family
A lot of folks didn't have a family like mine that was active in an organization. Sure they aren't too active now but I and my immiadate family are becoming active again. We were active and involved in an organization called the American Legion and the American Legion Aux. It wasn't just my parents and us kids. 3 out of 4 of my Maternial Uncles are Veterans and all their families were involved also. My Parental Uncle is a Veteran and his family was involved with the VFW or the American Legion. I married into a Military family. My husband is NOW an American Legion Member at the age of 39, Fuck in law (sorry only name I will refer to hubby's dad) is the Vic Commander of his American Legion Post, and Randy's sister and brother in law are both carrerr Army.
Do you all realize that both the VFW and The American Legion and Legion Aux not only help Veterans with social, chartiable, and poltical activies? They also help current active Warriors in their area's Unit District and their home town Districts will step up to the plate also? I wouldn't be suprised if you didn't realize this. You know why. Be ready I am going to bad mouth a set of Vets here! The WWI and II Vets are dying out but before they are dying out they are causing their units to die out. They don't want to hande over control of the Units to the Korean and Veitnam Vets to take over. They are stuck in the past and can't realize the new breed of Veterans are a LOT younger than they are, they are fighing a different type of war they did, and their spouses ten to one are NOT sitting home taking care of the families but on the front lines right next to their spouses. The Korean and Veitnam Vets are slowly taking over control of these Veteran Organizations and are trying to build them back up to what they use to be and are more than HAPPY to recruit our Vet's of today so they can hand over the Organization to my husband's and my age group of Vets.
I got Randy joined up with the American Legion Post in the town our kids go to school, DeLaney and I are in the process of sending in our paperwork to reup our Legion Aux membership to the same Unit Aux and now the American Legion has another org, The Son's of the American Legion (actually the sons could have joined the American Legion Aux but this goes back to old school WWI and II mentality that men can't join a woman's org and vice versa), The Son's org is for any male family member of a Vet to join up and help the Legion and Legion Aux out. Unfortuntally our Unit is a small Inter-Tribal/County Unit and does NOT have a Son's Unit yet. But you should have seen all those Korean/Veitnam Vet's get excited that Randy stepped up at Pow Wow last year and help take down and carry the flags at the closing ceromonies each day and when he joined they got super excited. New Blood. Granted Randy has yet been able to go to a meeting (working all the time) but they know he is there and are using him as a membership driving tool. They are also using myself as a membership driving tool, ten to one from Urban area to rural area the age group between 18-50 has NEW vets that have no clue these Organizations are there to help them and that they are dying out.
I strong encourage ALL VETS both female and male to join the American Legion. The Female Vets and all female family members can join the American Legion Aux and if your area has a Son's of American Legion join up your boys. If they don't be a trend setter and join your male family members who are NOT a vet under the American Legion Aux. And they have benefits for not only the vets but their family memebers. I myself recieved a LOT of benefits as a Jr. Member of the Aux growing up. I learned about my county, state, and federal gov't processes, went to Girl's State and applied and recieved over 25 hundred in scholorship monies for college.
If you don't want to join the American Legion join the VFW and if your Pagan join the Order of the Pentacle Granted the Pagan Vet Association is directed towards Wiccans and most pagans who aren't Wiccan HATE the fact that most orgs are ONLY for Wiccans but that can be changed if more Pagan Vets join the Pagan Vet Association and make them stand up and realize that Wiccans aren't the only Pagan Vets. Hell join all three if you want! You can have more than one membership! Just remember on the VFW and the American Legion that you might be joining a dying unit or a defunt unit but don't let that stop you! Join up get it going again and go out there and get those Veterans and their families to join up and HELP them and others with situations like daenarys article and other situations that the Military is doing to our Warriors!
Here are the links to the organazations:
VFW (for the Aux of VFW you will have to request your district unit information from them)
The Order of the Pentacle (again request infor for the Aux-Also check with your local Pagan Orgs and Groups to see if they have any of their own groups for Pagan Veterans-this is a new organization and not near a LOT of Vets and geared towards Wiccans-they take other Pagan paths but if your NOT Wiccan it could be very irritating to have to deal with Wiccan beliefs constantly)
