A while ago, I spoke to an agent of a grant foundation while seeking funding for our historical building project. The 101-year-old building, which houses the Mancos Opera House, is owned by the VFW purchased by a group of veterans in our community in the early 1950s.
The grant foundation representative told me: We typically dont fund projects of the VFW. You should highlight community service in your application.
I was puzzled when did the VFW come to represent something other than community service? Since its formation, the VFW has been nothing if not in the service of their communities and nation.
When men and women join the military, we say they are servicemen or servicewomen. They follow the orders of the commander-in-chief, whom We the People have elected. If they go to war, it is on the approval of the congressmen or congresswomen and senators, whom We the People have elected.
Recently, I have heard another misconception about our veterans. It was stated in the form of an apology. Im sorry, but while I am in support of our veterans, unlike most of you (veterans), I am against war. Our military and our veterans do not love war. They abhor it as much as any civilian, if not more, because they have seen its horrors firsthand. As long as there are despots and tyrants in the world, there will be war. A U.S. veteran swears to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States of America, and protect the cause of freedom and rights of its citizens, but if you ask any serviceman or woman, they also swear to protect the innocent and defend the defenseless anywhere in the world at the risk of their own lives when they are called on to do so by our government.
Many people seem to have the impression that the VFW is a club, where old soldiers can sit around telling their war stories, often under the influence of alcohol. This is another misconception that must be dispelled. It is true that many became members of the VFW because in this atmosphere of brotherhood and sisterhood, they can speak about the unthinkable experiences of their service with others who have shared similar ones, often when they are unable to give voice to them with members of their own families. This is a strong component of the VFW a place where veterans take care of each other, when no one else seems to care or understand. They assist each other in unraveling the increasingly complex maze of services that are due them, but which bureaucracy seems to make impossible to process and receive.
Another misconception is that the VFW is federally funded. The VFW is an entirely volunteer fraternal organization, whose members work hard to assist their comrades with even the most basic needs, many times organizing fundraisers to assist homeless vets, or pay a utility bill for a month when the veteran cant seem to make ends meet, or buy fuel for a veteran traveling to find work. The VFW works with other like-minded organizations and projects, like Blue Star Moms, Adopt a Unit or Soldiers Angels to support our active military.
The VFW is an apolitical organization, which has historically been about not only serving veterans and their families, but service to the community. This year, the VFW, nationally, has logged more than 14 million hours of volunteerism in its communities. In this community, our members visit hospitals and nursing homes, volunteer at blood drives, homeless shelters, soup kitchens, food banks and cancer drives. For Make-A-Difference Day, over the past few years, we have donated more than $1,000 in supplies to our local Bridge Emergency Homeless Shelter and to soup kitchens. We have done benefits for individuals in need and in cooperation with community organizations like the Medicine Horse (equestrian therapy) and The Mancos Valley Balloon Fest, whose proceeds went to the Child Advocacy Center this year and last. Nationally, we have offered more than $2.5 million in scholarships nationwide in essay, speech and art competitions with a focus on patriotism. Early in February, we personally awarded checks to children in our schools, who participated in our Just Say No campaign against drug and alcohol abuse.
We have provided annual Easter egg hunts, and have donated to Santas Pack at Christmas. We have held Halloween safety events in cooperation with the Lions Club, bicycle safety rodeos, and community events all with the desire to help our community the community our veterans left when they joined the service; the community that has always had a place in their hearts; the community they returned to family and friends for whom they were willing, not only to serve, but for whom we were willing to give the ultimate sacrifice. Montezuma County VFW Post 5231 and its Ladies Auxiliary are at your service. Our veterans across the nation have always been at your service.
Information about the VFW, its history, eligibility for membership, and calendar of events for your countywide post, can be found on our website at www.vfwpost5231.com or by calling Cmdr. Wayne Noland at 564-9550, or our service officer and Sr. Vice Cmdr. Bert Valencia at 560-1891.
Monica Noland is a life member and officer of the Ladies Auxiliary to VFW Post 5231, with deep connections to the military. She grew up in an Air Force family. Her father, a two-time Purple Heart recipient and WWII veteran, served as a tank commander in Europe in the Army/Air Corps, and later in the USAF. Her husband is a USAF Vietnam veteran. Multiple family members are also either veterans or active duty service men and women.