About CVMA®
How the association began — and why Kansas City holds the original charter.
Born in 2001
In the year 1999, the Combat Vets Motorcycle Club was introduced to the internet. Up until the first part of 2001, many of us were led to believe it was a true and established motorcycle organization. Through many turns of events, it was found out that Combat Veteran's Motorcycle Club (CVMC) was an internet scam to milk money from combat veterans.
In the early months of 2001, many of the members found this scam out and alerted one another. Since we were all interested in the issues of veterans, 45 members decided to form a Combat Veterans Association. The CVMA® appeared as a nonprofit association on or about May 1st, 2001, to continue with our main objective: helping veterans. The two things that brought us together were motorcycle riding and being veterans from combat zones or theaters. The original 45 members adopted a patch indicating that they are the original founding fathers of CVMA®.
The patch
In May of 2001, the CVMA® adopted the CVMA®/VFW patch, with the VFW's OK, as all CVMA® members were or became VFW members. Over the next year and a half, the CVMA® was well accepted at Post and Division levels with the VFW, but talks with VFW National produced no formal relationship. In December 2002 the membership voted to move on toward the association it wanted to be; VFW membership was no longer required, opening the CVMA® to all Combat Veterans who ride a motorcycle.
On December 15, 2002, it was voted the CVMA® would wear a combination of the CVMA® background and the old skull logo as a one-piece patch. This patch is worn by full combat members only.
The original charter
Although Kansas City, Missouri is the birthplace and the original charter (MO 4, now MO 4-1) of the CVMA®, the state of Kentucky (1) was the first to submit paperwork for charter, then Massachusetts (2), Colorado (3), and Missouri (4), in that order. All four states submitted by-laws almost simultaneously.
Now over 20 years later, the Combat Veterans Motorcycle Association® continues to grow, with membership spanning the globe in support of one common goal: Combat Veterans taking care of Combat Veterans.
