UPDATE: How to be wrong, even when you're right: There is a call to VFW members to burn or return their membership cards by Wolf over at Blackfive. This is the equivalent to those that would call for abandoning the Nation because they don't like who the voters put in office. It is not the first time that I've openly opposed the activism Mr Wolf recommends, but this method is counter-productive to what he claims to support. It is as wrong as the endorsement list he opposes.
The VFW is an important resource with a long history. When you walk into a post and buy a beer, you're not funding the VFW-PAC or VFW National. You are supporting that Post. When you sit over a beer and discuss NASCAR, the NFL, or war stories, you're participating in a brotherhood of Warriors. As you sit there, you're bonding with the only ones that understand your experiences and there is healing in that. It cannot be replaced with an internet based organization. If that were the only thing the VFW did, it's value would be immeasurable.
Nor should this be a drive for American Legion membership or should there be competition between them. The American Legion is also a fine organization, but it is not a place for Combat Veterans to gather alone. It includes non-combat Veterans as members, and that is fine. Veterans need places like the American Legion, as well as the VFW.
The fact is that both the Legion and the VFW have struggled to bring in new members. As our Viet Nam Veterans age, they've been unable to reach out across the generational divide to attract young members of Desert Storm, OEF, OIF. The VFW now has only as many total members as there are currently Veterans of our Current Conflicts, many fewer than there are Viet Nam Veterans. There are many reasons for this, including the lack of internet knowledge, the perception of posts as crusty old buildings and old folks, and legislative endorsements such as this one. There is also the fact that fewer Americans than ever are actually Veterans, much less Combat Veterans.
Still, to my Viet Nam era Brothers, I would point out the delayed memberships from their era, but also the need to welcome in new Veterans, as guests, whenever a young Veteran walks in. I would point out the need to adopt your local National Guard units and to find a way to welcome back ETSing and Retiring Veterans.
The bottom line is that if Wolf's call is heeded by members and potential members, it will have the effect he notes. It will kill the organization. VFW Posts are already shuttering their doors as their membership dies off below the level required. Wolf's call would hasten that demise. And that is a cost in real estate that cannot be replaced as well as a loss of brotherhood that cannot be found elsewhere. Burden is not wrong for not preventing that call from being issued on his site, but he is wrong to not speak out in opposition. Wolf is as wrong as was Michael Yon in his efforts to fire a General.
As I state in my original post, it is time for the membership to take back the VFW, to put the National Leadership on notice, but that is not done by burning your membership cards. It is done by participating in your post, by voting in those elections, by bringing in more members. It is done by working with Our Viet Nam Brothers to bring the VFW and each post into the 21st Century. And yes, Mr. Wolf, taking back the VFW from out of touch "leaders" will take time. Your call for their resignations is not necessarily a bad idea, but it is unrealistic to think that the National Leadership will change overnight. It is wrong for you to call for the death of an organization that is so important to Our Veterans, an organization that elects its leaders, even if you don't like who was elected or what they've endorsed.
To MR Wolf, I point out that politicizing the VFW, Veterans Issues, and the Military is just as wrong when done by the right side of the aisle as when done by the left side of the aisle. If the endorsement list outrages you as much as it does me and so many other Veterans, consider how much worse it would be if the VFW shrank to only those that support that list, consider how outraged those Veterans would be if the VFW decided that list based on all those non-Veteran, non-Military issues which you espouse.
You have every right to those positions but the National Organization has no more right to weigh in on those non-Military issues, whether they support or oppose yours, than would you, if you were on that committee. The authors and editors of War On Terror News have strong positions on issues outside of National Defense as well, but when it comes to this publication, we restrict ourselves to the topic. Sure, it takes self-discipline, but that is taught in the Military. Emotions may be powerful, but logic and reason must prevail in the decisions we make.
Why don't you direct all that energy at the IAVA, which actually is a partisan organ of the DNC, which has a self-appointed, non-elected "Executive Director?"
Original: Partisan Politics have divided this Nation and they have divided Our Combat Veterans, but when my VFW Post was witnessing distressing changes, an old Viet Nam Vet pulled me aside and said:
"This Post is yours. It belongs to its members. It belongs to you. It is what Combat Veterans make of it."
He was right of course. Like the American Legion and unlike many upstarts, the VFW membership elects its leadership. Unfortunately, the National Leadership, as well as many Posts, have lost the connection with current Combat Veterans. It is time to take it back. Get Involved. Vote out those that don't represent you.
