Here's a page from our very first newsletter. This info was submitted by Jim Hunter, now a professor at UVU. He was interested in why vets join organizations like the VVA, VFW, American Legion, and so forth.
WHY JOIN A VETERANS' SERVICE ORGANIZATION?
Here's my opinion: Andrew Wilson
There are as many reasons that veterans get involved with other veterans as there are veterans. In our opinion, we get involved because we want to be useful, because there is such a need for willing workers, and because we are infinately stronger when we stand together than when we stand alone. Here is an article with a different slant. What do you think?
From MilitaryLifestyle.com newsletter http://www.militarylifestyle.com/news/release.asp
Why Join a Veterans Club?
by Ken Swarner
5/24/2003
A whole new breed of war veterans will continue to file home over the next several months from Iraq. Like their predecessors stretching back to wars past, they are eligible to join a veterans organization devoted to combat veterans. 
The reasons to join are many, but veterans organization leaders stress camaraderie as a key selling point. "A combat tour gives you a somewhat unique perspective on things -- a perspective shared with others who served there," said Jim Kendall, a spokesperson for the Alaska Vietnam Veterans of America. "The experience bonds us to those who have, and sets us apart from those who haven't been in a war zone."
War veterans who return from combat and join a veterans group often do so because their family and friends can't relate to their experiences. They need a place to share their war stories. "For some, membership will have a huge therapeutic benefit," Kendall added. "The veterans service organization is to the veteran what the press club is to the reporter. You join mainly to socialize with other vets and find that, through networking, all sorts of wants and needs are met -- personal, intersocial, political."
Robert L. Gray with the Vietnam PBR organization agreed. "Only the men that served on or in support of PBRs in Vietnam would understand how 'our' war was fought and the daily life we were forced to endure," Gray explained.
Gray said many men never talk 
about their combat experience on PBRs until they have been able to reunite with others who were in the same situation. Gray likes that he had a specific organization to join. "In my own experience, veterans in organizations such as VFW, American Legion, AMVETS, etc., have no idea what a PBR is or what it and the men that served on them did in Vietnam. Therefore it is nearly impossible to have a meaningful conservation concerning our combat experience."
Beyond a shared experience, veterans said their organizations also help members manage the various emotional and financial situations that pop up due to war. Soldiers wounded in battle who received the Purple Heart can join the Military Order of the Purple Heart -- a congressionally chartered veterans service organization. Dennis Geiger, a MOPH spokesperson, said membership keeps veterans in the loop. "We assist veterans with their service-connected and non-service-connected disability claims. Our national legislative director constantly pursues increased benefits on behalf of this nation's veterans and their dependents," Geiger said.
Most states have chapters of vet's organizations that are linked together by a national headquarters. That allows members to meet regularly close to home. "Our mission is to serve the needs of Alaska's veterans as a local chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America," Kendall explained. "We serve the various needs of our local communities through volunteer service projects and our nation by continuing service as military veterans of this great country."
Gray said joining a vet's organization also keeps members tied in to military benefits and information. "We provide support through our quarterly newsletter 'Brown Water Messenger' by publishing articles that keep our members updated on the latest medical information such as Agent Orange and other treatment that may be available through the Veterans Administration," Gray said. "Our officers and board of directors are also available through our website, where members may contact us for additional information...."
Families of service members can also get support from a veterans organization. "We offer scholarship fund support for the children and grandchildren of our members that served either on or in support of the river divisions of PBRs," Gray added. "At the present time we are supporting 10 children with financial support and for the upcoming year that will probably increase to 11."
Finally, veterans said that joining a group gives them strength in numbers when fighting Congress and the DoD for benefits. "We can make a difference together and fight for what's rightfully ours," said Bob Debes, Past President of the Utah Vietnam Veterans of America. "We carry a lot of clout together."
But, when push comes to shove, Debes, and other Utah veterans, seem mostly to enjoy the fellowship. "It helps us not to feel used and thrown away," he added.
Well, if you need a written invitation to join a Utah Veterans Service Organization... This is it! It's an opportunity to serve with other veterans on projects that matter. (Like helping to solve the homeless veteran problem in 
Utah -- or registering your hometown veterans to vote. You can make a difference!
Click on the logos below to go to the Veterans service organizations and get more information.
VVA,DAV, MOPH
MCL, VFW,UVA,AmLegion
