VFW Post 308 Gains Ground

By Nancy K. Crevier

VFW Posts around the world encounter a membership conundrum that not all clubs face: its members are mainly veterans of foreign wars, and many of them are now aging and dying. The membership, therefore, naturally dwindles. It means the downsizing or closure of many VFW Posts around the nation. But in Newtown, signs of revitalization and growth are evident at VFW Post 308 on Tinkerfield Road.

The post, under the guidance of general contractor Curt Berg, began the construction of a two-level, 480-square-foot addition in mid-May. If all goes as planned, Post Commander Junie Ingram hopes to see the new space utilized by the end of June.

“We’re expanding the canteen and meeting room,” said Commander Ingram. “When we have functions, right now, there’s nowhere to put the food and still have room to sit.”

That is because unlike other VFW Posts in the region, VFW Post 308 has initiated actions to keep its club vital, including a men’s auxiliary. “We picked up a men’s auxiliary group maybe four years ago,” explained Commander Ingram. “That added 95 members. When guys get back from Iraq and Afghanistan, we invite them to join and pay for a life membership. So we’ve added about ten members like that. You need the young blood,” he said. Added to the regular membership of 151 foreign veterans and the 50 members of the ladies’ auxiliary, Post 308 is in good shape, said the commander.

The ladies’ and men’s auxiliaries assist in raising funds, grounds care, and housekeeping at VFW Posts, and fill support positions. To join an auxiliary, a person must be over the age of 16 and have a husband, wife, mother, father, sister, brother, or grandparent who served in a foreign war and was honorably discharged.

VFW Posts exist to provide community service, offer school programs, place flags in cemeteries, and to provide a place for war veterans to gather, explained Commander Ingram. “I’d like to see this construction buttoned up by June 30. We could make good use of it,” he said.