Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 . __ . . -*- N A M V E T -*- ____/ \_ . . ( * \ . . Managing Editor \ Quangtri . . ---------------- \_/\ \_ Hue . . G. Joseph Peck \_Ashau Phu Bai . . \_* \_ . . Editorial Assistants \ * ) . . -------------------- _/ Danang . . Pete Farias \|/ ( \_*Chu Lai . . Sarge Hultgren --*-- \_ ------- \__ . . /|\ \_ I Corps \ . . Distribution Manager \ ------- ! . . ------------ /\_____ ! . . Jerry Hindle / ! \ . . ! !___ \ . . Section Editors ! \/\____! . . --------------- ! ! . . IN-TOUCH: Ray "Frenchy" Moreau / Dak To ! . . INCARCERATED VETS: Joyce Flory / * / . . NEED-TO-KNOW: Lefty Frizzell ! \_ . . VETERAN EMPLOYMENT: Fred Sochacki ! Phu Cat\ . . \ * * ) . . \ Pleiku ) . . -**- N A M V E T -**- \ \ . . / / . . "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 _/ Nhatrang / . . many veterans have endured, _/ / . . NAM VET is a shining beacon, __/ ! . . a ray of hope, and a _ __/ \ ! . . reminder that the _____( )/ ! Camranh 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 . . _____! \__ * ___/ for NONCOMMERCIAL . . ! Saigon/ purposes ONLY! . . \___ -------- / \/ . . \ IV Corps / For other use, contact: . . ) -------- / . . / ! G. Joseph Peck (413) 442-1660 . . / ____/ Managing Editor . . / 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 . . . NAM VET Newsletter Page i Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 ================================================================== T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S 1. Editorials Faith is... .............................................. 1 Do Veterans Have Preference in Federal Employment? ....... 5 Were YOU exposed to Agent Orange?? ....................... 8 2. In-Touch In Touch... No Recognition ............................... 11 In-Touch: What is it??? .................................. 14 IN-TOUCH Registration/Request Form!!! .................... 17 3. Forgotten - again? Exploding the POW Cover-Up! .............................. 19 Highlights of Minority Staff Exam of POW/MIA Policy ...... 23 Veterans Call for Coverup Probe! ......................... 25 US to call for Vietnam MIA Search! ....................... 27 Snapshot Raises HOPE!!! .................................. 29 They haven't forgotten US!!! ............................. 30 Cheney vows Vietnam MIA accounting ....................... 31 MIA Families given hope! ................................. 32 MIA pix latest evidence in doubt saga .................... 34 UPI Reports "Hanoi allows U.S. MIA search" ............... 36 Goals of SR 82 ........................................... 38 4. Coins in the Fountain Veterans Readjustment Appointments - PL 102-16 ........... 40 NJ Assemblyman Supports Vets' Rights Advances ............ 44 5. Remember Them!!! How looks the 'Nam vet? .................................. 46 A visit or note once in awhile? .......................... 48 6. Ol' Glory n' Shiftin' Sands VA Benefits for Persian Gulf War Veterans ................ 49 She Flies Ever High!!! ................................... 50 7. Don't drink the water! Areas of Agent Orange Spraying ........................... 51 Break out the Clearasil ! ............................ 54 NPR and Agent Orange ..................................... 55 VA OK's new round of Agent Orange Benefits ............... 59 8. The NamVet Chapel Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Former POWs ............ 60 The Electronic Chapel .................................... 77 9. Letters To The Editor Is Colonel Millard Peck Talking Funny? ................... 78 Rap Group forms in a Telephone Company! .................. 80 KOREA..... WHAT? WHO? WHEN? .............................. 82 10. Concentrated IVVEC/NamVet Service Tell It To VA Secretary Derwinski? Samo-Samo!!! ......... 84 Heroes Should Apply... ................................... 86 NAM-NET in our colleges! ................................. 88 In-Country Cassette Tape Available! ...................... 89 Some Gave All... ......................................... 90 NAM VET Newsletter Page ii Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 ================================================================== Editorials ================================================================== Faith is "Life In Action"! By G. Joseph Peck NamVet's Managing Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 Gosh! For a while here I thought I was becoming an "electronic crustacean" what with the half-shell that seemed to be building around me that consisted of half-running computers and hard disks, floppy diskettes that barely flopped , service that NEEDED to be done and bills that HAD to be paid to keep both myself and Berkshire Veterans' Center, Inc./VETLink #1 up and a running. Believe me, *-ALL-* I wanted was a cocoon to crawl into and hide away from the world whilst it seemed to be crashing down upon me, my family and my family of veterans. Six weeks ago (when last NamVet came out), VETLink #1 was half-up, half-down and we were mungin' about with the CDC 94155-86/SEAGATE ST4086 that Bob Morris had so graciously donated to VETLink #1. No matter WHAT we did, we could not get it to run! You folks out here in NamVetLand offered advice, suggested various formatting programs, TRIED to help. If the computer ain't got the basic stuff, though, nothin's gonna work - and it didn't. Bob, though, determined to help another veteran, talked to Vietnam vet Bil Cook and Tom Ruddy of Braxtel\Arathon Computers (in Cheshire, CT) and worked out a "special" deal to help us get back up and fully running: A Maxtor 180-meg'er! I pulled the funds from my disability check and almost flew to Cheshire, CT to pick it up, bring it home and put VETLink #1 totally back on-line! Three days later, having about given up ALL hope of EVER getting back on-line 'cause the hd would NOT run, Bil Cook drove 70-miles from Cheshire, CT and I drove 70 miles from Pittsfield, MA where, upon meeting-in-the-middle, Bill gave me a replacement Maxtor AND donated a new controller card. When I got it home, it ALL worked flawlessly!!! (Thanx again Bil!!!) If EVER ya need someone who's really, sincerely concerned about GOOD service and customer satisfaction, don't hesitate to give Bil a shout! (He even does Mail Order - and he IS a Vietnam Vet!) The hd/controller card "out of the way", we could then concentrate on getting VETLink #1 back to where it USED to be with all its veteran-service orientation. THEN we learned about Joyce - our Incarcerated Veterans Section Editor and the dragon SHE was out to slay. Ken and Joyce (and family) have learned by now of the SUPPORT, CARE and CONCERN that many of our echo participants continually shoulder concerning a veteran and/or his wife and family! Joyce will be back with us in a short-short. For now, she's got a well-deserved "leave-of-absence". Get well soon, Joyce! Knowing that the donated AT512 was "on its way" as soon as Frenchy finished thoroughly checking it out - and discovering that I no longer had ANY room left to spare in the office that we've been using, the decision was made to begin moving Berkshire Veterans' NAM VET Newsletter Page 1 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 Center/VETLink #1 to larger quarters: the entire basement area of my home! But first, it had to be cleaned out; shelves had to be built; electricity had to be rerouted, and phone lines had to be run. Eight trailer-loads to the dump later , VETLink #1's new home began to take shape. Walls were built out of scrap material; a door-with-frame was donated; the NamVet computer was moved, and the process of relocating from up-to-downstairs started. A few days, though, and it was discovered that a dehumidifier was a MUST - water droplets were forming on the sides of the computer! Martin Kroll, Sr., NamVet's Agent Orange Section Editor, was also an officer in his local PC Users Group. The group, after nearly a year of inactivity, decided to close its doors - and needed a place to disburse the funds left in its treasury. Martin suggested Berkshire Veterans' Center/VETLink #1 (THANK YOU, Martin!!!) and soon a Cashier's check for a little over $400 was on its way to us! Jim Hildwine once told me: "God never gives ya want ya WANT - He gives ya what ya NEED!" BEFORE we needed it, it was on its way! Thanks again, Martin! We now have a dehumidifier! I was reimbursed for the amount I paid out for the hd purchased from Bil Cook's Braxtel\Arathon Computers; and the phone bill was paid! NOW all we needed to get nearly-completely ready-to-go was the donated AT512 that Frenchy was working on. Jane (Frenchy's wife) was in California visiting family; Frenchy was home alone, fighting a bout with a summer cold - and chomping at the bit with frustration at the AT512 and the constant parity errors the DRAM chips in the machine kept giving him. For one or two days, everything would check FINE and then, "Parity Error"! The machine ran good for three days; Frenchy said that as soon as Jane returned from California he'd ship it up UPS - and I went back to work in the basement. THEN I got to thinking: "Frenchy's been sick - he's probably waiting for Jane to come back and pack up the AT for him. It would take a lot off of HIS shoulders if, somehow, I could just swing by and pick it up. Hmmm... My daughter (Rosa) has been asking to spend the summer with my sister and brother-in-law who live at Andrews AFB. Lemme see what I can put together to make all the things work... And SINCE I'm going to be near The Wall, how's about I call Sarge Hultgren and see if he'd like to go, too? ... There'll be enough room in the car (station wagon) so why not invite Fred Sochacki, NamVet's Veteran Employment Section Editor, to go along, too? Hmmm..." I fired off a message to Frenchy to let him know that he wouldn't have to ship the AT512 and that Fred, Sarge and I should be there "sometime Saturday"... Everything was "green smoke" here at VETLink #1 *-UNTIL-* I received the reply back from Frenchy! "Would not suggest putting a thousand miles on your car for a computer that has failed again! Best put it off and I will ship as soon as its running fine!" THEN I got a message from Sarge that, yes, he COULD come, he would be bringing his vet-friend who's relative's name is on The Wall, and would leave Lynn, MA at 1300 hrs Friday! Daughter was looking forward to having a summer vacation; "I" was looking forward to goin' with Sarge an' his vet-friend Ed (still can't remember his last name! - but if ya call him "Puppy" or "Milk NAM VET Newsletter Page 2 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 Bone" he'll answer! ) an' Fred to The Wall. Arghhh! I'll go ANYWAY! In MY mind, it couldn't have been a better decision. Rosa, Sarge, Ed an' I left Pittsfield, MA about 1800 hrs Friday enroute to pick up Fred (in Passaic, NJ) at/or about 2000hrs at Exit 16W off the thruway. "I" thought it was the New York thruway... Fred and his caring other, Maureen, MEANT Exit 16W on the New JERSEY turnpike. We waited for nearly an hour at Exit 16 on the thruway - while Fred and Maureen waited at Exit 16W on the turnpike! "Well... Let's go through Passaic and call him from there," I said to Sarge - and we left Exit 16. 