Veterans of Foreign Wars

The Origins of the VFW

The VFW traces its origins to two veterans' groups, the National Association of the Army of the Philippines and the American Veterans of Foreign Service, both of which formed in 1899 after the Spanish–American War. These groups operated independently until a merger in 1913. After a referendum in 1914, the original organizations consolidated under the banner of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. The organization initially competed for members with another group, United Spanish War Veterans. After 1914, the VFW opened its membership to all honorably discharged veterans who served on foreign shores or in hostile waters in any war, campaign, or expedition recognized by Congress with a campaign badge or service clasp. By expanding the organization beyond service in Cuba and the Philippines during the Spanish–American War, the VFW opened its doors to some two million potential new members of the American Expeditionary Force (AEF) sent to France in World War I.

Besides seeing the war as an opportunity to attract new members, the VFW also tried to exert some influence on defense policy. Between 1914 and 1917, while the United States stayed neutral as World War I raged in Europe, the VFW argued for a greater level of military preparedness in the event the United States joined the fighting. The VFW wanted to prevent a repeat of the difficulties caused by the hasty and poorly organized mobilization during the Spanish–American War.

During World War I, the VFW waived membership fees for active duty military personnel and heavily recruited the AEF camps in France for new members. Former president Theodore Roosevelt became one of the VFW's wartime recruits based on his service in the Spanish–American War, thus stimulating publicity for the organization. While the VFW membership grew to 20,000 in 1919, it did not enjoy the same success in the immediate postwar period as the organization's rival for Great War veterans, the American Legion.

During the 1920s, the American Legion eclipsed the VFW in terms of membership and political clout. However, [Page 872]the two organizations worked in tandem throughout the decade to improve benefits, medical care, and pensions for all veterans, widows, and orphans. In addition, both lobbied for the payment of a bonus to World War I veterans as “adjusted compensation” for the meager wages received during the conflict. In 1924, a deferred bonus payment was granted to World War I veterans in the form of interest-bearing certificates, which would mature in 1945.

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