Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 . __ . . -*- N A M V E T -*- ____/ \_ . . ( * \ . . Managing Editor \ Quangtri . . ---------------- \_/\ \_ Hue . . G. Joseph Peck \_Ashau Phu Bai . . \_* \_ . . Distribution Manager \ * ) . . -------------------- _/ Danang . . Jerry Hindle \|/ ( \_*Chu Lai . . --*-- \_ ------- \__ . . Section Editors /|\ \_ I Corps \ . . --------------- \ ------- ! . . IN-TOUCH: Ray "Frenchy" Moreau /\_____ ! . . INCARCERATED VETS: Joyce Flory / ! \ . . VETERAN BENEFITS: Jim Hildwine ! !___ \ . . AGENT ORANGE: Jim Ferguson ! \/\____! . . NEED-TO-KNOW: Lefty Frizzell ! ! . . MIA/POW: Marsha Ledeman / Dak To ! . . VETERAN EMPLOYMENT: Fred Sochacki / * / . . KEEPER OF THE LIST: Charlie Revie ! \_ . . ! 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 . . . Fourth Annual NamVet Page i Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 ================================================================== T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S 1. Editorials n' Stuff Dreams DO come true! ..................................... 1 Happy 4th Birthday NamVet!!! ............................. 2 Yahrzeit '88 ............................................. 3 The Silent Warrior ....................................... 6 2. Drums be not Silent Colonel Peck resigns from DIA Office! .................... 8 They haven't forgotten US!!! ............................. 13 Why? ..................................................... 14 The Loneliest Prayer ..................................... 15 3. Don't drink the water! Were YOU exposed to Agent Orange??? ...................... 16 Break out the Clearasil ! ............................ 19 All in a day's work... ................................... 20 4. Close to home... Wall puts war in focus ................................... 21 Epitaph .................................................. 24 In-Touch Unites Many ..................................... 25 The Wall ................................................. 28 IN-TOUCH Registration/Request Form!!! .................... 29 Did you? ................................................. 31 Remembering our brothers and sisters ..................... 32 Tour of Duty??? .......................................... 34 5. Forgotten - again? Wanna share some time and news? .......................... 37 A visit or note once in awhile? .......................... 43 What is a Sailor? ........................................ 44 6. The Chapel at NamVet Combat Stress - The Forgotten Warrior .................... 45 War ...................................................... 52 NamVet's Electronic Chapel ............................... 53 When Remembering is too much ............................. 54 7. Sister Vets VWMP's Sister Search ..................................... 57 Monumental Difference .................................... 58 VWMP's Sister Search Form ................................ 59 8. Shifting Sands Stormin' Norman's Address to Congress .................... 60 A real heartwarming letter ............................... 63 She Flies Ever High!!! ................................... 65 My Symbol ................................................ 66 Hands Across Time ........................................ 67 9. NamVet Service Desk Letter from The White House .............................. 68 A NEW American "Bush"? ................................... 69 Homecoming III ........................................... 71 10. Index To NamVet Articles Index to Articles in NamVet .............................. 72 11. Charlie's Angels Where do YOU get NamVet??? ............................... 93 Where to find VIETNAM_VETS/NamVet ........................ 94 Some Gave All... ......................................... 97 Fourth Annual NamVet Page ii Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 ================================================================== Editorials n' Stuff ================================================================== Dreams DO come true! by G. Joseph Peck NamVet's Managing Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 Four years of producing NamVet's... Counting our Anniversary and Special Editions, this will be the 50th issue of NamVet that we've produced! Its hard to believe that so much time has passed and so many topics have been covered! Even *-MORE-* difficult to believe is the number of subjects that HAVEN'T yet been touched on or covered in anywhere near the depth we'd like to do them in. When first NamVet appeared on the electronic horizons, there was great concern that it would only be a five- or ten-page monthly publication. NOW our biggest battle is to keep a NamVet within the 360k limitations of a floppy disk! Its been an exciting dream come true! So many voices; so many things to say; so much to be done - revealed to us almost every day via telephone, USSnail, NetMail or in the various VETNet echoes. Items to be saved; items that would interest some of our veterans and their families; items that would be helpful to us all. A "dream", though, that wouldn't have come true without YOU, your families, friends, and the great number of folk all over the world who care enough about veterans and what the veterans experience to write articles about them, publish information packets for them, or get involved in issues that will have an effect on today's soldier, ex-soldier and future soldier. THANK YOU - Each and every one of you for helping make NamVet what it is today and what it will be tomorrow; for shipping it overseas; for taking it with you to VA hospitals and nursing homes; for contributing articles and poems. Above all, THANK YOU for allowing me the opportunity to add MY efforts to one of the proudest, most persistent and determined teams in all the world! I still get all misty-eyed when I reflect upon the trust and faith you have placed in me to do this job! 'til next month... Show a brother or sister veteran ... that YOU care! Ci'ao for Ni'ao - Joe - Fourth Annual NamVet Page 1 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 HH HH AAA PPPPPP PPPPPP YY YY HH HH AA AA PP PP PP PP YY YY HH HH AA AA PP PP PP PP YY YY HH HH AA AA PP PP PP PP YY YY HHHHHHHH AAAAAAA PPPPPP PPPPPP YYYYYY HH HH AA AA PP PP YY NH HH AA AA PP PP YY HH HH AA AA PP PP YY G. Joseph Peck * Joyce Flory * Jerry Hindle * Ray Moreau * Doc BBBBB IIII RRRRRR TTTTTTTT HH HH DDDDDDD AAA YY YY BB BB II RR RR TT HH HH DD DD AA AA YY YY BB BB II RR R TT HH HH DD DD AA AA YY YY BB BB II RR RR TT HH HH DD DD AA AA YY YY BBBBBB II RRRRR TT HHHHHHH DD DD AAAAAAA YYYYY BB BB II RR RR TT HH HH DD DD AA AA YY BB BB II RR RR TT HH HH DD DD AA AA YY BBBBBB IIII RR RR TT HH HH DDDDDDD AA AA YY Charlie Revie * Dave Doehrman * Joan Renne * Dale Malone * Bac Si NN NN AAAA MM MM VV VV EEEEEEE TTTTTTTT NNN NN AA AA MMM MMM VV VV EE TT NN N NN AA AA MM M M MM VV VV EE TT NN N NN AA AA MM M MM VV VV EE TT NN N NN AAAAAAAA MM MM VV VV EEEEE TT NN N NN AA AA MM MM VV VV EE TT NN NNN AA AA MM MM V V EE TT NN NN AA AA MM MM VVV EEEEEEE TT The International Newsletter for Vietnam Veterans ` ` ` ` _________|_|_|_|_____________ : Putting unity : :=============================: : In our Veteran CommUNITY! : :_____________________________: Clay Tannacore * Jim Hildwine * Lefty Frizzell * Alex Humphrey Craig Roberts * Ray Walker * Bill Plude * Jim Ferguson Ed Brant * Mike Harris * Glenn Toothman * Carl Dunn * Don Purvis Fred Sochacki * Sarge Hultgren * George Currie * Ken Flory Joe Krickenbarger-Oliver * Sam Thompson * Marsha Ledeman Martin Kroll * Glen Kepler * Terry Hayes * Lydia Fish * Jim Ennes Karen Winnett * Scott Summers * Ralph Carlson * Joe Meadors Mike Kelley * Chick Curry * Charles Harper * David Kirshbaum Gordon Giroux * Rod Germain * Todd Looney * Pete Farias Faye Kahn Brad Meyers * Jan Gerstner * Marge Clark * Ann Murrell * Bil Cook Bob Morris * Gale Barrows * Billy Palmergunner * Ralph Feller Richard Morrow * Henry Elsworth * Jesse Kitson * Jim Henthorn Art Fellner * Harlow Campbell * Rick Kelley * Mike Readinger Richard Wolbaum * Walt Fletcher * Mike Halley * Gary Searles Fannie Benware * Mike Leclair * Jery Allison * Don Murray >>>>>>> and all the rest of us!!! <<<<<<< Our *-FOURTH-* Year " Service with Pride! " Fourth Annual NamVet Page 2 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 Yahrzeit '88 Submitted Anonymously My heart aches, and a drowsy numbness pains My sense, as though of hemlock I had drunk, Or emptied some dull opiate to the drains One minute past, and Lethe-wards had sunk: - John Keats "Ode to a Nightingale" She put them up in a brass and stained oak frame. Against the white satin background they didn't appear so ominous, and didn't supply a hint as to the way in which they are awarded. A pretty color, like that on the robes of royalty; pure and deep with majestic allusion. On a weekly basis, she polished the frame, keeping the brass as bright as a ray of morning sunlight. The glass was so spotless that it was possible to see quite clearly ones own reflection. She picked a conspicuous spot for them, and fastened them to the wall in the hallway. And so they hung there, waiting. Waiting. But I didn't look at them. I didn't want to see the morbid days and endless nights that caused their arrival. I didn't want to face the face that won these prizes through violent means. But she kept polishing the brass and glass, commenting "They are precious metals" to those who asked about them. And they hung there on the wall, passed each time a step was taken in the hall. And so they hung there, waiting. Waiting. Each week she would clean them, and the evening sun would cast a reflected light ray to the end of the hall. Each week she would polish them with a tenderness as if they were children to be held. She never said a word about them, but it was easy to tell she was extremely curious about their origins. And so they hung there, waiting. Waiting. Any appeal to remove them was met with stern disapproval. She wanted something to remind her of what had happened, even if she didn't know exactly what that was. She never pried, but held me gently on the nights I would wake up soaked in sweat and tears. She never complained, and never wanted out; instead she would shed tears for my fears, and cry for my sorrows. And every week, she