Letters

Please count me as another life member heartily opposed to renaming and perpetuity through expanding membership. I believe we came together to address a unique and, I hope, limited set of circumstances. The Legion and VFW have come around; we no longer need to pressure them for a third path. Let the evils of our war pass with us and rightfully pass into history.

Bob Isard
Elkins Park, Pennsylvania

I joined VVA late last year as a life member. Joining the North East South Dakota Chapter was a no-brainer. This chapter is rapidly closing in on 600 members in this sparsely populated state. They work hard to give away the funds they have and are proud of it. Having moved into this area a few months earlier (just for the great fishing), I came to know about the aggressive service these Nam vets provide to the area.

The camaraderie is profound and genuine. So what’s the use of a new name? What is wrong with the last Nam vet honoring all those who went before? We had a rough go of it, and while I honor those who served so valiantly in World War II and Korea we all remember the cold welcome we got at the American Legion upon our return home.

I still cringe whenever some VA employee thanks me for my service.

I will go wherever the rest of my comrades go, but for my two-cents worth: We should carry our passing as a badge of honor.

Paul Jackson
Big Stone City, South Dakota

Any changes to the organization’s core mission, including any changes to its name, must be agreed upon by the entire membership through a grassroots vote.  

VVA was created to advocate for and serve veterans of the United States armed forces who served our country in Vietnam. Even though some very good veterans organizations, like the American Legion and VFW, already existed, they were not prepared to recognize or advocate for many of the issues that Vietnam veterans were dealing with. 

VVA was established to deal with these unique issues, and has done and continues to do an excellent job of caring and advocating for us. We should all be very grateful and we should all continue to support those efforts. Although we have seen many of our brothers and sisters-in-arms pass on, there are many of us still around and we hope to be around for another 15 or 20 years. VVA should keep its focus on us. It should not be concerned about what to do with the organization as we continue to fade away. As America’s Vietnam veterans fade away, so too should Vietnam Veterans of America.

Just as the Grand Army of the Republic was discontinued when its last member, Albert Woolson, died in 1956 and when the last surviving member of the United Spanish War Veterans, Nathan E. Cook, passed away in 1992, so too should VVA fade away when the last of us passes. I suggest that any remaining funds be donated for the perpetual care of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in D.C. or to other Vietnam veterans memorials around the country. Or, perhaps, a national Vietnam veterans scholarship fund could be established for our descendants.

Jerry Chenevey
New Philadelphia, Ohio
VVA Chapter 857

I was surprised and disheartened to read of the proposed re-branding of VVA with the expressed intent of encompassing veterans of other eras.

I am a retired Marine who served tours of duty in Nam in 1963-64, 1967-68, and 1970. I am currently a life member of the Marine Corps League, Veterans of Foreign Wars, and Vietnam Veterans of America. I am also a member of the American Legion.

I do not need to be, nor do I desire to be, a member of another all-encompassing veterans organization. The nature of our war and the reaction of far too many Americans to our service is responsible for me wanting to keep the nature and identity of our organization as currently structured.

My inclination, should this proposal become reality, would be to focus my activities solely upon the Marine Corps League and the Veterans of Foreign Wars.

VVA’s leadership needs to consider whom they are serving and make their decisions accordingly; however, they should keep in mind that I, and many like me, will feel abandoned.

Wayne “Mac” McNeir
Pasadena, Maryland

Please add me to the list of members who want us to remain as Vietnam vets only. I am completely against expansion with Afghanistan and Iraq War veterans. We started this organization because we felt alone as veterans, and I would prefer that we stay independent as Vietnam vets only.

Thomas J. Eilers
Montague, Michigan

I guess I don’t understand why the idea of changing VVA’s name and membership ever came about in the first place. I realize that there are those who would like to see VVA go on into perpetuity. Well, at some point, we will all be gone and it will no longer be the organization it started out to be. I joined this organization because it was specifically for Vietnam veterans. In 1971 I joined the American Legion. After a year, I was a post adjutant. The time I was there, though, the older veterans grumbled about our being there. They didn’t mind letting us do the work or taking our money, but they really didn’t want us there.

A few of us got fed up and decided to go join the VFW. One Saturday morning four of us went to the VFW post with DD-214s in hand ready to join. They told us to get out and never come back. They didn’t want us crazy guys there. Of course, there was no VVA then. As soon as I learned about VVA, I joined. I joined because it’s about Vietnam veterans.

