When VFW Post 7168 in Sanger, California, struggled financially five years ago, Jim Anderson found help in the unlikeliest of places.

Anderson, who had transferred to Post 7168 to help it stay open, brought this up to a group of incarcerated veterans he sponsored and met with weekly at the Avenal State Prison in Avenal, California.

“Since I started doing a little bit of counseling with them seven or eight years ago, I quickly learned they are a very strong group of veterans,” said Anderson, a past Post 3225 commander and current Department of California District 9 quartermaster. “Despite what they have done in the past, they have been very committed to helping our veterans and the community where they can.”

On behalf of the Veterans Group of Avenal, the prisoners began raising funds for Post 7168 by collecting donations around the prison, as well as by having Post 7168 auction their artwork at golf tournaments open to the community.

“They do their own fundraising activities within the prison, and quite often, they get the rest of the blocks to donate,” Anderson said. “It requires the help of the officials within the prison, but they are good talkers and usually get that kind of support to allow them to fund-raise.”

They have since helped raise thousands of dollars for Post 7168 and its initiatives, which include Post grants for local veterans in need, as well as donations to the Fresno VA Medical Center in Fresno, California, homeless shelters in Fresno and Sanger, and overseas missionaries.

Their most recent fundraiser was held on Sept. 22, when the prisoners helped raise $3,138.56 during a food sale at the prison’s canteen, which they later presented to the Post in the form of a novelty check. They are allowed to do about two of these a year, according to Anderson.

The Veterans Group of Avenal also makes cards throughout the year and presents them to Anderson for distribution to local veterans’ hospitals, Blue Star mothers and others around the two communities.

“The scope of who they touch is rather large for such a small group of veterans,” Anderson said. “They are making a real difference, and they have done this type of work several times a year.”

Anderson says that Post 7168 shows its gratitude by donating art supplies and other equipment to the prison. He added that working with more than 200 incarcerated veterans at the prison has been personally fulfilling.

“One of the most gratifying things I have done is work with this group of veterans over the years,” Anderson said. “We have built a great relationship, and I have seen them time and again repent for what they did on the outside by committing themselves to serving others.”

This article is featured in the 2024 March issue of VFW magazine, and was written by Ismael Rodriguez Jr., senior writer for VFW magazine.

A VFW Post in the Land of 10,000 Lakes was recognized in February as a top contributor by donating to a new community athletic field.

VFW Post 4086, located in Wabasha, Minnesota, donated $10,000 to a new athletic compound in its city. The donation gave Post 8046 the status as a “Gold Contributor” to the soon-to-be-built Wabasha Athletic Field.

“Our donation was made possible through our Minnesota Charitable Gambling program,” said Jim Mathias, Post 4086 commander. “The Post takes a great deal of pride in the Charitable Gambling program and our ability to donate to several non-profit and education programs in the Wabasha-Kellogg area.”

Leaders of Wabasha broke ground at the athletic complex in July. The project costs $2.1 million, according to a press release from the City of Wabasha. The 7.5-acre complex will include baseball and softball fields; a hockey and skating rink; and basketball, tennis and pickleball courts. The complex will be outdoors but be built to withstand the harsh weather conditions of Minnesota.

“The new athletic complex location will address flooding of the old field location and improve safety by moving pedestrians and spectators away from the traffic coming off the Interstate Highway 60 bridge,” said Mathias, a retired Navy and Persian Gulf War veteran.

Mathias said that Post 4086 in late May will participate in the dedication ceremony for the new complex.

“Wabasha is a community of approximately 2,500 residents,” Mathias said. “Together with Kellogg, seven miles to the south, with a population of 425, our Post has a history of ‘giving back’ to the Wabasha-Kellogg community. By donating to the new Wabasha Athletic Complex, we can continue our legacy of ‘giving back.’ This was an exciting donation for us as the complex will serve many future generations.”

Members of VFW Post 1650 in Topeka, Kansas, honored four female members of the Kansas Air National Guard during its fifth annual Women in Military Service Recognition ceremony on Oct. 7.

The ceremony recognized Kansas Air National Guardsmen Sarah Vargas, Olivia Parmentier, Tori Wilson and Rachael Parris, affording them a platform to talk about their military career, deployment experiences and the highs and lows of being a woman in the military.

