VETERANS OF VIETNAM MC
2001-2026-VOVMC.COM-VOVMA.ORG
The VETERANS OF VIETNAM MC was conceived and founded in late 2001 by two Veterans Mad Jack and Lowdown in Springfield, Missouri who had served their country, and wanted to ride together in brotherhood to support and assist each other, Vietnam era Veterans, Veterans' wife's, Veterans families and dependents, and also other members of the Veterans community. At the time, their was not a Vietnam Era MC for over 200 miles. The club was briefly called a Motorcycle Association. (Vovma) Springfield, Missouri is also the Mother Chapter of the VOVMC. Purity of our Mission: The club remains a male-only brotherhood for Vietnam Era veterans explicitly avoiding the "Support club" expansion models common in larger organizations.
Following motorcycle club protocols, the founders met with some senior clubs in some areas of the USA and received approval to wear the patch Founder Mad Jack had designed - A Veterans of Vietnam top rocker, a rounded version of the Vietnam Service Ribbon as a center patch with the dates of 1959 and 1975 added and a map of Vietnam, an MC patch, and Missouri as a bottom rocker. In a very short time however, the bottom Rocker was worn also with Nomad (Not Nomads) second, and then America and Support to help the club grow.
The Bylaws (Changed in 2019) and patch were all drawn up and designed by Founder Mad Jack and approved by the only other Founding Member Lowdown. (R.I.P.-2025) One of the Founding Members then applied for legal rights to the colors and as a not-for-profit veterans MC in Missouri and then chapters grew with all Regions of the USA covered. The "Silent" Promise: Our commitment to exist until "all our brothers are silent one day" signifies that the club’s value is in the members, not the organization’s survival as a digital business entity but a factual history. In line with their motto of "Vets Helping Vets", they applied for, and were granted an IRS 501c(19) federal tax exempt status. In 2006 the VOVMC was first trademarked in the State of Missouri making the Mother Chapter in Springfield, Missouri the First National Chapter also.
In the more than 20 years since the club was founded, it has grown to include members, chapters, all over the U.S., In 2005, the first International chapter was formed, comprised of Vietnam Era Veterans living in Thailand based in the City of Chiang Mai and chartered by Founder, Charter and Life Member Mad Jack and Charter Member and Life Member (2019) Chappie the International Chaplain. In late 2006, Mad Jack requested one last change and it was granted. An In Memory Patch on the rear bottom for Brothers gone but not forgotten as we are a dying breed of Veteran was added to the colors he designed. {Adding the In Memory patch to the rear bottom of the colors was a specific design choice by Mad Jack to ensure that fallen brothers are literally "carried" by those still riding.} It isn't a general memorial for the war, but a specific tribute to the club's own fallen members. While the center patch (the map and dates) honors all who served in the Vietnam era, the "IN MEMORY" patch is deeply personal to the club's internal brotherhood. Honoring "Gone But Not Forgotten" Brothers. The "Sunset" Nature of our Club: Because the VoVMC is a "legacy" club (meaning our membership is restricted to veterans of a specific historical era), our members are acutely aware that numbers are naturally declining. The "IN MEMORY" patch is a way of "bringing the brothers along" on every ride, ensuring the lineage of the club remains visible until the very last member hangs up his vest! A "Living Memorial": In the MC world, your vest (your "cut") is your life story. By placing this on the back, near our colors, the club signals to the public and other MCs that they prioritize loyalty to their dead as much as their living. Why on the Back? In MC culture, the back of the vest is reserved for the most "sacred" items, the club's name, their center patch, and their location. It is a position of the highest honor, reserved for those who remained loyal to the brotherhood until the end. We are a 3 piece patch MC.
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In 2006, the only other Founding Member, Lowdown left to join a larger M/C. We would like to thank Lowdown for his early service to the club and Friendship. (R.I.P.-2025) In the summer of 2011, Mad Jack the other Founder, Charter and one of 2 Living Life members, semi retired due to Illness. In late 2012 He returned to help the Club as requested. Making the National runs in 2013 and 2018 was a highlight for Him. Then in 2018 he stepped back again for major changes to take place (He is however a Life Member and made the 2024 and 2025 Nationals). Today the VOVMC marches on.. Nationals were monumental in Wyoming, July, 2025. Nationals will be not be posted in the future as to where they will be held till after the meet. Don't miss 2026 Nationals this year. Big announcement, "WE NO LONGER TAKE FUTURE NEW MEMBERSHIP IN THE VOVMC". MEMBERSHIP IN THE CLUB IS CLOSED. Check out the "NEW" history pictures of the club below. Thanks to all the Membership past and present for donating to the page. Remember "OUR CODE IS OUR BIBLE". MEMBERSHIP was EARNED: To be a Member in the VOV Motorcycle Club you must first have shared sacrifice and service to our country Honorably only. (No General or below Discharges) You must want to ride and help other Vietnam Era Veterans, Veterans and the USA as a whole. You will prospect and their is no set time period or event. It isn't just by serving in the Military, that was just the start. You must then earn your Colors. If you want to step up and be a member of the VoV Motorcycle Club, you must talk to a full Patch Holder of the VOVMC. We do not take certain people for a reason. We do not allow LEO's or a former LEO MOS. They have other MC's for them. We are also a males only MC.
