What would be a number of things that would influence you as a younger Veteran to become active in a American Legion or VFW Post?

SPC Paul Prevost — Fri, 11 Mar 2016 09:17:06 -0500

Response by MSG Brad Sand made Mar 11 at 2016 10:06 AM

MSG Brad Sand — Fri, 11 Mar 2016 10:06:01 -0500

Well, if I was a younger veteran, I think if I saw them doing good for me and my family, that would be important to me?

Response by MSgt Steven Holt, NRP, CCEMT-P made Mar 11 at 2016 3:06 PM

MSgt Steven Holt, NRP, CCEMT-P — Fri, 11 Mar 2016 15:06:11 -0500

That's a great question. I honestly don't have an answer to it. I would surmise I might be more interested in the VFW if I felt like I was actually welcome and/or wanted as a member. The last two posts I looked into joining was met with "You aren't a Nam vet. Why are you here?" mentality.

Response by CW2 Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 13 at 2016 3:15 PM

CW2 Private RallyPoint Member — Sun, 13 Mar 2016 15:15:51 -0400

A leadership climate that encouraged input from younger veterans and invited them to become involved in the activities/committees/leadership posts of the organization.

Response by PO2 Jeffrey Sheibels made Mar 13 at 2016 8:22 PM

PO2 Jeffrey Sheibels — Sun, 13 Mar 2016 20:22:52 -0400

The biggest and most difficult thing would be to accept new younger veterans and their ideas. The people currently in these organizations have to freely accept new younger members and their ideas. They also need to be more active in the community that at one time in our lives protected. They need to show a presence at all community events. As a younger veteran myself, I want to see my local American Legion Post thrive. However, the only way it will is if it has younger veterans like myself join and breath new life into the posts. They need to recognize that they are getting to the point where they should enjoy their lives. These posts should be somewhere that veterans can go to without fear of judgement. It needs to have a social, welcoming atmosphere. It needs to also become modernized and with the current times. These posts need someone who knows how to run a website as well as social media. They need someone who knows the local community and their events. They need someone who will go to those events and spread the word about the post. They need someone who will be active and keep the best interest of the post in mind. The people in these posts are often closed and hard to approach. This is the exact opposite of what is necessary to ensure that these organizations posts are still around when the current generation of active/reserve personnel retire.