Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 . __ . . ____/ \_ . . -*- N A M V E T -*- ( * \ . . \ Quang Tri . . G. Joseph Peck \_/\ \_ Hue . . Managing Editor \_Ashau Phu Bai . . \_* \_ . . Bob Morris Jerry Hindle \ * ) . . Distribution Managers / Da Nang . . ( \_ . . Section Editors \_ ------- \__ . . --------------- \_ I Corps \ . . PTSD: Kathleen Kelly, Ph.D. \ ------- ! . . AGENT ORANGE: Martin J. Kroll, Sr. /\_____ ! . . MIA-POW: Glenn Toothman / ! \ . . HOMELESSNESS: Lefty Frizzell ! !___ \ . . FEDERAL BENEFITS: Jim Hildwine ! \/\____! . . INCARCERATED VETS: Todd C. Looney ! ! . . Joyce Flory / Dak To ! . . MEMORIALS: Aaron Schmiedel / * / . . MEMORIES: G. Joseph Peck ! \_ . . CHAPLAIN: Rev. Ed Brant ! Phu Cat\ . . \ * * ) . . -**- N A M V E T -**- \ Pleiku ) . . \ \ . . / / . . "In the jungles of 'Nam, some of us ( -------- ! . . were scared and wary, but we pulled _\ II Corps ! . . one another along and were able / -------- \ . . to depend on each other. That has \ \ . . never changed. Today, free of the ! * / . . criticisms and misunderstandings _/ Nha Trang / . . many veterans have endured, _/ / . . NAM VET is a shining beacon, __/ ! . . a ray of hope, and a _ __/ \ ! . . reminder that the _____( )/ ! Cam Ranh Bay . . lessons learned / !__ ! . . at such a high / \ / . . price shall not \ Bien Hoa \ / . . be forgotten - ! Chu Chi * \ __/ . . nor the errors \_ * --------- \ ___/ . . repeated!!!" ____ \ III Corps \ _/ * . . / \_____) )_(_ --------- !__/ . . ! ( ___/ * Duplication in . . _____! \__ * ___/ any form permitted . . ! Saigon/ for noncommercial . . \___ -------- / \/ purposes only. . . \ IV Corps / . . ) -------- / . . / ! . . / ____/ . . / Mekong/ . . ! Delta/ This newsletter is comprised of articles . . ! ____/ and items from individuals and other . . ! / sources. We are not responsible for the . . ! / content of this information nor are any of . . ! __/ NAM VETs contributors or Section Editors. . . \_/ gjp . ================================================================= T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S 1. EDITORIALS De ja vu???????? ........................................ 1 Coping With Christmas ................................... 3 Veteran's Benefits Threatened ........................... 5 A product of my yesterdays... ........................... 7 2. Special Times Khe Sanh: Vietnam's Most Controversial Battle ........... 11 A Message to My Country ................................. 14 3. Agent Orange VA Awaits Further AO Research ........................... 15 Pass the Clearasil !!! .............................. 16 4. Hearts n' Minds Vietnam Vets - Road to Recovery ......................... 17 Old Salt's Lament ....................................... 25 Say Over, Mary! ......................................... 27 I ain't here alone! ..................................... 32 5. Veteran Benefits VA Pensions increase .................................... 34 Veterans reminded of burial benefits .................... 35 6. Missing!!! Christmas and POW's ..................................... 37 They haven't forgutten US!!! ............................ 39 MIA News ................................................ 40 MIA List - A through E .................................. 42 Memorials Effect Is Deep! ............................... 51 Wall Omissions? ......................................... 53 7. The Chaplain At Nam Vet The Bell Toll's ......................................... 55 NAM VET's Chaplain ...................................... 59 A visit or note once in awhile? ......................... 60 8. They've a special part Vietnam Nurses .......................................... 61 9. Of particular interest Danger to a Generous and Healing Spirit! ................ 68 RAMSEY CLARK AND THE PANAMA INVASION .................... 73 10. Concentrated Service VIETNAM_VETS Echo targets on SERVICE! ................... 77 D.A.V. Service & Involvement requested. ................. 78 11. Military Organizations Service Organizations & BBS's ........................... 80 12. Subscribe Now! Subscribe to Nam Vet .................................... 86 13. IVVEC - Who and What Vietnam Vets Echo Participants ........................ 87 IVVEC Nodelist & Parameters of VIETNAM_VETS Echo ........ 89 Some Gave All... ........................................ 94 NAM VET Newsletter Page i Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 ================================================================= E D I T O R I A L S ================================================================= De ja vu????? by: Glenn Toothman NAM VETs MIA-POW Section Editor The Commo Bunker - Karnes County, TX VetPoint 8 (1:321/203.8) & FidoNet 1:387/801 Just the other day I was returning from a business trip, and there was a crowd at the airport that made my moving away from the gate difficult, and when I got up to the commotion I discovered that it was a returning Air Force Capt. from Panama. Well, I was upset (tired from the trip and annoyed at the fact that I wasn't moving as fast as I wanted to), I made the statement that this guy had spent two days in Combat, and he was getting all this attention, and I had spent two years in Combat and got no attention at all. At this point a newsman must have overheard me make the statement, and he asked me about it.. Well I told him that I had no comment and moved on with my business. What I had said bothers me. Why?? Because I've been listening to other Namvets and what they are saying about the older Vets from WW II et al. Hearing us say how unlistening, unconcerned, etc. that they were. Now we have something in common with the Older Vets... Now we are experiencing the 6 o'clock trip to Combat, that our peers experienced. The media is now showing the casualties and wounded, the civilian problems, the warriors sucking mud when sniped at, many of the same things that we experienced in Nam (not to exclude Granada, however due to the news blackout there was not the coverage that there is in Panama). I hear Namvets, (and myself) getting angry, saying things (like I said above) and generally reacting to the new vets in a negative manner. Could it be that we are becoming like the WW II vets, not wanting these "young kids" in our exclusive club?? Are we feeling threatened by these "young kids" experiencing the things we did, fear, anger, frustration?? Will these "young kids" want to join our organizations and tell "war stories" about Panama, and not want to hear about "Nam", are we a thing of the past??? Are we becoming like the WW II vets, "old" warriors, "old" men and women whom no one wants to listen to?? Do we no longer have an exclusive war, jungle war, war with civilians shooting, war with the 6 o'clock news coverage?? Now that we are no longer the youngest vets, will we be put on the "back shelf" and no longer be getting the attention that we feel we deserve?? Must we stand aside and let these "young kids" get all the "glory" of combat?? I, as a combat vet from Nam, feel we should stop and reflect on our own feelings, then put ourselves in the place of the WW II vets, being forced to acknowledge that we are getting old, that it has been quite a few years since we were in combat (25 years ago is when I enlisted and was sent to Nam). Can it be that the hardest thing for us to do now is accept the fact that we can no longer be the "grunt" of the past, that we can no longer be the "youngest vets". Maybe we should take the knowledge we have gleaned from our experiences and share it with the soon to be NAM VET Newsletter Page 1 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 homecoming vets, and help them "get it together". These new "Vets" didn't have to travel half way around the world, move through countless time zones, be exposed to "total" alien concepts, didn't have to go through the anti-war gauntlet that we did, but they HAVE seen the world through the eyes of a combat soldier, have fired shots at an enemy, have been shot at by an enemy, they are indeed Brothers, Brothers of Combat, and we as Brothers should help them make the transition back to the life that they left. These men and women did the same thing we did, they went to war when asked (ordered?) by their country. They went in our place, though many of us would have gladly gone again, for whatever reasons that we may have. It should be our pleasure and pride to assist them upon their return, to welcome them back, to give them the recognition and praise that we never got, to keep them from experiencing the rejection and prosecution that we were, in essence to give them what we were denied, for twenty years..... Panama Vet, you are welcome here, you have a ready ear to talk to, you have a friend to listen to your stories you have a comrade to lean on when remembering those who didn't make it back, Welcome Home, and Welcome Aboard. I really don't know how this article will affect the Namvets, but someone had to say it, I for one do not want these New Warriors to experience what I have, they have experienced enough with the experience of combat, they don't need to have the rejection of being the youngest veterans and shunned for it. Glenn Toothman RVN 66-67 RVN 70-71 NAM VET Newsletter Page 2 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 Coping With Christmas By: Todd Looney NAM VETs Editor-In-Chief Vietnam Veterans Valhalla - San Jose, CA (408) 737-2564 (Mail Only) The Thanksgiving/Christmas season has almost always been a tough one for me to handle. I was a POW in Laos for a period of time in the early 70's. Since I was captured in an October, and escaped during a November 2 years later, those months have since held a place in my subconscious apart from the rest of the year. Thanksgiving and Christmas as a child were always times of family and friends, laughter, surprise, glee ... happiness. Those images were clouded while I was in those prison camps because I was forbidden all the pleasures which had for so long accompanied them. After Vietnam, the dreaded images of the holiday season continued to mar my perspective, and since Vietnam it has been extremely difficult at best for me to cope with the months of October through December. In 1983 I spent 6 months in a VA Mental Rehabilitation hospital under the auspices of a "Combat Veterans Program" which succeeded in aiding me to attain the correct perspective on what had happened to me during the four years I spent in Southeast Asia. Now, incarcerated in California's penal system, I found myself replaying those old tapes I had thought were long since played out and erased. In jail, one is isolated from the "spirit" of Christmas almost to the extreme of nonexistence. Oh sure, the inmates have programs inside designed to try and emote a feeling a well being. We decorated the recreation area with boughs, tinsel, colorful streamers and holiday artwork. We threw ourselves a sanctioned "party" during which we "feasted" on deli meat and pizza prepared by volunteers from our prison chow hall. Visitors from outside came in and brought holiday fare with them to help liven the inmates mood and sway the loneliness, but when they left the foreboding feelings of loss and loneliness reemerged in an all-consuming flash. Many of the Vietnam veterans in the Santa Clara County jail, as well as I, were not visited during the holidays and spent them alone for all it was worth. Depression and grief were our bedmates during the holiday season. I took the opportunity open to me to speak with many of the Vietnam veterans incarcerated with me in Santa Clara County's jail system about their feelings. We shared ourselves with one another as openly as we could, and the feelings we had during that month were in common - almost a symphonic tune in their sameness. Each knew how the other felt, but we were helplessly ensnared in the grasp of that pain called Christmas. All we could do was let each other know that we understood. We tried to incarnate better feelings for each other, and were successful for the time we were together, but when we returned to our own little cells we found ourselves once again alone ... thinking about those on the outside and wondering if anyone *really* cared. We wallowed in our own depressions until the next free period when we could all get together again to comfort one another. NAM VET Newsletter Page 3 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 Coping with Christmas for a Vietnam veteran incarcerated has