15th VVA National Convention – Reno, Nevada By Jim W. Boyd

Transcription

Member of the Texas Community Newspaper Association
“VVA Newspaper of the Year 2000, 2002 and 2003”
Volume 23 Issue 2
Fall 2011
15th VVA National Convention – Reno, Nevada
By Jim W. Boyd, TVVN Editor, TSC Treasurer, TSC VVA Convention Delegate
TSC President Buster Newberry received
the VVA Achievement Medal from VVA
President John Rowan.
Photo by Humberto Nevarez
The Vietnam Veterans of America held
its 15th biennial National Convention
from August 17-20 at the Silver Legacy
Resort Hotel and Casino. The delegates
set the organization’s course for the
next two years, heard from an array of
speakers, attended informational sessions,
and took part in special events. VVA
National Conventions are held every two
years to decide on VVA priorities and
to elect our national leaders. VVA is the
only national veterans’ organization that
operates this way, and it has proven to
be a very successful formula since our
founding National Convention in 1983.
On Saturday, August 20 the Awards
Banquet, honored Vietnam veterans and
others in the arts.
On Monday and Tuesday, August 15
and 16, VVA delegates began arriving in
Reno to attend the 15th VVA National
Convention at the Silver Legacy Resort
and Casino. AVVA also held their
Leadership Conference at the same time.
On Tuesday evening the Silver Legacy
and Nathan’s Hotdogs sponsored a
“Welcome Home” party from 7-11 p.m.
for the VVA Convention Delegates and
AVVA Leadership members and family
members. It was a build your own hot
dog event and each delegate receive two
tickets for free drinks. Lindsey Bloom
was the MC for the evening and the main
entertainment was the “Unauthorized
Rolling Stone” band from San Francisco.
Also Tuesday during the day was the
registration of delegates, a National Board
of Directors meeting, and the Conference
of State Council Presidents meeting.
At 9:00 a.m. Wednesday the
Convention session began with the
Keynote Speaker – Richard Pimentel;
after his address, the delegates got down
to business. The Convention Rules chair
Dan Stenvold presented the rules for
adoption; the Constitution committee
chair Leslie DeLong presented the
constitution amendments; and the
Resolution committee chair Fred Elliott
presented the Resolutions to be adopted.
The Convention rules and constitution
amendments presented were adopted.
The resolutions were handed over to the
committee for hearings starting at 2:30
p.m. to be brought back to the floor on
Thursday. Everyone was encouraged to
attend the committee hearings to give
their input and make changes if necessary.
Over the course of the Convention,
there were 665 VVA Delegates in
attendance; and for the AVVA Leadership
Conference, approximately 250 AVVA
members and their spouses were in
attendance. Of the 665 VVA members,
there were 68 from Region 7.
The Regional Caucuses started at
7:00 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday
where the candidates came in and had
a few minutes to introduce themselves,
VVA NATIONAL, continued on page 5
Inside This
Texas VV News
★ TSC President’s Report. . . . . 4
★ AVVA President’s Report. . . 4
★ VVAFT President’s Report. . 4
★T
X State Council
Meeting. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
★ Chapter News. . . . . . . . . . 9-12
★ POW/MIA . . . . . . . . . . . 28-30
★ Veteran Affairs. . . . . . . . 30-31
★ Veterans Issues. . . . . . . . 32-36
★ Membership Application. . . 35
Texas State Council Meeting
Borger, Texas / June 3-5, 2011
Thursday and Friday
VVA Chapter 404 was the host
Chapter this time around for the state
council meeting.
VVA and AVVA members from Texas
VVA Chapters started arriving in Borger
for the Summer Meeting of the VVA
Texas State Council on Thursday, June
2nd and were treated to a free rib eye
steak dinner at 7:00 p.m., courtesy of
the Elk Club across the street from the
Holiday Inn Express where everyone
was staying. Frank Phillips College just
behind the hotel provided all the meeting
rooms for Vietnam Veterans Assistance
Foundation of Texas (VVAFT) on Friday
afternoon at 4 p.m.; AVVA State Council
was held on Friday evening at 6:30 p.m.;
the VVA state council meeting was all
day Saturday, as well as the awards
banquet at 7 p.m.
Since this is a VVA National
Convention year being held in Reno,
Nevada in August, there were some
candidates seeking VVA National
office or At-Large National Director’s
positions. The Texas State Council
hosted a Candidates Forum Friday
evening at 7:00 p.m. at the college.
They were: VVA National Secretary
Barry Hagge running for the office of
Vice President; VVA National Vice
President; National Treasurer Larry
Frazee seeking re-election to the
Treasurer’s position; Region 7 Director
Allen Manuel seeking re-election as
VVA Region 7 Director; VVA Region
3 Director Bruce Whitaker running for
the office of VVA National President;
VVA Region 2 Director Fred Elliot
running for the office of VVA National
Vice President; VVA At-Large Director
Bill Meeks running for the office of the
VVA National Secretary; Tom Burke
running for the office VVA National
Secretary; Dennis Andras, Louisiana
State Council President and Pete
Peterson (Oklahoma), both running
for one of the 10 At-Large Director’s
positions; Richard DeLong, current
At-Large Director, seeking re-election
to that position.
VVA 404’s Hospitality Room
Chapter 404 VVA and AVVA members
opened their hospitality room at noon on
Friday until midnight. The Chapter proved
a good spread of food and beverages for the
VVA delegates, AVVA representatives and
guest to enjoy. They provided beef brisket,
pulled pork, fried chicken, potato salad,
coleslaw, pinto beans, chips, 18 homemade
pies of various flavors, homemade cookies
and drinks (Coke & Pepsi products and
an assortment of beer, all of which was
donated to the Chapter for the hospitality
room. Percilla Newberry’s mother made
the 18 pies and a Chapter member made
the cookies.
Vietnam Veterans Assistance
Foundation of Texas
At 4:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon, the
Vietnam Veterans Assistance Foundation
of Texas [VVAFT], Board of Directors
met. The foundation board members,
TVVN assistant editor, and guests Bruce
Whitaker, Barry Hagge, Fred Elliot,
TSC MEETING, continued on page 6
Left of podium, TSC Officers. Right of podium, Kathy Andras (AVVA Region 7
Director); Dennis Andras (LA State Council President); and Allen Manuel (VVA
Region 7 Director). Photo by Susie Moreno
2
TEXAS
Publisher
Bill Meeks & Vietnam Veterans Assistance
Foundation of Texas, Inc.
29419 Fox Run Blvd., Spring, TX 77386
Editor
Jim W. Boyd
P.O. Box 330245, Fort Worth, TX 76163-0245
Phone & Fax: 817-921-1904 Cell: 817-691-5577
Please call before faxing so that I can set the fax to receive.
E-mail: [email protected]
Assistant Editor and Photographer
Susie Moreno
Reporters
Percilla Newberry and Lynn Kennedy
Terri Sirois – Fort Bliss Public Affairs
Mechanicals
American Graphics & Design, Inc.
3380 S. 108th Street
Greenfield, WI 53227
President: Jenny DeBack
Graphic Designer: Helene Feider
Composition Specialist: Ellen Imp
www.agad.com
Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc.
8719 Colesville Road, Ste. 100, Silver Spring, MD 20910
Phone: 800-VVA-1316 Fax: 301-585-0519
Membership: Ernestine Horton
Phone:1-800-882-1316 ext 115
http://www.vva.org
VVA Membership Affairs
P.O. Box 64299, Baltimore, MD 21264-4299
VVA Region 7 Director
Allen Manuel
3069 Allen Manuel Rd., Villa Platte, LA 70586
Phone: 337-599-2216 Fax: 337-599-3019
Vietnam
Veterans
NEWS
The Texas Vietnam Veterans News is the official publication of the VVA Texas
State Council and is published by the Vietnam Veterans Assistance Foundation
of Texas, Inc.; a not-for-profit publicly supported charitable foundation. This
newspaper is published three times per year as a service to the VVA Texas State
Council and the Texas Vietnam Veterans and other interested organizations. All VVA
members, chapters and other interested parties are invited to submit articles, pictures
and opinions for publication on subjects relevant to veterans’ affairs issues. The
newspaper editor reserves the right to edit for length and grammar only, and reject
any material that is libelous or obscene.
Texas State Council Officers:
PresidentLuther (Buster) Newberry
P.O. Box 1860
Fritch, TX 79036
Phone: 806-857-0409
Fax: 806-857-2261
SecretaryKerwin Stone
P.O. Box 3891
Beaumont, TX 77705-3891
Mail your articles to:
Texas VV News
P.O. Box 330245
Fort Worth, TX 76163-0245
Phone & Fax: 817-921-1904
Vice PresidentDon Kennedy, Jr.
P.O. Box 1182
Salado, TX 76571
Phone & Fax: 254-947-0050
TreasurerJim W. Boyd
P.O. Box 330245
Fort Worth, TX 76163-0245
Phone 817-691-5577/817-921-1904
Fax: 817-921-1904
Please call first so fax machine
can be set to receive.
Disclaimer / Copyright Notice / Policies
Disclaimer: The content of the articles in this newspaper is the sole responsibility of the authors. Placing articles in the
Texas Vietnam Veterans News does not show TVVN, VVA Texas State Council or the Vietnam Veterans Assistance
Foundation of Texas, Inc., endorsement. It is provided so you may make an informed decision.
Copyright Notice: This newspaper contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically
authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in an effort to advance understanding of
veterans’ issues. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107
of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material in this newsletter is distributed
without profit or payment to those who have expressed an interest in receiving the included information for educating
themselves on veteran issues so they can better communicate with their legislators on issues affecting them. For more
information, go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this
newspaper for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use’, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Reproduction of Contents: The Texas Vietnam Veterans News is a copyrighted publication with all rights reserved. With
the exception of individually Copyrighted portions, permission is granted to reproduce any portion of the publication
AS LONG AS the Texas Vietnam Veterans News is credited as your source. FOR INDIVIDUALLY COPYRIGHTED
PORTIONS, REPRODUCTION IS PROHIBITED WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT OF THE
EDITOR OF THE TEXAS VIETNAM VETERANS NEWS.
VVA National Secretary
Bill Meeks
29419 Fox Run Blvd., Spring, TX 77386
Phone & Fax: 281-353-7240
AVVA Region 7 Director
Kathy Andras
AVVA TSC Representative
Marilyn Rose
4307 Winterborne Drive, Pasadena, TX 77505-4273
Phone: 281-991-1467
Contributions of Articles and Pictures: All articles must be submitted to the editor ONLY of the TVVN at the address
listed above before the deadline.
Deadlines to submit articles:
(CHANGES to accommodate state council meetings
in February and June)
January 5th Electronic Newsletter
April 5th for Spring Newspaper
July 5th for Electronic Newsletter
October 5th for Fall Newspaper
All submissions must be the original work of the author or newspaper/magazines articles with permission to reprint
provided with the article. Newspaper/magazine articles or clippings will not be accepted for publication, unless
accompanied by a letter of permission to reprint from that newspaper/magazine editor. It will be the responsibility of
the individual offering the work to obtain the proper permission. The articles may be type-written, on computer disk
or e-mailed. If sent on computer disk, please provide using Microsoft Word or Works software only. No space will be
allocated to the demeaning of fellow veterans or politicians. Photographs for publication must be relevant to the article
with which they are submitted, and all pertinent information must be attached to the photograph.
Subscription policy: The Texas Vietnam Veterans News does not accept subscriptions for the newspaper. It is FREE
ONLY to the following: Texas VVA & AVVA Members with your paid membership. The following also receive a copy
of the TVVN – VA Medical Center & Vet Center Directors in Texas, Federal & State Congressional Members; VVA
National Officers, Directors and Committee Chairs; VVA State Council Presidents and other veterans organizations that
have expressed an interest in receiving the newspaper.
Advertisement Policy: Texas Vietnam Veterans News CANNOT run paid or political ads. On occasion TVVN, will, as
a courtesy, run an ad for an organization, as long as the ads are directed at and benefit the veterans population in general
and are not offering items for sale.
The Newspaper will be mailed to American Graphics
& Design on the 10th of the month.
Mistake Policy: If you find any mistakes in this publication, please consider that the mistakes are there for a reason. We
publish something for everyone, and there are always some people who are always looking for mistakes!!!
Notice for Any Change of Address
This notice is to inform the readers of this publication that we (VVAFT, the publisher) use the VVA National Membership Roster for the state of Texas to mail
out the newspaper. VVAFT compensates the Texas State Council for the use of the membership roster for each issue printed and mailed. The roster is e-mailed
to me at the beginning of each month by VVA’s membership department. Therefore, if you are not on the roster, you WILL NOT receive the newspaper when
it is mailed out.
I have received several changes of addresses from VVA members in Texas; however, in order to change your address, you need to submit a change of address
to VVA or AVVA National’s membership department – not to me. I do not have the time to correct the newspaper mailing roster each issue, nor can I remember
everyone that changes their address.
You can go to www.vva.org (the National Web site) and then click on “forms” and scroll down to Membership Forms and download the “Change of
Information” form, fill it out and send it back to VVA or AVVA National Membership Departments.
