Historian’s Column: VFW has had presence in Orleans County for nearly a century
Photo by Tom Rivers: Flags are placed near the veterans’ section at Mount Albion Cemetery.
By Catherine Cooper, Orleans County Historian
“Illuminating Orleans” – Vol. 3, No. 36
Founded nationally in 1899, the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) has had a presence in Orleans County since 1926, when a group of 36 veterans founded a post in Medina, under Commander A.T. Sinclair. They received a charter on January 8, 1927, as Lincoln Post #1483. The club’s first meetings were held at the Armory (YMCA) on Pearl Street.
In 1945, William Gallagher, a veteran and local entrepreneur, bequeathed the building at 216 East Center St. in Medina to the newly formed W.J. Gallagher & Son Memorial Veterans’ Club. This location is also home to Lincoln Post.
In Albion, the Strickland Post #4635 was formed in 1947. It was named in honor and memory of Everett Strickland. The 24-year-old Waterport soldier was killed in action aboard the cruiser Astoria when it was sunk at the Battle of Savo Island in the Solomons in August 1942. This Post meets at the Orleans Veterans Club at 38 N. Platt St. in Albion.
The Holley VFW Post was formally instituted on April 16, 1972, as the John Zazzara Memorial Post #202. Seaman Zazzara was among the first Orleans County casualties to be reported after war was declared. Serving aboard the U.S.S. Houston, Seaman Zazzara was listed as missing in action in the Battle of Java. The Houston was attacked and sunk by Japanese forces on February 2, 1942, as it attempted to run the Sunda Strait between Java and Sumatra,
In 1973, the name of the Holley Post was changed to Eastern Orleans Memorial Post 202 VFW to better reflect its wide membership area. Originally housed at the old Penn Central freight station, it is now located at 8 Veterans Drive in Holley.
The Lyndonville Memorial Post #7716 VFW received its charter in 1986. It has since merged with Medina’s Lincoln Post.
Local VFW posts provide members with a venue for gathering and fellowship. Post members are active in the community throughout the year. Among other activities, they help organize and participate in Memorial Day and 4th of July parades. They accord military honors at veteran’s committal services. Along with American Legion members, and the Sons of the American Legion, they place United States flags on veterans’ graves before Memorial Day and remove them after Veterans Day.
Each Tuesday, a group of Orleans County veterans, including two women, provide honor guard services for interments at the National Cemetery in Pembroke.
Nationally, the VFW is a non-profit veterans’ service organization whose members include eligible veterans and military service members from active, guard and reserve forces.
Among its many accomplishments, the VFW was instrumental in establishing the Veterans’ Administration and the National Cemetery Administration. It advocated on behalf of Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange, for those diagnosed with Gulf War Syndrome. Most recently, the Honoring our PACT Act of 2022 ensures benefits for veterans exposed to toxic substances while in service.
Since its inception, the VFW has advocated vigorously on behalf of service members to ensure that they are respected for their service and receive the entitlements they have earned.
