OXFORD, Wis.— Veterans of Foreign Wars has been working on recruitment for the next generation of veterans to join their mission.
Over time the VFW said it’s been a struggle to get the next generation of veterans in its doors. However, one post in Oxford, Wisconsin is seeing success with the amount of veterans they are bringing brining in their doors.
The VFW Post 6003 Neenah Valley Post in Oxford is one of the top posts in the state of Wisconsin. It’s also a home away from home for many veterans.
There are many events and on any given day a group of veterans could be sitting around a table talking and brainstorming their plans to give back to the community.
Tim Donohue is the post commander and has been apart of the VFW for 10 years. He’s said this place is special to him.
“It means a lot because these guys and girls— we have a few girls at the post— they are my brothers and sisters," Donohue said. "There is a comradery and a friendship among military people that you can’t find at any other job."
The sense of family is something important to him. Recently, their VFW family grew by about 20 people with he help of social media. It’s something big for them.
Most of the new members are veterans who served in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“I think there is still a stigma that the VFW is old guys hanging out and telling war stories. We still like to do that but it’s so much more than that,” Donohue said.
Their post recently gave $30,000 to the community in just a few months. They work hard to give back to their community, help local veteran families, give back to other nonprofits and much more.
Their charity focus helped bring in Micheal Seefeld. Seefelf is the junior vice commander at VFW Post 6003.
“Every month there is new people coming in and it’s because they want to be a part of this. So when I say it’s the right people, it’s people that want to be a part of something great,” Seeefeld said.
For Seefeld, an active military member, it’s important to keep the VFW going because it makes an impact both locally and statewide.
“At the end of the day, the pitch at the end of it is what are we going to do for thee future generation of veterans. The larger we are the stronger we are,” Seefeld said.
They have worked hard to grow into something big, not only for the veterans involved but also for their communities.