Michael Saine responds to social media uproar that led to the first VFW post inside a prison being shut down

By Michael Saine (Leading with Conviction™ 2024):

It was my severe displeasure to read about the closure of the first VFW post inside a prison facility. The story presents the upsetting perspective of a YouTuber who argued members of Post 12226 had “no business calling [themselves] veterans.” These comments—and the negative public backlash they helped foster—led to the club being shut down, because, “Upon thorough review of the membership applications to assure that eligibility was properly determined,” the letter read, “it was discovered these individuals were presented as prospective members while demonstrating characteristics deemed unworthy for membership” (emphasis added).

To treat any servicemember in this manner is abhorrent. Those of us who served our country in uniform were called to write a check called our service, and many of us did not know what this check would entail or how it would be paid. We were told when we wrote this check it was for the good of the country, and once we had joined the community of servicemembers we were taught, “Once a Vet, always a Vet.” No societal contracts. No caveats.

We were taught, “Once a Vet, always a Vet.” No societal contracts. No caveats.

We know that there is more to what these individuals are called to give than is often visible. These veterans are often forced into horrible decisions that they must live with for the rest of their lives. They give up body parts, they give up friends, holidays at home, their children’s lives and all they ask for in return is to be known as veterans and respected for the societal contributions that they were called to make—often before many of them were even old enough to understand the full weight of the check that they were writing. Once put into life-shattering and horrible decisions, these individuals often suffer from PTSD with consequences, issues, and understandings that will never come back to them. According to some studies, it is indicated that 23% of veterans using the VA health care system have experienced some form of PTSD.

Individuals suffering from PTSD may experience flashbacks, nightmares, difficulty sleeping, hypervigilance, irritability, anger, and negative thought patterns. These debilitating symptoms can often lead to interactions with the criminal justice system, highlighting the crucial role of specialized “Veteran Courts” in addressing the unique issues and traumas veterans face.

One might argue that it’s because they’re seen as “bad people” now, and while that doesn’t diminish the earlier recognition of what was sacrificed, it reinforces a system where people are defined by how society labels them, rather than by the reality that everyone carries both good and bad within them. Should that strip individuals of their merits? Regardless of how we label these individuals, they deserve all the help and treatment that their basic human needs require, whether visible or invisible to others.

If having a VFW helps create a successful reintegration journey and reminds incarcerated veterans of the principles they were sworn to uphold, then shouldn’t that be a key part of a system that pays lip-service to terms such as “correction” and “rehabilitation”? This is exactly the reason why it should be in every facility across the nation that houses veterans.

Although one YouTuber was outraged by incarcerated veterans being allowed to have honor behind prison walls, I believe that it should be extended to every veteran in respect to the service that (s)he gave to their country. Maybe the societal answer lies somewhere in the middle, but the truth is that even the middle assumes that this VFW followed the rules and formalities and should not be stripped of its affiliation, because when we strip earned titles from individuals at any time, we open ourselves to a slippery slope where anyone can permanently lose anything at any time and that is not a society based in correction or rehabilitation but merely punishment.