The VFW Post 969 in Tacoma has been very good to Steve Reynolds over the years.

"It's a great home away from home," Reynolds said of the atmosphere inside post's building, located at 3510 East McKinley Ave. in Tacoma.

Reynolds, who has been a post officer for the last four years and is now the current post commander, wants to offer younger veterans the same great experiences he's had during his time with the VFW.

"We're really trying to get the word out and get younger veterans in here," said Reynolds, a Vietnam veteran himself.

While the average age of the membership is around 60, there are several veterans in their early 30s who belong to the post. And Reynolds wants to see that number increase.

The post has stepped up its social events in an effort to cater to a wide variety of interests and age ranges. It has partnered with the 4-6 Cavalry on Joint Base Lewis-McChord in an effort to reach out to Soldiers, and many events the post hosts cater to families.

Every Friday the post hosts a meat raffle, and recently it hosted a large Easter party with an egg hunt featuring a handful of prizes for children.

"It was great because everyone brought out their family and friends, and we even had active officers from JBLM bring children who have a family member deployed with them to the event," Reynolds said.

The post also is constantly making plans to tailor the building toward making younger veterans feel comfortable. The membership is in the process of purchasing another big screen television to put in a downstairs banquet room to create a private room for younger Soldiers if they need a place to gather and play cards, watch a game or just hang out.

"We can reserve a couple of nights a week where that room would be open to them," Reynolds said. "A lot of them don't have a place like that where they can go (off base)."

The post also has a private campsite/RV park next to the Carbon River in Orting that features a clubhouse with a bar and is available for post members to utilize.

"It's a great place to go and just get away for the weekend," he said.

While the facilities and events are great, Reynolds says the camaraderie that veterans have with each other is the biggest bonding agent.

"(Veterans) don't have to worry about being around people who don't know what they've been through or going through," he said. "We know because we've all been there and done it."

For more information on Post 469, visit www.vfw969.org.