CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. (WKRN) — The Howard Smiley Johnson VFW has been serving the Clarksville community since 1945. With 600 members and counting, their focus now is reaching out to younger veterans.
“It’s a place for people from different generations with similar experiences to come together and be able to socialize and talk about things that matter,” explained Nick Ward, Commander at VFW Post 4895.
The Howard Smiley Johnson VFW is one of the biggest posts in Tennessee and one of two VFWs serving the vast number of veterans coming from Fort Campbell.
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“We’re like water seeking its own level. People that socialize, we always find somebody with the same level of water. That way you’re not looking up or looking down at people. You’re all on the same level,” said David Ross, Senior Vice Commander of VFW Post 4895. “I’m a Vietnam vet, I’m a Desert Shield Storm vet, I sit down and talk with people that went to Iraq and Afghanistan… Soldiers that came back from combat zones, they have seen things that they really didn’t want to see, they did things that they really didn’t want to do and now they’re coming home and they really don’t want to share their experiences because they don’t want to put that burden on their family.”
In addition to the fellowship these vets share, Post 4895 members also give back to their community through organizations like YAIPAK, Mana Cafe, Loaves and Fishes, and Operation Stand Down…