Ninety-five-year-old Veteran Sel Dante, who fought in the “Battle of the Bulge” during World War II, talks about his experiences during a Veterans of Foreign Wars meeting at The Landings Restaurant in Henderson, Wednesday, March 31, 2021.
Monday, April 12, 2021 | 2 a.m.
Selwyn Dante, a 95-year-old World War II veteran, emerged from a year of pandemic isolation, fully vaccinated and ready to meet with fellow members of his Veterans of Foreign Wars group.
Unfortunately, it was a smaller reunion than he had anticipated. Seven people showed up on a recent morning for Post 12101’s monthly breakfast at The Landings Restaurant and Bar at Henderson Executive Airport.
"I'm disappointed in the crowd," Dante said.
Local bars and halls run by VFW and American Legion posts — those community staples where vets commiserate over beers and people celebrate weddings and other milestones — were already struggling when the pandemic hit. After years of declining membership, restrictions meant to slow the spread of COVID-19 became a death blow for many.
How many vets halls and bars have permanently shuttered or risk closure because of the pandemic is hard to quantify.
The national VFW and American Legion organizations say the number of posts that dissolved completely last year was at or lower than prior years. But the organizations say they do not track bars and halls because they are locally controlled.
“A post could conceivably lose these things and still continue as a post,” said John Raughter, spokesman for the Indianapolis-based American Legion.
In Nevada, the VFW has lost about 1,200 members over the past five years, with membership now at about 7,000, said Jerry Peterson of the VFW National Council of Administration.
With about 1.6 million members nationwide, the VFW has 36 posts in Nevada, 16 of them in Southern Nevada.
Vietnam veterans make up a majority of VFW members, with others having served in the Korean, Gulf, Iraq and Afghanistan wars. A few World War II veterans like Dane are still around, too.
To join, a veteran must have served in a war, campaign or expedition on foreign soil or on hostile waters.
Many veterans, including those who returned to civilian jobs, don't join until they retired and have more free time, Peterson said.
Andrew Ho, 29, is one of the youngest veterans in Post 12101, which doesn't have its own meeting hall. "My generation should get informed about these VFW posts because it helps with the future of veteran organizations and keeping connected," Ho said.
With declining membership, three VFW posts in Southern Nevada have closed their bars, Peterson said.
Even when restaurants and bars were able to open after the pandemic shutdowns, Post 10047 near Nellis Air Force Base, a post with over 1,000 members, didn't bring in enough revenue to keep its meeting hall open. It hopes to reopen in the future.
In the Las Vegas area, only VFW Post 3848 in Henderson still operates a so-called canteen or bar.
Most of the VFW’s revenue comes from membership fees, which run from $35 to $45 year. Lifetime memberships cost about $170 to $425, depending on age.
A majority of the money goes for veterans programs. "If it has to do with veterans and we’ve got the funding, we'll do it," Peterson said.
The VFW and American Legion were major social hubs for older veterans. They hosted family events, dinner parties and barbecues.
But younger veterans are not as interested in joining, said Peterson, 74.
"Nowadays, you have over 300 channels on TV. Everybody has the smartphones and the communication devices where you don't have to visit somebody to see anybody anymore; you can talk to them on a phone. That contributes to the loss," Peterson said.
Because of the pandemic, the VFW also had to curtail many of its normal recruiting efforts, Peterson said.
A greater number of veterans are eligible to join the American Legion, which is open to anyone who has served in the military.
Tony Mascari, commander of American Legion Post 76 in Las Vegas, said membership has been growing in recent years, up from 750 in 2018 to 1,100 today.
There are about 15 American Legion posts in the Las Vegas area, Mascari said.
American Legion Post 10, north of downtown Las Vegas on H Street, has about 125 members, Commander Leo Danzy said.
Most members are in their 60s and 70s, but the post is trying to recruit younger members, Danzy said.
"The older guys are getting tired of carrying the weight," he said.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