TEXAS VV NEWS
3
Vietnam Veterans Assistance Foundation of Texas, Inc.
Web site: www.vvaft.org
Board of Directors
Chairman/President
William (Bill) Meeks, Jr.
29419 Fox Run Boulevard
Spring, Texas 77386
281-353-6420 (Home & Fax)
713-254-1436 (Work)
Vice-Chairman/Vice-President
Don (Donnie) Kennedy, Jr.
P.O. Box 1182
Salado, Texas 76571
254-947-0050 (Hm & Fax)
254-760-0793 (Cell)
Secretary
Kerwin Stone
P.O. Box 3891
Beaumont, Texas 77704-3891
409-755-0300
Treasurer
Jim W. Boyd
P.O. Box 330245
Fort Worth, Texas 76163-0245
Phone & Fax: 817-921-1904
Cell: 817-691-5577
Please call first so fax machine
can set to receive.
Directors
Greg Beck
Victor Flores
Al Navarro
Luther Newberry
Robert Rangel
Dennis Thomas
Hal Thompson
TEXAS VVA STATE COUNCIL CHAPTERS
VVA Chapter 137
P.O. Box 850251
Dallas, Texas 75185-0251
VVA Chapter 457
P.O. Box 2812
San Angelo, Texas 76902
VVA Chapter 898
P.O. Box 1111
Victoria, Texas 77902
VVA Chapter 937
P.O. Box 2771
Bryan, Texas 77805-2771
VVA Chapter 278
P.O. Box 6608
Texarkana, Texas 75505-6608
VVA Chapter 574
P.O. Box 26904
El Paso, Texas 79926-6904
VVA Chapter 910
1642 Sandalwood Drive
Corpus Christi, Texas 78412
VVA Chapter 973
P.O. Box 2978
Sherman, Texas 75091
VVA Chapter 292
P.O. Box 1071
Beaumont, Texas 77704
VVA Chapter 685
P.O. Box 1162
Dickinson, Texas 77359-1162
VVA Chapter 915
P.O. Box 1364
Bastrop, Texas 78602-1364
VVA Chapter 987
P.O. Box 627
Longview, Texas 75605-0627
VVA Chapter 297
P.O. Box 33674
Amarillo, Texas 79120-3674
VVA Chapter 734
P.O. Box 2493
Conroe, Texas 77303
[email protected]
VVA Chapter 920
P.O. Box 241
Denton, Texas 76241
VVA Chapter 991
P.O. Box 10
Palestine, Texas 75802
VVA Chapter 922
2323 Land Breeze
Baytown, Texas 77520
VVA Chapter 1000 – Killeen
P.O. Box 2130
Harker Heights, Texas 76548-2130
VVA Chapter 923
P.O. Box 1156
San Marcos, Texas 78667-1156
VVA Chapter 1009
P.O. Box 1086
Corsicana, Texas 75151-1086
VVA Chapter 929
P.O. Box 4339
Beeville, Texas 78104
VVA Chapter 1012
P.O. Box 93
Waco, Texas 76703-0093
VVA Chapter 931
P.O. Box 630785
Nacogdoches, Texas 75963-0785
VVA Chapter 1013
P.O. Box 542046
Grand Prairie, Texas 75054-2046
VVA Chapter 932
P.O. Box 130865
Tyler, Texas 75713-0865
VVA Chapter 1029
P.O. Box 82
Yorktown, Texas 78164-0082
VVA Chapter 343
P.O. Box 31036
Houston, TX 77231-1036
[email protected]
VVA Chapter 348
P.O. Box 353
Orange, Texas 77630
VVA Chapter 366
c/o Daniel Medrano
355 Covina Avenue
San Antonio, Texas 78218-2632
VVA Chapter 844
2200 Yarbrough Ste. B
PMB #173
El Paso, Texas 79925
VVA Chapter 854
P.O. Box 143
Hallettesville, Texas 77964
VVA Chapter 856
P.O. Box 534142
Harlingen, Texas 78553-4142
VVA Chapter 379
P.O. Box 3631
Big Spring, Texas 79721-3631
VVA Chapter 863
P.O. Box 291704
Kerrville, Texas 78029-1704
VVA Chapter 404
P.O. Box 34
Fritch, TX 79036-0034
VVA Chapter 870
P.O. Box 83
Schulenburg, Texas 78956
Texas State Council Committee Chairs
Audit: Don Mathews
Constitution/State By-laws: Bill Meeks, Chair (343)
ETABO: Al Navarro, Chair (343)
Finance: Allan Hill, Chair (863)
Government Affairs: John Miterko, Chair (915)
Membership Affairs: Jim W. Boyd, Chair (330)
Minority Affairs: James Leonard, Chair (343)
Nominating Committee: Greg Beck, Chair (278)
POW/MIA: Don Boling, Chair (379)
PTSD: Joe Boatman, Chair (915)
Public Affairs: S. J. (Buddy) Farina, Chair (685)
Special Advisor: Sandra Womack (AVVA 292)
Scholarship: Don Kennedy, Chair (915)
Special Advisor: Percilla Newberry (AVVA 404)
State Agent Orange Coordinator: John Cook
State Legislative Coordinator: John Miterko (915)
State Homeless Veterans Coordinator: Greg Beck (278)
TSC Chapter Start-Up Coordinator: Mike Dawson (1000)
Veterans Benefits: Jim Hallbauer (137)
Veterans Incarcerated: Lynda Greene (AVVA 343)
Special Advisor
Women Veterans: Eileene Grozier, Chair (574)
Special TSC Committees
Chapter Subsidy Fund/Silent Auction:
Special Advisor: Lynn Kennedy (AVVA 1000)/
Gina Matthews (AVVA 685)
Live Auction: Special Advisor, Percilla
Newberry (AVVA 404)
AVVA TSC Project AMIGO: Marilyn Rose (AVVA 685)/
Nancy Smith (AVVA 920)
4
TEXAS VV NEWS
Texas State Council
President’s
Report
By Buster Newberry
My Brothers and Sisters, for those
of you that missed the Convention in
Reno, you missed one of the best ones
yet. We elected a new slate of National
Officers except for John Rowan, our
National President. Our own Bill Meeks
was elected to the office of National
Secretary and he has already hit the
ground running. I know he will make
us proud. Also elected were Fred Elliot,
National Vice President and Wayne
Reynolds, National Treasurer.
As most of you know, I have had some
health issues this year. I had to have
another toe on my left foot amputated last
month. You don’t know how much I have
appreciated all of your prayers, e-mails,
cards and phone calls. I don’t know what
I would do without my Vietnam Veteran
Family. I would also like to thank you
for your prayers for my good friend from
Oklahoma, Nate Washington. He is home
from the hospital with a new mechanical
heart and is doing well.
The holiday season is quickly
approaching and we will give thanks
for our many blessings and celebrate the
birth of our Savior. It is the time to think
of those less fortunate and of our soldiers
who are away from home and those who
are in harm’s way.
I look forward to seeing everyone in
Galveston for our State Council Meeting
in February. I understand that we may be
seating a new Chapter from Fort Worth
at the meeting. Remember, your Chapter
is required to make at least one State
Council Meeting a year and the next
meeting will be in June in Denton.
Semper Fi
Buster Newberry
Texas VVA Service Reps.
Tamara Barker
Gary J. Ivy
400 Oak Street, Suite 170
Abilene, TX 79602
(325) 674-1328
Soldiers Service Center, Building 18010
Fort Hood, TX 76544
(254) 287-3341 | Fax: (254) 288-5124
Willie Mae Browning
302 Millers Crossing, #4
Harker Heights, TX 76548
(254) 290-0735
John K. Cook
900 E. Park Blvd, Suite 140-B
Plano, TX 75704
(972) 881-3062
Bobby Farmer
6104 Avenue Q, South Drive, Rm 132
Lubbock, TX 79412
(806) 472-3490 | Fax: (806) 472-3493
Francis W. Furleigh
600 59th Street, Rm 4300
Galveston, TX 77551
(409) 766-2448 | Fax: (409) 766-2294
Jim W. Hallbauer
VAMC Dallas
4500 South Lancaster Road
Dallas, TX 75216
(214) 857-1291 | Fax: (214) 462-4996
Maurice (Dick) Healy
Dallas VAMC
4500 South Lancaster Road
Dallas, TX 75216
(214) 857-1291 | Fax: 462-4996
Richard Hernandez, Sr.
301 Wolf Street
Killeen, TX 76540
(254) 526-2767 | Fax (254) 526-2133
Alexander Hill
Kerrville VAMC
3600 Memorial Boulevard
Kerrville, TX 78028
(830) 792-2478
Lou James
1025 Colleen Drive
Canyon Lake, TX 78133
(830) 899-7484
Samuel E. Keels
1901 S. Veterans Memorial Blvd
CTVHCS Building, 208, Rm 119
Temple, TX 76504
(254) 743-0549 | Fax: (254) 743-1699
Robert Pantolja
6900 Almeda Road
Houston, TX 77030
(713) 383-2740 | Fax: (713) 383-2746
Gary Pogrant
400 Oak Street, Suite 170
Abilene, TX 79602
(325) 674-1328 | Fax: (325) 674-1241
Laura L. Spain
P.O. Box 1567
Decatur, TX 76234-1567
(940) 627-2470 | Fax (940) 627-3824
Larry Witthar
6010 Veterans Commission
Amarillo, TX 79109
(806) 468-1883 | Fax: (806) 468-1885
VA Regional Office
One Veterans Plaza
Waco, TX 75704
(254) 299-9950 | Fax: (254) 299-9910
Trista Barnum | Sandra Covin | Jerry Goode
Bernado Ramirez | James Richman
Robert Symank | Jesus Torres
Texas AVVA State
President’s Report
By Marilyn Rose
It has been a very busy summer this
year. It seems like all the AVVA members
have been very busy working with their
VVA Chapters across Texas.
Our last state council meeting was held
in June, which was hosted by the Borger
Chapter 404. It was a long way for everyone
to travel, but after that it was a BLAST.
Borger did a great job on the State Council
Meeting. Great FOOD, especially all the
pies and everyone was treated like royalty.
Thanks, Borger, for a wonderful time.
Even though it was a long way to
drive for the TSC meeting, we had a
great turnout for the AVVA meeting.
One of our speakers was Jody Pancheo,
Project Jody from Wichita Falls. She
is an amazing person and does a lot for
Veterans. Keep up the hard work, Jody.
We also had the AVVA State Election.
The officers elected this time were:
President – Marilyn Rose; Vice President
– Percilla Newberry; Secretary – Lynn
Kennedy; Treasurer – Gina Mathews.
Congratulations to everyone. We are all
here to help everyone. If there are any
questions, please feel free to contact any
one of the officers.
In August the National VVA
Convention and AVVA National
Leadership Conference was held in
Reno, Nevada. I must say, I think this
was the best Convention I have ever
attended. The seminars were great and
lots of information was given out to
everyone. I think the best seminar was
the Agent Orange Town Hall Meeting.
It was very informative. Chapter 685,
Galveston County is going to host an
Agent Orange Town Hall Meeting, which
will be sometime in 2012. I think every
Chapter should have one in their area.
There are so many Veterans that are not
even aware of what is wrong with them.
They do not attend the VA Hospitals, nor
belong to any organizations; some are not
even aware of what is available to them.
The families, children, grandchildren
also need to know about Agent Orange.
It was a VVA great Convention and
AVVA Leadership Conference. The next
AVVA National Convention and VVA
Leadership Conference is in Irving, Texas
and everyone should attend.
Our next State Council Meeting is going
to be hosted by Chapter 685, Galveston
County on February 3-5, 2012. The
theme is the Mardi Gras. Everyone needs
to make their reservations NOW. This
weekend is the week before the Mardi
Gras. Reservations at the hotel need to be
made before January 2, 2012, or you might
not get a room. You also need to send your
registration form in to us ASAP.
I look forward to seeing everyone in
Galveston. We are going to have a great time.
Work, work, seminars, seminars, camaraderie,
skits, seeing wonderful friends again and good
food. So come on down to Galveston.
Marilyn Rose
AVVA TX State President
VVAFT President’s
Report
By Bill Meeks, Jr.
Greetings! Well, that single word
brings back a few memories of something
really important that will follow! This
year’s financial picture has been a rocky
road for nonprofits across the country.
VVAFT will continue to meet our grant
obligations for the remainder of the year.
The foundation’s Board of Directors
had to reduce our publication of the
Texas VV News by one issue this year.
VVAFT is preparing for the New Year
with further cuts in mind to deal with the
reduced revenues, and these measures
will insure that we make it through these
hard economic times.
The 7th Annual Operation Ed-U-Cate
Project deadline of June 20, 2012 will be
approaching before you know it. Make
sure your Chapter does not miss out on
generating extra revenue this year. Each
applicant must have accomplished the
following contest criterion to be eligible
for the final grant awards: 1) Must be in
“Good Standing” with VVA, the VVA
Texas State Council, State and Federal
regulations; 2) Must meet the submittal
deadline of on or before June 20th; 3)
Must provide Chapter Web site address
or three copies of their Chapter newsletter
or both for evaluation; 4) Must provide
a five-hundred (500) word essay on a
community- or veteran-based program
the Chapter has established and provide
a minimum of two photos of Chapter
participation in the program; and 5) The
contest entry (Chapter program) must be
a current event in the previous 12 months
prior to the deadline on June 20th.