been one of the worst experiences I have ever had to face. It was very much akin to the way I felt when I was imprisoned by the North Vietnamese back in 1971 and 1972. Of all the veterans organizations out there I was shocked that there were no efforts by *any* of them to show some support for their brothers and sisters incarcerated in Santa Clara's massive jail system. I made a resolution though. I'll never let another Christmas pass by without at least trying to bring a message of hope and good will to my brother and sister Vietnam veterans who happen to have found themselves incarcerated during the Christmas season. I know the pain I suffered could have been soothed a little if someone had come to visit me bringing with them only a smile and a kind word of support. Ciao Todd NAM VET Newsletter Page 4 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 VETERAN'S BENEFITS THREATENED By: Martin H. Kroll NAM VETs Agent Orange Section Editor Fort Mountain BBS - Chatsworth, Ga. 30705 (404) 695-8703 I don't find it a bit surprising that The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has targeted DISABLED Veterans with their proposals to do away with certain benefits and services. It seems that while members of Congress are reaping the benefits of a pay raise that would be unimaginable to most of us in the labor force, OMB is looking to put over 600,000 service-connected disabled veterans in jeopardy of losing their benefits from the VA. Ironic, isn't it? According to their proposals, they would like to institute a direct performance of duty clause in defining service connected disability entitlements. If this proposal should go through and become law, a soldier serving in a far away land who is injured while off-duty would have no entitlement whatsoever. He could be totally disabled and sent home with no source of income or health care. I feel that this is an outright shame to even consider something of this nature! So what if the soldier was off duty and enjoying himself in downtown Frankfurt? The way I see the scenario now is that the young private gets a pass to go downtown and while he is enjoying a meal in a nice eating establishment, a terrorist bomb rips the place apart and he is left without an arm or his legs, or possibly blinded. The government then sends him back home to mom and dad and says "Hey, tuff luck, the little turkey wasn't on active duty!" " Mr. and Mrs. Smith, you should reimburse us for his medical bills thus far and the expenses for his flight home since he obviously can not fulfill the remainder of his obligation to us!" OK, so maybe that scenario is a little farfetched folks..... but, it IS entirely possible should this clause be approved! I think that we should all remember that a soldier is a soldier 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and had it not been for him being a soldier he would not have been in Frankfurt to begin with! Veterans have enough problems trying to get their due benefits without adding exclusions such as this one. I also feel that if this clause is approved, the armed services will become even less appealing to the young of our country. If the guys at the OMB really want to save money for our country they would do much better to look elsewhere and leave our Disabled Veterans alone! I wrote a letter to President Bush a few months ago concerning Agent Orange and our Viet Nam Veterans. As of this date I still have received no acknowledgement from the White House that the letter has even been received. Of course, after reading the January 1990 issue of DAV Magazine I am not even expecting a reply! According to an article in DAV, "the National Commanders of ten veteran's service organizations have signed a joint letter to the President urging him to reject OMB's budget-cutting schemes and emphasize veterans as a priority in the budget process." The article further states that "At press time, the White House had not responded to the letter or to its request that the President NAM VET Newsletter Page 5 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 meet with the veterans." Oh well, so much for my ideas that President Bush would respond to me, a solitary Viet Nam Veteran. Veterans should be one of the strongest lobbying groups in this country, but for some reason that I don't understand this has not been the case. If all veterans were united and spoke in the numbers that we actually are, then the Government would not dare to drag their feet when it comes to our just benefits. The Agent Orange issue would have been resolved years ago. There would be no talk of taking benefits away from disabled veterans. They wouldn't even dare to think it! The Government would be looking for new ways to better care for the ones that fought for our freedoms and risked and gave all. Why, brothers and sister, have so many of us overlooked this fact? Why do so many of us continue to be silent? Why could we be so brave and courageous in a time of war and come home to be treated as we have... and accept it? Our President is also a veteran. Can we not show enough support to be heard loud and clear from one end of this great nation to the other? I urge you once again brother and sister veterans, sit down and write letters to your Congressmen, write letters to your Senators, write letters to the President, and write letters to anyone that may be able to help in our political situations. Keep tabs on what our politicians are doing to help us or to hurt us. Help those that help us and ruin those that hurt us! The places to do this are in the press and in the VOTING BOOTH! NAM VET Newsletter Page 6 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 "A product of my yesterdays" By: G. Joseph Peck NAM VETs Managing Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 "KED348 to East Fishkill Rescue Squad. Respond to a traffic accident on the eastern side of the Taconic State Parkway at Miller Hill Road. Person trapped in the vehicle. Time out 2240hrs." The Rescue Squad monitor at Joe's bedside went silent. The curve at the bottom of Miller Hill Road was treacherous. Because the parkway veered sharply to the left and the road was banked to the right, many locals claimed that it was engineered wrong. Silently sobbing to himself, Joe restlessly tried to fall asleep. He hoped that he wouldn't be called out again tonight. "Just like in 'Nam," he cried. "Just like it! Another one dies in my arms - and it wasn't his fault!" Scenes from the past hour or so refused to leave him. Unaware of the designed-in danger, the car and driver were suddenly jettisoned through space. Probably the last few things the driver had seen were his car going off the bridge and the gully below quickly coming up to meet him. First on the scene, Joe quickly saw that the ONLY way to get to the man was to scramble through the shattered rear window. Brushing aside crystallized windowglass with his coat sleeve, he crawled through. Stilling himself to everything external, he laid fingertips gently to one of the mans carotid arteries. No pulse! Climbing into the front seat, he had to act quickly! "Okay, Men - by the numbers: 1. Tilt the head back; 2. Clear the airway; 3. Pinch the nose; 4. Make the seal; 5. Breathe into the victim; 6. Do not stop unless you are relieved." "I wish Sarge were here and not me," Joe frantically thought to himself. He tilted the man's head back, ran his fingers through the mouth, quickly made a seal and began mouth-to-mouth resuscitation. Blood from the man's mouth and nose, pepper-and- onion tainted breath when forced air was expelled - a signal to Joe that his efforts were futile. Until the ambulance drivers took over, though, Joe continued his vain efforts. Elephant grass... Blood... Broken window glass... Blood... Ambulance drivers... Medevacs... White sheets... OD Body Bags... Blood... Blood... Blood... "Didn't make it..." Joe fitfully tried to fall asleep. Sensing his inner turmoil, his wife gently caressed him and tried to help him forget. It almost worked... "KED348 to East Fishkill Rescue Squad. Respond to an automobile accident on Route 84. State police report a pickup truck has NAM VET Newsletter Page 7 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 crashed into the ravine near the Rest Stop and has come to rest on a ledge halfway to the bottom. Reported person or persons trapped in the vehicle. Time out 0130hrs." Quickly shutting out his own pain and sorrow, Joe hurriedly dressed and raced outside - deafening himself to his wife's anguished cry of "You're not going again, are you, Joe?" Three minutes later he was on the scene. Halfway down the 300-foot deep canyon, precariously rocking from side to side, Joe saw the pickup. A State Trooper was helping a woman climb to the roadside. "My baby! My baby" she was crying. "My son's nowhere to be found! Please find them!" Just as he was nearing the teetering pickup, one of the other rescue squad members, baby in his arms, was beginning to climb. "The baby got stuffed underneath the dash. That's probably what saved her. We haven't found the boy yet, Joe. He was thrown out. He's probably at the bottom!" Joe aimed his flashlight toward the base of the ravine. Nothing. He began to scan the area as he continued downwards. Trying to trace an imaginary trajectory, he began at the underside of the truck with the light's beam. A form! There was the boy! "I see him, I see him! He's pinned underneath!" Joe shouted as he sailed through the air towards the truck. Had it not been for the outstretched arms of John, the Rescue Squad's Captain, centrifugal force would have taken him past the accident to the gorge nearly 150 feet below. "It's too late, Joe. Nothing we can do. He's gone." Two other squad members had just crawled from under the dangerously rocking truck. The slightest movement could send squad members and truck to the bottom. "I can't give up NOW, John... not after the one we just lost. Lemme do a recon. Gimme your penlight. Here... hold my flashlight..." He dropped to the ground. The smell of oil and gas filled the air. It was hot under the truck. "SMOKING LAMP IS OUT!!! SMOKING LAMP IS OUT!!! This thing can go up at any minute. Do NOTHING that will cause any sparks!" Joe cried out to the squad. Joe carefully scanned the boy's body. Not even the slightest movement of his chest to indicate any breathing. He looked kind of blue. "I've gotta get the boy breathing again - and NOW!" Joe quickly surmised. "Okay men - by the numbers: 1. Tilt..." With alarm, Joe discovered that he couldn't fit under the truck. There wasn't a fraction of an inch's clearance. The oil pan was resting right on the boy's back. Each time the truck moved, it NAM VET Newsletter Page 8 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 pushed him further into the ground. "Dammit, Sarge! How the hell am I gonna try to save this kid if I can't even get my head near his! He needs air - and he needs it NOW!!!" The other squad members later said they'd heard it too. A voice coming from nowhere but everywhere. "Dig, FNG! DIG!!! If ya gotta do it with your hands, do it. Now DIG!!!" Joe didn't try to figure out who'd tried to play a military game with his head. He frantically dug, tried to make room enough for at least his head to fit. Time was going too fast! Faster, faster, faster!!! "Almost enough," Joe reacted after trying once more to fit under the truck. "But not time enough. Got to do SOMETHING - and do it NOW!!!" "2. Clear the airway..." Not even a hint of warm air came from the boy's nostrils or mouth. Wiping his hands on the boy's shirt, Joe began to force the boy's mouth open. Whatever was to be done must be done now. The boy still hadn't moved and a grey pallor covered his every feature. "He's gone," one of the squad members told another. "Two out of three saved isn't too bad." "Oh no, God. Please. Not another one! Help me, help me! Please!" The boy's body temperature heralded quickly approaching death. Almost too late for any help... The smell of oil and gas filled the air. The truck moved a little more towards the downside of the ravine. It was as quiet as a morgue around the perimeter of the truck. Hardly anyone except Joe was moving. Time seemed to be standing still. Almost like someone turned a bright light on in his head - as if he had just woken up - Joe pushed three of his fingers down the boy's throat! "One last shot, kid," said Joe. "If this don't work, I've done the best I can." Movement! The boy started to move! Three more times he put his fingers down the boys throat, repeatedly gagging him... pushing deeper and deeper, trying to trigger the kid's automatic gag reflex... tickling the back side of the throat... again and again... Suddenly the boy began to cough and then cry! He was alive! NAM VET Newsletter Page 9 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 Rescue squad members quickly sprang into action. A rope was tied from above to hold the truck from falling; shovels were brought down and everyone began to dig. It seemed like only seconds passed before the boy was placed in a stretcher and squad members were carrying him up the hill to a waiting ambulance. Tears streaming down his face, gratefully taking the offered oxygen mask, and trying to relieve the tension of the situation, Joe commented to John: "First time in my life I've ever jump- started a human. I think Sarge woulda been proud..." The house was dark when he'd arrived home. Quietly sliding into bed, he reached over and turned off the monitor. Sleep came easily. Last thing he remembered before falling asleep was thinking to himself: "Who says my military career 'don't mean nuthin'? They shoulda been there..." Newspapers the following day reported that the boy only suffered second and third degree burns to his back and he'd had to have his head shaved. 