As about a dozen men get together for a picture, they can’t help but reminisce about how they all first met: They were teens and part of rival gangs. 

Richard Ross remembers it well.

“We were badass little kids that didn’t know any better,” he said.

Back in the 1960s, he was a pachuco and the leader of the Solitarios. Then there is Adam Robles, who was the leader of the Latin Dukes.

“We were fighting among each other,” Robles said. “We were gangs, you know, but all that turned around when [the] Vietnam era came around. They took us all.” 

Once they came back, the boys, who once fought each other, united and now call themselves the San Fernando Social Clubs. 

Their new purpose is helping the community. 

“If I didn’t get killed in Vietnam, I sure as hell am not going to get killed here, so I better take it easy," Ross said he told himself.

The men were focused on fundraising money that helped renovate the American Legion San Fernando Post 176. 

Bennie Najar is a past commander for the American Legion. He said when the social clubs stepped in to help the American Legion, it was on its last leg.

For the men of the San Fernando Social Clubs, their work in the community has not only changed them but changed the way they are seen in the community. 

“Before, they used to hate us,” Robles said. “Now they love us because of what we’re doing.” But they also realize that it’s those past experiences that make these men who they are today. 

“It’s just growth, knowledge and you’ve been in this world and you’ve seen a lot,” Ross said. 

Now they’re hoping to be an example of how people can change and keep growing. The San Fernando Social Clubs’ next fundraiser is a dance, featuring several performers. It’ll be held on April 23 from 6 p.m. to 12 a.m. at the Knights of Columbus in Canoga Park.