The Veterans of Foreign Wars is a national organization that strives to care for combat veterans and promote patriotism in communities throughout the United States. All veterans who have served in a combat zone are welcome to join. The Cullman VFW post, located on Veterans’ Drive, is especially devoted to staying active and hosts weekly events. These events include bible studies every Monday night, a hot $6 lunch every Tuesday, a Veteran fellowship every Wednesday night, membership meetings the first Thursday of each month, BINGO on Friday nights, and a social event one Saturday night of every month. The post also arranges other events, such as frequent Buddy Poppy drives, a Memorial Day program, and works with American Legion to organize and conduct an annual Veterans Day Event at the Cullman Airport, which attracts thousands of visitors. The post also holds patriotic essay contests for nearby schools and awards the winners with cash prizes and mentions in a newspaper. Each year, it recognizes a teacher, firefighter, EMS worker, and police officer. The Cullman post members are extremely dedicated and hard-working! They provide emergency trips to the VA Hospital in Birmingham for veterans without transportation, do funeral services with a slow farewell salute and brief ceremony as requested, build wheelchair ramps, mow lawns, and do anything else they can to aid local veterans and their families. The members also mentor fellow veterans who have been arrested for minor offenses and help them into Veterans Court programs to clear their records. They work with ELKS and Camp Liberty to celebrate Flag Day and decorate Cullman with American Flags on national holidays, as well as place 1,200 flags on veteran graves in the Cullman City Cemetery and Memory Gardens every Memorial Day. The post holds fundraisers to house homeless and disadvantaged veterans in the tiny home village on Crane Hill, keeps Cullman veterans informed by hosting a weekly Veterans Show on WCQT-TV and Facebook called All About Cullman, and processes applications for bricks to be inscribed and cemented in Veterans Park to honor veterans and their families. Some post members are on the Veterans Park Board, providing flags, approving any new additions, and ensuring that the park is well maintained. VFW membership reached its height after World War Two. Cullman's WW2 veterans included Jimmy Caretti, who was wounded in Normandy and started the flag program to decorate Highway 31, Sonny Teague, who promoted the popular Saturday night dance for seniors, George Mann, who was wounded at Anzio and instrumental in giving us Veterans Park at Sportsman's Lake, and Julian Campbell, who piloted 40 B-26 bomber missions over Europe, and who, at 102, is still an active member of the post. The Cullman VFW post, in its mission to secure the betterment of veterans’ lives, also promotes awareness of a new medical procedure: the Stellate Ganglion Block (SGB) shot. The SGB shot resets the nervous system, relieving the effects of PTSD. It costs $800 and, thanks to the post, 200 local veterans have undergone the procedure and can verify that it has both changed and saved their lives.
Thanks to Cullman’s VFW post, living in Cullman has only improved, whether you’re a veteran or a citizen. The members are attentive to public needs, welcoming to anybody who needs a shoulder to lean on and are constantly working towards developing strong relationships with their fellow veterans.