Below was writtern by our National President, Tom Burke. This is an option that will be discussed by our leadership ongoing. The below is not written in stone, but a starting point for discussions on VVA's future.
Mission 75
I introduced what I call Mission 75 or (Veterans Victory Alliance) to the CSCP and the BODs at the recently passed BOD meeting. The name above has been suggested as another name for the project. I put it out there for reference. However, it was my attempt to provide to the membership what they have been asking for over the last several years. That being moving forward, first, how do we keep our name. Second how do we go past the March 1, 2028, date, which everyone viewed as a drop dead date for VVA. Well, I simply don’t see it that way. The date became a planning date, because without one you cannot plan for anything, going away, or staying around. In this case I believe that we may have hit upon something that will work for both. Mission 75 will be a division of VVA, a visible promise that the mission will be protected and carried forward with honor and discipline. It may stand as a promise made visible – that the work begun by Vietnam Veterans so long ago, will endure beyond time, safeguarded by those who followed us and bided by the principles that founded our organization.
Purpose and Strategic Imperative
Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) was founded to correct abandonment and to ensure that veterans were never again left behind or turned against one another. Today, VVA faces different challenge – not of relevance or mission, but of time. Demographics alone demand responsible planning. Mission 75 ensures the mission, authority and legacy of VVA will endure without disruption.
Not a Merger, Not an Acquisition, Not a Takeover
The Mission 75 initiative is not a merger, acquisition or consolidation. It is a long-term phased transfer of operational capacity and institutional knowledge. Vietnam Veterans retain leadership authority for as long as any are willing and able to serve. This transition is measured in years, not moments and is designed to be calm, respectful and copntrolled.
Training future Generations of Leadership
Mission 75 creates a structured environment to train and prepare future generations of veterans to assume increasing responsibility within VVA. Rather than abrupt succession, it allows veterans to ease into advocacy, governance support, and leadership roles under the mentorship and stewardship of Vietnam Veterans, preserving institutional memory and culture.
Growing Membership without Diluting Identity
Mission 75 provides a pathway to grow membership by welcoming veterans who served after 1975 into a non-judgmental community focused on service and advocacy rather than so called era or that of combat distinctions. This expands VVA’s reach and relevance while keeping Vietnam Veterans at the center of authority and identity. This expansion also allows VVA to remain a totally veteran organization.
Operating within the existing 501 (c) 19 Congressional Charter
This plan operates fully within the existing 501 (c) 19 status and Congressional Charter. It does not require a full charter rewrite or organizational reform. Only minimal technical adjustments – such as name continuity provisions – would ever be required and only at the point when no Vietnam Veteran remains eligible to serve in National Leadership.
Preserving the strength of the 501 (c) 19 Model
Maintaining 501 (c) 19 status preserves VVA’s unique strength as a veterans’s service organization, including its advocacy authority, and Congressional recognition. Transitioning to a 501 (c) 3 would forfeit the hard won status, something VVA fought decades to achieve and must protect.
Clarifying the role of AVVA 501 (c) 3
The Associates of Vietnam Veterans of America (AVVA) properly operates as a 501 (c) 3 and remains a critical partner. AVVA can continue to grow in its associate and charitable role, but it cannot inherit or transfer the Congressional Charter, Mission 75 operating under the VVA umbrella, is the only lawful and practical continuity path.
Charter Continuity and Legal Reality
Under Congressional charter law, the charter cannot be transferred to a 501 (3). Mission 75 as a National Division within VVA’s existing structure, allows for seamless continuity when the time comes, without legal risk or loss of standing.
Permanent Stewardship of VVA’s Legacy
Mission 75 is designed to be the caretaker of all VVA history, titles, name copyright, trademarks, word marks, and symbols. This guarantees the perpetual existence of VietnamVeterans of America, not just as a memory, but a living institution.
A mission with no expiration date
This plan declares unequivocally that VVA’s mission has no expiration date. It ensures future generation of veterans do no abandon or work against on another. Instead we stand together under the same principle that founded “VVA.” “NEVER AGAIN SHALL ONE GENERATION OF VETERANS ABANDON ANOTHER. “Generational Brothers forever.”
Q. What happened when no Vietnam Veteran can serve in national leadership?
A. Only then would Mission 75 step in as the continuation of force, through minimal technical changes that preserve everything that VVA stands for.
Q. What happens to VVA’s History, name and symbols?
A. They are permanently protected. Mission 75 is charged with stewardship of all VVA history, trademarks, copyrights, and symbols.
Q. What principle guides this entire plan?
A. NEVER AGAIN WILL ONE GENERATION OF VETERANS ABANDON ANOTHER.
Be aware, in order for this plan to have any chance of working, the members of VVA will need to change our Constitution to reflect and allow that we will open our membership to new veteran members beyond 1975. Iraq, Afghanistan, Gulf War. These veterans are waiting to join us when we make this move.