[dropcap]T[/dropcap]he establishment of a new Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) post in the city of Buda is in motion as Bob Holcomb, a local veteran and member of the Kyle/Buda VFW Post 12058, seeks to expand the presence of the nonprofit veterans organization.
Holcomb has been a member of the VFW for over 11 years, but only recently in the last three months has he actively campaigned to start a Buda post.
“I am currently of the Kyle/Buda VFW Post 12058, but recently I’ve been looking to start our own branch here in Buda,” Holcomb said. “I had a meeting with the charter leader in Kyle, and spoke to him about establishing this branch as a way of expanding our presence.”
However, Holcomb said the creation of the Buda post isn’t meant to be a competition between them.
“The Kyle VFW has more than enough members, so we decided it’d be good to expand. Our mission in the VFW is to help other veterans. A post in Buda would allow us to reach out to other veterans.”
In order to establish a post in Buda, Holcomb said it needs a minimum of 35 members with at least ten who are newly enrolled.
“We have more than 35 members willing to join the Buda VFW, but we don’t have the ten new members needed for the requirements,” Holcomb said. “Once we get those members, we’ll submit our application to the Texas State Department of the VFW, who’ll review our paperwork.”
Holcomb, a veteran of 23 years in the Navy, retired as Master Chief after serving in various places, including the Gulf Coast and the Mediterranean.
In his efforts to establish the post, he’s met with city officials, including Mayor Todd Ruge, to discuss the matter, who were all supportive of his work.
“J.R. Gonzales with the Buda Chamber of Commerce [in particular] has been very helpful in our cause, but all the council members and local businesses I met with showed their support as well,” Holcomb said. “The council even offered to keep an eye out for a permanent place for us to hold regular meetings.
Although the Buda VFW does not have its own meeting place right now, they’ve received help from the Buda Fire Department to provide a temporary space.
“We are actively looking for a permanent place to hold our meetings, but Fire Chief [Clay] Huckaby has been kind enough to allow us to use a classroom in one of the fire departments,” Holcomb said.
