VietNow National Magazine

The VietNow National Magazine – Christian Nelson, Editor
Interested in writing an article for the VietNow National Magazine? E-mail to vietnoweditor@vietnow.com or click here for writers guidelines. If you don't want to read the guidelines (even though you should) the mailing address is P.O. Box 999, Pine Island, Minnesota 55963.

More than "just another boring organizational magazine," the VietNow National Magazine covers the issues that are important to you. Unlike most of the other "magazines" you'll find on the internet, the VietNow National Magazine is a real magazine, printed on slick, white paper, using a very large printing press. It's not just a "web-zine" that no one wants to read. And when you become a VietNow member, you'll get your very own copy delivered in the U.S. mail.

If you haven't joined VietNow yet, and don't get "the real thing," click some of the articles below and see a few articles from our recent issues.

PTSD: When TV Is Not Enough Veterans suffering from PTSD tend to spend a lot of time watching television. Our PTSD writers, Jan Fishler and Mary Tendall suggest turning off the TV, and checking out the world of volunteering. Read the full story.

Guarding the Colors: Rockford Chapter Color Guard When William Backes, a homeless Vietnam veteran was beaten up and killed in Rockford, Illinois, a few years ago, he didn’t have a lot of friends left to come to his funeral. That’s when the Rockford Charter Chapter and the McHenry VietNow chapter stepped in. Read the full story.

Homeless Veterans: VietNow Is There To Help When Chicago held its Stand Down for Homeless Veterans, VietNow was there. This was a unique stand down. Not only does the stand down provide needed services for the veterans, but it gives them the camaraderie they once knew. Read the full story.

Tinnitus and Hearing Loss In two related articles our VA claims expert Raymond F. Gustavson, Jr. explains what might be the cause of the ringing or buzzing sounds in your ears, and goes in depth regarding hearing loss, and how to file VA claims for either or both conditions. Read the full story.

The Last House on the Block Matt Davison writes about New Directions, an organization with an excellent reputation for serving veterans (especially Veterans Incarcerated) in need and at risk. Read the full story.

Legislative News The start of the 111th Congress has so far been interesting, to say the least. We have a new president, and new Secretary, not so new though, of the Department of Veterans Affairs. So far there have been limited bills presented that actually do affect veterans. By Joe Lewis.

VA: Vet to Vet Got problems with the VA or any other veterans issue? Maybe we can help. Article by Bob Gutsche.

Agent Orange: "It was exactly 30 years after I got back that I was diagnosed." Vietnam veteran Jim Fiebke had no idea that he was eligible for VA benefits due to his Agent Orange-related illness. Interview by health and science writer Kathlyn Stone.

The Khe Sanh Address The battle of Khe Sanh took place between January 21 and April 8, 1968. For forty-one years no U.S. President mentioned Khe Sanh with the respect it deserved until President Barack Obama's inaugural address. By Larry Winters.

From Time to Time: A Soldier's Story of Life and the Vietnam War This book by Robert Newell, reviewed by VietNow Contributing Editor, Karen St. John, mirrors a time of real people and real actions – of brutal truth engulfed in a harsh war. Read the review.

The Last Vietnam Veteran VietNow National President Rich Sanders travels into the distant future to see what the last Vietnam veteran might think of things. Read it now.

Veterans Incarcerated: Antigone Is there a connection between an ancient Greek tragedy and veterans incarcerated? Article by Matt Davison.

Filing Your VA Disability Claim A rewarding experience or lots of agony. What you do during the claims process can make a big difference. Our VA claims specialist tells you what to do, and how to do it. By Raymond Gustavson.

23rd Annual VietNow National Convention a Major Success Sponsored and hosted by the Trail of Tears VietNow chapter – The Last Weekend in May – in Cape Girardeau, Missouri. VietNow National Administrative Assistant Eileen Shoemaker and American Gold Star Mother Mary Jane Kiepe took some great photos. Check out the pictures.

Angels Wear Black Raymond F. Gustavson, Jr. writes about Monica Harvey, an angel in black. Read the full story.

John "Top" Holland Is VietNow's Veteran of the Year Having always been a soldier's solder, Top's retirement from the military didin't mean he was going to quit caring for veterans. Read the full story.

Here We Go Again Incoming VA Secretaries always talk a good game, but how many of them have made things better for veterans? Raymond F. Gustavson, Jr. asks some questions about Retired General Eric K. Shinseki. Read the full story.

Letter From Iraq VietNow member, Chris Buscher, who also happens to be the son of National Treasurer, Terry Buscher, writes home from the war. Read the full story.

PTSD: Living With Guilt and Shame The guilt and shame that comes with PTSD robs you of pleasure and joy. Read the story.

Convention First Impressions Find out what happens when a former "VA guy" goes to our convention. Story by Ray Gustavson.

Stephenson County Vietnam-Era Veterans Memorial The story behind the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Freeport, Illinois. By Sam Veer

The Hidden Heart of the Warrior A letter written on behalf of Vietnam veterans still suffering from PTSD. By Mary Tendall.

Letters of Thanks to Jan and Mary Letters from veterans and family members who have read the articles by our PTSD writers. Letters to Jan Fishler and Mary Tendall.

CAUTION! Personal Story: Proceed at Your Own Risk VietNow National President Rich Sanders remembers Robert J. Acalotto, whose name appears alphabetically at the top of our government list of Last Known Alive (LKA) servicemen from the Vietnam War. Article by Rich Sanders.

Your VA Appeal If your VA appeal has been rejected, don't give up. Our VA claims specialist tells you what to do, and how to do it. By Raymond Gustavson.

Book Review: Red Clay on My Boots What happened to a Navy medic who lived through Khe Sanh and the years after. Review by Karen St. John.