would clean and polish them, until like a beacon they shone. And so they hung there, waiting. Waiting. The sleepless nights faded into the past, the weeks melted into months, and the months passed into years. And each week she would polish them, not voicing a bit of curiosity. She understood the pain, because it was evident in her eyes each morning after a dream of return had come. Her soft touch and wavering voice exposed the silent melancholy her heart felt and she tried so hard to hide. And each week, she returned to them, polishing them brightly. And so they hung there, waiting. Waiting. Fourth Annual NamVet Page 3 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 The tenderness, style and beauty was taken from her in an instant she never realized. I never had a chance to explain to her the prize was one of immense sorrow. She would polish them as if they were the most important thing in our existence. She held them as tenderly as she had held me on the occasions that it was needed. She understood that the key to my welfare was locked in that frame of brass and oak, and the only way to release the demons was to face the face in the reflected glass. And so they hung there, waiting. Waiting. Her funeral was a complete shock. The realization of death I thought had died many years ago. Death was something benign, something that didn't affect me anymore. Yet here she was, the Joy, Beauty and Truth of my life, lying in grassy solitude. She was no longer there to polish the brass and oak frame, so the dust and tarnish collected, dimming the Light they reflected in the past. And so they hung there, waiting. Waiting. What the war couldn't accomplish, I thought pills could. G-d it's such a hard life! The pills: they can fix everything. If I take enough of them.... And like a memory hidden by time, the brass greened and the oak cracked. And so they hung there, waiting. Waiting. Waking up in the hospital, I was told death had been a breath away. My first reaction was anger for failing, then anger for trying, and finally settled into weeks of self imposed isolation, purging the pent up feelings in emotional self-abasement. The questions came faster than I could possibly answer, and I closed myself off even further. Ignoring all life around me. And so they hung there, waiting. Waiting. I got home with the feeling she had deserted me; leaving me in not so silent agony. The first thing I noticed was they were polished, bright as any day she had cleaned them. I asked who polished them, and everyone said they didn't know. I took them off the wall, excused myself and went into my private chambers. For the first time I was able to look at them since they were hung around my neck by the powers that warranted their action. For the first time I was able to look at the face that won them, and realize that it was a face of an ordinary man, and not a maniacal killer. I held them and finally the tears came. The tears that would begin to wash away the stench of guilt and sorrow of the years past. The tears that would finally release me from the unbearable torments of my dreams. As I moved to wipe the fallen tears from the polished glass, I looked and saw her face, as clearly as she was sitting there with me. She was smiling a smile of extreme serenity, and lipped the words "Welcome home. I love you." And just as suddenly, she was gone. I knew then who returned the lustre to them. And they no longer hung there, waiting. Waiting. I took the medals and wrapped them in a bedsheet and boxed them Fourth Annual NamVet Page 4 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 up. The box was taken to a family storage place, where they will be safe and cool. The brass and oak frame that she polished so persistently will be safe from corrosion and decay until I decide to take them out again. But for now, they have served their purpose. The Marines gave them to me for my conduct. My wife gave them to me for my sanity. And they no longer hang there, waiting. Waiting. 15 years ago I finished my SEA tour. 10 years ago my wife died, taking that beautiful smile and that full life with her. With this, the tenth anniversary of her death, I would like to let the world know that she was with me when all others had given up hope, and loved me when I didn't seem to love her back. So my continuing love for her I express poorly in these words: You were all of life to me. Yet when I thought that you had abandoned me in death, you still managed to pull me through life. You gave me back that burning desire for life I had lost. Even as you could support me in life, you saved me in death. I cannot offer anything other than the troth I pledged before, to reaffirm before G-d and man to love you for all eternity. # # # Semper fidelis Fourth Annual NamVet Page 5 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 THE SILENT WARRIOR By Karen Winnett S.I.R.E.N. IS CALLING BBS - Sacramento, CA (916) 971-0589 The fire fights have ended and the big guns no longer roar but the Silent Warrior's fighting like he's never fought before! No point man walks before him and no man takes the rear, no comrade stands beside him though death is always near! He humps no hills or valleys and he sweats no jungle heat. He stalks no Vils or cities, yet has no road to retreat. His field pack long abandoned and his rifle gone to rust, The Silent Warrior battles, because, he has no choice, he must! It's a long range operation, the objective long and hard, to the Valley of the Shadow, where only Angels are. The Silent Warrior battles, where no soul should have to go, and no heart can ever reach him, for his battlefield's unknown! Don't look to the north or south, don't look west or east, look to home and know the truth, this is where the warrior bleeds! His campaigns rage in silence, and he battles here at home, his courage goes unnoticed and his valor, few have known! Behold the Silent Warrior, lost deep within his thoughts, his body frozen solid, never never to unlock! What enemy could do this, what hearts could be so cold, to do him such dishonor, a brother of our own! I look into unseeing eyes and I wonder where he is, and damn the souls who were taught to care, yet did a thing like this! Behold this valiant warrior, who never more shall speak, curled up in a fetal ball on antiseptic sheets! His arms and legs contracted, his body old and frail his honor stripped away and lost where love should not have failed! Look gently on this old one, who battles day and night, and let every warrior cry for him, until Valhalla's in his sights. For such are the forgotten, not daed yet not alive, doing battle on the Veterans wards beyond uncaring eyes! Behold the Silent Warrior, who's stillness screams with rage, who wars in fields of solitude, and there, til death, he stays! I have touched the Silent Warrior, and learned to know his pain, I have fed and I have bathed him, and cried when no one came! I have reached down to his anger and held his ruined hands, and I felt the battle raging, and I cursed, "God damn!" Behold the Silent Warrior, who battles until death, honor him and know his face, stand guard beside his bed. For such are the forgotten, some lost and some abused, victims of a friendly fire we never can undo. Yes, the Fire fights have ended, and the big guns no longer roar, but the Silent Warriors fighting like he never fought before! Fourth Annual NamVet Page 6 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 Go to him, and speak his name, and understand the truth, don't let him die behind the lines, the next warrior could be you! Fourth Annual NamVet Page 7 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 ================================================================== Drums be not Silent ================================================================== Colonel Peck Resigns from POW/MIA Special Office! Input by Marsha Ledeman NamVet MIA/POW Section Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= Date: 28 March 1991 Office: POW/MIA Subject: A Farewell To: All Personnel 1. The purpose of this memorandum is to bid farewell to the Office and to wish everyone the very best. I will sincerely miss each one of you, and will always retain fond memories of our efforts together and the many triumphs we were able to achieve as a team. Because of the intensity of our activities and being under constant political fire, the bonding that I felt for you was similar to that which occurs to soldiers in combat and I came to love you as brothers and sisters. 2. The attached document fairly well sums up how I feel about the entire issue although, I subsequently lined out several portions. I am convinced that no one working within the present "structure" will ever satisfactorily resolve the question of whether or not U.S. prisoners were held after the cessation of hostilities in Vietnam or elsewhere. 