VVAFT REPORT, continued on page 5
TEXAS VV NEWS
5
VVA NATIONAL, continued from page 1
explain why they were seeking office
and answer any questions. There
were seventeen (17) seeking the ten
(10) At-Large Directors positions.
The Region 7 Caucus was held on
Wednesday night only and only those
seeking a seat as an At-Large Director
were invited to attend, the reason being
is that Thursday afternoon there was a
Conference of State Council Presidents
Q & A held for those seeking to be
elected as a VVA National Officer.
Every officer position had more than
one person on the ballot. For President
it was incumbent John Rowan and
Bruce Whitaker; Vice President Barry
Hagge and Fred Elliot; Secretary Bill
Meeks (Texas), Carol Schetrompf and
Tom Burke; Treasurer Larry Frazee
(incumbent) and Wayne Reynolds.
The guest speakers during the
Convention in order were: Mayor
Paul Cashell of Reno, who welcomed
everyone to Reno for the Convention;
Medal of Honor recipient Paul Bucha;
Jimmy Fisher, the founder of Fisher
House; the Honorable Eric K. Shinseki,
the Secretary of the Department of
Veterans Affairs (See Bio inside the
Texas Vietnam Veterans News); Cecil
Roberts, President of the United Mine
Workers of America; Nguyen Ba Hung,
the Consulate General of Vietnam from
San Francisco; and Johnnie E. Webb
from the Joint POW/MIA Accounting
Command (JPAC) in Hawaii.
On Friday morning at 7:00 a.m., a POW/
MIA Ceremony was held from 8:00 a.m10:00 a.m., the VVA election voting
was held. However, the results were
not announced as there had to be a
runoff election held on Saturday morning
for the Secretary position between Bill
Meeks and Tom Burke. The results of the
election were as follows: President John
Rowan – Queens, NY was elected for a
fourth term; Vice President Fred Elliot
– Rochester, NY (new); Secretary Bill
Meeks – Spring, TX (new); and Treasurer
Wayne Reynolds –Athens, AL (who had
held the position several years ago).
VVA President John Rowan has served
since 2005 as the VVA National President
VVAFT REPORT, continued from page 4
All entries will be judged by the
VVAFT Board of Directors. The
content of the Chapter applicant’s Web
site or newsletters or both and the merit
of their Chapter program will determine
the final grant awards. The top two
awardees will have their essay and
photos published in the Texas VV News
for recognition of their outstanding
work. Grant Awards: 1st Place, $500;
2nd Place, $300; 3rd Place, $200; and
4th Place, $100. Postmark delivery is
at 29419 Fox Run Boulevard, Spring,
TX 77386 and e-mail delivery is at
[email protected]
Have a great holiday season and I hope
to see everyone at the Galveston meeting
in February!
and has served as the Chairman of the
Conference of State Council President,
for three terms on the Board of Directors,
and as president of VVA’s New York
State Council.
VVA Vice President Fred Elliot just
completed his fourth term as Region 2
Director. His past VVA National Board
service includes two terms as Director
At-Large; he has chaired the Strategic
Planning Committee, the Convention
Resolutions Committee; the Convention
Rules Committee; and the Budget
Oversight Subcommittee. Elliott has
also served on numerous other national
committees, including as Vice Chair of
the national finance committee.
VVA Secretary Bill Meeks, Jr. just
completed his term at an At-Large
Director; has also previously served
at that same position, was the current
VVA National Membership Committee
Chair for a great many years. Meeks has
served at every elected position in VVA
Chapter 343 Houston, Texas. Meeks
also served several terms as the VVA
Texas State Council President and was
re-elected as President of the Vietnam
Veterans Assistance Foundation of
Texas, Inc. last June.
VVA Treasurer Wayne Reynolds
served as the National Treasurer from
2001-2003, is currently serving his
13th years as President of the VVA
Alabama State Council. His past VVA
national service includes four years on
the board of VVA’s affiliated 501-C3
charity; the Vietnam Veterans Assistance
Fund; four years as secretary of VVA’s
Conference of State Presidents; and
three years as past president of VVA
Chapter 511, Athens, Alabama. Reynolds
has also served on the following VVA
national Committees: Finance, Veterans
Healthcare, PTSD and Substance Abuse,
Constitution, Employment, Training &
Business Opportunity (ETABO), and
Veterans Affairs.
Allen Manuel was re-elected as Region
7 Director as he ran unopposed. The
newly elected Regional Directors are:
Region 1 John Miner, VT (new); Region
2 Herb Worthington, NJ (new); Region
3 Sara McVicker, MD (new); Region
4 Bobby Barry, GA (new); Region 5
Sandie Wilson, MI (new); Region 6 John
Margowski, WI (new); Region 7 Allen
Manuel, LA; Region 8 Tom Owen, OR
(new); and Region 9 Dick Southern, CA
(re-elected).
At-Large Directors: Richard DeLong,
LA (re-elected from Region 7); Felix
“Pete” Peterson, OK (new from Region 7);
Marsha Four (re-elected); Pat Bessigano,
IN (re-elected); Jerry Yamamoto,
CA (re-elected); Dan Stenvold, ND
(re-elected); Pastor Toro, NY (new);
Jackie Rector, NY (new); Ken Holybee,
CA (new); Joe Jennings, OH (new).
The Awards Committee gave the
VVA Achievement medal to the Texas
State Council President Luther “Buster”
Newberry presented by VVA President
John Rowan during the general session of
the Convention.
At the Saturday evening Awards Banquet
the following awards were presented:
Johnny Rivers and Mickey Jones
– Received the President’s Award of
Excellence in the Arts. Rivers was
honored for his big musical hits (Memphis,
Maybelline, Mountain of Love and Secret
Agent Man) and for the trip to Vietnam
in 1966 to entertain the troops. Mickey
Jones was Johnny’s drummer on that trip.
Jones was honored for his musical and
acting career.
Diana Dell – Received the President’s
Award of Excellence in Arts. Dell
volunteered to go to Vietnam in 1970
as a civilian, working for the USO after
the death of her brother, Sgt. Kenny
Dell, who was killed in action in the
Mekong Delta in November 1968. She
was honored for that act of dedication
and for the work she did in Vietnam as
a USO program director and the host
of the “USO Showtime” radio show on
the Armed Forces Vietnam Network,
as well as for literary accomplishments
since then. Dell left Vietnam in 1972 and
later worked as a freelance writer and
journalist and taught Vietnam War history
and journalism classes at Tampa College.
She is the author of, among other works,
A Saigon Party and Other Vietnam War
Short Stories, and the screenplay That
Year in Saigon.
Vicki Lawrence – Received the
President’s Award of Excellence in the
Arts. An Emmy award-winning actress
best known for her work on The Carol
Burnett Show. She was honored for her
long and distinguished show business
career and for her morale-boosting 1968
trip with Johnny Grant to Vietnam to
visit American troops. After The Carol
Burnett Show ended, Lawrence went on
to star in her own TV series, Mama’s
Family, which can still be seen daily
throughout most of the country. Most
recently on TV, she played Miley Cyrus’s
grandmother on Hanna Montana. Today,
she spends much of her time on the road
with her stage production, Vicki Lawrence
and Mama, a two-woman show.
Gloria Loring – Received the VVA
President’s Award for Excellence in the
Arts. Loring is an acclaimed singer and
entertainer who traveled to Vietnam
in 1970 to entertain the troops with
Bob Hope. She went on to a long,
accomplished show business career
as a singer, songwriter and actress.
Loring recorded the chart-topping hit
song, Friends and Lovers; co-wrote
the television theme songs, Different
Strokes and Facts of Life; and was
an audience favorite on daytime
TV’s Days of Our Lives. She is a
spokesperson for the Juvenile Diabetes
Research Foundation and author of four
books for people living with diabetes;
a keynote speaker for corporations and
nonprofits; and one of the few artists
to sing two nominated songs at the
Academy Awards.
Homer Hickman – Received the VVA
Excellence in the Arts Award. He is
best known for his highly acclaimed
memoir Rocket Boys– and the movie
version, October Sky. Hickman served
in Vietnam from 1967-68 where, among
other awards, he received the Bronze
Star. Hickman left the Army after serving
six years on active duty and immediately
began writing, starting with magazine
feature stories. He has gone on to write a
dozen books.
NOTICE: VVA Texas State
Council Household Goods Contract
ATTN: VVA Chapter President & Board of Directors
Subject: Household Goods Contract and Chapter Disbursement Checks FY 2012-2013
The Texas State Council Household Goods
Contract will be mailed to each Chapter in
Texas that is in good standing with VVA, the
Texas State Council and Texas Secretary of
State on December 27, 2011.
This is a change in the procedure,
instead of handing it out to Chapter
delegates at the February state council
meetings. This will allow the Chapters
to have at least one meeting prior to the
beginning of the next Fiscal Year that
starts on March 1, 2012 to review the
contract and decide if the Chapter wants
to participate in the program.
If the Chapter wants to participate in
the Household Goods Programs for FY
2012-2013, then the contract must be
signed and either turned in at the Texas
State Council meeting on February 4,
2012 or mailed to the State Council
President on or before February 28, 2012.
NO contracts will be accepted after the
cutoff date unless postmarked prior to
February 28, 2012.
When going over the contract, your
attention is directed to page two (2).
This contract has had an extra paragraph
included on page 2, Section II, paragraph
B which relates to the check(s) that
will be issued to your Chapter and to
ensure the timely deposit of the financial
instruments (checks).
Which reads: VVA Texas State
Council check(s) will be mailed to the
Chapter post office box or address and it
is the responsibility of the person picking
up the Chapter mail to immediately make
sure the check is turned over to the
Chapter Treasurer for deposit. Failure
to make deposits in a timely fashion
will result in the state council treasurer
withholding any future checks until
such time as the previous check(s) have
been deposited. The reason is that in
the past, several Chapters have failed to
CONTRACT, continued on page 7
6
TEXAS VV NEWS
TSC MEETING, continued from page 1
Allen Manuel, Richard DeLong, Tom
Burke, Dennis Andras, Tony Chavira
(VVA 574 El Paso), Humberto Nevarez
(VVA 574 El Paso) and Bill Smith (VVA
137 Dallas).
Business was conducted and the four
(4) Chapters that submitted packets for
VVAFT Operation Ed-U-Cate were
passed out to the directors to judge.
You can read the 1st and 2nd place
submissions elsewhere in this issue of the
Texas Vietnam Veterans News.
• 1st Place, $500 winner VVA Chapter
1000 Killeen/Fort Hood Area;
• 2nd Place, $300 winner VVA Chapter
366 San Antonio;
• 3rd Place, $200 winner VVA Chapter
937 Bryan/College Station
• 4th Place, $100 winner VVA Chapter
915 Austin
VVAFT also held an election for
officers and board of directors. The
foundation’s board of directors is
staggered and are for a two-year term
of office. The four officers and directors
whose term of office was up were all
re-elected to another term. In June 2012
the remaining directors whose term will
be up will seek their position, and any
VVA member is welcome to submit a
letter of intent to seek one of the open
director’s positions, no later than 45
days prior to the June VVAFT Board
of Directors meeting. Bill Smith, VVA
Chapter 137, submitted his letter of
intent for this term, but unfortunately all
incumbent officers and directors were
re-elected.
The current VVAFT Board of
Directors are as follows:
VVAFT Officers
• President Bill Meeks - Houston Chapter
343 Secretary (2011-2013)
• Vice President Don Kennedy - TSC
Vice President & Killeen Chapter 1000
Treasurer (2011-2013)
• Secretary Kerwin Stone - TSC Secretary
& Beaumont Chapter 292 President
(2011-2013)
• Treasurer Jim W. Boyd (TSC Treasurer
& El Paso Chapter 574 member (20112013)
Board of Directors
• Greg Beck – Texarkana Chapter 278
President (2011-2013)
• Victor Flores – Chapter 574 Vice
• Buster Newberry – TSC President &
Chapter 404 Treasurer (2011-2013)
• Al Navarro – Chapter 343 member
(2010-2012)
• Robert Rangel – El Paso Chapter 574
• Dennis Thomas –Chapter 404 Vice
• Hal Thompson – Chapter 457 member
(2011-2013)
VVAFT had also granted AVVA Texas
State Council an RFP to cover expenses
to send Marilyn Rose to the AVVA
National Leadership in Reno, Nevada,
which also covered the registration for all
four (4) AVVA State officers and lodging
for two rooms for the Borger Texas State
Council meeting in the amount of $1,278.
Texas Associates of Vietnam Veterans
of America (AVVA)
The Texas AVVA State Council
business meeting was also held on Friday
evening at 6:30 p.m. Their officers are
President Marilyn Rose, Vice President
Percilla Newberry, Secretary Lynda
Greene and Treasurer Merle Morris.
Their meeting was well attended by
Chapter delegates. AVVA also held
their biennial election and their President
Marilyn Rose (685) and Vice President
Percilla Newberry (404) were re-elected.