2026-UPDATE AND NEWS. VoVMC NOMAD RUN ALL VoV CHAPTERS IN AMERICA
Happy New Year and let's make it roll in 2026. A very big change will be coming in the next few weeks to the Club. Also we are updating our websites so you will notice some changes. Don't miss out and always bookmark the website. This year in 2026, MJ our Founder will receive his 25th year Annv. custom patch.
MAJOR UPDATE PART II: As of April 1, 2025, Support patches will no longer be allowed to be worn, they have been "Retired". We would like to thank everyone over the years who has helped and given us great support. However, We are a Vietnam Era Members only Motorcycle Club and at some point we will be gone. We started with only Vietnam Era veterans and we will end the same way. Check out our guestbook for more information on this subject.
Well on to the big news. Last year we voted to removed names patches and also not post pictures in the future. Drum roll please....FUTURE NEW MEMBERSHIP IN THE VOVMC IS CLOSED. That's right, FUTURE NEW MEMBERSHIP IS CLOSED to the Club for anyone and everyone unless you are now a prospect. Your asking yourself why, right? We are just getting to old having people in their 70's and maybe 80's wanting to now join our Motorcycle Club. Why in the Fuk didn't you get started earlier? That's a point you should ask yourself. Unless your almost a mail ordered MC you can't really be a true member. It's like these Rock and Roll band members who are going out in wheel chairs to play, enough is enough. This wasn't a easy thing to vote on and that you could do a Vegas bet on that too. In the end, it was the right thing to do. Being part of a MC takes a lot, that is if you are one and the VoV Motorcycle Club is just that for sure. We tossed a prospect for not attending but showed the others to attend or your out. We will not post neither, the place or time of this year's National till after the meet. FUTURE NEW MEMBERSHIP IN THE VOVMC IS CLOSED July, 2023. (The VOVMC Thailand has their own bylaws on membership so contact them)
We suggest the American Legion Riders, CVMA, Southern Cruisers Riders, etc. because they have new blood. When were gone, were gone one day.
WORDS TO THE WISE FOR MILITARY CLUB MC's or MC's in general. Never ever go against a full patch holder when it comes to a prospect. That is unheard of in the MC world. Patch holders always stick together. You will have your Brother's back in anything. Again, never put a prospect over a patch holder or a support member. Even if you hate that patch holders guts. He is your brother and until that prospect becomes a full patch member he is nothing. What they did years ago doesn't count for them. He might not even make it to being a full patched member unless your selling or giving away patches. You can tell about good things the prospect does or doing but that's about it. You don't run interference for him you don't plead his case and you don't defend him. You can help him in his prospecting, tell about the club, what he needs to do, but you don't try and get him patched out. He has got to earn that on his own. The MC rules should always be followed as best we can as a MC. Welcome Home Young and Old. Tank
This is the National VOVMC Website and our National Chapter is in the Great State of Georgia.
Click Here to View Our 2026 Photo Albums- or Click on Links below
http://vovma.org/photopagerock2.html
http://www.rcvsmc.net/id30.html
http://www.vovma.org/Archive3.html
http://vovma.org/vovmctrip.html
http://vovma.org/veterans.html
A Nomad is an individual who may or may not be a member of a Motorcycle Club, and not bound by any territory, or perhaps one which has not yet formed one. There are exceptions to Nomads being members of clubs. One instance is Military Veterans' Motorcycle Clubs,(ie VOVMC, etc.) whose members are scattered across the U.S.A., but yet do not have enough members in a particular area to form a chapter. Most Motorcycle Club members wear a State or City rocker. A Nomad's bottom rocker, however, will simply say "Nomad" and or "Nomads" for most clubs. This means that they hold no particular allegiance to a specific club chapter or area but should be respected and accepted widely by the club as a full member in any AO. Nomads sometimes live in areas which had fewer than the required numbers to form a chapter per By-Laws. They also may have been sent to an area to establish a chapter by the Clubs Officers. This is how the VOV NOMAD Rocker came into being. Just another part of our history.
VOVMC Thailand has their own by-laws but are a part of the VOV Motorcycle Club Worldwide.