NESCOPECK, Pa. -- An AMVETS post that sits along Route 93 has fallen on hard times in Nescopeck.
Members of Post 93 recently had to shut down the bar which sits on the border of Luzerne County.
“It is a shame that it went the way it did. It was a good post,” said Joe Wojciechowicz, VFW Post 821.
Wojciechowicz is a lifetime member of the AMVETS post and a member of the VFW in nearby Berwick.
Members of AMVETS say the cost of keeping the bar open was too high, and they were losing members, so the bar had to close.
But Wojciechowicz tells Newswatch 16 veterans posts are more than just a place to drink, and they need new members to keep serving the community.
“They just think that the veterans organizations are just canteens to go to a bar and drink. We do much more than that. We do fundraisers for the Orangeville Manor. That is a veteran’s home.”
“They do a lot to help many organizations in the area. They help each other,” said Chris Huss of Berwick.
One of the ways Joe and other vets try to get younger veterans involved is by connecting with them once they return from overseas.
"It’s been by word of mouth. Some of the younger ones see what we do, and they tell their friends."