VFW Post Makes Push To Recruit Young Vets
VFW Post Commander Ron Holland - Veterans of Foreign Wars Post Commander Ron Holland says he has a "desire to accept and support and be there" for the young vets. He says he remembers coming back from Vietnam and feeling ostracized by the vets from World War II. (Melissa Block / NPR)
All around Portland, Ore., Veterans of Foreign Wars posts have closed their doors in recent years as members died and funds dried up.
But this summer, one post in Tualatin, Ore., outside Portland, has made a point to attract young veterans to revitalize membership, including moving out of a dump into a fancy new home.
VFW Post 3452's new hall is full of light with a shiny professional kitchen, granite countertops, a 52-inch flat-screen TV. It's named after a young veteran, Marine Cpl. Matthew Lembke.
Lembke served two tours in Iraq. And he was on foot patrol in Afghanistan this past June when he stepped on an IED. He died of complications several weeks later. He was 22.
Claudia Lembke remembers when her son was excited to join the Marines: "We tried to talk him out of it," she says. "We envisioned him going to school."
Soon after his death, the family heard from the VFW: It wanted to name the new building after their son.
Claudia, who says the family was honored, also says her son wouldn't understand what the fuss was all about. And she pauses when asked if her son would have liked to come to the VFW.
"I think younger guys don't think of themselves as joining this type of organization," she says. "But as they come back and find out that they're missing out on some of their benefits, [they'll find] that this organization will be helpful to them."
Sending A New Message
But the hall at breakfast is full of gray heads, filled with old memories. The veterans, many of whom served in Vietnam, gather after breakfast to talk about their new space, and their new approach.
"I like to think that the reason we built this hall wasn't for us, but was for the Iraqi veterans," says Bill Phillips, the post quartermaster. He says the former hall was a place of conflict.
"We met and argued once a month. And it was definitely an old-man thing — there was nothing really social about it. It was more combative," Phillips says. "So we set out to attract the new veterans. And we also hope — because a lot of us are Vietnam veterans — that we could open the doors for these young men and women who are fighting for us. Naming the hall after Matt is sending that message."
But Post Commander Ron Holland says a couple of members were opposed to bringing in Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.
"Literally, we had a member that says, 'We don't want a bunch of crazies around,' " Holland says. "Head cases."
But Phillips laughs: "As if we're not."
"One of the things brought up was PTSD. One of the members said, 'We shouldn't be touching PTSD,' " Phillips says. "And there's many of us, we suffer from PTSD.
"I actually had one of the old members tell me that everything was fine here until the Vietnam veteran guys came. As if we weren't allowed to be in VFW. I mean, that's holding on to those memories. We've gotta move on; we've gotta open our doors. And that's our mission. Our mission is to help veterans, period. And that wasn't happening."
Like Phillips, Holland says he remembers coming back from Vietnam and feeling ostracized by the vets from World War II.
"The World War II was the real war," Holland says. "They looked at Korean vets as, well, that was a police action. The way they looked at Vietnam was, 'Hey, that wasn't a real war either.' And I didn't feel comfortable around all the old guys."
Holland says he and his VFW friends may be as old as some of the younger vets' grandfathers, but they have a "desire to accept and support and be there" for them.
"One of the things that I've made it clear, and the membership has been really good about it, is every time someone walks in the door you don't know, you go over and you greet them, make them feel comfortable," he says. "If they're a veteran, this is their home."
How To Carry On The Legacy
The post has about 200 active members. Of those, about 35 are recent recruits from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Many of the National Guard members on active duty in Iraq were recruited by one of the youngest members of the post, Nicky Colon.
Colon, 48, who is with the 141st Infantry Division in the National Guard, works at a security company — and he says it's hard to make it to the VFW breakfasts.
"A lot of us have to work — we're not retired like some of these guys," Colon says. "They just stay home and all that, and they need to understand that. They need to change it. The breakfast, change it to Saturday or Sunday when everybody is off, and more of a crowd will show up.
"The guys are passing away, those old timers — very nice people, good history in VFW ... but we need to start putting our history in there. They need somebody to carry on the legacy for the kids that come after us."
In Tualatin, Post 3452 is counting on its new building, with Matthew Lembke's name on it, and new members, to keep it going.
As one veteran said: "I don't want to be the last one standing here."
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MELISSA BLOCK, host:
We've been wondering whether young veterans, those who've served in Iraq and Afghanistan, are joining the Veterans of Foreign Wars; whether VFW is doing anything to appeal to them to revitalize an organization whose membership has been shrinking. And we went to Tualatin, Oregon, outside Portland, to ask about that.
Early morning on a Thursday, the griddle is sizzling and Bill Phillips is in charge of breakfast.
Mr. BILL PHILLIPS (Quartermaster, VFW Post 3452): Let me have sausage links, hamburger gravy, country gravy, omelets, cheesy eggs. Oh, biscuits.
This summer, VFW Post 3452 moved into a fancy, new home. Out of a dumpy old, mildewy Quonset hut basement up to a new hall full of lights with a shiny professional kitchen, granite countertops, a 52-inch flat-screen TV. And the hall has a new name, Lembke Hall, named for Marine Corporeal Matthew Lembke.
Ms. CLAUDIA LEMBKE: His friends called him Lumpy. It was a name given to him by a football coach. I was never fond of it, but...
BLOCK: That's Claudia Lembke remembering her son; Number 70 oh his high school football jersey, excited to join the Marines.
Ms. LEMBKE: We tried to talk him out of it. We envisioned him going to school.
BLOCK: Matthew Lembke served two tours in Iraq and was on foot patrol in Afghanistan this past June when he stepped on an IED. He died of complications several weeks later. He was 22.
