The VFW traces its roots back to 1899 when veterans of the Spanish-American War
(1898) and the Philippine Insurrection (1899-1902) founded local
organizations to secure rights and benefits for their service. Many
arrived home wounded or sick. There was no medical care or veterans'
pension for them, and they were left to care for themselves.
In their misery, some of these veterans banded together to form what would become known as the Veterans of Foreign
Wars of the United States. After chapters were formed in Ohio, Colorado, and Pennsylvania, the movement quickly gained momentum. By 1915,
membership had grown to 5,000; by 1936, it was almost 200,000.
Since then, the VFW's voice has been instrumental in establishing the Veterans Administration, creating a GI bill for the 20th century, the development of the national cemetery system, and the fight for
compensation for Vietnam vets exposed to Agent Orange and for veterans
diagnosed with Gulf War Syndrome. In 2008, VFW won a long-fought victory
with the passage of the GI Bill for the 21st Century, giving expanded educational benefits to America's active-duty service members and members of the Guard and Reserves who were fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan.
The VFW has also fought for improving VA medical centers' services for women veterans.
Besides helping fund the creation of the Vietnam, Korean War, World
War II, and Women in Military Service memorials, the VFW in 2005 became
the first veterans' organization to contribute to the construction of the new
Disabled Veterans for Life Memorial, which opened in November 2010.
Annually, the nearly 2 million members of the VFW and its
Auxiliaries contribute more than 8.6 million hours of volunteerism in
the community, including participation in Make A Difference Day and
National Volunteer Week.
From providing over $3 million in college scholarships and savings
bonds to students every year to encouraging elevation of the Department
of Veterans Affairs to the president's cabinet, the VFW is there.
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