10pm we arrived at Exit 16W in Passaic and couldn't find Fred nor Maureen! Telephoned him and left a message on his answering machine - and decided to wait at least another half-hour to see if we COULD touch bases. Finally, near midnight, we DID connect and finally found Fred and were on our way again! When we got to Washington, DC I quickly found out that I didn't KNOW how CLOSE I could be to something and NOT find it! We drove nearly an hour-an-a-half just lookin' for my sister's and finally arrived there near 0600! Rosa stumbled upstairs to TRY to go to sleep (never did!); four vets crashed on my sister's living room floor and, at about 1000, left for The Wall. "Easy to get to from here," said the man in the restaurant where we ate breakfast. "Just go down Pennsylvania Avenue to Constitution Avenue and follow it right to The Wall!" We found Pennsylvania Avenue okay - but, darn if they hadn't closed Constitution Avenue for the National Soap Box Derby events! No matter WHERE I looked, I couldn't FIND the familiar Washington Monument... and we drove an' drove an' drove all 'round Washington, DC lookin' for The Wall! We DID find it, though! It was Fred's first time at The Wall. I'm glad Sarge n' Ed and I were there for him - and for a couple of other "first-time" vets that we met as they tried to gather up the courage to visit, touch the names, rekindle the memories. I'm really GLAD! While there, we tried calling Frenchy and Jim Hildwine. Missed 'em both - but left messages on their answering machines . (No... I *-DIDN'T-* say my name was Lefty Frizzell! > Then we called David Valley (new to the echo, and with OPM) and waited for him to come-on-down! He told the two of us a bit about his work and pledged his help to what we're ALL trying to do with IVVEC and NamVet. (David - Know your father is going in for Open Heart Surgery. Hope he has a speedy recovery and that all things work out well for him and your entire family!) To make a long story a little shorter , we FINALLY got out of Washington, DC (where I also learned how MANY times and from how MANY different directions one can find The Wall) and all of us made it back home safe an' sound. Doin' the best I can with what I got , I went back to work building/moving the NEW Berkshire Veterans' Center/VETLink #1's NAM VET Newsletter Page 3 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 new quarters. The AT arrived a few days later - along with the somewhat-distressing news that the network cards weren't functional (Any of you folk out there into Networking/Networking Cards that might be able to help us?) This editorial is being written from the new headquarters of Berkshire Veterans' Center - with VETLink #1 soon to join us! Yeah... I guess there's been a LOT of action here since last I wrote ya - ACTION that's shown ME so much, much MORE about the UNITY in our veteran commUNITY; so much, much MORE about the need for all of us to support one another and BE there when needed, and so much, much *-MUCH-* to disprove my own personal belief that I've been building an "electronic cocoon" for myself that excluded more than it included! Gosh! You folk are GREAT!!! Thanx for being here!!! 'til next month Show a brother/sister veteran That *-YOU-* care!!! Ci'ao for Ni'ao - Joe - NAM VET Newsletter Page 4 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 Do Veterans Have Preference in Federal Employment? By: Fred Sochacki NamVet's' Veteran Employment Section Editor VETLink #1.75 at Passaic, NJ (413) 443-6313 Veteran's are a unique breed. Most of us joined the military in support of our country and in return we expected our country to support us in our time of need. Well, I'm here to tell you that this is not always the case. More and more veterans are falling into cracks within a system whose very existence is dependant on meeting the needs of the veteran. I'm sure we all know the mission of the Veteran's Administration, ("to care for him who should have borne the battle, and for his widow and orphan") - that being to aid and assist the veteran and his dependents in obtaining any or all benefits to which they are entitled in a timely manner and with respect. But, as you will see, somewhere along the line the Veterans Administration has lost track of this mission. Now, keeping in mind the primary mission of the Veterans Administration let's follow the steps taken by a disabled veteran who has spent nearly 2 years trying to obtain training and/or employment assistance through the Veterans Administration. Dooley, a disabled Vietnam veteran was given a medical discharge from the Navy in 1978, but not before having served almost 10 years on active duty including a tour in Vietnam with the Marines. After his discharge, Dooley tried getting a job in the private sector, using the skills he was taught in the military, all to no avail. So he decided to look for Federal Employment so he could take advantage of the 10 point preference given to disabled veterans and would also allow him to use his military time towards his retirement. Dooley took a test for the Post Office and a few months later was hired as a Mail Handler, a position he held for 10 years until physical and emotional problems caused him to resign in 1989. After his resignation, Dooley again went looking for work in the private sector, but to no avail. All he had was the training he had gotten in the military as a Payroll Clerk and that was outdated. It was at this point Dooley decided to apply to the Veterans Administration for Vocational Rehabilitation in order to get some type of job training or at least help in finding suitable employment. Dooley submitted his written request for Vocational Rehabilitation and waited patiently for the VA to act on his request. After all with a 50% service-connected rating, how long would he have to wait. Well, Dooley waited for more than a month before he heard from the VA. When he finally received his appointment, he was sure that the worst was passed. Little did he realize at the time that this was to be the beginning of his worst nightmare. He was seen by a NAM VET Newsletter Page 5 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 counselor who went over his application and explained what he would be doing to help Dooley. The VA Hospital was next and an appointment with a staff psychiatrist to determine whether or not he was able to get into the program and finally back to his counselor who gave him a series of tests to determine his IQ and interests. After waiting 3 months Dooley was finally called back in to see his counselor and find out what type of training he was going to receive. This was not the case. The counselor had decided that all Dooley needed was Employment Assistance so right from there he was taken to meet his Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist. This being Friday afternoon Dooley's new counselor only had about 20 minutes to spare, but he was able to give him 3 job prospects to check on until their next meeting. This was Dooley's first and only meeting with his new counselor, because a few weeks later when called to speak with him, he was told that he had retired and that Dooley would have to start all over again. At this point Dooley decided to research the various veteran programs within the Federal Service. Not having a college degree or any practical work experience made it almost impossible to find work in the private sector. But he did discover a law that was there to help Vietnam veterans in the same situation as himself. This law, Public Law 101-237 (Veterans Readjustment Appointments) would allow Dooley to be hired by any Federal Agency for a period of 2 years, during which time he would receive whatever training necessary for the job, but at the end of the 2 year period he would have to meet all the qualifications of the job in order to be made permanent. However there was just one small catch to this law, that being no Federal Agency has to hire anyone under this law. Most of us would consider this a major setback but not Dooley. He sat down and wrote a letter to his Congressman, explaining the problems he was having in obtaining training or job assistance from the Veterans Administration and asking him for assistance in obtaining a VRA Appointment. This should have been the end of Dooley's problems, but I'm sorry to say it wasn't. After 8 months of Congressional investigations and inquiries on behalf of Dooley he is no closer to training or job assistance from the VA than he was almost 2 years ago. As for the Veterans Readjustment Act, it wasn't very helpful. Even though it's a law, no Federal Agency has to abide by it and that is not the bottom line. Because there are other programs for disabled veterans such as noncompetitive appointments for veterans with more than 30% disability as with the VRA Appointment, no federal agency has to hire under this program. So where is this Veterans' Preference we hear so much about? And how is it helping the veteran? Dooley is still unemployed. After almost 2 years the Veterans Administration has contracted the outside service of a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist to help him prepare a good resume. What does this mean to Dooley? Nothing, because he still needs the training to put on his resume, but this NAM VET Newsletter Page 6 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 I assume is the VA's way of getting themselves off the hook, by saying they are doing everything they can to help him. So after all this time Dooley is still fighting the system and will continue to fight until he gets the training or job assistance, to which he is entitled, from the Veterans Administration. I chose to write about Dooley and his attempts to obtain help through the Veterans Administration and the programs that are available, but not utilized by federal agencies in their hiring practices, to open the eyes of all my brothers and sisters. Even though they may not be going through the same problems, they should be made aware of the problems facing other veterans who are not so lucky. To those of you who like Dooley are fighting the system, just remember that you are not alone and that the only way to change the system is to fight it, no matter how long it takes. Most important of all remember that there is strength in numbers. "Justice is Truth in Action" -- Fred -- NAM VET Newsletter Page 7 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 Were YOU exposed to Agent Orange?? By Jim Ferguson NamVet's Assistant Agent Orange Section Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 I remember quite well when a doctor asked me that question two years ago. I was sitting in his office at Memorial Hospital Sloan- Kettering Cancer Center in New York. It was the first time I seriously contemplated the answer. Like many other vets, I usually answered "No." In fact, it seemed to me that some vets blamed all their life's woes on Agent Orange. An article in my hometown paper quoted a boyhood friend as saying that he could no longer concentrate after his exposure to Agent Orange, and it was destroying his social life. I snickered as I recalled that he didn't have much of a social life for as long as I'd known him. (If you're reading this, Sorry, George.) Now I had cancer and it wasn't quite so funny to me. To the best of my knowledge, I had never been sprayed and had never handled Agent Orange. But when you consider how much Agent Orange was used in Viet Nam, and HOW it was used, it's probably difficult to really avoid exposure. This point has been made more eloquently and with more quantitative and technical information than I have here. (See Martin Kroll's article in Namvet 4.11) My point here is to suggest avenues of exposure you may not have considered. I was an infantryman (up in I Corps). I specifically recall that we worked in some PREVIOUSLY defoliated areas. These certainly weren't freshly defoliated. If you've seen the type of area I'm talking about, you probably still remember it. It's acres and acres of three foot high grass, nothing else grows there. We made a night camp in one of these areas, sleeping on the ground as there were no trees for hammocks. I recall watching a thunderstorm roll in late in the afternoon. The only reason I remember this incident is because I was worried about the possibility of lightning. We were on the highest hill in the area and except for the grass (and us) it was bare. I was concerned about a lightning strike to the top of the hill, taking us out. Charlie, the radioman, had his 10 foot whip antenna stuck up in the air. I told him it looked like a good lightning rod and moved a ways away from him. I do not recall the later details, as they probably weren't anything unusual. I suppose I got quite wet, sleeping on the ground with a poncho wrapped around me. Typically, we would have gotten clean clothes with a resupply, sometime in the next three days. Is THAT exposure? I wish I knew. As I thought about that night, I also recalled an incident where one guy (can picture him but can't remember his name) pretended to be a "rural hayseed," chewing on a stalk of grass. I'm not certain that this happened at the same place (but I believe that it did.) I also don't remember if I joined in the game. I very well could have, it's not something I would have thought twice about. Could one be exposed from THAT? For the first part of my tour, I spent about 25% of my time, on LZ Maryann. Our nominal schedule was 15 days out and 5 days "on the NAM VET Newsletter Page 8 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 hill." Maryann was our "fire base" or artillery support area. As I recall, there were two 105's, and at least one four deuce (4.2") and at least one 81mm