This collection has five series: Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. Chapter 9 (Detroit), Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc., Michigan Veterans Trust Fund, Vietnam Monument Commission, and Audio and visual material. Records in this collection include administrative documents, Vietnam Veterans of American national convention materials, and VVA chapter newsletters and publications.
Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 9, Detroit, an affiliated chapter of the national organization Vietnam Veterans of America Inc., is a service and fraternal organization of men and women who served in the U.S. Military during the Vietnam era. Membership is open to all veterans who served on active duty during the period August 5, 1964 to May 5, 1975 or who served in Vietnam at any time. About 90 percent of Chapter 9 members are Vietnam combat veterans.
Originally organized ca. 1978-1979 as Vietnam Veterans of Michigan, Chapter 9 was incorporated as a non profit corporation with the State of Michigan in April 1981. Chapter 9 membership was about 650 in 1987, making Detroit the largest local VVA chapter in the country. It has played an influential role in the national organization, sending several members to serve as national officers and hosting the 1985 national convention.
Chapter 9 sponsors a variety of individual and group counseling programs for Vietnam-era veterans, with special emphasis on post-traumatic stress disorder, agent orange, drug and alcohol abuse, employment, and Veterans Administration claims assistance. Other chapter activities include lobbying for legislation beneficial to veterans, conducting public education programs in schools, churches, and civic organizations, and participating in community development projects, particularly in the Woodward Avenue neighborhood of its headquarters and service center.
Keith King, the donor of this collection, was a founding, and life, member of VVA's Chapter 9. He has served three consecutive terms as the Chairman of the State of Michigan Council and State Commissioner of the Michigan Vietnam Monument Commission. He was also appointed a Trustee of the Michigan Veterans Trust Fund and served as the Chairman of the Board of Trustees from 1996-1998 and 2001-2002.
The Michigan Veterans Trust Fund is a program under the Department of Military and Veterans Affairs that provides assistance to veterans or their families facing temporary financial hardship. Some Vietnam Veterans of America representatives serve on the board of this program.
The Vietnam Monument Commission was formed for the purpose creating memorial monument for Vietnam veterans in the state of Michigan. This commission began its work in 1990 and through fundraising efforts and design competitions aided in the creation of a monument built in Lansing in 2001.
