Newton VFW Post closes operations for second time in 4 months

Newton VFW Post 1655 has closed operations once again.

A note was posted on the front door of the local VFW saying the facility is closed for all operations effective April 13. No more bingo nights. No more concerts. No more bar activity. The building remains inactive and its future is uncertain, and local leaders say it is due to diminishing membership and lack of state support.

State Adjutant Russell Saffell of the Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Iowa told Newton News post elections this month resulted in no nominees for post commander or quartermaster. The Newton VFW cannot operate without these positions, which was an issue the facility encountered back in January.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Department of Iowa intervened three months ago when the Newton VFW failed to hold its mandatory monthly meetings and old leadership had stepped down, resulting in younger veterans stepping up to bring back vibrancy and a community culture to the facility. Things were going well.

Joseph Cockerton was named post commander alongside quartermaster Ryan Sibinski in January. Together, they worked towards paying back bills and got the Newton VFW out of a $10,000 deficit. They had even turned a small profit. They also made hard changes to correct the “toxic environment” the post had created.

As a result of that toxicity, Cockerton said it forced a lot of good veterans to turn away from the Newton VFW and never come back. But even then it was difficult to motivate members to contribute. Cockerton said out of the 118 members in the Newton VFW, only about eight showed up to meetings.

To make matters worse, these new leaders felt disillusioned with state leaders in the VFW. Cockerton said he and Sibinski were never formally recognized as either post commander or quartermaster when they stepped into their new positions. They pushed to get resources from the state. They asked for guidelines.

“But they failed us epically,” Cockerton said. “That is why I resigned. It wasn’t because of members or because of the daily work I was putting in there. None of that matters. What mattered to me was getting the help to make the place succeed. And the VFW was not helping at a higher level.”

Sibinksi followed suit and stepped away. Following their resignations, no other members wanted to volunteer their time and efforts to lead the Newton VFW. Cockerton was grateful to those who tried to turn the local VFW around and put in the effort to keep customers and veterans engaged.

“Very thankful of the employees that poured their heart and time into the VFW,” Cockerton said.

RECRUITING NEW LEADERSHIP IS DIFFICULT

Newton News spoke with Saffell prior to its interview with Cockerton. Saffell explained the Newton VFW cannot stay open without anybody in charge. So now the state headquarters takes control of the building until the organization can rectify what caused it to be on suspension.

Every post in the state holds elections for leadership in April. Saffell said it was unfortunate the Newton post had no nominations, but the state is going to work with the community to get some people engaged and get them to step into these leadership roles. Saffell said he would hate to see the Newton VFW dissolve.

“It’s such a vibrant community and it’s a growing community, especially with the racetrack right there,” Saffell said. “We want to be able to support the veterans in that community and also around the whole area … We’re looking for people to step up and take some leadership roles and reinvigorate the Newton post.”

Saffell encouraged any veterans of foreign wars interested in leading the Newton VFW to reach out to him at the state headquarters at 515-255-2139.

Is it common to see local VFWs struggling? Saffell said the demographics of war veterans and combat veterans are changing. Most of the World War II and Korean War veterans have died, which means operations often fall on the Vietnam War veterans’ shoulders. But their population is growing older.

“Now we’re looking to our Desert Storm and Iraq and Afghanistan veterans,” Saffell said, noting the style of warfare has changed dramatically. “…We don’t fight wars where we send in massive amounts of troops. We fight wars with technology, unmanned drones, more air warfare and cyber warfare.”

Which ultimately means less operators or less soldiers. The military is training more highly skilled war fighters so that there are not as many. Saffell said the military doesn’t want to send out bullet sponges into battle. Instead, the military wants to return home with all of its troops.

“That kind of warfare has created a wall in our pool of candidates for veterans of foreign wars, but the other thing is people don’t join organizations like the VFW until they are in their 40s,” Saffell said. “…We’re looking at a lot of those Iraq and Afghanistan veterans.”

REBRANDING THE VFW TO BE FAMILY-FRIENDLY

Family dynamics have changed, and as a result Saffell said the VFWs are trying to pivot to a more family-centric environment. Oftentimes the VFW is seen as a building where all the war veterans hang out and drink beer and smoke and joke. But Saffell said that really shouldn’t be the case, though in Newton it was.

“We’re trying to rebrand that entirely,” Saffell said. “We have what is called a post revitalization committee in our state, and we actually go around and try to help posts that are struggling like that and make them more family-centric and get them more involved in family dynamics.”

From a national level, more and more family programs are being offered. Saffell said scholarships are often made for youth programs. To him, that is the future of the VFW. He does not believe the VFW is dead or dying, but rather shifting gears and moving into a new era. These organizations have to evolve, he said.

“Our society is moving and changing,” Saffell said. “We’re trying to bring family back together. We are a patriotic organization and our goal is to carry the torch for patriotism for America. One thing that I have personally seen is the negative aspects of American society is caused by the breakdown of the family dynamic.”

Families should feel welcome, he added, and be productive. Saffell said VFWs need to go back to running community service projects.

“It’s things like that we need to embrace,” he said. “Get back out into our communities, get off the barstool and get out there and start meeting with people in our community. Because if you support your community, your community will support you. We need to embrace that same concept in Newton.”