'Til Next Month Show a brother or sister veteran That YOU care!!! Ci'ao for Ni'ao -Joe- NAM VET Newsletter Page 10 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 ================================================================= S p e c i a l T i m e s ================================================================= Khe Sanh: Vietnam's Most Controversial Battle By: Albert Hemingway Senior Editor - VIETNAM Magazine Input by: Bob Morris NAM VETs Distribution Manager Pole Climber Two - South Durham, Ct. (203) 934-9852 Twenty two years ago this month, January of 1968, North Vietnam embarked on one of the greatest gambles in military history --- the Tet Offensive. The Plan, which was to coincide with Vietnam's sacred holiday of Tet, or the lunar new year, called for over 60,000 Viet Cong/North Vietnamese units to invade major cities in every province of the country. It was hoped the civilian population would rally to the Communist cause and achieve a stunning victory against the U.S. and her allies. Beginning in the early morning hours of January 30th, ten enemy battalions stormed the ancient imperial capitol of Hue. It would take nearly a month to drive the V.C./N.V.A. from their strongholds within the city at a cost of 1,100 Marine and 1,600 South Vietnamese casualties. Other attacks followed: Saigon, Quang Tri City, Da Nang, Nha Trang, Hoi An, Qui Nhon; 36 provincial capitols in all. Fighting raged everywhere. But of all the battles and skirmishes that were fought, one would stand out in the forefront. Prior to Tet, it was an obscure, remote place, located in the northwest corner of South Vietnam near the Laotian border. For 77 days, 6,000 Marines, Green Berets and South Vietnamese Rangers would withstand unmerciful artillery barrages and savage ground assaults by 20,000 N.V.A. troops. It would receive nationwide attention from every newspaper and magazine in the country. And in the end, it would topple a President of the United States. It was known as the siege of Khe Sanh. Before the war, the village of Khe Sanh was a quiet, idyllic hamlet, nestled among the lush, green hills of the Annamese Cordilla mountain range. In 1966, General William C. Westmoreland, commander of all U.S. forces in Vietnam envisioned it as a jumping off point for an invasion of Laos to sever North Vietnam's supply lines. He immediately began a massive buildup in the area. A battalion of Marines was sent to establish a base camp several miles from the tiny village. The North Vietnamese followed suit. "It was like setting honey out to attract flies," said one correspondent. By the summer of 1967, the flies had come to take the honey. The illusive enemy entrenched themselves in the mountains encompassing the combat base: 881 North, 881 South, 861A and 558. These hills overlooked the plateau where the camp was situated. And the Marines went after them. Dubbed the "Hill Fights", it was the NAM VET Newsletter Page 11 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 scene of some of the bloodiest fighting thus far in the conflict. In the end, the Leathernecks were victorious and drove their adversaries from the high ground. In December of 1967, with 8,000 plus trucks moving down the Ho Chi Minh Train into South Vietnam, Vo Nguyen Giap, North Vietnam's top military leader, was ready to strike. And Khe Sanh was his first target. The siege started on January 20th, ten days before the actual uprising. The base itself was heavily defended. Colonel David E. Lownds, 26th Marine Regimental commander was confident he could hold. But the hills surrounding him were a different story. His men were scattered over a wide area --- some miles apart. Hill 881 South for example, manned by "India" Company, were 200 strong at the onset of the struggle. When it was over, only 19 Marines were present to answer the roll call. By the end of January, artillery rounds were crashing into the camp. One day alone saw 1,307 shells hit the small compound. The place was a shambles. Everyone buried underground. The ammunition dump was struck igniting 1500 tons of explosives and creating an ear shattering explosion. Black billowing smoke rose from the petroleum fires. A reeking stench hung in the air gagging everyone's throat. Countless rats roamed freely biting chunks of flesh from unsuspecting Marines. The incoming projectiles kept falling. Hidden deep within the jungles of Laos, the enemy guns couldn't be silenced. Helplessness and frustration grew. Resupply as a serious problem. The main encampment, with over half the airstrip ripped apart by the constant bombardments, relied on parachute extractions from the bellies of C-130 and C- 123 planes. It was a test of nerves. Pilots braved "flak alley" to drop off pallets of provisions to the besieged Leathernecks. The hills fared worse. Fifty-one helicopters were either damaged or destroyed attempting to reach the hilltops. Marines went without food, water and ammunition for days at a time. Newsmen compared Khe Sanh to the French defeat at Dien Bien Phu in 1954, and there were similarities. But there was one decided difference --- American firepower. Fixed wing aircraft, B-52s and 175mm "Long Toms", located just 10miles from the base, prevented the invaders from launching a full scale attack. Other areas weren't so fortunate. The village itself was razed. Thousands of refugees streamed down Route 9 eastward, towards Quang Tri City, to escape certain death. The Green Beret camp at Lang Vei, 4 miles from Khe Sanh, was overrun. Only 100 survived out of the 500 stationed there. Hills 861, 861A and 64 repulsed determined assaults on their positions. President Lyndon Johnson was visibly shaken. He ordered a three dimensional model of Khe Sanh and its surrounding hills constructed especially for him. It was called "The Sandbox". Located in the Situation Room, far beneath the White House, the Texas Democrat would study it in great detail as the siege continued. The war was torturing LBJ by 1968. NAM VET Newsletter Page 12 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 "I couldn't stand it anymore," he said one evening after waking from a nightmare, "I knew that one of my boys must have been killed...". The months of February and March dragged on as the Marines clung stubbornly to their positions. The all-out thrust to penetrate their perimeter never materialized. Then, in early April, the N.V.A. melted back into the jungle. A relief force finally reached the battered camp. The official death toll was 205. But unofficial sources put it closer to 500. Hundreds more were wounded. The siege was over. Looking back, it was doubtful Giap ever wanted Khe Sanh. The American military command, with the exception of the Marines, placed too great an importance on its strategic value. However, it did create an excellent diversion for the Tet Offensive. But the huge gamble did not pay off. The masses didn't rise up as Giap had anticipated. North Vietnam suffered over 45,000 killed and 7,000 taken prisoner. It was an utter failure. Ironically, despite their overwhelming losses, the Communists, with help from the American press, did achieve a psychological victory of sorts. The biased nightly newscasts back in the States reported the allies had endured a terrible setback during Tet. The American people's sentiment turned sour on a victory in Vietnam. The "doves" cooed louder. Finally, on March 31, 1968, Johnson revealed he would not seek reelection. It was the turning point of U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia. "Rarely has contemporary crisis-journalism turned out, in retrospect, to have veered so widely from the truth," said noted journalist and author Peter Braestrup. In June of 1968, the Khe Sanh Combat Base was closed. And so was an agonizing chapter in America's longest war. NAM VET Newsletter Page 13 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 A MESSAGE TO MY COUNTRY By: Ed Howdershelt TOY SHOP-PC BBS - Spring Hill, FL (904) 688-9124 For nearly twenty years it's festered deep within my soul; The time I spent imprisoned in an Asiatic hole; The friends I lost for certain and the guys we never found; And the over fifty thousand who lie six feet underground; The times when those we went to help set traps for us at night; Or cringed behind some cover while we carried on the fight; The government who sent us there but wouldn't let us win; And all the sorry bastards who cursed soldiers 'cause they'd been; The ones who demonstrated, throwing words and sometimes stones; And formed such strong opinions in the safety of their homes; And those who only knew the war from TV's nightly news; By journalists in Saigon who inspired such peoples' views; The heat and dust and then the rain that made it soggy hell; The vermin that disturbed our sleep and constant rancid smell; The night that fifteen hundred rounds of mortar fire came in; And Khe Sanh lay in ruins while we wrote to next of kin; The villages we found where Charlie'd been the night before; To leave his vicious message carved in tortured human gore; The drugs that some men seemed to think would help to keep them sane; The only thing that some could find to handle so much pain; Those men who had a year to go, but died the first few days; And some who had just days to go, but died there anyway; Share feelings of death's presence in the dark from seven yards; Share brotherhood with strangers who can't leave the Veterans' wards... Revision 6; copy at will, but leave copyright intact. Copyright 1989, by Ed Howdershelt 4645 Commodore Ave., Spring Hill, Fl. 34606 Share the poem in a manner that will help another veteran. NAM VET Newsletter Page 14 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 ================================================================= A g e n t O r a n g e ================================================================= VA SECRETARY TO AWAIT FURTHER AGENT ORANGE RESEARCH DATED 24 NOVEMBER 1989 Input by: Jim Hildwine NAM VETs Federal Benefits Section Editor VetPoint 47 - FidoNet 1:321/203.47 Shady Side, Md Secretary of Veterans Affairs Edward J. Derwinski today said that he has decided to wait for the results of a major federal study due next spring before determining if any Vietnam veterans should be entitled to disability payments based on their exposure to the herbicide Agent Orange. Derwinski explained that the outcome of a study begun in 1985 by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control focusing on cancer incidence among Vietnam veterans should be weighed before he makes any kinds of new policy decision. A Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) advisory committee recently reviewed significant statistical association between non- Hodgkins lymphoma -- a rare form of cancer -- and human exposure to types of chemicals used as defoliants in Vietnam, but that such an association couldn't be ruled out. The committee was guided by new VA regulations that went into effect Nov. 1, following a ruling earlier this year by federal court that said VA's cause-and-effect standards has been too strict in considering claims by veterans that the defoliant caused health problems. - - - - - Jim's Note: Adm. Zumwalt's who first approved the use of the Agent Orange in Vietnam, plus the fact his son who also served in Vietnam died of Cancer is on the advisory panel for Secretary Derwinski.. It seems that the VA is awaiting the final word and works for the CDC in Atlanta Ga. It looks as though the VA would make a sound decision based on what is found from the CDC... The time range should be around the later part of April or NLT mid-May 90... Federal Benefits? Ask me!!! - Jim - NAM VET Newsletter Page 15 Volume 4, Number 1 January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xxx _ -. . - .