Tag Archive: Military Order of the Cootie

The Military Order of the Cootie

The Military Order of the Cootie

The Military Order of the Cootie is an organization within VFW, about which we have heard nothing in this publication before now. From our District 1 newsletter, we learn that there is now a Cootie “Pup Tent”, as the local units are called, in our District and we hope to provide our readers with more information in future.

The Cooties are a part of the VFW. It is a distinction reserved for “active” members who have succeeded as an officer or post committee chair and demonstrated ability as a leader. In addition to the important work of the VFW, Cooties take on the added responsibility of support for the VFW National Home for Children and follow our self-appointed directive to “Keep ’em Srnilin’ in Beds of White,” supporting the hospitalized veterans in VA Medical Facilities, dorniciliaries, and hospitals throughout the world.

Local units recruit new VFW members each year, raise thousands of dollars for local Post programs; thousands more for the National Home, and literally millions of dollars in volunteer credits at VA Medical Centers each year. We will be looking for more input from our local “Cooties” to help us in understanding this group within our group.

VFW Stuff—Bugs on Collars

0714_bugs-on-collarsWe don’t have any members of the Military Order of the Cootie in our Post, but for those of you attending District or Department meetings you may have noticed a bug on the back collar of some of the VFW comrades in attendance there. Hopefully, no one swatted it since that may have caused injury to a member of that Order. The Cooties are a Veterans Service Organization dedicated to having fun while entertaining troops and veterans confined to hospitals and VA rehabilitation facilities around the country. The best I can describe them, they are to VFW what the Shriners Clowns are to the Shriners. They do great work. For more information go to http://www.lotcs.org/ Oh, by the way, the bug on the collar is their membership pin.