VFW Post seeks more members or face closure

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8433 is on the verge of losing its charter if it is unable to add more members in short order, according to Acting Commander Douglas Taylor.
The VFW will meet tomorrow night, Aug. 6, beginning at 7:30 p.m. at the Grady Room of Roddenbery Memorial Library.
“As more of our elder members are passing on, we have to increase our membership participation to be functional or lose our charter. Our World War I, World War II and Korean War comrades have left us a great legacy that we don’t want to see fade away. We are those who answered the call to duty in a time of crisis. We honor those who made that ultimate sacrifice by keeping their history alive,” Taylor said.
Post 8433 has 37 members on roll, according to Taylor, but only six members regularly attend meetings. The acting commander says in order to maintain its charter the post must have a quorum present at meetings and be able to elect a full slate of officers.
“We have commitments from enough active members that we should be able to elect a slate of officers Thursday night,” Taylor said.
However, Taylor and other VFW members want to see younger veterans join the ranks of Post 8433.
The local post grants a leadership training scholarship to the Cairo High School Navy JROTC unit, assists with caring for widows and invalids, assists with Veterans Administration claims, assists with maintaining and displaying the KIA flags and markers, hosts the community Memorial Day observance, and maintains the Vietnam-era Huey helicopter on the Grady County Courthouse square.
Taylor says the post was chartered over 65 years ago. Membership is open to men and women who honorably served their country in a foreign war or while on duty, were subject to hostile fire or imminent danger.
Membership benefits in the VFW include financial, VA support services, no cost insurance, discounted pricing on valuable merchandise and services, local employment contacts, retirement planning and more.
The local post desperately needs younger members and seeks women members. Nationwide, over half of all new  members are age 39 or younger. Female members are the fastest growing membership groups.
Post 8433 meets on the first Thursday of each month at the library.
For more information contact Acting Commander Taylor at 229-377-8790; 229-377-5603; or 229-977-6510.