American life has been growing steadily since 1979. Their first priority as a group, once they began to organize themselves, has been to reach out and help those Vietnam veterans who have had and still are having readjustment problems. It all began informally, with quiet advocacy, in different parts of the country. The following sections describe what they have accomplished through an innovative self-help program. Thomas Pauken, a native Texan, and the Director of ACTION, the federal umbrella agency for voluntarism, conceived the idea in 1979. Along with other Vietnam veterans, Pauken had been invited to attend a reception hosted by the Mayor of Dallas in honor of Vietnam veterans. He saw a large number of people at the reception whom he knew professionally, all successful people in a variety of fields such as business, labor, and government. What he found intriguing was the fact that he had never realized that they, too, had served in Vietnam. He wondered why those Vietnam veterans who were troubled were always featured so prominently in the media, while this even larger part of the Vietnam veteran population went unnoticed. He realized that such a group of successful veterans could make an enormous difference in people's lives if they could come together again to help. An idea took form to start a unique leadership demonstration program for Vietnam veterans. Instead of assuming them to be victims and unstable, their tangible, productive qualities would be tapped. Vietnam veterans would be given new, constructive outlets for their desire to help their fellow veterans and to help develop their respective communities. As the idea was promoted in Washington, many people believed that Vietnam veterans would never volunteer again. It is a fact that they did volunteer again, and this report describes how it was done. The leadership program was personally approved by President Ronald Reagan an July 16, 1981, with a commitment to provide federal government resources as seed capital to develop the Leadership Program concept across the country. On November 10, 1981, the eve of Veteran's Day, President Reagan officially recognized the start-up of the Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program (VVLP) in a Rose Garden ceremony. By design, the WLP is a low-budget, fixed duration program that generates a substantial amount of volunteer work to help some truly needy people in American society. Continuous funding by ACTION ends an September 30, 1984, which gave Vietnam veterans a three-year lead time to become privately funded and operated. The President's remarks at the opening ceremony are presented in Attachment No. 1. The WLP has received substantial funding from ACTION and interagency agreements with the Community Services Administration, the Office of Community Services, in the Department of Health and Human Services, and the Department of Labor. The VVLP has also been working with the Veterans Administration and its outreach centers, the Small Business Administration, locally based veterans groups, and national service organizations. In thirty-six months, Vietnam veteran volunteers achieved the following results in their new national network: 47 non-profit corporations have been established in 41 Although each of the 47 projects across the nation had More than 1,000 successful Vietnam veterans served a direct 5,879 volunteers have stepped forward nationwide to help These volunteers have given 350,449 hours of unpaid time In addition to the donation of unpaid time, an estimated More than 700 news articles were published on the WLP in 41 states, giving recognition to Vietnam veterans. These were compiled into three books by the national office covering the three-year period 1981-1984. A new image of Vietnam veterans is being presented that is based on their accomplishments as solid, reliable citizens. The program has also given visibility to their leadership abilities in peace-time situations. Since 1981 the public perception of Vietnam veterans has been changing for the better. Hundreds of recognition events and ceremonies have been organized in 41 states that lend symbolic support to Vietnam veterans. These have included construction and dedication of memorials, parades, leadership award presentations, state and local government proclamations designating Vietnam Veterans "Week" or Day," luncheons, banquets and Veterans Day memorial services with traditional groups. 2,943 Vietnam veterans have been placed into jobs in 41 states. In accomplishing this, 24,782 veterans were counseled on employment matters, 11,788 veterans were referred to other agencies for help and to employers for job interviews, and 6,088 job leads were developed. This record becomes more impressive when it is taken into consideration that employment was not the only goal or sole activity of the leadership program, and that a typical WLP placement was at a wage level above that of the typical placement made by other government employment services. If allowance is made for the fact that a program takes about six months to become effective, the average number of placements per month would increase statistically. The VVLP's SBA workshops and programs have counseled approximately 2,000 veterans on small business opportunities, helping many of them realize the American dream of owning and operating their own business. The Atlanta Office of the Small Business Administration has reported that Vietnam veterans have secured nearly $12 million dollars in small business loans during the ten month period ending on August 1, 1984. In all, 118 loan applications were submitted to the SBA in Atlanta, between October 1983 and August 1984, by Vietnam veterans. Fortyseven were approved under the Guarantee Program at an average of $200,400, while 26 were approved under the Direct Program