Service at VFW Post 5564 in McCleary, Washington, is a family affair.
Holly Pierce, right, swears in her sister, Julia, as District Commander in May. Pierce is quartermaster of VFW Post 5564 in McCleary, Wash., where Julia is senior vice commander. Pierce also is the VFW Department of Washington junior vice commander.For Holly Pierce, Post 5564’s Quartermaster, that means working alongside her sister and husband, both donning leadership roles as senior and junior vice commanders, respectively, as well as her mother, who serves as Auxiliary president.
“It’s a family tradition to serve,” said Pierce, who also currently serves as VFW Department of Washington junior vice commander. “My Grandpa was on B-17s during World War II and served as Post commander from 1999-2001. Giving back to veterans and our community helps keep his memory alive, helps me feel close to him.”
Pierce joined the VFW during her second deployment to Iraq as an Army medic in 2006, but it would be another decade, after she and her husband separated from the military and relocated to nearby East Grays Harbor, Wash., that Pierce became active at her Post.
The couple bought a house in McCleary, and Pierce was quickly embraced by Post 5564, encouraging her to speak up and offer ideas for redefining what the Post could offer both members and the community.
“I had this idea of what I wanted to do, and Dan [Comer] goes, ‘Hold up, hold up, hold up, girl. Just tell us what you need to do.’ I said, ‘I want to do this and this.’ He goes, ‘Okay, done, we’ll help you,’” Pierce recalled the former Post commander saying in a recent profile with The Daily World. “I always remember Dan telling me that because I could come in with new ideas and they fully supported it, so that’s how we started doing different events at the VFW.”
Throughout her tenure at Post 5564, Pierce’s ideas have manifested in successful Bingo nights held on the second Saturday of each month, as well as bazaars featuring local businesses every quarter, each of which attracts and welcomes attendees in droves to the Post. Pierce also has led efforts to keep the Post grounds clean, volunteer at VFW events, promote patriotic events, pour headstones for veterans, and provide medical equipment to veterans in need.
“I'm still serving because the VFW gave me a place to belong when I got out of the military,” Pierce said. “The VFW gave me a place to feel like me. I could be who I was without feeling like I had to put on a brave face. They accepted me on my bad days and didn't make me feel like an outsider.”
For her continued efforts to serve the community in the name of the VFW, Pierce was nationally recognized by VFW’s Still Serving initiative in December.
This article is featured in the 2025 December issue of Checkpoint. If you're a VFW member and don't currently receive the VFW Checkpoint, please contact VFW magazine at magazine@vfw.org.