The Northwest Montana chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America is up and running.

State Vietnam Veterans of America President Beverly Stuart of Billings was in Kalispell last week to present the charter for Chapter 1087 to local Chapter President John Burgess.

It has been seven years since the state organization has chartered a Vietnam Veterans of America chapter in Montana, according to Burgess. The local chapter was required to have at least 25 members to form and already has 70 members. 

The chapter is open to both Vietnam War and Vietnam-era veterans who served in the military from 1962 to 1975.

Members will participate in a variety of local veteran activities such as presenting flag lines at veteran funerals and military homecomings, participating in wreath-laying ceremonies, fundraising for holiday gifts for Montana Veterans Home residents and volunteering at veteran stand downs and other veteran events.

One of the first local projects will be raising money to take six Vietnam veterans on the annual Run to the Wall this summer. 

The annual trips that take veterans on routes through America’s heartland are aimed at promoting healing among all veterans and their families, honoring the memory of those killed in action and remembering those missing in action.

The Run to the Wall culminates at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C.

Burgess, who joined the Navy at age 17 in 1972 and served aboard the USS Meyerkord DE-1058, and his wife, Willa, participated in last year’s Run to the Wall and were part of a massive motorcycle entourage that rode through the southern United States.

“I want to be able to share what I experienced with others and show them that the healing process begins with a first step,” Burgess said.

He plans to secure a van equipped with a nurse to take six physically challenged veterans on the trip. Because these veterans are on fixed incomes, the fundraising goal is $3,000 per veteran.

Donations may be sent to Northwest Montana Chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America, P.O. Box 86, Somers, MT 59932.

The local chapter will meet at 6:30 p.m. the second Wednesday of the month in Room 139 of the Flathead Valley Community College Arts and Technology Building.

For more information about the Northwest Montana Chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America or to join, call Burgess at 857-3609. 

Features editor Lynnette Hintze may be reached at 758-4421 or by email at lhintze@dailyinterlake.com.