The Heart of Texas Post will celebrate the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization Day by announcing it has been recognized by the National VFW Commander and Chief, Thomas A. Tradewell, for 75 years of continuous service to the community.

Today, Wednesday Sept. 29, is VFW Day, established in 1899. We, the members of this great organization, celebrate our 111th birthday. The VFW has much to be proud of; to list all the accomplishments would fill several pages. To put it plain and simple, our motto is:  “Honor the dead by helping the living.”

Our VFW [Veterans of Foreign Wars] objectives are:

• To ensure the national security through maximum military strength.

• To assist the widows and orphans [of deceased veterans] and the dependents of disabled and needy veterans.

• To promote Americanism through education in patriotism and constructive service to communities in which we live.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States traces its roots back to 1899. That year, Veterans of the Spanish-American War (1898) and the Philippine Insurrection (1899-1902) founded local organizations to secure rights and benefits for their service. In Columbus, Ohio, they founded the American Veterans of Foreign Service. In Denver Colo., they organized the Colorado Society, Army of the Philippines.

In 1901, Philippine Veterans in Altoona and Pittsburgh, Penn., started the Philippine War Veterans. The following year, Philadelphia, Penn., became the home of the American Veterans of the Philippine and China Wars. In 1905, these three groups merged with the American Veterans of Foreign Service.

In 1913, the American Veterans of Foreign Service was amalgamated with the Colorado Society, Army of the Philippines and became the Army of the Philippine-Cuba and Puerto Rico, then changed their name to the Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States.