Closure is on the horizon for Grygla’s VFW Post 3858

Though a final decision hasn’t yet been made, Grygla’s VFW Post 3858 is expected to dissolve with members casting their votes at the end of this month.

“We haven’t got much of a choice,” says lifetime member Glenn Sundberg, who joined the post 35 years ago. “Times are changing…nobody young is coming in anymore.”

Ultimately, it’s up to each post on how active they stay as an organization and how long they remain open, but with only 24 members, and 13 of them living out of town, it’s proving to be a struggle to keep the post open in Grygla.

Ronald Byklum first joined the VFW in 1969 and took over as the Commander of Grygla’s post in 1986. Observing the laws and usage of the VFW, and presiding over the monthly meetings, Byklum has seen the membership decline over the years, stating that at one time the post had almost 50 active members as opposed to the 6-7 that regularly attend meetings today.

“Shutting the VFW post down means we’ll probably never have another one in Grygla again, but I don’t see much of a choice,” Byklum noted. “Nobody is coming in to take over our jobs,” he adds. Glenn Sundberg agrees that it’s hard to keep it going. Middle River and Cass Lake have both shut theirs down, with more dissolving across the state all of the time. He adds, “A lot of the World War II and Korean War vets were the promoters behind the VFW. Vietnam vets came in next, but there is a big gap between Vietnam and Iraqi vets…a pretty big gap.” With each post having older members passing on and not a lot of younger vets to take their places, closure is a national struggle.

If in fact Grygla’s organization does shut down that means the VFW Ladies Auxiliary will be closed, too. The VFW shares a building with the American Legion, who actually owns the building, but they are separate assemblies. Eligibility for the American Legion includes anyone who has served federal active duty in the United States Armed Forces, while the VFW requires you to have served in a war zone on foreign soil for at least 24 hours. The American Legion has over 30 members, while the American Legion Ladies Auxiliary has over 20; they are still holding strong and are not in talks of closing.

Sharing a building with the American Legion, the VFW will lose a lot of their items when the closure occurs. “They come in and take the rifles, the flags, the memorabilia, everything. It all belongs to the VFW,” said Sundberg.

Being a present and respectable organization in Grygla for the last 70 years, the VFW Post 3858 has taken on numerous community projects that include the building of the horseshoe courts and the Veteran’s Memorial. They have also contributed many dollars in scholarships for local students, participated in parades and provided Color/Honor Guard services at funerals. Once post 3858 disbands, members can move to another post if they so choose; Commander Byklum said they are leaning towards joining Thief River Falls.

As stated, a final decision will be made at the group’s meeting later this month, but it’s likely coming to an end. “It’s sad,” Glenn Sundberg voiced. “But our memorial fund will still be supported and the memories will still always be there. And because of our Veteran’s Memorial in Grygla, people will always know there was a post here at one time.”