3. It is my plan to pursue the issue via other avenues, and while so doing, will work diligently to give the POW/MIA Office the credit it so richly deserves and to ensure that your reputation, in all circles, is defended and upheld. Your honor and interests will always be one of my highest priorities -- and when I say that I mean it. 4. Many thanks to everyone, for your support; your devotion; your hard work; and your dedication to excellence. God bless you all. Adieu, Millard A. Peck Colonel, Infantry USA =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= Date: 12-Feb-1991 memorandum REPLY TO THE ATTENTION OF: POW/MIA U-0173/POW/MIA SUBJ: REQUEST FOR RELIEF TO: DR 1. PURPOSE: I hereby, request to resign my position as the Chief of the Special Office for Prisoners of War and Missing in Action. (POW/MIA) Fourth Annual NamVet Page 8 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 2. BACKGROUND a. Motivation. My initial acceptance of this posting was based upon two primary motives: first, I had heard that the job was highly contentious and extremely frustrating, that no one would volunteer for it because of its complex political nature. This, of course, made it appear challenging. Secondly, since the end of the Vietnam War, I had heard the persistent rumors of American Servicemen having been abandoned in Indochina, and that the Government was conducting a "cover-up" so as not to be embarrassed. I was curious about this and thought that serving as the Chief of POW-MIA would be an opportunity to satisfy my own interest and help clear the Government's name. b. The Office's reputation. It was interesting that previous exposure to the POW-MIA Office, while assigned to the DIA, both as a Deputy Director for Intelligence (DDI) and as the Chief Of the Asia Division for Current Intelligence (JSI-3) was negative. DIA personnel who worked for me, when dealing with or mentioning the office, always spoke about it in deprecating tones, alluding to the fact that any report which found its way there would quickly disappear into a "black hole." c. General Attitudes. Additionally, surveys of active duty military personnel indicated that a high percentage (83%) believed that there were still live American prisoners in Vietnam. This idea was further promulgated in a number of legitimate veterans' periodicals and professional journals, as well as the media in general, which held that where there was so much smoke there must be fire. d. Cover up. The dark side of the issue was particularly unsettling because of the persistent rumors and innuendoes of a Government conspiracy, alleging that U.S. military personnel had been left behind to the victorious communist governments in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, and that for "political reasons" or running the risk of a second Vietnam War, their existence was officially denied. Worse yet was the implication that DIA's Special Office for POWs and MIAs was an integral part of this effort to cover the entire affair up so as not to embarrass the Government nor the Defense Establishment. e. The Crusade. As a Vietnam veteran with a certain amount of experience in Indochina, I was interested in the entire POW-MIA question, and willingly volunteered for the job, viewing it as a sort of holy crusade. f. The Harsh Reality. Heading up the Office has not been pleasant. My plan was to be totally honest and forthcoming on the entire issue and aggressively pursue innovative actions and concepts to clear up the live sighting business, thereby refurbishing the image and honor of the DIA. I became painfully aware, however, that I was not really 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. What I witnessed during my tenure as the cardboard cut-out "Chief" of the POW/MIA could be euphemistically labeled as disillusioning. 3. CURRENT IMPRESSIONS, BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE Fourth Annual NamVet Page 9 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 a. Highest National Priority. That National leaders continue to address the prisoner of war and missing in action issue as the "highest national priority" is a travesty. From my vantage point, I observed that the principal government players were interested primarily in conducting a "damage limitation exercise" and appeared to knowingly and deliberately generate an endless succession of manufactured crises and "busy work". Progress consisted in frenetic activity, with little substance and no real results. b. The Mindset to Debunk. The mindset to "debunk" is alive and well. It is held at all levels, and continues to pervade the POW- MIA Office, which is not necessarily the fault of the DIA. Practically all analysis is directed to finding fault with the source. Rarely has there been any effective, active follow through on any of the sightings, nor is there a responsive "action arm" to routinely and aggressively pursue leads. The latter was a moot point, anyway, since the Office was continuously buried in an avalanche of "ad hoc" taskings from every quarter, all of which required an immediate response. It was impossible to plan ahead or prioritize courses of action. Any real effort to pursue live sighting reports or exercise initiative was diminished by the plethora of "busy work" projects directed by higher authority outside DIA. A number of these grandiose endeavors bordered on the ridiculous -- quite significantly -- there was never an audit trail. None of these taskings was ever requested formally. There was, and still is, a refusal by any of the players to follow normal intelligence channels in dealing with the POW/MIA office. c. Duty, Honor, Integrity. It appears that the entire issue is being manipulated by unscrupulous people in the Government, or associated with the Government. Some are using the issue for personal or political advantage and others use if as a forum to perform and feel important, or worse. The sad fact, however, is that this issue is being controlled and a cover up may be in progress. The entire charade does not appear to be an honest effort and may never have been. d. POW/MIA Officers Abandoned. When I assessed the office for the first time, I was somewhat amazed and greatly disturbed by the fact that I was the only military officer in an organization of more than 40 people. Since combatants of all Services were lost in Vietnam, I would have thought there would at least be a token service representation for a matter of the "highest National priority". Since the normal mix of officers from all services is not found in my organization it would appear that the issue, at least at the working level, has, in fact, been abandoned. Also, the horror stories of the succession of military officers at the 0-5 and 0-6 level who have in some manner "rocked the boat" and quickly come to grief at the hands of the Government policy makers who direct the issue, lead one to the conclusion that we are all quite expendable, so by extrapolation one simply concludes that these same bureaucrats would "sacrifice" anyone who was troublesome or contentious -- including prisoners of war and missing in action. Not a comforting thought. Any military officer expected to survive in this environment would have to be myopic, an accomplished sycophant, or totally insouciant. Fourth Annual NamVet Page 10 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 e. The DIA Involvement. DIA's role in the affair is truly unfortunate. The overall Agency, has generally practiced a "damage limitation drill" on the issue, as well. The POW/MIA Office has been cloistered for all practical purposes and left to its own fortunes. The POW office is the lowest level in the Government "effort" to resolve the issue, and oddly for an intelligence organization, has become the "lighting rod" for the entire establishment on the matter. The policy people manipulating the affair have maintained their distance and remained hidden in the shadows, while using the Office as "toxic waste dump" to bury the whole "mess" out of sight and mind in a facility with limited access to public scrutiny. Whatever happens in the issue, DIA takes the blame, while the real players remain invisible. The fact that the POW/MIA Office is always the center of an investigation is of no surprise. Many people suspect that something is rotten about the whole thing, but cannot find an audit trail to ascribe blame, so they attack the DIA/POW/MIA "dump", simply because it has been placed in the line of fire as a cheap, expendable decoy. f. "Suppressio Veri Suggesto Falsi". Many of the puppet masters play a confusing murky role. For instance, the Director of the National League of Families occupies an interesting and questionable position in the whole process. Although assiduously "churning" the account to give a tawdry illusion of progress, she is adamantly opposed to any initiative to actually get to the heart of the problem, and, more importantly, interferes in or actively sabotages POW-MIA analyses or investigations. She insists on rewriting or editing all significant documents produced by the Office, inserting her own twist or meaning to what was originally prepared. This is then touted as the DIA position. She apparently has access to top secret, codeword message traffic, for which she is supposedly not cleared, and she receives it well ahead of the DIA intelligence analysts. Her influence in "jerking around" everyone and everything involved in the issue goes far beyond the "war and MIA protested gone straight" scenario. She was brought from the "outside" into the center of the imbroglio, and then, cloaked in a mantel of sanctimony, routinely impedes real progress and insidiously "muddles up" the issue. One wonders who she really is and where she came from. . . 4. CONCLUSIONS. a. The Stalled Crusade. Unfortunately, what began on such a high note never succeeded in embarking. In some respects, however, I have managed to satisfy some of my curiosity. b. Everyone is Expendable. I have seen firsthand how ready and willing the policy people are to sacrifice or "abandon" anyone who might be perceived as a political liability. It is quick and facile, and can be easily covered. c. High-Level Knavery. I feel strongly that this issue is being manipulated and controlled at a higher level, not with the goal of resolving it, but more to obfuscate the question of live prisoners, and give the illusion of progress through hyperactivity. d. "Smoke and Mirrors". From what I have witnessed, it appears Fourth Annual NamVet Page 11 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 that any soldier left in Vietnam, even inadvertently, was, in fact, abandoned years ago, and that the farce that is being played is no more than political legerdemain done with "smoke and mirrors", to stall the issue until it dies a natural death. e. National League of Families. I am convinced that the Director of this organization is much more than meets the eye. As the principal actor in the grand show, she is in the perfect position to clamor for "progress", while really intentionally impeding the effort. And, there are numerous examples of this. Otherwise, it is inconceivable that so many bureaucrats in the "system" would instantaneously do her bidding and humor her every whim. f. DIA's Dilemma. Although greatly saddened by the role ascribed to the Defense Intelligence Agency, I feel, at least, that I am dealing with honest men and women who are generally powerless to make the system work. My appeal and attempt to amend this role perhaps never had a chance. We, all, were subject to control. I particularly salute the personnel in the POW-MIA Office for their long suffering, which I regrettable was unable to change. I feel that the Agency and the Office are being used as the "fall guys" or "patsies" to cover the tricks of others. 