COLUMBUS, Ohio — One-hundred and twenty-five years ago, a group of Spanish-American war veterans gathered at a spot that used to be a tailor shop to create one of the most well-known veteran organizations in the country: the Veterans of Foreign Wars. 

What You Need To Know

  • The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) started in Columbus, Ohio, on East Main street 125 years ago

  • Richard Curry is the quartermaster/adjutant for the Ohio Veterans of Foreign Wars and has been a member of the VFW for 30 years 

  • Although the VFW has been around for over 100 years, their core mission hasn't changed

It all started in Columbus, Ohio. 

“When I first joined the VFW a long time ago, I didn't actually realize that it all started in Columbus. And as I got more involved in the organization, I realized that it started here in Columbus. And so you take pride in that,” said the quartermaster/adjutant of the Ohio Veterans of Foreign Wars, Richard Curry.

Curry started his 33 year career with the military in the 70s as an enlisted soldier at the end of the Vietnam War. Eventually, toward the end of his career, he held several leadership positions that would prepare him to lead almost one hundred thousand veterans today in his current position with the VFW. 

“I was a company commander for a couple of companies. I was a battalion commander for my cavalry squadron, which I took to Iraq, and I was a brigade commander for the 37th Brigade, which I also took to Iraq,” said Curry. 

An Army vet, Curry has been a member of the VFW for 30 years and was elected to quartermaster in June of 2023. As an organization that supports veterans across the country, Curry says he proud to be a part of an organization that prioritizes helping local veterans

“We can not only do things at a large level across the state, but we can also do it at a regional level and we are able to do things at a local level to support our veterans and families and our community locally. And we have that flexibility to be able to do that. Not every organization is able to do that,” said Curry. 

Dan Faulkner is the executive director of the VFW Ohio Charities. Like Curry, he has also been a part of the VFW for 30 years and said the VFW starting 125 years ago as a grassroots organization was unheard of at the time. 

“We forget what little we had in 1899 and how much we have today. And that legacy rests on the VFW for advocating for that by just 13 guys who made it a tailor shop,” said Faulkner.  

Although the VFW has been around for over 100 years and is always changing, Faulkner said its core mission remains the same. 

“What we do hasn't changed, really hasn't changed since 89. We're the premier combat service organized support organization in America. Our motto is no one does more for veterans. That's basically what the 13 guys that I met in the tailor shop were all about,” said Faulkner. 

As the VFW celebrates their anniversary on Sept. 29, veterans from across the country will think of Columbus, Ohio, as the birthplace of the organization they love.