RINCON —  VFW Post 12149 has planted a flag at its meeting place.

Early Saturday morning, a group from the post  installed a flagpole at the United Way of the Coastal Empire-Effingham County office at 711 Zitterour Drive.  

“This is where we have our meetings so we figured the patriotic to do would be to give the United Way a flag,” VFW Post 12149 member Kelly Dickey said. “That’s why they got this one.”

Last month, the post installed a flagpole at the Stillwell Fire Station.

“This is our first one since then,” Dickey said.

VFW Post 12149 Commander Cleveland Williams noted that the United Way flagpole operation went smoother and faster.

“They are getting good at this,” he said with a laugh. “Thirty minutes and they are done.”

The commander called for something extra for the United Way flagpole.

“I think we might need to add a POW flag since (we meet) here,” he said. “This is our headquarters.”

Other members in the group agreed that was a fine idea.

United Way Area Director Elizabeth Waters expressed gratitude for the flagpole.

“We are honored to be ‘home’ to this local VFW post and thankful for this beautiful gift,” she said. “They are an amazing group of veterans and I am blessed to know them.”

VFW Post 12149 meets the first Thursday of each month at 7 p.m.

“All combat veterans are welcome to attend the meetings and join the post,” Dickey said.

The post is aiming to increase its female membership.

“There are a lot of female veterans out there,” VFW Post 12149 Quartermaster Leonard Danielewicz said.

“We’ve got a couple female members but they get lonely,” Dickey said.

Family members of  combat veterans are invited to join the post’s auxiliary unit, which meets at the same time.

With 1.6 million-plus VFW and Auxiliary members in more than 6,000 posts around the world, the VFW provides vital assistance and support for America’s service members, veterans and their families. The organization has been instrumental in virtually every significant piece of veterans’ legislation passed in the 20th and 21st centuries.

Since 2004, the VFW has awarded $11.9 million in assistance to military families to cover basic needs. It has also awarded $7.2 million in scholarships to veterans since 2014 and recovered $9 billion is disability compensation