Cold War Veterans Blog

VETERANS GROUPS FACE STRUGGLE

OUTREACH EFFORT: Recruiting young troops a challenge as older members die

By SARAH M. RIVETTE
TIMES STAFF WRITER
MONDAY, DECEMBER 22, 2008


The number of young men and women returning from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan increases every day, but veterans organizations are finding it increasingly difficult to reach these young soldiers.

“We are actually closing, getting rid of the building and hoping to keep the charter and go in with another organization,” said E. Allen Mooney, assistant commander and adjutant for Ogdensburg American Legion Post 69. “The closing has been coming a long time. The area just can’t support three veterans clubs. Members are passing away and going to nursing homes and there are just fewer and fewer people.”

Mr. Mooney described what is happening to some posts across the country as the aging World War II and Korean War veterans die. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, that population is dying at a rate of 900 per day.

“My job is to recruit new members, and we are doing that,” said George H. Osborne, Bath, the state chairman for membership for the Veterans of Foreign Wars. “We need to work on retention and reinstatements of those who are dropping out. We can’t run the risk of losing these kids, and that has happened in the past.”

Mr. Osborne, who served in the Korean War with the Marine Corps, said there are about 5,000 people in New York who were VFW members but have fallen by the wayside and have not paid dues. He said reaching out and getting back in touch with them is a priority.

The VFW is open to service members who served overseas and have received a combat patch, which limits the number of people who can join. The 16 VFW posts in St. Lawrence, Jefferson and Lewis counties have lost 323 members since 2007, according to data on the state VFW Web site. The same decline is seen at the state level, where the organization lost 9,811 members, going from 77,233 in 2007 to 67,422 as of Dec. 10.

One reason for the declining numbers may be that the organizations are not modern enough for the 20- and 30-year-olds returning from conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. Current members are finding there is a gap between generations that needs to be bridged.

“It’s very difficult because of the age difference. Most of the veterans we have now are Vietnam era, and you get men in their 60s talking to men in their 20s,” said Richard Dingman, quartermaster in charge of membership at Dionne-Rumble VFW Post 7227, Carthage. “Something we did for our younger veterans is put in an ATM machine because they all use plastic money.”

Mr. Dingman said that of about 400 members, there are 50 to 60 who are active-duty and stationed at Fort Drum. He acknowledges the post’s proximity to Drum has helped with membership, but says that most times a soldier will join Post 7227 and then change duty stations.

In Jefferson County, the American Legion added 74 members. Lewis County added 16 and St. Lawrence County added 19. These numbers do not reflect Sons of the American Legion nor the American Legion Auxiliary.

Still, none of the counties has reached its 2009 recruiting goal. Jefferson County is short 1,036 members, Lewis County is short 87 and St. Lawrence is short 632, according to statistics on the state American Legion Web site.

“We are just scraping by and it’s dwindling,” said David L. Brown, treasurer of American Legion Post 74 in Potsdam. Mr. Brown served in the Army during Vietnam. “Most of our members are in their late 70s and early 80s. The membership that we have is elderly and no one wants to get involved and volunteer to take over for membership because it’s time consuming and they don’t have the spunk to do it.”

The American Legion and VFW posts have decided to stress the kinds of programs available not only to veterans but to family members. They include temporary financial assistance and scholarship opportunities that help draw potential members into the organization.

“We are not pushing the membership probably as hard as others would like us to, but we are trying to get them in the door and see what we do, aside from sitting at the bar and telling war stories,” said Jamie Brassard, vice chairwoman for Hometown for Heroes for the American Legion District 5, which covers Lewis and Jefferson counties. “That’s the perception of the Legion and the VFW.”

Mrs. Brassard, who works at Fort Drum and is a Vietnam veteran, said another issue is that some older members can no longer afford to belong to the Legion and pay the yearly dues. This compounds when there are several organizations to which a single veteran can belong.

In situations like these, the American Legion will try to pay the dues for the member who can no longer afford them. As an incentive, the VFW has a program whereby it will pay for the first year for a new member.

Despite incentives, programs, recruiting and retention efforts that both the VFW and American Legion have tried, membership in rural places is declining for both groups.

“It’s not so much about joining; it’s about being active,” said Richard O. Matthias, quartermaster at Massena VFW Post 1143. Mr. Matthias served in the Navy during Vietnam.

“The majority of our guys who are active in the club are 60 or older and it’s hard for us to get over that generational thing,” he said. “Eventually we will be able to bring in some of the younger guys, but it’s all a matter of blending.”