Two organizations. One mission. Your place at the table.

Whether you served overseas — or you were raised, married, born, or built by someone who did — there's a home for you at VFW Post 969.

Since 1939, Post 969 has been Tacoma's home for veterans of foreign wars, their families, and the community that stands beside them. Join us. We're better with you in it.

🇺🇸 Two Ways to Belong

VFW Post 969 is actually two organizations working side by side:

Both organizations serve the same mission. Both work alongside each other at every Post 969 event, ceremony, fundraiser, and community project. Both are essential.

Which one is right for you? Read on.

🎖️ VFW Membership — For Veterans

Who Qualifies

To become a VFW member, you must meet both of these requirements:vfw

1. Honorable Service
Served in the U.S. Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, Space Force, or Coast Guard) with an Honorable or General (Under Honorable Conditions) discharge — or currently serving.

2. Overseas Service in a War, Campaign, or Expedition
Proven by any one of the following:

• ✅ An authorized campaign medal (see partial list below)

• ✅ Receipt of Hostile Fire Pay or Imminent Danger Pay (verified by a military pay statement)

• ✅ Service in Korea for 30 consecutive or 60 non-consecutive days

Qualifying Campaign Medals (Partial List)

From WWII to present — if you've earned any of these, you're eligible:

• 🎖️ Global War on Terrorism Expeditionary Medal

• 🎖️ Afghanistan Campaign Medal

• 🎖️ Iraq Campaign Medal

• 🎖️ Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal

• 🎖️ Vietnam Service Medal

• 🎖️ Korean Service Medal & Korean Defense Service Medal

• 🎖️ Southwest Asia Service Medal (Desert Shield/Storm)

• 🎖️ Kosovo Campaign Medal

• 🎖️ Bosnia Service (Balkans)

• 🎖️ Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal

• 🎖️ Navy/Marine Corps Expeditionary Medal

• 🎖️ Air & Space Expeditionary Service Ribbon w/ Gold Border

• 🎖️ Combat Action Medal / Ribbon / Badge (all services)

• 🎖️ Combat Infantryman Badge / Combat Medical Badge

• 🎖️ Purple Heart

• 🎖️ SSBN Nuclear Deterrent Patrol Insignia

• 🎖️ Asiatic-Pacific / European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medals (WWII)

• 🎖️ Army of Occupation / Navy Occupation Service Medal

Full official list: vfw.org/join/eligibilityvfw

Not Sure If You Qualify?

Your DD-214 usually has the answer. The list of medals and awards on your discharge paperwork tells you if you qualify.

Don't have your DD-214, or it's incomplete?
Contact the National Personnel Records Center:
📞 1-866-272-6272
🌐 archives.gov/veterans/military-service-records

Still not sure? Call us. We help veterans figure this out all the time.
📞 253-272-1405 · ✉️ adj@vfw969.org

🌹 VFW Auxiliary Membership — For Family Members

You Were Raised by a Hero. Now Stand Beside Them.

If you are not eligible for the VFW yourself, but you have a family member who is (or would be) eligible — living or deceased — you can join the VFW Auxiliary.vfwauxiliary

Who Qualifies

You must be:

• ✅ At least 16 years old

• ✅ A U.S. citizen or U.S. national

• ✅ Related within two degrees of kinship to an eligible VFW veteran

The 8 Eligible Relationships

You can join the Auxiliary if you are the:

Step-parents, step-children, step-siblings, adopted family, and half-siblings all qualify the same as biological family.vfwauxiliary

Important to Know

• Your veteran does not have to be a VFW member. They just have to be eligible — living or deceased.

• Your veteran does not have to be retired from the military.

• In-laws are not eligible. You must be a direct blood, step, or adopted relative.

• Nieces and nephews are not eligible — the IRS-defined "two degrees of kinship" rule excludes them.

• Auxiliary opened to men in 2015. Sons, fathers, grandfathers, brothers, husbands, and widowers are all fully welcome.

• If you are eligible for the VFW, you must join the VFW instead — you cannot join the Auxiliary.