mortar but not much else. [To be technically correct, yes there was an ammo dump, a kitchen, a helicopter pad, and a commo hootch. This was a SMALL place, not far from the Laotian border.] Maryann was usually defended by one infantry company (about 60 men) in addition to the permanent residents. I remember vividly the first night I spent on Maryann. We had an alert that night, and I thought we were under attack. With the light of flares from the 81's and a search light mounted on a jeep I looked out on a clear field of fire, searching for targets. There were only a few dead tree trunks and that low vegetation to obscure the view. It wasn't until those many years later that I thought about WHY the jungle didn't grow right up to the barbed wire perimeter. My point here is that Maryann was simply a defoliated hill in the middle of the jungle. Again it was not freshly defoliated, but I don't know how "old" the defoliation was. When you consider that we LIVED there, (eat, drink, sleep) with an open tank for the drinking and cooking water, slogging through the mud during the rainy season - could we really avoid exposure? I have read that dioxin is not water soluble, I'm not sure if that's positive or negative. It makes me feel somewhat better about all the water I drank from rivers and streams (?), but it also means that the dioxin was not simply washed away by the first monsoon season after spraying. Perhaps the greatest frustration here is that the government does not tell us what would have contributed to exposure. One last incident I'll note for you. When I first got out to the field (FNG) I used the water purification (iodine) tablets. After I found that none of the old hands did, I stopped using them. However, there was one other time when I used them. I was stuck in an area waiting (Weren't we always waiting for something?) and I had no water. There was a light rain and I had my poncho set up as a rain shelter. I loosened the strings so the poncho formed a funnel and I caught the rain water running off from it in my canteen cup. The water was really dirty from the poncho, so I used a tablet to kill the microbes. Maybe I should have worried about the origin of the "mud" as well. These are the things I remember and KNOW about. There are probably many more I haven't yet learned and may never know. So think about it. What kept the weeds from growing over the perimeter where YOU were? Where did YOUR drinking water come from? If you've read this far, I guess you're also wondering what the upshot of my visit with the doctor was. My tumor (soft-tissue sarcoma) was removed Memorial Day weekend 1989 at my local hospital. Two different pathologists have different identifications for the exact type of cancer. However, the treatment is the same so I'm not sure it matters to me. They're both very rare. Of the one type there are 1,500 new cases in the U.S. each year. Of the other type only 900 new cases. After they identified and confirmed the diagnosis, the recommended treatment NAM VET Newsletter Page 9 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 was more tissue removal from the area and radiation treatment. I had that surgery done at Sloan-Kettering in July 1989. They implanted tubes under the skin during the surgery and loaded them with a radioactive implant a few days later. After seven days they pulled out the implants and the tubes. I've had good 6-month checkups, most recently in June 1991. This last one was particularly good news as 80% of reoccurrences are within the first two years. Is my tumor connected to Agent Orange? On an administrative basis, there is now a presumption of service connection. Whether it was really CAUSED by Agent Orange exposure, there doesn't seem to be any way to tell. A side note here. If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, get the best care you can within the benefits available to you. Medical care is NOT the same everywhere. My neighbor still wonders why I went to New York for care (a "mere" three-hour drive, each way.) A FEW REASONS WHY I'M GLAD I DID: The LOCAL surgeon had little or no experience with the wider excision of tissue that I needed. At the hospital specializing in cancer treatment, I found a surgeon who performed this operation many times. The LOCAL medical oncologist (chemotherapy doctor) could only find one type of chemotherapy to use on this cancer. He recommended a program where this chemotherapy would have been administered by IV, requiring a two-day hospital stay every four weeks. I found that the EXPERTS from the cancer center have not found chemotherapy effective for soft-tissue sarcomas in the trunk. Can anyone CONCEIVE of going through chemotherapy on an inpatient basis, when it isn't effective for the particular type of cancer? At the cancer center I also could have the radiation implant, which was six DAYS of isolation instead of six WEEKS of daily visits for radiation at my local hospital. In fact, I believe that if I'd been at Sloan-Kettering for the initial surgery, I'd have had only ONE operation (taking care of the whole thing) and only ONE hospital stay. Keep in mind that the doctors themselves say that medicine is an art, not a science. Find yourself a Rembrandt, not a street wise kid with a spray can. NAM VET Newsletter Page 10 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 ================================================================== In-Touch ================================================================== IN TOUCH - NO RECOGNITION By Ray "Frenchy" Moreau NamVet's In-Touch Section Editor HBX Veterans Memorial Gateway VETLink #2 - Herndon, VA (703) 471-8010 There was no recognition of the dirty old man coming towards me. You see them in the streets of DC, New York, Boston, Detroit and countless cities throughout this great land of ours. No difference, I thought, for a small town north of San Francisco like Vallejo. Home of the Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Cryptographic Repair School, and for some of us River Rats - Mobile Riverine Force training area. As he came closer I was just passing the familiar Napoli Pizza on Tennessee Street, not too far from the main shipyard gate. I remembered that Jane, our three kids and I enjoyed the pleasant warmth and friendliness of the Italian family that owned the restaurant - Pizzas were just FANTASTIC! I thought to myself "Could they remember me?" - Almost as fast as the question surfaced I answered "No!", but I did remember as I looked at the younger face behind the counter. Some people just don't change, even if it has been nearly 23 years since our last tour. I caught a glimpse of the old man again as he approached on my left. I was heading westerly toward the Mare Island main gate and he was heading easterly. I couldn't look away from those steel grey eyes. Eyes that have seen much in his life time. His body was bent over - robbed of the precious youth by alcohol, dope and street living. His grey eyes had a depth as he stared at me. He was still knowledgeable of his surroundings. The closer he came the wider his eyes opened. No recognition. Close on the narrow street the smell of him reached my nostrils. God what a stench! One last look. No recognition. As I looked at him, a chill thought ran through my mind. "Did I know this man?" I did have two tours at Mare Island. It could be possible that I knew him. No recognition. I quickened my step. "No..." "Frenchy..?" "Chief Moe?"... a deep throaty voice emanated from the bent young-old man. I stopped and turned slightly to my left and again stared into those steel eyes. His face was covered with dirt. His beard was NAM VET Newsletter Page 11 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 long and straggly from personal neglect. His Black Beret, which I hadn't noticed before, was cocked to the left. I continued to stare... I couldn't speak. "Chief Moe! It IS you!" he rasped. I thought to myself as I continued to stare at him .... "I can't remember, I don't WANT to remember! This is another dream of someone that has been left behind since his arrival and homecoming." "Chief, its Avila... Dan, Second Class Quartermaster!" My face went white. Not because of a shock of seeing a fellow shipmate, but my lack of memory. The face did have a slight familiarity to it as my mind reeled back to the places and names. "Avila, QM2 USN." He was all of 19 years old in 1968. The man I was looking at could possibly be in his mid sixties. Then it dawned on me as I thought "We remember the dead - those 58,175 brothers and sisters... but not the living!!" Danny let himself go. Didn't pick his life up after the first spittle struck him in the face. Like a knife-stab to the heart - the pain of remembering. An eclipse of pictures: explosions, fear, tears, mud, rain, heat. "Danny? God Almighty - you look like sh*t! "Geez Frenchy... ya look good. Man ya don't even change!" I turned full-body and opened my arms. I couldn't hold back the tears. The Vietnam Vets embrace. The embrace that passes an energy and understanding to the less fortunate. For what seemed like hours - but only minutes - we broke. The tears in his eyes had worked a path which revealed the features on a face covered with dirt. Danny had a bath, cleaned up, some fresh clothes, some dinner - with no booze. I just didn't feel right in supporting the habit which eventually would kill him. But I did realize that Danny was just living the past and probably death was a peaceful solution for him. I gave Danny some phone numbers to the Veterans Office in Benecia. The world will never know the pain that each and every veteran suffers every day of his or her life. But for sure, there is one above us who is looking out for us. His hand is on Danny's shoulder. I will keep in touch with Danny. I have an address of a friend in Vallejo. I am hoping that Danny can lift himself up. I did tell him that the contract that we have with the Navy will bring me back to Mare Island approximately four more trips. This I needed to share with my fellow veterans. Some of use are not all that fortunate to escape and bury behind us the trials and tribulations that the Vietnam Veteran and Korean War Veteran have suffered. I am content to look to the heavens and say "Thank you NAM VET Newsletter Page 12 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 for giving me some of your strength, but give Danny and others that energy of life". Christ died on the cross for us. His strength and love of mankind has only one direction for Danny and many like him. We have served our time in hell!!!! In-Touch bring us closer. It provides us with a common bond with those who have given the ultimate sacrifice. It also provides a means by which we can look into each others eyes and share the experience of life as we know it this day. Don't make the mistake that I did. We can be successful but we can forget those who have not. I have hurt, I have cried and I have bellowed to damn our country for what they did. But, I can also forgive - not forget - and continue my life because those who love me told me I could. I believed them and it worked. I hope and pray it will work for Danny. -- Frenchy -- >> NOTE FROM JOE: I spoke with a saddened Frenchy about Danny shortly before press time. The cleanup, fresh clothes, step into a honor-filled life seems to be a door which Danny could not step through right now. He hadn't shown up at any of the places Frenchy had referred him to. Frenchy and you and I and many others HAVE persisted and continued in OUR efforts to better ourselves, climb above the position that Life and Circumstance seemed to hold for us. I have a hope that Danny will be back - his "cleaned-up, freshly clothed and nourished" look no longer an abrupt change from his normal existence but, instead, his "Uniform of the Day!" Doors to bright rooms MUST open slowly - else the brilliance would blind the visitor! With veterans like Frenchy and the good in you and I, we can continue being In-Touch... ... remembering all the while: "Together Then - Together Now!" "You cannot push anyone up the ladder unless he is willing to climb himself." - Andrew Carnegie - NAM VET Newsletter Page 13 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 In-Touch. What is it ??? Input by: Ray "Frenchy" Moreau NAM VETs IN-TOUCH Section Editor Herndon Byte eXchange - Herndon, VA (703) 471-8010 ================================================================= |+++++++++++++++++++++++++ IN TOUCH ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++| | There are some 43 million people in the United States whose | | lives were directly and irrevocably touched by the Vietnam | | War. | | | | Almost four million people served in Vietnam -- the longest, | | and perhaps most difficult, war in our history. More than a | | quarter of a million were seriously wounded. 