A decade ago, Friday nights at the Lake Washington VFW Post #2995 looked like this: Some dancing. A little drinking. Veterans and spouses sitting for dinner at the post’s bar while swapping stories about retirement and visits with grandchildren.

And while some of this remains the same, longtime members have heard new conversations in recent years.

There’s talk of college or training, of dealing with new jobs and homes and starting families and Facebook pages.

In the aftermath of 9/11, the Veterans of Foreign Wars has absorbed a new generation of veterans who are eligible to join – the men and women in their 20s and 30s who have served in the wars in Iraq or Afghanistan.