Lynn Kennedy (1000) was elected as
their new Secretary and Gina Mathews
(685) was elected as their new Treasurer.
AVVA Region 7 Director Kathy Andras
also attended. The new VVA Advisor to
the AVVA is Bill Smith, who replaces
Lee Derby.
AVVA Chapter Reps turned in a
written report and passed them out to the
AVVA Chapters in attendance.
The TSC President Buster Newberry
called the meeting to order at 9:00 a.m.
and the Presentation of the Colors was by
the Hutchinson County Joint Task Force
Color Guard; the National Anthem was
sung by Brian and Cloyce Kuhnert; Vice
President Don Kennedy led the Pledge
of Allegiance; Invocation by Myron
Peterson, Chapter 404 and Victor Flores,
Chapter 574 performed the POW/MIA
Table Ceremony.
Chapter 404 President Myron
Peterson welcomed the delegates and
guests to Borger and introduced Dr.
Jud Hicks – President of Frank Phillips
College; Jeff Brain – Mayor of Borger;
Jack Barnes – America Supports You
Texas; and Andres W. Welch – Director
of the Thomas E. Creek VA Medical
Center in Amarillo.
TSC President Newberry introduced
the following guests to the state council
meeting in Borger: Barry Hagge, VVA
National Secretary; Larry Frazee, VVA
National Treasurer; Allen Manuel, VVA
Region 7 Director; Dennis Andras,
Louisiana State Council President; Kathy
Andras, AVVA Region 7 Director;
Richard DeLong, VVA National
At-Large Director; Bill Meeks, VVA
National At-Large Director; Fred Elliot,
VVA Region 2 Director; Bruce Whitaker,
VVA Region 3 Director; Tom Burke,
VVA National At-Large Director; Pete
Peterson, Oklahoma Chief VSO; Leslie
DeLong, VVA National Constitution
Committee Chair; Marilyn Rose, Texas
AVVA State President and VVAFT
Board of Directors. VVA At-Large
Director Bill Meeks (VVAFT President);
VVA At-Large Director Richard DeLong;
AVVA Region 7 Directors Kathy Andras;
Texas AVVA President Marilyn Rose;
VVA National Constitution and Bylaws
Chair Leslie DeLong; and VVAFT Board
of Directors.
Thirty two (32) of the thirty-six (36)
Texas VVA Chapters were present. The
following Chapters were absent: Chapter
297 Amarillo (unexcused); Chapter 457
San Angelo (unexcused); Chapter 844 El
Paso (unexcused); Chapter 910 Corpus
Christi (unexcused).
President Newberry asked any newlyelected Chapter delegates to come
forward to introduce themselves and take
the oath of office, so they could be seated
as delegates on the Texas State Council.
AVVA State Council President
Marilyn Rose gave her report to the
VVA Texas State Council delegates. The
AVVA Project A.M.I.G.O. presentation
was to the Living Waters Ministries by
Marilyn Rose.
The Chapters present gave oral and
written reports of what each Chapter has
been doing since the February 2010 TSC
meeting in Borger, Texas.
After a break for lunch, the TSC
committee reports started:
• Audit Committee report – Don
Mathews, committee chair, is still
going through the state council’s
financial records to complete the
audit with the change of Treasurer
last June 2010. More records were
turned over to the state council in
February and those are what Mathews
is presently reviewing.
• Constitution/By Laws Committee
chair Bill Meeks turned his time over
to the VVA National Constitution
committee chair Leslie DeLong
to go over several proposed VVA
Constitutional Amendments.
• ETABO – No report; Al Navarro
excused absence.
• Chapter Start-Up – Chair Mike
Dawson; no report, absent.
• Government Affairs – Chair John
Mitekro discussed in detail
government
and
legislative
information at the state levels.
• Homeless Veterans – Chair Greg
Beck passed out a detailed report on
homeless veterans.
• POW/MIA – Don Boling and Greg
Beck passed out a detailed report on
the POW/MIA.
• Membership – Chair Jim Boyd gave
the total count for both VVA and
AVVA in Texas per the April 30th
VVA National Roster and then
turned his remainder time over
to Bill Meeks the VVA National
Membership chair, who discussed
the Election Reports and Finance
Reports due dates to both VVA
National and the State Council, both
of which are due no later than July
15th. Allen Manuel took a head
count of those delegates that are
planning on attending the VVA
National Convention in August. As
of those delegates present at the
meeting, there are 28 members of
the 88 Texas authorized delegates
planning on attending.
• Minority Affairs – Chair James
Leonard stepped down for personal
family reasons and Paul Washington
(Chapter 343) had been sworn in
earlier in the day, but no report since
he had just taken over the committee.
• PTSD – Chair Joseph Boatman gave
a brief report.
• Public Affairs – No report.
• Veterans Benefits – No report as
Jim Hallbauer, the TSC Chief VSO,
was still in the process of putting
his office back together after a
massive water pipe bursting at the
Dallas VAMC.
• State Agent Orange Coordinator –
John Cook was not able to attend, but
sent a large report of handouts with
the new Chapter 137 Delegate, Mike
McCullogh.
• Women Veterans – Eillen Grozier
was unable to attend because of
family health problems, but sent a
written report given by Chapter 574
President Robert Rangel.
Unfinished Business
• VVAFT President Bill Meeks passed out
the 6th Operation Ed-U-Cate checks to
those Chapters that submitted their
write ups and Chapter newsletters to be
judged by the VVAFT BoD. Winners
are covered above under VVAFT
Board of Directors meeting. Meeks
passed out the 7th Operation Ed-UCate contest flyer for June 2012.
• TSC Secretary Kerwin Stone stressed
the importance of filing your Chapter
election and financial reports in a
timely fashion to both VVA National
and Texas State Council. Also, the
Chapters need to file the IRS Form
990N along with their financial report
to VVA National.
• TSC Treasurer reminded delegates that
the Household Goods checks need to
be turned over to the Chapter Treasurer
once they return home, so they can
be deposited since it is printed on the
checks: “VOID after 60 Days.”
• The TSC Delegates, after a serious
discussion, voted to bring a motion to
the floor that had been tabled at San
Antonio in June 2010 to change the
state council meeting dates to April and
October starting in 2013. Reasons for
making the changes is to separate the
state council meetings by six months
and not have both meetings in the first
six months of the year, along with a
possible Region 7 meeting in July, and
either a VVA National Convention or
Leadership Conference in late July or
early August. The only requirement
to host a state council meeting is
that any Chapter chosen to host the
meetings coordinate with the State
President, since VVA National Board
meetings are held in Silver Spring in
both of those months and he/she has
to attend them.
New Business
• TSC Secretary Kerwin Stone reminded
the Chapters to make sure that their
Registered Agent and Register Office
are kept current with the Texas
Secretary of State. Chapter elections
are in April and election reports should
be sent to VVA National, with a copy
to the TSC Secretary.
• VVA National Convention – Reno,
Nevada – Region 7 Director Allen
Manuel reported that all VVA National
Officers are up for election and already
are being contested. Also the Regional
Directors and At-Large Director
positions are up for election.
• TSC February Meeting 2012 – host
Chapter 685 Galveston, February 3-5,
2012
• TSC June Meeting 2012 – host Chapter
920 Denton, June 2012 dates to be
confirmed
• TSC April Meeting 2013 open
TSC MEETING, continued on page 7
TEXAS VV NEWS
TSC MEETING, continued from page 6
• TSC October Meeting 2013 open
Scholarships – The scholarship
committee passed out to the delegates and
officers seven (7) scholarship applications
at the beginning of the meeting and asked
everyone to read them and turn in their
votes by the end of the meeting. The
results and checks were passed out at the
Awards Banquet Saturday evening. 1st
place $1,000: Rebecca Morris; 2nd place
$750: Joseph Foutz; 3rd through 7th
places $500 went to: Bailey Beck, Stormy
Champion, Amy Castillo, Sarah Koenigh
and Amber Metula. Total amount paid
out to the scholarship applicants was
$4,250.
Silent Auction conducted during the
state council meeting brought in $1,892
and the host Chapter was given a check
for $946, which went to the VSO line
item fund. The Coins & Pins brought in
$126 for the VSO Line Item Fund.
Live Auction brought in $1,580, plus
a $50 donation for the scholarship fund.
TSC Awards:
• Friend of VVA – Sally Griffin (submitted
by Borger Chapter 404)
• AVVA Member of Year – Merle Morris
CONTRACT, continued from page 5
(submitted by Texarkana Chapter 278)
• Incarcerated Member of Year – James Sepsi
(submitted by Beaumont Chapter 292)
• Legislator of the Year – Leticia Van De
Putte – Texas State Senator (submitted
by Austin Chapter 915)
• Pointman of the Year – George Wilson
(submitted by Chapter 931)
• President’s Award – (Friend of VVA)
– Mike Mahan – M&M Vending Co.
(submitted by Killeen Chapter 1000)
• Boot Award – Rodney Gobert (submitted
by Beaumont Chapter 292)
• Heart of Patriotism – Mrs. Jan Bell –
School Librarian (submitted by Borger
Chapter 404)
• A Certificate of Appreciation was given
to the members that did not receive the
award they were nominated for by their
Chapters.
Region 7 Director Awards:
• Region 7 Chapter of Year – Dallas
Chapter 137
• Region 7 Veteran of the Year – John
Cook, Dallas Chapter 137
• Region 7 Pointman of the Year – Larry
Poe, Galveston Chapter 685
VVA Texas State Council Meeting
Galveston County Chapter 685
February 3-5, 2012
HOST HOTEL:
Hilton Galveston Island
5400 Seawall Boulevard, Galveston, Texas
409-744-5000 or 1/877-425-4753
Room Block: VVA Texas State Council
Room Rate: $94.00 per night + 15% tax until cutoff date January 2, 2012
REGISTRATION FORM
ONE (1) Form per person, please.
(Delegate/AVVA/Guests on separate registration forms,
so that name tags can be made in advance.)
Name:__________________________________________________________
Address:________________________________________________________
City, State, Zip Code:______________________________________________
Contact Number:__________________________________________________
E-mail:__________________________________________________________
Check one: Dessert: Sugar Free_____________Regular____________
VVA Delegate: ______ VVA Chapter #:______ Title:_____$40.00 per person
AVVA Member:__________________________________________________
VVA Chapter #:______
7
Chapter Rep:________________ $35.00 per person
Guest ($35 per person):____________________________________________
Guest of:________________________________________________________
PROJECT A.M.I.G.O. Recipient:____________________________________
Please Make Checks Payable to: VVA Chapter 685
Mail to:
Jim Rose
4307 Winterborne Drive
Pasadena, TX 77505
Registration MUST BE POSTMARKED BY: January 2, 2012
Contact Persons:
Jim Rose at 281-991-1467
[email protected]
OR
Marilyn Rose at 281-991-1467
[email protected]
deposit their HHG checks from anywhere
to four (4) months to a year and the
checks had to be voided and new checks
issued by the state council treasurer. The
continued failure to deposit the checks
could possibly result in the Chapter funds
being redirected to the VVA Texas State
Council Veterans Service Representative
Program as a donation to the program by
the Chapter.
Next the HHG checks for those
Chapters that signed and returned the
contract for Fiscal Year 2011-2012 will
be mailed to the Chapter around the
middle of January, so that the check can
be deposited and clear the Texas State
Council bank before the end of the fiscal
year. Then I do not have to carry over any
outstanding checks into the Fiscal Year
2012-2013 which starts March 1, 2012.
Since I have assumed the position of
Texas State Council Treasurer, I have
had to carry over checks provided to the
Chapter delegates at the state council
meetings that apparently were never
turned over to the Chapter treasurer in
a timely fashion. This also has been a
problem for several Chapters that were
absent and the checks were mailed to
them. Since June 2010, I have had to
VOID out at least nine (9) checks because
they were never deposited. Six (6) of
those checks were replaced once the
Chapter returned the check. However,
there are still three outstanding HHG
checks to Chapters issued in June 2011
that have never been deposited. Going
back through the records of the past
treasurer and my experience since I was
elected, there have been instances of the
checks not being deposited until four
(4) months since they were issued. One
(1) instance for one Chapter was that
after a year they had not deposited their
last two checks. The checks were found
filed away with other material in the file
cabinet instead of being deposited.
That is the reason under Section II that
B was added. Please read the contract
carefully and if your Chapter wants to
participate, return it either at the state
council meeting in February or mail it to
the State President by the cutoff date.
Jim W. Boyd
Texas State Council Treasurer
Texas Vietnam
Veterans News Update
The Texas VV News is a tool that
the VVA Texas State Council, and
the Vietnam Veterans Assistance
Foundation of Texas (VVAFT) as
publisher, uses to keep veterans and
their families updated with information
about Veterans Affairs.
Unfortunately, with continued increases
in printing and mailing costs and the
poor economy, the VVAFT is forced to
reduce, once again, the publication of the
newspaper to a bi-annual publication with
two (2) electronic newsletters in between
the two (2) issues of the newspaper
starting in January 2012.
The Texas VV News and electronic
newsletters will be available at www.
