The VVA Veteran, a publication of Vietnam Veterans of America

Vietnam Veterans of America

May/June 2015

2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011
2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007
2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003
2002 | 2001

2013 & 2014 APEX® Award Winner

In this issue:

ETHNICITY, FAMILY, AND POVERTY IN THE LAND OF ENCHANTMENT: “I wanted to prove that, being a minority, I was as good as everybody.” It’s a vow that continues to inspire and motivate young Hispanic New Mexicans, with military service often fulfilling the desire both to serve and to demonstrate that one can be “as good as everybody.” Richard Currey examines the dynamics of VVA Chapter 1063, a poor, Hispanic chapter in small-town New Mexico, accompanied by photographs by Jane Phillips. [on the cover]

AGENT BLUE: Arsenic-Laced Rainbow:
The good news: Agent Blue, unlike the other “Rainbow Agents used in Vietnam,” contained no dioxin. The bad news: it instead contained arsenic, the favored poison of the Middle Ages, Agatha Christie and the Borgias. Loana Hoylman examines the health risks of Agent Blue exposure, particularly its connection to bladder cancer.

BURN, BABY, BURN? The Flag Code and Flag Desecration Laws: In his first in a series of articles on the American flag. Marc Leepson, author of Flag: An American Biography, discusses the history and the myths surrounding flag protection laws and the First Amendment.

2015 VVA Candidate Statements

The Highest Award:
The VVA Commendation Medal

2015 Memorial Day Prayer: VVA’s National Chaplain’s benediction