[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/main.asp?Sectio...amp;TM=48202.14

Local posts strive to keep membership up

Craig Davison
For The News-Dispatch

LA PORTE - George Watkins, commander of American Legion Post 83 in La Porte, recently signed one of the youngest members to the post.

He is 17 and just completed basic training in Georgia.

"We're trying to get the younger people to join," Watkins said.

The average age of an American Legion member is more than 59, said Jim Hewitt, membership director for the legion's Third District in Indiana and finance officer for the La Porte post.

Getting younger servicemen and servicewoman to join local veterans groups like American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars is important to keeping the organizations alive.

"With more men, you have more power," Hewitt said. For example, he said if the legion is trying to get better veteran benefits from Congress, it helps to have growing membership numbers.

Paul Ewing, commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars post on McClung Road in La Porte, said they have attracted 20 to 25 new members from the National Guard Unit in La Porte and the transportation unit by Kingsbury. They've also received members from Fox Company, which is out of South Bend and returned from Iraq last spring.

Although they are signing younger members, they are losing their World War II veterans. Ewing said they lost about 15 World War II veterans this past year.

Ewing said half of the post's membership, which is about 500 members, is based on World War II veterans.

"Our No. 1 goal right now is membership," Ewing said. "Without the future new members, we won't have a future."

To become a member of the VFW, a person has to serve in a combat zone or in a certain time period authorized by Congress for membership.

Watkins said he left the Armed Forces in 1964, but didn't join until 1977. He said he hadn't thought about it as much when he came home. He imagines troops today have some of the same concerns with coming home and having a family and working.

Hewitt said there are benefits from a membership, and they do have many programs that serve the community, which also promotes membership. The legion has 33 programs, 10 of them for youth. There also donate money to causes and send care packages to troops stationed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"You need to give back to the community. You need to let the community know you're there for them," Hewitt said. "The American Legion is all about volunteering."

There are now 561 members in post 83, more than 107,000 in Indiana and 2.7 million worldwide, Hewitt said.

[Roger Kaputnik]

[ANH27]

The article states:
To become a member of the VFW, a person has to serve in a combat zone or in a certain time period authorized by Congress for membership.

Any member of the Military in any branch at any level has my complete respect and gratitude.

[Southsider2k12]

My dad is both a DAV and a member of the VFW. As I understand it, if you have a direct family member who is a member of one of these groups, you are able to join as an auxiliary member.