Though participation in veterans service organizations has waned considerably in the decades following World War II and the conflicts in Korea and Vietnam, group leaders in Franklin County say membership remains strong and the door is open to any service member or veteran who meets requirements.

Doug March, commander of the Kennedy-Chamberlain Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 8503 in Shelburne Falls, said the chapter convenes at 9:30 a.m. the first Sunday of every month to hold a meeting, discuss business and pay bills. He said membership is at least 100 strong.

“What we do is we participate in Memorial Day parades and Fourth of July and many other activities,” he said.

Meetings, March said, are also where members vote to make donations to various causes and to bestow gifts to those in need. He said the chapter recently voted to send a food basket to a fellow veteran for Thanksgiving and will do the same for Christmas.

March and other members visited Buckland-Shelburne Elementary School on Friday for a Veterans Day celebration, which he described as beautiful. The VFW chapter formed the Shelburne Falls Memorial Day Committee with the town and in May held a special commemoration to honor Pfc. James E. Palmeri, one of the four Shelburne men who were killed fighting for their country in Vietnam. There is an intention to celebrate the others on a rotating basis in the years to come.

March said membership remains dedicated, though it has undeniably declined.

“World War II veterans were the core of the organization. Everybody participated and everybody was tight,” March recalled. “But they’re pretty much gone.”

Rachael Otto, commander of the Hale-Clapp VFW Post 3295 in South Deerfield, said her post consists of 32 members and about 60% of them are active in local events like community picnics and barbecues. She and other members spent Friday speaking to students at Conway Grammar School, Sunderland Elementary School and Whately Elementary School.

Membership, Otto said, is declining across the country as World War II and Korean War veterans die.

“Young members are not coming in as fast as we would like,” she said.

Otto mentioned about 30% of military personnel qualify for VFW membership. Still, she and Shelburne Falls counterpart March say there is no problem making quorum, or the minimum number of people required to hold a meeting. The national VFW organization requires chapters to hold meetings at least once per month and mandates that a quorum consists of five members in good standing.

However, one local veterans service organization chapter — Disabled American Veterans, Scott Vetterling Chapter 33 — is having trouble making its quorum of seven.

“We’re having difficulty attracting different generations of military veterans,” Commander Lori-Lee Adams said.

The DAV helps veterans and their families access the benefits available to them and advocates for legislation designed to help this country’s injured heroes.

Adams said disabled veterans can join by attending a meeting and applying for membership. The chapter typically meets once a month but won’t convene again until Feb. 4 because many members winter in Florida. That meeting will be held at the John Zon Community Center.

David Kearney, a member of the Shelburne Falls Memorial Day Committee and Ashfield American Legion Post 245, said the post’s membership is good, though meetings are held only two or three times per year. Arthur “Tim” Herk, who serves as Orange American Legion Post 172’s finance officer, said quorum at his chapter was lowered to eight about three years ago so meetings can held.

“We still have the same amount of members, they just don’t go to meetings,” he said.

Herk said any service member or honorably discharged veteran can join by stopping by 40 Daniel Shays Highway in Orange and asking for a membership card. The post covers the annual dues of active service members.

Chris Demars, a member of Northfield VFW Post 9874, said his chapter has no issue meeting quorum, though overall membership has declined significantly. An Army veteran, he first joined the post when he returned home from his first tour in Afghanistan in 2007. A few other Franklin County veterans joined around that time but their memberships have lapsed.

“It’s just hard to get the young veterans to be part of these organizations,” Demars said. “There is a large number of younger members — under 40 — that are just not participating. They have families.”

He also said the veterans service organizations of yesteryear were significant watering holes for socializing, but that culture has changed.

“I just think it’s a different generation,” Demars said. “They don’t have to leave the home anymore to be entertained like we did when I was younger.”

He mentioned decreased membership is a shame because advocacy for proposed legislation gets leverage from an organization’s high numbers. Demars is also director of the Upper Pioneer Valley Veterans’ Services District, which advocates for veterans and their spouses, dependents, widows or widowers for veterans’ benefits on the local, state and federal levels.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or
413-930-4120.