Are Social Veteran Organizations Dying?
Jonn has graciously allowed me to place my soapbox here in front of you a moment…
To clarify, a social veteran organization is not like the ‘service’ organizations (Think VFW/DAV) which do a lot of work on behalf of the military veteran members. The organization or maybe better put the ‘portion’ of such organizations that I refer are the social aspect of sharing a common bond in service, unit etc and maintaining through real interaction.
82nd Airborne Division Association
Here’s the situation that I find myself in with my own chosen organization which is made up of both active duty and veteran service members whom either served with the 82nd or are airborne qualified or glidermen. The organization like many of its kind was formed from the WWII veterans that streamed back into the US borders and had only each other to talk to about the things they’d seen and done.
Flash forward almost 70 years and while the organization has continued the conflicts have had less troops involved and a volunteer force has changed the face of the military. The core of this group, as with many others, are seeing steep declines as WWII/Korea and even Vietnam era veterans either pass on or are no longer able to maintain a presence.
The organization has begun to bear the weight of past decisions and indecision to adapt to changing times. I am not sure if this is due to ignorance or just an inability to impact change because they simply do not know how to be anything different than what they’ve been for 6 decades. The hard truth is that it would appear things will get rougher in light of the economy of the past few years on an already burdened system.
There is hope that the next generation of combat veterans will be the shot in the arm that these organizations need but…
Can the Organizations wait for OEF/OIF veterans?
5 years. That is the most common statistic that I have seen that best fits the time that a separated military member spends before they seek out those old ties. Half the time that the current war on terrorism has been going on to simply start to attract the next largest number of combat veterans since WWII. In the same 5 years my organization and I suspect quite a few more have seen thousands of veterans pass on and even more grow old and no longer seek to run local or national operations. Gaps are forming where knowledge is not passed down and whole groups are faced with too few people to maintain a local function.
Most of the veteran organizations in my opinion fail to market well while members are serving. Don’t get me wrong, those who serve should be concentrating on the task at hand and while they shouldn’t be burdened with dealing with a veterans group they should be made aware that they are not immortal. One day they too will be ‘prior service’ and may be in need of assistance, benefits or simply an ear to talk about darker times nobody around them seems to understand.
Who will lobby for you in the future?
Many fine organizations offer services to veterans and support to the active military but I cannot help but speculate that as the ‘social’ members fall off, the percentage of individuals who volunteer and do the business of these organizations will diminish to such a degree that the future of the organization could be in jeopardy. The tragic result of this being that there may be a many more veterans who are fighting at home for benefits they deserve but doing it on their own.
Valued Resource
One thing I believe has been lost is the value in these organizations. Too many veterans feel that time on facebook or on various website forums is enough to cover those bonds. I find it funny that some of the strongest of these website groups are ones which have elected to get together at picnics or local gatherings yet many do not interact with organized groups. Is the value of the larger groups so far gone that veterans do not believe they can have that connection? Do younger military members feel that they do no need to band together after service?
If you’re a leader in any of the veteran groups let me just say that you should be fighting for change. Your future leadership has changed and if you are not already making the changes to keep locked in, you may just find yourself in a dead mans group and the last guy out the door will simply shut off the lights.
Change or die… so which is it going to be?
Category: Veterans Issues
Just like other have said the generational gap is the biggest reason for me that I have no interest in joining a VSO. I respect all the guys who came before me in the military and to be honest they are the reason that I decided to join the military. If I was around these guys I would talk to them as the heroes that I think that they are. I am not going to talk about the same subjects as I would guys that are my own age or friends of mine. I’m not looking to hang out with my Dad.
#51
If you and a bunch of your buddies joined, you *would* be hanging out with guys your own age; you just wouldn’t be alone.
At the Post where I am in the Auxiliary, we have a handful of WWII vets still. There are a bunch of guys from the Vietnam era. But, there are guys around my age (do they still call us “Gen X”?). There’s a young guy in the Sons I see regularly (college age). I can’t speak for other Posts, but the guys here are very welcoming to potential new members. My fiance just joined the Post in February and they’ve already elected him to join the executive committee. Give it a chance. If these organizations go away, who will be there, organized well enough, to speak for you in the state and federal legislatures?
“It’s an age thing”… absodamnlutely! My experiences (I’m 3rd generation VFW/AL) is that when you are raising kids, busting your butt at work (military), you don’t have the time for the VSOs. You are too busy taking the kids to ballgames, recitals and the wife to mandatory dinner work parties. As the kids get older, and the nest empties, the work slows down (ladder has been climbed to the top)or retirement, many then turn to the VSOs to give their time and talents. It is a type of latent resurgence.
One solution is to include more FAMILY oriented avenues (e.g. sponsoring Boy/Girl Scout Troops etc.). As for the single 20-30 something vet, that is today’s challenge for the VSOs. Personally I welcome them all and make sure that they are included. I use this business model-when they pay their dues (they already have by serving their country), they are a shareholder in the organization, and have a say, just like the WWII, Korea etc. members. On their membership card it does not say SF/Ranger/F-4 pilot/Boatswains mate/West Point grad or have any rank!
When I was a young buck… I(we) used the VFW/ALs as a “primer.” I would go in, drink the cheap beer/liquor, listen to the stories, and then leave (after the cheap buzz) and raise hell and chase women (more expensive). We all would do this when we went home on leave. A joke among us was: “What does the VFW mean- Very Few Women!” As I got older, I would periodically be asked to help out, and then got more involved.
Don’t let one clown or incident turn you off completely to the VSOs. There is one out there that will meet your needs and can use your talents. You just have to find it.
Bottom line- A lot of good has been doled out by the VSOs for needy vets… that I can attest to.
Hey c’mon, youz kidz is the reason why we’re losin’ dis war!