“We hold this event to recognize our women military members and their service to our nation,” VFW Post 1650 member and event coordinator Angie Gray said. “Each service member has a unique story, and telling it sometimes helps with healing or opening doors for other veterans in the audience to share their stories of military life.”

Gray, who herself deployed to Iraq in 2007 with the 287th Sustainment Brigade out of Wichita, Kansas, coordinates the project each year by seeking women veterans open to speaking about their military experience.

She does this by sending requests through the Post’s social media channels, word-of-mouth and the Kansas National Guard Public Affairs office.

Created by the Post to diversify and bring multiple generations of veterans together to tell their stories and bask in camaraderie, Gray added that events such as the Women in Military Service Recognition ceremonies provide a unique opportunity for the older Post members.

“Ceremonies like these give an opportunity for our older veterans to give back to the younger generation by awarding or thanking them for their service,” Gray said. “Many of our older veterans also participate in setting up for the event and participating in several roles needed to carry out the Women in Military Service Recognition Ceremony.”

The annual event also provides Post 1650 with opportunities to open its doors to the public and welcome those who stand to potentially lead VFW into the future. Along with other Post events held throughout the year, Gray believes the Women in Military Service Recognition Ceremony is as good as any event to help recruit new veterans.

“It helps us showcase all the activities and events we have to offer veterans, as well as letting the local community know the VFW is open to the public,” Gray said. “The goal is to bring in new veterans, young and old, male and female. It is our way of letting the next generation of veterans know that we are not your grandpa’s VFW and that we have modernized our ways.”

This article is featured in the 2024 March issue of VFW magazine, and was written by Ismael Rodriguez Jr., senior writer for VFW magazine.

For several years, Candy Kuck has co-chaired the Veterans Stand Down in Fairbanks, Alaska. A Life member of VFW Post 10029 Auxiliary in North Pole, about 20 minutes from Fairbanks, Kuck had the idea to host an event specifically for female vets.

March 9 will mark the second annual women veterans’ expo sponsored by VFW Post 10029 and its Auxiliary.

“This came to be after working at the Stand Down,” Kuck said. “A female vet there told me that something really needed to be done just for women vets.”

For the first expo in March 2023, Kuck invited area Guard and active-duty women who are close to being discharged from the military. Post 10029 sits about halfway between Fort Wainwright and Eielson AFB. Additionally, the Alaska Army National Guard Readiness Center is just west of Fort Wainwright.

“There also were older female veterans who wanted to just come out and hang out and talk with the younger ones,” Kuck said. “There were Korea and Vietnam War veterans. We had 36 ladies show up, and the majority stayed all day.”

In addition to an acupuncturist and masseuse, the Fairbanks Rescue Mission participated in the expo. Kuck said the mission has a program specifically for homeless veterans. The Cohen Clinic attended as well, and offered free mental health services for women.

“We made sure that the employees sent from each place were women so that our veterans would feel the most comfortable,” Kuck said. “The only men there were the service officers.”

Kuck said that representatives of the Aging and Disability Resource Center came to pass out information. The center has staff specifically assigned to assist veterans.

As she prepares for the second expo, Kuck said she is reflecting on the impact that last year’s event made.

“The ladies who showed up were extremely grateful,” said Kuck, who has lived in Alaska since 2011 when her husband retired after 22 years in the Army infantry. “One woman in particular, she hugged me and cried as she told me she finally got the help she needed.”

Kuck said that while the expo provides an opportunity for female vets to bond for a few hours, it also allows the different providers to network with each other.

The second annual women veterans’ expo will feature door prizes, lunch and will run from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Kuck said that based on last year’s numbers, she expects this year to have an even greater turnout.

“I was worried no one would show up,” Kuck said. “So when 36 ladies showed up, I was absolutely pumped. I was thrilled.”

This article is featured in the 2024 March issue of VFW magazine and was written by Janie Dyhouse, senior editor for VFW magazine.

Mike Rogers joined the Army in 1968 right as he was about to be drafted for Vietnam.

He first served from 1968-72 where he attended Infantry Officer Candidate School and airborne school. He then deployed to Vietnam as a rifle platoon leader in the 173rd Airborne Brigade. He served a second time from 1983-93 as a special forces soldier with assignments to Fort Bragg, Okinawa, Fort Lewis and Korea.

