I am a combat veteran who has never stepped inside of one of these places before...My Mom and Dad were playing there and I was dropping in to show my love and support...I got lost and turned around...so naturally my anxiety and paranoia was at an all time high...unable to find the entrance and wandering around until I came to some church I had to ask my sister to come find me and let me in...not knowing I went through the wrong entrance and not knowing there was a roster and door fee I didnt know I had done anything wrong...however a woman in all her attitude came over and started snapping at me and barking prices at me and shoving a clipboard in front of me while demanding I sign and pay...which caught me off guard because I didnt know what was happening and since I walked in with my Uncle, I was truly confused as to why she never addressed or even looked at him for the door fee...I was raised if you go to a place where money is exchanged and a man of any sort is with you, they pay the bill, unless otherwise planned...so why the attitude...this is a problem that never needed to happen...she came at me directly and immediately gave me attitude and didnt even have the courtesy to look me in the eye while doing it. The messed up part is that I always chose to keep away from AM Vets and The VFW because of just how much of a boys club it really is...Woman who have served their country deserve the same respect as the men, we also deserve to not have our contributions dismissed as though our service doesnt count...so I never joined them...I came to see my parents on stage performing for fellow Veterans and their families, I came there to enjoy an evening and instead was made to feel like if I didnt leave, I would go to jail.
I made a mistake by not knowing or understanding what was going on, and having gotten lost it triggered me because of my PTSD. I was already having problems...my agoraphobia, my paranoia, my anxiety were at an all time high...to be singled out and treated so poorly was total bullshit and proved exactly what I already knew...Women who Served dont matter to these people...so what really would be my incentive to pay a membership fee...Why TF should me or any woman pay to be treated that way...I will never step into that place again and because of this I would never tell my fellow female veteran friends to join up for any of the AM Vets or the VFW, but, especially, the one in Tacoma Washington...You all should be ashamed of yourselves treating anyone that way, but especially a veteran who was already clearly showing signs of being uncomfortable and distressed!!! read more