Monday, February 08, 1999

VFW hall closing, membership dwindling

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BY RACHEL MELCER
The Cincinnati Enquirer

"We have a real nice little barroom, but now most nobody shows up any more," sayd WWII vet Rollie Adamson. (Michael E. Keating photo) | ZOOM |

        ADDYSTON — In the basement cantina of the VFW hall at lunchtime, World War II veteran Henry Flickinger lights up a cigar and checks supplies behind the bar.

        It has been his daily routine for years — although, these days, there is little need to order more food and drink at the landmark Globetrotters Post 6428.

        The Addyston experience reflects the dramatic decline of the VFW and American Legion nationally as older vets die and no one fills their places.

        The VFW's 41-year-old two-story whitewashed building on East Main Street is for sale.

        Active members — a remnant among scores who belong to the post — say they hope to rent or build a smaller space so their meetings and communal good works can continue.

        “This place is about a lot of good memories and a lot of hard work. And a lot of good friends — but they just keep slipping away from us,” said Mr. Flickinger, 80, one of five still surviving World War II vets who chartered the Globetrotters Post in 1946.

        It's not just veterans groups. Service organizations — such as the Moose and the Elks — that had their heydays in the latter half of the 1940s report declining membership and activism.

        Younger veterans who join do not participate in fund-raisers and other daily operations, VFW and American Legion officials said, and many posts — especially in small towns and rural areas — are beginning to fade.

        “We're all experiencing a membership decline,” said Alex Harrington, spokesman for the VFW office in Washington, D.C.

        VFW membership peaked about two years ago at 2.1 million but has dropped to roughly 1.9 million. About half of those members are World War II veterans and they are dying, Mr. Harrington said. Losses range from 6,000 to 30,000 per month.

        Despite that attrition, “10 years from now, we'll still be a major (lobbying) influence in Washington,” Mr. Harrington said. “But the posts themselves, the cantinas, they're a great community tool when it comes to fellowship and they will be” disappearing, he said.

        In Ohio, “it's not a wholesale situation yet,” said Robert Funk, state VFW adjutant quartermaster,“but we can foresee smaller posts either having to consolidate with other posts or getting out of the business.”

The party's over
        At Globetrotters in Addyston, no one has called this year to rent the large hall with its elevated stage and glittering disco ball.

        Bingo — once a source of scholarships, community grants and food baskets — ended in mid-1997, overcome by riverboat casinos and bingo halls with bigger prizes and larger crowds.

        More than a decade has passed since the noon whistle at the factory across the street assured a crowd of friendly vets anxious to swap stories and discuss the news.

        And it has been nearly 40 years since post-sponsored dances and events for more than 650 youths in the country's largest VFW teen canteen, according to service officer Rollie Adamson, 74. The post gave a successful Halloween dance last year but the last regular weekend dance is a faded memory.

        “I used to have a ball at the dances. I still come when they have them,” said Mildred Adamson, Rollie's wife and a leading member of the post auxiliary.

        “We don't have any money to give away any more,” Mr. Adamson said. “We have a real nice little barroom, but now most nobody shows up any more. We really enjoyed ourselves until we got a little older. We used to have ball games and functions for the older fellows.”

A broad front
        John W. Ford of Elmwood Place, a Vietnam veteran and Southwest Ohio VFW district commander, predicted that nearly half of the district's 53 posts will close within the next decade. “Each post has got maybe five guys who really buckle down and work.”

        The impact will be felt by communities who take their VFW posts for granted, turning to them in need, Mr. Ford predicted. “We're the first ones they come to if they need a walker, a wheelchair, a flag.”

        In the Southwest Ohio district of the American Legion, three posts are on the verge of merging with larger operations, according to Ron Hartman, Department of Ohio first vice commander. At one post, where the average age is 68, no one is willing or able to take charge.

        “In many communities, a post has a great deal of impact. Not so much in metropolitan areas, but in small towns,” Ohio VFW's Mr. Funk said. “That's really where our posts take a big, active role.”

        Addyston Mayor Carole Kolb fondly recalled dancing at the Globetrotters building as a teen-ager and returning as a chaperon for her children.

        The post will continue to operate in some form for a while, she said, but the closing of the visible structure is a big deal for her small town. “It's just like an old landmark, you hate to see it go,” she said. “I think everybody likes their VFW. It will be missed.”

Marching on
        Veterans' organization officials say they are puzzled by the lack of active participation by those who served after World War II.

        Some say veterans of Korea and Vietnam are smarting from less-than-warm homecomings. Others say younger vets may be too busy.

        Most younger vets are satisfied to know that their interests are being represented on Capitol Hill, the American Legion's Mr. Hartman said, and veterans join VFW and American Legion to participate in an active voting block. “Even though those members don't show up, that (membership) number is very important when we go to Washington.”

        Still, VFW and American Legion are not surrendering. To recruit members, they are tailoring programs to meet the needs of younger vets.

        Awareness campaigns, such as the recent American Legion roundup across Ohio, are designed to boost interest.

        “It doesn't happen by accident,” said American Legion spokesman Phil Budahn. “We as veterans, we as organizations have to work to pass the baton.”

        At the Globetrotters post, Mr. Adamson said, “We'll just keep plugging along until everybody dies. You know what they say — old soldiers never die. They just fade away.”

       

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