The Montville VFW’s new commander, Colleen Ewing, has plenty of “sea stories.” She certainly has the background. Elected to the post commander position earlier this year, Ewing and her husband, Mitchell, both retired after 20 years of service in the Navy.
Ewing is one of the few women in Connecticut and the country who are at the helm of local VFW chapters. The VFW is open to U.S. citizens who are in or have had honorable service with the US Armed Forces and overseas service in a foreign conflict.
As times change and there are more roles for women in military service, including conflicts overseas, more posts are expected to have women active in VFW leadership, as well as in the Ladies Auxiliary.
Ewing had what could be described as a desk job in the Navy. As a legalman, she performed legal support functions similar to a paralegal in the private sector. But her desk was located in some pretty interesting places, as she and Mitchell, a chief petty officer, took on tours of duty.
The Ewings spent 13 of their military years in overseas assignments. This included Cuba, Puerto Rico, Spain, the Philippines, Japan, and Adak Island, Alaska, which is considered an overseas tour because it is in the middle of the Aleutian Islands.
Although one place was extremely hot and the other cold, she said Cuba and the Alaskan island posts were similar in that they were isolated bases.
“Either way, you had to fly on or fly off, and you didn’t do that very often,” she said. The couple did take up scuba diving when they were based in the Caribbean.
Ewing’s last military assignment was senior chief legalman, or enlisted advisor to the Navy’s Legal Service Office in Groton. She got involved in just about every legal aspect that affects military personnel and their families.
This included court reporting, processing of household goods claims, court martials, preparing and reviewing legal charges, and handling powers of attorneys, wills and all sorts of legal assistance to military families.
It was during the couple’s posting at the U.S. Navy base in Guantanamo, Cuba in 1993-95 that she said she saw first hand the importance of powers of attorney. During the rafter crisis of 1994, all non-essential dependants of US military were evacuated, including children, spouses and civilian employees. It involved plenty of paperwork, as well as calm nerves, as the migration crisis unfolded.
“The Cubans were leaving, grabbing whatever they could to assemble floatable devices to get to the U.S. side, only to be picked up in the middle of the ocean by the Coast Guard and returned to the United States side of Cuba,” she said. News reports estimate 30,000 Cubans were detained on the US Naval base.
But enough of the sea stories here.
The Ewings, who live in Uncasville, have called Connecticut home since 1995 when they returned from Cuba to the mainland. Colleen, who grew up in Michigan and Mitchell, from Ohio, decided they like the coast and the water. They joined the Montville VFW when they knew they were retiring and planning to stay in the area.
“It was a pretty big family event when we both retired from military service on June 30, 1999,” Ewing said. “That was the year our son, Joseph, graduated from Norwich VoTech, too.”
Colleen and Mitchell have returned to the Navy Base in Groton in civilian jobs. She works as an employee relations and labor relations specialist.
Ewing said her goal as VFW Post Commander is to increase membership and active participation of existing members.
Montville VFW Post 10060, chartered in 1966, started with 33 original members. There are over 300 members now, she said, but as with many organizations, only a small portion are active in the organization.
“I’m trying to get more of the older members active, as well as some of the younger members, who have served in Iraq and Afghanistan,” she said. “It’s tough with the vets returning from overseas, though, because when they get back home, they want to spend time with their families.”
The post also is organizing a men’s auxiliary, which is open to men who have a spouse or family member who is or has served in a foreign tour of duty.
“We already have 20 to 25 people interested in this auxiliary,” she said, “and several of them are hard charging and ready to go with fundraisers or take one of our causes and run with it.”
As post commander, she attends district and state meetings at the state VFW center in Rocky Hill and looks for ways to get the local post involved in district and national VFW programs. Her previous experience includes serving as quartermaster, responsible for the post’s finances.
The post supports a number of community activities, including the local Red Cross blood drives each quarter. Its members provide the color guard for the annual town Memorial Day parade, which in Montville is always the Sunday before Memorial Day weekend, and the holiday parade in December.
The post participates in the annual VFW sale of poppy lapel flowers ever November to raise money for veterans programs. Nationally, in over 75 years, the VFW's Buddy Poppy program has raised millions of dollars in support of veterans' welfare and the well being of their dependents.
The Montville VFW also is actively collecting items to send to the 1109th AVCRAD of the Connecticut Army National Guard in Groton, who were recently deployed in three different areas in the Mid East, and other military personnel.
Items being collected include powdered tea and fruit drinks, personal health and hygiene items of all kinds for men and women, batteries, chewing gum, pens, canned foods, cookies, crackers and dried fruit, as well as new or used books, board and electronic games, comic books and magazines, cards, puzzles and sports balls. A detailed list is available from the VFW post.
Ewing encourages people to support Operation Uplink, too. This national VFW program provides telephone cards so personnel overseas can call home.
The VFW post also aims to be a place for members to socialize.
“We’re trying to keep it like Cheers, a nice place to come in,” she said. “The canteen brings in a DJ every Friday evening for entertainment, so members can bring their spouses or friends.”
There are two dances, every third Friday and every fourth Saturday of the month, put on by area groups. These are open to the public.
The VFW’s downstairs hall is one of, if not the largest hall that can be rented out in New in New London County. People have held showers and receptions for all sorts of milestones, from weddings, babies, sweet sixteen parties and anniversaries to funerals. One couple hastily moved an outdoor wedding into the hall when rain changed their plans, she said.
There also is a smaller hall, with complete kitchen, for smaller gatherings.
Ewing encourages anyone interested in getting involved with the VFW, either as a veteran or in one of the auxiliary organizations, to contact the post, which is located at 91 Raymond Hill Road. Post meetings are the third Wednesday of every month at 7 pm. Call 848-3750 for more information.