Pipe View @ the Woodstock, IL VFW – Post 5040

Andy and Gramps Mathey

With the deep history in our Post, trying to summarize and include all historical events would be a monumental task to include on a single web page. In 1996, for our 50 Year Anniversary, the Woodstock VFW News, a monthly publication dating back to 1955, tried to capture the spirit and life of VFW Post 5040 through pictures and letters of members throughout the years. This 45-page edition of the VFW news included many photographs of members in activities.

Some of these activities include the following:

• Monthly trips to the Veterans Hospital at North Chicago
• V-J Day Parade and Pageant of Drums (1955-1974)
• Support of the National Home in Eaton Rapids
• World War II Honor Roll
• Buddy Poppy Days
• Memorial Day Ceremony and Parade on the Woodstock Square
• Honor Guard participation in funerals and ceremonies
• Fourth of July Festival and Carnival (1940’s and 50’s)
• Helped to bring the traveling Vietnam Wall to Woodstock Square
• 50th Anniversary memorial in Woodstock Square
• Voice of Democracy Contest for local schools
• Patriotic Pen Essay Contest
• Teachers Tea
• And the list goes on…

Some of the original members of our Post fought in conflicts as early as the Spanish-American war of 1898. Today, we have over 400 VFW members and 90 Ladies Auxiliary members in our Post. Many of the active Post members are from WW II. As time passes, many of the WW II members are becoming fewer and we strive to bring in members from the Vietnam War, Korean War, and other recent conflicts. Even though the amount of members at our monthly meetings totals less than 30, we still have a dedicated few that continually look after the Post and keep up the tradition of the VFW.

Events at our Post primarily raise money for helping veterans and their families. We hold raffles, bingo events (prior to 2004), dinners, dances, and sometimes outings to benefit veterans, support local community charities, and hopefully have some money left over that will keep our Post running. We have many community groups that use our hall for meetings such as the Woodstock American Legion, McHenry County Independent Riders, McHenry County Marine Corps League and Woodstock Jaycees to name a few.

In our Post home, we have a large bar, a full kitchen for preparation of meals than can serve well over a hundred and fifty people, two large meeting halls, a second bar on the upper level used for events in that hall, and a 30 stall parking lot. Additional parking is provided in the adjacent lot which the city owns and another parking lot across the street which is used for commuter parking during the day. We also have a small office building out near the street in front of the VFW that we rent out and provides us additional funds that support the home itself.

What the future holds for our VFW is yet to be seen. In the early days of the VFW, becoming a member was something that you felt good about. It helped get you involved in the community and with the many members, there was always something happening down at the Post. Today, in our fast paced world, members are harder to come by and attitudes have changed somewhat. Filling leadership positions each year is a task in itself. Active membership showing up to the Post meetings averages about 30 members. There is a small group of people that continually take care of the Post, but they can only do so much. While we do not foresee any changes to our Post home in the near future, it just goes to show how things do change within the community in which the VFW has been an integral part of. Does this mean the end of the Post in Woodstock? No, just a different outlook of what the VFW Post will be and another chapter in its long history.

One thing to remember and is constant: through honorable overseas military service can a person can join the VFW. Once a member, they are pledged to defend human rights in peace and war. Now and in the future, there will be foreign war veterans. Those that participate can be assured that the Veterans of Foreign Wars will continue to be your voice in assisting veterans, calling for improved benefits, and helping those in need.

To continue to do so, we need your support. All Veterans of the Armed Forces should belong to some type of a Veterans organization chartered by Congress or recognized by the Veterans Administration for claim representation. Joining one of these organizations helps you and the thousands of other veterans by providing strength in numbers. The more veterans we have in these organizations, the more “clout” we will have in Washington and State governments. If you are eligible to join your local VFW, you become a member of a very large, national organization and will be part of an organization that helps benefit the community in which you live.