5. RECOMMENDATIONS a. One Final Vietnam Casualty. So ends the war and my last grand crusade, like it did actually did end, I guess. However, as they say in the Legion, "je ne regrette rein..." For all of the above, I respectfully request to be relieved of my duties as Chief of the Special Office for Prisoners of War and Missing in Action. b. A Farewell to Arms. So as to avoid the annoyance of being shipped off to some remote corner, out of sight and out of the way, in my own "bamboo cage" of silence somewhere, I further request that the Defense Intelligence Agency, which I have attempted to serve loyally and with honor, assist me in being retired immediately from active military service. Signed Millard A. Peck Colonel, Infantry USA Fourth Annual NamVet Page 12 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 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 !!! " Fourth Annual NamVet Page 13 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 Why? by Lord Strider Submitted by Nancy Dunn The Landing Zone/VETLink #7 - Portland, OR (503) 254-6819 To all of you who read this message: This poem was posted on a BBS in Portland, Oregon. It shows that there are people out there who do still care. Still the teardrops fall, As a maybe widow, or a might be orphan, Wonder in the night where thier loved one is. Is he in an unmarked grave, In a land not his own to which he went, Not of his own choosing but by a politicians hand? Or does he yet live a tortured prisoner, Of an opressive regime he fought against? Why have those who sent him to fight a war, Which they would not allow him to win, Forsaken him and left him for dead, With not an investigation, but a cover up? And why have the people of his native land, Which he loved dearly enough to fight for, Rather than run to foreign soil in wars evasion, Stood silently by while his memory fades, To be swept beneath the carpets, a hidden embarassment, To all but the families who live a hell of not knowing? Still the teardrops fall, And ever will they fall in vain, While we allow our leaders to shirk their duties, To the men whom they have abandoned, And sought to deny the very existance of in past, But perhaps if voices in sufficient numbers raise, Another families tears might yet be stayed. Lord Strider There are still 2,270 American servicemen listed as M.I.A. or P.O.W. from the Viet Nam War which ended 18 years ago. Why? Fourth Annual NamVet Page 14 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 THE LONELIEST PRAYER Hardy Abbott Input By Joyce Flory NamVet's Incarcerated Veterans Section Editor Desert Dolphin BBS - Las Cruces, NM (505) 523-2811 [Poem read at the conclusion of the candlelight ceremony for POW/MIA's held in Las Cruces, NM 9-22-91] As I squat here in this lonely place a man maybe even YOU forgot, I wonder, am I living in hell? Am I alive or not? I think it's more than ten years now since my last friend left this place. I guess he's back home - wherever that is - among the human race. Forgive me, Lord, if I seem untrue to the values my parents taught, To thoughts of you, of family and country, those things for which I fought. But, as I've endured the endless days that dragged on into years, I've battled with all my very being to hold back bitter tears. My children, by now, they're no longer small, by now they're nearly grown. My poor wife - she's had that too, she's raised them all alone. I wept to hold my darlings, to watch my children grow, To feel your presence, Lord, my faith in you to show. Bless me, Father, and take this life - please let it end today. I wonder how they listed me, POW or MIA? Fourth Annual NamVet Page 15 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 ================================================================== Don't drink the water! ================================================================== Were YOU exposed to Agent Orange?? By Jim Ferguson NamVet 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 Fourth Annual NamVet Page 16 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 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 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 Fourth Annual NamVet Page 17 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 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 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. Fourth Annual NamVet Page 18 Volume 4, Number 1 November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xxx _ -. . - .-. - . . . . - XXXXXxxXXXXXXXXXXXx -. - .- . - . . XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-. .--. - .- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX -.- - -.- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX -. -. -. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx .g -. -. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX .- j. .- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX . p .-. XXXXXXXX ]XXXXXXXXX ]XXXXXXXX .- - -. XXXXXX XXXXX XXXXXX -.- - -- XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX -- - XXXXXXXXX X'`XXX XXXXXXX Y Y XXXXXXXXX XXXXX XXX XXXXXXX X X XXXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXX XXXXXX XXX XX X XXX XX XX XXXX XX XXX XX XX XX XXXX XXX]XXXXXXXXXXXX XXX[ XX XX XXX XXXXXXXXXX " I t ' s o n l y t e e n a g e a c n e ! " -Robert Nimmo- Fourth Annual NamVet Page 19 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 All in a day's work Contributed by Judith R. Flotron 11/91 Reader's Digest Submitted by Joyce Flory NamVet's Incarcerated Veterans Section Editor Desert Dolphin BBS - Las Cruces, NM (505) 523-2811 "One November, another switchboard operator on duty with me at a Veterans Administration hospital took a call from a man who asked for a specific extension. She connected him, but the call was automatically switched back to her. "Sir," she said to the man, "there's no answer. Who are you trying to reach?" "You ought to know who's at that number," he retorted. "How long have you been an operator?" "There might not be anyone in the office today because of the holiday," she explained. "And what holiday is that?" he asked sarcastically. "Why, Veteran's Day, sir," she replied smoothly. "How long have you been a veteran?" "Touche!" he responded. Fourth Annual NamVet Page 20 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 ================================================================== Close to home... ================================================================== Wall puts war in focus by Milton Bass Berkshire Eagle - Pittsfield, MA 11/10/91 Input by G. Joseph Peck NamVet's Managing Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 RICHMOND-- The Vietnam War and the Persian Gulf War were so different in so many ways that comparisons are odious. The long, painful, drawn-out conflict in the Far East was a bitter loss for this country in dead and wounded but also in "face." The Vietnamese toll was somewhere between 2 and 3 million dead to our own 58,000, but that horrifies rather than consoles. The Vietnam veterans who returned were greeted in their own country with hostility or, even more insulting, indifference. The Persian Gulf War, on the other hand, ran from Jan. 16, 1991 to Feb. 27, 1991, when President George Bush ordered a cease-fire. The Iraqis lost 100,000 soldiers and civilians while the United States' toll was 184 killed and 213 wounded. It later turned out that a large proportion of our casualties were caused by what the military terms "friendly fire." The two wars were also different in that the media covered Vietnam in all its goriness while in the Persian Gulf War the military controlled and sanitized press coverage completely. And when the Persian Gulf warriors returned home, they were greeted with near hysteria by a pumped-up nation. President Bush forbade television coverage of our honored dead being returned home for burial, and once more wrapped our country's flag around him, appearing on every glitzy network television show honoring the homecomings of the living. Gen. William Westmoreland is still unsuccessfully trying to convince people that he didn't lost the Vietnam War while Gen. Norman Schwarzkopf is reportedly getting $5 million to let somebody write his autobiography and background view of the 43-day blowout. I have always had mixed feelings about Vietnam because I thought it was an unworthy cause, but at the same time was concerned about the welfare of the troops we were sending over there to fight. And afterwards, I felt that some of the veterans of that conflict were using the experience to explain all their shortcomings as human beings. I was gung-ho for the Persian Gulf War because Saddam Hussein frightened me, and I feared that if this dictator possessed nuclear weapons, it could lead to death and destruction of appalling magnitude. Afterwards, when the truth of how we had been hoodwinked and Fourth Annual NamVet Page 21 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 misled by our government of the ineptness of the CIA in assessing the situation of the political ramifications that had to do with Republicans vs. Democrats and to hell with everybody else, I became both disillusioned and somewhat shamefaced. Saddam Hussein still reigns and Kuwait and Saudi Arabia are back to dictatorship as usual while in this country the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. Consequently, when on a trip to Washington recently, we took the time to visit the wall commemorating those who lost their lives in Vietnam. I was uncertain as to what my reaction would be. I knew I would be moved as I have been when I have visited the cemeteries where men from the Civil War and World War I and II are buried in lines of white crosses that seem to extend to infinity, but this time there was a personal element involved that brought all wars of history into focus. A young woman was on one knee in front of one of the tablets on the Vietnam Wall busily doing a rubbing of a name near the bottom. She had taken the needed materials out of a large carryall bag, and was all business as she held the paper on the name and rubbed the marker across it. She was like a magnet to me as I moved up and down the wall, names jumping out like beacons from the past. Each