By Paul J. Condra
The evening carried special significance for Schreiber who, at 78, was to receive the high school diploma he was never able to complete. But it was also significant for Motherway, a Korean vet who commands VFW Post 3350 in East Rockaway, as Shreiber's new membership would bring the total number in the post to 100.
We don't do too many of these, said Motherway.
But the commander wasn't talking about the 100-member milestone, he was talking about the simple fact that membership seems to be diminishing for local VFW posts, so much so that any chance to bolster the ranks is a positive event.
It's a phenomenon echoed by many local veterans who say post-membership is flagging, and they're not exactly sure what that means for the future of the organizations.
We've never been in as much trouble as we are now, said Frank Zabatta, 80, a past commander of VFW post 1073 in Malverne. If we can't get interested parties, eventually Malverne will have to give up its charter.
Veterans posts play an important role not just for the veterans who are members, but also for the communities in which they operate.
For example, Motherway said his post raised $3,500 last year, which was given away as scholarship money.
And Zabatta has been helping to organize a program in Malverne schools for the last 10 years where veterans spend the day with elementary students educating children and answering questions.
They need to know what life was like and they need to hear about it, Zabatta said.
Recently, Zabatta made a plea in a letter published in the Herald for more younger vets to take an interest in the program:
Needless to say, every year our ranks grow thinner and we can't help but wonder where will this program end. Close to 85 percent of our men are WW II Veterans ... Korea ... 14 percent. All others 1 percent. Our concern for the future of this program grows each time the children point out the fact that they are never told anything about Vietnam, Desert Storm... he writes.
But age is just one of many reasons why local membership appears to be declining. More than anything, the aging generation signals the fact that first-hand accounts of WW II are becoming few and far between.
Lately, I've been going to more funerals, said Bob Fountain, past commander of VFW post 1434 who also commands Malverne's American Legion Post 44.
Fountain points out another reason that prevents many soldiers from joining up.
They ain't got the time, he said. They get out of the service, they get married, they have kids, they're not joining.
To become a member of the American Legion, a soldier need only to have suited up during war-time. But to become a member of the VFW, soldiers must have served overseas during a war.
You have to have put yourself in harm's way, said Jerry Newberry, director of communications and public affairs for the VFW national office in Kansas City, Mo.
But the image that VFW members are a bunch of war-hardened men is another reason why some veterans choose not to join. Take Schreiber, who was given the free year membership. All he could say about his award was that he didn't deserve to be a member of the VFW. While he served overseas during WW II, he never saw battle, and felt as though he didn't exactly belong.
A lot of guys think that too, Fountain said, adding one veteran he knew never joined the VFW simply because he was never asked.
Still, both Fountain, who flew rescue helicopter missions in Vietnam, and Zabatta, who was an original member of the U.S. special forces and parachuted into Italy during WW II, insist such differences of experiences shouldn't keep guys out.
It' doesn't matter, Fountain said. You're in there and you're willing to go.
Still, there is another reason why local posts are losing members that may shed the most light on the subject, said Newberry, the national spokesperson.
No doubt in some posts, the memberships are declining, he said. But the demographics have changed.
Newberry said national VFW membership really hasn't decreased at all, only that volunteerism is changing.
He said there are currently 1.9 million members of the VFW. In 1970, there were 1.5 million. And in 1945, there were 745,000.
And if volunteerism is changing, it's not dead. Newberry said the VFW logged 16 million volunteer hours last year.
Newberry said the reasons people join the VFW haven't changed.
If they wanted to join a group of people who have shared the experienced they have, the VFW is a good place for that, he said.
In addition, the VFW is a strong voice for veterans' rights.
We lobby very heavily on behalf of veterans, Newberry said.
In the last decade, for example, the VFW has pushed for legislation to examine why so many Gulf War soldiers became sick after returning from the sandbox, as it's called by veterans.
Nonetheless, local posts are struggling to keep their clubhouses open. And as Motherway sees it, that might not be an entirely bad thing.
Hopefully, with no more wars, I'd like to see [the VFW] go out of business, he said
