John's VFW Origin Story
“I would hope and pray there never be another Medal of Honor issued,” McCarthy remarked in a 1992 interview. “I hope and pray there's never any more wars.” - Medal of Honor Recipient and 2nd Battalion/24th Marines Officer Joseph J. McCarthy.
Introduction:
Joseph McCarthy received the Medal of Honor for action taken on Iwo Jima and, like his statement about the Medal of Honor, I've long hoped that one day the VFW will run out of eligible veterans (more on that another time). However, as history continues to show us, war has become a constant.
Such was the case in 1990, when I was a Marine Reservist at the Joseph J. McCarthy Drill Center in Chicago and my unit was activated after Iraq invaded Kuwait. So it's no surprise that the Wally Burns Memorial VFW Post 8077 signed me up as a new member upon my return home.
In 1991, this little VFW next to the Metra Station in Homewood, IL, was exactly what I expected. It was a bar full of WWII veterans who were happy to see a fresh face. However, I eventually let my membership lapse.
I like to say it was because I was too busy with life, but I was actually conflicted about being a "veteran of a foreign war." The spectacle that was the Chicago Welcome Home Parade had felt to me like a "do-over" for the citizens who treated the Vietnam veterans so poorly. The whole thing seemed over the top, and I had only been away from home for less than 6-months so what was all the fuss about?
Chicago Parade
Rediscovering the VFW
By 1992 I had become a police officer and the camaraderie of the Marine Corps was replaced by my brothers and sisters in blue. I was "still serving" in a new capacity, and my law enforcement career provided me with a lot of opportunities and even some adventure (I spent two years as an International Police Officer for the United Nations Mission in Kosovo) so I never experienced any difficulty transitioning to "civilian life."
While I was reluctant to call myself a veteran, I never let an opportunity pass to identify as a Marine, and I even joined the Chicago Police Marine Association. But I had never given the VFW a second thought.
Until I moved to Denver and became a Realtor.
It wasn't long after changing careers that I began to miss the fraternal bond of those who have served. Luckily, at a charity event I ran into a fellow Desert Storm Marine, who happened to be the JVC of VFW Post 1, and he invited me to join Post 1. How could I resist becoming a member of the First Post, if for nothing else the novelty of it?
What I found was the complete opposite of my first VFW Post. Partly due to time (I was now on the older side of this crowd) but mostly due to fact that when I rediscovered the VFW Post 1 didn't even own a building. Yet the room was packed with energetic Post 9/11 veterans, many of whom were from nearby colleges. Soon I became more involved and ran through the chairs at my Post, eventually serving as Post Commander. At some point, I realized that even though I hadn't been a member for over 20 years, the VFW never stopped advocating for me.
Which now seemed more than ever to matter. For decades I felt I had left the war unscathed, but around 2016 I started having some health concerns and finally enrolled in VA healthcare. Because of the hard work the VFW put in on behalf of Desert Storm veterans and our unique illnesses, I am now receiving benefits I would not have otherwise.
Then, in 2019, as I was accepting my Post's All-American award at the Convention in Orlando, I saw the "big picture" of this organization. It was then that I decided to dedicate the rest of my life to serving veterans. The best way I can do that is to introduce best practices and programs to ensure that the VFW remains the hub of the veteran community and a beacon of veteran advocacy.