at an average of $98,700. Approximately 20 percent of these loans were secured under a Direct Loan Program funded by Congress. The other 80 percent were funded through a bank-assisted Guarantee Program. A review of WLP private fundraising activity reveals that many successful "special-event" approaches have been used, raising $356,500 in cash donations to date. In all such endeavors, the use of volunteers has been a key factor. Experience in getting grants from state and local governments, and foundations has been dependent upon the cost-effectiveness of the program, benefits to the community, volunteer contributions, and the low proportion of funding utilized for administrative expenses. The WLP has worked to increase veterans' acceptance of traditional benefit and service providers, and to improve the services being rendered. It has worked cooperatively with the White House, Congress, a number of Federal agencies, Veterans Service Organizations, and state and local agencies. The cost of field operations for all projects came to $4,991,910, or 87.80% of the three-year total. The cost of national headquarters was $693,885, a 12.20% of the total funds expended. The average monthly cost for all 47 projects in the national network was $138,664. Individual projects cost $106,210 an average during the 36-month period putting in an average of 22.4 months of operations. Nationally, the WLP network is helping implement new federal job programs. The Job Training Partnership Act, for example, makes provisions for services that are exclusively for "Vietnam era, service-connected disabled veterans and recently separated veterans." At least ten WLPS have been awarded grants by the Department of Labor with about 15 more still pending as of August 10, 1984. Among the WLPS to wham JTPA grants were awarded were New Mexico, Georgia, St. Louis, Maryland, Louisiana, Kentucky and New Jersey. The national WVLP network supports the Emergency Veterans Job Training Act, which is more in line with the program's assessment of Vietnam veterans' employment needs. At a minimum, WLP services for JTPA and EVJTA clients consist of outreach, assistance with acquisition and preparation of necessary forms, review of wark history to determine job skills and potential, and refering veterans to employers and job services if necessary. One of the major, potential contributions to be made by the national network is to relocate veterans to more suitable jobs in different regions. This type of service is urgently needed for veterans who live in regions of high, chronic unemployment which results in large numbers of displaced and dislocated workers. This networking has already taken place between a few of the WLPS, and the national WVLP recently submitted a proposal to obtain Department of Labor support to establish a network among many states. Perhaps the most important contribution is the example that these veterans are setting for the next generation. While leadership programs have gone a long way to bring Vietnam veterans into the mainstream of American society, they have not gone far enough. There is a need to go beyond veterans issues and deal directly with issues of leadership at all levels of American society and in all areas of societal concern. This generation of of Americans, almost 3.0 million of them veterans of the Vietnam war, are now approaching middle age. This is the The purpose of the WLP's work is to encourage leaders among Vietnam veterans to act as volunteers in their communities helping fellow veterans in need. They volunteer their time, talents, energy, and often their own money to help veterans find jobs, start small businesses, and, when, necessary, they refer veterans to appropriate agencies and professionals for assistance in resolving special problems. At the same time, the new network of volunteers faces the challenge of explaining who they are, what they do, and why other leaders and community organizations should pay attention to it at local, state and national levels. In meeting this challenge, Leadership volunteers, organizing themselves as community-based groups, have open-ended opportunities for expanding their network, and for developing their management, policymaking and political skills. Each corporation's board of directors, staff, and community-based network consists primarily of Vietnam veterans who are now in positions of leadership in industry, commerce and government. The boards of directors and advisors in each local area, for the most part, also represent the major veteran groups, veteran service organizations, as well as a cross-section of community leaders. 2. Historical Perspective Vietnam veterans share a profound sense of the changes their country has experienced during the past twenty years. They served their country with pride and accepted the pain and anguish that came with a war they did not start. Today they are getting on with their lives, and with the business of leading America into a new and promising future. The American experiment in democracy continues. Their record in having served that democracy, when called, reaffirms their loyalty to that democracy. It was this nation's longest war, No one has really forgotten the Vietnam war. becoming part of everyone's daily lives. It took shape on principles that had evolved during the 200 year history of the American Republic. While memories may fade, and time may heal all wounds, the principles still stand at the core of American government and consciousness. An historical perspective on national values from the viewpoint of the 1960's is presented in Attachment No. 2. The members of the Vietnam war generation had all been raised and educated on America's revolutionary beliefs and ideas. They shared in the early 1960s a sense of unity, pride and confidence in the nation's apparent |