BY DOMINICK YEZZO, CHAIR

Embracing Vietnam Veterans of America’s Founding Principle, “Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another,” the Veterans Incarcerated and in the Justice System Committee met at the National Leadership & Education Conference in Reno. Our agenda included:

Continuing our congressional and local legislative action.

Serving incarcerated veterans.

Advocating for Veteran Treatment Courts.

Initiating post-release service programs in every state.

Promoting the understanding of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury, the invisible wounds of war.

There are more than 180,000 incarcerated veterans in the United States, and by speaking with more of them directly, we can make a difference. In August, we brought our mission to the great state of Nevada.

At the Northern Nevada Correctional Center in Carson City, I scheduled a visit with Warden John W. Henley and VVA Chapter 719 on August 19. I requested that Warden Henley establish a separate ward for veterans and explained the benefits of housing veterans together. I also presented VVA’s agenda to the warden and the veterans incarcerated, offering help in creating a dedicated veterans ward. I continue to encourage veterans to treat the prison facility as if it were their home and to develop initiatives that serve the community around the facility.

Additionally, I was happy to attend and participate in Judge O’Neil’s Veteran Treatment Court in Reno on August 20, followed by our seminar at the Leadership Conference the next day. I wish to extend my gratitude to Robert White, a former veteran incarcerated at the Northern Nevada Correctional Center, as well as a staunch veterans advocate, for his invaluable wisdom and help organizing a workable schedule for the Leadership Conference and my week in Nevada.

By LESLIE DeLONG, CHAIR

The Twenty Second National Convention in New Orleans, will begin on August 6, 2025. Starting on September 1, 2024, you may submit proposed constitutional amendments. Any VVA member, chapter, or state council can submit a proposal for a constitutional amendment. Constitutional amendments may be submitted electronically using the online form available on the VVA website under the “Info for Members” tab (https://vva.org/constitutional-amendment/) or may be mailed to the VVA national office using a printed copy of the online form or the form that will appear in The VVA Veteran. Forms not submitted online should be mailed to the national office at the address below postmarked no later than March 31, 2025, at 12 midnight.

The deadline for submitting proposed constitutional amendments is March 31, 2025 (“at least 120 days prior to the commencement of the National Convention,” per the VVA Constitution, Article IV, Section 5). No proposals will be accepted after midnight, March 31. The Constitution Committee will meet in April to review all proposed amendments and prepare its report to the membership. The committee’s report will be mailed to state councils and chapters and will be available on the VVA website no later than June 5, 2025.

The committee will hold an open hearing at the Convention before the amendments are presented to the delegates for action. We encourage everyone to attend this hearing to learn about the amendments and voice their opinions.

By JOHN MARGOWSKI, CHAIR

The purpose of the Resolutions Committee is to fulfill Article I, National Provisions, Section 7, Committees, Paragraph A.4. of the VVA National Constitution:

“The Resolutions Committee shall report the resolutions to be addressed by the delegates assembled from among those submitted by the Chapters, State Councils, standing committees, membership, or other sources. Provided, however, that any such resolution shall be filed with the Resolution Committee at least one-hundred twenty (120) days prior to the commencement of the National Convention, at which resolutions are to be addressed.

“The Resolutions Committee shall review proposed resolutions received, and shall, not less than sixty (60) days prior to the commencement of the National Convention, forward to the Chapters and State Councils copies of all proposed resolutions submitted to the Committee pursuant to this section along with the Committee’s recommended action regarding each proposed resolution. Resolutions not reported by the Resolutions Committee may be brought to the floor for debate and action upon the motion of any delegate and concurrence by a majority of the delegates.”

Proposed Resolutions must be received or postmarked no later than March 31, 2025. The Resolutions Committee will mail all the proposed resolutions with appropriate committees’ recommended actions to all state councils and chapters no later than May 17 by first-class mail.

