Every day, 18 veterans take their own life, according to a 2023 report by the VA Suicide Prevention office. That’s 18 too many as far as VFW Commander Jeremy Claypool is concerned. Preventing suicide, Claypool believes, starts with providing a community to both veterans and their families.
Since the early 1940s, VFW Post #2395 in Covington, Ind. has been offering veterans and their families a place to connect and fellowship with other people who can understand the experiences they have shared.
“The VFW is a place that they can come back to and feel like they can come at any time and have someone to talk to that knows what they’re talking about,” Claypool said. “(It’s hard) talking to a civilian about what you did in the military. They really don’t have a clue of what you did or how you’re feeling.”
That’s one reason Claypool and his wife Becki worked so hard to build and maintain the new VFW building, which was completed in September of 2023 after a fire destroyed the old one in August 2021.
Now that things are up and running again at Post 2395, the Claypools and other members of the VFW and their Auxiliary group want to remind veterans and their loved ones that the VFW of today has taken strides into the future to become so much more than a bar, but a place to encourage veterans and their families to establish community connections.
“We do a lot more than just drink,” Jeremy said. “That’s a lot of what I hear around town and in the county, that that’s the perception they have towards the place, that it’s just a bar.
“What I’m trying to implement and what the VFW stands for and what we’re leaning towards is making it a family-type place to come to. I want them to feel like they can bring their kids down and it’s a safe environment,” Jeremy said.
For Halloween this year, the VFW post hosted Ghost Walk — a family celebration in their open hall area, adjacent to the canteen, an area which can be separated from the larger area by a sliding door, Becki said.
“The kids come and they get hot chocolate and hot dogs from the VFW,” Jeremy said.
The VFW has also hosted birthday parties for kids, Cub Scouts of Veedersburg meetings, as well as an Easter Egg Hunt.
Aside from giving veterans a place to connect, the VFW also works to contribute to other community organizations, Jeremy and Becki said.
“We donated to the 5K/10K Halloween Hustle for the first time in a long time,” Jeremy said, referring to an annual fundraiser for the Covington Nursery School.
The group has also donated money to the National Honor Society.
Members also raise money to help support local Veterans in need by selling “Buddy” Poppies twice a year — Memorial Day and Veterans Day.
This year, members will be selling Buddy poppies from 9 a.m. to noon (Eastern) today in front of the County Market in Covington, as well as at the 4-way intersection of Liberty and 11th Streets, near Benjamin’s.
Ultimately, Jeremy hopes the changes they’re implementing to bring in more veterans, especially those from the younger generations, will help keep the tradition alive.
For those veterans and family members who may be struggling, hope is always there, the Claypools said.
“Don’t be afraid to reach out. Don’t be afraid to call and see if you’re eligible to join. If you’re not, you might be eligible to join the auxiliary,” Becki said, adding that there are over 150 members of their local auxiliary.
Jeremy agrees.
“Don’t think that you’re alone. You’re not alone,” he said.