He currently lives in Lake Placid, Florida, where he serves as the co-captain of VFW Post 4300’s Honor Guard.

“I have been a part of the Honor Guard for over five years now,” he said. “We provide final military honors for deceased veterans in our country.”

Rogers, a VFW Life member, emphasizes that #StillServing in the Honor Guard is one of his most sacred duties.

“Rituals are important. As an Honor Guard member is poised to present the folded triangle flag, the rifle line fires three volleys that signify duty, honor and country. Then the bugler sounds Taps,” he said. “The deep emotions of the families during this moment are what compel all our Honor Guard members to do their best in honoring veterans. Their sacrifice will always be remembered.”

In addition to funeral services for veterans, the Honor Guard also interacts with the community on military holidays and other events like school activities, parades or celebrations at their local park.

“We’re also responsible for performing the correct way to dispose of a United States flag,” Rogers said. “Several times a year hundreds of flags are brought to the VFW Post so we can retire them.”

Rogers says he is fortunate to live in a community that greatly supports their Honor Guard. “On more than one occasion we’ll be at a diner and an unnamed benefactor will have prepaid the entire tab for the squad. We support one another around here.”

Emphasizing his compatriots’ work, Rogers asked that all accolades come to their Honor Guard as a whole – rather than himself as an individual. “I am merely one of the members who supervises the duty that we perform. I couldn’t do anything alone. We’re a team,” he said.

When Evan Tyler Cruz became active with VFW in 2022, the first thing he inspired in his fellow Post 904 members in Loomis, California, was to find new ways to serve veterans.

A skilled arborist with experience in managing sick and fallen trees, Cruz joined Post 904 Senior Vice Commander and Service Officer Shawn Simmons in establishing two work parties that would deploy when needed by veterans around the county.

Nestled between rural communities 30 miles to the northeast and Sacramento about 25 miles to the southwest, Post 904 members soon found themselves with many opportunities to serve veterans across Placer County, California.

“It is very labor-intensive but just like when we were in the military, it has built strong bonds and camaraderie,” said Simmons, an Air Force veteran with deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan. “We pride ourselves in the work we do and seeing the smiles and hearing the ‘thank yous’ that come from a job well done is of immeasurable satisfaction to us.”

The work parties vary based upon weather, intensity of the job, length of the job and availability. They are made up of five to eight VFW members organized by Simmons and often deploy with an assortment of equipment that includes wood splitters, dump trailers, quads, chains, ratchet straps, axes, ladders, weedeaters and chainsaws.

“We use chainsaws to cut fallen trees and split the rounds into firewood for use by the veteran property owners,” Simmons said. “In some cases, if the veteran doesn’t need the firewood, we load it up and haul the firewood to other veterans who can use it during the winter.”

Throughout 2023, Post 904’s work parties have assisted more than 25 veterans and removed more than 20 tons of lumber from their properties.

They also have provided power chairs, downed trees, made dump runs, conducted lawn and house maintenance, repaired equipment and cleaned up trash at veterans’ properties.

“They are always amazed when we show up with our team,” Simmons said. “California is notorious for people hustling people, so they are often surprised when we show up free of charge, in good spirits, and get it done.”

Simmons added that the Post hopes to continue providing service opportunities every week to 10 days, though the work “ebbs and flows” depending on the need.

“We also try and keep in touch with those we help for further assistance,” Simmons said. “Our goal is not just to provide a service but to build quality friendships that will hopefully last a lifetime.”

This article is featured in the 2023 February issue of VFW magazine, and was written by Ismael Rodriguez Jr., senior writer for VFW magazine.

Despite inclement weather and frigid temperatures, more than 100 veterans attended the first-ever VFW Department of Missouri’s District 5 “Veterans Helping Veterans.”

Held on the manicured lawn of the National World War I Museum and Memorial in Kansas City, Mo., on Oct. 28, the event was hosted by District 5 to help connect local veterans with the VFW and other veterans service organizations in attendance.

District 5 Commander Liz Jordan spearheaded the project after many encounters with veterans who expressed their lack of knowledge in the resources available at the VFW and elsewhere.

“I got tired of hearing veterans come up to me and say they did not know where there was help or that we could do anything like this [event],” Jordan said. “There are so many fabulous organizations out there. We are the first and the oldest, so let us take the lead and work with these other organizations to help our fellow veterans.”

