Novato VFW Post Seeks Public's Support in Repairing Deteriorating Building

From the Novato Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 7816:

NOVATO, CA – Military veterans in the Novato Veterans of Foreign Wars post are turning to public generosity to help them make repairs to a deteriorating building that has been their downtown headquarters since 1963.

The Donald V. Westlund VFW Post 7816, located at 844 Sweetser Ave., has required various repairs over the years, and post members have handled them until now. But the graying vets from World War II, Korea and Vietnam can no longer perform or afford to make upgrades on their own.

“The post’s only source of income is from rentals, which really can’t be arranged under the current building conditions,” said Post Commander Stan Cudia. “With that on hold, it makes it very tough for us to recruit a younger group of veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan who might be willing to take over the leadership of the post.”

Cudia said the failing roof is the first priority. Bathrooms, floors and walls are all in need of repair. All told, he estimates the post needs $50,000 worth of upgrades.

The modest structure is an important civic resource for Novato, he added, and it’s needed for the continued support and encouragement to younger people interested in the military, including the cadets involved with the U.S. Air Force Junior Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) based at Novato High School.

“We want to make the post a friendly and inviting place for our wartime veterans, a place to assemble and seek comradeship,” Cudia said.

Starting in 1949, Post 7816 held its meetings and functions at various locations around Novato. In 1963 the cinder block building on Sweetser was donated to the VFW by longtime Novato resident, builder and Korean War veteran Frank Valim and his wife, Marjory.

Donald Westlund was born and raised in Novato and joined the U.S. Army in May 1942. He was deployed to the Philippines as a member of the 89th Quartermaster Battalion (Aviation), assigned to the 5th Air Base Group under the Far East Air Force. He was a Private First Class when he was captured by the Japanese and sent to a POW camp near Shinjuku, Japan, where 2,353 other American POWs were held. Westlund was imprisoned for about 2 ½ years, more than double the typical POW duration. He was killed on September 7, 1944, when guards opened fire on American POWs during the sinking of the Shinyo Maru, a Japanese ship that was torpedoed by the U.S. Navy.

Local veterans service organizations such as the VFW have seen declining membership in recent years as the county loses its older war veterans and the younger ones either choose not to join or at least delay their membership until they get older. A local American Legion post closed several years ago because of a lack of members.

“We’d like to think groups like ours are worth saving,” Cudia said. “We sacrificed a lot for our country. We often think of the thousands who made the ultimate sacrifice and couldn’t come home to enjoy the peacetime companionship of fellow vets at a post like ours.”

As with all VFW posts, the Westlund 7816 post is a 501c3 nonprofit organization. Contributions may be mailed to the post at 844 Sweetser Ave., Novato CA 94947. Anyone interested in donation in-kind construction services or help with fundraising efforts is encouraged to email info@novatovfw.org.

– Submitted press release

Photo: Dominic Bramante, a World War II vet and post member, mops up rainwater that drips from the leaky roof at the VFW post. Photo by Tim Cox.