Rochester, N.Y. - They stood united on streets for many years, but one by one, they're falling.“Vibrant, fun, lots of people, busy every night, every day,” said Tracy Sciortino, bartender at the Ira Jacobson.
Sciortino recalls four years ago, a time when her legion hall was the place to go for veterans in the area.
“This is the only post left in the city of Rochester,” Sciortino said.
The chairs in the hall that were once full now sit empty.
“We have a lot of older vets who really don't come in all the time,” Sciortino said. “We don't have a lot of new members out of the military that are joining.”
That's part of a growing problem nation wide.
Since 1996 more than 2,000 VFW posts have closed in the United States.
That’s according to the national organization, a big reason why the group wants to reach a record 3.3 million members.
That’s a goal many people at posts like the Ira Jacobson may see as a difficult goal with so many closing its doors.
“With paying the help and the overhead and the alcohol, it just became something he [post commander] couldn't do anymore financially,” Sciortino said. “It's sad it's Veterans day, there are other posts where veterans can go, but this post will not be open.”
The commander of that post tells 13WHAM News the hall will remain open for meetings and possibly some events.
A board meeting is scheduled sometime next week to discuss the posts future.