Pretty soon, the family heard from the VFW they wanted to name the new building after Matt.
Ms. LEMBKE: We think it's awesome that they decided to do that. What an honor. He would not understand what the fuss was all about.
BLOCK: This seem like a place that your son would have liked to come?
Ms. LEMBKE: I think younger guys don't think of themselves as joining this type of organization. But I think as they come back and find out that they're missing out on some of their benefits, that this type of organization will be helpful to them.
BLOCK: Look around the hall at breakfast though, and you feed the trouble.
Unidentified Man #1: Remember I mentioned that the meaning about a VFW Poppy Poker Run?
Unidentified Man #2: Mm-hmm.
BLOCK: it's a room full of gray heads filled with old memories.
Unidentified Man #1: Well, I was in the Navy, between '61 and '65, served in Vietnam.
Unidentified Man #3: And I served in Vietnam in '72 and three.
Unidentified Man #4: Vietnam '67, '68.
Unidentified Man #5: I served in Vietnam, Dong Hoa, Quan Tre in '67, '68.
BLOCK: The veterans gather after breakfast to talk about their new space and a new approach.
Mr. PHILLIPS: Well, I like to think that the reason that we built this hall wasn't for us, but was for the Iraqi veterans.
BLOCK: That's Bill Phillips, the post quartermaster. He says their former hall was a place of conflict.
Mr. PHILLIPS: We met and argued once a month, and it was definitely an old man thing. And there was nothing really social about it. It was more combative. So we set out to attract the new veterans. And we also hope � because a lot of us are Vietnam veterans � that we could open the doors for these young men and women who are fighting for us. Naming the hall after Matt is sending that message.
BLOCK: Would there have been veterans who said, I don't like this new idea of what you're trying to do with outreach to the younger kids coming back? That's not what VFW is for me.
Mr. RON HOLLAND (Post Commander, VFW Post 3452): Well, if I could speak�
BLOCK: This is the Post Commander Ron Holland.
Mr. HOLLAND: And we had a couple members that when he brought up that he wanted for the Iraqi-Afghan people, and we were going to do this and that, and literally, we had a member says, we don't want a bunch of crazies around.
Mr. PHILLIPS: As if we're not...
Mr. HOLLAND: Head cases.
(Soundbite of laughter)
BLOCK: And Bill, you said, as if we're not.
Mr. PHILLIPS: As if we're not. What one of the things that was brought up was PTSD.
Mr. HOLLAND: Yeah.
Mr. PHILLIPS: And one of the members said we shouldn't be touching PTSD. And there's many of us, we suffer from PTSD.
Mr. HOLLAND: Well, we were - I actually had one of the old members tell me that everything was fine here until the Vietnam veteran guys came, as if we weren't allowed to be in the VFW. And I mean, that's holding on to those memories that, you know, we've got to move on. We've got to open our doors. And that's our mission. Our mission is to help veterans, period, and that wasn't happening.
BLOCK: Like Bill Phillips, Ron Holland also remembers coming back from Vietnam and feeling ostracized by the vets from World War II.
Mr. HOLLAND: The World War II was the real war. They looked at Korean vets as -well, that wasn't - that was a police action. They looked at Vietnam - was, hey, that's another - that wasn't a real war, either. And I didn't feel comfortable around all the old guys.
BLOCK: Do you think a young person right now coming back from Iraq or Afghanistan might say, I don't feel comfortable. There's an old guy, they're as old as my dad, maybe my grandfather.
Mr. HOLLAND: We maybe as old as their grandfathers, but the idea is that we have a desire to accept them and support them and be there for them. And one of the things that I've made clear and the membership here have been really good about it is every time someone walks in that door you don't know, you go over and you greet them, make them feel comfortable. If they're a veteran, this is their home.
BLOCK: The Tualatin post has about 200 active members. Of those, about 35 are recent recruits from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. And after we talked, one of the vets enters the names of new members into the computer.
Mr. HOLLAND: �Ten, 12, 14, 16, 18 names here.
BLOCK: All National Guard members on active duty in Iraq. All of them recruited by one of the youngest members of this post.
Mr. NICKY COLON (National Guard, 141st Infantry Division): My name is Nicky Colon. Right now, I'm with the 141st Infantry Division here in Portland, Oregon, National Guard. I served three tours in Iraq and Kuwait.
BLOCK: Nicky Colon is 48. We meet up during his lunch break. He works at a security company. He couldn't be at the VFW post for breakfast.
Mr. COLON: They have this breakfast when we have to work. You know, a lot of us have to work during that time. We're not retired like some of these guys are. They just stay home and all that, and they need to understand that.
BLOCK: But what does that tell you? If that's when they're scheduling events still�
Mr. COLON: They need to change it.
(Soundbite of laughter)
Mr. COLON: Yeah. The breakfast, change it to Sundays or Saturdays when everybody is off and you have a more - more of a crowd will show up.
BLOCK: For those people who are thinking, VFW, that's such a dinosaur. That's just part of a different time, different age. What do you say?
Mr. COLON: I think it is a dinosaur and we need to change it. You know, the guys are passing away, those old timers � very nice people, good history in the VFW. That's the one thing I love about it, the history, you know? But we need to start putting our history in there. They need somebody to carry on the legacy for the kids that come after us.
BLOCK: All around Portland, their VFW post have had closed their doors in recent years, as members died and funds dried up. In Tualatin, Post 3452 is counting on its new building with Matthew Lembke's name on it and new members to keep it going. As one veteran told me, I don't want to be the last one standing here. Transcript provided by NPR, Copyright National Public Radio.
