PITTSBURGH — Thousands of veterans from around the country will visit Western Pennsylvania this month.

They are coming here because the Veterans of Foreign Wars will have its 116th National Convention at the David L. Lawrence Convention Center from Saturday through July 22.

At the convention, VFW leadership will hold committee meetings and vote on bylaw changes. It will also have workshops, business sessions and speakers.

It is open only to veterans of foreign wars who must present a military ID to get in.

Leslie Harvey, commander of VFW Post 249 in Butler, is the VFW’s state employment chairman and gets to vote on proposed bylaw changes.

One proposed change would allow men to join the Ladies Auxiliary, Harvey said.

The Ladies Auxiliary is open to women who are married or related to veterans, but not the husbands of female veterans.

Some states already have a men’s auxiliary and some states, including Pennsylvania, allow non-veterans to be involved as social members, but the vote would affect all posts in the country.

Post 249 has 617 members and about 150 auxiliary members, but its membership has been decreasing as many World War II veterans are dying. Expanding the auxiliary would allow more people to join and help with its community projects, Harvey said.

Though some people view the VFW as a social club, its most important mission is to raise money to support community programs and help fellow veterans, he said.

Harvey said he has attended national conventions several times, and it offers a chance for veterans to network.

“You get to see how the VFWs are run across the nation, what they do for the community. We swap stories. Its very interesting,” he said.

Wayne Perry, district commander for District 25 which includes Butler, Beaver and Lawrence counties, said he has been encouraging the members of the posts in his district to attend.

Perry also will represent Pennsylvania on the VFW’s House Resolution Committee.

He too said that VFW membership is aging, which means it needs more people to sign up.

“The main thing is with the young troops coming back from overseas, we are trying to get them to join the VFW,” he said.

Slippery Rock University’s telehealth program for student veterans will be featured at the convention.

The telehealth program is one of the first of its kind in the country. It uses electronic information and telecommunication technologies to support long-distance clinical health care and patient and professional health-related education for veterans.

Also at the convention, John Biedrzycki will be sworn in as the new VFW commander in chief. Biedrzycki, who goes by “Big John,” is from Coraopolis, Allegheny County, and currently is the senior vice commander in chief.

For information on the convention, visit vfw.org.