Color Guard Pass In Review
November 11, 2008

Formation will take place at the top of the walkway to the Vietnam Women's Memorial closest to the Park Service Station. This Station is located across the street from the Lincoln Memorial. The Three Fighting Men statue can be seen off to the left from this Station. Members of the organizing committee will be present by 10:00AM to direct the participating groups with the formation.

The formation of the groups for the Pass In Review will begin at 10:00AM with step off at 11:00AM sharp.

Thank you for participating in this unique and honorable event in remembrance of the 15th anniversary of the dedication of the Vietnam Women's Memorial.

NATIONAL VIETNAM VETERANS LONGITUDINAL STUDY
Status Report and Update

Background:

In response to a mandate by the Congress, the Department of Veterans Affairs initiated the National Vietnam Veterans Readjustment Study in 1984. Utilizing a unique, nationally representative sample of male and female veterans, this study was considered a landmark in psychiatric epidemiology and moved VA to the forefront of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) research and public policy. To date, more than fifty research articles and one book have been published based on data collected for this study.  This investigation has had a major influence on the scientific study of war and its consequences, and it continues to do so more than twenty years after its completion. This record attests to the outstanding quality of the methods and measures employed.

[ Read the report ]

VVA Testimony

Veterans, Combat Stress and the Family: A Bipartisan Federal Issue Briefing hosted by Witness Justice and supported by VVA. Panelists included VVA’s Dr. Tom Berger; Kathryn Power, CMHS Director; John Baker, Attorney; Todd Bowers, IAVA; and Gen. Xenakis, DoD

October 24, 2008

“We’ll always have Paris,” said Humphrey Bogart as he parted from Ingrid Bergman in the film Casablanca. It’s a great movie line and it says a lot about the amazing human gift called memory. Like Bogey, you can keep your favorite places and people with you simply by pulling up your happy memories of them – even if they’re miles away or long-gone. Without flipping open a scrap book or putting in a CD, you can conjure up your newborn’s first smile or words, the ecstasy – or agony – of prom night, or even the aroma of Mom’s freshly baked cookies.

But memories have a dark side also. They can make you feel devastated, furious, or humiliated (many of you just thought about prom night again, didn’t you?), even decades after something bad happens. What’s more, bad memories seem to stick more than happy ones – and that’s especially true for the terrible memories like the ones our combat veterans have.

While many of us are aware of the prevalence of combat stress among our Vietnam vets and returning OIF/OEF veterans, it is my sincere hope that you will leave today’s briefing with a better understanding of the impact of combat stress in the reintegration for our returning troops, how this affects families, and how it potentially can lead to family violence.

First, however, a very brief history of combat stress, or what we know today as post-traumatic stress disorder, PTSD. It is a very old malady and as such, has been called a variety of names. In the 1670s, Swiss military doctors described the symptoms as “nostalgia”. During the Napoleonic wars of the early 19th century, battlefield surgeons began calling it “exhaustion”, and by the time of the American Civil War, it had become known as “soldier’s heart” and “the effort symptom”. “Shell shock” became the term commonly used in World War I, and this was succeeded by “combat fatigue” and “battle fatigue” in World War II. By the time the war in Vietnam was winding down in the early 1970s, the term “Post-Vietnam Syndrome” was being used to describe veterans’ traumatic stress reactions during and after their military service in Southeast Asia. Finally, in 1980, the term “Post-traumatic Stress Disorder” appeared in the third edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM III) and is still used today.

Read or Print Complete Testimony

Vietnam Veterans of America, Victim of Email Hoax

An email hoax, “Stats From One State,” has been circulating the Internet for more than a year. Unfortunately, someone has taken his/her personal initiative to attach the Vietnam Veterans of America logo to this flyer after it had been in circulation. The content of this email has nothing to do with Vietnam Veterans of America. We regret this egregious misuse of our logo and appreciate your efforts in setting the record straight. 

For information on the LA Times response to this email hoax, please see the linked article.

Thanks so much for your assistance in dispelling this email hoax.

The Wall 25th Anniversary Commemorative book To commemorate the anniversary and memorial events, Vietnam Veterans of America has teamed up with Boston Publishing Company, known to most of our members as the publisher of the Pulitzer Prize-nominated book series, The Vietnam Experience. [Order The Wall Book]

2008 VVA and AVVA membership Directory

Harris Connect has started to contact our members, by phone and email, regarding the Membership Directory. This message is intended to assure our members that the calls from Harris Connect are legitimate. Members do not have to respond if they choose not to.  The Directory is scheduled for completion in Fall 2008.

To order the new 2008 VVA/AVVA member directory with color photos please contact Harris Connect at (800) 558-7915.