time I would be pulled back to watch her at work. When she finished, she carefully put the memorial piece of paper in the bag, returned all the paraphernalia, sat down cross-legged, looked at the wall again and began crying without making any noise but with the sobs shaking her body. She was too young to have been a wife, but the right age to have been a daughter who maybe never even knew her father. "Do you think," I asked my wife, "she would mind if I gave her a hug?" "I don't think so," she told me. So I moved over and squatted down at her left side and asked. She couldn't talk, but she stretched her right arm across her shoulder and held on to me while I briefly squeezed her shoulders, as much for me as for her. She never turned her face to look at me; her eyes stayed on the name on the tablet. When we left the park, I picked up a copy of The Washington Post, and there was a story on the front page about how the Republicans were gleefully rubbing their hands and planning to make capital out of their complete victory over the Democrats in the Clarence Thomas nomination for the Supreme Court. And I thought back to the senators on both sides who had performed disgracefully during those hearings, and the anger went through me as I realized how they were concerned only with their own images and welfare rather than that of the nation and the 58,000 whose names were grit-blasted on that wall. They're a shameful lot, and they represent us. Which perhaps means that we are a shameful lot, too. Fourth Annual NamVet Page 22 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 Tomorrow is Veterans Day, and although I don't go to any parades or memorial services, I think back on the men in my regiment who were killed and how they were and what they might have been. And this time I'll also be thinking of that young woman back at home somewhere in the United States of America with a blurry piece of paper rather than a father. Fourth Annual NamVet Page 23 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 EPITAPH by Chuck Hall, Able Co. 1st Marines 1st MarDiv Korea 1950/51 Presently of Wichita, KS Submitted by Ray L. Walker The Homestead BBS - Nashville, TN (615) 385-9421 We speak for those who cannot say We speak for those not here today Fallen comrades, resting sound In God's silent hallowed ground Memories held with solemn pride Living now, for those who died Chosen but by history's whim To never let the light grow dim To serve as keepers of the tale to ne'er forget their sad travail Keeping fast through all the years Through the hardship and the tears Let our courses be ever true To do the things we have to do When others say "Forget the past," Keep the faith, unto the last The deeds they wrought to keep us free A beacon's light for you and me And when at last our race is run Hear our comrades say "Well done!" Fourth Annual NamVet Page 24 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 "In Touch" Unites Families, Friends and Strangers Input by: Ray "Frenchy" Moreau NamVet's In-Touch Section Editor Herndon Byte eXchange/VETLink #2 - Herndon, VA (703) 471-8010 "We deeply loved our son... but until we met and spoke with his friends and fellow veterans, we did not realize what an impact his short life had made." These words of Frances Rufty, mother of Joe Herne Rufty, were spoken when she and Joe's dad, Archie Rufty, participated with Joe's fellow veterans, Bob Evans and Ken Strafer, in placing a wreath near panel 14 West of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. This panel bears the names of Joe and many of his fellow officers who were killed in an intense battle on January 29, 1970. Bob Evans remembers that day in 1970 only too well. He and Joe were 1st Lieutenants and platoon leaders who had met the previous Christmas Day. Bob liked Joe's warmth his sense of humor. "He helped us laugh when there was nothing to laugh about", Bob recalls. And when he (Joe) was hit, 37 men from Bob's platoon offered to risk their own lives to attempt to rescue Joe. "That's how much they thought of him. They were willing to die to try and save him." For years, Bob wanted to contact Joe's family. Thus, he became one of the first participants in the Friends "In Touch" locator program designed to help families, friends and fellow veterans of those lost in Vietnam to find each other. After "In Touch" located the Rufty family, Bob called them to share his memories of Joe. Bob says that he had mixed feelings about contacting the Rufty's. He was afraid that he might cause them more pain. But once he heard the receptiveness in Archie Rufty's voice, he was very glad he had called. Another connection that "In Touch": made for Bob and the Rufty's was that of Lt. Col. Ken Strafer who served with Joe in basic training, OCS, and Vietnam. In their first phone conversation, the Rufty's told Bob that Ken had written to them, but that they had lost contact with him. They believed that Ken was in the Army and could be in the Washington, DC area. After Ken was located, he invited Bob and the Rufty's to his retirement ceremony scheduled for June 28th. The Rufty's flew in from Las Vegas to attend Lt. Col. Strafer's retirement ceremony *and* to join their son's friends in placing a wreath at the Memorial. Other vets who served with Joe were also present for this tribute. As the wreath was placed, a group gathered to watch and listen, to smile and to cry -- family, friends, and strangers, united by a common bond of gratitude for a young man whose life and death continues to be remembered. This tribute to Joe Rufty was filmed by *Reunions*, a newly syndicated television program which will feature this "In Touch" story in one of its premiere episodes this Fall. *Reunions* is Fourth Annual NamVet Page 25 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 also working on another "In Touch" story about Layna McConkey, daughter of Army Capt. Wayne McConkey who was killed in Vietnam, September 17, 1970. Layna's mother died in July, 1989. When Layna was going through her mother's papers, she discovered tapes that her father had sent from Vietnam. On these tapes, Wayne McConkey spoke with fondness of some of his fellow veterans. Layna would like to find these veterans, and *Reunions* is going to help "In Touch" in this search. "In Touch" *IS* AN IDEA WHOSE TIME HAS COME. As expected, Al Santoli's moving article, "We Never Knew Our Fathers" which ran in Parade magazine on Memorial Day week-end, resulted in over 1,000 calls, letters, pleas for help, and offers of assistance. An especially nice benefit is the fact that all four of the young adults featured in the article, Tony Cordero, Michelle Mitchel, Sharrie Downing and Wende Ruffin, have been contacted by persons who knew their fathers. Danielle Sanville, another daughter for whom "In Touch" has made a connection, learned that her dad had printed her name and those of her mother and sister on his helmet. He said, "Here I am with the names of three girls on my helmet. The guys must think I'm quite a lover, and I am because I sure do love my girls." Danielle wrote us, "I sat on the floor and cried. To me, it was my dad's way of telling me he loved me. Only I didn't hear it for 22 years." The *Parade* article has also produced a positive response to Sons and Daughters In Touch, a network to facilitate support and communication among children of men who died in Vietnam. Hundreds of letters express gratitude to Tony Cordero who founded the network and initiated the *Parade* article. Lynn Welch Davis, daughter of SFC. Donald Walter Welch, killed in Duc Lap on August 23, 1968, Wrote: "All my life I grew up wondering if there were other children like me. None of my friends had lost their fathers, and I found it difficult to talk with them about my feelings. I had always prayed that someday I would find others like me, someone who could understand how I felt... When I read your story I broke into tears because at long last my prayers had been answered... I hardly know anything about my father and would like to find anyone who might have served with him... I have nowhere else to turn for help in my search." AN UNEXPECTED BONUS OF THE PUBLICITY ABOUT "IN TOUCH" AND SONS AND DAUGHTERS IN TOUCH HAS BEEN THE FORMATION OF ADDITIONAL NETWORKS. Siblings In Touch is being coordinated by Melinda Knapp and JoAnn Seyfried whose brothers died in Vietnam. A Vietnam Widows Research Project has been initiated by Peggy Borsey, Ph.D., whose husband died in Vietnam, and Jacki M. Beatty, MSN, RN, sister of a Vietnam Veteran. They want to hear from any Vietnam widows (whether or not they have remarried) and will, in turn, furnish their participants with printed summaries of their research. Also, sons and daughters of veterans lost in World War II and Korea have written that they, too, have longed for a support network as well as a means of finding persons who knew their fathers. The World War II Orphans network is being coordinated by Fourth Annual NamVet Page 26 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 Ann Bennet Mix, daughter of Sidney Bennet, KIA, April 19, 1945. "In Touch" has been likened to a tree with the locator program, Sons and Daughters In Touch, the Vietnam Widows Project, Siblings In Touch, and even sons and daughters of persons killed in Korea and World War II, being branches of the "In Touch" tree. If you are a leaf on one of these branches and would like to participate in any of these programs, please write to "In Touch" c/o FVVM 1224 M St. NW Washington D.C. 20005. Your letter will be forwarded to the appropriate coordinator. The tremendous response to "In Touch" would not have been as overwhelming had it not been for some special groups. Electronic Data Systems (EDS) has designed the data management system. Zenith Data Systems, Hewlett-Packard, Borland International, Quarterdeck Office Systems and Fastcomm Communications have contributed computer equipment and peripherals. EDS and Zenith employees have volunteered to help with publicity and data entry. These contributions really make the difference for "In Touch". Many people write or call to ask how they can help. We suggest that they spread the word to friends, churches, and local news media. This will do two things. First, the more participants in the locator program, the more "matches" we will have, that is, the more people who will locate those persons with whom they need to be "In Touch". Secondly, we need funding to operate this program. If you help us tell people about "In Touch", please emphasize that there is no charge to participate, but that so far "In Touch" has received no government or corporate funds. For this reason donations are needed. If you would like to help with "In Touch", please write or call. If you live in the Washington D.C. metro area, we need volunteers in the office. And wherever you live, you can help by spreading the word. Fourth Annual NamVet Page 27 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 The Wall By Clay Tannacore <<< SYSTEM ONE >>> BBS - Charleston, SC (803) 556-1999 It is said that as a monument The Wall stands alone as a symbol of honor to those who served their country, and made the ultimate sacrifice in the face of The Lord. There, in an open field stands The Wall, black in color, a shining monument to the men and women who unselfishly gave of themselves so that democracy could prevail. Inscribed on this rock of black are the names of those who didn't come back. The names of the men and women who, with little thought of their own, gave their lives so that the world would be a richer place for the oppressed to live. The Wall alone stands as a symbol of freedom, independence, and sovereignty. The names on The Wall are those who someday will be remembered by all who pause to look upon it, as The Best of The Best. While in our midst there are those who find The Wall distasteful because it glorifies and pays homage to the thousands who died in a war these imbeciles decreed should have never been. Do these simpletons think it was a choice of the men and women who died to have this war they find so enervating, fought? But to those like myself who find The Wall a place to listen to our brothers and sisters who gave of themselves so others might live in freedom, I say to you, we went, we fought, we won in our way, and we came back. Those who have their names on The Wall, I say to you, you went, you won, and we will never forget you ...AMEN And to those of you who find The Wall an objectionable piece of black broken stone, I say this from the bottom of my heart: "I DON'T GIVE A DAMN" You didn't build it, Uncle Sam didn't build it, *WE* did. The Vietnam Veterans did. Not for the hell of it, and not as a token delineation, but as a tribute to our buddies, families, our brothers and sisters who died to save your worthless souls, and the souls of your children who spent their time in Canada, while their countrymen, and women died to give them that opportunity. CT Fourth Annual NamVet Page 28 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 IN-TOUCH Registration/Request Form 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: ________________________________________________________ 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 Fourth Annual NamVet Page 29 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 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 ----------------------------------------------------------------- Fourth Annual NamVet Page 30 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 Did you? Anonymous Input by Joyce Flory NamVet's Incarcerated Veterans Section Editor Desert Dolphin BBS - Las Cruces, NM (505) 523-2811 Remember the day I borrowed your brand new car and dented it? I thought you'd kill me, but you didn't. And remember the time I dragged you to the beach, and you said it would rain, and it did? I thought you'd say, "I told you so." But you didn't. Do you remember the time I flirted with all the guys to make you jealous, and you were? I thought you'd leave, but you didn't. Do you remember the time I spilled strawberry pie all over your car rug? I thought you'd hit me, but you didn't. And remember the time I forgot to tell you the dance was formal and you showed up in jeans? I thought you'd drop me, but you didn't. Yes, there were lots of things you didn't do. But you put up with me, and loved me, and protected me. There were lots of things I wanted to make up to you when you returned from Vietnam. But you didn't. Fourth Annual NamVet Page 31 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 REMEMBERING OUR BROTHERS/SISTERS By George Hebert AVIP/VVA #294 POW/MIA Committee Gardner, MA Input by Joyce Flory NamVet's Incarcerated Veterans Section Editor Desert Dolphin BBS - Las Cruces, NM (505) 523-2811 When called upon by their country, they left their homes and loved ones to fight in foreign soil. It is their duty, as Americans, their loyalty to their government and country. They were the best America had to offer that would keep America free. They were brave these civilian soldiers, many just out of high school. Their wars are long over, but for many they still have not returned, they were captured or killed by the Soviet Union, China, Korea, Laos, Viet Nam and Saudi. Exact numbers of Americans not freed from the Viet Nam war has been classified by the U.S. Government. They are not as our government has labeled them; "Presumed Dead", with NO conclusive evidence of death. Viet Nam occupies that part of the mind inhabited solely by memories will recall, that many years ago this Spring America's involvement in Viet Nam came to an end. It is a date that will live in ambiguity, in Ho Chi Minh's own words: "The Americans don't like long inconclusive wars and this is going to be a long inconclusive war." IT WAS. Let others use this occasion to explain why we were there, what we accomplished, what went wrong and who was right. We seek here only to draw attention to those who served. They gave their best and in many cases their lives. They fought not for territorial gains, or national glory, or personal wealth. They fought only because they were called to serve. Some returned intact, some physically and emotionally maimed, others never returned and are immortalized in a memorial in Washington, D.C. Perhaps they questioned why they were there: Certainly some complained. Yet they served!! Many lie today beneath white crosses or buried in our personal memories. They all were soldiers: No one wants war - not civil leaders who proclaim it, not the civilians who suffer from it, least of all the soldiers who must fight it. Yet, we have it; In the words of Plato "Only the dead have seen the end of war". Whatever acrimony lingers in our consciousness, whatever regrets we may have, whatever "might-have-beens" or "If-only's", whatever people may say on this anniversary let us not forget the Viet Nam Veterans. It was on July 8th,1959 that the first American was killed in that war, and for sixteen years they died, then on April 30th,1975 the last American left Viet Nam. In a larger sense we all are veterans of Viet Nam, it is part of our history. Those who served in Viet Nam deserve better than what they got!! As a nation we have always tried to do what is right, let us try to do right to the Viet Nam Veteran, let us begin by remembering ... Fourth Annual NamVet Page 32 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 Etched in granite on the face of a Viet Nam monument in Buffalo, New York are feelings that should be etched in our hearts: "They answered when called; Asked for little and got less; And made us richer for their sacrifices but poorer for their passings. In remembering the dead, we embrace the living, for we ought to remember better than we do." This is written in memory of people that have personally touched my heart and I care for. One has sacrificed his life and is buried at Arlington Cemetery in Washington, Guy Protano native of Mass., the second is a friend who has returned and treated badly, but brave in my heart. Dated 5/91 Fourth Annual NamVet Page 33 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 Remember from YOUR tour of Duty? Messages in VIETNAM_VETS International Echo To/From: Jim Hildwine Larry Magnello Mike Harris Lefty Frizzell Others Do any of you remember any of the following during your tour with the Military: 1. Getting up at O Dark Thirty for that famous morning formation in the dark.. i.e 5:30 am... (For you older folks, they don't do it any more) 2. Saturday moring inspections? 3. Ye old CMMI Team? (Head Hunters!, caused many a downfall of Company Commanders as well as Motor Sgt's) 4. The crap before the annual IG.. Now called the AIG.. 5. Being paid ONCE a month, and for E-3's and below in the sixties it was less then $100.00 a month (Me was 99.37 before the deductions. 6. Your very first day in "Basic Training"? Now who can forget that day? Remember your weapons serial number? Try - you will. 7. Remember these? They're not used any more. RA, US (god love em), ER's, and last but least NG (Where is Quale?) 8. Your very first KP? 9. Any one out there remember your "Welcome" to the 90th Replacment Bn at Long Binh? Remember the lousy chow, got even worse when you got to your new outfit. 10. Remember being an FNG? Or what FTA ment (For The Army!!!!) 11. Those famous words well-spoken by your favorite NCO... "Ya wanna RE-UP??? 12. Day one in Nam, with only 364 to go. What a Bummer! 13. The weather girls name on AFVN TV at night... You know the one with the mini-skirt...? 14. Remember what a "Star Light Scope" was? 15. Anyone remember his buddy having a "Spider Monkey"? God they were the worst>>>>>>//. 16. Does anyone remember the famous "Morning Report"? They don't do 'em any more. Took 30 years to find they really didn't need em. 17. When "Mess Halls" were Mess Halls, and not called Dining Facilities? 18. Speaking of Food and Mess Halls remeber the following: SOS, and corned beef, and all the eggs were cooked the same: Overdone!. 19. Remeber when you could write "Free" on your letter and send it anywhere in the world for nothing? 20. The feeling you had when you pulled a can of "Chopped Ham and Eggs" out of the warm up pot? (Gross) (Many of them were on M-60's to help feed the belt. 21, The taste of C-ration instant Coffee... Ugh.. make that double. 22. Going to Mail call and not getting mail? 23. Being out in the boonies just waiting and talking about going back to the land of Big Px's and round door knobs, and getting "Dear John'ed"? 