Maybe you just returned from flying missions over Iraq as part of Operation Southern or Northern Watch. Perhaps you did a stint in Bosnia or completed a tour in Korea. Maybe you saw service during missions in Somalia, Haiti or Rwanda in 1994. In any case, your Korea duty or overseas campaign medal makes you eligible for the VFW.

to be far from home serving your country. We've been in your boots. To make sure you receive the recognition and support you deserve, we fight in Washington to protect your rights and work hard on the local level to make your tours easier. Some of VFW's more recent assistance includes:
* AFEM for troops in Bosnia
* Hardship pay for Joint Task Force-Full Accounting personnel.
* 100,000 care packages worth more than $1 million to troops overseas during the Gulf War.
* Pre-paid telephone cards to active duty troops and hospitalized veterans via VFW's Operation Uplink.

, the VFW is the oldest major veterans group in the U.S. VFW is considered the elite of the U.S. veterans organizations because it demands overseas service in time of war or international crisis to qualify for membership.

*Do you respect the flag?
*Do you consider yourself patriotic?
*Are you proud of your service?
*Do you care about the quality of life in your community?
*Do you enjoy the company of other veterans?
*Do you think it's imperative to find the cause of Gulf War Syndrome?
*Do you think a strong national defense is needed?

If these issues are important to you, then the VFW is your organization.

For the rank and file membership, these are the core reasons for becoming a VFW member. If you want to protect you and your buddies' hard-earned benefits, then you have to get involved. How will veterans benefits be protected in the future if there are no veterans groups around to do it? It was VFW and other veterans advocates who made today's benefits a reality.