In dealing with the younger veterans, I know they don’t feel like they share much in common with us. Yes, we all wore the uniform and we served here and there, and many of us saw combat. However, there is no togetherness. So, for what it’s worth, here’s my opinion: Leave it alone. However, if this comes to a vote, all members should have a say, not just the delegates.  

Mike Reasoner
LZ Betty 1970

See more on Resolution GA-21, Changing the Name of Vietnam Veterans of America, in Rex Moody’s CSCP Report. —Editor

Interesting letter by Bob Forman in the last issue. While in-country 1966-67 and not having an infantry MOS, it seems we weren’t in a combat zone at all. Trucking supplies from Qui Nhon to An Khe, Pleiku, and to Da Nang was a daily task. Why did the Army give us weapons and ammo to take along on our convoys? 

The VC and the NVA didn’t care about our MOS when they hit our convoys. All in-country vets deserve the CAB since the exposure was constant and anywhere.

Jochem R. Kresse
By Email

I wanted to alert veterans to other apprenticeship programs. Upon my return from Vietnam and discharge from the Army in ’68, I found a program that welcomed me with open arms and I was able to graduate using my GI Bill benefits.

This opportunity allowed me to earn a salary and build a career while receiving free college credits with no tuition. The program was the San Diego Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Program—“Joint” because it was and is operated by a joint committee of labor (IBEW Local 569) and management (National Electrical Contractors Association). It has since changed its name to Electrical Training Institute (ETI).

Students learn skills through a combination of classroom learning and on-the-job overseen by journeymen. The program offers a high wage in a high growth career. In addition, an apprentice earns benefits, including medical, dental, and vision, for themselves and their families. And they earn pension benefits from day one.

ETI offers four apprenticeship programs. All are approved and monitored by the state of California and the U.S. Department of Labor. ETI works in partnership with Helmets to Hardhats, a national non-profit program to help transition veterans back to civilian life with a quality career in the construction industry.

Go to www.etiedu.org for more information.

Jim Westfall
Surprise, Arizona

This idea of changing the name of Vietnam Veterans of America is utter nonsense. What are the purposes of the American Legion, the VFW, and AmVets? They have largely been taken over by Vietnam veterans, as the World War II guys are pretty much gone. Interestingly enough, it was those very WWII guys who would not allow Vietnam veterans to join in the first place, but eventually did. Now we own the organizations. The Desert War guys are in the stages of life we used to be in, the 30s and 40s—not interested in joining any organizations. We didn’t want to hang out with the old guys, and the new vets don’t want to hang out with us.

I have seen it time and again: They show up, look around, and even with a free first year membership, they disappear. They do have an organization, but it isn’t doing so well because they are not joining. Family, jobs, chasing kids at soccer games—those are their priorities. Once the kids are out and gone, they may start looking for a veterans org to join, or they will create one for themselves.

They had the desert; we had the jungle. We are specific: the Vietnam War. Let the Desert Warriors find their own way, as they will, eventually, when they are ready. I was there at the formation of VVA. I am a life member, and I have seen many of our numbers fade away. The WWII guys are passing quickly. We are just the next to step up and be counted in the ranks who honorably served our country. Why continue it when there are no more Vietnam veterans? Please don’t dilute VVA, it serves no purpose.

If VVA decides to open membership to non-Vietnam veterans and there is a name change, I will demand, as all life members of VVA should, a refund for our life memberships.

Gary Greenough
Santa Rosa, California

I joined last year as a life member and was really surprised that it seemed before I had even received my membership certificate I read that VVA wanted to fold into another organization or consider accepting non-Vietnam veterans. Now I read in The VVA Veteran that President John Rowan has hired a Farsi linguist (don’t recall we had that language in Vietnam) and is speaking of helping to root out exposures in the Persian Gulf War, Iraq and Afghanistan (also don’t recall those countries being associated with Vietnam). 

Who are you trying to kid with your answers that the going forward desire is to “explore” what to do with the VVA future?  It appears the President is taking things into his own hands and doing what a select few thinks is needed. This is an insult to the intelligence of the members. I think we are owed a better answer than what is being given. 

No VVA funds should be expended toward anything that is not directly related to Vietnam vets. The other veterans have issues, yes, but let the appropriate associations address them.

Ron Fogle
Fuquay-Varina, North Carolina

Bad idea. There are other veterans groups that serve warriors from every conflict. VVA is special to us because that war was unique in many aspects. We need to hear from all members before expanding beyond Vietnam veterans.

Robert Y. McGehee Jr.
4th Infantry Division, 1968