09/30/2026
On Sept. 29 the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) proudly commemorates VFW Day, marking 127 years of unwavering service to America’s veterans, service members, their families and communities. Founded on Sept. 29, 1899, the VFW has stood as the nation’s most established major war veterans’ service organization, built on the conviction that service to country doesn’t end when the uniform comes off.
What began with a small group of Spanish-American War and Philippine Insurrection veterans has grown into a network of more than 1.3 million members of the VFW and its Auxiliary. Today, that network carries forward two enduring commitments: fighting in Washington, D.C., for the benefits veterans have earned and showing up in communities across the country and around the world to give back. For 127 years, the VFW has been a voice for veterans and a force for good. Together we strengthen our communities and honor those who made the ultimate sacrifice.
That advocacy is on full display this year as Congress considers the Take Care of America’s Veterans Act (TCAVA), a hastily-constructed veterans’ omnibus package that includes a dangerous provision to cut future veterans’ benefits. While the VFW has supported many of the bill’s provisions in the past, the VFW has strongly and publicly opposed a measure that would offset new spending by cutting disability compensation and reducing VA disability ratings for conditions such as tinnitus and sleep apnea. VA estimates that these changes could cost veterans $57 billion over the next decade and affect as many as 1.5 million future veterans. More than 100 VFW advocates from 31 states converged on Washington this summer and worked to have the bill pulled from the House floor. Then, VFW advocates came to Washington again in the fall, successfully pushing the Major Richard Star Act discharge petition forward. The VFW and its advocates won’t give up until Congress strips this offset provision from TCAVA and funds the Major Richard Star Act in full from a source that does not come at veterans’ expense.
That same resolve carries into VFW Posts and Auxiliaries nationwide through Still Serving, the organization’s year-round reminder that combat boots are not required to serve one’s community. In fiscal year 2026 alone, VFW Day of Service brought veterans together for more than 2,570 community service events across all 50 states and 15 countries and territories — a 543% increase in participation since the program began in 2022. From building beds for children in need to preserving historic battlefields and hosting free clinics for military families, veterans are proving daily that their commitment to service continues long after receiving their DD-214.
The VFW’s legacy of advocacy — from helping to establish the Department of Veterans Affairs to championing the GI Bill and expanding VA health care — is what fuels today’s fight to ensure veterans transition successfully into civilian life, gain timely access to VA care and are never asked to shoulder the cost of their own earned benefits. As the VFW marks this milestone, Posts and Auxiliaries worldwide are honoring VFW Day with ceremonies, open houses and community service projects, reaffirming a mission that has never changed: to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with every generation of America’s veterans for the next 127 years and beyond.
