MORE: West Chester VFW seeks volunteers prior to 30th anniversary
Post member and Navy veteran George Nafziger said he appreciated the volunteer effort.
“When I heard the Air National Guard was coming out here, God bless them,” he said. “It’s flattering, these young people out here. I’ve been out of the service longer than they have been alive.”
Nafziger said things were different in the past.
“When I came home from Vietnam, let’s put it that way, there was no welcome home, and the veterans were not well treated,” he said. “And now, the placement of veterans in our society has greatly changed, and it’s very touching.”
The scope of projects being done at the post ranged from power washing the exterior to cutting the grass, to painting the interior and removing an old bath tub.
Master Sgt. John Bowles, who helped organize the event, said, “We are just trying to give back to some of the veterans that came before us, we are doing interior and exterior work, pretty much anything that we can get done for them.”
Staff Sgt. Tony Campbell summed up the experience: “It means a lot because they paved the way for all of us. They deserve for us to come out and help them, because they have given back to the community as well.”
The new location means the post and their roughly 120 members finally have a place to call their own.
“It’s a rally point. We’ve in the past had several other locations where we have been, and a lot of our efforts over the years in fundraising has been aimed towards this, and the purpose is a place we can hold meetings and call home,” said Nafziger, who added, “If we are changing where we meet every couple of years, we are kind of like vagabonds, and now we belong.”
For information on how to volunteer to help the VFW, or to become a member, call 513-300-4159.
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