-. - . . . . - XXXXXxxXXXXXXXXXXXx -. - .- . - . . XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-. .--. - .- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX -.- - -.- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX -. -. -. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx .g -. -. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX .- j. .- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX . p .-. XXXXXXXX ]XXXXXXXXX ]XXXXXXXX .- - -. XXXXXX XXXXX XXXXXX -.- - -- XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX -- - XXXXXXXXX X'`XXX XXXXXXX Y Y XXXXXXXXX XXXXX XXX XXXXXXX X X XXXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXX XXXXXX XXX XX X XXX XX XX XXXX XX XXX XX XX XX XXXX XXX]XXXXXXXXXXXX XXX[ XX XX XXX XXXXXXXXXX " I t ' s o n l y t e e n a g e a c n e ! " -Robert Nimmo- NAM VET Newsletter Page 16 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 ================================================================= H e a r t s n ' M i n d s ================================================================= VIETNAM VETERANS: THE ROAD TO RECOVERY by Joel Osler Brende, M.D. and Erwin Randolph Parsons, Ph.D. Copyright 1985 Input by: Kathleen Kelly, Ph.D. NAM VETs PTSD Section Editor The New York Transfer - Staten Island, NY (718) 448-2358 RECOVERY PHASES PART I ------ Recovery from the stress of war moves slowly through a number of phases. Most veterans complete these phases without professional help while others become locked in one, or vacillate from one to another and require assistance in order to progress. To understand the complexities of these phases is mandatory for the Vietnam veteran and those assisting his recovery. The following five phases of recovery have been commonly described: 1. THE EMERGENCY OR OUTCRY PHASE. The survivor experiences his life being threatened and responds with fear, helplessness, and an accompanying physiological "fight-flight" activation of pulse, blood pressure, respiration, and muscle activity. 2. THE EMOTIONAL NUMBING AND DENIAL PHASE. The survivor protects himself by burying the experience in his mind. 3. THE INTRUSIVE-REPETITIVE PHASE. Traumatic dreams, images, and emotions intrude into the survivor's consciousness and sleep. 4. THE REFLECTIVE-TRANSITION PHASE. The survivor develops a larger personal perspective on the traumatic events and becomes positive and constructive; he thinks more about the future and is less fixed on the past. 5. THE COMPLETION OR INTEGRATION PHASE. The veteran has successfully integrated the previously traumatic event with his prior life experiences to restore a sense of equanimity and continuity. Now able to put the war into its proper perspective, the veteran sees the war as merely a past memory. To complete all phases of this progression obviously requires a great deal of personal effort on the part of the veteran and is more often achieved through professional help than without it. Psychologist John Russell Smith, a Vietnam veteran, has suggested a similar view of the recovery process. But in place of the higher-level phase, Smith has described two partial recovery phases: "sealing over" and integration, and a third and final NAM VET Newsletter Page 17 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 recovery phase: atonement. "Sealing over," which enables a veteran to put disturbing memories out of his mind, is made possible by the "sanction" or approval of the American public; this occurred for the young men in World War II. Sanction provided an overall purpose and meaning for the soldiers in that war, relieving feelings of guilt or need to justify their involvement. World War II was clearly a war in which Americans participated in order to save the world from Nazi Germany's destructive use of power and prevent the Japanese from controlling the Pacific. The sanction of their country enabled World War II veterans to live productive and meaningful lives in most cases because they were not burdened with any collective or national guilt and could, for the most part, "seal over" their traumatic experiences. For those individuals who "sealed over" emotionally disturbing traumatic memories, recalling and talking about them over the years helped veterans integrate the memories as they became less disturbing. On the other hand, since Vietnam veterans lacked the moral sanction of their country, many are left with the burden of national guilt on their shoulders and have never regained a sense of meaning in their lives. Some individual veterans, however, have experienced partial sanction from the acceptance of family members, friends, or other veterans, allowing them to "seal over" their combat memories and emotions. In a recovery phase beyond "sealing over," Smith has described integration as a time when a Vietnam veteran finds personal meaning through finally accepting responsibility for his individual actions. This is not an easy phase and requires his recognition of both the good and bad aspects of his war experience in order to "weave each strand of the experience into the overall fabric of his identity." In a final recovery phase that Smith labels "atonement," veterans find "At-One-Ment" with experiences they had previously rejected. Or they may finally feel at one within themselves or with forces much greater than they, such as their entire community, nation, and even religion. The pursuit of atonement may lead to a resolution of guilt and self-acceptance, described by Smith in the following example of a Vietnam veteran who accidentally killed his lifelong friend: "For years after his return [from Vietnam] Bill could not forgive himself for the death of his friend. Daily, he made a detour around the town where his buddy was buried. Billy's judgment of that act was frozen and locked into a value system which allowed him no forgiveness. Several years later, he had come to accept the fact that he had slipped in a moment of panic, accidentally killing his friend. It was only when he could drive to the cemetery, kneel in front of his friend's gave, say he was sorry and accept forgiveness for himself that he could go on with his life." While it has generally been thought that men and women who complete the recovery phases successfully have received therapy, there are some who have achieved such results from life experience alone. Dr.Dan Conlon, a Minneapolis physician and a Vietnam veteran, NAM VET Newsletter Page 18 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 illustrates his own experience of traversing through these phases. He had been exposed to many traumatic experiences, including death and killing. After returning to civilian life and his medical practice, he had considerable problems with nightmares, irritability, and periods of depression. He recalls going through the denial and numbing phase -- a phase he had seen in his own patients. "I'm seeing the similarities between people involved in divorces, involved in the grief reaction with sudden death of loved ones, grief from news of cancer and loss of a limb, etc. The divorce syndrome looks very similar to the posttraumatic stress disorder .... Are ... we ... talking about the same thing in different settings?" He then experienced a degree of sanction, which helped him feel okay about his work in Vietnam for a time; "Unfortunately both myself and my men were all volunteers in hazardous duty apart from our assigned tasks during our stay. At the time it all seemed very worthwhile and we were all on a high, feeling that we were doing something heroic for our country `above and beyond' as they say. The medals we got helped a little but they look cheap to us now." Nevertheless, with the support of his wife, friends, and religious faith, he was able partially to integrate and "seal over" the most disturbing aspects of his agonizing experiences and continue his active career as a family practitioner. But not without some struggle: "I've resumed my `Clark Kent' identity as a family physician ... as though nothing had happened .... I've been carrying the Vietnam experience around in my conscious and unconscious mind since I left Vietnam in January 1968. Hardly a day has gone by that flashbacks ... and confusion about that experience hasn't popped into my mind. But I have conveniently, until just lately [during 1984], shut out all deep thinking into my Vietnam adventure. ... I have managed to somehow sublimate all my thoughts and doubts and frustrations concerning my involvement in Vietnam ... [and] convince myself that nothing really happened to me of significance during my 365 days. But I know it did. I have felt it was unhealthy to be preoccupied with the past." He goes on to say: "Drawing the whole experience to a meaningful conclusion would somehow make it okay .... Recently my thirteen-year-old handed me a stack of envelopes -- unopened -- dated 1968 that I got from my buddies and some of the Montagnards ... after coming home. I was so fed up with the whole thing I guess I just threw them in a pile and forgot about them when I got back. Only now am I able to read them, and they had a great emotional impact on me even now." Finally, beginning the integration and atonement phases, he has begun writing a book and recently taught a course called "Vietnam -- retrospect" at his alma mater college. Clearly, there are many Vietnam veterans who have not been able to traverse the recovery phases in such a remarkable way as this veteran. Many of them remain fixed in one or more of the phases and require professional help in the form of psychological therapy to be able to move forward. Much of what has been learned about psychotherapy began in 1971 when the Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) organized "rap groups" and asked NAM VET Newsletter Page 19 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 psychiatrist Robert Lifton for help in leading them. With the help of Chaim Shatan and other colleagues these groups continued successfully for two years. Dr. Lifton found that the group members frequently suffered from the self-condemnation of "self-lacerating" guilt. However, when they were able to talk openly about their war experiences and guilt feelings, they began to make progress. Eventually, self- lacerating guilt gave way to "animating guilt" that enabled them to take responsibility for their past actions and experience a new degree of personal liberation. These veterans became interested in helping others, particularly other Vietnam veterans; they often pursued further education and developed skills at writing, counseling, and public speaking. Through such activities, they experienced a renewed sense of personal integrity. In addition to resolving guilt, an important task of the rap groups was to help the members resolve feelings of "impacted grief," as Dr. Shatan describes: "The `post-Vietnam syndrome' confronts us with the unconsummated grief of soldiers -- `impacted grief' in which an unending, encapsulated past robs the present of meaning. Their sorrow is unspent, the grief of their wounds is untold, their guilt is unexpiated." Since the early 1970s there have been many others who have become involved in the research and application of principles of treatment for Vietnam veterans. Most have found that while therapy often helps them improve, survivors rarely are ever completely free of the imprinting effects of the traumatic events, beginning with the emergency arousal and initial outcry, for example, of Phase 1 -- a time marked by vulnerability and terror acquired from a soldier's brush with death. Vietnam veterans with Phase I symptoms continue to suffer from startle reactions and panic attacks, triggered by dreams and reminders of the event. Because of these physiological responses to memories, it is not difficult to understand why so many of these men complain of physical