BY JUSTIN LATINI

New England Chapters celebrated the National Vietnam War Veterans Day at many ceremonies in March. Ray Goulet, Chapter 41’s president, hosted an event at the New Hampshire Veterans Home in Tilton. Chapter 207 held ceremonies at the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Fall River, as well at the Massachusetts National Cemetery in Bourne, where they also held their final 50th Anniversary commemoration.

Memorial Day will be upon us soon. Traditional ceremonies are being planned. Meanwhile, VVA chapters and veterans groups continue to hold weekly coffees throughout the region.

Turning to the summer, motorcycle fundraisers will continue in Gardner, Massachusetts. And we’re looking forward to the Region 1 conference in Rutland, Vermont, on June 14. Chapters should check with their state councils for more information.

I encourage chapters to send members to the National Convention in August to have their voices heard and to ensure that their vote will move the organization in a direction they are comfortable with.

BY JOHN RILING III

After the Region delegate accounting was released by VVA National, the states in Region 5 have been authorized the following number of delegates to the National Convention in August:

Illinois, 8 delegates for the state council and 32 chapter delegates; Indiana, 5 state council delegates and 22 chapter delegates; Michigan, 12 state council delegates and 84 chapter delegates; Ohio, 8 state council delegates and 74 chapter delegates. This means that there is the possibility of having 250 Convention delegates represent Region 5 in New Orleans.

The Region 5 Preconvention Conference will discuss the amendments to the VVA Constitution and Resolutions that come out of the committees. The Indiana State Council is holding its meeting on June 24. The Buckeye State Council is having its meeting on June 27 and 28. I will be attending the Indiana meeting by Zoom and the Buckeye meeting in person.

It is imperative that your chapter and state council Convention delegates attend these meetings to bring back important information to present to their chapters. Much about the future of VVA will be determined at the Convention in New Orleans.

BY JOHN MARGOWSKI

The deadline for submitting proposed Resolutions and Constitutional amendments for consideration at the 2025 National Convention was March 31, 2025. After the submitted proposed resolutions are reviewed by the appropriate committees, they (and the proposed Constitutional amendments) will be presented to the Convention delegates in August.

We have a total of 196 delegates for our Region. I encourage all Region 6 state presidents to send as many delegates to the Convention as possible because some very important decisions about the future of VVA will be decided at the Convention.

I met with the Region 6 presidents at the April Board meeting to discuss having a Region meeting in late June or early July in Janesville, Wisconsin.

BY FRANCISCO F. IVARRA

Region 8 continues to be active and productive. All chapter and state Presidents have kept their members engaged and have encouraged them to remain focused on helping our fellow veterans and their families. All of us participated in some way during National Vietnam War Veterans Day: I, for instance, was privileged to attended the Yakama Warriors Association “Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans” event at Sarg Hubbard Park in Yakima, Washington.

April and May promise to be busy but exciting months for Region 8. From April 11-12, I will be attending the Oregon State Council meeting in Lebanon, and I also plan to attend the Alaska State Council meeting in Anchorage from April 14-15. During April 18-19, the Washington State Council meeting will be taking place in Toppenish. From April 23-26 the National Board meeting will be held at the Sheraton Hotel, Pentagon City and from May 1-3, I will be in Bozeman attending the Montana State Council meeting.

Region 8 will continue to be successful in doing what is right and fair to help our veteran community. Our service area is large but so are our accomplishments; they range from “helping your neighbor stories” to major accomplishments within our territory. Washington still has the number one VVA/VSO program in the nation; Oregon has been working to reopen the VA Hospital in Roseburg; our Alaskan members have been working hard to provide VSO assistance in extremely remote areas of the state; and VVA members have been committed to repairing and building Vietnam veterans memorials in Montana and establishing wheelchair capability in Idaho.

We look forward to the National Convention in New Orleans and hope you will join us. Take care, stay calm, and embrace life! Peace.

