Angelo Santabarbara wanted to join a local veterans organization, but there was a problem — there wasn’t one he could join.
Santabarbara, a Democratic county legislator from Rotterdam, served in the Army Reserves for eights years until 1998. Once he started looking around at local veteran groups, he realized he wasn’t eligible to join any.
“I wanted to be a part of an organization with other individuals like myself that served,” Santabarbara said.
Eventually he stumbled upon AMVETS, a veterans organization that includes members from each branch of the military, including National Guard and Reserves members. Active duty members of the military can join, too.
The broad range of acceptance in AMVETS is also what was appealing to Santabarbara.
“I like it because it doesn’t exclude anybody, everybody is in,” he said. “We are all under the same umbrella, we all served together.”
Now, Santabarbara and a handful of others are spearheading a movement to get a post started in Rotterdam. Drumming up interest has been an issue, though.
Around two years ago he reached out to “E J” Knapik, a past state commander of AMVETS, and met with him at a local diner. Santabarbara said it was Knapik who suggested he try to establish a post in Rotterdam.
“At the time I was like, ‘Wow, I don’t know how we would do that,’ but he has been working with me,” Santabarbara said. “It has been a long time … but hopefully we will get to the point where we can actually form this post.”
Before the group’s meeting on Thursday, Dec. 29, at the Gabriele D’Annunzio Sons of Italy Lodge No. 321 in Rotterdam, Knapik said recruiting members isn’t as easy as it used to be.
“Six years ago when I had formed a post in Amsterdam, the veterans wanted to be a part of an organization. Nowadays with TV … and everything, guys just aren’t joining it anymore,” said Knapik, a Glenville resident.
He commended Santabarbara for sticking to the goal of creating the new post.
“It is in my blood, but here is a young guy with a family and he is still willing to come out,” Knapik said. “There would be a lot of functions that the area people will support, and by the same token the post will also support other activities in the area.”
Santabarbara said being active in the community through volunteer efforts is important to him in establishing an AMVETS post. He added only a strong membership would allow for the group to remain active.
“I want us to have a strong membership, so that is why we have been taking our time,” he said. “A lot of these people have been coming over and over again, but we have some new people, too. Hopefully over time we will have a strong membership and a strong core and we can really do a lot with the group. I don’t want it to be something that is formed and then people don’t show up or we are not doing anything.”
Sitting at the table
The small veterans group’s meeting, consisting of eight members, started off continuing the discussion of the previous meeting. Knapik brought forward a motion to move the location of AMVETS Post 21 in Amsterdam to Rotterdam.
“Everything would be the same, except reading Rotterdam instead of Amsterdam,” Knapik said.
At first it appeared the group was set on the move, which would have the post retaining all of Amsterdam’s members, but eventually the majority of opinion swayed.
Michael McGrath, of Rotterdam, first voiced opposition to absorption plan.
“I was under the impression … we were going to work it from the ground up, do it brand new, that’s what I’m on board (for),” McGrath said.
In order to form a chartered AMVETS post in Rotterdam the group needs 21 members.
Knapik was against delaying the process any further.
“We worked on it for two years and we couldn’t even get people as acting officers,” he said.
Santabarbara continued to stress he wants to get “buy-ins” from everyone in the group before moving forward.
Post 21 1st Vice Commander Carl Petrone weighed in, and the balance started to shift towards forming a new post.
“I gotta say myself, I’d like to see a new post myself, starting out fresh and I am a post member of 21, but I am not talking down the post,” Petrone, a Duanesburg resident said.
After some more spirited debate, the members felt they were starting to drum up interest. The holiday season, they thought, was slowing down the process, as people are preoccupied with family and festivities.
Petrone said he was confident the group would be able to get the minimum membership
“We’ll get to 21,” McGrath agreed.
The group’s next meeting is scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 26, at 7 p.m. at the Sons of Italy Lodge No. 321 located at 2984 Hamburg St., in Rotterdam. Anyone interested in joining the proposed Rotterdam AMVETS post can contact Angelo Santabarbara by emailing [email protected]. Dues for an annual membership are $30.
