A commander of a San Antonio VFW post was stripped of his position last year after repeatedly alerting leaders of the organization that one of its state officers is on probation for intoxication manslaughter.
William Smith, former commander of Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 8541 and a past district commander for the San Antonio area, is prohibited from holding elected or appointed office within the organization through June 2025, internal documents obtained by KSAT Investigates show.He said the service group moved to take action against him shortly after he reached out to national VFW leadership and asserted that State Adjutant/Quartermaster Ben Lowrance should not be able to hold state office.
Smith said Lowrance was first appointed to the state quartermaster position, which essentially serves as the chief financial officer, before later being elected. Smith, a retired command sergeant major, who served three combat tours for the United States Army as a Green Beret, said the Texas VFW’s decision to discipline him instead of taking action against Lowrance has sent the wrong message to other members.
Smith conceded that he eventually raised concerns about Lowrance holding the position to VFW leadership and even expressed an interest in running for the same position, as he believed Lowrance was unfit to do so.Two people later claimed that Smith called Lowrance a “murderer,” VFW documents show. Smith claims he even suggested that Lowrance return to the VFW after completing probation and help with anti-drunk driving messaging within the organization.
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