Mike Gilmore was elected District 10 Commander in April 2024 and is now serving his third term in that role.

 

Mike served twenty years in the US Army as a Combat Engineer earning his eligibility for the Veterans of Foreign wars serving in Operation Iraqi Freedom 2004.

 

Mike joined the VFW in Petaluma, California, in 2004 and is currently a Bronze Legacy Life Member of Post 7265 in Livermore, California. At the post level, he has served as Adjutant, Junior Vice Commander, Senior Vice Commander, and Post Commander. During his 2021–2022 term as Post Commander, he led Livermore to All-State and All-American honors for the first time in 75 years. He continues to serve Post 7265 as Adjutant and has helped subsequent post commanders achieve All-State and All-American recognition three additional times. In 2026, Mike was appointed State Historian for the Department of California, restoring a position that had been vacant for decades.

 

Today he is a disabled/retired veteran dedicating his time as a volunteer and advocate for military Veterans. He has helped establish and continues to support a Military History Center at Fort McDowell on Angel Island which was a US Army post from 1863-1962. He also services on the Alameda County Veterans Affairs Commission and is a life member of the Military order of the Purple Heart Association.

 

Mike continues to make his home in Livermore with his wife, Stacy. Together, they share a family of four children and three grandchildren.