VFW Post 260 on a Mission to Float a Dock

By Katie McFadden

The VFW Post 260 in Broad Channel has a vision of seeing veterans sittin’ on the dock of the bay as soon as this summer, by building a dock and ramp to give those who served this country a place to enjoy the bayside views and breeze, throw in a line and relax. But they need YOU to help make it happen. The VFW Post 260 is holding a few different fundraisers for folks to help in the mission.

The Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 260 at 705 Shad Creek Road in Broad Channel has long been welcoming veterans, offering a respite from their daily routine and an escape from some of the trauma they’ve endured physically and mentally while serving our country. About five times a year, they also invite the veterans from the St. Albans Veterans Home and Medical Center to come visit for a barbecue during special events when the weather is nicer. However, while the property’s backyard offers beautiful bayside views, the veterans, many of whom are wheelchair bound, haven’t had an opportunity to get close to the water.

Broad Channel resident Johnny Neuer, Vice Commander of VFW Post 260 and a U.S. Army veteran who served in Vietnam, wants to give them that freedom to enjoy the bay by building a proper dock and ramp for them to access it. “When they visit, there’s not much for them to do, so I decided, let’s build this ramp and let them throw fishing lines in the water. They’re stuck in the hospital, let’s give them a chance to wheel them out and put a fishing pole in the water. They’ll be so happy. They’ve done things like this at the North Channel Yacht Club and there were such big smiles on their faces, just catching snappers. They didn’t want to leave,” Neuer said. “When they come to the VFW, they just come and eat good. Let’s give them a day of freedom since they gave their freedom for us.”

The plan entails constructing a 40-foot walkway to a 10’ x 20’ dock, which will have railings around it. But it comes at a high cost of upwards of $30K.

So since about September 2025, Neuer has been running a 50/50 raffle with tickets at $100 a piece to raise the necessary funds for the construction. The 50/50 has been a success with people buying tickets and a generous donation from The Graybeards, but with $7K more needed to fund the project, Neuer is hoping for one more big push to raise the final dollars by hosting some fundraising events at the VFW Post 260, to hopefully get the dock built this summer.

This Saturday, April 4, The RockaWades are volunteering their time to play some tunes from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. to help raise funds. The 50/50 tickets will be available for purchase, a cash bar will be open, and a $10 donation is suggested at the door. “We had them here one night last summer and the entire bar was full,” Neuer said.

However, the final fundraising push will be at a big event on Sunday, April 12 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. For a $10 donation, the evening will feature live music by EJ, Jamie, and Heidi of The Butchers. Owen Loof, known as The Best Dressed Man in Rockaway, will be reading excerpts from his latest book, “Owen’s Poetry and Love Story,” which he will be selling copies of, with proceeds going to the VFW. Walker Hornung will also play some new, unreleased acoustic tunes and promote his new book “Hornucopia: Lyrics and Short Fiction 1989-2025,” which he’ll give away 20 copies of.

Joe Valva of QPTV, Queens Public Television, will be on site to film the event, along with interviews with Hornung and Loof on their books, to help raise more awareness for the effort to raise funds to build the dock. The segment will also be available on YouTube.

Hornung, a singer/songwriter from south Queens, has been a longtime friend of the VFW. “Walker is a big supporter of the VFW, he stops in at least once a week,” Neuer said. He was immediately on board with helping the VFW with the funding for the dock.

Hornung said, “I’ve been going there for 30 years and have played at least at 15 fundraisers. The main goal for this is to get the money for these guys because they do so much good work for the community. Every time someone has cancer, or something goes wrong, they host a fundraiser and they’ve been through a lot of tragedy recently. They just lost Robin, Johnny’s daughter, who would volunteer and bartend there. The guy who cooks, Chris, his sister just died. One of the older ladies that volunteers there just died. They’ve experienced a lot of tragedy, and I was hoping to give them an injection of fun and hope and that’s why we’re trying to do something.”

In late October, Hornung quietly released his book “Hornucopia: Lyrics and Short Fiction 1989-2025.” Hornung said, “People kept asking me for lyrics to my songs, so I complied them all in one place and included some stories of flash fiction from over the years and put it in a book.”

Loof, a U.S. Army veteran who served in Vietnam, was happy to help with the event. “I’m a veteran and this event is for veterans, and I will do anything I can to help the VFW in Broad Channel and veterans in general. When Walker presented this opportunity to me, I said, ‘that’s a great idea, I would love to do it,’” Loof said.

Just last month, Loof released his third book, “Owen’s Poetry and Love Story,” a collection of poems and the tale of his love story with his girlfriend, Christine. “I had written poems before Christine, and I was trying to find a way to get them known. And when I met Christine, I started writing poems for her,” Loof said. “It’s a great love story and an unconventional love story and the message is don’t give up on love. Love can happen when you least expect it. I think older people forget about the love aspect in their life and if they’re divorced or widowed and thinking of getting back into dating, I think this is a good example of finding love for older people, and it can be a good example for younger people. It gives them hope for the future. I think it’s a good story that people can get some advice from.”

Hornung encourages all to come out and show some love to the VFW on April 12. “The group at VFW Post 260 is among the kindest, most giving, and highly dedicated people I know, and they truly deserve to have this work completed. If you, a friend, or a family member have benefited in any way from their generosity, I encourage you to come by, sit in for the program filming, and give back to those who give so much.”

Neuer is looking forward to giving veterans some freedom on the bay soon. “We’ll get it done,” Neuer said. “Even if we gotta take $7K out of our own money, that dock will be built this summer.”