In just a few days, it will be time to celebrate the Veterans of Foreign Wars on VFW Day.

The VFW’s story began 124 years ago this month – Sept. 29 to be exact – in Columbus, Ohio. There, in a tailor shop, 13 veterans from the Spanish American War and Philippine Insurrection gathered to create an organization that would lead the way in advocating for veterans’ health and benefits.

While the faces and wars have changed, the mission has not. VFW members stand ready to take on whatever comes their way. They work together to tackle vital veterans’ issues, and they lead the way in caring for their respective communities.

VFW provides scholarship opportunities for middle- and high-school students as well as veterans. Educators working to instill patriotic values in their classrooms also are the recipient of VFW’s generosity through the Smart/Maher National Citizenship Education Teacher Award.

It was the VFW’s grassroots advocacy that led the charge to Congress to pass the 2022 Honoring Our Pact Act, which the VFW considers one of the most significant pieces of veterans legislation in history.

On Sept. 29 as you celebrate VFW Day in your community, be sure to share your stories using the hashtags #VFWDay and #StillServing.