Copyright Shaw Local Enewspapers
A new leader at Joliet’s Stone City VFW Post 2199 has been working to bring in younger veterans like himself and grow the presence of the organization in the community. As of last June, U.S. Army veteran Jose Guzman has been serving as the commander of the VFW post at 124 Stone City Drive, Joliet, about three miles west of the Chicagoland Speedway stadium. At 37, Guzman considers himself the youngest member of Stone City VFW but that title may go to a recent applicant who’s 28. Guzman said he wanted to become the commander of the post to “make a difference” by bringing in more young veterans and people in general. “The people that I talk to and try to bring in here, like a lot of my co-workers and friends, they’re like, ‘Well, we can’t go there, we’re not veterans.’ Like, you don’t have to be a veteran to go there,” Guzman said. Guzman said people think the Stone City VFW is a place where “old people get together and tell war stories.” “We’re more than just that,” Guzman said. Stone City VFW holds an annual blood drive, sell poppies for Veterans Day and offer a free luncheon on Veterans Day, said Olivia Hyatt, office manager for the organization. “The more we grow, the more we’ll be able to do in the future,” Hyatt said. On Tuesday, the VFW post held a flag ceremony led by Guzman, a community luncheon and free health screenings from Shield. Guzman said their organization held a luncheon in honor of U.S. Army Staff Sgt. Jose Duenez Jr., 25, who died March 31 in training mission in Lithuania. “We were able to cover the cost so that there was no charge to the family at all,” Hyatt said. Guzman said he plans to hold events for families, as well as more membership drives. “Because our memberships are just really declining everywhere. We’re not the only post that’s going through this,” ‘Guzman said. Guzman said he joined the U.S. Army on July 18, 2006, which he considers his “Army birthday,” and his last day in the military was Dec. 31, 2015. While in high school, Guzman said he had an interest in working on vehicles and an Army recruiter said that was something he could do in the military. Between 2011 and 2012, Guzman said he served in Afghanistan. He said he dealt with at least two incidents involving improvised explosive devices and he’s been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder since then. After Afghanistan, Guzman said he had went to a military base in Germany and he had the option to stay there to go to another base but his wife at the time didn’t want that. He said he regretted leaving the military and wished he stayed in longer, even after his experience in Afghanistan. “I’d probably be closer to retiring right now,” he said. But at the same time, Guzman said he’s not happy with the current direction of the military because he thinks there’s been a lack of discipline and accountability. Guzman said transitioning to civilian life was tough and he spent a few years working odd jobs in California before he found better opportunities in Joliet. Guzman said he wanted to make a point that he’s resident but not a U.S. citizen yet. He said he’s grateful for a country that gave him a “better opportunity at life than where I was at.” “And I’ll gladly serve this country all over again,” Guzman said.
