I'm very happy to report that my New Year has gotten off to a great start, all thanks to the members of VFW Post #8738 in Lexington, SC.
I joined the VFW when I returned from the Gulf War in '91 thanks to the generosity of the Senior Class of Cary High School in Cary, NC. The school had an "Adopt A GI" program going on during the war, and while I didn't live in Cary my parents did, and they submitted my name to the school for the program. I got cards and letters from the students on a regular basis while I was over there, and when I returned the school held a big "Welcome Home" celebration for the 23 or so GIs that they had adopted. During the ceremony they presented all of us with a VFW membership, which I thought was pretty cool. I transferred to Post #3219 in Phoebus, Virginia which was the closest post to my base at Langley AFB, and went to the meetings on a regular basis. When I retired from the AF and moved to NJ I kept my membership since I was a Life Member, but never transferred to any post up there, nor did I transfer my membership when me and my wife moved to SC in 2006.
In the fall of 2021 I was talking with a former trainee of mine from Basic Training who also happened to be the Assistant Director of Membership for the VFW in Kansas City, Kansas and whom had contacted me on Facebook a few years ago when I mentioned that I was thinking about transferring my membership to the post in Lexington and becoming active. He immediately emailed the required forms to me and contacted the Post Commander to let him know I was coming. I went to my first meeting of the Post in October of 2021 and introduced myself, telling everyone that I wanted to become active in the Post but was unable to do so until 2023. The reason for this was that I was the Senior Warden of a Masonic Lodge and was going to be the Worshipful Master in 2022, and since the Post and the Lodge met on the same night I wasn't going to be able to attend the VFW meetings until 2023 when my year as Master of the Lodge was over.
But fate had other plans. In the annual lodge elections of 2022 I was elected Secretary of the Lodge, which meant that I had to continue attending meetings and would not be able to attend the VFW. I served as Secretary from December 2022 until April 2025, but I didn't attend the VFW meetings right away as I still had a bad taste - a VERY bad taste - in my mouth from the way the so-called "brothers" of the lodge had treated me. It wasn't until last month that I finally felt like I was ready to get involved in a group again, so this past Tuesday I went to the monthly VFW post meeting.
I was very pleasantly surprised when the members of the Post, led by the Post Commander, the Senior Vice Commander, and the Post Surgeon welcomed me with open arms. Every member of the Post that was there made sure to come over and talk to me, welcoming me to the Post and doing everything they could to make me feel right at home.
And they did just that. I felt more at home and more welcomed in the VFW post than I had ever felt in any Masonic lodge that I visited in my 11 years in the fraternity. Everyone there was a war veteran so we all had something in common, the same thing that enabled us to be a member of the VFW to begin with. There were members there from every conflict the US has been involved in since Korea, and to listen to some of their stories of service was nothing short of awe inspiring. The Post Surgeon and I were both Air Force Security Police, so we hit it off right away. (The next time I see you in the canteen, Al, I owe you a beer!)
I'd been there for about half an hour when I sent my wife a text that simply said this: "I think I've found myself a home!"
I came away from the meeting with a renewed sense of brotherhood and belonging, something that I had been missing since last April, and I'm hoping that becoming involved with the VFW will restore my faith in organizations in general and people in particular.
And so far it's looking pretty good! Thank you, Comrades!
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