58,175 are dead | | or missing. | | | | Each of those who returned recognizes the true cost of war. | | But so too do the families and friends, wives and lovers of | | those listed on the Wall. They too paid a tremendous price, | | not always recognized... many still do. | | | | Though twenty years have passed, it seems that is the period | | people have needed to get the distance necessary to begin to | | address the unresolved, deeply personal issues that have | | been haunting them since the war. Perhaps that is a measure | | of the pain. | | | | But, the "healing of a nation" that was intended by the | | building of the Memorial, has begun. | | | | In the office of the Friends of the Vietnam Veterans | | Memorial, we hear them on the other end of the phone on | | any given day, and far into the night, they call from all | | corners of the country. | | | | "If only I could find out..." | | "I need to find his family so I can keep my promise..." | | "I just want to talk to someone who was with him... " | | "Please, can you help...?" | | | | At the Wall, we find them every day. Veterans who have not | | spoken of their experiences even to their most intimate | | family members are now beginning, tentatively, to seek a | | responsive ear. | | | | Brothers and sisters, parents and even wives who were simply | | never allowed full expression of their grief because of the | | fierce pressures of the time, are now coming forward, | | looking for someone who can help with their healing. | | | | We hear from children, now 15 - 25 years old, who are | | searching for bits and pieces of information they can | | assemble to help fill that empty place in their lives that | | is the father they never knew well, if at all. And they want | | to talk to each other, to share their special needs and the | | unique experience of growing up with a father on the Wall. | | They understand each other all too well. | NAM VET Newsletter Page 14 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 | | | Millions of Americans need to meet and talk because of the | | Wall, and only the Friends can help them. | | | | Initial discussions with many other national organizations | | whose work brings them into contact with Vietnam veterans | | and their loved ones have attested to the need for IN TOUCH | | and their willingness to help. | | | | Simply put, the Friends will draw on its special work at the | | Memorial, its acquired and available data bases and | | programs designed and integrated by Electronic Data Systems | | (EDS), and the commitment and concern of its volunteers to | | place people with a common association to a name on the Wall | | to be in voluntary communication with each other. | | | | From there, we will let human nature take its good course. | | And let the healing begin. | | | | The starting point for the data base will be the more than | | twenty thousand names of people who have requested name | | rubbings from our volunteers in Washington. Each will be | | contacted and given the opportunity to participate by being | | listed in the IN TOUCH central data base file. | | | | Confidentiality is the keyword to cooperation and IN TOUCH | | will respect the integrity of all lists and records. Lists | | will be unavailable for public use and will not be | | distributed for any commercial purpose. | | | | By its nature, IN TOUCH must reach far beyond the veterans | | community in order to be successful. With professional | | guidance, the Friends will develop a program of on-going | | articles and other coverage in major media markets, high- | | lighting the personal experiences of people as they are put | | "in touch." The International Vietnam Veterans Echo | | Conference via the Herndon Byte eXchange 1:109/316 node as | | the enter point for gathering and disseminating information | | will be used. Aside from bringing the program into public | | awareness, these articles and stories will serve as a val- | | uable tool for public education on a wealth of matters | | relating to the Vietnam era. | | | | As a preliminary test of the IN TOUCH project, the Friends | | has implemented a pilot project to test the design and | | demands of such a program. Several hundred requests with | | full background information have been entered into a system | | designed to match requestor data with the existing Memorial | | data. Even with such a small sample, limited data and a | | fairly unsophisticated cross-indexing system, matches have | | been made and IN TOUCH has produced its first real | | connections. The results have been as profoundly moving for | | the participants as expected. And as gratifying for the | | Friends. | | | | But it was clear that the information management system and | | the supporting hardware system would have to be more power- | | ful and more complex in order to handle thousands, perhaps | | hundreds of thousands, of requests. Confidentiality of the | NAM VET Newsletter Page 15 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 | system and information must be paramount. | | | | With well over 2,000 Vietnam veterans, Electronic Data | | Systems (EDS) became involved and has been generous in its | | assistance with designing the data management systems which | | will be critical to a successful program. The Friends have | | reached a three-year working agreement with EDS which | | promises continuity and maximum potential for success in | | building an information bank that can truly help people in | | their search for others who knew a loved one. | | | | The Friends are delighted that Bob Hope has agreed to make | | a public service announcement which we can use on radio and | | television to help get the word out to the public on the | | availability of the service. | | | | The Friends are also pleased to note that Hewlett Packard, | | Zenith Data Systems, Borland International, FASTCOMM | | Communications Corporation and the First National Bank of | | Chicago have all contributed computer equipment, computer | | software, and office equipment to the project, so they are | | beginning to feel fully functional. | | | | The Friends hear from people who have long been living with | | the pain of loss and looking for a way to heal. For | | instance, the Friends recently received a letter from a | | woman who wrote: | | | | Dear Friends: | | For quite some time I have been searching for a | | way to know my brother. It seems hopeless at times. | | I was 12 when he was killed... I had waited for the | | day he would come back to us. He never did. A part | | of me will always be 12 and continue to wait. | | Thank you for giving me hope that there may be | | a way to find him and bring him home to my heart..." | | | | + + + | | | | The Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial | | Electronic Data Systems | | Herndon Byte eXchange TCOMMnet BBS 1:109/316 | | | |+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++| "Those who bring sunshine to the lives of others cannot keep it from themselves." -- Sir James Barrie -- NAM VET Newsletter Page 16 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 IN-TOUCH Registration/Request Form Input by: Ray "Frenchy" Moreau NAM VETs IN-TOUCH Section Editor Herndon Byte eXchange - Herndon, VA (703) 471-8010 THIS FORM REQUIRES SIGNATURE FOR CONFIDENTIALITY RELEASE PLEASE READ BELOW ------------------------------------------------------------------ I wish to be IN TOUCH with (Please circle and/or comment) Family, Friends and/or Fellow Veterans of the following: __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ ----------- PERSON WHO DID NOT COME BACK FROM VIETNAM ------------ First Name_____________ Middle Name___________ Last Name__________ Relationship to You and/or Reason for Request (Answer as fully as possible)_____________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ ================================================================== -------- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT HIM/HER - IF KNOWN --------- Rank_______ Birth Date ______________ Soc. Sec. # ________________ Tour Date of Birth _______________ Where Buried __________________ Branch of Service: AR__ NA__ AF__ MC__ CG__ RC__ CIV__ (Fill in his/her equivalent unit designations in the spaces below) Division ____________ Brigade ___________ Battalion ______________ Regiment ____________ Company ___________ Ship ___________________ Battles:__________________________________________________________ Locations:________________________________________________________ Nicknames:________________________________________________________ Hometown (while in Nam): ____________________ Home State: ________ ================================================================== ---------------------- INFORMATION ABOUT YOU --------------------- Title___ First Name ____________ Middle/Maiden Name _____________ Last Name ____________________ Address___________________________________________________________ City __________________________________ State ____ Zip: _____-____ Your Home Phone ( ) ____________ Work Phone: ( ) ____________ ---------------- IF YOU ARE A VIETNAM-ERA VETERAN ---------------- Tour date _______________________________ Rank __________________ Branch of Service: AR__ NA __ AF __ MC __ CG __ RC __ CIV __ Fill in your equivalent unit designations in the spaces below Division: __________ Brigade: ___________ Battalion: ___________ Regiment: __________ Company: ___________ Ship: ________________ Battles: _________________________________________________________ Locations: _______________________________________________________ Nicknames: _______________________________________________________ Hometown (when in VN) _______________________ Home State: ________ Comments: ________________________________________________________ NAM VET Newsletter Page 17 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 CONFIDENTIALITY STATEMENT _____ I give permission to the Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to release my name, address, phone number and relationship to other participants in the IN TOUCH project seeking information on the individual above (strike out phone number if you do not want it released). OR _____ I would like to have the names, addresses, and phone numbers of persons who knew my friend or relative, but prefer NOT to have my name, address, and phone number released. I hereby release the Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial from any and all liability that may arise from the operation of the IN TOUCH project. Signature ____________________________________ Date _____________ NOTE: Do not electronically transmit this form, instead mail to: Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial 1350 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Suite 300 Washington, DC 20036 ----------------------------------------------------------------- NAM VET Newsletter Page 18 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 ================================================================== Forgotten - again? ================================================================== EXPLODING THE POW COVER-UP... by William F. Jasper 7/2/91 Edition of THE NEW AMERICAN!!! Input by: Marsha Ledeman NamVet's Assistant MIA/POW Section Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 Nation: Last October 29th. the minority Staff of the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, under the direction of Senators Jesse Helms (R-NC) and Charles Grassley (R-IA.) released a bombshell: its Interim Report on the Southeast Asian POW/MIA Issue. The result of more than a year of intensive research by the two senators and their staff investigators, the report confirmed what many families of those who were left behind in Vietnam had long feared: In spite of the government's repeated public assurances that it was doing "everything possible" to account for all American POWs and MIAs in Vietnam, for more than 17 years the official U.S. government policy has been to write off all POWs and MIAs as dead, and to ignore, suppress and discredit all evidence to the contrary. (See