24. Your Very 1st Art 15? (some of us did'nt and some of us did) 25. Remember the Following: 20's were Red, Ten's were Blue, and Fourth Annual NamVet Page 34 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 one's were green. Ye old MPC..... the pennies, nickles, dimes etc were the real thing. 26. F&N Gingerale. Triple Ugh..... That stuff was just number 10,000. 27. The Steambath...? 28. When you found out "Slick" didn't mean what you thought it meant. 29. The added addition to the "Body Count"? 30. Anyone remember Sgt Major of the Army "WoolRidge"... 31. Remember the famous three songs of our time in Nam. a. Leaving on a Jet Plane... You got that right. b. We gotta get out of this place... Thats for sure. c. Rain drops keep falling.... You get bet your sweet dupa on that one. 32. Getting to your new outfit, and the first guy you meet in going home the next day, and is from your home town....! 33. The free steak dinner when you came home from Nam, and also you now had to pay taxes to Uncle sam again.? 34. Not shining your boots for one "WHOLE YEAR""""""""""""" 35. Being told when you got to Nam you had to take a drivers test? Now that is a joke.... Anyone remember those buses of theirs (RVN)? 36. Anyone remember "Silver Bullets" and the "No Sweat" Pill? 37. What "LBJ" really stood for (Long Binh Jail) 38. The tropical candybar that you could throw to the Vietnamese and they would throw it back at you, but they would keep your empty tin cans from your sea rations... 39. The FREEDOM BIRD that flew away when you landed and it dawned on you that you could not leave until you were booked on one. 40. The monkeys that would jump from your head onto another head while you were smokingggg away.. 41. The first time you prayed because you were in the bush going to the bathroom squatting down and saying Oh God, please don't let me die in this position. 42. Remember the "Chicken Man" episodes? A bit of humor in a dark time. 43. Remember the Crown Royal "Tassel" being used to designate a shorttimer? 44. Remember the P-38 races? I think we got a can of peaches down to about 7 secs. Remember the callous on your thumb from opening so many cans? 45. Remember the brilliant one liners? "A Dong saved is a Dong earned!" 46. Remember the menagerie of flags on the bases, boats, tracks, etc? Oregon, California, Nebraska, Alabama, etc. Each owner a proud young man fighting for a cause. (I still have mine with shrapnel holes in it! Oregon) 47. Remember seeing your 1st "Red Snake" coming down out of darkness on the horizon. Then later seeing "Green Snakes" coming up at you from the ground? 48. Remember Camp Alpha in Saigon? Feeling like a migrant while waiting to be processed somewhere? 49. Remember NEVER "Popping a top" in Vietnam? Better wait and see if the guys after 7/69 had pop tops! Always had the opener close! 50. Remember searching for the Conex Box that you KNEW was full of beer after the club had closed? (I tried to steal one with a forklift in Dong Tam and got caught!) Fourth Annual NamVet Page 35 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 51. Remember the sweat running down all parts of your body as you waited in line for your FREEDOM BIRD to take off? No air on and Remember not feeling totally at ease until you could not longer see the coast of Vietnam? 52. Remember the guy who stole your bags at Camp Alpha? And claimed that his bag had the name "FRIZZELL" on it in letters 6 inches tall? Fourth Annual NamVet Page 36 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 ================================================================== Forgotten - again? ================================================================== Wanna share some time and news? By Joyce Flory NamVet's Incarcerated Veterans Section Editor Desert Dolphin BBS - Las Cruces, NM (505) 523-2811 Here's the latest update on the Vietnam Veterans, Incarcerated that are seeking pen-pals. New listings have slowed down a bit lately, But I hope to be hearing from some new prisons real soon. I've got "feelers" out to Walla Walla, Washington and to a women's prison in Arizona (maybe some ladies for you folks to write to?). Two of the gentlemen I write to (one in Mass. and the other in Penn.) have given me the great news that, after long incarcerations, they will be paroled before the year's end. I am *very* happy for them and wish them the best of luck in their new lives. I will sorely miss their letters. Please find it in your hearts to drop a brother a line or two today. They may be behind bars, but they are every bit as interested in the issues as you are. They hunger for any and all information they can get their hands on about the POW's and MIA's, Agent Orange, any new benefits that have come from the V.A., or just a friendly word from someone who's "been there". It doesn't take a whole lot of time or effort to write to one of these guys. Uncomfortable?? Don't know what to say?? Just introduce yourself, give a little bit of background from "then" and/or now. Believe me when I tell you that the time you spend putting a few words to paper can reap benefits to your life that you never imagined. If any of you out there know of a prison or correctional institution not listed here, please pass the address on to me and I will do my utmost to get them listed in my next update. Send the address(es) to me through IVVEC or snail-mail me at 1825 Evelyn Las Cruces, N.M. 88001 A. David Baez 57020 Whitmarsh Bailey 56715 Box 100 0200 County Rd #219 Somers, CT. 06071 Rifle, CO. 81650 Harold Mize 863934 Chris S.Crespin 45523 Cory Naples 901359 Dennis E.Prentis 43497 Westville Corr. Ctr. Jerry Baack 57098 PO Box 473 PO Box 2017 Westville, IN. 46391-0473 Buena Vista, CO. 81211 Jeff Weil 28242 Thomas Adams Cecil Williams 23818 Dwight L.Lyons James McGee 31489 Donald E. Head Earl Grissom 27536 EG 172282 RCI Box 8409 Roy Fudge 29966 Columbus, GA. 31907-8409 Eddie Sanchez 26895 George McIntyre 25124 Arthur Coy Eddie Romero 22115 Richard Ortiz Eugene Perry 29647 Tyrone Smith Brook De Nault 29594 Kevin M Pennell Fourth Annual NamVet Page 37 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 Harold Weaver 17624 Robert Thompson Harry Lilly 29894 Frank Komnenus Claude Theriault 11872 PO Box 466 Dan Richmond 15601 Gardner, MA. 01440 Ken Jezierski 30790 James Raines 31445 Leslie Gomes John Doane 14686 PO Box 565 Robert Turner 30473 Billeria, MA. 01821 James Bishop 31347 Brain Hern 14535 Lance Koren Nevada State Prison PO Box 1069 PO Box 607 Concord, MA. 01472 Carson City, NV. 89702 David M. McCook Sam Howard 18329 (DA-118) EF 18354 Pete Huertas 15239 Jack T. Ruthledge C.I. Jake Reynolds 21763 PO Box 8409 Paul Stadtlander 23389 Columbus, GA. 31907 Ely State Prison PO Box 1989 Jamal R Rashid Ely, NV. 89301 110781 D-2 Joseph Huggins Johnny Chadwick 110520 99433 D-6 Holman Unit 5-U-5 Preston Parker Holman 37 118311 D-5 Atmore, AL. 36503-0037 William Moran 131271 D-2 Van Burton Le'roi Mason 108483 (A-120) 104969 D-5 M Davenport David Bailey 155165 (N-321) 153526 D-2 M Donati Oliver Mayfield 150219 (D-71) 106330 HA-2 Joe Grace John Harris 136189 (B-108) 133342 HA M Glennon Robert Hall 140901 (O-101) 148001 HA J Heidinger James Moody 102513 (O-421) 160399 D-4 Charles Ladison William Simmons 138228 (O-330) 106399 D-4 G Magno Charlie Sherman 112810 (N-418) 128403 D-6 William Merriman Carlton Heflin 131789 (A-66) 170297 D-5 L Rainsford Matthew Sanders 126380 (B-108) 166545 D-4 Abdul Shah Micheal Kay 101250 (O-417) 136567 D-5 Gerald Stovall Jr. David Swink 98899 (O-328) 157682 D-6 R Sutton Gordon Cawthron 141041 (O-317) 135734 D-6 PO Box 488 Curtis Wright Burkeville, VA. 23922 125330 HA Roger Baxter William R. McCall 157594 D-2 8031 ICH-404 Thomas Hawley Karl N. Robinson 139294 D-1 Fourth Annual NamVet Page 38 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 852525 CCH-343 Luther C. Beasley James L. Davis 110375 D-2 892971 E Dorm W-5 James River Corr. Ctr. Lowell K. Idle State Farm, VA. 23160 893265 DCH-424 Larry Lisenby Robert White 182002 853325 CCH-149 Andy Cascarelli 201886 Steve Swafford Eddie Stenton 198136 874932 CCH-148 Antonio Lyte 165094 J. Michael Ensley Earl Lord 196758 28828 F Dorm W-84 Tim Grassmyer 206270 Joe DeRado Rick Isbell 207512 902975 E Dorm E-42 David Fox 200406 Richard Martin Charles Ray 205764 9634 CCH-164 8201 N. Crosswell Rd. Pat McGuire St. Louis, MO. 48880 892476 DCH-153 Danny W. Hamby Willi Henderson-Bey 128457 892631 E Dorm W-93 Richard Sheff 180946 Scotty Hammack Tony Slusarski 131661 10422 ACH-148 Ronald Kramer 181007 Richard Kirby Ronald Triplett 132615 31358 DCH-262 Teddy Stephens 182636 Dinzel Miller Danny McKay 147064 23977 CCH-370 Edwin Zimmerman 184779 PO Box 41 Boyd Blair 156418 Indiana State Prison William Letzgus 187075 Michigan City, IN. 46360 Herschel Davis 163765 David Oates 190210 Myer Pettyjohn Thomas Siemoneit 179536 90722 Unit 9 David Prieto 193367 Bobby Tate Leonard Pikaart 179858 123531 Unit 5 Wendell Neview 196387 John Cobb David Martin 180065 126878 Unit 12 Teddy McCray 200255 Stanton Easley James Wilson 180186 86354 Unit 2 Tim Shagen 203886 Charles Sprinkle 2400 South Sheridan Rd. 109200 Unit 4 Muskegon, MI. 49442 Grant Henderson Unit 4 George W. Burd AJ2 Johnny Ottinger Vernon E. Miller Sr. AJ1 Unit 14 Darryl Houseman AJ1 Kenneth Teague Drawer A Old Route 22 112717 Unit 4 Cresson, PA. 16630-0010 John Slate Unit 8 Robert Dennstaedt 147258 James Eades Mr. Peterson 167626 Unit 4 Mr. Vaughan 145696 William Harris Mr. Ron Duvall 119293 77891 Unit 8 Mr. Conklin 159051 PO Box 2000 Mr. Thomas Van Antwerp Wartburg, TN. 37887 184766 Mr. Michael Deen 201339 Larry DuBois 940561 G. Robert Cotton Fac. Rudolph Cleveland 939491 PO Box 3003 George Tate 621964 Jackson, MI 49204 Edward Froats 287159 Bernard Olson 900437 Ron Chamberlain Fourth Annual NamVet Page 39 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 Lee Bruer 960286 81-C-0459 C-17-41 Walt Lamphere 936322 Giacomo A. Frascone George Wilson 263328 89-A-3512 A-6-22 Jerry Phelps 262365 William L. Hargrove Pat Radford 280360 83-A-4292 D-8-18 Jim Herrick 273217 Andrews S. Tenny PO Box 1000 81-B-2137 E-10-19 Steilacoom, WA. 98388-1000 Thomas Delmonte 86-C-1021 A-1-20 Terry Snyder 193889 Robert T. Smith Alex Beaudine 145559 81-A-2188 A-5-10 Bill Hammes 204434 Thomas H. Marlowe PO Box 1900 83-C-0834 E-9-16 Adrian, MI. 49221 Donald W. Knapp 88-C-0072 A-3-8 Don Miller Ed Beaufort Cutner Health and Safety 