Veterans of Foreign Wars halls at one time conjured up images of smoke-filled dance halls and a “drinking club” atmosphere.
With older veterans dying and younger ones not joining service organizations on their own, there’s a challenge ahead for the survival of all such groups, according to John Bouchard of Fort Kent, the new Maine Veterans of Foreign Wars leader.
It isn’t that there are fewer veterans, but that a lot of younger people would rather do things with their families than join what they perceive as a club, he said. Today, the VFW focuses on fellowship, service and attracting members, and Aroostook County is already benefiting from that approach. Caribou’s post is one of the biggest in the state with more than 400 members, and Houlton will open a new post this summer.
Bouchard, the first state commander from Aroostook County in more than 30 years and a member of Caribou’s Lister-Knowlton Post 9389, wants to grow VFW ranks to make sure veterans get the benefits they deserve and connections that could help those who need them most.
“A lot of guys have problems,” he said. “You turn to another veteran and talk to them, and you know what they went through — different wars, different times.”
A veteran who may have mental health issues could find it easier to talk to another veteran, he said, and that might be enough to help in the moment or spur them toward further help.
Most veterans service organizations don’t market to younger members, but simply wait for them to show up, which doesn’t work in the 21st century, according to writer Les Davis in U.S. Veterans Magazine.
Younger people enjoy solving problems with a team and networking with the community, so service groups might consider inviting business leaders to meetings, reaching out to National Guard posts if any are nearby and designing projects for teams, Davis said.
Bouchard wants to attract younger vets to the VFW. The group can help put them in touch with military service benefits, not only for their own health but also for their families, he said.
Fort Kent’s Lozier-O’Grady Post 9609 dissolved a few years ago because so few attended, and members transferred to Caribou. The County has three other posts: Hayward-Frazier 2599 in Presque Isle, Paul-Lockart 6187 in Fort Fairfield and LeBlanc-Junkins 9699 in Ashland.
Houlton’s new post doesn’t yet have a name but Bouchard is glad to see the growth.
Bouchard joined VFW in 1969, serving in Vietnam as a Marine. He prefers being behind the scenes, he said, so was modest about his new position. For him, it was a move up the ranks.
He was commander of Fort Kent’s post and for six years has been commander of Maine VFW District I, which covers Aroostook County. For the statewide group, he has held roles including sergeant, judge advocate and junior and senior vice commanders. State commander was the next step.
Each year the state commander chooses a special project, and Bouchard’s is Make-A-Wish for children. Posts throughout Maine will collect money for the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
He has also collected material on Maine’s 343 Vietnam veterans who were killed in the line of duty. He started in Aroostook County, but then decided to cover the entire state.
“I talked to a lot of families. Sometimes it was really emotional,” he said.
The national VFW had intended to create an exhibit of deceased Vietnam vets from every state, but money ran out, he said. He sent copies of all the information to national headquarters and also kept all the material in a book.
Bouchard and his wife, Sylvia, have three children: a daughter, Stacy, and two sons, John Jr. and Chad. He was elected to his new post on June 11 at the VFW state convention in Bangor.
More than anything, he just wants to help the VFW serve more veterans.
“It’s like a brotherhood,” he said. “It means a lot to me to help other veterans out there. A lot of them need help.”