Veterans of Foreign Wars

General information

As an exclusive veterans’ service organization, the VFW must ensure that every prospective member’s eligibility has been thoroughly vetted. Did you know you can give the gift of membership to your son/daughter, parent, grandparent, brother/sister? Proof of membership must be included with each post or auxiliary application and is defined as follows:

Proof of the veteran’s honorable service in any foreign war, insurrection or expedition (as a member of the U.S. Armed Forces) may be determined through careful examination of a Separation Document (DD214) with a VFW-authorized campaign or service medal of the United States; receipt of Hostile Fire or Imminent Danger Pay, as verified by a copy of a Leave and Earning Statement (LES) issued by the U.S. Armed Forces; or service in Korea for 30 consecutive/60 non-consecutive days after June 30, 1949.

Performance reports, travel orders, medical orders, medals reports, morning reports, assignment listings, buddy affidavits, and letters from a foreign war zone may also be reviewed if a DD214 is not available. For veterans pre-1946, a report of their discharge listing the medals and decorations that were earned is acceptable proof.

For soldiers currently on active duty, they will not have a DD214. In those cases, the appropriate orders showing overseas deployment to a qualifying area, or awarding of an authorized campaign medal, or a LES showing Hostile Fire/Imminent Danger pay will suffice to prove eligibility.