16306 Main Ave. SE
PO Box 116
Prior Lake, MN 55372
(952) 226-6208
Fax: (952) 447-5108
http://www.vfwpost6208.com
The Veterans of Foreign Wars has a motto that says “No One Does More For Veterans” and when one looks at all that the VFW offers, it’s hard to dispute that. It’s an organization with humble beginnings and populated with the nation’s most honorable men and women.
It has a stellar history of growth. As early as 1915, membership in the VFW had grown to 5,000 and by 1936 that number had swelled to nearly 200,000. Today, the VFW has 1.9 million veterans as members. Throughout its’ history, VFW has been a tireless champion of veterans and their cause.
The Prior Lake VFW’s Club Manager, Ed Speiker, is a walking manifestation of that creed. He’s served as the club manager for the past three and one half years and cites his mom and dad as inspirational in that they were instrumental in bringing the VFW to Prior Lake years before.
As a young man, Ed enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps in 1970 and spent 19 months in Vietnam deployed at Da Nang Air Base. He returned from Vietnam and enrolled in school to study accounting. It wasn’t long before he made a transition to computers and programming in 1973. He subsequently went on to obtain his MBA at St. Thomas in 1988. His expanded duties also include serving as the just elected VP of the Prior Lake Chamber of Commerce.
His passion and advocacy for veterans is amazing. “Many people don’t realize”, he said, “that the VFW was instrumental in the establishment of the Veterans Administration, the creation of the GI Bill, the development of the national cemetery system, and in 2008, expanding the GI Bill to provide improved benefits to members of the Reserve and National Guard. We all remember that by that time those men and women were spending more time on active duty and in harms way than ever before.”
What many Prior Lake residents also may not know about the VFW is that the post boasts an economically priced menu of deliciously prepared meals that is available not just to members, but to the general public as well. Every night brings out specials of some kind from Monday’s prime rib extravaganza to Tuesday’s taco and burger night. In addition, the drink specials from $2 beers to cocktails are hard to resist.
Our most special citizens are our veterans and the care and dignity they are afforded upon completion of their service to the country are what distinguishes us as a people. When one meets and talks with Ed Speiker, one understands that Prior Lake has a pretty special standard bearer at the helm.
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