Victor VFW starts Bitterroot Brigade

by John Dowd

For the last couple months, Victor VFW Post 1507 has been building up a new branch to their organization. Dubbed ‘Bitterroot Brigade,’ the group is comprised of area special needs persons. The Bitterroot Brigade hopes to provide the same comradery military persons have experienced as members of the VFW for the local mentally disabled. According to VFW Post 1507 Commander Matthew Walker, “It is nice to give them the opportunity to be in a fraternal organization that accepts them for who they are.” 

“They are basically a part of our post just like any other member would be,” said Walker. The brigade came about after an interesting experience with a local special needs person who visited the VFW. According to Walker, the person has a love for history and wanted to visit the VFW to talk to veterans. Walker said that the person expressed a desire to have been able to serve, just like the veterans he talked to. After hearing this, Walker said he responded with something like: “We can put something together so they can serve, in a way.” That person is now the Bitterroot Brigade Commander, and the group is off to the races.

The brigade meets once a month and performs various activities or lessons, like flag folding and the traditional significance, or showing episodes of the original “Popeye” series while learning historic facts about the cartoon. Each lesson highlights a specific branch of the military and perhaps imparts skills that they may be able to use. One of the main goals of the group is to have brigade participants march with the VFW during the various parades around the county. 

Walker reached out to the special needs community for participants and so far the brigade has six members. Walker and the VFW are currently working with Albertsons, in Hamilton, as they employ a number of special needs persons there. Their goal is to grow the brigade to nearly 30 individuals, which Walker explained is more than possible in this county. 

The first parade the brigade will participate in will be the Nov. 11 Corvallis Veterans Day parade. The group plans to get a committed banner, create uniforms for the brigade members and work with guardians to make sure they can march. Walker added an important point that participants will need a guardian. The VFW is not a caretaking service, so any person who requires a guardian must have them present at all functions. 

“Guys in the military have this sense of duty to their country and to their community,” said Walker. “This is one small way I can continue that in this community. We want to help them become part of a community and a part of something they can be proud of.” 

Parties interested in joining, or those who know a special needs person they believe may be interested, can reach out to the VFW through the email vfwpost1507@gmail.com, or by stopping into the post, in Victor. They are open Tuesday through Friday, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.