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Groups asking younger veterans to serve in a different way

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May 30th, 2016 by Ric Hanson

HOLSTEIN, Iowa (AP) – Veterans of service in Iraq and Afghanistan are being asked to serve in a different way. The Sioux City Journal reports that membership in groups such as the American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars, is shrinking as World War II and Korean War veterans age and die. That leaves the groups with fewer members to carry on basic functions such as providing color guards at veterans’ funerals.

The groups have met varying degrees of success as they try to attract younger veterans. In the American Legion’s northwest Iowa district, 18 of 89 posts have met their 2016 membership goals ahead of the June 30 deadline.

Of Post 225’s membership of 130 in Holstein, nearly a third served in what’s termed the Persian Gulf era.