Our Founders
Conceived and founded in 2001 by Vietnam War Veterans Jack "Mad Jack" Wilhite and Stanley "Lowdown" Newbury Sr. in Springfield, Missouri. They served their country and wanted to ride together in true lifelong brotherhood to support and assist each other, Vietnam-era Veterans, Veterans' spouses, families, and dependents.
The Mother Chapter
Springfield, Missouri stands alone as the Only Founding International Headquarters, Only Founding National Chapter, and Only Founding Mother Chapter of the VOVMC. At the time of foundation, there was not a Vietnam Era MC within a 200-mile radius. The VOVMC covers all States. In late 2000 Mad Jack Designed all patches, wrote the Bylaws, later helped charter the Chapter in Thailand. The Mother Chapter is run by the VOVMC Nomad Chapter for all States in America. However Thailand and the Mother Chapter are all part of the VOVMC Worldwide. In July, 2023, VOVMC closed all new membership in America. However the Country of Thailand is still open to apply for now.
True Structure
Operating strictly as individual, dedicated Chapters since 2001. The club does not recognize regional hierarchies or regional divisions—only pure chapters brotherhood. We are a Males only MC. No LEO as they have their own MC's. We are not part of the America group that does have LEO's in it. The vovmc also does not have no "Support Patches" as they were "RETIRED" Worldwide in 4-2025. ONLY Honorable Discharged Vietnam Era Veterans belong to our Club. We started this way and will end this way. We earned the right!
Our Core Mission
To ride together in brotherhood, supporting and assisting each other, Vietnam-era veterans, veterans' spouses, families, dependents, and all honored members of the greater military veteran community.
The Bylaws—most recently amended in 2019—and the original patch were conceived, drafted, and designed by Founder Mad Jack, with formal approval provided by the only other Founding Member, Lowdown (R.I.P. 2025). Following their creation, one of the Founding Members secured the legal rights to the club’s colors and completed the registration of the organization as a not‑for‑profit veterans motorcycle club in the State of Missouri. From this foundation, the club expanded steadily, ultimately establishing chapters across the United States.
Central to the organization’s identity is the Silent Promise, a solemn declaration that the club will continue its mission until “all our brothers are silent one day.” This principle affirms that the enduring worth of the club resides in its members—their service, their brotherhood, and their lived history—rather than in the preservation of the organization as a digital or commercial entity. The commitment reflects a dedication to maintaining an accurate, honorable, and factual record of the club’s origins and purpose.
This legacy remains firmly aligned with the organization’s guiding motto: “Vets Helping Vets.”
In late 2006, Mad Jack requested one final change to the colors, and it was approved. An “IN MEMORY” patch was added to the rear bottom of the vest to honor brothers who are gone but never forgotten — a reminder that we are a dying breed of Vietnam‑era veterans. This was a deliberate design choice by Mad Jack to ensure that fallen brothers are literally carried by those still riding in America.
This patch is not a general memorial for the Vietnam War. It is a specific tribute to the club’s own fallen members. While the center patch (the Vietnam map and the 1959–1975 dates) honors all who served during the Vietnam era, the IN MEMORY patch is deeply personal to the internal brotherhood of the club, honoring those “Gone But Not Forgotten.”
The “Sunset” Nature of Our Club
Because the VoVMC is a legacy club — membership limited to veterans of a specific historical era — every member understands that our numbers naturally decline over time. The IN MEMORY patch serves as a way of “bringing the brothers along” on every ride, keeping the lineage of the club 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. Placing the memorial patch on the back, near the colors, signals to the public and to other MCs that loyalty to our dead is held with the same weight as loyalty to the living.
Why It Goes on the Back
In MC culture, the back of the vest is sacred ground. It is reserved for the club’s name, the center patch, and the location or designation. Adding the IN MEMORY patch there places fallen brothers in a position of the highest honor — reserved for those who remained loyal to the brotherhood until the end. Those that chose not to wear it have no Honor.