Jordan spent months coordinating with several veterans groups and organizations to set up booths to provide local veterans with information on what they do. Among those in attendance were the Association of the U.S. Army (AUSA), Heroes on the Water, Wounded Warrior Family Support, Veterans Community Project and the VA.

“There were unfortunately about 20 groups that backed out due to the freezing cold,” Jordan said of the event, which ran from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. “But overall, the event did what we expected it to do.”

The VFW also provided its own resources in the form of booths with service officers willing to help any and all veterans who attended the event.

“Commander Jordan did an amazing job coordinating with several veterans organizations and the Posts within her District to give local veterans PACT Act information, as well as helping them file VA claims,” said Ed Stefanak, a national eligibility coordinator with VFW’s national Membership Department.

Stefanak, who represented the national VFW headquarters in Kansas City, joined Jordan in making the rounds throughout the event, helping spread the gospel of the VFW.

“Events like these allow us to tell non-members what we do on Capitol Hill to expand benefits for veterans,” Stefanak said. “It helps us share that all veterans, regardless of being eligible or not for the VFW, can have our veterans service officers help them file VA claims without paying a dime. It is our way of letting them know they have a friend here in the VFW.”

Jordan added that despite the weather having an effect on the turnout, the event provided a blueprint for future events. She is adamant about her District joining forces with more and more veterans groups and service organizations to provide help to veterans based on their individual needs.

“We as the VFW do a lot of stuff for veterans, but sometimes what they need is something more personal, which working with other veterans organizations allows us to direct them to. Something that maybe we cannot do,” Jordan said. “So, we can work with and partner with other organizations to host events and turn veterans in the right direction.”

The District 5 commander already has plans for 2024, which include growing upon “Veterans Helping Veterans.” She is working on hosting two job fairs and the second “Veterans Helping Veterans” event, though the dates are tentative as of the publishing of this article.

“We are hoping to partner with more groups to build a community of joining in to help our fellow veterans,” Jordan said. “We are still serving, so let us show them what that really means.”

This article is featured in the February 2024 issue of VFW magazine, and was written by Ismael Rodriguez Jr., senior writer for VFW magazine.

Four VFW Posts on Long Island, New York, were selected this year to receive grants from the Suffolk County Grant Program. The grants are funded through the Suffolk County Veterans Marathon & Half Marathon, which just celebrated its eighth year.

Lindenhurst Post 7279, Rocky Point Post 6249, Sayville Post 433 and Huntington Station Post 1469 each received a grant for the work the members do in the community.

In Rocky Point, for example, Post members consistently give back to the community in a variety of ways. For instance, they support the Long Island State Veterans Home and provide a hand up to families who need it and make frequent visits to the area schools.

Most recently, the Post celebrated the grand opening of its Suffolk County WWII and Military History Museum. Located in the former Rocky Point train depot across the street from the VFW Post, the museum aims to tell the stories of Long Island war veterans.

VFW Post 6249 Commander Joe Cognitore said the museum helps fulfill the Post’s mission of educating youth by introducing them to the wartime experiences of their local veterans.

According to then-Suffolk County Veterans Services Director Tom Ronayne, more than $1 million has been raised over eight years and has directly benefited veterans’ groups on Long Island.

“We have raised $1.1 million since this all started,” said Ronayne, a Navy veteran and Life member of VFW Post 1469. “Every nickel has gone back to the veterans’ community, and we have done this with zero cost to the government.”

Ronayne said that organizations such as VFW Posts submit grant applications that are then reviewed by a committee. He noted that grants cannot be used to fund capital improvements. Instead, the committee selects those groups looking to better their communities by, for example, working on youth programs or hosting ward parties in hospitals and nursing homes or organizing coat drives.

With more than 1.5 million residents, Suffolk County has more veterans than all of New York state’s 62 counties. For that reason, Ronayne said the county works very hard to deliver the “highest level of service possible” to veterans and active-duty troops, as well as National Guard and Reserve troops.

Ronayne added that former Suffolk County Executive Steve Bellone made veterans a priority during his tenure. Bellone, an Army veteran, finished his 12-year term as county executive on Dec. 31.

