After 23 years, Brattleboro Chapter 843 of Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) is disbanding. Its final meeting is set for March 14.
Leonard Derby of Brattleboro, who has been the chapter's president for the past 22 years, said he recently decided to step down, and "no one was willing to take over the chapter. Our membership is aging and several members are [disabled]. That makes it tough to carry out our mission."
Derby said VVA Chapter 843, which also has members from neighboring New Hampshire and Massachusetts, had more than 30 members when it was founded in 2000, but it dropped to as few as 11 after about two years.
"Through much recruiting work, we got our membership up to 27," he said. "With a recent death, we are now at 26, and we needed to maintain at least 25 members."
Last last year, the members of VVA Chapter 843 unanimously voted to disband, and its members were given the option to transfer to one of the five other VVA chapters left in Vermont.
Derby recommended the Chapter 843 members shift their memberships to VVA Chapter 723 in Chester.
"They have vowed to go to the last man standing," he said. "Most of our members do belong to other Veteran organizations such as the VFW, the American Legion, and the Marine Corps League. I believe most of our members will stick to another VVA chapter or go at-large."
VVA is a veterans service organization that was chartered by Congress in 2000 to serve Vietnam War–era veterans and change the public perception of them.
"I feel we did just that," said Derby, who served in the Army from 1967 to 1968 in an aviation brigade.
"I'm proud of our members that we have signed on over the years," he said. "Carl Greenwood did most of the leg work getting us started; he served as chapter president for the first year, and I served as vice president. I took over as president in our second year and served ever since."
Derby said that perhaps the proudest accomplishment of Chapter 843 was bringing the Vietnam War Moving Memorial Wall to Brattleboro in 2021. Working with other local veterans organizations, as well as many community members, Derby said that the undertaking was a huge success.
Chapter 843 was one of eight original VVA chapters formed in Vermont. Derby said that if Essex Chapter 829, which also contemplating disbanding, follows Brattleboro's lead, only four chapters will remain in the state.
The aging out of the generation that served in the military in the Vietnam era was inevitable, as most Vietnam veterans are now in their 70s and 80s. Derby said that has made it more difficult for the remaining VVA chapters to continue their work.
At the same time, he said, "it appears to be as much work closing down a chapter as it was to get the chapter started."
Derby said Chapter 843 is nonetheless finding ways to carry out its legacy.
"We have decided to place $1,100 into a trust fund to assist with our flag maintenance program at the Vermont Veterans Cemetery in Randolph," he said. "With some of the remaining funds, we may donate to an organization of our choosing."
And, "on top of all that, we plan to purchase materials to build a chest to store our chapter archives and some Vietnam War artifacts," Derby said. "We want to preserve information of our chapter for future generations."
This News item by Randolph T. Holhut was written for The Commons.