MONROE — Post Commander Casi Myers is the first, but hopes she isn’t the last.

A self-proclaimed “worker bee” who tends to avoid the spotlight, Myers is the first woman to serve as Veterans of Foreign Wars post commander for the Ward Roney Jr. Post 7511 in Monroe.

“I’m hoping by showing my face I’ll attract more female members and help diversify the VFW,” she said.

After six years at the post, Myers, 38, decided she was ready to take on a new leadership role.

“They’ve been trying to talk me into it for like two years,” she said.

This May, post members elected Myers to a yearlong term. She will run post meetings, enforce bylaws and rituals, and oversee post officers and appointees.

“This is the first time in my life where I’ve been out around town and people recognized me,” she said.

Myers served in the Navy from 2004 to 2009 as an aviation electronics technician who maintained complex electronic systems for aircrafts. She has also worked in the aerospace industry as a circuit board designer for almost 20 years. After her service, Myers said she missed the camaraderie she found in the military, but thought the Veterans of Foreign Wars was an older men’s club where she wouldn’t fit in.

When Myers read The Daily Herald’s reporting on Jaymie Rousey, the first female elected officer at Post 7511, it piqued her interest.

“She was my age and had kids,” Myers, a mother of two, said. “I was surprised to see that in the VFW.”

Persian Gulf veteran Shane Williams said when he joined the post in 2016, it was mostly older male veterans. He and State Jr. Vice Commander Drew recruited friends and increased outreach efforts through events and social media. James, who served as post commander from 2018 to 2020, said local membership has grown from around 30 to over 100 veterans in the past five years.

“We needed a massive change,” Williams said. “Veterans are a diverse community. The post’s mission is to help veterans in need, and you need a diverse group of people to do that.”

Myers said when she attended her first meeting at the post in 2018, she experienced mixed emotions watching members in military hats perform the salutes she learned in boot camp.

“I thought, ‘What did I just get myself into?’” she said. “But everyone was very welcoming.”

Myers became a member and worked with the post to help local veterans and their families. They partnered with local nonprofits, raised donations, volunteered yard work and built a wheelchair ramp for a disabled veteran.

James said Myers has been a “driving force” of the post — when something needs to be done, she rolls up her sleeves and does it.

Myers took on the role of adjutant in 2019 and was later elected senior vice commander. She oversees the annual 5K raffle, sits on multiple post committees and has sung the National Anthem at events.

Many have encouraged Myers to take on more leadership roles and have mentored her along the way.

“Being a woman in leadership, especially with veterans, is tough,” James said. “I know she will rise to the occasion.”

Rousey said women veterans should be considered the same as any other veteran, but are still largely overlooked in society.

“At events, men will shake my husband’s hand and say, ‘Thank you for your service,’” she said. “They’ll look right past me.”

Myers is taking over for District 1 Commander Terry Stinson. He said when he started as post commander in 2020, fewer than 10 members were women.

In 2011, VFW Magazine reported young and women veterans were the “key” to membership growth. In 2014, Congress approved a bill to establish gender-neutral language in the organization’s congressional charter, which rebranded from “a national association of men” to “veterans.” Two years later, the VFW National Convention featured a panel focused on health care for women veterans, and the organization has brought more legislation to Congress focused on women.

“Veterans look like anybody,” Stinson said. “It’s up to each post to be inviting and accepting.”

Myers’ first act as commander was to sign the lease for the post’s new location on Main Street.

“I’m really excited for what we’re about to do,” she said. “Our post has never had a home in Monroe.”

In an effort to keep costs low, members have met at any place that would host them for free — which meant they relocated often. The new space will provide a consistent meeting spot and serve as an art gallery for fundraising.

Myers said the community can best support the post through The Flags for our Fallen 5k run in the spring and golf tournament in the fall.

The post is planning for a grand opening on Veteran’s Day. They meet at 6 p.m. on the second Thursday every month.

“Anybody who has been in the military has been through some hard things,” Myers said. “You can come and be a part of this community.”

Sydney Jackson: 425-339-3430; sydney.jackson@heraldnet.com; Twitter: @_sydneyajackson.