“Suffolk County is home to the largest population of veterans in New York state, and as such, we feel a strong obligation to provide them with the best services and support possible when they return home,” Bellone said. “That is exactly what the Suffolk County Marathon is all about – raising money for local veterans’ services. I am extremely proud that we were able to surpass our goal of raising $1 million to support our nation’s heroes.”

Ronayne said that in addition to VFW Posts, the Veterans Yoga Project and Warrior Ranch are among the groups supported by the marathon’s competitive grant program.

“The race entirely pays for itself in addition to providing significant financial support to the community,” Ronayne said.

‘A POWERFUL LEGACY’
The marathon grew out of the Veterans Race Series, which consists of nine other races that are “military or veteran centric” in Suffolk County.

“Each race serves as an opportunity to provide information and awareness of both the services and resources available to veterans in Suffolk County,” Ronayne said. “We have experienced significant growth in the participant numbers as the race series has expanded.”

On the marathon weekend, which is typically in October, a Family Fun Run and Freedom Fest also takes place. Veterans’ employment counselors, the local VA, food merchants and live musicians turn out to make the Freedom Fest a success, according to Ronayne.

“The marathon also features the Road of Remembrance,” Ronayne said. “It is one mile of the race where we have photos of each of Suffolk County’s KIAs. It is a solemn mile. There is no cheering or hydration stations.”

One of the races in the series is the Lt. Michael Murphy Run Around the Lake. Murphy was born and raised on Long Island, where he served as a lifeguard at Lake Ronkonkoma. After graduating from Penn State University, he joined the Navy SEALs.

In June 2005, Murphy was killed in a firefight along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border during Operation Red Wings. He was posthumously awarded the Medal of Honor.

Ronayne said over the years, the marathons and the race series have engaged the community in a new way, while also supporting veterans.

“I love that this is such a powerful legacy issue,” Ronayne said. “It preserves the memory of these men we have lost. Wouldn’t it be awesome if some folks reading this would replicate this model?”

This article is featured in the 2024 February issue of VFW magazine, and was written by Janie Dyhouse, senior editor for VFW magazine.

With the weight of his son on his shoulders, Mathius Carter walked down to the hockey rink inside a crowded Allstate Arena for the Chicago Wolves’ opening ceremony on Military Appreciation Night in March 2022.

The Wolves’ staff had told him it was a spectacle, selling his 5-year-old son on the idea of a great time.

When the loud and sporadic sounds of fireworks began, like gun blasts that crackled and fizzled, Carter felt it coming on. He braced himself, the weight of his son on his shoulders.

“It was the worst panic attack I had had in years,” said Carter, an Army veteran who deployed with the 32nd Signal Bn., 3rd Inf. Div. to Iraq in 2003. “I sensed it could be triggering, but my son asked me to stay. I am a father first, so I gutted it out and paid the price.”

After the pyrotechnics display, Carter walked back with his son to a booth his employer had set up at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, Illinois. As an outreach coordinator for Road Home Program at Rush, a Chicago-based mental health clinic for veterans, Carter often felt the need to hide his own inner battles to help others.

“That night was different,” said Carter, the commander of VFW Post 12014 in Crystal Lake, Illinois, as well as a senior vice commander for the Department of Illinois’ District 5. “One of my co-workers manning the booth with me asked if I was all right, and I remember telling her I was definitely not OK. It was hard for me to admit because how am I supposed to help people if I myself need help?”

The Iraq War veteran, who suffered two traumatic brain injuries after a mortar attack on his truck in 2003, had started his quest to help veterans in 2020 as a case manager at Veterans Path to Hope, a nonprofit in Crystal Lake.

“It was there that I began to realize the long-term cost of war,” said Carter, who left the service in 2005. “When three veterans in my caseload and a good friend from Iraq all committed suicide, I realized that I, too, was not OK mentally.”

Contemplating his own demise toward the end of 2021, Carter sought help in a hurry, and the only place that provided the timely relief was Road Home.

“I reached out for help and found a lifeline with the Road Home Program,” Carter said. “They got me out of a dark place, so when a job opportunity opened up there, I signed on as an outreach coordinator.”

Then two weeks later, Carter suffered the panic attack at the Chicago Wolves’ hockey game.

‘WE KNEW WHAT WE WANTED TO SAY’
Following the panic attack, Carter scheduled an appointment with his clinician the next day and told him about the episode he had suffered in detail. The clinician listened to him confess he never wanted his son to see him struggle with his emotions.

