In small towns such as Anacortes, venerable organizations such as the Veterans of Foreign Wars and American Legion are working to stay viable and attract new members as their once teeming ranks of World War II and Korea veterans grow thin.

“I took over this unit so we can work on recruiting new members,” said American Legion Causland Post 13 Cmdr. Ken Brown. “We’re just taking off on that. There’s a lot of veterans here that haven’t come in.”

“We’ve tried to get young guys. They’re not joiners anymore,” said Legionnaire Stan Jewell.

The American Legion and VFW are about a lot more than memorials and parades — each year they support families of active service members, lobby for veterans needs and volunteer for community service. In the past, they were also strong social organizations — 40 or 50 years ago, the VFW had a permanent meeting site in Anacortes and the American Legion had its own hall where a thirsty veteran could stop for a drink after a late shift.

Today, Anacortes’ VFW post is defunct and members of that group must travel to Sedro-Woolley or Oak Harbor for meetings.

“It got down to where there were only two guys, so they disbanded,” Jewell said.

Although the American Legion’s hall is long gone, the post still gathers every third Tuesday at 6 p.m. for dinner and a meeting at the Anacortes Eagles Hall.

Usually 30 to 40 members come for the potluck.

“We have the Cub Scouts and Boy Scouts come in and serve. They volunteer and it’s great,” Brown said.

This was a big year for the American Legion, which celebrated its 90th birthday in September. Anacortes’ Causland Post No. 13 received its charter in July of 1919 and the national organization was chartered by Congress two months later.

The American Legion is still vital in the state, according to Gov. Christine Gregoire, who designated Sept. 16, 2009 American Legion Day in Washington. In her proclamation, the governor noted that some 37,000 Washington Legionnaires in 170 posts and other branches of the Legion family donate thousands of volunteers hours in V.A. medical facilities and State Veterans’ Homes across the state. In addition, the American Legion Family Support Network provides assistance to deployed active and Washington Army National Guard service members and their families, and its youth programs provide more than $80,000 in grants annually to veterans who have children and are experiencing financial hardships. The American Legion also sponsors youth activities such as the Constitutional Speech Contest, Evergreen Boys State, Evergreen Girls State, Boy Scouts and American Legion Baseball, and awards scholarships to Washington students.

The organization is active on a local level as well.

“There’s a lot of things the Legion’s involved in. We have supported the troops that are in Afghanistan and Iraq. We send gift boxes,” Brown said.

The Legion Auxiliary sends blankets and scarves too, he said.

“The American Legion is involved in a whole lot of good works — helping veterans’ families, giving scholarships,” Jewell said.

If a member dies, the group attends the funeral and provides support for families. They give lonely vets a place to go at Thanksgiving.

“Every year we have a busload of veterans from the VA hospital for a Thanksgiving dinner. We serve about 60 of them,” Jewell said.

Members of the American Legion Auxiliary prepare the food. Auxiliary members have also been busy knitting.

“We have 78 lap robes that have been knitted by these women to give to these veterans,” Jewell said.

And they still know how to put on a great patriotic display on the Fourth of July.

“We have a nice turnout for the parade. I get two 16-foot trailers,” Jewell said.

Most of Post 13’s members are World War II veterans, but a few are Vietnam and Iraq vets, Brown said. Some new members come in from other places.

“A lot of ‘em belonged to the American Legion already,” Jewell said. “We’ve got a couple of Pearl Harbor veterans that always come to our meetings.”

Those who joined the Legion elsewhere are welcome to transfer to a post in a new city.

“We’ve got a lot of veterans we’d like to see come in. Us Korean and World War II vets are getting a little older,” Brown said.

Jewell said VFW and American Legion posts have been able to stay more active in Oak Harbor because of the constant influx of retired veterans who once served at the base.

“A lot of them moved there. After the service they got out and went home to Minnesota, Wisconsin, North Dakota, South Dakota and worked for $1 an hour back there. So, they packed up moved here,” he said. “They say half of Fergus Falls, Minn., came to Anacortes and Oak Harbor in 1946 and 1947.”

Today, the VFW and American Legion face stiff competition for members from other veterans’ groups and civilian service organizations. The Department of Veterans Affairs recognizes about 50 veterans service organizations, some general and others highly individualized to represent a particular branch of service, ethnicity, gender, type of wound, specific conflict, prisoner status, religion and other issues.

Jewell said a lot of younger vets are choosing to join Rotary, Kiwanis or Lions clubs instead of veterans groups.

“I talked to a couple of them yesterday and said, I wish to heck you guys would join,” Jewell said.

And if younger veterans don’t join?

“I don’t know. It’s really scary,” Jewell said.

This year, attracting new members will be a focus of the Causland Post.

“We’re going to try like heck to get more of the younger guys to join this year,” Jewell said.

“We need new blood,” Brown said.

Veterans Day events in Anacortes

• A wreath-laying ceremony is tentatively scheduled for 11 today at Causland Memorial Park.

• The West Skagit County Republican Women’s Club meets at 11 today followed by lunch at San Juan Lanes. Speaker Michael Newbrough will present “Individualism and Liberty.” The group will honor all members and spouses who are veterans. For more information call Pat Stowe at 293-4147 or Claire Eberle at (360) 466-5527.

• A Veterans Day turkey dinner hosted by the American Legion and American Legion Auxiliary is 6 tonight in the basement of the Anacortes Eagles Hall, Seventh Street and R Avenue. A wheelchair ramp is at the back in the alley. Donations are appreciated.