Veterans of Foreign Wars

The organization Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States, more commonly referred to as the VFW, according to its web site, "traces its roots back to 1899 when veterans of the Spanish-American War (1898) and the Philippine Insurrection (1899-1902) founded local organizations to secure rights and benefits for their service: Many arrived home wounded or sick. There was no medical care or veterans' pension for them, and they were left to care for themselves. In their misery, some of these veterans banded together and formed organizations with what would become known as the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. After chapters were formed in Ohio, Colorado and Pennsylvania, the movement quickly gained momentum. By 1915, membership grew to 5,000; by 1936, membership was almost 200,000." 

Contact
URL: http://vfw.org/

Related SourceWatch articles

 * American Legion
 * band of brothers
 * Bring Them Home Now!
 * Department of Veterans Affairs
 * Disabled American Veterans (DAV)
 * draft
 * Iraq Coalition Casualty Statistics
 * Operation Enduring Freedom
 * Operation Iraqi Freedom
 * Operation Iraqi Freedom: Beginnings of a Quagmire
 * Selective Service System
 * veterans benefits

External articles

 * Kristinn, "D.C. Chapter Invited to Meet President Bush at White House Troop Support Event (Photos)," FreeRepublic.com, September 18, 2007. "Members of the D.C. Chapter of FreeRepublic.com were invited to the White House today for an event for troop support organizations with President Bush. Other groups included Vets for Freedom (in the beige polo shirts), Families United for Our Troops and Their Mission (in the red polos shirts), Move America Forward, Gathering of Eagles, the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars."
 * B Merryfield, "Freedom's Watch backs Vets for Freedom," The Daily Kos, October 2, 2007.