Veterans Day is Saturday, Nov. 11, but, for area organizations, veteran advocacy is a year-round effort.
Though leaders of local veterans groups said membership is waning, the need for outreach and resources continues to rise.
Jim Wiebel, 17-year commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars post in Sidney, said declining membership is multi-factor.
“Ten years ago, there were 108,000 VFW members in New York State; now there’s 28,000,” he said. “One of the issues is that one out two guys is dying, and half of the other people have moved to Florida or out of state. Our membership has gone down over the years, and a lot of that is because of death and people moving on, and there’s not a whole lot we can do about it. To be a member, you had to serve overseas during a conflict,” he said. “An issue was, when a lot of us got done with the Vietnam era, the VFW didn’t recognize Vietnam vets, because the conflict was never declared a war; they’ve changed their attitude, because the numbers kept dwindling. And you’ve got Afghanistan and Kuwait and those conflicts, and those fellows are eligible, too. But we’ve struggled over the last few years to keep it open and we’re trying to do the best we can.”
“We’ve lost a lot of the old-timers to Florida, or passing away,” Terry Harkenreader, commander of Oneonta’s American Legion — Post 259, echoed.
Sources said, as a result, agencies have had to get creative and consistent with resources and programming.
“The era of the VFW with the bar and the club has changed,” Weibel said. “Younger people … don’t go out to a bar like they did 40 years ago, that’s why having things like corn hole and line dancing help keep the club open. And we do Friday night fish and wings, open to all vets and the public.”
“Veterans Day, we have down at (Neahwa) Park at 11:11 on 11/11,” Harkenreader said. “There’s going to be a program in the park down at the veterans memorial and probably the mayor will come down as a guest speaker and it’s open to the public and we will have an open house at the American Legion after for veterans and their families.
“And there’s a veterans resource fair at the Foothills on (Nov.) 12, from 1 to 3,” he continued. “That has (representatives from veterans’ groups) from Binghamton and Cooperstown and Oneonta. And we opened up the VA clinic in Oneonta, at Fox Care.”
Doug Barnard, president of the Sidney Veterans Memorial Park Board, said the roughly nine-member board works to raise awareness and resources through their River Street park, opened in 2016.
“We do what we can to keep the park up and running and, by engaging the community, hopefully we (will),” he said. “I returned home after 23 years in the Navy and 13 with the federal government, but one of the things I’ve tried to bring to the table … is trying to turn (the park) from a great idea and implementation into something that will last for generations to come.
“We’ve got two major fundraisers a year, and one coming up Nov. 11 and 12,” Barnard continued. “We’re having a no-tap bowling tournament at East Main Lanes, and that’s open to anybody.”
Ed Bentlyewski, commander of Sidney American Legion — Charles Jacobi Post 183 and a retired U.S. Army medic, said the roughly 200-member chapter will host a Veterans Day ceremony and luncheon at noon on Nov. 11.
“We’re also doing Thanksgiving dinner (on Thanksgiving Day) here for anybody that wants to come, and that’s free-will, and we’ve been doing that for about seven years,” he said, noting that members donate turkeys and hams and that the post “buys the vegetables and does the cooking.” Last year, Bentlyewski said, the post served 140 dinners. “And we do a Christmas party for kids and we’re actually going to do a Christmas dinner this year, too. Our mission in life, after serving the country and when we get out of service, is to continue. Once in the military, always in the military, especially the way times are now.
“This community we’re in here is pretty good,” Bentlyewski continued. “We have programs through the Legion, (such as) Clear Path (for Veterans) out of Binghamton, and if a vet needs help, they can call them. And, right now, the Legion itself has a ‘Be the One’ program, where you call someone and check up on your fellow vets if you don’t hear from them for a couple of days.”
The Oneonta American Legion, Harkenreader noted, focuses especially on mental health advocacy for veterans. Harkenreader, a Vietnam War veteran, is a 20-year member of the American Legion. The Oneonta chapter, he said, has roughly 160 members.
