VFW: “We Can Do Better”
By Major Erik K. Kober, AV, US Army
The Veteran of Foreign Wars of the United States (VFW) is probably the single-most bitter-sweet organization that exists in the United States of America. The organization exists, though we wish it did not have to, because we live in a time and a Nation, that when duty calls, many have answered. That answered call often leads to sacrifices of which only those who have sacrificed themselves can fully comprehend. VFW leadership comes from those who have served once or more in combat overseas, and continue to serve selflessly in their national, state, and local communities to recognize and assist the men and women who continue to protect the very rights and freedoms we so cherish as Americans. Its members come from that very same body of men and women who feel that awe-inspiring urge of camaraderie that develops from serving in combat in harsh unrelenting environments so that friends, families, and compatriots do not have to endure such harsh realities. As Thomas Jefferson historically described, we are talking about that citizen who “loves his country on its own account” and “can never refuse to come forward when he finds that she is engaged in dangers which he has the means of warding off.”
Our Nation has been engaged across a simultaneous global front in the longest period of sustained combat since its own inception. The number of veterans of foreign wars has increased exponentially up to the last decade, and with this increase, the Veterans of Foreign Wars finds itself navigating through a challenging time; it must achieve new heights in its ability to reach out and recruit the most recent proud young men and women volunteers who have fought hard and valiant over the last decade. While technology has both enhanced and encumbered our own progress in this endeavor, we must even further leverage the linguistic reality of today. With the advent of the internet, social network creation has never been easier or more complex. In a world that thrives on bottom-up, decentralized social networks, organizations must holistically adapt themselves in order to remain relevant and effective. Two major points stem from this phenomenon that can enable the VFW to successfully reach the newest generation of foreign war veterans. The first is COMMUNICATION, and the second is CONNECTION.
In order to effectively COMMUNICATE to our new generation of combat veterans,we must recognize that we all speak a different language. Current emergent language is hyper-computerized, handheld “I-everything”, Skype, Twitter, and You-Tube virtual-reality at your fingertips. The language of books, telephones, television, and face-to-face interaction is quickly morphing as nanotechnology changes the way we live at what seems a geometric rate. The difference is only a matter of the age we live in; this does not at all change how much we care about our servicemen and women, it merely changes how and where we can successfully engage each other. The National VFW has made tremendous efforts to bridge this communication gap, but while there are some states and local posts that have also attempted to embrace technology, it has not happened to the extent that the national, state, and local post structure lives, acts, and breaths as one system, but more like three disparate systems that struggle to bring each level into communication with the next.
If we desire to successfully COMMUNICATE with the young men and women who are returning from combat and integrating back into the civilian ranks, it is critical to provide them the interactivity they require to feel CONNECTED as a Veteran of Foreign Wars. The second point of emphasis is this necessity of CONNECTION. In hand with COMMUNICATION, today, more than ever before, there is an inherent need for CONNECTION. Whether on the battlefield, in a tank, a ship, a helicopter, or in the internet
cafés, or even in the privacy of his own home, the young warrior today desires to be part of a network, CONNECTED to others, surrounded by information, virtual as well as real relationships, and with a vast expanse of attainable opportunities within his grasp. Our efforts must begin CONNECTING these young men and women, if not during their service, at the least through the Army Career Assistance Program, a link for which can be found on at least one VFW website at www.vfwdistrict2nj.com under ABOUT VFW>ASSISTANCE. There is no better time than NOW to CONNECT these foreign veterans to the VFW. It is critical to CONNECT these Soldiers with the opportunities that exist in and through the VFW in a language they understand. Blogging experiences, corporate CONNECTEDNESS, and the vast body of opportunities that our VFW already hosts must merely be COMMUNICATED in the language in which our latest veterans understand and can easily CONNECT.
Being at war for over a decade, this nation needs more than ever before an organization such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars because as comrades we understand, we care, and we will continue to be there when others will have long forgotten. COMMUNICATION techniques between each level within the VFW is just as important as the relevant COMMUNICATION techniques of today that must be used to bring our young veterans within our ranks, to successfully carry on the duty and tradition of the VFW. It is essential that we uniformly COMMUNICATE ‘we care’ in the language these young veterans understand, and ensure we provide them with the ways to CONNECT that will make our veterans the success they deserve to be in today’s challenging environment. Our local posts are the backbone to the success of this transformation, and state and federal agencies in addition to local community groups should provide the local posts the necessary resources and means to become the bottom-up organization that will thrive in today’s complex
environment.
“Major Erik K. Kober is a resident of Ho-Ho-Kus, NJ. He is currently attending the School of Advanced Military Studies, Fort Leavenworth, KS, where he is preparing to deploy in the Spring to Central Asia as a planner for XVIII Airborne Corps. He has served faithfully in Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq (2 tours) asan AH-64 (Apache/Longbow) helicopter pilot, and is a Life Member of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, Washington Elm Post 192, Ho-Ho-
Kus, NJ.”