VVAFT.org for viewing. You will
be able to print the newsletters for
distribution to Chapter members that do
not have computer access. Past issues of
the Texas VV News are also available on
the Web site. The newsletters will also
be sent out electronically (e-mail) to the
Chapter delegates that the Texas State
Council Secretary has on file that have
provided an e-mail address to also make
it available to their Chapter officers to
print and distribute at meetings to those
that do not have computer access.
This will be in effect until the economy
gets better as this move is necessary in
order to allow the VVAFT to fund other
obligations besides printing the newspaper.
Each issue of the newspaper costs the
foundation approximately $5,000 to $5,300
to publish and mail to almost 5,000 VVA
and AVVA members in Texas.
The public donations VVAFT receives
has fallen drastically in the last three
years. Three years ago the foundation was
putting out four (4) issues of the newspaper
at a cost of over $20,000 per year. It
was reduced to three at approximately
$15,000 a year to publish and mail the
newspapers. Publishing and mailing the
newspapers has taken a lot of our income
and barely left enough since 2009 to fund
other projects. VVAFT funds RFPs from
the state council, which include a standing
donation to the Texas State Council VSO
Program for $3,000, $500 to AVVA
per year, Operation Ed-U-Cate, and has
been paying the TSC officers expenses
to attend the state council meeting that
includes lodging, registration fees and
travel. This has been to help the state
council out financially; however, the state
council is now in better financial shape
than the foundation. So another costcutting proposal by the State President
that will be discussed at the VVAFT and
Texas State Council Executive committee
meeting in December will be for the state
council to resume paying those expenses.
The foundation has given out over $6,500
in donations and RFPs so far this year, with
obligations of $1,250 to still pay out this
year. Even though we get public donations,
the foundation has steady fallen each year
for the last three years; our reserve funds are
almost depleted.
When the economy rebounds,
hopefully in the next couple of years,
the VVAFT can possibly restore
publication of the newspaper to at least
three (3) a year. Because of the economy
three years ago, we had to drop from
four (4) issues to three (3); and now to
two (2), plus the electronic newsletter.
However, it will not be very costeffective to mail out the newsletters
to the VVA membership, as postage is
going up again in January 2012, as well
as nonprofit mailing, and it would be
counter-productive to mail it; therefore,
UPDATE, continued on page 9
8
TEXAS VV NEWS
Borger, Texas – June 2011
President Newberry addressing the
Chapter Delegates at the TSC meeting
in Borger. Photos by Susie Moreno
Posting the Colors.
Members stand, for the posting of the
Colors and salute.
Chapter 404 President Myron Peterson
“Welcoming the Delegates” to Borger
for the Texas State Council Meeting in
June 2011.
President Newberry swearing in the new
Chapter delegates to the Texas State
Council.
Kathy Andras-AVVA Region 7 Director
swearing in the new AVVA Texas State
Council Officers elected at the Friday
AVVA meeting.
L-R: TSC President Newberry; LSC
President Dennis Andras; and VVA
Region 7 Director Allen Manuel.
TSC Meeting June 2011 in Borger,
Texas.
Texas.
Texas.
VVA National Convention
Reno, Nevada – August 2011
L-R: Jim Rose (Chapter 685 President); Jim
Boyd (TSC Treasurer); Bill Meeks (newly-elected
VVA National Secretary) and Buster Newberry
(TSC President). Photos by Humberto Nevarez L-R: Paul Washington (Chapter 343
Delegate), Jim Boyd (TSC Treasurer),
Buster Newberry (TSC President) and Myron
Peterson (Chapter 404 President).
A few of the 26 Texas Delegates at the
VVA National Convention.
Chapter 574 VVA Delegates and AVVA
members Buster Newberry, Norma and
Allen Manuel. Photos by Jim W. Boyd
VVA National Awards Banquet. Susie Meeks,
Chapter 574, Humberto Nevarez, Tony
Chavira, Robert Rangel, Laura Nevarez, Terri
Sirois, Kerwin Stone (TSC Secretary) and
Bill Meeks (VVA National Secretary.
VVA National Awards Banquet. L-R: Roy
McCrary (Chapter 915 President), Bill
and Nancy Smith (Chapter 137), Marilyn
Rose ( AVVA State President) and Jim
Rose (Chapter 685 President).
Texas State Council and Chapter
Delegates.
TEXAS VV NEWS
9
UPDATE, continued from page 7
posting it on our Web site is the most
economical means of distributing it.
Other state newspapers have
gone entirely to electronic means of
publishing their newspapers and
newsletters. VVA members have to
log on to their Web sites in order to get
their state newspaper or newsletters.
This was necessary in order to reduce
the cost of publishing and mailing
them. However, even though VVAFT
does already put the newspaper online
on our Web site, we still plan on
publishing and mailing the newspapers
as we have members that do not have
computer access.
However, if there are VVA and
AVVA members in Texas that wish
to get their newspaper off the VVAFT
Web site, instead of having a copy
mailed to them, it would save the
foundation the cost of about $1 to
mail their newspaper. You can send an
e-mail to me at jimwboyd@VVAFT.
org and I will remove your name
from the mailing rosters I submit to
American Graphics & Design for each
issue to be printed and mailed.
CHAPTER NEWS
VVA Chapter 366 Alamo
VVAFT Operation Ed-U-Cate 2011 - 2nd Place Winner
VVAFT President Bill Meeks presenting
Bruce Hill with a check to VVA Chapter
366 for 2nd Place in Operation Ed-UCate. Photo by Susie Moreno
Attendees placing wreaths and
carnations at the foot of the Memorial.
Four members of VVA Chapter 366:
John Rodriguez, Ruben Villafranca,
Jimmie Gonzalez and Tom Ballinger.
Photo by Ruby Jasso
The City of San Antonio and the
Fiesta Commission of San Antonio
annually hold an event that honors
all veterans. The event is called
All Veterans Memorial Service is
held in April of each year as part of
Fiesta San Antonio at Veterans Plaza.
The event has been held since
1989 and the Vietnam Veterans
of America, Alamo Chapter 366
has been the host of the event. For
many of those years due to the
small size of the Chapter and lack
of financial resources, the event
was lacking in substance and not
well attended.
In 2005, the Chapter became a
Participating Member Organization
(PMO) of the Fiesta Commission. As a
PMO, the Chapter received funds from
the Fiesta Commission and this allowed
the Chapter to showcase the event. Also
membership in VVA 366 increased to
over 100 members, which provided
more volunteers.
The responsibility of the Chapter in
hosting the event is to coordinate the
event by preparing the site, securing
a speaker, Color Guard, bank and
VVA Post 366 members serving as
Honor Guard.
a trumpet player to play Taps. The
Chapter also provides wreaths and
carnations for the honored guests and
attendees to place at the foot of the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial. The cost
to provide these items in 2010 was
over $1,500.
On April 25, 2010 the largest crowd
ever attended the memorial service.
It was estimated that over 400 people
attended the service, including veterans
from WWI, Korea, Vietnam and active
service men and women. Also in attendance
was a contingent of South Vietnamese
soldiers that fought alongside the Vietnam
Veterans. The speaker was Maj. General
Russell J. Czerw, US Army, Commanding
General at Fort Sam Houston (2010).
The General’s speech emphasized the
importance of supporting the veterans and
to not forget the service men and women
currently serving our country. He continued
to say that celebrations held on day(s)
other than traditional Veterans celebrations
is an excellent way to show support of
the veterans. As this event has grown,
so has the presence of the chapter. This
event has also been a place to recruit new
members. The Chapter Web site address is
VVA 366 members in attendance at
event.
vietnamveteransofamericaalamochapter
366.com
U.S. Army All-American Bowl
VVA Chapter 366 members attended
the U.S Army All-American Bowl held
in San Antonio on January 8, 2011.
The theme of the pre-game ceremony
was the past, the present and the
future. The past were the veterans of
past wars, the current were the active
service men and women, and the
future were the newly-recruited. Four
members of VVA 366 accepted the
invitation to be part of the ceremony.
Attached are a couple of pictures of
the event.
✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
The four Chapter 366 members standing
in the ranks with other veterans and
active duty with new recruits standing
behind. Photo by Ruby Jasso
Have a safe and
Happy Holiday!
10
TEXAS VV NEWS
CHAPTER NEWS
VVA Chapter 574 El Paso
Memorial Day: Vietnam Veteran Honors Those Who Served Their Country
By Ramón Rentería, El Paso Times
Submitted to Texas VV News by Terri Sirois | Fort Bliss Public Affair Specialist
El Paso County Tax Assessor-Collector
Victor Flores holds the jacket he wears
when he honors the nation’s prisoners
of war and those missing in action.
Flores pays special tribute monthly
to military personnel who fought in
Vietnam, often described as the most
divisive war in U.S. history. Photo by
Ruben R. Ramirez/El Paso Times
Victor Flores refuses to let those who
served their country be forgotten.
“We consider ourselves lucky,” Flores
said. “We came home.”
For the past 10 years, Flores, a Marine
Corps veteran with combat experience in
South Vietnam, has been paying tribute
to the nation’s prisoners of war and those
missing in action.
He pays special tribute to military
personnel who fought in Vietnam, often
described as the most divisive war in United
States history – a war that claimed more
than 58,000 U.S. casualties. “I felt that if
there was something that I could do, then
I could pay tribute to them,” he said. “And
make sure people remember them always.”
Every month, Flores, 61, recites what
has become a traditional POW/MIA
ceremony, a dinner table set with five
empty chairs representing each military
service branch. The symbolic tribute
memorializes military men and women
whose almost 40-year absence, Flores
says, is too often forgotten.
“We licked our wounds with family or
friends who would either pamper us or tell
VVA National Convention and AVVA
National Leadership Conference.
Chapter 574 VVA Delegates and
AVVA members. Back Row: Humberto
Nevarez, Tony Chavira, Robert Rangel.
Front Row: Laura Nevarez and Terri
Sirios. Photo by Jim W. Boyd
us we were warmongers or baby killers, but
at least we came home,” Flores said. “We
must remember our fallen brothers and
sisters who have no voice.”
One version of the POW/MIA script puts
the ceremony in simple perspective: “The
sweetness of enduring peace has always been
tainted by the bitterness of personal sacrifice.”
Flores’ day job is restricted to office
work as El Paso County’s tax-assessor
collector, an elected position he has
occupied for almost 15 years.
Not everyone knows that he routinely
performs the POW/MIA tribute for
veterans’ organizations across Texas and
New Mexico. He was once invited to
do the solemn, poignant ceremony at
a National Convention in Washington,
D.C. A conflict kept him from going.
Flores also has paid tribute to missing
war heroes at Memorial Day services at
the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Angel
Fire near Taos, New Mexico. His most
treasured honor: a plaque naming him
Veteran of the Year in 2010 in a fourstate area for his outstanding contribution
to other veterans.
Luther “Buster” Newberry, president of
the Vietnam Veterans of America Texas
State Council, has invited Flores to do
the POW/MIA ceremony at the group’s
coming state meeting near Amarillo. He
has seen others perform the same tribute
across the United States, but has never
run across anyone who puts as much
passion into the ceremony as Flores.
“Victor does the ceremony with such
feeling and dignity. When he presents it,
there’s not a dry eye in the house when he
gets through,” Newberry said. “The way he
presents it is from the heart. He’s the best.”
Flores uses various artifacts, a Bible, a
round strand of barbed wire, lemon and
salt, inverted cups, a red rose, a red ribbon,
a burning candle and other items symbolic
of the plight of prisoners of war and
servicemen and women missing in action.
Flores’ downtown office is filled with
Vietnam War and veterans memorabilia,
pictures and medals, Marine Corps
gear and caps and a giant frame – a
gift from Flores’ wife, Juana, and a
friend – memorializing Flores’ company
commander, Marine Capt. Richard
Sexton, a Pennsylvania native killed Feb.
15, 1970 in Quang Ngai Province in
South Vietnam.
Enemy forces exploded a booby-trapped,
500-pound bomb as Marines approached.
Sexton was 26, married, the father of a
daughter, and about three weeks away from
rotating out of the war zone.
Flores, walking about 12 feet from
Capt. Sexton, was wounded in that
encounter. “I lost my hearing, got my ears
blown out,” he said. “Most people don’t
even notice that I wear hearing aids.”
Flores was 19, just out of high school,
when the Army drafted him but he wound
up serving with the U.S. Marine Corps.
He was in South Vietnam in 1969 with the
3rd Amphibious Force attached to the 3rd
Marine Division.
Just a few months earlier, the Army
had invaded the nearby South Vietnamese
hamlet of My Lai, a suspected Viet Cong
stronghold. An estimated 500 Vietnamese
civilians were shot to death. The incident,
later known as the My Lai Massacre, was
not made public until the fall of 1969.
“We had our share of contact,” Flores
said. “I was a rifleman, but an infantry
guy in the Marine Corps is basically a
jack of all trades.”
Flores ended up operating a field radio
for a while. Sometimes, he was assigned
to check out enemy tunnels used for
stashing weapons. “I was a very thin, short
individual. Maneuvering inside a small
tunnel was not hard for me,” he said.