“I told my therapist I always hid them,” Carter said. “Then my therapist made a face and suggested I needed to figure out an age-appropriate way to teach my son what I was going through.”

Carter took the advice from his clinician and delved into online research on ways to do so. There were no age-appropriate books, according to Carter, that captured his exact mood when going through a PTSD attack.

“When I am going through an episode, I am somewhere else,” Carter said. “I am vacant and quiet and sad, and it is not at all how I am normally. So I had to try and find a way to explain this to my son.”

The epiphany crept in in the form of a children’s book. To do this, Carter’s first resource was his longtime friend, Nick Atchison, a gifted illustrator and Iraq War veteran who served with Carter in the same unit and has five children himself.

“He loved the idea,” Carter said. “We knew what we wanted to say and that is how we wrote and illustrated it. We consider it a tool for Army dads like us to talk about PTSD to little ones who don’t always understand what is going on.”

Carter and Atchison self-published “Instead of Sheep: A Soldier’s Way of Explaining PTSD to his Son” on Nov. 8, 2022, and the book has since garnered 4.9 stars on Amazon, as well as more than 20 positive reviews.

“I have gotten feedback from people I know who have not had a way to have that conversation with their children on what they went through and how they feel,” Carter said. “But we have also received feedback from people who were not in the military and who are not fathers. It has allowed them to see what we go through as well.”

‘I REALIZED I WANTED TO BE HERE’
For Carter, however, the challenges brought on by 2022 had not ended.

On Dec. 28 that year, the Iraq War veteran was once again tested. This time, the feeling that gripped him was not panic but a heart attack.

“I know this might sound strange, but I was in a way glad that I had a heart attack,” Carter said. “Being a man, a veteran and parent, those are all groups of people that care about other people but not always take care of themselves. I realized then that I wanted to be here, wanted more time to continue to do my work in helping other people but also myself.”

Since the heart attack, Carter has doubled down on his health as much as he has on his two commitments to family and veterans.

A recently appointed VFW National Aide-de-Camp, Carter continues to carry his newfound outlook on life with him throughout outreach missions with Road Home, as well as his duties as a VFW officer and published author.

Over the past year, Carter has conducted public readings of “Instead of Sheep: A Soldier’s Way of Explaining PTSD to his Son” at the Pritzker Military Museum & Library in Chicago, as well as the Kohl Children’s Museum in Glenview, Illinois.

The children’s book author and his partner, Atchison, have also begun working on the next iteration of “Instead of Sheep,” which they see as a potential series.

“For our second book, we are aging up the characters to target older kids, between six to 12-year-olds,” Carter said. “We will talk about moral injury and survivor’s guilt and things that might be a little heavier than what we shared in the first book.”

The second iteration of “Instead of Sheep,” according to Carter, is slated to be published later this year. For more information on the book, visit https://insteadofsheep.net.

This article is featured in the 2024 February issue of VFW magazine, and was written by Ismael Rodriguez Jr., senior writer for VFW magazine.

A VFW in the Rust Belt donated $20,000 to local fire and police departments earlier this year.

VFW Post 3343 in Clyde, Ohio, gave the Clyde Fire and Police departments $10,000 each, which will be used for much-needed equipment for the first responders.

VFW Post 3343 Commander Brian Moore said it is important for the Post to support the department because they are a part of the community.

“It’s just one way for us to give back,” said Moore, an Air Force veteran. “We lost our Post to a fire 13 years ago, so we want to do everything we can to help.”

The Fremont News-Messenger, based in Fremont, Ohio, reported that Clyde Police Chief Monti Campbell said the donations “came at the right time” for a new “recorders management system for the department.” Campbell said the new system will bring them “up to date” and allow the department to be on the same system as neighboring law enforcement agencies.

The Fremont News-Messenger also reported that Clyde Fire Chief Paul Fiser said the donation will be used for purchasing equipment for a fire station in the town. The department also will put funds towards body cameras and protective vests.

Moore said that since Jan. 1, 2023, the Post has donated $158,799 to the community. Included in the amount is the Posts donation of $10,000 to the Big Nut Scholarship fund for those who attend Ohio State University.

“We are very embedded in our community,” said Moore, who served in South Korea in 1988. “I believe we are what a VFW Post needs to be.”