Wanted: younger veterans

Local veterans organizations are facing a problem — it’s a struggle to get new members. The American Legion posts in Wantagh and Seaford are not adding the men and women returning home from ongoing current conflicts to their rolls.

“It’s a national epidemic. It’s not just us,” said Mark Greaker, commander of Post 1273 in Wantagh. “The new generation, we haven’t been able to crack that yet.”

Bill Harms, commander of Post 1132 in Seaford, said the organization has something of a stigma. “It’s a problem all over, trying to generate new members,” he said. “The younger veterans coming back, they look at the American Legion as what their grandfathers belonged to.”

The Wantagh post has about 180 members, and about 150 veterans belong to the Seaford organization. The number of World War II veterans, who are in their late 80s and early 90s, continues to dwindle. A majority of the posts’ members served in either Korea or Vietnam.

The American Legion is open to those who have been in the military during certain periods of conflict. Anyone who has served since Aug. 2, 1990, is eligible, so there should be a large pool of veterans to draw from, but there were also many years of ineligibility between Vietnam and the first Persian Gulf War.

Greaker, a Gulf War veteran himself, said the newest members of the Legion are those who have recently retired and have some time to give to the organization. Attracting veterans in their 20s and 30s, he added, is nearly impossible. “If I could get a couple of young guys to join the Legion,” he said, “they could show their friends.”

Harms said that the Seaford post would pay for an American Legion membership for anyone in active duty, in the hope that they would stick with the organization when they come home.

Both Harms and Greaker point to the American Legion’s influence in their respective communities. In Seaford, the post holds annual Christmas and St. Patrick’s Day parties. During the holiday season, it brings in veterans from facilities in Stony Brook and Northport, and gives them a sit-down dinner and presents.

There is a post picnic in August, to which the neighbors of the Penatiquit Avenue facility are invited. It sponsors an America-themed essay contest for fourth- and fifth-graders at local schools, and the awards ceremony, Harms said, typically draws upward of 150 people.

There is a night when the post honors top teachers, as well as a Law and Order Night to recognize police officers and firefighters, and it awards a Citizen of the Year. Post 1132 belongs to the Seaford Chamber of Commerce, and it makes local veterans aware of tax exemptions that are available.

The Wantagh post provides a color guard for every parade in the community, and organizes the Memorial Day parade. It holds numerous services each year, including Sept. 11 and Veterans Day. It provides flag etiquette programs, sponsors a Venture Crew scouting group and Little League team, and is represented at every Eagle Scout and Girl Scout Gold Award ceremony.

“We like to be out there,” Greaker said. “We’re about the community.”

Twice a year, the post welcomes residents of the Veterans Administration hospital in Northport and gives them a meal and entertainment. At Christmas, it provides donations to the less fortunate in the community, and awards high school scholarships.

Harms served in the Air Force from 1960 to 1973, with overseas tours in Southeast Asia and Greenland. He is a past commander of the Nassau County American Legion, a past president of the LI National Cemetery Memorial Organization and a second vice president of the United Veterans Organization. The biggest benefit of joining the American Legion, he said, is camaraderie.

Greaker said that sitting down with World War II veterans and hearing their stories is always a treat. Each year, however, the post loses a few of its oldest member, and youthful replacements are needed to keep the organization vibrant and provide service to the community and Long Island’s other veterans. In its heyday, Greaker said, Post 1273 had more than 300 members.

“Anybody who’s been in the military should come talk to us,” he said, adding that he is looking to step up recruitment efforts. “We’re always looking for new members, and we’re always doing stuff.”