Flores spent 10 months in South Vietnam.
When he landed in California, on the trip back
home, an elderly woman at an airport accused
him of being a baby killer and a warmonger.
“It just blew me away. I was expecting her to
pat me on the back and thank me. After that, I
felt guilty,” he said.
Flores returned home shell-shocked,
always ready to hit the deck upon hearing
fireworks, thunder or even the cannon
signaling a touchdown at football games.
To this day, he cannot watch what he
describes as glorified, unrealistic movies
dealing with the Vietnam War.
“I felt like I was always angry. I was
difficult to get along with,” Flores said.
“You had the nightmares, the dragons
chasing you all the time.”
Flores, a father of two sons and grandfather
of three, still has nightmares about his war
experiences in South Vietnam.
“War leaves a deep scar in your mind,”
Flores said. “Sometimes, for a split
second I still get a whiff of what it is to
smell the jungle or even the dampness of
when I was in a tunnel.”
Flores has no intention of abandoning
the servicemen and servicewomen, who
he said have been mostly forgotten by
their government, sometimes by their
own families. “I’m still a Marine, a
patriot all the way,” he said. “As long as
I can do it, I will honor them at least by
remembering them.”
El Pasoans listed as MIA
• Michael Paul Burns, Army, Laos, July
31, 1969
• Jesus Armando Gonzalez, Army, Vietnam,
April 19, 1968
• Arthur William Kerns, Army, Vietnam,
Dec. 23, 1966.
• Jose Jesus Gonzalez, Marines, Vietnam,
June 11, 1967
• John Robert Jones, Army, Vietnam, June
5, 1971
• John Michael Shea, Marines, Vietnam,
April 29, 1975
• Ronald Leonard Watson, Army, Laos,
Feb. 18, 1971
• Manuel Ramirez Puentes, Army, Vietnam,
March 25, 1971
Texas State Council Meeting – Borger,
Texas. Victor Flores conducting the
POW/MIA Table Ceremony at the
beginning of the meeting. This ceremony
is conducted at every Texas State Council
meeting. Photo by Susie Moreno
POW/MIA Recognition Day held in
September 2011 at the Texas State
Cemetery in Austin, sponsored by
VVA Chapter 915 and other veterans’
organizations. Chapter 574 members
Victor Flores and Humberto Nevarez.
Photo by Harold W. Leung; submitted by
Humberto Nevarez
POW/MIA Recognition Day held in
September 2011 at the Texas State
Cemetery in Austin, sponsored by
VVA Chapter 915 and other veterans’
organizations. Photo by Harold W.
Leung; submitted by Humberto Nevarez
TEXAS VV NEWS
11
CHAPTER
NEWS
VVA Chapter 685 Galveston County
Our Galveston County Chapter 685 of the
Vietnam Veterans of America was invited by
the Galveston Elks lodge to attend their activities
for the wounded warriors from the Fort Worth
VA system that were in our area for R&R.
We had a good turnout of Chapter
members, who I think had a good time
with these young people and I believe
that the wounded warriors did also.
There were three Vietnam Veterans
included with the group, as well as
attendants from the VA. We gave them
our Chapter prints drawn by Roland
Castanie, an associate member of the
Chapter; and also two eagle head canes
carved by Jim Rice, a member of our
chapter, for the two vets that needed
them. One went to a member of the
101st Airborne (Screaming Eagles) and
he was so proud of it he would not let
his attendant take it away from him for
storage. He has traumatic brain injuries
and he told me that the cane was the best
thing that he had ever gotten and that
he could wear the eagle patch on both
shoulders. That should give everyone a
glimpse at what is important to them.
It probably goes something like this.
Family, God, Unit and Country.
It was wonderful to see Angie Farina
having such a good time dancing to the little
band that they had there. She has been in a
battle of her own for awhile and is holding
her own. We are praying for her.
I have one more thing to say. I feel
totally blessed to be surrounded by such
great people in our Chapter and when
Galveston County Chapter 685 calls its
roll, I feel honored to have my name on it.
Jim Rose, President
Galveston County Chapter 685
Vietnam Veterans of America
http://galvestonvva.us
CHAPTER NEWS
VVA Chapter 844 El Paso
By J.R. Dawson, President Chapter 844
There is not a symbol on this earth
more recognizable or as easily identified
as the United States Flag.
Old Glory means many things to all
inhabitants of earth. To most people, it
is a cause of pride. A symbol of freedom
and to anyone who was ever military, it
is our rally point. I consider it a privilege
to be able to own, fly and display my U S
flag. Like many Americans and patriots,
I protect my flag and try to honor all the
proper steps in handling my flag.
Chapter 844 is quickly becoming known
as “THE FLAG GUYS”. We have jumped
in with both feet into the task of handling
old, worn out flags and processing them
into honorable, dignified retirement.
Chapter 844 is closely linked to the
82nd Airborne Association. We conduct
our monthly meetings at their location
and several of our members are also
members. We are associated with a VFW
Post, where some of our members are
also members. Being linked with the
two groups has formed a good working
agreement for all three veterans’ groups.
Each group has its own special pool of
possible members and many veterans
find it agreeable to participate in several
different veterans’ group events.
We became involved with the flags
because someone came to one of our
meetings as a guest/visitor. On a break
he asked if we had anyone who knew
how to properly tri-fold a U.S. flag and
if we could fold a few for some of his
friends/relatives? We agreed to fold them.
At the next meeting, there were several
people with flags to be folded. After
tri-folding as requested, we invited the
quests to join us in our lunch following
our meetings. Sometime later, we found a
box containing some worn out flags.
The box of worn out flags left behind
from tri-folding was taken to the Boy
Scout Council because we knew they took
the worn out flags to summer camp and
ceremoniously retired them. That got us
started. We had picked up worn out flags
at one veteran’s group location, then we
VVA Chapter 844 Flag Retirement
Ceremony. J. Sanchez and F. Chavez
place worn flag in retirement fire. Photo
submitted by J.R. Dawson
VVA Chapter 844 Flag Retirement
Ceremony. Seven hundred flags plus
1,000 pounds of small flags wait to be
retired. Photo submitted by J.R. Dawson
VVA Chapter 844, U.S. Army Troops
and Post 123 honoring POW/MIAs.
Photo submitted by J.R. Dawson
Chapter 685 President Jim Rose
explaining about the Chapter print, “On
Behalf of a Grateful Nation”. Photo
submitted by Jim Rose
Jim Rose presented a wounded warrior
with an eagle head cane that the Chapter
has made and given to those veterans that
need them. Photo submitted by Jim Rose
Group of Wounded Warriors at the Galveston
Elks Lodge. Photo submitted by Jim Rose
✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
picked up flags at another veterans group
because they asked us to. Soon we were
acting as the area’s unofficial organization
that processes worn out flags.
It wasn’t long before we found
notes with the owner’s names and
phone numbers attached to the flags.
Many donors expressed a desire to be
notified of when and where their flags
were being retired, as they wanted to
participate in the ceremony.
From that point on, it was rather
like carrying something heavy and
walking downhill. One step led to
another, then another, etc.
Since Chapter 844 does not own
property, building a fire pit became
a problem. We found that the VFW
Post was as interested as Chapter 844
in providing “Retire by Fire” services
for the community. They agreed to pay
for half of the costs, if we agreed to
do all the labor. The deal was struck.
Then, how to design and do the actual
construction became the question. You
aren’t going to find plans for such a fire
pit at any bookstore or anywhere online.
There just isn’t anybody (other than
veterans) who care about the subject.
We contacted several contractors and
noone thought we were serious. They
would only handle a job like that at
a set dollar amount per hour and no
guarantee the pit would even work.
The U.S. Flag Code stipulated that after
burning the flags (the only recognized
form of retirement) the ashes must be
buried. Digging a hole and burning in the
hole meant you would have to dig a hole
each time you retired flags.
That may be okay for the Boy Scouts,
because that is their way of retiring at
Summer Camp. We needed a way to
conduct the ceremonies many times at
the same location, over and over. That
means it had to be above ground. We
chose cinder blocks in a formation, which
has an open back to retrieve the ashes,
which meant a solid concrete bottom.
The fire box would have to have a grate
on top (we used Rebar laid out in a cross
pattern); the fire box would also need
air underneath the fire for air to allow
burning. We simply turned a few cinder
blocks sideways as we laid them to allow
air movement.
We conducted our first “Retire By
Fire” on Flag Day June 14, 2010. At
that event we retired over 500 flags.
Our event was covered by a local TV
station, the local newspaper, as well as
the Ft. Bliss newspaper.
We retired another 350 flags that had
been collected only three weeks later
(July 4, 2010). We held “Retire By
Fire” ceremonies almost every month
and retired over 3,000 flags total.
On Flag Day, June 14, 2011, with the
assistance of seven members of the 123rd
BSB active duty troops from Ft. Bliss, we
retired over 700 normal size flags, plus
1,000 lbs. or more of the small flags on a
stick (6’ x 10’’), which formally honored
servicemen graves in Ft. Bliss Cemetery.
Our ceremonies honor preselected POW/
MIAs from the official list. We also
honor by name a large number of fallen
Vietnam Veterans buried at Ft. Bliss
cemetery. Ceremonies exist for individual
patriots to place a worn out flag in the fire
in honor of their friend or family member.
All ceremonies are conducted with dignity,
honor and respect. Proper salutes, military
music and formation expected and delivered.
Being referred to as “THE FLAG
GUYS” is taken as a real compliment.
After all, we fought for our flag. Who
better to see it retired with dignity?
Chapter 844 Color Guard. J. Sanchez,
M. Standish, J. Garcia, D. Dutton and M.
Fernandez. Photo submitted by J.R. Dawson
12
TEXAS VV NEWS
CHAPTER
NEWS CHAPTERVVA
NEWS
VVA Chapter 863 Kerrville
Chapter 870 Schulenburg
Vietnam Veterans and Associates members
of Chapter 870 Schulenburg, Texas went to the
Texas State Council meeting in Borger, Texas.
It was a long drive, but we had a great time and
received a lot of good information to take back to
the Chapter.
L-R: Mary and Billy DeMent and Kathy and Daniel
Kutac. Photo submitted by Kathy Kutac
Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter 863
getting the 2010-2011 Volunteer of the Year
Award at the 89th Annual Kerrville Chamber of
Commerce Banquet Awards Dinner on September
1, 2011. L-R: William Cantrell, Jack Scott, Art
Modgling and Alan Hill accepting the award.
Photo submitted by Art Modgling
Billy DeMent (C) getting his blood pressure check at the TSC
Meeting in Borger in June 2011. Photo by Susie Moreno
CHAPTER
NEWS
Chapter 1000 Fort Hood Area ✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
VVAFT’s Operation Ed-U-Cate 2011 - 1st Place Winner
Since we last applied for this grant, the
Chapter has been exceptionally busy as we
continue to grow and become more involved
in the activities in the Fort Hood Area.
In the last election, the Chapter elected
three new officers. These officers have
been instrumental in taking the Chapter
to a new level. Bill Whittaker, President;
Lupe Lopez, Vice President; Pat Hidy,
Secretary; Don Kennedy, Treasurer,
re-elected. Thanks to Lupe Lopez the
Chapter now has a Web site: www.
vietnam-vet-Chapter-1000.org
Chapter members participated in laying
wreaths representing Vietnam Veterans at
the Memorial Day Ceremony held at the
Central Texas State Veterans Cemetery and
the POW/MIA Ceremony at the Memorial
located in front of the Carl R. Darnall Army
Medical Center on Fort Hood.
The Patriot Guard held their National
Gathering of the Guard in Killeen and
escorted the American Traveling Tribute
which includes a Vietnam Wall Memorial
replica. The Chapter set up a table in
the vendor section with membership
applications, exhibits of VVA activities
and memorabilia for sale.
Once again Chapter 1000 attended the
Annual Retirement Day activities on Fort
Hood. Members of the Chapter set up a
new member booth and were successful
in recruiting new members.
For the second year in a row,
Chapter 1000 participated in the
Killeen Veterans Day Parade. This
year, the parade honored the Korean
veterans. Several Chapter members
riding in two trucks received an
enthusiastic welcome from the large
crowd attending the parade. Next year
our members will bring the 1963
M37 Three Quarter Ton Dodge Power
Wagon, Vietnam ear truck, to the
parade. Currently, the vehicle is being
restored by several Chapter members.
The Chapter officers and several
members presented a check for $1,000
to the Commander of VFW Post 10377,
Lake Belton. This money will be
used for the Vietnam Veterans State
Memorial that will be located on the
Lt. Cooper, 1st Warrior Transition Bn Fort
Hood – presented a certificate of appreciation
to Bill Whitaker (VVA Chapter 1000).
Members of 1st Cavalry Brigade waiting
on the deck of the SRP Center for a
briefing.
VVAFT President Bill Meeks presented
a check to Lynn Kennedy (AVVA 1000)
for 1st Place in VVAFT Operation Ed-UCate at the TSC meeting in Borger.
Photo by Susie Moreno
Billy DeMent (C) getting his blood sugar tested at the TSC
Meeting in Borger in June 2011. Photo by Susie Moreno
grounds of the State Capitol in Austin.