89-C-1606 C-13-6 PO Box 7011 Gary Emry Carson City, NV. 89702 89-C-1315 A-7-24 Ervun L. Armlin Chaplain Dennis G. Pigman 86-C-0782 D-6-6 Jerry Barnett 083876 Ferdinand Quiles Michael Bass 086961 83-A-5609 A-4-38 Ronald Brackett 800013 Elwood H. Fields Richard Brasher 077897 88-A-4043 D-8-13 Darrell Brooks 081683 Micheal Mantice Henry Burris 081658 90-A-7640 B-7-18 John Campbell 078482 PO Box 618-135 John Campbell 076674 135 State St. Tommy Chappell 091711 Auburn, N.Y. 13024-9000 Stuart Clements 082516 Hoyt Clines 000886 Calvin Allen 203359 Raymond Coble 088317 John Banaszak 188690 Jessie Cockrell 082169 Edward Belamares 128592 Benny Cooper 089393 Merrit Burright 5593 James Dansby 082797 Anthony Cartwright 2210911 Thomas Dinger 088756 Eric Collins 201910 Isiah Dumas 079752 Charles Coogan 40001 Donnie Dunivan 082890 Irvin Doxtator 16876 David Fain 083803 John S. Deuchars 42641 Lewis Fields 083568 John Erdman 133557 Dennis Glick 086895 Keith Fenderson 210194 Michael Hanshew 086275 Kevin Glover 167916 Johny Henderson 082960 Roosevelt Hall 180767 Harold Hobbs 077219 Jerry Hammill 66235 Herman Holland 084387 Dane Hedstrom 125111 Dewayne Hulsey 000865 Joseph Higgins 210414 Cecil Jeffers 073300 Mark Hinton 108536 Tim Keepes 085209 Colin Hutchinson 182042 Larry King 095569 Dale Hylok 110660 Harold Krigbaum 087060 Issac Jackson 186188 Eugene Lilly 091245 John Jaenke 89343 Scott Macdonald 082181 Tommy Johnson 138644 James Madison 083401 Myung Jun 201398 Timmothy Mcdaniel078129 Dereck Kelly 209110 Gary Mcdonald 082306 Herman Krause 39312 James Metcalf 088642 James Lelivelt 26992 George Moore 076781 Richard Lewan 169630 Charles Moorman 076535 William Lewis 44501 Fourth Annual NamVet Page 40 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 Herbert Newman 093888 James Lowery 166070 Michael O'Rourke 000903 Robert McQueen 5705 Michael Orndorff 000889 Ken Myers Jr. 173568 William Parker 000899 Aaron Overberg 142578 Eldon Patton 060104 Joe Perkins 50736 James Perdue 084302 Robert Warren 104480 James Phelps 084005 Jose Rodriguez 193528 Perry Powell 092346 Philip Roth 16844 James Renton 073560 Thomas Rush 177468 Darryl Richley 000888 Ruven Siebert 31311 Willard Robbins 080976 William Selmon 0259321 Larry Robertson 089180 Robert Schmidt 187661 Craig Ryan 093104 Wayne Schwamb 178746 Raymond Sanders 000918 John Stallins 125612 Larry Sawdon 080276 Charles Stephenson 179459 William Smallwood090456 Merlin Sternitzky 155685 Michael Smith 087109 Gary L. Stibb 202596 Reginald Smith 085042 Kenneth Spears 88927 Jimmy Staton 089671 Gary Sutton 196088 Charles Stoner 084433 Ron Swartout 84812 William Sykes 084447 Thaddeus Sieger 215663 Danny Taylor 083979 Louis Tarentino 184595 Robert Upton 066236 Ronald Taylor 181190 Arthur Walls 079942 Eric Vogliotti 186603 James Walters 087938 Hoyt E. Vrooman 210573 Bruce Ward 000915 Bernard Watts 177701 Derek Webster 091356 Richard Webb 103925 Johnny Williams 079023 Milton Wendler 135295 Alfred Wilson 062356 Randolph Whiting 158604 Johnny Witham 065978 Robert L. Guck 72598 Billy Woodard 089235 Charles L. Marstan 210697 Gregory Woods 077991 Brother Danny R. Heller Arkansas Dept. of Corr. 149705 Maximum Security Unit VVA Chapter #351 Star Route, Box 22-B P.O.Box #351 Tucker, AK. 72168-8713 Waupun, WI. 53963-0351 George Hebert Albert Fetter Ron Gohn EF-257479 P.O.Box 1218 Michael L. Morgan Harvard Rd. D-11340 H B-Range Shirley, MA. 01464 Raymond W. Myrick Jr. EF-199153 H B-Range Alexander Michael Marathon David E. Shepherd 79-D-0127 A-1-46 EF-158022 H B-Range P.O.Box 1186 Joe Crutchfield Moravia, N.Y. 13118 EF-182342 FC-210 Gerald LaPalme Willie Earl Thompson EF-152010 JA-119 H-2-G-226-110125 Howard David Kress 1000 St. Clair Rd. EF-245285 GA-109 Springville, AL. 35146 Michael J. Previch EF-278117 JC-211 Ron Mitch 209-701 White Alvin P.O.Box 511 EC-167140 KC-202 Columbus, O. 43216 James Talley After Sept. 3rd EF-159938 HD-229 4365 Haughn Rd. Clarence T. Plott Grove City, O. 43123 EF-271182 FD-229 Fourth Annual NamVet Page 41 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 Garey Davis Rev. D. Levy Thrower EF-185119 KA-119 (home address) Donald H. Crider 2425 Joe Stephens Rd. EF-241524 KA-111 Franklyn, GA. 30217 Metro Corr. Inst. RE: Coweta County Corr.,GA. 1301 Constitution Rd. SE Atlanta, GA. 30316-4698 David W. Barrett EF 114584 004 Cecil Emerson 35427 CCCI 1 Felt Rd. HFC D1-118 Newnan, GA. 30263 PO Box 1568 Hutchinson, KS 67504-1558 Al H. Saunders Pointman Int'l M.S.P. PO Box A Thomaston, ME. 04861-0500 Fourth Annual NamVet Page 42 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX \ \ \ \ \XXXX XXXXX XXXXX.::::::::::::::.XXXXX INCARCERATED XXXX XXXXX XXXXX --------- XXXXX \ \ \ \ \ \ \XXXX XXXXX .XXXXX W W I I XXXXX. VETERANS \ \XXXX XXXXX ::XXXXX --------- XXXXX::. \ \ \ \ XXXX XXXXX :::XXXXX ------------- XXXXX:::. XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX K O R E A XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX ------------- XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX ------------- XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX V I E T N A M XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX ------------- XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX::::::::::::::::XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX::::::::::::::::XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX::' `::XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX:: ::XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX `..........''`XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX .:(O) . (O):. XXXXX:::' XXXX XXXXX ::' XXXXX .. 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XXXX XXXXX / ~ | : : : . XXXX XXXXX / |`. : : . .__________ XXXX XXXXX / ~ ~ ||.` ` : || \ / XXXX XXXXX / WRITE OR VISIT AN INCARCERATED VETERAN SOON ! XXXX XXXXX / ~ || . .'. / / XXXX XXXXX/ ~ ~ ~|| ||/ / XXXX XXXXX ~ ~ ~ || || / XXXX XXXXX || || / XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX \_________XXXXX________|| XgjpX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX Fourth Annual NamVet Page 43 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 What is a Sailor? Anonymous Input By Joyce Flory NamVet's Incarcerated Veterans Section Editor Desert Dolphin BBS - Las Cruces, NM (505) 523-2811 In honor of my hubby, Ken (an ex-swabby) and my son, Jayson (who's returning from Navy boot camp November,1991): Somewhere in the insecure world between childhood and manhood, we find the fascinating goof of humanity, known notoriously as a sailor. They can be found aboard ships, on shore stations, in heads, on leave, in love, and always in debt. Girls love them, civilians hate them, and the government supports them. A true sailor wears *: tattooed arms, a deck of cards, sunglasses, a camera, a portable radio, and the latest issue of Playboy. He has the energy of a slug, the slyness of a fox, the brains of an idiot, the speed of a turtle, and the sincerity of a liar. His wants are usually indecent, immoral, fattening, or against Navy regs. His dislikes are *: answering letters, his superior officers, Navy chow, and getting up on time. Only a sailor can cram into one jumper pocket: a little black book, a comb, cigarettes, a church key, a light duty chit, and what's left of last month's pay. He enjoys spending his money on: GIRLS, poker, WOMEN, booze, BROADS, comics, FEMALES, dice, LADIES, games, and GIRLS. The rest he spends foolishly. The sailor is truly an individual. You can lock him out of your home, but not out of your heart, so you may as well give up. He is your faraway lover, your one and only liberty minded good for nothing bundle of wrong, but all your shattered dreams are well worthwhile when your sailor docks, runs down the gangway, wraps his arms around, looks at you with ready bloodshot eyes and says: HI SWEETHEART, I'M HOME !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! " Fourth Annual NamVet Page 44 Volume 4, Number 1 November 11, 1991 ================================================================== The Chapel at NamVet ================================================================== Combat Stress--The Forgotten Warrior by Major Craig Roberts 2812 S. Hudson Pl. - Tulsa, OK 74114 VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 Twenty-two year-old Lieutenant Robert Lawrence led his platoon up the gully toward the objective. Ahead, below the crestline of the hill that faced them, the enemy waited. Machinegun fire poured down and ricocheted off the rocks surrounding the gully. The mission of Lawrence's platoon was to silence the guns. Another platoon on Lawrence's flank opened fire toward the hilltop, giving the young lieutenants men a chance to leave the gully and maneuver closer to the enemy. Lawrence stood up. His machinegunner began firing his weapon from the hip and two rocket gunners launched their missiles at the enemy. The projectiles arced forward, leaving trails of smoke behind as they found their mark. The night was dark. Only silhouettes could be seen. Sounds of boots scraping on rocks marked the movement of men, and muzzle flashes briefly lit their faces. More bullets struck around the attackers, pinging off rocks, again forcing them down. Each man struggled forward under the burden of his combat load. Weapons, ammunition and pack that weighed more than a hundred pounds pressed each man to earth. The uphill climb would be tough enough without the equipment; with it, it was nearly impossible. But once at the top, they would need the equipment to survive. Survive. In each man's mind, the word burned brightly. The mission was important to the unit, but survival was more important to each individual soldier. There were always more objectives. One had to survive each one. "Come on, boys!" Robert yelled as he stood and threw a grenade. The platoon scrambled forward on line, firing their weapons and dodging between the rocks and strings of bright red tracers. Within minutes, the platoon was in the enemy positions. The struggle was furious but brief. Prisoners were taken and the platoon settled in for the night. Day dawned bright and Lawrence scanned the surrounding terrain. There would be another mission assigned soon, but for now he mentally removed the war from his mind and tried to enjoy the view. He was still alive. He had survived his first real