AMVETS seek new veterans to bolster declining membership

There are many veterans who serve America but are not necessarily involved in combat. And that poses a problem when those veterans want to join organizations like the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW). They can’t.

Wayne Steele and Joe Falteysek are Owatonna area veterans who sacrificed their time to help their country. Steele was a supply and staff sergeant in the Reserves while Falteysek was in the service for four years. Neither one of them battled in a war zone, which disqualifies them from joining the VFW.

But that hasn’t deterred them from wanting to join a veteran’s organization. They have found a home with AMVETS, which stands for American Veterans. It is the nation’s most inclusive Congressionally chartered veterans service organization with more than 250,000 members nationwide. There are currently about 40 AMVETS members in Owatonna.

“We’re a small organization trying to do good things,” said Steele, who joined the AMVETS within the past year. He has become the group’s secretary. “We want to give back to the community.”

The local AMVETS group is facing a challenge with dwindling membership. “We’re an older organization, and we need some new blood to bolster membership,” Steele said.

While the national AMVETS group has been operating since 1944, it’s unknown when the organization started in Owatonna, according to Arlan Burmiester, another local AMVETS member. Membership in AMVETS is open to anyone who honorably served or is currently serving in the U.S. Armed Forces, including the National Guard and Reserves.

In Burmiester’s case, he served in the mid-1950s during the Korean War. And while he’s considered a Korean veteran, he never stepped foot in Korea. He has found a home with AMVETS for many years.

“We served, and now we serve in a different way,” Burmiester said.

The AMVETS typically meet monthly on the fourth Monday at the VFW Club in Owatonna. Anyone interested in joining should contact the VFW Club for more information.

“It’s a chance to get together to talk about times they served in the service,” Steele said, noting most of the members are from early 70s to 94. “We want to get younger people involved.”

Falteysek said the AMVETS do the same thing as VFW or Legion. “It’s a good thing to keep any organization going,” he said. “It’s very hard to get new members because so many people don’t feel they need to join,” he added.

The mission of AMVETS is to enhance the quality of life for all veterans, their families and survivors. AMVETS has made a long-term economic impact by providing assistance, jobs and services to veterans and their communities.

For this year’s Veterans Day, the AMVETS have developed a commemorative coin that will be given out to veterans in long-term care facilities in Steele County next week. The coin features the AMVETS logo as well as parts of the new Owatonna Veterans Memorial.

The tooling for the coin was done by Dave Kujath of Steele Center while Black Forest of Owatonna designed the coins, Steele said.

The coins came about as a gesture of appreciation for veterans. “Making these people feel good, and that somebody still thinks of them,” said Steele. “The more we can do for vets, the better. They are the heart and soul of why we’re here.”

In the past, the AMVETS have given out goodie bags to veterans. “Older people appreciate the comments of thanking them for their service,” Burmiester said.

Added Steele, “When you give them something, it means a lot to them. These people are heroes. They’re not somebody you watch on TV. They put their life on the line.”