WICHITA, Kan. (KSNW) – Another American Legion post opens in Wichita, but this one is somewhat rare.

Post #444 at the old Masonic Home-turned Oxford Vista is one of very few that are new. The American Legion says they don’t add posts very often because membership is declining.

“It’s just not common for a brand new post to pop up; we’re struggling to keep posts open, especially in the smaller towns,” the first commander for Post #444, Joe Hicks, said.

Post #444 was chartered on Thursday morning at Oxford Vista. It will serve veterans who need housing and healthcare.

“Finding quality healthcare and housing is a problem always; it’s a problem for veterans in particular; this is helping solve that problem,” Senator Jerry Moran (R-Kan.) said.

Hicks says the American Legion’s goal is to give any veteran a place where they feel comfortable.

“We also will be looking for members outside of the residence here. We’ll take any veteran that wishes to be a member of the American Legion,” Hicks said.

The American Legion had 3.3 million members in 1946 after World War II ended, and it had similar numbers in the 90s. However, data shows that between 2017 and 2021, membership dropped to just over a million. Hicks believes that it is due to different generations.

“The younger veterans don’t seem to want to join. And the older veterans of Vietnam, North Korea and a few still alive from World War II, it’s getting harder and harder for them to carry the weight,” Hicks said.

Hicks adds that the post is actively recruiting members both inside and outside Oxford Vista.

There are 16 founding members of the new charter. This is one of 13 American Legion posts within 20 miles of Wichita.