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From the VDHA President
By John Harvey



June, 2026

     Our 2026 reunion is over. I believe all

those in attendance appreciated the

comradery. We had several attendees

who had never attended a VDHA reunion.

Their appreciation was overwhelming.

The weather was absolutely fantastic.

What was supposed to be a weekend

of rain turned out to be wonderfully

hot and sunny.

     Having been previously nominated by

a voice vote, Ernie Ayala has been

reelected to the position of Vice President,

and Bob Palochik to the position of

Treasurer at the general membership

meeting. Unfortunately, Bob could

not make the reunion but his wife Deb

and two of their beautiful granddaughters

were there to coordinate all of the activities.

Without Deb’s hard work and devotion,

it would be almost impossible to put

together such a fabulous weekend.

So, thank you Deb.

     Our members meeting also included

a lengthy discussion about the location

of our next reunion, and the timing.

The location is to be in the Central or

Mountain time zones. Possible sites

included Nashville or Memphis, TN,

Kansas City, MO, Indianapolis, IN, and

Omaha, NB. The timing was discussed

at length, including May of 2027, October

of 2027, and May of 2028.

     Many of our members have severe

 difficulties in traveling, and to be honest,

none of us are getting any younger to

the best of my knowledge. For many of us

in our late 70s and 80s, how many more

opportunities will we have to experience

the love and comradery of our fellow

handlers? If you have any thoughts on

these matters please contact one of your

officers such that the board may take

your opinions into consideration.

Albert Johnson, President of the Military

Working Dogs Heritage Museum, was

the reunion’s guest speaker. He discussed

the mission and accomplishments of his

organization. The attendees and their family

members were encouraged to consider

the museum as a permanent repository

for any pictures, letters or memorabilia

related to our war dogs in Vietnam.

     Many of you are aware of the hard work

and devotion put in over the years by our

prior web master, Dave Broeker. The

website was a proprietary system designed

to fit the needs of our organization. We

have been notified by our service provider

that effective June 30, 2026 they will no

longer be able to continue servicing our

needs. The board is in discussions with

two individuals in order to determine

whether we should migrate the entire

software program to a new provider,

or whether we should try to identify

the data files most important to our

organization and simply migrate that

data to a new off-the-shelf web design.

Whichever approach the board decides

on, it will represent a significant monetary

investment by our organization.

    Finally, a number of Vietnam War

organizations are discussing what their

legacy should be when no one is left to

their membership. If you have any views or

convictions of winding up the VDHA,

please express them in a Dogman article

or letter to the editor.

Welcome Home.

AFTER THE TEARS.
What do you do after losing a close friend or loved one
one? Some cultures perform a wailing ritual as they do
carry the individual to their final resting place.
Much to my wife's dismay, I don't cry a lot. During
our seven years together, she has probably only
witnessed me cry three, maybe four times. The first time
was when she showed me a letter that she had written
to God asking him to bring to her someone who would

love and honor here. I quickly volunteered AFTER THE TEARS.

 


The Deadline to submit Articles
for the July 2026 DogMan
issue is June 23, 2026.
Please send to dogman@vdha.us

       The VDHA was organized in 1993 by a group of six veteran war dog handlers who served during the Vietnam Conflict. One of their original goals was to search for and re-unite veteran war dog handlers and honor the memory of their war dog partners.
       As a result, the VDHA has grown from six members to approximately 2000 members. Our membership consists of veteran war dog handlers and dog loving supporters of all ages and gender.
       Many members have been featured in the print and film media, and during many of our nation's annually scheduled patriotic events. A significant achievement is the highly acclaimed TV documentary, "War Dogs, America's Forgotten Heroes." We welcome the informational contributions of all dog handlers from all eras.
       The VDHA was founded with three core objectives in mind:
• Educate the public of the accomplishments of dog handlers in the United States Armed Forces during the Vietnam Conflict and the dogs that served with them.
• Provide opportunities for the research and preparation of a detailed history of the use of dogs in the Vietnam Conflict.
• Locate and provide fellowship among dog handlers of all US Armed Services.
       The VDHA continues to be a part of war dog memorial projects throughout the country. Some have since been dedicated and more are on the horizon.
       Getting the US Postal Service to issue a War Dog Stamp that honors the service and sacrifice of the nation's war dogs is one of our goals.
       Educating the public on what these incredible four-footed animals have done to save American lives on the battlefields of foreign wars is always at the forefront of every effort we support or sponsor. During every modern War, WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, Persian Gulf, Bosnia, Afghanistan, and Iraq, men have volunteered to serve as "Dog Handlers." The military duty of having served with a dog in War is a bonding relationship and memorable experience like no other, that lasts a lifetime.

 

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