“We support the American Federation for Suicide Prevention, which is a national foundation, but we refer anybody that has issues … to guide them toward help,” he said. “If anybody has an issue, we’re more than glad to talk to them, any time, day or night. (Nationwide), we lose 22 veterans a day, on average. I’m a retired state corrections officer and I did classes on suicide prevention and what to look out for and taught other officers.
“The American Legion Riders, two weeks ago, did a combined ride and raised $1,500 for the American Federation for Suicide Prevention,” Harkenreader continued. “So, we are helping out. Everybody gets involved when we do anything, as far as membership. And it goes on forever and ever; we can’t do it just once and step away. The American Legion is always on point for suicide, and there’s a national number, now — 988. Our biggest thing is mental health and getting them help. A lot (of soldiers) might try to get help on the side and counseling on the side without telling their commander, but when they get home, they can’t adjust. No matter what you say, if you go into combat, you’re a changed person. A lot of guys don’t want to talk about anything that went on, and that’s why counselors are so important. Nobody wants to feel like they’re being chastised. Some guys will talk and talk, and there are others that curl up in a ball and close their mind off. And there are female veterans that commit suicide, too; it’s not just a guy thing, it’s a veteran thing.”
Increased prioritization of mental health treatment for veterans, Harkenreader said, began “pretty much right after 9/11.”
To use the Veterans Crisis Line, Harkenreader said, any veteran can “just dial 988 and you’ll get a representative from suicide prevention that will talk you down or guide you to where you need to go for help.” That number can also be texted, or visit veteranscrisisline.net. Additionally, visit afsp.org for information on suicide prevention.
Despite membership challenges, sources said, cultural support for veterans is broadening.
“Going way back, I’ve seen it increase,” Barnard said. “Obviously, 9/11 changed a lot of people’s attitudes. I grew up in the ‘60s and ‘70s and saw how bad it was back then, so it’s changed over the decades. I think most everybody supports the vets; you don’t see much of any anti-vet stuff and, as far as the support at our park, I’ve seen nothing but positive. I think the community seems to really be strongly supportive of everything to do down there.”
“For Vietnam, they were throwing feces and calling (veterans) baby killers; it’s just how it was,” Harkenreader said. “At least now, they’re earmarked as heroes. The Vietnam vets never got a thank-you … and when (soldiers) came home from Afghanistan and the Middle East, they had big parades. Now, (all veterans) are getting recognition. You walk down through Oneonta or the mall or Home Depot and you see guys wearing their Vietnam hats or shirts and I’ve been told 1,000 times, ‘Thank you for your service,’ so these guys are loving that, because they never got that before.”
“Everybody is really grateful and appreciative; we get plenty of thanks,” Weibel said. “I’ve been very impressed with the schools. Bainbridge-Guilford has a breakfast for veterans and … Sidney has a program with coffee and donuts and the kids come in and sing some patriotic songs, but what I was so impressed with was they had us parade through the halls and, on every wall … the kids were lined up on both sides, clapping, and we went through one hall after the other. I was pretty impressed; they held up signs that said, ‘Thank you, veterans and I thought that was something special.”
Barnard said SVMP board members have facilitated and participated in similar school-aged outreach.
“The school (program) is an ongoing thing that we do twice a year — in May to coincide with Memorial Day and in May we do a presentation at Sidney Elementary,” he said, noting that the program is designed for fourth-graders. “We bring static displays and talk about what lives are like in the different services and fourth-graders are sponges, so they really enjoy it. They’re pretty impressed with some of the different things we tell them about and, two weeks later, they come down to the park and we take them through the different stations and show them things about the park and why it’s there. It’s community outreach just to stay connected with the community and we worked with the school to develop that.
“And they put on a program the week before Veterans Day for us,” Barnard continued. “Basically, it’s the whole elementary school to thank the veterans, and that’s very nice that the school does that. It is in conjunction with the association. We’re the driving force and we coordinate with them, but we’re not the only vets invited; they go to the Legion and the VFW.”
For more information on the Sidney Veterans Memorial Park, visit svmpa.org or find Sidney Veterans Memorial Park on Facebook. Also, on Facebook, find American Legion Post 259 — Oneonta, New York or American Legion Post 183 for Sidney’s chapter. Call 607-563-7711 to reach the Sidney VFW.