Princeton VFW marks 75th anniversary

PRINCETON — Princeton Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 4323 was recently presented with the Diamond Jubilee Award for special commemoration and grateful recognition of its 75 years of service to the nation and local veterans.

Since 1945, the Princeton VFW has serve as an organization that has supported local veterans after returning from overseas.

It’s helped men and women cope with the things they faced during war and has been a place of camaraderie and a sense of belonging.

The organization currently has 45 members. It’s led by Commander David Ohlson, a veteran of War on Terrorism. Ohlson has been the youngest active member since joining nearly 17 years ago.

Ohlson, a Navy veteran, returned home from overseas in 2003 and was invited to attend an American Legion meeting with his grandfather. That eventually led to him joining the VFW — a place he said he has always felt a sense of belonging.

“We’ve all served in different branches, different eras and different wars, but we can all come back here and we all have that in common that we served,” he said.

In its 75 years, the Princeton VFW has under changes like many local service organizations. The most notable, however, took place in the early 2000s when it sold its former building southeast of Princeton, across from McHenry Machine Shop, and moved in with the Princeton American Legion Post 125, located at 1549 W. Peru St.

Longtime former VFW Commander Vern Sondgeroth, a Vietnam War veteran, was part of the efforts to relocate to the American Legion, which back then was met with some animosity. The move made the most sense. The struggling VFW organization was paying for a building when only about seven or eight members would show up to meetings.

“It’s was basically bankrupting us,” Sondgeroth said. “We had a lot of members on the books, but few showed up to the meetings.”

After some talks with the Legion, the veterans organizations came to agreement to house both under one roof. The VFW sold their building and used the money to help the Legion repave its lot, put on a new roof and put up an extra storage unit out back.

“We were already working together with military funerals. This just made it easier for all of us. It’s been a good working relationship ever since,” Sondgeroth said

Later, Princeton AMVETS Post 180 made the same move to relocate to the Legion building. The three veterans groups came together to form what many know as the Princeton Veterans Organization. While all three meet in the same location and work together at fundraiser events, parades and military funerals, they all keep separate budgets and remain three separate units. All three organizations maintain different membership eligibility.

“It’s been a good working relationship,” Sondgeroth said, adding the move to work together has made each organization stronger. If it hadn’t been for the decision to come together, the Princeton VFW most likely would have disbanded years ago.

Princeton VFW continues to seek membership, particularly from the young generation. While some have decided to join over the years, not many are able to stay active in the organization with their busy careers or family schedules.

Ohlson said there is a stigma out there that paints the VFW to be “a bunch of guys sitting at the bar telling old war stories.”

He urges that is not the case. Perhaps, the most important takeaway from the organization is the emotional support it can give veterans.

Sondgeroth said to be able to talk to others who had similar experiences as him is what was really important about being apart of the VFW.

“It’s not just about drinking and smoking. We do talk about things that happened and the things we went through,” he said. “Being able to talk to another veteran is a whole lot easier than talking to somebody else. Not that they aren’t trying to understand, but it’s almost impossible to totally understand unless you were there or went through it.”

The VFW pays first-year dues for every new local veteran.