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Local VFW post closes A national official says the veterans group is reorganizing, while the scuttlebutt is that the closure this week is permanent By PAUL FATTIG The Veterans of Foreign Wars Crater Lake Post 1833, whose members have represented nearly every war fought by the United States in the past century, may be losing its own battle to survive. Post 1833, a Medford landmark at 42 N. Front St. since Feb. 1, 1947, closed its doors on Wednesday, according to a VFW member who answered the telephone Thursday. However, local VFW officials declined to discuss whether the closure was temporary or permanent. "No comment," said Hal Jordan, the VFW state commander who was visiting the post Thursday. "Maybe on Monday." But one member, who asked not to be identified, said the scuttlebutt is that the post is closing permanently. "I hate to see this happen," the member said of the post whose original charter was signed on Dec. 1, 1930. The post is being reorganized, said an official at the VFW's national office in Kansas City, Mo. "They are experiencing some difficulties," said Tom Kissell, the VFW's national director for membership. "They are trying to set up a reorganization of the post at this point." Kissell said he talked to Jordan on Wednesday. Local officials want to discuss options with members before deciding the post's future, he said. "No decision has been made," Kissell said. "They want to get their membership together to talk to them." The problems facing Post 1833 include financial challenges as well as lack of participation by members, he said. "They've had an awful time getting anybody to run for office," he said. "The fact remains that, with more than 560 members in the post, they have to have input and participation." Post 1833 had roughly 1,000 members in the years immediately following World War II. But, like other posts across the nation, its membership has dwindled and become less active over the years. The national organization, which is now a little over 100 years old, is battling declining membership like most national veterans groups, Kissell said, adding that the membership of the American Legiondropped 150,000 last year. The VFW, which had some 2.2 million members in the mid-1990s, now has a little under 2 million. Membership is open to veterans who have earned a ribbon or campaign medal during overseas duty. World War II veterans who once swelled the VFW's ranks are dying at the rate of about 1,100 a day, according to projections by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Nearly 25 million veterans are alive today, down 10 percent from a decade ago. That number is expected to fall in the next five years to 20 million. Down at Post 1833, members have long gotten together for a cold drink, pool, shuffleboard and bingo. Many also gathered for camaraderie. For years, a sign behind the bar read, "United we stand, divided we fall." "But let's face it, kids nowadays aren't joiners," Kissell said. "These are not the things that interest them." Noting there are some 10,000 VFW posts across the nation, he said closing a post is not uncommon. "It's sad, but sometimes it happens," he said. "We start new posts and close posts almost weekly. Some give up the ghost and turn their charter in." But Kissell reiterated that it is too early to write off Post 1833 just yet. "They are going through some reorganizational things right now," he said. "They haven't made a decision yet." Reach reporter Paul Fattig at 776-4496 or e-mail him at [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Ottaway Newspapers, Inc. | Dow Jones & Co., Inc. | Privacy | Contact Us Copyright � 2001 Mail Tribune, Inc.