Baldwin VFW is looking for a few good men

Baldwin Veterans of Foreign Wars Post No. 1434 is in jeopardy of being forced to merge with another chapter because of declining membership, part of a nationwide trend affecting the nation’s largest and oldest veterans group.

Gene Perceval said that the Baldwin chapter has only a few members left. “And one of them is in his mid-90s,” said Perceval, a Korean War veteran who was stationed in the demilitarized zone.

If membership does not increase, the chapter would either be asked to disperse or merge with a nearby post such as Oceanside or Freeport.

Perceval is helping lead the charge to attract new members to the group, which meets every third Monday at the American Legion Hall on Grand Avenue. He and others will spread the word about the post in the coming weeks, and an open house is being planned for some time next year. The Baldwin VFW can continue to exist as long as it shows the national organization that it is succeeding in recruiting new members, Perceval said.

The organization, dedicated in honor of World War I veteran and Baldwinite Sgt. Harvey Miller, who died in combat, offers a place for veterans to socialize and advocate for issues, such as improving health care benefits for former military members. Members also make donations to local charities, Perceval said.

The chapter previously met at a hall on Seaman Avenue — which has since been turned into a home — before moving to the American Legion Hall several years ago.

To join a VFW, one must have been stationed overseas or in hostile waters during wartime and received an honorable or general discharge. Those interested in joining the Baldwin chapter can email Post Commander Jack Wachter at jackw445@yahoo.com

The VFW was founded in 1899 by veterans of the Spanish-American War to secure benefits for their service, according to the group’s website. Since then, its members have been instrumental in the establishment of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, previously called the Veterans Administration, and compensation for Vietnam War veterans exposed to Agent Orange through lobbying efforts.

“Somebody has to put the bug in the ears of our legislators,” Wachter, a Vietnam War veteran who was stationed in Germany, said. “It’s only through the efforts of lobbying that we manage to get these things to become law to protect and benefit our veterans.”

Wachter said he would travel to Washington, D.C. every year to lobby members of Congress on veteran-related legislation.

There are more than 1.6 million VFW members across the country, according to the group’s website.

And though it is the largest veterans organization in the country, chapters are closing at a rapid pace as veterans of World War II and the Vietnam and Korean wars age and die.

Wachter said he would love to bring newer veterans to the Baldwin VFW post. “Because that’s the lifeblood of any organization,” he said. But attracting younger veterans has been a struggle for most VFW chapters.

Stars and Stripes, an independent military newspaper founded by the Department of Defense, reported in 2015 that post 9/11 veterans tend to join the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, which has close to 200,000 members. In 2016, the VFW received 9,200 responses to a survey on voting habits, and the average age of respondents was between 60 and 69, according to the group.

Declining membership is not unique to the VFW, Wachter said, adding that he has seen groups such as the Knights of Columbus struggle to increase its numbers. “In today’s society, people have a lot of things going on besides belonging to organizations,” he said. Still, he said, veterans should find time to join groups like the VFW to ensure that their benefits are protected.

“If there’s no voice for them, they’re going to lose their VA benefits,” Wachter said. “The VFW is their voice.”

Protecting and improving health care for veterans is the No. 1 aim of the VFW right now, Wachter said. Another top issue, he added, is providing suicide prevention services. More than 20 veterans commit suicide per day, and the suicide rate is 1.5 times greater for veterans than non-veterans, according to a VA report released in June.

For Wachter, the VFW is the most vocal group advocating for these issues. “There are others who advocate, but not at the magnitude as the VFW or American Legion,” he said.