Meeting held regarding potential VFW Chapter
On October 15, a meeting was held for all veterans interested in re-forming a VFW Post in Hart County.
Katrina England
Reporter
Hart Co. News Herald
On October 15, a meeting was held at the Hart County Sheriff’s Office regarding the future of a VFW in Hart County.
“We’re all veterans, (and) we’re here to help each other,” said Post Commander Edwin Vincent. “We’re not in competition…I know there’s been some hard feelings, and I want to put a stop to that now.”
Vincent openly asked if there was enough interest in a VFW to set one up.
Statewide VFW membership is currently at 13,800, which is a decrease due to the death of many veterans of WWII and the Korean War.
“We’re all here to help veterans,” Vincent said. “There is some interest here, and we want to increase our membership…Numbers count when we call the state legislature (or) the Governor’s office…Those numbers get stuff done.”
One attendee asked why the VFW, which was previously in Hart County, was no longer active, and others questioned where previous funds might have gone. No answers were able to be given, though there was speculation the dissolution was due to a stabbing and subsequent lawsuit.
Others stated that local veterans have since built an inclusive program for all veterans. Currently, the VFW only accepts combat veterans who served in war zones.
Several in attendance recommended partnering and coexisting with AMVET to be more inclusive to all veterans.
Concerns were also expressed regarding the potential of a VFW bringing in gambling and drinking.
Vincent explained that if the community supports their VFW, they don’t need gambling and drinking to sustain funds.
Honor burials were also discussed, since active military typically only carries out honor burials for those actively serving. Currently, many Hart County veterans are being buried without a military send off due to lack of organized groups in the area.
“That’s the minimum we should do for our veterans,” said Vincent. “You don’t need a VFW to do that. You just need some guys and gals who want to be part of it…We’re going to have to work together. There’s no such thing as being the lone wolf when you’re helping veterans. You’ve got to work together. The VFW, right now, has access to more funds and structure…We want to help veterans.”
Another attendee asked why there was suddenly state-level interest in building a program back now, as opposed to earlier when one was originally needed.
Vincent explained the interest was always there and that the state post commander had a goal of six new posts for the year, so when word got back to them that there was interest in Hart County, they were in support.
Currently, the plan is to use the same post number if a new chapter is formed, unless the Hart County veterans prefer otherwise.
On October 15, a meeting was held for all veterans interested in re-forming a VFW Post in Hart County.
