VFW WORKS TO KEEP, BUILD RANKS AS NEWER VETERANS RETURN HOME.Byline: CAROL ROCK Staff Writer CANYON COUNTRY -- Attrition and a less-than-positive image are hurting an institution founded to revere Revere, city (1990 pop. 42,786), Suffolk co., E Mass., a residential suburb of Boston, on Massachusetts Bay; settled c.1630, set off from Chelsea and named for Paul Revere 1871, inc. as a city 1914. those who have valiantly served. The Veterans of Foreign Wars, founded in 1899 and re-chartered in 1918 after World War I, is dedicated to ``honor the dead by serving the living.'' But the group is struggling to survive and is having only limited success in attracting younger members to its ranks. Its biggest hurdle, members say, is overcoming the perception that VFW See Video for Windows. posts are a place where old men sit around and drink all day. But advocates for the VFW -- and other veterans organizations, which are also declining in membership -- say the groups provide a place for returning veterans to share experiences -- battlefield and otherwise -- that no one else understands. ``Sometimes it takes people a while to join,'' said Larry Goodwin, canteen manager for VFW Post 6110 in Canyon Country. ``They're not ready to talk about it, or don't have time.'' ``It took me about 20 years after Vietnam to become a member,'' said Chuck Sweeney, commander of Post 6885, located just up the road from Post 6110. ``You're working, raising a family, maybe you join to help with the lobbying, but you don't go to the meetings.'' Sweeney said it was a party atmosphere when 25-year-old Heidi Fox returned from serving in Iraq and joined the post. ``She was our first and, so far, is our only female member,'' he said. The VFW national office gives each service member a year's free membership when they separate and it's up to the individual to keep it going. ``One of the things we do is help veterans get their benefits and services and medical care, but we also have a lot of community service projects they can get involved with,'' said Berkeley Burrell, quartermaster quartermaster Officer who oversees arrangements for the quartering and movement of troops. The office dates at least to the 15th century in Europe. The French minister of war under Louis XIV created a quartermaster general's department that dotted the countryside with of Post 6110. ``Over the years we've seen membership decline as some of our people are dying off,'' Burrell said, noting that just 5 percent of the post's 205 members are under age 25. ``We're going to try and get some of the younger people to join.'' Burrell has started a newsletter for the post and contributes to its Web site with invitations for veterans and their friends to get involved. Both posts hold regular karaoke karaoke (Japanese; “empty orchestra”) Use of a device that plays instrumental accompaniments to songs with the vocal tracks removed, permitting the user to sing the lead. nights, barbecues and concerts at their locations. Members make donations to the local schools, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation The Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (CFF) is a non-profit organization in the United States established to provide the means to cure and control cystic fibrosis. The Foundation provides information about cystic fibrosis (CF) and finances CF research that aims to improve the and support the local sheriff's deputies. They sponsor a softball softball, variant of baseball played with a larger ball on a smaller field. Invented (1888) in Chicago as an indoor game, it was at various times called indoor baseball, mush ball, playground ball, kitten ball, and, because it was also played by women, ladies' team and a fishing league and have been known to pass the hat for individual families in need. During the holidays, they put together baskets for those in need. And Post 6885's rambling rambling Neurology Fragmented non-goal directed speech most often caused by acute organic brain disease. See Organic brain disease, Word salad. front lawn is the site of a community Easter Egg An undocumented function hidden in software that may or may not be sanctioned by management. Easter Eggs are secret "goodies" found by word of mouth or accident. They are also used in video games, movies, TV commercials, DVDs, CDs, CD-ROMs and every so often in hardware. hunt that attracts nearly 300 children from the area. But the stigma of being the old soldiers' watering hole is a hard one to shake. ``That's why we need some new members,'' Burrell said. Partnering with groups such as the Blue Star Mothers is helping, as the women organize campaigns to send packages and letters to troops stationed overseas. They are also working on setting up visitation VISITATION. The act of examining into the affairs of a corporation. 2. The power of visitation is applicable only to ecclesiastical and eleemosynary corporations. 1 Bl. Com. 480; 2 Kid on Corp. 174. at the Sepulveda Veterans Administration Hospital. ``We tried to get some buses to bring them here for barbecues, but that fell through,'' Sweeney said. ``But we keep trying. We hosted a luncheon for new recruits into the Army before they were sent off to Iraq.'' ``We do a lot of community work,'' said Post 6885 bartender Ken Tompkins, the bustle bus·tle 1 intr. & tr.v. bus·tled, bus·tling, bus·tles To move or cause to move energetically and busily. n. Excited and often noisy activity; a stir. of a busy tavern heard in the background. ``It keeps us up in the top posts of the district. I don't see our membership in trouble at all.'' carol.rock(at)dailynews.com (661) 257-5252 |
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