Five or six men, including John Basinger Jr. and Jim Stois, both of Normalville, first thought of the concept of a local "dry" Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post last November.
Although a post where alcoholic beverages could not be served is not unheard of in Pennsylvania, it is definitely in the minority and unique to this area, but that did not discourage the handful of men who wanted it to become a reality.
And recently the Indian Creek Valley VFW Post 12019 did become a reality.
The post, better known as the "Valley Veterans," recently held an installation ceremony performed by Pennsylvania State Commander Charles Prince at the Community Service Center in Normalville, where its regular monthly meetings will be held.
The post currently boasts 26 new members, ranging in veterans from World War II to those who are currently serving in Iraq, and is open to anyone from any area that might wish to be a part of a non-alcoholic post.
Bill Miller of Ligonier is a veteran of the Korean War, but he was never a member of any VFW post because he didn't drink. He now makes the trip to Normalville to be a part of the new post although there's a post just four miles from his home.
"I heard about the new post at church and I decided to get involved with it because I don't drink and it's a non-drinking post," said Miller. "And from what I can see, the individuals involved with this post are trying to do good for the community."
According to Stois, he and the other men, including Andy Siok, Art Molitor, Vergil Nicholson and Jim Miller, came up with the idea after the former post they were involved in seemed to put more emphasis on the social members than on other veterans or members of the community.
"We're supposed to be remembering our fallen comrades by supporting the community," said Stois. "If someone joins the Valley Veterans, they'll join for the those reasons and not because there's a bar."
Basinger, a retired Methodist minister and veteran of World War II, was highly in favor of the new post and has been very active in getting it established.
"I just thought there should be a clean post in the area where veterans could come and our soldiers who are fighting now could come home to and not be encouraged to join in the drinking," said Basinger.
"I thought there should be a clean post that would make serving the community its main focus," he added.
Both Bill Miller and Prince agree that the individuals involved with the new post are very community-oriented.
"It's going to be a good community post," said Prince. "They'll do a lot for the community and the community will, in turn, do a lot for them."
