DUQUOIN, Ill. (AP) — Illinois veterans are using the DuQuoin State Fair to recruit new members to join the dwindling ranks of the Veterans of Foreign Wars.
WSIL-TV reports southern Illinois veterans are concerned that as World War II veterans pass away and Vietnam veterans grow older, they need a younger generation to take their place.
Army veteran Lee Wallace says the group’s members had dropped from a high of 3 million to about 1.9 million today.
He and other VFW members decided to set up a booth at the annual fair in southern Illinois.
Wallace says: “We felt that we should get out, out on the midway, to get more exposure to the younger veterans.”
The VFW serves veterans and their families. It has helped fund war memorials and provides college scholarships.