That the purpose of this corporation shall be fraternal, patriotic, historical, and educational; to preserve and strengthen comradeship among its members; to assist worthy comrades; to perpetuate the memory and history of our dead, and to assist their widows and orphans; to maintain true allegiance to the Government of the United States of America, and fidelity to its Constitution and laws; to foster true patriotism; to maintain and extend the instititions of American freedom, and to preserve and defend the United States from all her enemies, whomsoever.
The above is taken verbatim from the Congressional Charter of the Veterans of Foreign Wars. It should be noted that the word "fraternal," as used in the above quotation, is generic, and not exclusively male in connotation. After all, both men and women qualify equally for membership in the Veterans of Foreign Wars.