like Los Angeles where it's expensive to lease or buy a clubhouse.

``It's harder to compete in a metropolitan environment because of all the theaters, shows and restaurants,'' he said. ``But in rural areas, the American Legion is the community. It hosts the Fourth of July celebration, and it's where people get married.''

North Hollywood American Legion Post 307 expects to close its doors next month after 73 years of operation. Though the post has more than 200 members, less than 10 are actively involved in the post, according to post leaders.

``We're not gaining too many new members and a lot of people are dying off,'' said Ellis Kirk, the 84-year-old commander of the post, adding that the downturn began 15 years ago when the post lost its clubhouse because of a lease increase. ``Sometimes we can't even get people to come to our free dinners.''

Younger veterans who have joined the VFW and American Legion say they were drawn primarily by the clubs' camaraderie and lobbying power in Washington, D.C.

Robert Will, a 40-year-old Gulf War veteran from Palmdale, said he has many symptoms of Gulf War Syndrome and is counting on the service clubs to prod the government to acknowledge the ailment is service-related.

``I've been denied benefits three times, but the VFW and the American Legion are doing their best to lobby for us,'' said Will, who belongs to VFW Post 3552 and American Legion Post 348 in the Antelope Valley. ``It's all up to Congress, but it took them about 30 years to recognize Agent Orange as a cause of illness in Vietnam veterans.''

Will also said the clubs provide veterans with a sense of closeness they can't find anywhere else. Veterans see and do things most people never experience, he said, and therefore feel an instant sense of empathy for each other.

``When someone has to kill another human being, that is the most unnatural thing in the world and the psychological effects are outstanding,'' he said. ``The VFW and American Legion are great places where vets can help each other out and support each other.''

Vietnam veterans are also giving service clubs a boost after remaining largely inactive for decades.

As they reach middle age, many Vietnam veterans are realizing the importance of community service and have more time to volunteer as their children leave home, said Nick Guest, 53, a Vietnam veteran and commander of VFW District 7, which includes the San Fernando, Simi and Antelope valleys.

Guest said he received a ``chilly reception'' when he tried to join a VFW post in Hacienda Heights in 1974. He left the post and didn't return for 20 years.

``At the time, people took out their feelings about the war against us,'' he said. ``But now people realize we were just doing what we called on to do and our Vietnam vets are joining in increasing numbers. No matter what war you were in, you want to talk about it. And unless you've been there, there's no way you can talk about it.''

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VFW Post 2805 members, from left, Bob Moran, Jack Cummings and Roger Luehrs credit family oriented attractions, like this picnic area and a children's playground, for attracting younger members to the Canoga Park post.

Gus Ruelas/Staff Photographer