CHARLESTON — As the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan continue overseas, two organizations dedicated to serving those who serve the country are fighting to stay relevant on the home front.

The American Legion and Veterans of Foreign Wars have both been in existence for nearly a century, providing assistance to men and women in the armed services.

However, both groups are seeing their memberships shrink on the national and state levels as older veterans, such as those from World War II and the Korean War, are approaching the ends of their lives, while younger veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are often too busy with careers and families to get involved.

“We’re going to have to be patient with them,” Don Young, quartermaster for the West Virginia VFW, said of the Mountain State’s youngest veterans. “They’re simply not going to be able to be as supportive right away.”

The VFW now has 17,500 due-paying members in West Virginia, out of 1.6 million nationwide. That number has declined from a membership of about 30,000 in the early 1990s.

Young says one or two VFW posts have been shutting down every year in the state for the past decade.

The picture is a bit rosier for the American Legion, which is West Virginia’s largest veterans organization.

Miles Epling, statewide adjutant for the Legion, said the group has seen a slight decline in membership over the past two years. Right now, the Legion is 24,500 strong with 106 posts located across West Virginia.

Epling said membership has fluctuated between 26,000 and 30,000 for most of the past 50 years. Since 2007, the Legion has had to close only one post, and it has opened up two more.

Young and Epling agree that veterans of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan are crucial to the future vitality of their organizations.

Both leaders pointed out the professional and personal pressures these men and women face upon returning home, and they said they constantly strive to inform the young veterans about services they may one day want to take advantage of, such as benefit assistance, scholarship programs for their children and general support programs.

“I think we have to work every day to keep our image out in front of the public and let these young men and women know they’re not forgotten,” Epling said.

Young said the average age of VFW members in the state is over 65. He said he believes the organization will have to hurdle a generation gap when trying to attract the next wave of veterans.

“They (younger veterans) consider the VFW the place where Pawpaw used to go to drink beer,” he said. “There’s nothing wrong with having a place to go socialize, but (the VFW’s) image is not necessarily flattering to today’s veterans.”

Officials with the VFW and American Legion are looking at ways to adapt their images and to focus on the next generation.

Epling said the Legion will embark on a statewide round-up this week with leaders on both the state and national levels traveling through West Virginia, visiting posts and participating in community events to help build publicity and visibility.

Likewise, the VFW is looking into developing programs and restructuring meetings to accommodate younger members and their families, Young said.

The American Legion estimates 176,000 veterans live in West Virginia and most would qualify for membership in either the Legion or VFW.

Service members must have served overseas during a time of war to join the VFW, while the American Legion accepts any veteran who answered the call of duty during a period of conflict, either at home or abroad.

Both organizations are mostly dependent on private and corporate contributions, as well as membership fees. Dues vary between individual posts but generally average about $25 a year per veteran.

Young thinks there is potential in West Virginia for both the VFW and American Legion to see surges in membership in the coming years.

“It depends on us,” he said. “It’s whether or not we take advantage of it.”