problems associated with parts of the autonomic nervous system: the heart, stomach, urinary tract, genitals, muscles, nerves, and blood pressure. Researchers, such as Drs. Kolb and Mutalipassi at the VA Medical Center in Albany, New York, have conducted research that found these symptoms to be a result of conditioned responses to trauma. They exposed veterans to noises simulating battle, and found that they responded with muscle tension, rapid heart rate, increased respiration, and increased electrical conduction on the surface of the skin. From these findings, they developed successful treatments using prescribed medications that not only subdued such conditioned physiological responses to memories, but the accompanying anxiety as well. It has also proved useful to teach veterans relaxation techniques, meditation, or biofeedback training for controlling their autonomic nervous system and muscle tension. Weight lifting and jogging are additional ways of maintaining muscle tone and releasing pent-up emotional tension. Some veterans with PTSD have reported other physical symptoms such as recurring dizziness and loss of balance, particularly in stressful situations. When we asked patients with PTSD if they ever suffered from dizzy spells or loss of balance, approximately NAM VET Newsletter Page 20 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 50% said they have had such episodes. One psychiatrist theorizes that these symptoms often reflect a disturbance in brain functioning due to the patient's profound fear of change and loss. If this should be the case, a patient with these symptoms should only be treated with regular therapy to uncover and resolve that fear. A Vietnam veteran often will develop a new physical symptom, a change of dream content, or a spontaneous recollection of a specific traumatic memory associated with an earlier recovery phase as treatment progresses. This is often made possible by the development of a trusting relationship between therapist and patient, permitting the previously blocked memory to begin to surface. If the memory is disguised in the dream or only partially recalled, it may be more fully uncovered through treatment techniques such as hypnosis. As reported earlier, a Vietnam veteran was treated for 15 months and hypnosis was used only when the patient developed a new symptom, the most unusual being a sudden numbness and tingling in his face. A hypnotherapy session discovered that agonizing traumatic events created the symptom. During a hypnotic trance state, he reexperienced the distressing memory that had been partially blocked. He saw himself being shot at point-blank range and felt the pain again of the bullet penetrating the bridge of his nose and piercing through his temple. After being ably supported through this reexperience, he fully regained his memory and the numbness and tingling in his face disappeared. Sometimes a new injury will cause physical symptoms related to a traumatic memory. For example, Lee suffered an injury to his neck in a fall. When the pain persisted, we believed that it partly represented a physiological memory, and suggested a hypnotherapy session. This approach was successful and permitted him to recall vividly a "blocked memory" associated with fear, guilt, grief, and his experience of nearly dying from a violent wound. He experienced complete but only temporary (24 hour) relief from pain following the session. Vietnam veterans with Phase 2-specific symptoms suffer from emotional detachment and numbing, full or partial amnesia, and little pleasure in daily living. If they are recent victims of traumatic experiences, they may respond to therapists who confront their denial by evoking hidden horrifying memories through hypnosis, psychodrama, Gestalt therapy, and other "uncovering" techniques. However, there are veterans fixed in this phase for years, who do not respond to such treatment approaches. Their major psychological defense is a persistent and profound hypervigilance that gives the appearance of a paranoid orientation to the world, as Drs. Herbert Hendin and Ann Pollinger-Haas have observed. These veterans can often be intimidating to other people who sense the presence of smouldering rage. Unable to permit themselves to experience fear or other emotions, they are often consumed by feelings of vengeance, and are prone to periodic aggressive outbursts. They also have major conflicts pertaining to power; they view power as a destructive force and thus distrust people in authority, including therapists. Though Vietnam veterans stuck in this phase have associated their own use of power with NAM VET Newsletter Page 21 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 destruction, they still attempt to control all events in their lives, but often do so in a self-destructive way. Long-term treatment in group and individual therapy has been recommended for Vietnam veterans whose personality traits involve problems with anger, destructive use of power, and fear of vulnerability. They are in need of trusting therapeutic relationships, which can sustain them through the months and sometimes years it takes to change. Through such relationships, gradual acceptance of relative states of helplessness and vulnerability begins to emerge, enabling them to proceed through subsequent phases of recovery. We believe that it is very important for group leaders or individual counselors to remain personable and not detached from their veteran patients. They must also be able to tolerate outbursts of anger and understand the relationship of anger to other emotions. Dr. Arthur Blank has stated: "It helps a lot in groups for the leader to make distinctions clearly among various emotions related to anger -- hatred, rage, jealousy, envy, paranoid suspiciousness, bitterness, contempt, fear, anxiety .... There is often a relationship between anger and grief. Tears are sometimes felt unconsciously as clean anger -- tears of rage may be extremely helpful, and crying from anger may be something to welcome as a part of important growth in a group or individual. There are other kinds of crying -- relief, joy, frustration, a sense of contact and authenticity, sadness. It is good to be able to sense the anger involved sometimes in crying, though you may never say much about it." Yet the process of change for Vietnam veterans whose anger covers over their sense of vulnerability is slow. They frequently become defensive and test out how potentially powerful they or their therapists are, often for at least the first 6 months until trust develops. Psychiatrists Frick and Bogart have reported on their experiences of leading a group during the third through the sixth month when the members reported on many of their violent experiences, felt vulnerable, and then distrusted the leaders' possible misuse of their power over the group members. The psychiatrists, in turn, felt intimidated by the group members, sometimes retreating from them or even feeling like retaliating. When they found themselves doing so, they believed it was important to be honest and to also admit mistakes if they made them. "We sometimes had feelings akin to those of war prisoners being interrogated by their captors. We struggled with our feelings of intimidation, keeping in mind that these men had actually killed and were at times genuinely suicidal. We recognized our own rage ... and accepted part of it as realistic and appropriate. On the other hand, their criticisms were sometimes quite accurate; it was necessary to be aware of our mistakes." Veterans who are less angry, emotionally numb, and guarded suffer from a predominance of Phase 3 -- intrusive-repetitive -- symptoms, as researcher Dr. Mardi Horowitz has described. They reexperience disturbing memories, images, dreams, and emotions of fear, guilt, and grief. These symptoms are generally reenactments of the original traumatic experience; the unconscious mind attempts to replay the experience so as to master it. Certain NAM VET Newsletter Page 22 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 therapeutic approaches can help the survivor undo, or master the associated fear, and help him eventually to understand the nature of his symptoms. These approaches include hypnosis, dream interpretation, and guided imagery -- the uses of imagined "pictures" to remember unpleasant memories. However, there are Vietnam veterans whose intrusive symptoms are so repetitive and disturbing that specific treatments are designed to control them. For example, psychologists John Fairbank and Terence Keane of the VA Medical Center in Jackson, Mississippi, have studied the effectiveness of a specific therapeutic approach called "flooding" for recurrent nightmares, intrusive images, and frightening flashbacks. In a very pleasant state of relaxation, the patient, along with his therapist, is exposed to traumatic scenes and sounds. After a period of eight sessions, anxiety-related images, flashbacks, and nightmares gradually diminish. Similarly, we as therapists have suggested that veterans with recurrent disturbing dreams practice holding the images in their minds as long as possible. This approach sometimes has a paradoxical effect and leads to a spontaneous reduction and disappearance of traumatic images. Other less structured techniques have been used, with varying degrees of success, to end the distressing recurrence of traumatic images. For example, counselor John McQueeney at Bay Pines, Florida, has taught Vietnam veterans the technique of repetitive dream rehearsal and modification, a method that has also been reported on by other researchers. He instructs a patient with a recurrent dream of being ambushed to rehearse mentally a change in the dream, allowing him to take a different path from the one leading to the ambush. With an attitude of expectation when he goes to sleep at night, he soon learns to awaken from the frightening dream and immediately change the outcome; when he goes back to sleep, his mind will then choose the safe path. Eventually, the dream stops recurring. Other therapeutic approaches have also been helpful for the veteran. For example, if a veteran is living in an unstable environment or has experienced a recent major loss in his life, he may need his time and daily routines completely managed until the crisis has passed. Voluntary hospitalization at such a time may be helpful to alleviate his family and job responsibilities, providing him with extra rest, and permitting him a relative state of dependency on staff personnel. During this time, he will be prescribed medications if necessary, will have a therapist, and be able to participate in a supportive group of patients with similar problems. Dr. Horowitz, who has advocated "phase-oriented" psychotherapy, has described the symptoms of trauma victims, which often vacillate between extremes of symptoms typical of Phase 2 (denial-numbing) and Phase 3 (intrusive-repetitive). Survivors who avoid recalling emotionally painful traumatic memories benefit from supportive therapists who can give "tolerable doses of awareness" while helping to maintain a balance between extremes of either group of symptoms. (Next Month: Part II) ------------------- NAM VET Newsletter Page 23 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 From: VIETNAM VETERANS: THE ROAD TO RECOVERY by Joel Osler Brende, MD and Erwin Randolph Parsons, PhD. New York: New American Library, 1986. Signet paperback edition. Chapter 9: "Recovery Phases," pp. 217-236. NAM VET Newsletter Page 24 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 Old Salt's Lament Input by: Ray "Frenchy" Moreau Herndon Byte eXchange - Herndon, VA (703) 471-8010 Had this since 1955 - Was given to me when onboard the Edward H. Allen (DE531) at NavShip Yard New York. Went for underway training and tied up in Havana, Cuba in 1957 (just when things got a little muddy with Castro and Baptista). Just another locker full of history or memorabilia. (Author - Unknown) The Navy's very different now From what it used to be. Thus do the old salts all complain To boots like you and me; But we can't help but wonder, As we hear them fan the breeze, If they've not sort of overlooked A few odd facts like these: The firerooms were no cooler In the gold old days of yore; There were just as many hours In a sleepy "twelve-to-four;" There was "turn-to" just as often; And we also understand That the deck were treated then, as now With holystone