Proposed resolutions must be submitted to the National Resolutions Committee on the official resolution form located at https://vva.org/convention-resolution

Completed forms may also be emailed to convresolutions@vva.org or mailed or delivered to:

Note: Only proposed resolutions submitted on the official resolutions form will be accepted and sent to all national committee chairs. You do not need to submit existing resolutions to the committee if there are no changes in the “Resolved, That…” section. Administrative changes will be processed internally by the committee.

BY SANDIE WILSON, CHAIR

While VVA has been persistent in our efforts to call for the study and acknowledgment of toxic exposure, I cannot report a fully positive result from our efforts since April. However, even though we have not solved the problem after more than forty years of working on it, we continue to take steps forward.

August 10 was Agent Orange Awareness Day. If you held events in your local area, thank you for your help spreading the word about AO exposures.

A seminar was held August 13-15 in the D.C. area covering the conclusion of the question, “What to do with the Ranch Hand specimens.” We do have a memo of agreement between the VA and VVA. Attendees received this information at the Leadership Conference.

Our presence has been felt on Capitol Hill in Washington, D.C., almost daily. We have been steadfast in our efforts to expand the PACT Act areas of contamination, despite the fact that some in the House of Representatives are calling for reductions in the PACT Act budget.

Reductions are unacceptable. Yes, many veterans are reaching the end of their lives, but the devastation of toxic exposure has been passed on to children and newer military members are still exposed to toxins regularly. The PACT Act is necessary.

To demonstrate to Congress that the PACT Act is still needed, we need veterans and their families to file VA disability claims, which document illnesses related to toxic exposure their children and grandchildren may have. The VVA Benefits Department is ready and willing to help you get this done.

We also need veterans and their families to register any birth defects they believe are related to toxic exposure on the birth defects registry. There are two types of birth defects that are relevant to the registry: structural birth defects, which can be diagnosed after birth; and functional birth defects, which are diseases that appear later in life and can be attributed to exposure during pregnancy. Registry information is available on the VVA website at https://vva.org/what-we-do/outreach-programs/agent-orange/"

BY KATE O'HARE-PALMER, CHAIR

By the time you read this, we will have finished the National Leadership Conference in Reno. I hope that everyone who joined us was able to bring back lots of information to share with your chapters.

The HUD/VASH housing policy has finally been changed to improve veterans’ access to supportive housing developments. We saw veterans denied access in the Los Angeles area to new housing because their service-connected pensions were considered part of their income. That made their income over the limit for housing assistance.

On August 9, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development announced a new set of policy changes that will help more veterans receive help under the HUD-Veterans Affairs Supportive Housing (HUD-VASH) program that would improve their access to supportive housing. HUD also awarded $20 million to public housing agencies to continue to improve the HUD-VASH program.

A few months ago, I wrote about a special Vietnam War veteran, retired Army CWO3 Doris “Lucki” Allen. She died on June 11 at 97, and I attended her funeral in Oakland, California. I was honored to meet many of her friends and family at the church. She was one special person and her life story is worth reading.

Many of us are experiencing the loss of friends and family members as we enter the winter of our lives. Some say they are prepared; others, not so much. I recommend this page on the VA website, https://www.va.gov/initiatives/end-of-life-benefits to help preserve your legacy and plan for your loved ones.

I always remind chapter members about the AVVA Paper Safe. It is a great resource guide for estate planning and VA healthcare and pension information. An accredited Veterans Service Officer can be invaluable in helping with paperwork and dealing with critical illnesses.

The proposed $369 billion VA budget includes appropriations for badly needed infrastructure, hiring (to alleviate backlogs), supplies, and IT modernization projects. There is wording in the House version of the authorization bill that would block the VA from abortion care and gender-affirming care. We need to let our members of Congress know how we feel about those issues.

The Center for Women Veterans has announced its 2025 Women Veteran Trailblazer Program. If you know women veterans who have made significant impacts in the lives of other veterans, their families, or caregivers, go to https://www.va.gov/womenvet/outreach/trailblazers.asp to nominate them. The cutoff date is September 30.

Until next time, be kind to others and take care of yourself.

DVIDS photo

By DENNIS HOWLAND, CHAIR

I hope everyone has enjoyed the summer and kept up with scheduled activities despite the extreme heat and storms experienced across the nation.