The New American, February 12, 1991, "Official Policy: Abandon POWs") SOME STILL ALIVE??? Finally, after nearly two decades of dealing with government cover-ups, lying, dissembling and stonewalling, the families of the more than 2,000 POWs and MIAs still unaccounted for may at long last take hope that the truth will become known. On May 23rd, Senator Jesse Helms released the Minority Staff's much-anticipated full report. Entitled An Examination of U.S. Policy Toward POW/MIAs, the 100-page document goes much further than the scorching interim report in indicting the government's policy of abandoning our servicemen imprisoned or missing in Southeast Asia. It also offers hope, based upon evidence contained in the Department of Defense's classified live-sightings files, that some of these Americans may still be alive. In his introduction to the new report, Helms reminded his colleagues of the "very disturbing" conclusions of last fall's interim report. "After examining hundreds of documents relating to the raw intelligence, and interviewing many families and friends of POW/MIAs, "wrote Helms, " the Minority Staff concluded that, despite public pronouncements to the contrary, the real, internal policy of the U.S. government was to act upon the presumption that all MIAs were dead." As a result of this policy, "any evidence that suggested an MIA might be alive was uniformly and arbitrarily rejected, and all efforts were directed towards finding and identifying remains of dead personnel, even though the U.S. government's techniques of identification were inadequate and deeply flawed." Since April 1973, when 691 POWs were repatriated in Operation Homecoming, the government has maintained that it has "no evidence that there were any more POWs still alive in all of Indochina." Most Americans never believed it. Various polls have continued to NAM VET Newsletter Page 19 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 show that more than 60 percent of the general public and more than 80 percent of the Vietnam veterans believe that American POW/MIAs are still alive in Southeast Asia. The government's policy of sealing off all POW/MIA evidence under the cloak of "national security" has only added to the public distrust of all official pronouncements on the matter. Until Helms and Grassley gained limited access in 1989, the Defense Department's 11,700 files relating to POW/MIAs, including 1,400 firsthand, live-sighting reports, had remained off-limits to all congressional or other independent examination. After a year of intensive scrutiny of hundreds of files, the senators and their staff investigators concluded that U.S. officials had engaged in a pattern of activities that included: "misleading Congressional inquiries"; concealing information"; misinterpreting or manipulating data"; possible intimidation of witnesses"; discrediting live-sighting reports"; dismissal of credible evidence through technicalities"; and "exaggerating or mishandling forensic data." 70 YEARS OF TREACHERY: The betrayal of American POWs did not begin with Vietnam. Part 1 of the newly-released report presents a historical perspective on POW/MIAs that will shock most Americans. Based in large measure on the groundbreaking research of Vietnam Veterans John M.G.Brown and Thomas Ashworth, the report presents compelling evidence demonstrating that American POWs abandoned in communist regimes, from World War I through Vietnam, number in the tens of thousands. After analyzing the fate of U.S. POW/MIAs in the hands of the Bolshevik regime after World War I, the Soviet regime after World War II, the North Korean regime after the Korean War, and the Vietnamese regime after the Vietnam War, Helms observed: In each case, the same dismaying scenario appears: On the Communist side, the regimes denied holding U.S. prisoners, contrary to many credible reports, while in fact they were holding the U.S. POW/MIAs as slave laborers and as reserve bargaining chips to get diplomatic recognition and financial assistance. On the U.S. side, our government downplayed or denied the reports of POW/MIAs, and failed to take adequate steps to prove or disprove the reports, while elements in our government pursued policies intended to make diplomatic recognition and financial support of the revolutionary regimes possible. "The fact is," says the report, "that Soviet and Asian Communist regimes view POW/MIAs, living or dead, not as a problem of humanitarian concern but as leverage for political bargaining, as an involuntary source of technical assistance, and as forced labor." At the end of World War II, Stalin followed the example of Lenin and kept thousands of American GIs in the gulag. And our government quietly acquiesced. On June 1, 1945, according to the Senate Minority Staff Report, "the U.S. government's public position was that most American GIs taken prisoner have come home and been repatriated, even though the classified cable traffic for the previous fortnight was reporting between 15,000 and 20,000 still held." The U.S. government simply consigned these Americans NAM VET Newsletter Page 20 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 to the memory hole ___ and to deprivation and death in Stalin's prisons and slave labor camps. Thousands more were abandoned to the communists after the Korean War. EXPOSING THE SHAM: Sooner or later, someone on the inside was bound to become so revolted by this scandalous betrayal of our fighting men and our national honor that he would come forward to expose the whole rotten mess. It now appears that has happened. On March 28th. of this year, Colonel Millard "Mike" A. Peck, chief of the Defense Intelligence Agency's Special Office for Prisoners of War and Missing in Action, left his job after stapling a startling memorandum to his office door. The colonel charged in his memo that higher-ups "hidden in the shadows" obstructed his efforts, while using his office "as a toxic waste dump' to bury the whole 'mess' out of sight and mind." Peck, who had taken over the POW/MIA post eight months earlier, also wrote, "I was not in charge of my own office, but was merely a figurehead or whipping boy for a larger and totally Machiavellian group of players outside of DIA." "That National leaders continue to address the prisoner of war and missing in action issue as the "highest national priority' is a travesty," Peck declared in his parting missive. "The mindset to 'debunk' all live sightings pervaded the POW/MIA office "at all levels," he said. "Practically all analysis is directed to finding fault with the source," charged Peck. "Rarely has there been any effective, active follow through on any of the sightings..." Peck's command of the POW/MIA Special Office capped an exceptional Army career, including three combat tours in Vietnam, for which he was awarded numerous medals for gallantry, including the nation's second-highest award, the Distinguished Service Cross. He had volunteered for the job, he said, with the intention of "refurbishing the image and honor of DIA" and resolving the POW/MIA issue, which he viewed as a "holy crusade." On May 30th, Peck testified before the House Foreign Affairs subcommittee on Asian and Pacific Affairs, chaired by Representative Stephen Solarz (D-NY). About half of the hearing was public and was shown over C-Span. The remaining testimony involved classified information and was taken in closed session. As expected, Representatives Solarz and Robert Lagomarsino (R- CA.), both of whom support "fast-track" normalization with Vietnam, immediately began a line of questioning designed to discredit Peck. Soon after the closed session began, Solarz exited the hearing room to tell reporters that Peck had offered nothing to substantiate his earlier charges. But, according to Senator Robert Smith (R-NH), "That's simply not accurate." Smith, a Vietnam vet who pursued the POW/MIA issue as a member of the House, notes that Solarz attended only "about two-thirds of the open session and was only there for about a half hour of the closed session. "Peck did indeed "provide new information and important, strong testimony ... and he did name names" of officials who impeded the effort to resolve the POW/MIA issue, Smith told The New American. But Solarz and Lagomarsino did not want to hear what Peck had to say, and they didn't want anyone NAM VET Newsletter Page 21 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 else to hear him either. "They immediately tried to discredit him, as they had earlier done to General Eugene Tighe, Captain "Red" McDaniel, Representative Bill Hendon, myself ... anyone who challenges the official position," said Smith. "VERY COURAGEOUS OFFICER" Captain Eugene "Red" McDaniel, a highly decorated Vietnam veteran who flew 81 missions in Indochina and spent six years as a prisoner of the communists, sees Peck as a "very courageous officer" with high credibility, and one who will not be easily dismissed. "His testimony is very credible, and it corroborates that there has been an enormous cover-up," he told The New American. McDaniel, who is founder and president of the American Defense Institute in Alexandria, Virginia, remains "firmly convinced there are live POWs still over there." He believes that Peck's revelations will help to set them free. He also believes that passage of Robert Smith's Senate Resolution 82, to establish a Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA Affairs, is critically important to the final resolution of this issue. "The Select Committee will have subpoena powers," says McDaniel, "which will enable it to require present and former government officials to appear and testify under oath. The Committee will also be able to subpoena government POW/MIA documents." Hearings on S.Res. 82 are scheduled for July 25th. in the Senate Rules Committee. After decades of cover-up, there is now a glimmer of hope that the truth about our MIAs and POWs will finally prevail... (copies of an Examination of U.S.Policy Toward POW/MIAs are available from the U.S. Senate Committee of Foreign Relations Staff, 452-Dirksen Office Building, Washington, DC 20510) __________________________________________________________________ One more publication for our side, now we need to help all these men who are risking their careers for the truth to be known... Write Bob Smith and Charles Grassley and Jesse Helms and tell them not to stop now, as we are all behind them 200%... Let's Get It Done in 91!!! NAM VET Newsletter Page 22 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 HIGHLIGHTS OF MINORITY STAFF EXAMINATION OF POW/MIA POLICY [addendum.sum 06/06/91] Input by: Marsha Ledeman NamVet's Assistant MIA/POW Section Editor At VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 1. The conclusions of the 112-page Minority Staff report parallel the conclusions of Col. Millard A. Peck, former director of the Special office of POW/MIA Affairs, namely that the U.S. Government has manipulated the POW/MIA issue to avoid an effective search for missing military personnel. 2. The Minority Staff report states that the U.S. government's stated intention of giving the search for POW/MIAs the "highest national priority" is subordinated to higher policy considerations. (Prologue to Part I, page i) 3. The Report states that the U.S. Government policy of dealing with live-sighting reports is flawed, thereby ignoring reasonable evidence which could lead to finding missing personnel. It cites 7 specific DIA procedures for discrediting reports to avoid a good-faith effort to find POW/MIAs. (page 6-1) It reproduces a censored CIA document from 1988 that summarizes three live- sighting reports of U.S. POW/MIAs in North Korea. (Prologue to part II) 4. The Report states that it was a matter of policy to issue falsified statements of KIA (killed in action) instead of MIA or U.S. personnel captured during covet operations. (page 7-1) 5. The Report states that the U.S. Government uses technical distinctions to avoid accounting for specific MIA cases. It cites an example from the Gulf War where the refusal to categorize two U.S. soldiers captured under fire as POW/MIA could have led to permanent captivity. (Prologue to part I, page ii) 6. The Report states that there is a historical pattern throughout this century of abandoning U.S. military personnel for the sake of diplomatic and other considerations. 