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10/22/2025 - Ever since I was 8 years old, I wanted to be a Marine. On my 18th birthday, I went into the local recruiting station and tried to enlist in the Marine Corps. They took one look at me, laughed, and sent me away. At 4’11-3/4” I was too short. Heartbroken, I forgot about military service and went on with my life, getting married at age 19 and starting a career in administration. Besides, the attitude of the time among the general population was that a woman who enlisted in ...

1/13/2017 - After record flooding killed 23 people and destroyed many small towns in West Virginia last June, VFW members united to provide assistance and seek aid of their own. The June 2016 floods in West Virginia were what the National Weather Service called an “exceptional meteorological event”—one that happens once every 1,000 years. The floods experienced throughout central and southern West Virginia were caused by a “derecho,” or a long line of rapidly moving thunderstorms, l...

11/13/2017 - The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was dedicated 35 years ago on Nov. 13, 1982. Since then, more than 100 million people have visited the iconic structure, according to Jan Scruggs, founder of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. The National Parks Service noted that nearly 5.6 million people visited in 2016, making it the nation’s second-most popular memorial or monument. The Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., was the top attraction with nearly 8 million visitors last year...

3/3/2017 - A WWII fighter pilot’s family has seen their father’s journey come full circle, with an assist from VFW. VFW Commander-in-Chief Brian Duffy presented Jules Hymel’s children with their father’s ring in a December ceremony at the National World War II Museum in New Orleans. Post 8862 in Vicenza, Italy, and Post 3750 in Luling, La., were involved in aligning the events that led up to the transfer of the ring. LeDaine Hymel and Nelwyn Hymel Lorio, Jules Hymel’s children...

1/31/2014 - By Kelly Gibson The Winter Olympics are relatively young, appearing on the sporting scene for the first time in 1924. As early as 1928, though, war veterans participated. Here are a few of the better-known Olympian-vets among them. (Vets of the 10th Mountain Division who skied in the Olympics and biathlon vets are covered in separate articles.) Eddie P.F. Eagan (1897-1967) b. Denver, Colo. Eagan served stateside with the Artillery Corps during WWI, from July 4 to Dec. 28...

11/12/2014 - November 2004’s decisive Battle of Fallujah was the deadliest sustained urban fighting for U.S. troops in the Iraq War. American forces rooted out 3,000 terrorists. By Tim Dyhouse This article appears in the November/December 2014 issue of VFW magazine Fighting a fanatical, dug-in enemy in the mazelike infrastructure of his own city has proved disastrous to armies in past wars. But the November 2004 Battle of Fallujah could be considered a textbook urban assaul...

9/9/2014 - This week, we honor Patriot Day and the 2,977 Americans who tragically lost their lives 13 years ago. Since that fateful day, we have fought in two wars. Thousands of our nation’s finest have paid the ultimate price defending our freedom, and thousands more have returned home bearing the physical and mental scars of battle. The 9/11 attacks were meant to weaken America and dampen her spirit. Instead, Americans united and proved that not only will we not be d...

4/10/2014 - Throughout the history of our great nation, veterans have made the commitment to protect our country, serving and sacrificing for what matters most. What they and their families give up can have an impact that lasts long past their time of service. Whether veterans have recently returned home or completed their service years ago, their experiences remain a part of their lives. It can be difficult for family members and friends to reach out when they see a veter...

9/6/2013 - WASHINGTON — In recognition of September as Suicide Prevention Month, the Department of Veterans Affairs is mobilizing people and organizations nationwide to support Veterans in crisis and spread the word about VA mental health services. Throughout the month, VA suicide prevention coordinators at all 151 VA medical centers will organize community events, host health fairs, lead training sessions and work with VA Voluntary Service to improve Veterans’ lives. VA is al...

7/14/2014 - KANSAS CITY, Mo. — More than 12,000 members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States and its Auxiliaries are rolling into the Show Me State this weekend to elect new leadership and to approve resolutions that will guide the national organization’s advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill, and its veteran and military support programs across the country. Vice President Joe Biden has also accepted an invitation to address the delegates during their joint opening sessi...