They headed home—this band of brothers—some of them maimed or crippled, but they were going home from war. When they arrived, they were given $32.20 (if they had the rank of private) and were discharged to hometowns like Columbus, Ohio, and their families. That was it—no promise of the job they left when they answered their President’s call to arms, no rehabilitation or medical care.
At about the same time, the Colorado Volunteer Infantry arrived in San Francisco, anxious to return to Denver to their loved ones. They shared the horrors of war, and they believe “those who fought together, belonged together.” They solicited money from anyone they met, and hired a special train so they might make their way home together, that September 14, 1899. Though more than 1000 citizens of Denver greeted them with a parade and speeches; soon afterwards, they found themselves, also, without jobs or assistance from their government at the end of the Spanish-American War.
Veterans groups from the Civil War did not accept them to their ranks, so they met to establish groups of their own. They began to hear of other groups like themselves, who wanted to push for government reforms. In 1914, The 17th Infantry Regiment of Columbus, Ohio, the American Veterans of Foreign Service of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the First Colorado Voluntary Infantry Regiment Army of the Philippines and two other smaller organizations, joined to become the Veterans of Foreign Wars; their mission, “To honor the dead, by caring for the living”
The earliest members determined to make the organization “evergreen” with a constant renewal of the ranks from younger generations and other conflicts, even inviting members of the Civil War veterans groups of the North’s GAR (Grand Army of the Republic) and the South’s UCV (United Confederacy Veterans) who once rejected them for membership, to join the VFW in a common bond. The organization would not be “political” and would regard all members upon admission as equal in rank and status.
Today, the organization, along with its Auxiliaries, has grown to over 2.4 million members with approximately 9,000 “Posts” worldwide; soldiers helping soldiers in the “highest degree of brotherhood.”
The VFW has been instrumental in creating the GI-Bill of the 20th Century, and the formation of the National Cemetery System. Its members have fought for government attention to health issues like the Viet Nam Vets’ Agent Orange Exposure and Gulf War Syndrome. They have worked for improvements to VA medical center services. The VFW has included women veterans to its organization and helped establish memorials to WWII, Korean, and Viet Nam Veterans and Women in Military Service. A Disabled Veteran for Life Memorial is scheduled for completion in 2010. In 2001, they helped fund the Centennial Plaza as a tribute to service and country—appropriate, because the VFW and its Auxiliary have completed more than 13 million hours of volunteerism in their communities, including Make a Difference Day and National Volunteer Week. They have supplied over $2.5 million in college scholarships and provided educational programs and assistance to the needy.
The Ladies Auxiliary has been here from the start, visiting and caring for the veterans who are hospitalized, helping with rehabilitation, working to help families in distress, funding cancer research, offering community service, fighting drug abuse and illiteracy, advocating the rights of the elderly and supporting the VFW National Home (for widows and orphans of our military); funding Special Olympics, and Fisher House, which offers a place for families to stay while their military loved ones receive treatment at a nearby VA Hospital, and “Operation Uplink,” providing prepaid phone cards to our troops overseas and now, arranging for coffee-shop-style wireless centers for troops to contact loved ones via the internet.
One of the most well known projects for the VFW and its Auxiliary, ”The “Buddy Poppy Drive” was inspired by the poem “In Flanders’ Fields” by Colonel John McCrae. Originally the poppies were made by French school children to benefit children in war-torn areas of Belgium and France under the guidance of Madame Guerin, “The Poppy Lady from France”.
In 1923, the VFW decided to have the poppies assembled by disabled vets, as a means for their rehabilitation, and to provide them some compensation. The “Buddy” Poppy was patented and trademarked in 1924, and became an annual fund-raiser providing for relief projects. The “Buddy” Poppies are still made by disabled and needy vets in VA Hospitals. The proceeds from donations help fund State and National Veterans Projects, and partially support the VFW National Home for orphans and widows of our Country’s veterans. Locally, our “Buddy Poppy Drive” funds “Operation Uplink” (prepaid phone cards for military overseas.) and other relief services. When you see “Buddy” Poppies offered at our local events, please, wear one to show your support for these efforts. Any donation is accepted.
Our local VFW, District 12, consists of Posts and Ladies Auxiliaries from Pagosa Springs, Durango, Mancos, Cortez, Dolores, Dove Creek, and Norwood. As with all our Posts, maintaining membership is a constant struggle. Many of our most active WWII veterans are passing on, and newer members are needed, as we face the challenges and needs of the thousands of new veterans returning home from the Middle East. Veterans of any foreign conflict are eligible for membership, including those from Korea, Viet Nam, the Gulf War, Bosnia, and today’s Middle East battlefields. Even some areas of Europe during the era of the Berlin Wall (the “Cold War”) may be eligible. Check with your local VFW to see if you are eligible or how you can help.
Over the years, our local posts have carried on the traditions of taking care of their vets and providing service to our communities. Easter Egg Hunts, Christmas parties, picnics and parades are a part of many of the childhood memories of members of our community. Many scholarship winners have been from our local schools. Bicycle Rodeos and Halloween Safety Programs are just a few of the ways members of the Posts and Auxiliaries have demonstrated their commitment to the hometowns for which they were willing to risk their lives in wars in foreign lands.
Today, their commitment is being felt by new generations of soldiers far from home.
The Mancos Ladies Auxiliary is carrying out an ongoing project called Soldiers’ Angels, to provide “First Response Packs” to the wounded in overseas conflict. Recently we have had opportunities to hear how those efforts have touched the lives of others, and how those efforts are inspiring others. Little moments, like the visit from Larry, a disabled Viet Nam Era, vet, remind us of why we are here. Larry stopped by to chat one afternoon last summer, and left with a t-shirt and a “Buddy” Poppy. He donated $52 to the cause.
At our booth during the recent Sugar Pine Ranch Motorcycle Rally, one gentleman donated $50 to “Operation Uplink,” stating that his son had just been killed in Iraq, and he would have loved to have heard his voice just one more time. He wanted other soldiers’ parents to have that opportunity.
This Veterans Day, we want to invite you to join one of our Posts or Auxiliaries if you are eligible, and if not, please support our work in helping our veterans and their families and our community as a whole. Just like the soldiers of a century ago, we are here to ensure that our government and its citizens never forget the sacrifices made by our veterans. We are soldiers helping soldiers –“The highest degree of brother [and sister] hood.”
For information about eligibility visit www.vfw.org
For Department of Colorado Vets visit www.vfwcolodept.org