Veterans Groups Turn to Social Networking to Attract Young Members

With soldiers coming home from the current conflicts in Afghanistan and Iraq, one might think that membership in veteran’s groups wouldn't be in decline.

But that’s exactly what is happening.

The two organizations that have traditionally met many of the support needs of veterans – the and American Legion – are hoping the power of the Internet will attract young members.

“It’s a great way to keep veterans in tough with each other, and keep them informed about what is happening in their communities regarding veterans,” said James Fausone, a Northville attorney who works for Legal Help for Veterans PLLC.

“Veteran service organizations play an important role in the reintegration of troops into society and the delivery of veteran benefits information,” he added. “The reduction in members is of concern to the survival of veteran service organizations. These groups have to make themselves more relevant to today’s veterans.”

Getting young veterans – those who served in the Persian Gulf War, the Iraq War and the Afghanistan War, is more complex that just setting up a Facebook page, said Robert D. Weiss, the state adjutant and quartermaster of the Michigan Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW).

“It’s hard to get new members. People aren’t joiners in the way that they used to be,” he said. “There’s a lot going on in their lives. They have young families, jobs.”

Dan Stewart, the post commander for the Northville VFW, agrees.

"I don't understand why more veterans from Iraq or Afganistan [or] Desert Storm aren't joining, because it's a good organization," he said. "I'm not sure if it's the age difference - and I know they have their own organizations - but we do advertising and membership is still down." 

There are many reasons that membership at the veteran’s groups is going down, but the main one is the age of its members. Those who fought in World War II are dying at the rate of 1,000 a day, according to a 2008 estimate from the US Department of Veteran’s Affairs.

Weiss said he has seen the number of Vietnam veterans who are fading increase during the past several years, as well.

The good news is that social networking – Facebook and other more specialized internet organizations – are helping to recruit new members, even though they might not be gathering at a local hall.

“This helps veterans stay in touch with other people that have the same experiences as they have,” Weiss said. “It also helps us get the word out on serves that are available – if someone needs to talk to a therapist, and another veteran knows one, they can tell them. And I suspect that many are meeting in person to discuss their experiences.”

One group, the Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America, has a Facebook following of 201,000 people. The American Legion and the VFW have 20,000 and 64,000 followers, respectively. Both the Legion and the VFW have Twitter accounts which are updated frequently.

Locally, the Northville American Legion Post 147 is also on Facebook, with 106 members.

For Lisa Armstrong, a 1997 graduate of who served in the U.S. Navy from 2002 to 2006, is not a member of either the VFW or the American Legion – though she had previously met members of these groups.

“I found their stories fascinating,” said Armstrong, who served aboard the USS Eisenhower in the Middle East.

“But [the members] were about 50 years older than me,” she added.

Therein lies the unique problem faced by both groups, said Weiss.

“There is a huge age difference, a generation between those who fought in Vietnam and the next War,” he said. “It can be hard to bridge the gap, but we encourage them to join."

For Armstrong, social media is one way that she remains in step with her fellow veterans.

“It’s a great way to stay in touch,” she said.