7. POWs from the World War I American Expeditionary Force in Siberia 1918-1919 and other Americans were abandoned in the Soviet Union despite the granting of diplomatic recognition in 1933. 8. General Eisenhower told the Allied Command that "only small numbers remain" of U.S. soldiers captured by Nazi forces and taken over by Soviet authorities only two days after he was informed by his intelligence services that 20,000 U.S. personnel were still being held by the Red Army. (page 3-20) 9. General James Van Fleet stated that 8,000 MIAs were unaccounted for in 1953 when the major prisoner exchange took place. (page 4-1) 10. Assistant Secretary of the Army High Milton II received an internal memorandum in 1954 stating that 954 U.S. personnel were NAM VET Newsletter Page 23 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 still being held in North Korea. (page 4-2) 11. The U.S. Department of State sought to mislead then-Majority Leader Lyndon Johnson about the 954 known POWs in Korea in official correspondence. (page 4-10-12) 12. State Department and Air Force Intelligence reports in 1954 detailed that "two trains" of seven cars each containing U.S. military personnel in uniform were observed crossing the Chinese/Soviet border into the Soviet Union. (page 4-6) 13. The CIA already had reported in 1952 from sources inside North Korea that North Korea had already established the policy that certain categories of U.S. personnel in North Korean prison camps would never be exchanged. (page 4-8) 14. Kissinger stated in 1982 that he knew during the 1973 negotiations that 80 U.S. military personnel known by name and known to have been captured alive did not return (page 5-1) 15. Kissinger hand-carried a secret letter to the North Vietnamese Foreign Minister promising $4 billion in reparations to the Commumunist regime. This commitment was concealed from key members of Congress for over five years, who finally found out from meetings with the North Vietnamese. (page 5-12) 16. U.S. authorities originally asked North Vietnamese authorities for the return of 5,000 U.S. military personnel, but settled for only 591. (page 5-8) 17. Although the Pathet Lao stated that they were holding U.S. military personnel in March, 1973--estimated at about 100--no prisoners held by the Pathet Lao ever returned or were accounted for. (page 5-3) [For a copy of the Senate Foreign Relations Minority Addendum Report call 202-224-3941. No charge (for the copy).] NAM VET Newsletter Page 24 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 VETERANS CALL FOR PROBE OF POW, MIA `COVERUP' 7/26/91 Bangkok Post - World News Input by: Marsha Ledeman NamVet's Assistant MIA/POW Section Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 WASHINGTON (REUTER) - A US veteran's group urged President George Bush on Friday to appoint an independent panel to investigate an alleged conspiracy to cover up the fate of US troops missing or captured in Vietnam. In a letter to Bush, the national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars cited charges by the former head of the Pentagon Intelligence unit set up to account for missing Americans and a new Senate Foreign Relations Committee Republican minority staff report. "These are serious allegations from very credible sources, "James Kinery wrote. "they call into question the integrity of the United States government and cast serious doubt as to whether the POW/MIA issue has ever truly been of "highest national priority." Since the end of the vietnam War in 1975, resolving the fate of those unaccounted for has been called a matter of the highest priority by successive US administrations. As of May 16, a total of 2,273 Americans were listed as missing or unaccounted for, including 1,656 in Vietnam, 528 in Laos, 83 in Cambodia and six in China's coastal waters, according to the Pentagon. Successive administrations have said information gathered "precludes ruling out" the possibility that at least some Americans could still be held against their will in Indochina. Vietnam and its allies in Cambodia and Laos have repeatedly denied holding any US prisoners and say they are cooperating fully to resolve the issue. In a letter on Thursday accompanying the staff report, Senator Jesse Helms, a fierce critic of the administration's MIA/POWs policies, said the administration was continuing a policy of abandoning soldiers missing after wars. "In each case the same dismaying scenario appears," said Helms, the Foreign Relations Committee's senior Republican. He referred to World Wars One and Two as well as to the Korean and Vietnam wars. "On the Communist side, the regimes denied holding US prisoners, contrary to many credible reports, while in fact they were holding the US POW/MIAs as slave labourers and as reserve bargaining chips to get diplomatic recognition and financial assistance," Helms, of North Carolina, said. Army Col. Millard Peck, who headed the Defense Intelligence Agency's Special Office for Prisoners of War and Missing in Action, accused the Bush administration of using his office as a "toxic waste dump" to bury what he called the whole mess. In an angry resignation letter obtained by news organizations this week, Peck, a highly decorated Vietnam veteran who left his job on March 28, faulted administration officials for failure to pursue leads, adding; "A cover-up may be in progress." In calling for a full independent probe, the VFW national commander said: "Can we trust our government on tis issue or not; this most basic question demands an honest answer." The Defence Department had no immediate comment on the VFW's NAM VET Newsletter Page 25 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 appeal. But a spokesman, Navy Lt-Comdr. Edward Lundquist, reiterated that the POW/MIA issue remained an issue of "the highest national priority." "Obviously, we have the same concerns that these veterans' groups have," he said, referring to a full accounting. The Pentagon has begun an "internal management inquiry" into Peck's charges but not a full-scale investigation, Lundquist said. He added that seven previous probes had been conducted into conspiracy charges over the past decade, each concluding that no coverup on the POW/MIA issue exists or existed. The VFW says it has 2.1 million members, including 670,000 Vietnam veterans. Kinery, of Albuquerque, New Mexico, specified in a statement that he had written on behalf of them all. William Smith, a spokesman for VFW Washington office, said the group wanted Bush to appoint a panel "with the fullest possible powers to conduct an investigation." __________________________________________________________________ Funny how our own news media people won't touch this with a ten foot pole, but in far off Bangkok, Thailand they have it??? Seems like all other nations and countries rate higher than the US government rates its own people doesn't it? Marsha Ledeman NAM VET Newsletter Page 26 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 PHOTO SPURS A US CALL FOR A VIETNAM MIA SEARCH By Jim Wolf - REUTERS News Service 7/17/91 Boston Globe Input by: Sarge Hultgren NamVet's Editorial Assistant Freedom's Choice BBS - Lynn, MA (617) 593-2605 3 FLIERS BELIEVED SEEN IN JUNGLE SETTING WASHINGTON - The US government has asked the governments of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia to investigate whether three US servicemen missing in action since the Vietnam war are alive and in Indochina, officials here said yesterday. The action was taken after a photo of three men, apparently taken last year, was provided to US government agencies. The men in the photo have been identified by their families as the missing Americans. A Defense Department spokesman, Navy Cmdr. Edward Lundquist, said yesterday the families of three servicemen listed as missing in action "firmly believe" the photo shows their missing relatives. The picture shows three men in a jungle-like setting, apparently in good health, holding a white sign. The sign bears the handwritten date 25-5-1990 and other markings - NNTK! and K.B.C.19. - that could indicate an address. Family members gave a copy of the photo July 12 to Carl Ford, the principal deputy assistant secretary of defense for international security affairs, Lundquist said. Ford represents the Pentagon on the government's interagency group on Americans unaccounted for since the war. The State Department said it learned of its existence of the picture July 12 and on the same day sent a copy to Vietnam's ambassador to the United Nations and requested Vietnam's "urgent assistance in investigating this matter," a spokesman said. "Also on that day, we instructed our embassy in Vientiane to present a similar message providing information and requesting cooperation to the government of Laos and to the representative from Phnom Penh," the department said. A congressional staff member familiar with the case said the State Department had had the picture since Nov. 7, 1990. The staff member, who asked not to be identified, said it was brought out of Cambodia by a woman he would not identify. Retired Navy Capt. Eugene McDaniel, freed by Vietnam in 1973 after six years as a prisoner, made a copy of the picture available to Reuters after having obtained permission from relatives of the missing servicemen. He identified those in the picture as Air Force Maj. Albro Lynn Lundy Jr., of Sherman Oaks, Calif., who would be 58 years old, and was shot down Dec 24, 1970 over Laos; Air Force Col. John Leighton Robertson, of Seattle, who would be 60, and was shot down Sept. 16, 1966 over northern Vietnam; and Navy Lt. Larry James Stevens, of Canoga Park, Calif., who would be 48, and was shot down Feb. 14, 1969 over Laos. [The Globe obtained confirmation of the names from two sources yesterday.] Ann Mills Griffiths, executive director of the National League NAM VET Newsletter Page 27 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia, said the photo is drawing special attention because family members are adamant in their conviction about the identities of the men in it. "It's highly unusual that three families would identify their missing relatives in a single picture, and with such certainty in their own minds," she said. "It certainly gives it great impact." [The office of Sen. Bob Smith, a New Hampshire Republican, told the Globe yesterday he has seen the photo, but feels the validity of it is beyond his competence to judge. He said, though, that evidence such as this "surfaces quite frequently" and it points to the fact that "problems still exist after 23 years," his office quoted him as saying.] As of July 1, a total of 2,273 Americans were listed as missing or unaccounted for as a result of the US war in Indochina: 1656 in Vietnam, 528 in Laos, 83 in Cambodia and six off China's coast. [PHOTO VIA REUTERS] A worn photo appears to show three American pilots shot down over Indochina during the Vietnam War. The sign is dated May 25, 1990. NAM VET Newsletter Page 28 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 SNAPSHOT RAISES HOPE 3 MIAs ARE ALIVE The Boston Herald - 7/17/91 Input by: Sarge Hultgren NamVet's Editorial Assistant Freedom's Choice BBS - Lynn, MA (617) 593-2605 [REUTER PHOTO] PHOTO ID: A snapshot showing three men believed to be American soldiers missing since the end of the Vietnam War has spurred a new hunt for the servicemen. WASHINGTON - The United States is pressing Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia to investigate a snapshot apparently taken last year of three U.S. servicemen missing since the end of the war in Indochina and possibly held against their will, U.S. officials said yesterday. A Defense Department spokesman said the families of three servicemen listed as missing in action "firmly believe" the snapshot is of their missing relatives. The picture shows three men in a jungle-like setting holding a white sign that bears the handwritten date 25-5-1990 and other markings - NNTK! and K.B.C.19. - that could indicate an address. A congressional staff member said the State Department had had the picture since Nov. 7, 1990, and it was brought out of Cambodia by a woman he would not identify. The men in the picture were identified as Air Force Maj. Albro Lynn Lundy Jr. of Sherman Oaks, Calif., who would be 58 years old and was shot down Dec. 24, 1970, over Laos; Air Force Col. John Leighton Robertson of Seattle, who would be 60 and was shot down Sept. 16, 1966, over northern Vietnam; and Navy Lt. Larry James Stevens of Canoga Park, Calif., who would be 48 and was shot down Feb. 14, 