Veterans on Life Support
By
Jay Jansson

The only known remaining American World War I veteran is Frank Buckles, 107, living in Charles Town, West Virginia. Of the millions of World War II veterans only several thousand are still with us. Many of the Korean War veterans are also dwindling in numbers. Most of the Vietnam veterans are baby boomers and approaching 60 and older. Thankfully, the younger veterans from the 1980’s to present will be with us for some time in the future.

The same may not be able to be said of the local Disabled American Veterans Organizations and others such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars. These organizations are made up of veterans who have sustained service connected medical conditions, or who have served in wars outside the USA. As more and more of the WWII and Korean veterans pass away, the active membership numbers are dropping. Many Vietnam veterans as well as those returning from recent combat haven’t shown the interest in joining these needed service organizations, and active membership continues to dwindle.

To be able to continue providing badly needed services to our current and returning veterans we are asking all members on the rolls, as well as other qualifying veterans, to answer the call to service as they did so patriotically in the past. The DAV and VFW have been on the front lines, not only in time of war, but also in peace time to promote veterans’ benefits as well as help those local veterans in need.

We all know how important benefits are in these times of economic distress. Members of the DAV and the VFW also include their families. The more members that are in these organizations the greater the power they have to influence our elected local, state and federal representatives. Congressmen, Senators and even Presidents do respond to large voices of concern, especially when it comes to election time.

It is of the utmost importance to the mission of the DAV and VFW that we increase our active participation and membership. There have been times in the past year where there weren’t enough members to form a quorum necessary to conduct business. Many veterans and citizens attend Memorial Day, Independence Day and Veteran’s Day events to honor our great country and those who served. It is just as imperative now that those same veterans attend and/or join these fine veteran services organizations. Our returning troops and other veterans need your help.

An alarming number of DAV Veteran Service Organizations and others like the VFW across the USA have had to close down, or combine with other like organizations located in more distant locations due to recent participation/support downtrends. As more and more of our troops return home, the need for veteran service organization assistance from the DAV, VFW and other veteran service support is greater than ever. DAV Memorial Chapter 45 of San Luis Obispo, one of the oldest Chapters in California, and VFW Post 2829 need to bolster their active membership, as well as welcome new interested veterans.

Interested veterans should contact Publicity Chairman Jay Jansson, at (805) 549-0477, or email at jjansson@prodigy.net. DAV Memorial Chapter 45 meets on the third Friday of each month at 7 PM (with social time just prior) at the Veteran’s Memorial Building in San Luis Obispo, CA. VFW Post 2829 meets the second Wednesday of the month at the Veterans Memorial Building in Pismo Beach, CA.

Additionally, our fine Ladies Auxiliary support organizations also meet at these locations on the same day, and welcome new members. I am sure that our north county organizations, as well as those in Santa Barbara County, would welcome your calls too.