Generational shift cuts membership in many military groups

EDINBURGH, Ind. (AP) - Membership in local military organizations is changing; and attracting new, younger members is a key to keeping the groups running.

But getting those younger veterans from wars in Iraq and Afghanistan to join and get involved remains a tough sell for some local groups.

For the Edinburgh American Legion Post 233 and VFW Post No. 6978 in Whiteland, membership has dropped about 10 percent in recent years.

The Whiteland post has had to move its lodge twice in the past two years after it could no longer afford the building on Main Street due to declining membership and a drop in income from bingo nights and food and drink sales.

Both clubs have struggled to get younger members to sign up to grow their membership, or at least keep it steady, post commanders told the Daily Journal (http://bit.ly/1AmG2lM ).

The Greenwood VFW No. 5864, on the other hand, has increased its membership by about 15 percent. The difference has been the VFW's success in getting those younger members by making the hall nonsmoking, partnering with local military units to host events and running several family-friendly programs for younger veterans and their kids, post commander Britton Shoellhorn said.

The military organizations are going through a generational shift due to the decades between the Vietnam War and modern conflicts. That's not unlike the gap that existed between World War II veterans and those from the Vietnam era, said Whiteland VFW post commander Eddie Bullock, a Vietnam War veteran.

But membership and revenue are dwindling so fast he hopes the group will still be around when the younger generation is ready to embrace it, he said.

Years ago, the VFW could bring in $10,000 in a good month of bingo and food and drink sales. Now getting $2,000 is a good mark, he said.

The membership has fallen from about 900 before the VFW had to move out of its Main Street location at the end of 2012, and the post now has about 800 veterans and auxiliary members total, Bullock said.

"The younger veterans coming home, they don't have time for it. They've got kids to raise. When I first came home, I didn't have time for it either. They work their job, and maybe once a month they'll come in; but we're here for them," Bullock said.

Edinburgh's American Legion needs to do more to attract younger members, post commander Gina Owens said.

The Legion uses its public events, such as fish fries, to try to recruit new members, Owens said. Members will ask people who come in for fish if they've served or have family who would like to join, Owens said.

But membership has dropped from more than 300 people last year to about 275 this year, despite the group hosting more events to bring people in, such as live music or homemade pizza nights, Owens said. The slowdown at Camp Atterbury also has hurt the group, since service members who were working at the base and became members at the Legion have moved away and transferred their memberships, Owens said.

The decline is also part of a generational shift, where more families have both parents working and have more events they want to be with their children for. Instead of swinging by the Legion to have a beer or chat with other members, people need to pick their children up from day care or head out to a youth soccer or baseball game, she said.

"Times are different. Parents have to work these days, and they just don't have the time to come after work for an hour or two," Owens said.

The national VFW organization encourages local posts to improve the image of their lodges, Shoellhorn said. The stereotype people often think of in a military lodge is a dark, smoke-filled bar filled with older veterans, he said.

Greenwood has taken steps in recent years to battle that image by eliminating smoking in the VFW hall and drawing more focus to community events, such as hosting activities or parties for Camp Atterbury staff, Shoellhorn said.

Clubs that are able to get younger members involved aren't seeing the same decline. In Greenwood, the VFW has about 500 veteran members and another 400 auxiliary members, he said. Members have embraced ideas that will help make the VFW friendlier to young soldiers and their families, said Shoellhorn, who is 25 years old.

Greenwood benefits from having a larger and growing population, compared with a small town such as Edinburgh, Shoellhorn said. And the group has been proactive in making contact with people serving in units in Indianapolis, at the armory in Franklin and at Camp Atterbury, he said.

The Greenwood VFW received recognition from the national organization for increasing its membership and is on pace to qualify for that award again this year, Shoellhorn said.

"The younger generation has to come in and start taking over some roles and they're going to carry on the post," Shoellhorn said. "When it comes time, I'm going to have to do the same thing. Some of these posts aren't doing that, are staying with the core group they've got. They've got to go out and get those younger members, and it's a never-ending cycle."

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Information from: Daily Journal, http://www.dailyjournal.net