Last year the Chapter was invited to
help with the Wounded Warrior Fishing
Tournament held on Lake Belton. Once
again, Lt. Michael Cooper of the 1st
Warrior Transition Battalion asked the
Chapter to support this effort. On April
8, 2011 Chapter members served coffee,
fruit drinks, doughnuts and kuliches to
those participating in the tournament: the
soldiers and the bass club member that
would be fishing with them. Lt. Cooper
presented a certificate of appreciation
to our Chapter president, Bill Whittaker
and a Battalion Coin for Excellence to
each Chapter member who came out to
help with the tournament.
Project: Serving Those Who Serve
The project continues its mission to serve
the soldiers of Fort Hood. The Soldier
Readiness Center (SRP) has been extremely
busy, sometimes processing 700 or more
per day. We have spent about $1,000 more
than we did last year, due to this increase.
The Texas Military Family Foundation,
which started us on the project has closed its
doors and the building has been torn down.
It was closed due to the fact that Julie Curtis
could not effectively run it due to serious
health problems. We will not be able to get
needed supplies there any longer.
However, we do have two organizations
who contribute to the project. M&M
Vending Company donates sodas and
chips and the TREA Auxiliary of Killeen
brings snack items once a month. These
organizations help, but the majority of the
items we serve come from our funds. We
operate solely on donations.
We have served the following units in
the last several months:
• III Corps troops returning from their final
deployment in Iraq
• 4th Sustainment Brigade going to Iraq to
support 29 National Guard Units from
16 states
• 4th Advise & Assist Brigade, 1st Cavalry
going to Iraq which oversees the northern
third of Iraq centered in Mosul.
• 3rd Armored Calvary Regiment deployed
(4th deployment) to Iraq to help train
Iraqi police.
• 36th Engineers returned from Balad, Iraq
• 20th Engineers returned from Afghanistan
• 1st Calvary 2nd Division Brigades Combat
Team deployed to Iraq, in April
• 1st Calvary Division Headquarters and 1st
Air Calvary Brigade deployed in May
to Afghanistan: They began processing
April 12th
The soldiers from these units have
been so complimentary and appreciative
for what we provide them. One very cold
morning in February we arrived about
6:30 a.m. and were freezing cold when
they came through our line. They sure did
appreciate the hot coffee, hot cocoa and
the food. This is why we do what we do.
NEVER AGAIN WILL ONE
GENERATION OF VETERANS
ABANDON ANOTHER
TEXAS VV NEWS
13
New Address for National
Personnel Records Center, St. Louis
The National Personnel Records Center
has a new address: National Personnel
Records Center, 1 Archives Drive, St
Louis, MO 63138-1002.
As a reminder, all retirees and
Honorably Discharged veterans should
ensure their family knows the location of
their military Separation Document (DD
Form 214). Separation Documents issued
after 1969 may contain a Social Security
Number, which could be used for identity
theft. Storing the Separation Document in
a safe deposit box may make it difficult
to retrieve immediately upon the death
of the retiree or honorably discharged
veteran. The better storage locations are:
1. Fire safe in a secure location of
the house. Be sure loved ones know
the location and have a key or
combination.
2. In a watertight food container (Glad,
Tupperware) in the refrigerator. Most
refrigerators are fire resistant. (As a
bonus, everyone has a refrigerator, not
everyone has a fire resistant storage
box.) Be sure to inform your spouse
and relatives where to locate your
Separation Document and any other
important papers.
As a reminder, the preferred method
of submitting a request to the National
Personnel Records Center (NPRC) is
via the Internet. Please note that in
some cases using a browser other than
Internet Explorer may create problems
with data entry. As you know, the NPRC
provides copies of documents from
military personnel records to authorized
requesters. Our Web-based application
will provide better service on these
requests by eliminating our mailroom
processing time. Also, since the requester
will be prompted to supply all information
essential for us to process the request,
delays that occur when we must go back
for more information will be minimized.
This improved on-line request process
should be used INSTEAD OF Standard
Form 180 for requests from the veteran
or the veteranChapters next of kin,
if possible. Your assistance with this
initiative will allow us, and you, to better
serve the needs of our veterans. If you do
not wish to use the Internet, you should
use Standard Form 180.
Military Record Requests
Using Standard Form 180 (SF-180)
Veterans or next-of-kin of deceased
veterans can use the online order form at
vetrecs.archives.gov (or use the SF-180).
Archival requests may also be processed
online (or via the SF-180). Obtain and
Fill out Standard Form 180 (SF-180) or
write a letter to request records.
1. How to Obtain Standard Form 180
(SF-180) to Request Military Records.
There are several ways to obtain an
SF-180. You can: Download and print
a copy of the SF-180 in PDF format.
You need access to a printer and the
Adobe Acrobat Reader software (see link
below). The form is a total of 3 pages.
The SF-180 is formatted for letter size
paper (8.5” x 11”). If your printer cannot
accommodate this, select “shrink to fit”
when the Adobe Acrobat Reader “Print”
dialog box appears. This is also a fillable
version of the SF-180. It will allow you
to type the needed information into the
form using your keyboard. You will still
need to print, sign and mail the form.
Otherwise, it works the same as stated
above.
2. Mail or fax your request. Where to
Return the Form: Review the tables on
page 3 of SF 180 to identify the correct
location of the record you need (based on
branch of service, dates of separation, and
type of record) send the completed form
to the address identified on the table.
Contact Us to order the form through
the mail at National Personnel Records
Center, 1 Archives Drive, St. Louis, MO
63138.
Other Ways to Obtain the SF-180:
• From the Department of Defense
• From Federal Information Centers
• From local Veterans Administration
offices
• From veterans Chapter service
organizations
The SF 180 may be photocopied as
needed. Please submit a separate SF 180
for each individual whose records are
being requested.
Write a Letter to Request Records
If you are not able to obtain a SF-180,
you may still submit a request for military
records. Requests must contain enough
information to allow us to identify the
record from among the more than 70
million on file at the NPRC. For example,
if you are requesting an Official Military
Personnel File (OMPF), please include
as much of the following information as
possible:
• The veteranChapters complete name
used while in service
• Service number or social security
number
• Branch of service
• Dates of service
• Date and place of birth may also be
helpful, especially if the service number
is not known
• If the request pertains to a record that
may have been involved in the 1973
fire, also include: Place of discharge
• Last unit of assignment
• Place of entry into the service, if known.
Please submit a separate request (either
SF 180 or letter) for each individual
whose records are being requested.
Please Note: Next-of-kin (the
un-remarried widow or widower, son,
daughter, father, mother, brother or
sister of the deceased veteran) must
provide proof of death of the veteran,
such as a copy of the death certificate,
a letter from the funeral home or a
published obituary.
Additional information is required if
you are requesting clinical or medical
treatment records (see Federal Records)
at http://www.archives.gov/veterans/
military-service-records/standardform-180.html
If your request is urgent (e.g. upcoming
surgery, funeral, etc.) and there is a
deadline associated with your request,
please provide this information in the
“Comments” section of eVetRecs or in
the “Purpose” section of the SF-180 and
fax it to our Customer Service Team at
314-801-0764. Our goal is to complete
all urgent requests within two working
days. However, in some instances we
can complete requests the same day if
necessary. Please contact our customer
service staff at 314-801-0800 if you have
questions or require same day service.
Due to the large number of calls we
receive at this number, hold times are
often long. However, once you reach a
technician they will be happy to assist
you with emergency service.
If your burial request involves
internment at a Department of Veterans
Affairs National Cemetery, contact the
National Cemetery Scheduling Office at
800-535-1117 or visit their Web site
at http://www.cem.va.gov/bbene/need.
asp. We work directly with the Veterans
Affairs staff to obtain records to verify
service for burial benefits. If the veteran
is not going to be interned at a National
Cemetery, the requester may fax the
SF-180 or signature page from eVetRecs
(including signature of the next of kin and
proof of death) to the Customer Service
Team at 314-801-0764. If your request
involves the burial of a Marine Corps
veteran, you may also contact the USMC
Liaison Officer at 314-538-2344.
NOTE: The 1973 Fire at the National
Personnel Records Center damaged
or destroyed 16-18 million Army and
Air Force records that documented
the service history of former military
personnel discharged from 1912-1964.
Although the information in many of
these primary source records was either
badly damaged or completely destroyed,
often alternate record sources can be used
to reconstruct the service of the veterans
impacted by the fire. Sometimes we are
able to reconstruct the service promptly
using alternate records that are in our
holdings, but other times we must request
information from other external agencies
for use in records reconstruction. In some
instances, therefore, requests that involve
reconstruction efforts may take several
weeks to a month to complete.
“NARA ensures, for the Citizen and the
Public Servant, for the President and the
Congress and the Courts, ready access to
essential evidence.”
Jane Fonda
A new controversy over Oscar
winner Jane Fonda’s Vietnam War
activism caused the actress to come
out swinging against home shopping
TV network QVC on July 23, over
what she described as its caving in
to “extremist” pressure to cancel her
appearance. In a blog posting on
Showbusiness Web site TheWrap.
com, Fonda wrote that she was
scheduled to appear on QVC to
introduce her book, “Prime Time”
about aging and life cycles.
But the network, Fonda wrote, reported
receiving a flood of angry calls regarding
her anti-war activism of the 1960s and
1970s, and it decided to cancel Fonda’s
appearance. Four decades ago, the
American actress angered Vietnam War
supporters who gave her the nickname
“Hanoi Jane” for her 1972 visit to the
capital of North Vietnam at the height
of the conflict. At the time, she posed
for photos showing her sitting atop a
Viet Cong anti-aircraft gun, and she
remains an object of derision by some
U.S. veterans and others.
Fonda, 73, has in the past expressed
regret about those images, and in her
post at The Wrap she took aim at QVC
and her critics. “I am, to say the least,
deeply disappointed that QVC caved to
this kind of insane pressure by some
well-funded and organized political
extremist groups,” Fonda wrote. QVC
acknowledged Fonda’s appearance was
canceled, but said it was because of a
programming change. “It’s not unusual
to have a schedule change with our
shows and guests with little or no notice,”
QVC spokesman Paul Capelli said in a
statement. “I can’t speak to Ms. Fonda’s
comments, other than to confirm that a
change in scheduling resulted in her not
appearing on July 23.”
In 2005, Fonda was spat upon at a
book signing in Kansas City, Missouri,
by a man who said he was angered by
her Vietnam War-era actions. “Bottom
line, this has gone on far too long, this
spreading of lies about me!” Fonda
wrote at TheWrap.com. “…I love my
country. I have never done anything to
hurt my country or the men and women
who have fought and continue to fight
for us.” The daughter of late screen
legend Henry Fonda, the actress most
recently starred in 2007 film “Georgia
Rule.” She won Oscars for roles in
the films “Coming Home” (1978)
and “Klute” (1971). QVC is a unit of
Liberty Media Corp.
Source: Reuters article 16 Jul 2011
✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
14
T E X History
A S onV
V
N
E
W
S
the Shelf:
The Tet Offensive and Its Affect
By Rebecca Morris – 1st Place – $1,000 Scholarship
EDITORS NOTE: There were seven
scholarship entries this year. 1st place
received $1,000; 2nd place received
$750; and 3rd through 7th received $500
each. Due to the length of the essays, only
1st and 2nd are being published as has
been the standard practice by the Texas
VV News staff over the years.
Throughout the history of our nation
there has always been a sense of pride in
all that it has done. Pride in everything
that is until the Vietnam War. It can
easily be said that the TET Offensive
that began on January 31, 1968 was a
pivotal moment in the course of a war
already seen as unpopular and politically
motivated. The effects of this offensive
led to a shockwave to all that was political
and social in the United States.
One of the things I notice as I browse
through the great slew of books is that the
Vietnam War is not recognized as a great
“celebration” of U.S. Military History.
Rows and rows of books shouting out from
the shelves of how great and heroic the men
and the battles of the Civil War, World War
I and World War II were. It is there, tucked
away between the pride, that you find the
story of the Vietnam War; as though a
symbol of how the nation as a whole once
did, and still does, view the war.
If you search through the aisles
of history you will find books about
presidents, stories of race horses, even
fantastic journeys of Wild West cowboys
all displayed proudly; great pictures and
illustrations of the heroes of those stories
be they animal or man. But, where are the
stories of the Vietnam War? They are there
to be sure, two small shelves of mainly
small paperback books swallowed by the
history of World War II; buried beneath
the bragging rights of what was seen as a
great victory in time for the United States.
There are so many questions that beg to
be asked and answered about what truly
happened in Vietnam. There are so many
what if’s and what could have been that
one cannot help but ask, where would this
war be in our history books had it gone a
little differently?
Searching for the answer to those
questions of “how did this happen” and
“what if it had ended another way”. It
quickly becomes obvious that on one
major issue nearly all sources tend to
agree. The TET Offensive was indeed
a great military victory for the United
States. Though the military suffered many
losses in the battles that ensured, the Viet
Cong and North Vietnamese were simply
not capable of out maneuvering the
U.S. military and its allies. As General
Tran Van Tra of the North Vietnamese
army stated: “We did not correctly
evaluate the specific balance of forces
between ourselves and the enemy, did
not fully realize that the enemy still
had considerable capabilities, and that
our capabilities were limited and set
requirements that were beyond our actual
strength.” (6). Joseph Cummins states in
his book Why Some Wars Never End that
it took the TET Offensive, which was a
major U.S. victory to “turn the country
against Vietnam.” (2). I believe in reality
it was the public perception in the United
States that ultimately led to defeat.
