“We tried to recruit Afghan and Iraq veterans but did not have good luck with that and I don’t have a reason or understanding why,” Barrington Memorial Post 7706 Commander Guy Newel said. (Courtesy VFW Post 7706)
Just after VFW Barrington Memorial Post 7706 celebrated its 75th anniversary earlier this summer, officials of the military veterans organization surrendered the charter and permanently closed the post’s doors.
“It’s sad and it was a very tough decision,” said Barrington Memorial Post 7706 Commander Guy Newell.
He explained the VFW Post, which started June 6, 1946, saw steep membership declines. He said that of 63 members, only 30 lived in the state, and those who did live in Illinois were not actively participating.
“So, we were down to five to seven members,” said Newell.
Under VFW guidelines and the charter, Newell said, the post must have five members above and beyond the officers. That meant Memorial Post 7706 needed to have 10 members to meet quorum – which hadn’t happened for more than a year, he said.
“We voted on it in April and we had eight members we could gather,” Newell said. “They were some of the oldest members with the post still available. We agreed it was time and all of the members had a very tough time with it.”
Read more here.
Leave a Reply