Motivated by seeing veterans struggle without post-service health benefits, thirteen local veterans met on September 29, 1899, at a tailor shop owned by Francis Dubiel and formed the organization that would become the Veterans of Foreign Wars. James Romanis, inspired by veterans he saw while working at a pharmacy outside Fort Hayes, led the meeting and wrote the group charter. Learning from earlier groups, the founders opened membership not only to current veterans but also to future veterans of all ranks. Today the VFW has 1.5 million members and continues to champion the needs and interests of veterans. VFW Founders Day is celebrated here to remember three of the thirteen founding members buried at Green Lawn: George J. (James) Romanis, a private in the 17th Infantry who served in Cuba and the Philippines; Francis Dubiel, who served in the Indian and Spanish-American wars and died of malaria contracted during his service in Cuba; and John H. Clark, a private in the 17th Infantry who was assigned to Fort Hayes and served in Cuba at El Caney and in the Philippines.