and sand. They stood the same inspections In the days that used to be, And they stood the same old watches, When the ship put out to sea. Yes, they drank the same old coffee And wore the same regulation blues; And they used the same excuses When caught wearing non-regulation shoes. They had just as many scoffers In the days of long ago, And they showed the same capacity Our modern scoffers show. They had all the same old mess-cooks. And they were just as slow. NAM VET Newsletter Page 25 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 And they growled--but they shipped over In the days of long ago. Yes, the Navy's very different now, As all the old salts state, So boots like you and me accept The stories they relate. But we can't help but wonder As they talk the time away, If the old salts used to tell the tales That the old salts tell today. NAM VET Newsletter Page 26 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 "SAY OVER, MARY" By Jim Boyle, Sgt., USMC Vietnam: `69-`70 Dallas, Texas Mary was seven months pregnant when I left her. I'll never forget how she looked that day, wearing a yellow smock with her beautiful, long, dark hair. We were all gathered in the terminal at Houston's Hobby Airport, making small talk. Her Mom and Dad and two brothers were with us, but all I could do was look at her. When the boarding announcement came she started to cry. One final kiss, and I started down the ramp pausing for one final look. She was sobbing and her makeup was running down her cheeks. I wanted to run back to comfort her, but I turned around and continued walking. I kept reminding myself that thirteen months would go by in no time. Yeah, right! Welcome back to sunny California, and Camp Pendleton. I was assigned to the 3rd Replacement Co., Staging Bn., but after 20 years the memories are a little fuzzy. All Marines who received orders for WESPAC (Western Pacific) were given this little vacation. It was designed to get you back in shape quickly, teach you a little about staying alive, and otherwise put you back into a "Combat Mode". What I remember is the mountains. Strap on a pack, grab your helmet, and go... every "range" we went to was on top of one of those mountains. Eat a little dust and hump, hump. For some strange reason our weapon was the WWII style M-1. The reason given was that "there were a lot of them in `Nam, and you had to know how to use `em". Yeah, right! The days were full and the nights were short. All I looked forward to was the weekend, and THE phone call to Mary. I had filled out a ton of paperwork, setting up a monthly allotment check for her. In our first phone call I told her how it was supposed to work, but there would be a two month delay until the checks started. She would be staying with her folks, but a new baby needed all kinds of stuff! We talked of California where we had spent the few months of our marriage. I had been stationed at the Marine Resupply Depot at Barstow. We talked about our old friends there and I told her I'd try to get up there next weekend. Never got a chance to go. The Marine Corps in it's infinite wisdom is scared to death that every building, on every base, is destined to destruction. So every night someone has to stand "Firewatch". Now, these folks couldn't be left without supervision, so the Duty NCO was born. I spent the next weekend sitting in an office writing "02:00 Post and building all secure", etc. Yeah, right! The next thing I knew we were on buses headed for the Marine Air Station at El Toro. I tried to find a few buddies there, but had no luck. The next morning, bright and early (why is it always early) we were standing in the parking lot with all our gear. I had bought a "cold weather" shirt off another guy, but was still shivering. Little did I know what a fond memory this would become. The moments passed then I heard "Hey, Top" and spun around. "Gunny!, where the hell ya been?" It was Bruce, crazy Bruce. The guys in the barracks had said he was in the hospital. His head had been shaved on one side, he looked a little white, but still had the same evil grin. "What the hell happened to you, they said you NAM VET Newsletter Page 27 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 were in the hospital". He looked a little sheepish. "Well, I racked up the cycle pretty good and they had to put a plate in my scull". "How the hell did you do that?", I replied. He went on to describe how he had been on a `trip', was cruisin' down the freeway and decided to stand on the seat. Apparently the metal divider had kind of broken his fall. Yeah, right! Land in Hawaii, and refuel the plane. Days... later, land in Guam and refuel the plane. Land again, must be time to refuel. Nope, not this time we have arrived in sunny, downtown Okinawa. The end of the line for my WESPAC orders. Get on a bus and head for Camp Henderson, the most Godforsaken place I've ever been. My Marine Corps, in its utter wisdom had decided to cram in as many replacement Marines as could fit, along with as many returning Marines (from `Nam) as, well, you know. What a recipe! The pot, as it were, was the EM Club. Us: Gung Ho, young, immature, ready for action. Them: Fresh from the bush, all-knowing, don't give a shit. It was not pretty.... I had the duty once again. Someone decided it would be fun to drop a Frag in the Club, 50 or 60 wounded as I recall. MP's swinging nightsticks wildly. Marine walks into an office and unloads with a .45 at some Top Sargent. Formations every two hours, and they had you here. Miss a formation and you might not hear your new orders. Since we were assigned to the 9th MAB there were three possible destinations: Stay on Okinawa, go to the Philippines, or go somewhere else south and west of here. At this moment Vietnam was just a word to me. They wouldn't waste all the electronics training they'd put me through, and send me to a damn jungle would they? Yeah, right! It was raining when we landed in Danang. I learned later that we were coming into monsoon season. I can still remember something that one of my Instructors had said in Radar school. "Since you guys have a clearance, they won't put you with the grunts". I thought about that as I rode in the "six-by" to my new outfit at Hill 10, BLT 2/26. When we arrived it was dark, and raining. I still remember the first night. Intermittent bursts of light and the sounds of artillery. We "new-guys" spent the night on a wooden floor of our first "hooch". Since we didn't know the difference between "incoming" and "outgoing" the first loud "whooooossshh" sent us scampering into the foxhole outside. We were greeted with loud guffaws as we landed in a foot of water. Next day, I was formally assigned to H&S Co., Comm Platoon. At that time each Comm Platoon was comprised of a Wire section (responsible for all field-phone and switchboard operation), a Radio section (responsible for insuring all radio operation), and a Tech Shop (responsible for all maintenance on the above). Whirlwind time- get full issue, M-16, Flak jacket, cammo's, canteens, etc. Check in with all other Battalion departments, especially the Mail Room! In the midst of all this the Bn. was packing up, we were going aboard ship. Another "six-by" ride through the countryside, many strange sights, sounds, and smells! We unload finally at Danang harbour. After a little confusion into the Landing Craft we go. Immediately, an argument breaks out between a Sargent and a Navy Chief. "There ain't no way a bunch of gyrenes are gonna get on my ship with loaded ammo". "Dammit, Chief we all just loaded up our clips on the dock". A conversation was held on the radio. A little later we were all standing by the side, flipping round after round into the water. I thought to myself, "Is this any way to run a war?". Yeah, right! NAM VET Newsletter Page 28 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 Our new home was the USS New Orleans, a helicopter carrier. The Troop Compartment was a little crowded, row after row of bunks stacked 6 high, with about 18 inches in between. Life settled into quick boredom. Lines for everything: the Head, Messhall, Formations, etc. With time on my hands, the thoughts started. How's Mary and the baby doing? When are we gonna get paid, so I can send her some money? When is my mail ever gonna catch up with me? Mail was so important! I had gotten a few letters while in Staging, but nothing since. News blackout- is everything OK? Without mail you didn't know. The best turn around time for a letter was 10 days. If a question was asked in a letter it took at least that long to receive a reply. Most of the time the letters arrived out of sequence, adding to the confusion. I tried to write every day, and Mary did the same. I just hoped everything was OK. A few memories stick out: Refueling at sea, where a line is shot between the ship and a tanker. Fuel lines are pulled across and the "smoking lamp is out". Some poor soul is transferred to the ship from another using a "bosun's chair". Strapped into a little seat suspended from a cable, he is pulled across. The ships get out of sync, the cable drops and he's dumped into the water. Watching movies on the hangar deck, going back to the fantail to have a smoke. Typhoon in the Gulf of Tonkin, with 30 foot seas. Lots of people seasick, but luckily not me. The plus side was - no lines for a few days! Good news comes in an announcement that all tours are being reduced to 12 months, instead of 13. Only 11 more months to go. The first letter from Mary arrives! News at last, both she and baby are doing fine. I take my first chopper ride. Some of the Comm gear has to go to a higher echelon shop, so we strap it to pack frames and head for the flight deck. The ramp of the CH-46 is slippery and I need help to get up it. We sit down on fold-out canvas seats. Tremendous noise from the engine, cables singing, then nothing. Crew Chief points to 2 people and they get off. More engine noise, chopper kinds of just squats there. The finger points again, and several more leave. This time we slowly get airborne, move off the side of the ship, drop suddenly 20 feet and we're off! The whole trip we move 10 feet above the waves, then the land appears. We get off the chopper and are surrounded with huge stacks of bright orange US Mail sacks. So that's why my mail took so long to arrive. "Through rain, sleet, and the dead of night", but not typhoons. Yeah, right! Welcome to LZ Rockcrusher, about 10 miles further west of Hill 10. The baby is due in about 2 weeks, and I'm starting to get a little crazy. Everyone knows about my situation, especially the Message Center. Fill sand bags, more sand bags. Raining almost constantly now, everything has turned into a sea of mud. We constructed sidewalks made out of empty ammo crates. The Shop gets set up, after a few days the generator arrives, and we get lights. We build an EM Club and then it arrives - beer! Our hootches are built by the Seebees, framed out in wood with a canvas tent stretched over it. Plywood floor and screens all around. Add a cot, pancho liner, ammo crate for a locker, and you have Home, Sweet Home. The Gunny gives us the afternoon off, and a buddy and I head out for Freedom Hill. Except for the corrugated tin roofs and sandbags, it could pass for a shopping center back in the world. Huge PX with aisle after aisle packed with goodies, and air conditioned to boot. Huge movie theater with cushioned seats, just like home. Snack bars which served hamburgers and hotdogs. Ice NAM VET Newsletter Page 29 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 cold beers, it was pig out time for sure. No C-Rats tonight! Time passes and the letters from Mary are sporadic. The baby is due any day, then her letters stop. In a past letter she mentions that the allotment check still hasn't arrived. We get paid, and I send her most of it in a check. More waiting, still no word. Get a military drivers licence for jeeps and ammo carriers. Start making the daily FSR run into Red Beach at Danang. Lots of new sights. Stopped at a road junction on Highway 1, near Dogpatch. Waiting for a long Korean convoy to go by. Kids quickly converge around the jeep, reaching in. I grab my rifle off the steering column and they back off. Finally get moving again. By accident I run into Ron at FSR. He and his wife had been stationed with us in Barstow. We exchange a little small talk. He's working in the Krypto Shop there and wants to know what it's like in the bush. All