What brings this on? First reported by Jonn at This Ain't Hell, the VFW-PAC is endorsing a long list of incumbents in the 2010 election. It includes staunch anti-military politicians such as John Dingell and Nancy Pelosi, as well as the opponents of Combat Veterans running for office. Why? I don't know. It makes no sense, except that the VFW-PAC claims to have based it on legislation that was pretty much universally endorsed by Congress. That automatically puts an incumbent at an advantage, regardless of where they stand on issues Congress doesn't agree on.
How does this happen? Current Combat Veterans have not taken what is rightly theirs: membership and voting in the VFW. It doesn't belong to partisan politicians or incumbents. It belongs to YOU, the Combat Veteran.
While I have highlighted two of the most blatant anti-military candidates endorsed by this list, Jonn points out others and there are more than he notes, that are opposed locally by VFW Posts across the Nation, in their districts. But the right answer is not to burn your membership card. The right answer is to take back that which is yours, that you have earned.
Contact them and tell them your thoughts:
VFW-PAC
VFW Washington Office
200 Maryland Avenue, NE
Washington, DC 20002
Tel. (202) 544-5868
Fax (202) 544-8495
Email: vfwpac@vfw.org
You can write one or write them all, but let the VFW Leadership know that supporting anti-Military incumbents puts the organization at risk. Entire List of state email accounts:
tnvfw@att.net; vfw@alvfw.org; vfwstatehq@mtaonline.net; vfwhdqtrs@gmail.com; headquarters@arkansasvfw.org; rowoldt@vfwca.org; vfw@vfwcolodept.org; hqct@vfw.necoxmail.com; delawarevfw@gmail.com; anthonyfishes48@ymail.com; statehq@flvfw.org; gahq@gavfw.org; vfwhhaq@aol.com; idahovfw@cableone.net; vfwil@vfwil.org; vfwiowa@qwestoffice.net; ksvfwhq@kvfw.kscoxmail.com; vfwdptky@insightbb.com; lavfw@aol.com; thedumas@gwi.net; vfwdeptofmd1@earthlink.net; stateadj@verizon.net; vfwmi@vfwmi.org; mnvfw@vfwmn.us; vfwms@aol.com; adj@mo.vfwwebmail.com; montanavfw@gmail.com; vfwne@windstream.net; jman@aiinc.com; danavfw@metrocast.net; depthq@njvfw.com; vfwnm@hughes.net; stateadjutant@yahoo.com; qm@nc.vfwwebmail.com; vfwnd@minot.com; vfwhqok@flash.net; orvfwhq@aol.com; adjdpa@vfwdeptpacific.org; adjutant@vfwpahq.org; dept@vfwsc.org; vfwsd@aol.com; roy@texasvfw.org; dmyers2958@aol.com; vtadjvfw@gmail.com; stateheadquarters@va.vfwwebmail.com; vfwstateofwa@aol.com; vfwqm@verizon.net; wivfw@att.net; vfwhq@bresnan.net; pokerp@yahoo.com; adjvfwdlac@gmail.com
List of State Contact info (as posted on VFW site):
Dept. of Alabama
Kenneth Wigley
(334)270-8399
vfw@alvfw.org
Dept. of Alaska
Martin E. Miller
(907)373-7600
vfwstatehq@mtaonline.net
Dept. of Arizona
Forrest E. Barker
(480)941-5258
vfwhdqtrs@gmail.com
Dept. of Arkansas
A. M. Armstrong
(501)834-8392
headquarters@arkansasvfw.org
Dept. of California
William C. Manes
(916)449-8850
rowoldt@vfwca.org
Dept. of Colorado
Warren R. Tellgren
(303)421-1630
vfw@vfwcolodept.org
Dept. of Connecticut
Robert A. Hunter
(860)616-2360
hqct@vfw.necoxmail.com
Dept. of Delaware
Leroy R. Esh
(302)656-5022
delawarevfw@gmail.com
Dept. of District of Columbia
