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Veterans of Foreign Wars (U.S.)

image by Pete Loeser, 7 May 2019

Introduction: Veterans of Foreign Wars
- Flag of the Puyallup Valley Post No. 2223
- Flag of VFW Post 6483 in Milford, Delaware
Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxiliary
Veterans of Foreign Wars Riders

See also:

Military flags
Military Veteran/Commemorative Flags
Organizations
United States of America

External sites:
www.vfw.org

Introduction: Veterans of Foreign Wars

The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States is a federally chartered corporation formed in 1899 by Spanish-American War veterans of the 17th U.S. Infantry. 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.
After chapters were formed in Ohio, Colorado and Pennsylvania, the movement quickly gained momentum and the VFW has been instrumental in establishing the Veterans Administration, creating various GI Bills, developing a national cemetery system, the fight for compensation for Vietnam vets exposed to Agent Orange and for veterans diagnosed with Gulf War Syndrome. In 2008, VFW helped pass a GI Bill giving expanded educational benefits to America's active-duty service members, and members of the Guard and Reserves, fighting in Iraq and Afghanistan. The VFW also has fought for improving VA medical centers services for women veterans.
They have helped fund the creation of the national Vietnam, Korean War, World War II and Women in Military Service memorials, and in 2005 became the first veterans' organization to contribute to the building Disabled Veterans for Life Memorial, which opened in November 2010.
Membership in the VFW is restricted to any active or honorably discharged officer or enlisted person who is a citizen of the United States and who has served in its armed forces "in any foreign war, insurrection or expedition, which service shall be recognized by the authorization or the issuance of a military campaign medal."
Today the VFW has over 2.5 million members with over 10,000 posts (local chapters). The Cross of Malta is the VFW's official emblem.

Flag of the Puyallup Valley Post No. 2223

image located by William Garrison, 18 October 2022

"Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States" flag of the "Puyallup Valley Post No. 2223" in Puyallup, Washington state.
William Garrison, 18 October 2022

Flag of VFW Post 6483 in Milford, Delaware

image by Randy Young, 25 November 2022

My uncle (a Desert Storm veteran) is commander of VFW Post 6483 in Milford, Delaware. The post celebrated the 75th anniversary of its founding (by my grandfather and other Second World War veterans of southern Delaware) in 2021. In an effort to recognize the milestone for the post and recognize the service of the veterans themselves, I designed a commemorative 75th anniversary flag for the post and ordered copies of it made to be presented to the post. The flag was presented to the post along with an explanation of my motives and the thoughts that went into the flag design itself. I'm proud to say that the post members appreciated the flag, flying it outside the post during their anniversary celebrations, then having it framed and permanently displayed inside the VFW hall.

This is a graphic of the flag. I will say that the colors in the graphic don't quite do justice to the real thing, and it looks much better flying from the flagpole than it does in the graphic.

The design is based on the Delaware state flag with a large lozenge in the center, outlined in gold. The lozenge itself is the same colonial blue color as the Delaware flag, while the remainder of the field is white. Centered in the lozenge is the VFW logo, flanked by the dates "1946" to the left and "2021" to the right, both in gold Arial Narrow font. Above the logo are the words "75th Anniversary" in white script, while below the logo are the words "BLUE HEN POST" and "6483," also in gold Arial Narrow font.

The fact that the veterans of Post 6483 liked, accepted, and displayed my design is one of my proudest vexillological achievements. Let me know if y'all have any questions, comments, etc., about the flag or the post, since I was subsequently honored with a lifetime membership in the VFW Auxiliary for "Blue Hen" Post 6483.
Randy Young, 25 November 2022

Veterans of Foreign Wars Auxilliary

images by Pete Loeser, 11 May 2016

Established 1914, members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Auxiliary serve U.S. veterans as an auxiliary of the VFW. It is now one of the nation's oldest veterans' service organizations and their members are the relatives of those who have served in overseas combat.
They have 470,000 members in more than 4,000 Auxiliaries nationwide who volunteer and have help to raise millions of dollars for charitable projects that benefit veterans, military service personnel and their families.
Pete Loeser, 11 May 2016

images from Clayton Horner, 6 August 2016

I picked up a couple of VFW flags this past week. The VFW and VFW Ladies Aux. flags with fringe are approximately 4 inches by 6 inches, and are of fairly recent manufacture. The other flag is older and about 12 inches by 18 inches.
Clayton Horner, 6 August 2016

In 2015, the name of the Ladies Auxiliary VFW was changed to VFW Auxiliary and allowed spouses and eligible male relatives to join the VFW Auxiliary.
source: vfwauxiliary.org
Rick Wyatt, 21 December 2016

Veterans of Foreign Wars Riders

image by Pete Loeser, 7 May 2019

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Motorcycle Riding Groups are a network of clubs throughout the United States authorized by the Veterans of Foreign Wars to wear the VFW Cross of Malta. They are made up of members of the VFW and VFW Auxiliaries in good standing. They actively support the United States military and U.S. military veterans, and the various programs sponsored by the VFW, its members, and nationally recognized auxiliary components. The flag of the Virginia VFW Riders is an example of one of their chapter.
Pete Loeser, 7 May 2019

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