1969, over Laos. NAM VET Newsletter Page 29 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 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 30 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 Cheney vows Vietnam MIA accounting 13-JUL-1991 Submitted by: Sarge Hultgren NamVet's Editorial Assistant Freedom's Choice BBS - Lynn, MA (617) 593-2605 WASHINGTON (UPI) -- Defense Secretary Dick Cheney said Saturday the Bush administration will push for return of any missing prisoners of war, even if the effort interferes with re- establishing relations with Vietnam. Cheney said resolving the fate of an estimated 2,300 missing-in- action servicemen from the Vietnam War remained a priority, despite allegations the administration has slowed work in order to improve U.S. - Vietnam relations. "It is absolutely incredible to me to think that any American official would spare any effort that might lead to the discovery of a single American POW," Cheney told the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia. "The idea that someone would rather not know about the fates of our POWs and MIAs, because it might interfere with our relationship with Vietnam, is not only outlandish, but it goes against the attitudes of everyone I know in this government about that country," Cheney said. In March, Army Col. Millard Peck quit as director of the Defense Intelligence Agency office for POWs and MIAs, claiming the effort to find prisoners was "being manipulated by unscrupulous people in government." Cheney did not mention Peck, but did describe the controversy as an "extra burden" on the families of servicemen who are missing. He said he regretted the extra burden. The Defense Department has more than 150 experts working on information about the missing servicemen, the secretary said. In 1989, the government listed 2,383 servicemen as missing without any word on their whereabouts. Cheney also announced that a temporary U.S. office in Hanoi, to pursue leads on the men and women still missing, has opened ahead of schedule, and its staff is preparing for a 14th joint investigation in the field. "Until we see the active, willing cooperation that only Vietnam can provide, it will be impossible to set timetables or deadlines," Cheney said. "Ultimately, however, we must recognize that our success continues to rest on the actions of the governments of Indochina. If they live up to their promises, if they follow through on their commitments with integrity and energy, we can achieve the meaningful accounting that Americans demand." NAM VET Newsletter Page 31 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 Families given hope in snapshot of MIAs By VALERIE KUKLENSKI 18-JUL-1991 Submitted by: Sarge Hultgren NamVet's Editorial Assistant Freedom's Choice BBS - Lynn, MA (617) 593-2605 LOS ANGELES (UPI) -- Cathy Lundy was 10 months old when her father was reported killed in action in the Vietnam War in 1970. She has no personal memories of Maj. Albro Lynn Lundy Jr., an Air Force pilot whose plane went down in hostile territory of northern Laos, and she, like the rest of her family, believed she would never see him again. But Lundy's wife, Johanna, and their six children were given an unexpected spark of hope recently when they learned of a photograph dated May 25, 1990, showing three men who may be prisoners of war in Southeast Asia. The Lundys believe without a doubt that one of the three is Albro Lundy Jr. The Lundy family and relatives of two other missing pilots -- Air Force Col. John Robertson and Navy Lt. Larry Stevens -- spoke with the media Wednesday about the photograph, which first came to their attention last November. They had not intended to publicize the photograph, fearing its release and news of the Pentagon investigation into it would pose a danger to the three men if they are still in captivity. But the photograph was leaked to the press and shown on television news reports Tuesday night, so the three Southern California families came forward Wednesday to tell what little they could about the story. Cathy Lundy, still reeling over the idea of possibly being able to meet her father, said she had mixed emotions about the prospect and is "optimistically cautious." "It would be a real dream if I ever get married to have my dad walk me down the aisle," she said. They gathered for a news conference in an old chapel of St. Paul's Catholic Church where Albro and Johanna Lundy were married Dec. 22, 1956. "They came on Christmas Eve 1970 and told me he was missing, and they came two days later and told me he was dead," Johanna Lundy said. Then, less than two weeks ago, her son Albro III called her at her Rancho Palos Verdes home. "He said, 'Are you sitting down? We have evidence that my father is alive. In fact, we have a picture,"' Johanna said. Johanna said she is certain the man in the middle of the photograph is her husband, now 57 years old. "He has very distinctive brows, and I thought they couldn't have gotten anyone else who looks like that," said Johanna Lundy, once again wearing a thin gold wedding band next to her reset diamond engagement ring. Johanna's son Albro, an attorney, said he received word of the photograph several weeks ago but wanted to either disprove it or authenticate it to his own satisfaction before telling his mother. "I was told that he was dead and there was an eyewitness statement," he said. Albro said his mother was "literally emotionally torn apart" by news of the major's death. He likened his parents' relationship to NAM VET Newsletter Page 32 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 a "fairy tale." "She used to race us to the door when he came home," he said. Albro said he has submitted a copy of the photograph to analysts for testing and initial results indicate it is authentic. Barbara Robertson, whose husband, John, was shot down over North Vietnam on Sept. 16, 1966, said she first got word of the photograph from Gladys Fleckenstein, Stevens' mother, of Big Bear Lake, Calif. Stevens, who would now be 48, was listed as missing in action in Laos on Feb. 14, 1969. Fleckenstein sees an unmistakable resemblance between the man on the right in the picture and her other son, Dennis Stevens. "I have never given up hope he was alive," said Fleckenstein, who received notice of the photograph from a Navy officer with the Defense Intelligence Agency last November. Fleckenstein and Roberston became acquainted nearly 10 years ago through their work with the National League of Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia, an organization to aid searches for missing servicemen and lend support to the survivors. "Gladys and I have been working this issue for so long ... never dreaming we would be working for her son and my husband," said Robertson, a former Seattle resident who now lives in Santa Ana, Calif. Robertson said she told only a few family members about the photograph, believing widespread knowledge of it could bring harm to the men. "It has never been out from under the mirror on my dressing table under the perfume," she said, adding she was stunned to see the image on television news reports. Robertson, wearing a POW bracelet popularized in the early 1970s, said she sees the photograph as a "window of opportunity" for the Pentagon and the State Department to resolve lingering questions about the 2,273 Americans still listed as missing in the Indochina War that ended more than 15 years ago. Vietnam has denied in the past it is holding any U.S. servicemen against their will, and officials have long said that some of those listed as missing are undoubtedly men who for whatever reason, went over to the other side and became deserters. But Mrs. Lundy said her husband would not desert his family or his country. "I know my husband is a man of absolute integrity," she said, gesturing toward his Silver Star, Distinguished Flying Cross and other medals displayed at the news conference. "There is absolutely no way he would stay away from me and his children," she said. State Department spokesman David Denny said the government is "actively pursuing" an investigation into the photograph, submitting a copy to the Vietnamese representative to the United Nations and requesting his government's urgent assistance. The families were asked what they would like to say to the three men Wednesday. "We love you, Dad. You know we love you," Albro Lundy III said softly. "We're coming to get you, and we're going to spoil you," Barbara Robertson added with a confident smile. NAM VET Newsletter Page 33 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 MIA photograph latest evidence in saga of doubt By PAUL WEDEL 18-JUL-1991 Submitted by Sarge Hultgren NamVet's Editorial Assistant Freedom's Choice BBS - Lynn, MA (617) 593-2605 BANGKOK, Thailand (UPI) -- The grainy photograph that appears to show three missing Americans in Indochina may hold out hope for the men's families, but its credibility is undermined by previous fraud. And if the photograph is authentic, it could hurt improving relations between the United States and its former enemies in the region. One experienced intelligence analyst in Bangkok said the internal evidence in the photograph indicated it was taken in the highlands of Laos, but another said a history of frequent fraud means a deliberate fabrication cannot be ruled out. "There are just so many scams, that all evidence is tainted," said the analyst who requested anonymity. "Too many people think there is some way of making money out of this issues and they have no scruples about fabricating evidence. They turned out to be just a run-around." A senior Laotian official denied the suggestion the men were in his country. "This is another attempt by ill-intentioned people to harm relations between Laos and the United States just as they are expanding, " said Phao Bhounhaphol, Lao Minister of External Economic Relations. Phao said there was little possibility that the photograph was genuine. "This matter (of prisoners) was finished a long time ago. If we had live prisoners we would never allow foreigners, including your (American) investigators, to travel all over our country," he said. But Phao declined to say why his government has never given an accounting of the prisoners the Lao communist forces said they had captured during the war. Unlike Vietnam, Laos did not return any U.S. prisoners of war after the 1973 withdrawal of the American military from Indochina and did not sign the Paris peace accords. The photograph, said to have been brought out of Cambodia last year, shows three Western men with a hand-lettered sign dated May 25, 1990. Family members have identified the men as Air Force Col. John Leighton Robertson of Seattle, shot down over North Vietnam on Sept. 16, 1966; Navy Lt. Larry James Stevens of Los Angeles, lost in Laos on Feb. 14, 1969; and Air Force Maj. Albro Lynn Lundy, missing in action in Laos since Dec. 24, 1970. The men are among the 2,273 servicemen listed as missing in Indochina. Al Shenkel, who said he is a retired U.S. military intelligence official with 27 years of experience, said the lettering on the sign, particularly a curly figure two and a nine that looks like a "g," are consistent with the style of handwriting commonly used in Laos. He said a fourth person is hidden by the sign whose fingers, much smaller than those of the Westerners, appear to be holding the lower edge of the sign. "The lettering and the size of the fingers indicate this sign was written and is held by a Lao," Shenkel said. NAM VET Newsletter Page 34 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 If the date of the photograph is correct, he said, it may have been taken in the mountain areas of northern Laos because the heat at that time of year anywhere else in the country would be too intense for the long-sleeved shirts the men are wearing. "A reasonable guess, therefore, is that this photograph was taken by a Lao resistance group in the northern mountains," said Shenkel, who operates a private organization called Skyhook II that seeks information on missing Americans. Whatever the doubts about the photograph, it has sparked formal inquiries by the U.S. government to the governments of Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. U.S. officials said copies of the photograph were passed on to those governments on July 12. A U.S. embassy spokeswoman in Bangkok said Kenneth Quin, the deputy assistant secretary of state for East Asian and Pacific affairs, would be visiting "various capitals on this issue." She declined to say which Indochinese countries he would visit. "This appears to be a whole new attitude by the U.S. government," Shenkel said. "For the first time the government has accepted evidence from private sources without insisting on debunking it." The United States has said progress on MIAs and a peace settlement in Cambodia are the two issues that would determine the pace and extent of normalization of relations and the lifting of a U.S. economic embargo against Vietnam. Movement towards a Cambodian settlement during talks in Thailand and China in the past three weeks indicated the last obstacle to relations was being removed. Vietnam had already allowed the establishment of a U. S. MIA office in Hanoi and broadened cooperation on MIA searches. A Western diplomat who watches U.S.