(Washington, D.C) — Vietnam Veterans of America will hold its 22nd biennial National Convention in New Orleans from August 5-9 at the New Orleans Marriott on Canal Street. “We’re excited to be returning to New Orleans for what promises to be an historic Convention,” said VVA National President Jack McManus. “More than 700 delegates from VVA chapters across the nation are expected to join hundreds of other Vietnam War veterans and guests in New Orleans, along with members of the Associates of Vietnam Veterans of America, which will be holding its National Convention in conjunction with the VVA event.”
The delegates will set the organization’s course for the next two years, hear from an array of speakers, attend informational sessions, and take part in special events, including the Saturday night Awards Banquet on August 9.
The Keynote Speech at the August 6 Opening Ceremonies will be delivered by VVA life member William Broyles, Jr., a Marine Vietnam War veteran and acclaimed journalist, author, magazine editor, and screenwriter. In 1984, he became one of first American war veterans to return to Vietnam, a trip that resulted in his pioneering 1986 book, Brothers in Arms: A Journey from War to Peace.
VVA Excellence in the Arts awards will be presented at the Saturday Awards Banquet to three Vietnam veterans who have excelled both in the arts and as longtime veterans’ advocates. Doug Bradley, an author and professor, whose books include We Gotta Get Out of This Place: The Soundtrack of the Vietnam War (named Best Music Book of 2015 by Rolling Stone); acclaimed television, film, and stage actor Dan Lauria, who played Jack Arnold in the Emmy Award-winning TV series, The Wonder Years; and Tobias Wolff, among the most honored and accomplished Vietnam War veteran writers, whose books include the award-winning memoir This Boy’s Life, which later was a Hollywood movie starring Robert De Niro and Leonardo DiCaprio.
Joe Namath, famed Super Bowl-winning NFL Hall of Fame quarterback, will receive the President’s Award for Supporting the Troops in Vietnam. The award was presented to him in March, and his moving acceptance speech will be shown at the Awards Banquet.