I could do was laugh, bush, huh! Back to the Rockcrusher. A couple of days pass and now Mary is almost 2 weeks overdue. I talk to the Lieutenant and he gives me permission to go to the 1st Mar Div MARS station and make a call home. I hitch a ride there only to find out that calls can only be made on even numbered days. Aw, sh*t! A few days later I tried again. The MARS station was comprised of a waiting room containing 6 or 8 chairs, and the Radio booth which had a glass window. Just outside this window was a phone. You would give the Radio Operator the phone number back in the states you wanted to call. A Radio call would be transmitted to the MARS station in Hawaii, again giving the phone number. The Operator in Hawaii would then try to locate a HAM operator as close to the city as possible. The HAM operator would patch the radio call into a landline, and the charges were based on the landline call only. This operation requires a strict protocol as conversation only flows in one direction at a time. All operators are listening and must switch between transmit and receive manually. I didn't know any of this then, I just gave the number and had a seat. One by one guys were called over to the phone, made their call and left. Wait some more. Suddenly. I was called over. The operator slid back the glass and said "She's not at home, they said she's in the hospital and just had a baby. We're not supposed to do this, but we're trying to get the number of the hospital. Have a seat". My stomach filled up with butterflies, and it was hard to breathe. I was called over again and picked up the phone. "Cpl. Boyle, you start. Say over when you're done". Taking a deep breath I said "Hi Darlin', what did we have? Over". "Oh, honey I can't believe it's you! We have a little girl and she's so precious. When the man called and said there was a call from you I just couldn't believe it". Pause.... "Say Over, Mary", some voice intervened. "Oh, Over". "Honey, what did we name her? Over". "Her name is Lisa Dawn". Pause.... Again, "Say Over, Mary". "Over". "That's great news,babe! Are you doing OK, and baby, too. Over". "We're both fine, I'm just a little tired" ... "Over". We exchanged a few more words and then it was over. "Hey, don't forget to bring me a cigar the next time you come". I assured him I wouldn't and asked him where I could crash for the night. It was 1 or 2 in the morning and I was suddenly very tired. "Just pull a couple of chairs together, we have people from the bush all the time". Yeah, right! Postscript: I met Mary in Hawaii for R&R, about 3 months later. She brought little Lisa with her, and it was quite a reunion! What can you say when you hold your first child in your arms? And when you haven't seen your young wife in over 6 months! Twenty years NAM VET Newsletter Page 30 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 ago. I'm proud to say Lisa isn't "little" any longer. She's quite a young woman, and in her second year at the University of Texas at Austin. And my Mary is still the same, only I love her more. NAM VET Newsletter Page 31 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 I ain't here alone! By Michael J. Martin Input by: Glenn Toothman NAM VETs MIA-POW Section Editor The Commo Bunker - Karnes County, TX VetPoint 8 (1:321/203.8) & FidoNet 1:387/801 One night this fellow at the bar started talkin' 'bout the war Tears of Rage welled up in his eyes He said he'd been through Hell In the jungles and the jails Just lost another job and another wife He said, "They just don't understand what it does to a man I just can't seem to shake it from my mind I pulled up a stool said, "Shake the hand of another fool I was there in '68 and 69 (Chorus) "And they ain't gonna bury me while I'm still livin' Aint gonna shut me up 'til my story's been told I don't need o parades... I don't need no forgivin' I just need to know...I aint here alone I said "I aint never been too sure if it was Luck or the Lord I just know that somehow I survived I've slept out in the rain Been damn near blown away But, buddy, I, by God, learned how to fight And when I had to decide if it was Them or Me..gonna Live or Die there was no time for analyzin 'Wrong or Right' I got plenty of regrets got a lot of things I just can't forget But, Buddy, I'm still glad to be alive" (Chorus) Well, he and I were strangers but we talked like we were brothers Laughed about the leeches and the girls on R and R We talked of monsoons and mamasans and the N.V.A and the Viet Cong And we cried about our buddies that died in that damn war And we talked about the waste and all the bitterness and pain of comin back and findin' out nobody cared no more NAM VET Newsletter Page 32 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 We put our arms around each other just two more weary warriors who didn't feel quite so alone as we had felt before And we sang, "they aint gonna bury me.... "(Chorus) NAM VET Newsletter Page 33 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 ================================================================= V e t e r a n B e n e f i t s ================================================================= VA PENSIONS INCREASE FOR VETERANS VA NEWS RELEASE DATED 22 NOVEMBER 1989 Input by: Jim Hildwine NAM VETs Federal Benefits Section Editor VetPoint 47 - FidoNet 1:321/203.47 Shady Side, Md. More than 700,000 veterans and dependents will receive up to 4.7 percent increase in Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) Improved Pension checks payable Dec 31, 1989. VA Secretary Edward J. Derwinski said he hopes to announce a similar increase in disability compensation rates for disabled veterans before the year is out. VA pensions are paid to wartime veterans totally and permanently disabled from circumstances unrelated to their military service, and to needy survivors of wartime veterans. The pension increase applies to 436,505 veterans of wartime service and 260,708 surviving spouses and children. Payment increases will also go to 31,311 parents of deceased veterans receiving Dependency and Indemnity Compensation (DIC) benefits. The increase in monthly payments is automatic and requires no action by recipients. Pension benefits range from annual maximums of $6,76 for a veteran without dependents to $15,222 for a veteran with three dependents who is in need of regular aid an attendance. Unlike compensation benefits paid to veterans disabled by illness or injuries related to military service, pensions are affected by income from other sources, so the exact amount of the increase varies. Increases in Improved Pension to wartime veterans and dependents and DIC payments to deceased veterans' parents are set by law at the same rate and date as Social Security increases. VA pensions other than the Improved Pension remain fixed at the rates in effect in 1978. The income limits that control eligibility for these programs, however, also are increased by 4.7 percent, effective Dec 1. Recipients of these pensions may request transfer to the Improved Pension plan at any time. The VA reviews each request to advise beneficiaries which program would be most advantageous. Veterans and dependents with questions about pensions should contact the nearest VA regional Office. Federal Benefits? Ask me!!! - Jim - NAM VET Newsletter Page 34 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 VETERANS REMINDED OF BURIAL BENEFITS VA News Release Dated: 6 November 1989 Input by: Jim Hildwine NAM VETs Federal Benefits Section Editor VetPoint 47 - FidoNet 1:321/203.47 Shady Side, Md Veterans should know that one Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) benefit to which nearly all former armed services members are entitled is burial in a national cemetery. VA's National Cemetery System expects to provide burials to nearly 60,000 veterans and their family members this year. But a VA survey found that only about one-third of veterans are aware that they, their spouses and dependent children may be buried in a national cemetery. Veterans, except those with dishonorable discharges, are entitled to burial in any of VA's national cemeteries that have space. Service members with exclusively Reserve or National Guard service may be interred in a national cemetery only if they die while on active duty for training. Although families cannot reserve gravesites in a national cemetery, a veteran can make things easier for survivors by keeping his or her discharge certificate and other military service records accessible, and verifying eligibility at any VA office. Burial is also available to a veteran's widow or widower (if she or he has not remarried), as well as to unmarried children under age 21 and, under certain circumstances, unmarried adult children. Dependents do not have to be buried in the same cemetery as the veteran. For eligible veterans and family members, VA handles gravesite preparation and burial, furnishes a headstone or marker and flag, and provides perpetual care. In some national cemeteries, graveliners are furnished at no expense. However, VA does not provide funeral arrangements, transportation or military honors, which often can be arranged by funeral directors through nearby military facilities or veterans organizations. When a veteran or dependent dies, documents supporting eligibility should be given to the funeral director who will contact the cemetery where burial is requested. Of VA 113 national cemeteries, 66 have space available for the first casket burials of a family member. In the other 47 -- considered "closed" -- an eligible family member may be buried if a previous family member interment has occurred. Most of the closed national cemeteries can accept cremation burials. Other burial benefits are available to veterans who may not choose national cemetery interment. VA will furnish a headstone or grave marker for a veteran's unmarked grave anywhere in the world and a memorial marker to recognize a veteran whose remains were not recovered or for other reasons were not buried. As an alternative, VA will reimburse up to $80.00 of the cost to purchase a marker privately. Dependent's graves may receive a government marker only in a national or state veterans cemetery. Veterans' families also may receive an American flag for covering a casket and a memorial certificate bearing the signature of the President, expressing the nations's recognition of the NAM VET Newsletter Page 35 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 deceased veteran's service. Information on VA burial benefits is available from most funeral directors, national cemetery offices and VA regional offices, which are listed in the "U.S. Government" section of the telephone directories. Federal Benefits? Ask me!!! - Jim - NAM VET Newsletter Page 36 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 ================================================================= M i s s i n g ! ! ! ================================================================= CHRISTMAS AND POW'S By: Glenn Toothman NAM VETs MIA-POW Section Editor The Commo Bunker - Karnes County, TX VetPoint 8 (1:321/203.8) & FidoNet 1:387/801 This holiday season while you are enjoying your meal, looking at the fantastic lights around town and your house, watching your children open their gifts, as you enjoy the services of your choice, celebrate the coming of Christ, or Hanaka, take the time to reflect on our comrades who have not returned yet. These persons may be yet alive, or deceased, whatever the case, we need to reflect on these comrades. As I sit in front of the terminal close to the tree, looking over my shoulder to see the gifts there, I can't help but think "but for the will of God, I might be one of those unfortunate few who are still unaccounted for. I sometimes just think that even if the beings missing, were deceased, they still need to come home, I take time to reflect on this. I look up at the crystal clear sky, look at the stars, the galaxy, the universe, and ponder these men. I take the time to think and feel for them. I still carry the memories of some men that I lost, but they came home... both in my mind (after my trip to the 'wall') and physically (they rest in various places, church cemeteries, veteran cemeteries, city cemeteries) but they still rest in peace. The christmas carol goes through my mind.... Silent Night, Holy Night, all is calm, all is bright, 'round yon virgin, mother and child... sleep in heavenly peace, sleep in heavenly