How to Prove Eligibility

You'll need:

1. Proof of your relationship to the veteran (birth certificate, marriage certificate, adoption papers)

2. Proof of your veteran's eligibility — usually a DD-214 showing a qualifying campaign medal, or pay records showing Hostile Fire / Imminent Danger Pay

💰 Membership Dues

VFW Annual & Life Membership

Annual Membership: ~$45/year (varies by Post)

Life Membership — one-time payment based on age at enrollment (VFW National Application):

Life Membership is the best deal in veterans' organizations — pay once, and you're a member for life with no more annual dues.

VFW Auxiliary Dues

Auxiliary annual and life dues are set locally by Auxiliary 969. Contact us for current rates — they are affordable, and Life Memberships are available.

🎁 Member Benefits — More Than a Cap

VFW and Auxiliary members receive access to:

🏛️ Advocacy
The VFW is one of the most powerful veterans' advocacy voices in Washington D.C. — helping shape the GI Bill, VA healthcare, disability benefits, and every major veterans' law of the past century.

📋 Free VA Claims Help
VFW Service Officers help members file disability claims, appeals, and pension applications — at no cost. In 2024, VFW-accredited service officers secured over $14 billion in benefits for veterans and their families.

💰 Financial Discounts
PerkSpot, USAA, GEICO, hotel chains, rental cars, restaurants, retailers — see the full VFW Member Benefits Brochure.

🏕️ VFW 969 Rec Park
Members enjoy discounted rates at our beautiful campground on South Prairie Creek — $500/month or $30/day for RVs, versus $50/day for civilians. See Rec Park →.

🍺 Post Canteen Access
Members and their guests can enjoy the Post 969 Canteen — a place to relax, catch up with fellow veterans, and share a drink.

🎗️ Community and Camaraderie
Meetings, ceremonies, dinners, celebrations, and shared purpose. A brotherhood and sisterhood that lasts a lifetime.

🕊️ Full Military Funeral Honors
Every eligible member is entitled to VFW support at their funeral — see Honor Guard → and Taps →.

📝 How to Join — Step by Step

For VFW Membership:

1. 📄 Confirm eligibility — check your DD-214 for a qualifying campaign medal, Korea service, or Hostile Fire Pay

2. 📞 Contact Post 969 — 253-272-1405 or adj@vfw969.org

3. 📋 Complete the application — we'll walk you through it

4. 💵 Pay your dues — annual (~$45) or Life Membership (by age)

5. 🤝 Get sworn in — at a Post meeting, typically the 3rd Tuesday of each month at 1900 hours

6. 🎖️ Get your cap. Welcome home, comrade.

For VFW Auxiliary Membership:

1. 📄 Gather documentation — your relationship proof + your veteran's proof of service

2. 📞 Contact Post 969 — 253-272-1405 or adj@vfw969.org (we'll connect you with Auxiliary 969)

3. 📋 Complete the Auxiliary application

4. 💵 Pay your dues

5. 🤝 Get inducted — at the next Auxiliary meeting

6. 🌹 Welcome to the family.

🏛️ VFW Post 969 Meeting Schedule

Post 969 meetings: 3rd Tuesday of every month at 1900 hours (7:00 p.m.)

Location: 3510 McKinley Ave, Tacoma, WA 98404

Come visit any time. No appointment needed. Come to a meeting, come to a Sunday breakfast at Rec Park →, come to a community event. See if we're the right fit for you.

🌹 Learn More About Auxiliary 969

The VFW Auxiliary carries a mission all its own — supporting veterans, hosting programs, standing beside families in mourning, and building community. Read the full Auxiliary 969 page →

📞 Ready to Join? Contact Us.

VFW Post 969 — Eric G. Sandstrom Post
📍 3510 McKinley Ave, Tacoma, WA 98404
📞 253-272-1405
✉️ adj@vfw969.org
🌐 vfw969.org
📘 Facebook

Post meetings: 3rd Tuesday of every month at 1900 hours

Or apply online: VFW Membership Applicationoms.vfw

Welcome home.

You served your country. Now let us serve you.

No one does more for veterans — or for the families who stand beside them.