-Vietnamese relations said the dramatic re-emergence of the emotional MIA issue could not only strain government-to-government relations but also inhibit private American businesses who have been pushing for the lifting of the embargo. "Who wants to be seen as a greedy corporation callously trying to do business with the government that may be withholding information about prisoners?" he asked. "If this photograph cannot be disproved and the Vietnamese fail to handle the issue convincingly," he said, "the effect can only be negative." NAM VET Newsletter Page 35 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 Hanoi allows U.S. MIA search, is willing to probe photo By PAUL WEDEL 22-JUL-1991 Submitted by: Sarge Hultgren NamVet's Editorial Assistant Freedom's Choice BBS - Lynn, MA (617) 593-2605 BANGKOK, Thailand (UPI) -- A 25-man U.S. military team conducted searches in Vietnam for evidence of missing Americans as Hanoi formally agreed to investigate a photograph allegedly showing missing GIs, official media reported. At the same time Sunday Vietnam demanded punishment of those involved in producing the photo if it is shown to be a fabrication. Hanoi radio, in a broadcast Saturday night, said the 14th joint search for missing U.S. servicemen began Saturday and is expected to last until Aug. 10. It said the search is being conducted in northern and central Vietnam with 25 American experts -- one of the largest U.S. teams to participate in such efforts. The brief radio item did not say whether the investigation would specifically probe the controversial picture made public last week. The radio said Vietnam has returned 452 sets of remains believed to be Americans and will continue to cooperate. The Vietnam News Agency, however, said the government is concerned about the mysterious photograph that made headlines in the United States when it was made public last week by the American Defense Institute, a private agency that investigates the fate of servicemen missing in action from the war. The fuzzy, black-and-white picture shows three men holding up a sign dated May 1990. Relatives of missing Americans say they are sure the men in the picture are their loved ones missing for more than 20 years. Although the origins and authenticity of the picture are not clear, the photo has sparked renewed interest in the fate of the more than 2, 300 Americans missing in action from the war. Vietnam's Foreign Ministry sent a formal letter to the U.S. government saying it was prepared to cooperate with the United States to resolve any questions raised by the photograph and asked that those who produced the picture also help with the investigation, the news agency said. "If they refuse to cooperate and the investigation shows that the picture was fabricated for money-making purposes, they must be punished and condemned for deliberately prolonging the sufferings of the MIA families," the letter said. The letter cited U.S. records provided to Vietnam as showing that two of the men identified in the photograph by relatives -- Albro Lynn Lundy and Larry James Stevens -- were killed in action. It said a joint U.S.-Vietnamese investigation showed that the third man, John Leightson Robertson, was blown up in the destruction of his F- 4 fighter-bomber. The letter said Robertson' s co-pilot, Hubert F. Buchanan, survived the crash and became a prisoner of war who was later released after the signing of the Paris peace accords. It said Vietnamese specialists recovered Robertson's partial remains and turned them over to the United States. A U.S. spokesman, however, said the remains were not positively NAM VET Newsletter Page 36 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 identified. "Vietnam affirms that all U.S. prisoners of war captured during the Vietnam War were turned over to the U.S. government after the Paris Agreement on Vietnam," the letter said. Laos and Cambodia have also officially denied any knowledge that the men identified in the photograph are still alive and repeated their insistence they hold no American prisoners. NAM VET Newsletter Page 37 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 Goals of Sen. R. Smith's SR#82 Submitted by: Marsha Ledeman NamVet's Assistant MIA/POW Section Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413 443-6313 The Goals of Senator Robert Smith's S.R.82, bill for a Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA affairs, as well as being a permanent committee are: * To provide a bipartisan group of Senators to exercise effective Congressional oversight on the POW/MIA issue. * To review and assess current U.S. policy concerning the POW/MIA issue. * To recommend and evaluate new initiatives and/or approaches to enhance resolution of the POW/MIA issue, including specific legislative proposals. * To review and assess how agencies are organized for purposes of declassifying POW/MIA information from the Second World War to the present. * To consider legislation to declassify government documents on the POW/MIA issue dating back to World War II when release of the documents would not jeopardize national security, including sources and methods. * To provide a forum for a closer, more coordinated working relationship between the Administration's POW/MIA Interagency Group (IAG) and the United States Senate. * To promote responsible efforts to increase public awareness on the POW/MIA issue. * To review and assess the Government's criteria for classifying American service personnel as prisoner of war, missing in action, or killed in action. * To coordinate with officials of the International Red Cross and the United Nations in order to review and recommend effective frameworks for enforcement of the Third Geneva Conventions of 1949. * To review and assess the manning, funding, methodology, and operations of the POW/MIA division of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). * To review and assess the professionalism and quality of the Division's finished analyses of POW/MIA related intelligence, including live-sighting reports. * To examine the manning, funding methodology and operations of the Joint Casualty Resolution Center in Bangkok, Thailand. * To review and assess the manning, funding, methodology, and operations of the United States Central Identification Laboratory in Hawaii, which is responsible for the identification of POW/MIA NAM VET Newsletter Page 38 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 remains. * To review and assess the professionalism and quality of the Laboratory's finished analyses of alleged U.S. MIA remains. * To review and assess Government procedures and laws concerning POW/MIA information being provided to next of kin in a timely manner. Other sponsors of this bill include Sens: Leo Thorsness (R-WA), Jesse Helms (R-NC), Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), Harry Reid (D- Nev.), Bob Graham (D-FL.), Connie Mack (R-FL), Strom Thurmond (R- SC.), Donald Riegle (D-Mich.), Arlen Specter (R-PA.), and Frank Lautenberg (R-NJ.) Lets help get S.R. 82 passed now, we did it with HR1147, so why not go for the most??? We can do it!!! We Will Win this one!!! Get it done in 91!!! - Marsha - NAM VET Newsletter Page 39 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 ================================================================== Coins in the Fountain ================================================================== Veterans Readjustment Appointments - Public Law 102-16 Input by: Fred Sochacki NamVet's Veteran Employment Section Editor VETLink #1.75 at Passaic, NJ (413) 443-6313 The following information was forwarded to me by the Office of Personnel Management, Newark Area Office, Federal Building, 970 Broad Street, Newark, NJ 07102 and deals with Public Law 102-16. Veterans Readjustment Appointments Expanded Job Opportunities in the Federal Service Public Law 102-16, effective March 23,1991, makes it even easier for Federal agencies to hire Armed Forces veterans who served during and after the Vietnam era. The VRA (Veterans Readjustment Appointment) authority is a special hiring program. Eligible veterans do not have to take examinations or compete with nonveteran candidates. VRA appointees are initially hired for a 2-year period. Successful completion of the 2-year VRA appointment leads to a permanent civil service appointment. Who is eligible for a VRA appointment? Veterans who served more than 180 days active duty, any part of which occurred during the Vietnam era(August 5,1964 to May 7, 1975), and have other than a dishonorable discharge, are eligible if they have (1) a service -connected disability or (2) a campaign badge (for example, the Vietnam Service Medal). Post-Vietnam-era veterans, who entered the service after May 7,1975, are eligible if they served on active duty for more than 180 days and have other than a dishonorable discharge. The 180-day service requirement does not apply to veterans discharged from active duty for service-connected disability. How long are veterans eligible for VRA appointments after they leave the service? Vietnam-era veterans qualify for a VRA appointment until 10 years after discharge or until December 31, 1993, whichever date is later. Post-Vietnam-era veterans are eligible for 10 years after the date of their last discharge or until December 17,1999, whichever date is later. Eligible veterans with a service-connected disability of 30% or more can be hired without time limit. Are there any other restrictions on eligibility for a VRA appointment? No. Under the new VRA law, all veterans described above are eligible. (The law eliminated a previous requirement that VRA appointees have fewer than 16 years of education.) What job can be filled under the VRA authority? Federal agencies can now use the VRA authority to fill any white NAM VET Newsletter Page 40 Volume 5, Number 7 July 27, 1991 collar position up through GS 11, blue collar jobs up through WG 11, and equivalent jobs under other Federal pay systems. How do veterans apply for VRA appointments? Veterans should contact the agency personnel office where they want to work. Agencies recruit candidates and make VRA appointments directly without getting a list of candidates from OPM. Veterans can get a list of local agency personnel offices from the Veterans Representatives at the OPM offices listed on the back of this sheet. Are disabled veterans entitled to special consideration? Agencies must give preference to disabled veterans over other veterans. Is training available after appointment? In some cases, agencies provide special training programs for VRA appointees. A program could include on-the-job assignments or classroom training. Can VRA appointees work part-time? Agencies may be able to set up part-time work schedules for individuals who want to attend school or handle family or other responsibilities. U.S. Office of Personnel Management Area Office Veterans Representatives for Employment Inquires Alabama Alaska Lee Hockenberry John Busteed Huntsville Area Office Anchorage Area Office (205) 544-5130 (907) 271-3617 Arizona Arkansas Jack Mallin (See Oklahoma) Phoenix Area Office (602) 640-5809 Colorado Doris Veden California Denver Area Office John Andre (303) 969-7036 Los Angeles Area Office (818) 575-6507 Connecticut A.J. Dubois Susan Fong Young Hartford Area Office Sacramento Area Office (203) 240-3607 (916) 551-3275 Delaware Mark Gunby (See Philadelphia) San Francisco Area Office (415) 744-7216 District of Columbia Washington Area Service Ctr. Florida (202) 606-1848 R.C. McFadyen Orlando Area Office Georgia (407) 648-6150 Ruth Walker Atlanta Area