In the next few years our state councils, chapters, and the national office will have the opportunity to be involved in planning and implementing several programs that will commemorate aspects of our history. We hope all members will participate and use some of the proposed programs to tell their Vietnam War stories and their Vietnam Veterans of America stories.

We are preparing a survey with the question: “Does VVA membership support the organization taking a public stance that advocates for federally legislated mandatory national service?” You should be receiving the survey via email or be asked to participate in the survey in another form by September 1.

Watch for more information on commemorative programs that will be coming up next year, in 2026, and 2028, in this column and elsewhere in The VVA Veteran. That includes the 50th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War next year, the 40th anniversary of VVA’s congressional charter in 2026, and the 50th anniversary of VVA’s founding in 2028.

For the upcoming school year, the VVA JROTC Essay Contest theme will remain the same as this past year, “Importance of Accounting for our POW/MIAs.” You can present the medals any time throughout the year. Only the essay entries (one from each state council) have an April 1st deadline.

We are looking into including Sea Cadets and Civil Air Patrol members in the program. It is important that we recognize those young people who display their loyalty, hard work, and patriotism.

At VVA information booths and displays, please remember that you are free to discuss legislation affecting veterans. However, you must keep VVA neutral in politics. The information you provide to the public should contain our efforts and our successes with advocating for legislation and benefits for all veterans.

This is an election year. As a veteran, let your candidates and current members of Congress know what your priorities are and let them know that you are not going to disappear. Find out where they stand on your issues. VVA’s issues should be included in your issues.

It is good to tell people about VVA programs and successes over our nearly 50 years of service.

It is your legacy. It belongs to you, and whatever you leave behind will remain only as long as the foundations you build while you are still here. Thank you for your service to VVA, as well as to all veterans and your communities.

By GRANT COATES, CHAIR

As of August 12, the number of Americans missing and unaccounted-for from the Vietnam War was 1,575. The countries are: Vietnam - 1,237; Laos – 283; Cambodia - 48; Peoples Republic of China territorial waters –7. These numbers fluctuate due to new investigations resulting in changed locations of loss.

On July 22, the Defense POW/MIA Accounting Agency announced that U.S. Air Force Sgt. David S. Price of Centralia, Washington, who was killed during the Vietnam War, was accounted for a month earlier.

In 1968, Price and 18 other men were assigned to Lima Site 85, an air navigation radar site on a remote, 5,600-foot mountain peak known as Phou Pha Thi in Houaphan Province in Laos during the so-called “secret war” in that country. On March 10, the site was overrun by NVA and Pathet Lao troops. Price and 10 other Americans perished in the fighting, although their bodies were not recovered.

In 1994, a joint U.S.-Lao People’s Democratic Republic recovery operation took place near the top of Phou Pha Thi, but no remains were found. A second recovery operation, in 2003, resulted in the discovery of remains subsequently identified as one of the missing servicemembers, USAF Tech Sgt. Patrick L. Shannon. After that, logistics and safety concerns precluded further site investigation work.

From 1994-2009, in cooperation with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam and the Lao People’s Republic, teams pursued leads from dozens of witnesses, including those involved with the attack. In 2003, a joint team recovered remains along the western slopes of the mountain peak. The remains were scientifically identified as one of the 11 missing Airmen from the March 10, 1968, fighting. In 2023, DPAA personnel and members from partner organizations discovered unexploded ordnance, incident-related materials, possible material evidence, and possible bone tissue remains believed to be Price’s at the research site. To identify his remains, DPA scientists used circumstantial evidence and scientists from the Armed Forces Medical Examiner System used mitochondrial DNA analysis.

Today, Price is memorialized on the Courts of the Missing at the National Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, and on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. Price, who was 26 when he lost his life in 1968, was buried in Centralia, Washington, on August 30.

VVA’s Veterans Initiative Program needs your help. Objects taken from the battlefields of Vietnam are more than souvenirs or war trophies. Maps, stories, after-action reports, pictures, and military items may have a story that could result in finding the location of missing war dead.