BY DICK SOUTHERN

The 2025 VVA National Convention will be held at the Marriott in New Orleans, from August 5-9. The convention is where the delegates direct the future of VVA through resolutions and amendments to our National Constitution. It is also where we elect the leadership of VVA for the next two years.

I am looking forward to a good turnout of the delegates from Region 9. Here is the breakdown of delegates for the State Councils in Region 9: Arizona has 27 delegates; California has 105 delegates; Colorado has 19 delegates; Guam has 3 delegates; Hawaii has 6 delegates; New Mexico has 13 delegates; Nevada has 30 delegates; The Republic of the Philippines has 2 delegates; and Utah has 7 delegates.

Please give increased attention to submitting Finance and Election reports on time. Your State Council and Chapter delegates will not be seated at the convention if the reports are not submitted on time.

I pray that you all stay safe and stay well and check on your buddies. Get back in the habit of attending meetings and renew efforts to recruit new members. In the meantime, I am available by e-mail. You can contact me at dick.southern@gmail.com with any questions or concerns.

AT-LARGE

BY DOTTIE BARICKMAN

During the many gatherings I attend with fellow Vietnam War veterans from all levels of VVA, I find myself being asked and asking others, “So, what have you been up to?” Rather than responding with the usual small talk, I have recently been sharing how far the Nebraska Vietnam Veteran Memorial Foundation has come since it was dedicated in June 2024.

After a brief pause that allowed the foundation board time to catch up on administrative tasks, efforts progressed quickly and within three months, all debts were paid and the foundation had balanced its 4-5 year budgets. The foundation has now moved into Phase II, which includes a plan to build an Education Center on the same property as the Memorial.

There has been an outpouring of support for this living, breathing testimony to the sacrifices made by those who served, as well as those who were left behind to support the communities. We launched Project Share Your Story during Phase I, and Phase II will escalate this effort to capture stories of the 37,000 Vietnam War veterans in Nebraska and their families.

We continue to be joined by strategic partners such as architects, fundraisers, counties, cities, and Bellevue University, which has allowed us to pursue ambitious endeavors such as Project 400, an initiative to share the stories of the 400 Nebraskans who lost their lives during the Vietnam War. Miles Landaw, a multimedia support specialist at Bellevue University, has agreed to work on this project. He spent countless hours preparing an award-winning emotionally resonant film called “Nebraska 400.” Whenever the film can be viewed by VVA members and other Vietnam veterans, we will make sure everyone knows: When you see it, keep your eyes peeled for VVA President Jack McManus, who appears on stage at the 2024 memorial dedication.

Thank you for your support. If you have comments, questions, or concerns, feel free to contact me at drbarickman@hotmail.com; dottieb@vva.org; or 712-314-1808 (cell).

AT-LARGE

BY RICHARD LINDBECK

Greetings to all. It has been a busy month for me and also a productive one for at-large member events.

On March 29, I traveled to Eau Claire, Wisconsin, for the Vietnam Veterans Day program. Chapter 5 did a fantastic job with the presentation. John Miller, a U.S. Army Vietnam War veteran, gave a talk about injuries he received in the war. John “Trapper” Schultz, an Army Special Forces veteran and Silver Star recipient, spoke about his in-country experiences and I gave a presentation on my time in Vietnam. We all received a great welcome home from the attendees.

On April 3, I was in Manitowoc, Wisconsin, to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Chapter 731. The event was well attended by members and the public.

I have had the privilege of being on a committee that has identified every Civil War veteran from Washington County, Wisconsin. On April 6, I gave a presentation at a Civil War cemetery to honor those who served during that conflict.

The 2025 National Convention is rapidly approaching and I am looking forward to seeing all of you there. Remember: This is an election year, and all offices will be voted on for the next two years.

I received the delegate count for this Convention and we have 1,874 potential delegates. It would be fantastic if all of them registered. Be sure to pre-register to make the registration process as easy as possible.

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