“The American Legion and VFW are supposed to help the

community out,” said Tony

Goettl, commander of Legion Post 112 when asked about recent donations made by the American Legion to Our Savior’s Lutheran and Fruit of the Vine Food Pantries, the former at Fourth and Emery in Stanley and the latter located on County Road X between Stanley and Thorp. By donating at this time of year, the donations of the Legion can actually be doubled, Goettl said. This is because of match programs in place. But as to how the selection of what to donate and where it goes is made, the decision is decidedly small-d democratic, in that the local post as a group decides matters, rather than a top elite. Goettl explained it in the following way.

“We have to have a meeting, and then we vote on if we’re going to do it or don’t do it, and then how much we’re going to do it for,” he said. The decision

for this year was made at the December 10 Legion meeting. Founded in 1919 in the aftermath of World War I, the American Legion exists to promote values like Americanism and provide a way for veterans to connect, among other reasons for each post’s establishment. The Veterans of Foreign Wars or VFW organization, meanwhile, was founded after the 1898 Spanish- American War and exists in part to advocate for legislation that bene_ts veterans.

One key difference between the two is that while the American Legion accepts all enlisted personnel into its ranks, the VFW requires that one be deployed overseas at some point in their service as a precondition for membership. Both serve the community in different ways, as they are called to. One such way to serve, as it turns out, is Care Packages, sent out by the local VFW post this year after being decided on at the November 12 meeting. Current VFW Commander Bruce Wozniak had more to say on the care packages sent to by VFW Post 2711 of Stanley.

“We have some sent to guard as well,” Wozniak said of the

care packages sent to local men and women stationed around the country, or the world.

“They (the care packages) contain toiletry supplies, sewing kits, sudoku games…stuff soldiers can’t get overseas,”

Wozniak said. The care packages began last year, and Post 2711 wants to make it an annual event. After going shopping for supplies, they gathered at the Post headquarters and packed the packages to ship out, one as far as Afghanistan. Wozniak said they were “good Stanley names,” though for privacy

reasons they can’t be shared. Through donations at home or care packages sent further abroad, the American Legion and VFW help to make the world a better place to live, through service and comradery.