WASHINGTON — For generations, Veterans of Foreign Wars and
American Legion posts have been as integral to American political culture as
pancake breakfasts, town squares and state fairs. In advocating for veterans —
among the country’s most revered and coveted voters — the groups have wielded
unquestioned power on Capitol Hill and inside the White House.
Now, nearly a generation after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks,
the oldest and largest veterans’ service organizations — known colloquially as
“the Big Six” — are seeing their influence diluted, as newer, smaller
organizations focused on post-9/11 veterans compete for money, political
influence and relevance.
The newer organizations reflect cultural shifts in a smaller
community of younger and increasingly diverse veterans who are replacing the
older, predominantly male veterans — many of them having served because of a
draft for now long-ago wars.
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