Armoring the Strykers in Kuwait When the job of getting extra armor put onto the Strykers broke down, an unlikely crew of volunteers took over. Story by Jean Brasic.

The Message Once Was, "POW/MIA: You Are Not Forgotten!" But is that still true today? Have they been forgotten? National President's Message.

The Bracelet Do you know where your POW/MIA bracelet is? It's time to take it out of that drawer and start wearing it again. Story by Sam Veer.

PTSD: It's Never Too Late You can still get your PTSD under control Believe it. Read the story.

2007 Volunteer of the Year Awards Dave Scott of the Rockford Charter Chapter, and Ed Cash of the DuPage County Chapter: They give their all for VietNow and for veterans. Read more.

I Wasn't Who They Thought I Was A Vietnam remembrance: Death, pain, heartbreak, guilt, and a story that continues to this day. Story by Carlos DeLuna.

The VietNow Volunteer Spirit: What Makes Us Do It? Why are VietNow members always there when a veteran needs a hand? Past-National Vice President tells why he does it.

War & Pieces: Damn You Vietnam In this book, Joseph Neilson takes us with him on his journey through his time in Vietnam. Reviewed by Karen St. John.

Do You Want to Burn This Flag? We asked people to let us know what they think about people burning the flag and how that relates to freedom of expression. We 've gotten a few answers so far, but we'd also like to hear from you. What do you think of people who burn the flag?

An Enormous Crime: The Definitive Account of American POWs Abandoned in Southeast Asia Part history, part exposé, in this book, Billy Hendon reveals the facts about the POW/MIA story as he sees it. Read the full story.

Your VA Claim for Sexual Trauma A bad situation can be made better with this information and advice from our VA claims expert. Read the story.

Ready to Forward that E-Mail? Please Stop and Think First. Please stop clogging everyone's mailbox with useless (and annoying) junk. Article by Darrell and Linda Gilgan.

The U.S. Government Has Lied to Me for 42 Years About What Happened to My Husband When her husband, Col. David L. Hrdlicka, was shot down in 1965, she believed that the government would do everything possible to bring him back home. Story by Carol Hrdlicka.

Veterans Incarcerated: The Brothers of Holman Unit: Atmore, AlabamaVeterans incarcerated have no plans of giving up. Article by Matt Davison.

POW/MIA: What's Going On With the POW/MIA Issue? Read this article and then draw your own conclusions. Article by Bill Kessling.

Not Made in China Anymore A new Minnesota law requires American flags sold in the state to be made in theU.S.A. Read the story.

Do You Remember the Artillery? The exploits of the artillery are too often forgotten. Story by William L. Harlan

PTSD: Is It Treatable? Or Do I Just Learn to Cope? Seeking treatment for PTSD is a hard decision for many veterans, but with the new treatment techniques now available, it's often possible to actually end the symptoms of trauma. Read the story.

Agent Orange and Your VA Claim How hard is it to get compensation for an Agent Orange-related health claim? How do you prove it? A retired VA Rating Specialist tells you how. Get the facts here.

Gunned Down in Basic Training Those shots you got in basic training were meant to protect you from some really bad diseases. Unfortunately, there have been some unintended consequences that might affect you. Find out how your health may be affected.

PTSD and Your VA Claim A former VA Rating Specialist provides some clues. Check it out.

POW/MIA Flags Are Everywhere The black flag is flying everywhere. Here are just a few of our favorites. Is your POW/MIA flag shown here?

Looking Back. Moving Forward. In the quest to help Veterans Incarcerated, much has been done. And much more work still lies ahead. Article by Matt Davison.

Holding On To Hope Even though it was 1968 when her son disappeared in Southeast Asia, POW/MIA Mom Dorothy Boyer has never given up hope. Read about it.

Making Sense of PTSD Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder still keeps many veterans from finding the peace they deserve. Read more here.

A Special Reunion Veterans of the undefined and strange war of the '60s and early '70s, these men will not be forgotten. First Cav reunion.

May 12, 1968 From the point of view of his mother, a winner of VietNow's Sons & Daughters In Touch Scholarship tells the story of his grandfather's death in Vietnam. By John Howard Starnes.

The Truth About VietNow No brag – just fact. What VietNow really does and why we do it. Read about it.

Stand Down at Camp Algonquin Ever wonder how bad the homeless veteran situation really is? Find out about it.

Sculptor Andrew Chernak is VietNow's Veteran of the Year He's the creator and sculptor of the American Gold Star Mothers memorial. Read more.

Less-Than-Famous War Memorials They're all over the place. Veterans memorials and war memorials that are mostly known only to the people who live nearby. Read more here.

The Legislative Report While it may seem boring to keep track of what's going on in Congress, those bills and committee meetings can become very important to you. Read more.

Lakeland VietNow VietNow's chapter in Wisconsin's North Woods. What they've been up to.

Bright Lights at Lake City The Traveling Wall comes to a small town in Minnesota. See what it was like.

Invitation to an Art Gallery The National Vietnam Veterans Art Gallery. It's in Chicago. They've got artwork like you wouldn't believe. It's easy to get to. Our story tells you how. Story by Judy McKee.

Pacific Northwest Chapter Wins "Bring Them Home Alive" Award Though small in numbers, the Pacific Northwest VietNow chapter really does the job with POW/MIA awareness. Read more.

The Power of a Name Looking for a name on The Wall, a woman finds more than she expected. Article by Ann FitzHenry.

Amnesia at the Traveling Wall On his first trip to any kind of wall, a guy finds a name and also a case of amnesia. Read more.

We'll be adding lots more stories here in the near future. Come back for another look soon.

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