Turning Point USA

Joining the Veterans of Foreign Wars Ladies’ Auxiliary in high school was the best decision I made during my years as a student. If you are able to join, you absolute should!

I should note before going further: there are certain requirements for joining military and veteran groups in your community. The American Legion is the more general group for all members of the military community, but the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) requires you or your family member to have a certain type of service. 

I was able to join the VFW community because my father is a colonel who served in Operation Iraqi Freedom in the early 2000s. As his daughter, I was able to join the VFW Ladies’ Auxiliary, which serves as a support and ally group at the veterans of the Post. (Now the Ladies’ Auxiliary has transformed into the “Auxiliary” and welcomes male members too!)

Here’s my pitch to you: join the VFW Auxiliary, but don’t stop there- work to become an officer! Only a few months after joining the auxiliary, at 17 years old, I offered to fill an empty position in the leadership and began taking on responsibilities at the monthly meetings.

My time as an officer gave me my first experiences of structured organization meetings that included brainstorming for new business, organizing creative fundraising efforts, event preparation, and so much more.

In my years at the Post, I marched in endless parades with my dad and the vets, got my soccer teammates to bake goods for a Breast Cancer fundraiser, and made meaningful friendships with veterans and their family members who experienced wars leading all the way back to World War II.

My favorite experiences include selling the poppies for $1 each as we walked in the parades, and meeting Mary Horton, who was the widow of a World War II veteran. Mary gave me my first flag pin that I still wear to all of my most important political events! (Now if you see me wearing a flag pin at a Turning Point event, you’ll know the story behind it.)

Mary (86) was the oldest member of the Post and I was the youngest at 17.

The members of the Post and Auxiliary rooted for me during my entire college application process, the interview for my first internship (for Congresswoman Elise Stefanik’s District Office), and transition moving to D.C. to attend American University. I went off to college with the intention of landing a job at the USO or in the field of veterans advocacy after graduation. While I didn’t end up in exactly that, I feel my anti-socialism advocacy is a strong way to honor the sacrifices our veterans made to preserve a free, fair, and prosperous America for generations to come.

I am so thankful to have had those veterans and their family members as my first mentors in life. If you are looking for that same guidance as you begin your activism, consider joining your local VFW or American Legion!