peace. I am not a religious person, however, when I heard that last night, the sky was clear, the stars seemed to be sparkling extra bright, and I remembered my fellow warriors that still have not returned. There is a song written by a couple of Namvets (Mike Martin and Tim 'Doc' Holliday) called 'The Last Firebase' there is a verse in it that rings true to heart for me... in part it says "Sergeant Major can we stand down now? Yes, but keep the homefires burning there's one patrol still out" The one patrol is the MIA-POW persons, and the homefires are kept burning in my heart, at each of the gatherings that I and others sponsor there is a small fire going, regardless if it is 25 degrees or 125 degrees, it is the homefire, to guide the last patrol in... I just sit here and remember some of the times I had over in the Nam.. quite warm, humid, listening to Earnest Tubbs singing 'Blue Christmas' (the only Christmas song we had). I remember in 66 taking a deuce and half and driving out to Indian country, to get a tree, decorating it with C rat cans, smoke and grenade pins, some of the Donut Dollies and USO girls came over and made some decorations... Going down to the 'Club' on Christmas eve and getting depressed because we couldn't be with our loved ones. I had quite a few OD Christmases but only two in country. We still have persons over there that must celebrate this day, at least in their minds or NAM VET Newsletter Page 37 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 memories, these are the men I think of at this time of year... Merry Christmas, to one and all, and especially those who cannot be here in the land of the great PX, and those who have been kept behind, we think of you. Keep your nose in the Mud, from those of us at the Commo Bunker of Karnes County, TX Home of "Vietnam Veterans UnderGround" NAM VET Newsletter Page 38 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 W W M M W W M M M M W W \ / M M M M OOOO W W W --*-- M M M IIII O O W W W W / \ M M II O O W W W W M M II O O W W M M II O O II PPPPPP O O ..... II AA PP PP OOOO . '' '' .. IIII A A PP PP ..' '.. A A PPPPPPP ..' ''. A A PP ..' '. AAAAAA PP .' ''. A A PP .' '. A A .' .:::::.. '. .' .::::::::::. ' .' .::::::::::::::. '. .' __ .::::::::::::::::;:... '. .' _- -_ .:::::::::::::::::::::::. '. .' _-_ _ _ -_ ::::::::::::::::::::::::' '. .. _- -!!___!!!-_:::::::::::::::::::::::. .. .' ==_ _- _= .:::::::::::::::::::::::: ', . =-_= _= = :::::::::::::::::::::::: . .' =-_ =_- = ::::::::::::::::::::::: '. .' = - -_ =_:::::::::::::::::::::. '. .' -_ -_- .:::::::::::::::::::;;;. '. .' _-_ ..::::::::::::::::::::::::; '. . _ _ .:;:::::::::::::::::::::;, . ' _ .:::::::::::::::::::::::::. '. Y .'.....::::::::::::::::::::::::::;' '. N ::::::::::::::::::::::::' `''' ': O `::::::::::::::::::::::: \v/ \ / :'E `:::::::::::::::::::::: =========================== :' U `:::::::::::::::::::::. /^\ \ :'T `:::::::::::::::::::: .: A `:::::::::::::::::: .:'T `::::::::::::::::::. .;' R `:::::::::::::::::. .;' T `::::::::::::::::. .;' E `:::::::::gjp::: .:' O `:::::::::::::...........'' G N O T F O R " Bring them home --- NOW !!! " NAM VET Newsletter Page 39 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 NATIONAL LEAGUE OF FAMILIES OF AMERICAN PRISONERS AND MISSING IN SOUTHEAST ASIA Input by: Glenn Toothman NAM VETs MIA-POW Section Editor The Commo Bunker - Karnes County, TX VetPoint 8 (1:321/203.8) & FidoNet 1:387/801 December 5, 1989 Newsletter MORE ACCOUNTABILITY: The Department of Defense recently announced the names of the following americans, previously listed as unaccounted for in North Vietnam, whose remains were identified and returned to their families: COL Floyd W. Richardson USAF missing 3 March 67 COL Charles D. Roby USAF missing 3 March 67 COL James C. Hartney USAF missing 5 Jan 68 LTC Gordon B. Blackwood USAF missing 27 May 67 LTC Robert Irwin USAF missing 17 Feb 72 MAJ Larry Martin USAF missing 15 Jul 68 CAPT Daniel L. Carrier USAF missing 2 Jun 67 LT David Kardell USNR missing 9 May 65 Including these individuals, 260 americans (231 from Vietnam, 27 from Laos and 2 from PRC) previously missing in Southeast Asia have been accounted for. These latest identifications reduce the number still prisoner, missing and unaccounted for in Indochina to 2,323. Comment: To each of the families involved, the League extends sincere understanding, though grateful that their many years of uncertainty have ended. Those who claim no progress is being made should consider the 184 families whose loved one's remains have been returned since priority was established in 1982. VETERANS DAY: During the Veterans Day ceremony held at Arlington National Cemetery, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff General Colin L. Powell, speaking on behalf of President Bush, strongly reaffirmed the U.S. Government's commitment to resolving the POW/MIA issue, stating, ". . . We, the veterans who returned -- and indeed all American citizens -- have an obligation to account for these missing comrades in arms. We owe this to their families and we owe it to future generations of Americans, but most of all, we owe to our missing buddies... These missing American veterans did not swerve from their duty to fight for freedom. We must not either. I can assure you that I will not rest, that President Bush will not rest, that this nation will not rest; until we have obtained the fullest possible accounting for our missing in action. This is more than a promise-- it is a solemn oath." EDUCATIONAL VIDEO AVAILABLE SOON: The League's educational video, providing a comprehensive overview of the issue, is scheduled for public release following the first of the year. This VHS video will be available on a secured loan and purchase basis and is ideal in academic settings and to replace speakers at many events. NAM VET Newsletter Page 40 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 OPPOSITION TO H.R. 3603: The board of directors voted unanimously to oppose this legislation, introduced by Representatives Denny Smith (D-OR) and Bob Smith (R-NH), calling for the "heads of Federal departments and agencies to disclose information" concerning Americans classified as POW or MIA dating back to World War II. Public declassification has long been opposed by the League, as such release could jeopardize any American who may still be held. It should be noted that the U.S. Government policy of full disclosure, established in 1982 and enacted into law in 1988, ensures that all information which does or may correlate to a missing American is provided to the primary next-of-kin. SPECIAL MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR: The Vessey Mission to Hanoi and the Lambertson Mission to the Vientiane were critical to the issue. I am confident in the U.S. Government's commitment to "do all a government can", as stated by President Bush during the League's 20th Annual Meeting. If the Indochinese Governments seriously honor these agreements, there will be greatly expanded results due to increased viability of the process. Going into 1990, there is valid reason for optimism . As always, careful monitoring of the process is crucial. The League has the determination and ability to accomplish that objective. Your prayers and support sustain the board of directors, the staff and me. We are grateful. A special gift to the League in honor of a missing American would be appropriate and welcome during the Holiday Season. Best wishes for a safe, joyful and peace- filled holiday season and a New Year filled with many blessings. NAM VET Newsletter Page 41 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 Listing of MIA's - Last Names ending in A through E Input by: Charles Harper Classic City Node-2 - Athens, GA (404) 548-0726 "I got the file off of PC-EXEC in Milwaukee but since then I have seen a few messages in reference to POW BBS on a few boards." - Charles Harper - (Note from Joe: The list is BIG! and includes info on Biographies on the individual MIA's. I've split it into three parts. Parts 2 and 3 will be published in subsequent issues.) From: *** The POW Network *** 319-386-7697 List of Available Bios December 8, 1989 Lastname First Mid. Branch-Rank Incident Country ======== ========== =========== ======== ======= ACALOTTO ROBERT J. ARMY E4 20-Feb-71 LAOS ACKLEY JAMES W. CIV 07-Mar-73 LAOS ACOSTA-ROSARIO HUMBERTO ARMY E3 22-Aug-68 SVN ADACHI THOMAS Y. USAF E5 22-Apr-70 LAOS ADAM JOHN Q. USAF E3 22-May-68 LAOS ADAMS JOHN R. ARMY E2 08-Nov-67 SVN ADAMS LEE A. USAF O2 19-Apr-66 NVN ADAMS OLEY N. USAF E5 17-Jun-66 SVN/OW ADAMS SAMUEL USAF E5 31-Oct-65 SVN ADAMS STEVEN H. USAF E3 18-Oct-66 NVN/OW ADKINS CHARLES L. ARMY E4 02-Feb-68 SVN AGOSTO SANTOS JOSE USMC E3 12-May-67 SVN AHLMEYER HEINZ JR. USMC E1 10-May-67 SVN ALBERTSON BOBBY J. USAF E5 31-May-66 NVN ALBRIGHT JOHN S. II USAF O2 13-Dec-68 LAOS ALDRICH LAWRENCE L. ARMY E4 06-May-68 SVN ALFORD TERRY L. ARMY W1 04-Nov-69 SVN ALFRED GERALD O. JR. USAF O2 11-Dec-66 NVN ALGAARD HAROLD L. ARMY W1 04-Mar-71 NVN ALLARD RICHARD M. ARMY E4 24-Aug-67 SVN ALLEE RICHARD K. USAF O3 21-Dec-68 LAOS ALLEN HENRY L. USAF O2 26-Mar-70 LAOS ALLEN MERLIN R. USMC E3 30-Jun-67 SVN ALLEN WAYNE C. ARMY E5 10-Jan-70 SVN ALLEY GERALD W. USAF O5 22-Dec-72 NVN ALLEY JAMES H. USAF E4 06-Apr-72 SVN ALLGOOD FRANKIE E. USMC O5 26-Mar-68 SVN/OW ALM RICHARD A. USMC O4 01-Feb-66 NVN ALMENDARIZ SAMUEL ARMY E7 12-Jul-67 LAOS ALTIZER ALBERT H. ARMY E3 08-Oct-69 SVN ALWAN HAROLD J. USMC O4 27-Feb-67 SVN/OW AMESBURY HARRY A. JR. USAF O4 26-Apr-72 SVN AMOS THOMAS H. USAF O3 20-Apr-72 SVN AMSPACHER WILLIAM H. USN E4 02-Jun-65 NVN ANDERSON DENIS L. USN O2 11-Jan-68 LAOS ANDERSON EVELYN CIV 27-Oct-72 LAOS ANDERSON GREGORY L. USAF E4 28-Jan-70 NVN NAM VET Newsletter Page 42 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 ANDERSON ROBERT D. USAF O5 06-Oct-72 NVN ANDERSON WARREN L. USAF O3 26-Apr-66 NVN ANDREWS STUART M USAF O4 04-Mar-66 SVN ANDREWS WILLIAM L. USAF O3 05-Oct-66 NVN ANGELL MARSHALL J. ARMY E5 12-Dec-63 SVN ANGSTADT RALPH HAROLD USAF O4 18-Oct-66 NVN/OW ANSPACH ROBERT A. ARMY E8 11-Sep-67 SVN ANTON FRANCIS G. ARMY W2 05-Jan-68 SVN/NV ANTUNANO GREGORY A. ARMY E5 24-Jul-71 CAMB APODACA VICTOR J. USAF O3 08-Jun-67 NVN APPELHANS RICHARD D. USAF O3 16-Oct-67 LAOS APPLEBY IVAN D. USAF O4 07-Oct-67 NVN ARD RANDOLPH J. ARMY W1 07-Mar-71 LAOS ARMISTEAD STEVEN R. USMC O2 17-Mar-69 LAOS ARMSTRONG JOHN W. USAF O5 09-Nov-67 LAOS ARPIN CLAUDE CIV 06-APR-70 CAMB ARROYO-BAEZ GERASINO ARMY E6 24-Mar-69 SVN ASHALL ALAN F. USN O2 29-Aug-68 NVN ASHBY CLAYBORN W. JR. USN E5 17-Feb-68 LAOS ASHLOCK CARLOS USMC E4 12-May-67 SVN ASTON JAY S. ARMY W1 18-Jul-71 SVN ASTORGA JOSE M. ARMY E4 02-Apr-72 SVN AUSTIN CHARLES D. USAF O2 26-Apr-67 NVN AUSTIN ELLIS E. USN O4 21-Apr-66 NVN AUXIER JERRY E. ARMY E6 29-Jul-68 SVN AVERY ALLEN J. USAF E6 06-Apr-72 SVN AYRES GERALD F. USAF O4 18-Jun-72 SVN BABCOCK RONALD L. ARMY O3 27-Feb-71 LAOS BACKUS KENNETH F. USAF O2 22-May-67 NVN BADER ARTHUR E. ARMY E5 30-Nov-68 LAOS BADOLATI FRANK N. ARMY E6 29-Jan-66 SVN BAILEY LAWRENCE ROBERT ARMY O4 23-Mar-61 LAOS BAILON RUBEN CIV 25-Dec-65 SVN BALAMONTI MICHAEL D. USAF O4 24-Nov-69 LAOS BALCOM RALPH C. USAF O3 15-May-66 NVN BALLENGER ORVILLE ROGER ARMY E5 22-Apr-61 LAOS BANCROFT WILLIAM W. USAF O2 13-Nov-70 NVN BANKOWSKI ALFONS A. USAF E5 23-Mar-61 LAOS BANNON PAUL W. USAF O4 12-Jul-69 LAOS BARBER THOMAS D. USN E3 17-Mar-68 NVN/OW BARNES CHARLES R. ARMY O3 16-Mar-69 SVN BARNETT CHARLES E. USN O5 23-May-72 NVN BARTOCCI JOHN E. USN O4 31-Aug-68 SVN/OW BATES PAUL J. JR. ARMY O3 10-Aug-71 SVN BATT MICHAEL L. ARMY E4 16-Mar-69 SVN BAUDER JAMES R. USN O4 21-Sep-66 NVN BAUMAN RICHARD L. ARMY W2 17-Mar-71 CAMB BAXTER BRUCE R. ARMY E8 08-Nov-67 LAOS BEALS CHARLES E. ARMY E4 07-Jul-70 SVN BEBUS CHARLES J. USAF E3 21-Dec-72 NVN BECERRA RUDY M. ARMY E4 24-Mar-70 CAMB BECK TERRY L. USN E4 02-Oct-69 NVN/OW BECKER JAMES C. ARMY O2 15-Aug-70 LAOS BECKWITH HARRY M. ARMY E5 24-Mar-71 SVN BEDNAREK JOHNATHAN B. USAF O2 18-May-72 NVN BEECHER QUENTIN R. ARMY W2 11-Jun-67 SVN/OW BEENS LYNN R. USAF O3 21-Dec-72 NVN BELCHER ROBERT A. USAF O4 28-Mar-69 SVN BELL HOLLY G. USAF O4 28-Jan-70 NVN NAM VET Newsletter Page 43 Volume 4, Number 1 January 7, 1990 BELL MARVIN E. USAF E5 30-Jun-70 LAOS BELL RICHARD W. USN E4 02-Oct-69 NVN/OW BENEDETT DANIEL A. USMC E2 15-May-75 CAMB BENGE MICHAEL CIV 28-Jan-68 SVN BENNETT HAROLD G. ARMY E4 29-Dec-64 SVN BENNETT THOMAS W. JR. USAF O3 22-Dec-72 NVN BENSON LEE D. USN O2