This post was contributed by a community member. The views expressed here are the author's own.

Community Corner

Veterans Renew Post Home

Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 8469 turned out to improve their post home over the weekend

Many residents were content to spend the beautiful weekend relaxing, but dedicated members of the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) Post 8469 turned out to improve their post home.

In anticipation of Memorial Day commemorations and July 4th celebrations, the little house just off Fairfax Station Road where the post is headquartered received several improvements during the organization’s semi-annual clean up day on Saturday. 

 "We can't afford to have our post home or the grounds looking shabby.  It speaks to who we are and what we do; memorializing our fallen, helping the living vets and or families in need, and staying involved in the community,” Floyd Houston, Immediate Past Commander of VFW Post 8469.

Find out what's happening in Fairfax Stationwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Improvements included a new coat of paint for the post's front porch.  The blue and gray military-grade paint that coats the building's exterior is no coincidence. Chartered by the VFW in 1946, founding members named the "Blue and Gray" Post 8469 in honor of the area's famed 29th Infantry Division, comprised of several Virginia National Guard units.  

The "29th" lost 800 of its 3,000 soldiers during the allied invasion of Normandy, Houston said. 

Find out what's happening in Fairfax Stationwith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Clean ups to the building’s exterior were also made. A father and son team employed a power saw to build custom lower flower beds, while others cleared brush, leveled ground, tended plantings and eradicated weeds on site. 

Members with appropriate military medical training also installed a defibrillator inside the building.  Minor repairs were also made to plumbing.  Later in the day, a new slate sidewalk was installed along the side of the building.

“Keeping this place looking sharp helps maintain overall respect for veterans - we care about what America thinks," Houston said.

We’ve removed the ability to reply as we work to make improvements. Learn more here

The views expressed in this post are the author's own. Want to post on Patch?

More from Fairfax Station