FARMINGTON — The future of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post is uncertain.

The James A. McKechnie VFW Post 10881, founded about 27 years ago, is in a membership crisis.

In an attempt to avoid closure, a letter is being drafted to send out to members, Cmdr. Gordon Webber said.  

The hope is that members will consider coming back and new members will join, he said.

“There’s no hurry to do this,” he said of the potential closure. “It won’t happen overnight. We want to do it right and give it every chance.”

Nearly 30 members were there at the beginning for the charter photo, but the number of those actively involved has dwindled, Webber said.

Now, four active members regularly attend meetings, he said. Each has to take on more than one role, Glenn Durrell said.

For Webber,  who is recovering from health issues, it is time to begin to slow down.

When Robert Burton, who served as the financial officer, passed away last year, the group knew it had to do something, he said.

Under the VFW district guidelines, the post should have at least five members at each meeting, but the group feels it should have at least 10 active members to function.

VFW members are veterans who have been stationed in foreign situations, he said.

The focus of the local group is, first, to remember those who have served their country through services and ceremonies held on special remembrance days, including Pearl Harbor Day, D-Day in June, Veterans Day and an annual POW-MIA service held in Farmington, he said.

As time goes on, fewer remember, he said. 

The second function of the group is to provide relief funds for other veterans. One fundraising activity is through poppy sales, which help raise money for veterans in need. 

A bottle-collection site on VFW property on Route 43 East has helped provide for veterans for about 10 years, Webber said. The property was willed to the VFW by a charter member, John Mudge.

Webber has done some clearing of the land, which is next to the animal shelter, but there is no money available to pay for construction and utility installation, he said.

Another aspect the VFW focuses on is community, he said. VFW projects include a youth essay contest, which provides scholarships, or support of the Travis Mills Foundation’s restoration of the Elizabeth Arden estate in Rome as a place for veterans and their families to rest and heal, he said.

But for Webber and Durrell, it is also about fellowship. They would like to see the group revived, Durrell said.

The post was named in the 1980s for Jim McKechnie of Farmington, who was shot in Vietnam in 1969, Durrell said. The two were friends. 

“It was time for someone involved in Vietnam to be recognized,” he said.

This is the second VFW post to flounder in Farmington, Webber said. A previous post closed years before Post 10881 was founded. And now, people don’t seem to want to join any organization, he said.

Veterans who served on foreign soil — World War II, Korea, Vietnam, Persian Gulf, Afghanistan, Iraq and Kosovo — are welcome.

The post meets at 7 p.m. on the third Thursday of each month in the basement public meeting room at the Farmington Town Office.

For more information, contact Webber at 207-293-2275.

[email protected]