Organization of U.S. war veterans
Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States The VFW's logo since 2018
Washington Memorial Building Washington, D.C., United States
Abbreviation VFW Established September 29, 1899 (124 years ago) (1899-09-29 ) [ 1] Founder James C. Putnam[ 2] Founded at Columbus, Ohio , U.S.[ 2] Merger of American Veterans of Foreign Service (organized on September 29, 1899, at Columbus, Ohio, U.S.) and the Army of the Philippines (organized on December 12, 1899, at Denver , Colorado, U.S., as the Colorado Society, Army of the Philippines)[ 3] Type 501(c) (19), war veterans' organization [ 4] 44-0474290 Purpose Fraternal , patriotic, historical, charitable, and educational[ 5] Headquarters 406 West 34th Street,Kansas City, Missouri , U.S. Coordinates 39°04′01″N 94°35′27″W / 39.06694°N 94.59083°W / 39.06694; -94.59083 Area served
Worldwide Membership (2018)
1,159,428 Official language
English[ 6] Duane Sarmiento (NJ ) Since July 27, 2023 Alfred J. Lipphardt (GA ) Since July 27, 2023 Carol Whitmore (IA ) Since July 27, 2023 National Council of Administration
63 voting members
8 elected officers
3 appointed officers
52 elected members
Main organ
VFW National Convention Subsidiaries Affiliations Student Veterans of America Revenue (2015)
US$ 98,724,340[ 4] Expenses (2015) US$89,099,521 [ 4] Employees (2014)
224[ 4] Volunteers (2014)
3,000[ 4] Website www .vfw .org Formerly called
Army of the Philippines, Cuba and Puerto Rico[ 3]
The Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW ), formally the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States , is an organization of United States war veterans who fought in wars, campaigns , and expeditions on foreign land, waters, or airspace as military service members .[ 5] [ 7] Established on September 29, 1899, in Columbus, Ohio ,[ 8] the VFW is headquartered in Kansas City, Missouri .[ 2] [ 1] It was federally chartered in 1936.[ 9]
^ a b Mason, Herbert Molloy Jr. (1999). VFW: Our First Century . Foreword by Senator Chuck Hagel. Lenexa, Kansas: Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. pp. 29, 39, 92 . ISBN 1-88611072-7 . LCCN 99-24943 . OCLC 777720483 – via Addax Publishing Group.
^ a b c Proceedings of the 34th National Encampment of the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States (Report). Milwaukee, Wisconsin: Wisconsin Veteran. 1933. pp. 5, 31 – via Internet Archive . This article incorporates text from this source, which is in the public domain .
^ a b Mason, Herbert Molloy Jr. (1999). VFW: Our First Century . Foreword by Senator Chuck Hagel. Lenexa, Kansas: Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. p. 225 . ISBN 1-88611072-7 . LCCN 99-24943 . OCLC 777720483 – via Addax Publishing Group.
^ a b c d e ""Form 990: Return of Organization Exempt from Income" (PDF) . Retrieved August 31, 2015 .
^ a b Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Congressional Charter, National By-Laws, Manual of Procedure and Ritual (2018 Podium ed.). Kansas City, Missouri: Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. 2017. p. 7.
^ Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States Congressional Charter, National By-Laws, Manual of Procedure and Ritual (2018 Podium ed.). Kansas City, Missouri: Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States. 2017. p. 42.
^ "Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW)" . Encyclopædia Britannica . 2015. Retrieved November 14, 2016 .
^ "The First Post - Denver" . Veterans of Foreign Wars VFW Post 1 . Retrieved May 23, 2021 .
^ "VFW to Update Congressional Charter" . VFW: Veterans of Foreign Wars . Veterans of Foreign Wars. Retrieved June 9, 2022 .