Charlie W. Smith
(301)439-2713
anthonyfishes48@ymail.com
Dept. of Florida
Herbert F. Gay
(352)622-5126
statehq@flvfw.org
Dept. of Georgia
George A. Langford
(478)474-3737
gahq@gavfw.org
Dept. of Hawaii
Richard J. Haake
(808)946-7250
vfwhhaq@aol.com
Dept. of Idaho
Donald G. Riegel
(208)342-2438
idahovfw@cableone.net
Dept. of Illinois
Jules D. Spindler
(217)529-6688
vfwil@vfwil.org
Dept. of Indiana
Keiston R. Holloway
(317)377-1795
bruningvfwhq.sbcglobal.net
Dept. of Iowa
John E. Feller
(515)255-2139
vfwiowa@qwestoffice.net
Dept. of Kansas
James F. Graham
(785)272-6463
ksvfwhq@kvfw.kscoxmail.com
Dept. of Kentucky
Michael E. Clontz
(502)635-2638
vfwdptky@insightbb.com
Dept. of Louisiana
Douglas D. Nunley
(225)928-5025
lavfw@aol.com
Dept. of Maine
Raymond R. Lupo
(207)496-0071
thedumas@gwi.net
Dept. of Maryland
Victor W. Fuentealba
(410)752-6474
vfwdeptofmd1@earthlink.net
Dept. of Massachusetts
Samuel Adams
(617)727-2612
stateadj@verizon.net
Dept. of Michigan
Garry J. Goff
(517)485-9456
vfwmi@vfwmi.org
Dept. of Minnesota
(651)291-1757
mnvfw@vfwmn.us
Dept. of Mississippi
Johnnie Potter
(601)352-8904
vfwms@aol.com
Dept. of Missouri
Dewey M. Riehn
(573)636-8761
adj@mo.vfwwebmail.com
Dept. of Montana
Harold D. Jones
(406)324-3992
montanavfw@gmail.com
Dept. of Nebraska
Gary E. Bush
(402)464-0674
vfwne@windstream.net
Dept. of Nevada
Stephen P. Gibbs
(775)253-0427
jman@aiinc.com
Dept. of New Hampshire
Paul J. Chevalier
(603)335-5923
danavfw@metrocast.net
Dept. of New Jersey
John G. Mooney
(609)393-1929
depthq@njvfw.com
Dept. of New Mexico
Eloy J. Howard
(575)653-4378
vfwnm@hughes.net
Dept. of New York
Frank F. Giles
(518)463-7427
stateadjutant@yahoo.com
Dept. of North Carolina
Raymond J. Yamrus
(919)828-5058
qm@nc.vfwwebmail.com
Dept. of North Dakota
Neil L. Prochnow
(701)838-3677
vfwnd@minot.com
Dept. of Ohio
Larry D. Moore
(614)224-1838
vfwdohio.ameritech.net
Dept. of Oklahoma
Harlan J. Bjorgo
(405)525-2680
vfwhqok@flash.net
Dept. of Oregon
H. Merle Jackson
(503)255-5808
orvfwhq@aol.com
Dept. of Pacific Area
81-903-697-0187
adjdpa@vfwdeptpacific.org
Dept. of Pennsylvania
James E. McComb
(717)234-7927
adjutant@vfwpahq.org
Dept. of Rhode Island
Salvatore J. Capirchio
(401)751-8200
vfwri1@vets.necoxmail.com
Dept. of South Carolina
Lyn D. Dimery
(803)808-0317
dept@vfwsc.org
Dept. of South Dakota
Arnold J. Heggestad
(605)332-7441
vfwsd@aol.com
Dept. of Tennessee
Henry P. Applegate
(615)242-5851
tnvfw@att.net
Dept. of Texas
Willie S. Greer, Jr.
(512)834-8535
roy@texasvfw.org
Dept. of Utah
Frederick E. Peyton
(801)773-2605
dmyers2958@aol.com
Dept. of Vermont
Donald R. Young, Jr.
(802)223-5368
vtadjvfw@gmail.com
Dept. of Virginia
Charles D. Crouch
(540)886-8112
stateheadquarters@va.vfwwebmail.com
Dept. of Washington
Kevin C. Lee
(253)922-2114
vfwstateofwa@aol.com
Dept. of West Virginia
(304)768-7514
vfwqm@verizon.net
Dept. of Wisconsion
Dana M. Simons
(608)221-5276
wivfw@att.net
Dept. of Wyoming
Robert J. DeBernardo
(307)333-5975
vfwhq@bresnan.net
Dept. of Europe
Ronald R. Smith
49-9721-498-557
pokerp@yahoo.com
Dept. of Latin America/Caribbean
Jose Santos-Alvarez
011-507-661-86561
adjvfwdlac@gmail.com
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