Military Order of the Cootie

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The Military Order of the Cootie is a subsidiary of Veterans of Foreign Wars, a veterans' services organization in the United States. The organization's services include visiting war veterans at hospitals.[1] The group was founded in 1920 and joined the Veterans of Foreign Wars organization in 1923. Membership in the Military Order of the Cootie is the "honor degree" of the Veterans of Foreign Wars;[2] a veteran must be invited to join the group, and group membership has been decreasing as a result.[3][4]

Uniforms of the Military Order of the Cootie

History

The Military Order of the Cootie was established on Sept. 17, 1920 in Washington, D.C., by Fred Madden and F.L. Gransbury. It was modeled after the Imperial Order of the Dragon, a similar auxiliary of the United Spanish American War Veterans organization. The name "cootie" is a reference to a bug which kept soldiers' heads down in World War I trenches.[5]

The first chapter of the Military Order of the Cootie was established in Washington, D.C., in 1920. Later, a women's auxiliary was formed. A large gathering of members was called a supreme scratch.[6]

References

  1. ↑ Simeone, Lisa (11 November 2000). "Profile: Military Order of the Cootie, a group of veterans that visits other veterans in hospitals". NPR Weekend Edition - Sunday (National Public Radio). Retrieved 19 September 2015 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  2. ↑ "Fun-loving veterans' group has 'cooties' - and is proud of it". The Virginian-Pilot (Norfolk, Virginia: McClatchy-Tribune Information Services). 7 April 2010. Retrieved 19 September 2015 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  3. ↑ Basinger, Rachel R. (13 November 2007). "'Cooties' Put Grins on Veterans' Faces". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (Trib Total Media, Inc). Retrieved 19 September 2015 – via HighBeam Research. (subscription required (help)).
  4. ↑ Whaley, Ramona (13 December 1987). "Cooties Serious About Smiles". Orlando Sentinel. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  5. ↑ "'Cooties' elect new leaders, collect for hospitalized vets". The Avenue News. 16 May 2013. Retrieved 19 September 2015.
  6. ↑ McGinnis, Judith. "Order Of The Cootie: Social veteran group traces history to WWI". Longview News-Journal. Retrieved 19 September 2015.

External Links


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