TAMPA, Fla. — Army veterans Travis Horn and Matthew Hall won't tell you they are heroes. These stoic men served in combat overseas and now dedicate their lives to helping fellow soldiers at VFW Post 4321 in Hyde Park.
But Horn, the post commander, and Hall, the senior vice commander, are fighting a new battle to keep their post open. They need younger combat veterans to join and money to fix up a building that's seen better days.
"We almost closed two years ago, and I put a call out, and I said, Hey, we need bodies," Hall said.
The post is named after two soldiers who made the ultimate sacrifice — Russell P. Hardy and Rudy J. Santa Cruz.
A former member of the post was also a Heisman Trophy winner, Howard "Hopalong" Cassady.
"You know that there is a cost of war, a cost of peace, no guarantee that you are coming home. You can look at the wall. This place is named after people who died. You can't get away from the fact that there is a cost of service," Hall said.
Horn explained the challenge VFW Post 4321 faces with changing demographics.
"The World War Two generation is passing on Korea, even Vietnam, is an aging population. So we're looking to bring in those Global War on Terror, Post 911 veterans. Get them involved, because they're not, they're not the kind that really congregate and socialize as the old school soldiers, sailors, and airmen did," Horn said.
The building itself tells a story of resilience. A fire took everything back in 2007, but that wasn't the end of the post. They rebuilt, survived the pandemic, and kept showing up for each other.
"Just like old veterans were a little banged up. The post is a little banged up," Horn said.
For combat veterans, the post serves as more than just a building; it's a sanctuary.
"A lot of the younger vets won't come to the VFW thinking, like, that's not their first go to, but when they're in their last days, or their last straw, they're like, I don't know where else to go.
I'm going to walk into a VFW. These combat guys, and I've had, I mean, I've saved more lives here doing this than I did when I was working for a charity doing mental health for veterans," Hall said.
Hall knows that feeling well. He transformed from someone seeking help to someone providing it.
"There were these two Vietnam guys that sat down next to me, and they were like, ‘Hey, we know what you're going through.’ And I was like, ‘no, actually, you do, right?’ I was like, ‘you do.’ And they saved my life. By going to that VFW saved my life, it changed my life, and now I'm an attorney, I wouldn't have been an attorney. I was about to drop out of college, and they got me a center point that I could use," Hall said.
The veterans emphasize that their post offers something unique — a place where veterans can find both laughter and support during difficult times.
"Because when you're in this building, when you're in this room, and when there are four or five veterans in here, they're going to be laughing, right? And there's going to be and there's going to be and then sometimes they're going to be crying, but it's like, it's, it's going to get them, you know, it gives them something that they don't have," Hall said.
Horn reflected on the significance of walking through the post's doors.
"It does kind of take you back in time. It reminds you why you served in the first place. What I think of a lot is the door. When I walk through that door, I think to myself, What veterans, what heroes have walked through that door before I did," Horn said.
Now, these veterans want others to know, young or old, there's still a place where you belong.
"We want, we want our veterans here, right? We want the people in these walls," Hall said. "Our lifeblood is the next generation.”
The next event the post plans to host is the Hogan's Heroes Christmas Party on Dec. 11 from 17:00-20:00 Hours at 2010 W Morrison Ave., 813-374-2490, post4321@vfwfl.org
This story was reported on-air by Michael Paluska and converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Paluska and our editorial team verify all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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