The Marblehead Veterans of Foreign Wars has announced a new membership for non-veterans who want to support their local VFW and be part of the Post.
“This kind of came by way of both the town’s rich military history as the birthplace of the American Navy and Marine Corps Aviation and the need for support of your local VFW,” VFW Commander Ronny Knight said.
He added, “Townspeople have shown up in droves and supported so many of (our recent) events. Many have said, ‘I’m not a veteran, but I love this place. Is it OK if I come here when an event is not planned?’”
The community’s interest in being at the VFW led Tim Donahue, Sergeant at Arms, to coin the term “Marblehead Militia” for the VFW’s non-veteran members. He said he hopes this will “create the buzz for our post.”
The VFW now has Marblehead Militia application forms, which give non-veteran community members access to the VFW. The application forms come with a temporary membership card, and a permanent card is in the works. The membership fee is $25 for the year.
The program will replace the Post Auxiliary membership, and those people in good standing will transition to the new membership automatically.
“So many VFWs across the state, region and county are hurting, and a great deal are closing. I know that when I took over as commander I was benefited by a great group of veteran and non-veteran supporters who wanted to assist our post and have it sustained and grow and ‘create the buzz’ in many ways. This is one of those ways,” said Knight.
“With this town being so steeped in military history and tradition and support of veterans, it’s a great way for the average citizen who may not have served to show their support,” Knight added.
As Donahue said, “It’s your town’s VFW. You’re all welcome, and it’s a very special place, I can tell you that. And it’s really nice to see that we’re really trying to re-engage the community and expand our horizons.”