Contact the Veterans Initiative at:
Veterans Initiative Program
Vietnam Veterans of America
8719 Colesville Rd., Suite 100
Silver Spring, MD 20910
vi@vva.org

By KEN ROSE, NATIONAL REPRESENTATIVE

As we move into fall, VVA members are carrying with us fresh ideas from the Leadership Conference, as we strive to build our legacy.

In my last column, I mentioned the Postage Stamp Project. I have since spoken with the Tucson VAMC, and they confirmed that such a project existed at their facility. However, it was independently run by a veteran patient, with the Volunteer Office only supporting it by forwarding materials to him. Unfortunately, after the patient’s death, no one stepped up to continue the project, and it has disappeared.

A VVA member who used to work with Gerry Nye and the patient contacted me about the project. This member has boxes of stamps that he would like to donate. If anyone knows of a VAMC that runs a Postage Stamp Project as a therapy for patients, please contact me so we can put these materials to good use.

In the past, the VA often was considered a daunting and difficult place. While there are still many challenges, efforts are being made to improve the system. In the wake of the passage of the PACT Act, trust in the VA has risen, with an 84 percent approval rating from patients in the last year. Trust in outpatient care has increased to 91 percent.

I’ve received some interest from VVA members about the VAMC Compassionate Care programs. You can set up your participation by phone through your local VA Volunteer Office. This program allows you to call a homebound veteran at a time convenient for you both, providing a check-in and letting the veteran know that someone cares. The Volunteer Office is always looking for help in this area; it is a very rewarding experience.

And don’t forget to keep encouraging veterans you encounter to enroll and get the help they need at the VA, now and in the future.

I apologize for the incorrect phone number in the last issue. My correct number is 215-527-3494. Please leave a message. Be sure to identify yourself, and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

You can also reach me via email at krose@vva.org

By THOMAS G. HALL, PH.D., CHAIR

As we look back on VVA’s many accomplishments over the years helping all our brothers and sisters come all the way home, we can take credit for many advances made in service to veterans for both visible and invisible wounds.

There was a time when other veterans groups denied the existence of PTSD. Great strides in awareness and treatment have been made by the hard work of VVA’s many committees.

For years, the VA denied or minimized things like PTSD, and the relationship between the system and veterans felt adversarial. That has changed. VA policies have greatly improved, especially around the issue of PTSD.

For one thing, there is a willingness to listen to and believe veterans. And there is an increased understanding of how PTSD is woven into the fabric of our lives. VA has helped many veterans to survive the psychological wounds of war, allowing them to thrive and live productive lives with support and understanding.

When veterans enroll in VA health care today, several things happen. The veterans are told where the nearest VA is. Next, they are provided with information about the services offered there. Even if a new enrollee does not need VA services, they are now on record as veterans. This could become important years later when something does happen, and they need the VA services they have earned.

Many treatments for PTSD work for about half of veterans treated. They include Prolonged Exposure Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, and Cognitive Behavioral Conjoint Therapy, the latter of which particularly helps couples.

Most veterans who have sought help through the VA have experienced improvements from one or more of these treatments. But no matter how effective the therapy is, no veterans will get help from therapies they don’t know about.

Even though there is more to do in developing therapies that are effective, there remains a group of veterans unfamiliar with any of this, veterans who have never enrolled in the VA. The committee challenges all veterans who do make use of the VA to encourage other veterans to at least enroll.

Encouraging a fellow veteran to enroll doesn’t just mean they will have access to life-changing, or even lifesaving, healthcare. It also means when their time on this earth is over, the VA can help provide care for their loved ones. These are benefits all veterans have earned through their service. With the passage of the PACT Act, many more veterans and survivors are eligible for VA healthcare and benefits, including many Vietnam War veterans.

PTSD is one of the invisible wounds of war, and it can have an impact on our lives in ways we are unaware of. Encouraging a veteran to enroll in the VA is foundational to the mission of VVA, exemplified by our Founding Principle: “Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another.”

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