Some of Aiken County's more seasoned military veterans have a new option to consider this month, amid discussion of the Vietnam Veterans of America possibly establishing a local chapter.
Blythewood resident Sam Brick, an attorney and Army veteran, spoke with dozens of vets and other local residents Monday afternoon, noting that the national organization's rules have been rewritten to require a minimum of 15 members – down from 25 – to establish a chapter. Activities included collecting signatures and contact information from people who are interested in forming a chapter. Brick is president of VVA's South Carolina council.
The national organization, as described on its website, aims to "promote and support the full range of issues important to Vietnam veterans, to create a new identity for this generation of veterans, and to change public perception of Vietnam veterans."
The state currently has nine VVA chapters, spread among Barnwell, Manning, Walhalla, Union, Spartanburg, Greenville, Myrtle Beach, Columbia and Charleston. VVA membership is open not only to veterans who served in Vietnam, but to any who served in "the Vietnam era."
Brick said the organization's current activities in South Carolina include such things as an initiative to support a reunion of prisoners of war who served in Vietnam. "There are 400 living POWs, and about 120, right now, are signed up to come up to Greenville in the first couple of days of June for this meeting," he said, citing that the POWs "showed what this nation is all about to the North Vietnamese who were holding them."
Discussion also touched on such topics as social gatherings and service projects. Brick cited the examples of recent efforts to help tornado victims in Kentucky and wildfire victims in Colorado.
"We take care of other veterans as well – not just Vietnam veterans. Our legacy is that we take care of all veterans, not being treated like we were when we came back," he said, recalling that some Vietnam veterans faced contempt upon returning from their service abroad.
Dwight Bradham, director of Aiken County Veterans Affairs, helped organize Monday's assembly. He estimated a wait of about a month for the local veterans' petition to be considered at the state level, and said that another meeting will probably be scheduled, most likely in March, to deal with such concerns as by-laws and electing officers.
"The turnout was outstanding, and there was a lot of positive information that was exchanged," said North Augusta resident Kevin Joy, commander of American Legion Post 71.
Joy was among the group's younger veterans having served in the Marine Corps from 1973 to 1985 and then the Army National Guard from 2001 to 2014.
Among local residents already familiar with VVA are Brent and Linda Caldwell. Linda acknowledged that the Aiken area has plenty of veteran service organizations, sometimes known as VSOs, so Vietnam veterans looking to get on board with VVC may include some already active in similar groups.
The Caldwells are both VVA members from years ago when they lived in Flemington, New Jersey, the home of VVA Chapter 452. Linda's background is in the Army Nurse Corps (1966-69) and Brent's is in the Air Force (1967-71).
"We thought it was important to join with others who had similar experiences, and … that it might serve a purpose for some of the guys and maybe a few gals who are Vietnam veterans," she said, noting that "there's comfort in knowing that you're with somebody who's experience what you have, or at least has been in the same situation, presumably."
She said she was pleasantly surprised by the relatively high attendance at Monday's meeting. "I think it's a good idea, and there's clearly interest in it. Advertising works."
The overall organization, based in Silver Spring, Maryland, now includes 89,086 members spread among all 50 states and several other countries, from Australia to Canada, according to a Tuesday report from VVA's office. Among its founding principles is, "Never again will one generation of veterans abandon another."