One of the main reasons the public was
shocked can be directly attributed to the
handling of images and reports brought
to them by the newspaper and television
media. It was a time like no other in
that respect. People had grown to trust
the word of the reporters, a trust people
around the globe today still hold, never
taking into account the complete facts and
relying only on what reporters consider
a good story. The images that filled the
living rooms of the public were not those
of great victories
American soldiers were winning, they
were instead images and stories of those
things deemed as cruel and inhumane. “The
pictures that were coming back to the United
States were causing the “horrified public” to
increase calls to bring troops home.” (2)
Perhaps there are two very memorable
media events that came from this time of
struggle that could be seen as influential
in the outcome of the war. The first being
that of the execution of Viet Cong officer
Nguyen Van Lem, who was executed by
the chief of the National Police, Nguyen
Ngoc Loan. It was an execution shown
widely throughout the media, both in
print and on video, conveniently without
explanation or understanding behind his
punishment. Had the story been told, the
public would have known that Lem had
just allegedly taken part in the killing of
one of Loan’s most trusted officers along
with his family. (1)
The second media event that caused so
much public displeasure can be connected
with the very popular news reporter
Walter Cronkite. According to the author
of Vietnam, A History, Stanley Karnow,
“Walter Cronkite was the nation’s most
reliable journalistic personality.” (4).
When Cronkite returned to the United
States from his visit to Saigon he stated
publicly that instead of the official forecast
of victory that it seemed ?more certain
than ever that the bloody experience
of Vietnam is to end in a stalemate.”
(4) Cronkite’s statement came at a time
when President Lyndon B. Johnson was
struggling to keep the American public’s
support going for the war, a take that was
becoming harder and harder to do. As
Kanow states in his book, the comment
made by Cronkite “shocked and depressed
Johnson’ (4) because he believed the
statement would sway public opinion even
more. What Johnson didn’t realize is that
the public had already reached a point
of frustration and the “Cronkite like all
other journalist, was lagging behind the
American public – reflecting rather than
shaping its attitudes.” (4)
It is hard to argue even today that the
media of all types can be held partially
responsible for the changes that occurred not
only after the TET Offensive, but after the
war itself. Reading through the few books on
the war that can be found in the bookstores,
one is overwhelmed with a sense of shame.
The “pontiffs” tell their stories, their versions
of what the war was and what it meant to
the United States, rarely ever proclaiming
a pride in what our soldiers sacrificed for
the cause. One can’t help but notice the
effect the TET Offensive and the war had
on the nation. I can easily be said that once
the opinion of the public has been affected,
everything that is political and social in the
nation will reflect those opinions. And so
the experts follow suit, they tell us how the
war led to President Johnson’s decision not
to run for a second term, they tell us how the
defeat caused some much turmoil amongst
the people of the United States, but what
they fail to tell us is the real story of the men
and women who fought an unpopular war
with nothing but a sense of duty and pride
in their country. According to Great Battles,
Decisive Conflicts That Have Shaped
History “In an irony not lost on government
to this day, the military victory counted for
far less that the media defeat.” (243)
Trying to answer the question of how
the TET Offensive affected the nation
politically and socially, and how it affected
the outcome of the war, the realization
cam that the real answers can only be
found in those who lived through it. After
43 years there is still a sense of shame
and embarrassment by those who served
this Country bravely. It is reflected in
the books on the shelves, and in the eyes
of those soldiers who were there. The
questions are answered simply by looking
at the loved ones of those soldiers and the
effects the war as a whole had on entire
families. Being the daughter of a Vietnam
Veteran, I can say that the war and the
TET Offensive in particular, has never
stopped having an effect on my father.
Only within the last couple of years has he
even been able to tell us of the horrors that
he experienced during his service. What
has told us is saddening, not only because
of the suffering the war caused him, but
also because there is a struggle for him to
show pride in the fact that he was there and
did a great service for our country.
My father served in the U.S. Navy.
He was assigned to the U.S.S. Iwo Jima
(LPH-2) which was in the area of DaNang,
South Vietnam at the time of the TET
Offensive. Being an amphibious assault
carrier they carried Marine Corps units and
helicopter squadrons of the USMC. When
the Tet Offensive began he told me “There
was suddenly a flurry of urgent activity on
board the ship.” He told of the seriousness
the Marines held as they readied for their
deployment, that there was “no joking or
cutting up as I’d seen in their other mission
preparations…We just had a sense that
something big was going on.
Because he was stationed on the signal
bridge, my father had a 360-degree view
of what was going on. The offensive left
such an impression in his mind and he
told me “It was one of the most horrible
and tragic sights I have ever seen. The
choppers were filled with body bags and
wounded and dying Marines.” Feeling
helpless and ashamed that he “had it so
good” while other soldiers his age were
being sent to such a horrible fate, he asked
himself a question I am sure many other
soldiers asked themselves…”Why and for
What?” It was that question that my dad
said gave him “a sense of abandonment”
by his country as well as a feeling of
“betrayal and frustration. I do not trust as
I did before Vietnam.” Yes, they won the
battles, but it made them question their
civilian and political leaders. My father
stated it best when he said, “wars are not
supposed to be politically correct, limited
engagement endeavors! We still have not
learned that lesson.”
Do we blame the media solely for this
sense of shame my father and others
like him have for their service? No, of
course there are many other factors that
play into the perception of win or lose.
But, had there been less involvement by
the media I can’t help but believe things
truly would have been different. The Tet
Offensive gave an opportunity to those
who were allowed to return home, safe
to their own bed and their families, to
undermine those fighting the war, those
who never knew from one day to the next
if they would ever get to see home again.
As my father so eloquently put it,”…it is
ironic that the patriotic youth that went
to Vietnam are the old men and women
that ho longer trust the government they
so faithfully served!”
The horror of combat and waging war
was seen by every person with access to a
television, the public wanted it go away…”
(5) Could it be any more obvious that our
Vietnam Veterans are still suffering from
the shame of that war? “During World
War II and Korea there was a unity of the
nation. That sense was lost in Vietnam.
Anti-establishment, draft dodgers, no pride
in our country, these things changed the
entire outlook of America.” (5) And so our
bookshelves remain empty, like the hearts
of many soldiers still fighting that battle in
their minds. Yes, it is too late to change the
past. Some battles were lost; some were
won, some perhaps even forgotten. But,
it’s not too late for those who can speak
out and share their stories…to write down
the words that speak volumes of pride and
satisfaction for a job well done. Vietnam
veterans are the history alive and because
of that, they can open the eyes of a nation
still living in the past by writing down
and celebrating your pride in your service
for this country. It is to you that we say
remember and share with us the real story
of Vietnam so that instead of a few small
shelves with only paperback books and
a sense of shame we can remember and
say with pride, your real history will live
forever. “Lest We Forget.”
Bibliography
1.Diem, Bui – In the Jaws of History. Indiana.
Indiana University Press, 1999 print
2.Cummins, Joseph – Why Some Wars Never End.
Massachusetts. Fair Winds Press, 2010 print
3.Jorgensen, Christer –Great Battles –
Decisive Conflicts That Have Shaped
History UK. Parragon, 2010 print
4.Karnow, Stanley – Vietnam A History.
New York, Penguin Books, 1998 print
5.Personal Interview. 27 April 2011
6.Tra, Van Tran –Vietnam. Washington
D.C. Foreign Broadcast Information
Service, 1983 print
TEXAS VV NEWS
15
The Effects of the TET Offensive
By Joseph Foutz – 2nd Place Winner – $750
(One of last year’s scholarship winners)
Today’s America is a place full of
people and their ideas. It is a land
where people trust and believe, love and
achieve. It is, for the most part, a stable
environment for people to live and
thrive in. It is a country where freedoms
and granted at birth, where mothers
love their children and fathers love their
mothers. Currently, it is a country in
the throes of war. War, however, to the
majority of the American population
is not something that is thought about
every day. It’s not a reality to them
personally because they are sitting
safely at home while others are doing
what needs to be done. War is a distant
tragedy that people groan and whine
about but don’t take too seriously until
something severe happens. This is
not necessarily bad but it does show
how desensitized and different today
is compared to years ago. Years ago,
the country waited anxiously for any
news that wars or battles were turning
in American favor and would be ended
swiftly. War was not something that
people tolerated easily. Granted, battles
are fought way differently than thirty
years ago and with less hand to hand
combat but still, in any skirmish, battle
or fight, lives are lost. During the
Vietnam War, which many Americans
did not want America to be in anyway,
North Vietnamese General Vo Nguyen
Giap led what came to be known as the
TET Offensive, “In the early morning
hours of January 31st, the first day
of the Vietnamese New Year, NFL/
NVA troops and commandos attacked
virtually every major town and city
in South Vietnam as well as most
of the important American bases
and airfields.” (Colvin) and blasted
America’s sense of unity and strength
to rubble.
“…the General launched a major
surprise offensive against America and
South Vietnamese forces on the eve
of the lunar New Year celebrations.
Province capitals throughout the
country were seized, garrisons
simultaneously attacked and, perhaps
most shockingly, in Saigon the U.S.
Embassy was invaded. The cost in
North Vietnamese casualties was
tremendous but the gambit produced
a pivotal media disaster for the White
House and the presidency of Lyndon
Johnson.” (Covin) Giap seemed to have
excellent insight into the problems that
the war was causing for America and
her people. “Was perfectly aware of the
growing U.S. peace movement and of
the deep divisions the war was causing
in American society.” (Covin) Before
even examining the crimes that Giap
committed, it is a little frightening to
see how much about America’s going
ons that he knew.
He seemed to not only know the fears
of the people but also to be able to sense
their ever growing unease with the
Vietnam War at all. The war was not
popular (war-sic) and many Americans
believed that it was a dealing that the
United States of America should have
stayed clear from. In a sense, Giap was
not only attacking the soldiers at war,
but he was attacking the rest of the
citizens because he knew what affect
the surprise attack of the TET Offensive
could have on them and what it would
make them think or do.
He purposely drove the already existent
“anti-war” wedge deeper into the heart
of the American people. “The object
of attacking the cities was not so much
to win in a single blow as it was to
inflict a series of humiliating defeats
on the Americans and to destroy the
authority of the Saigon Government.”
(Covin). General Giap knew that the
attacks he was issuing would not be
extremely devastating to his opposing
armies but that the small surprise defeats
would have a crushing blow on the hearts,
minds and souls of those back home.
Another striking characteristic of the
TET Offensive is that it was launched
on the Vietnamese New Year, which
is supposed to be a time of peace. It
was also used as a time to pay tribute
to the ancestors of their past. “Tet had
traditionally been a time of truce in the
long war and both Hanoi and Saigon had
made announcements that this year would
be no different—although they disagreed
about the duration.” (Covin). The fact
that Giap used this small window of time
to his advantage and destroy whatever
semblance of peace and tranquility existed
in an otherwise hostile environment
proves the barbarity and savagery of
his nature. Even more interesting is
that Giap knew that his attacks would
not be crippling or devastating to the
American forces but, “It was now clear
that the purpose of the attacks on the U.S.
garrisons in September had been to draw
out troops from the cities.” (Simkin).
Giap wanted to make a show. He wanted
a stage to perform on and was given one.
So, he took his men, gave the orders and
did exactly what he knew would be most
damaging in Vietnam and back home
in America. The fact that Giap’s men
were able to get into the U.S. Embassy
(grounds – sic) in Saigon was one of
the more effective and damaging parts
of the TET attack. The media effect
that this attack had on the United States
was disastrous because it was seen as an
attack on American soil.
From a military viewpoint, the TET
Offensive was seen as an American
victory. “During the TET Offensive the
NFL lost 37,000 soldiers while the U.S.
lost 2,500 men.” (Trueman). Although
any loss is seen as horrible, the stark
difference in numbers made the attack
a victory for the American and allied
forces. Once again though, the damage
done to American pride was irreversible.
Westmoreland, (sic the) United States
military leader had been convinced that
the North Vietnamese opponents did not
have the manpower nor the supplies to
replace those (sic) that they lost the
previous year in 1967. General Vo Nguyen
Giap proved him extremely wrong. The
surprise affront became a turning point in
the war. The surprise attack that General
Giap instigated proved to the American
military leaders that their enemies had
inexhaustible resources. Despite military
official Westmoreland exclaiming that
the war was almost over and that he just
needed more troops, President Johnson
had lost his willingness to keep America
in the fight that seemed never ending.
President Johnson turned to his advisors
and found them just as ready to be done
with the war as he was. They asked to see
that things were not going well and that
the time for change and action had come.
He began to try to find a solution and
his chief advisors suggest a negotiated
withdrawal. “President Johnson told the
America people on national television
that he was reducing the air-raids on
North Vietnam and intended to seek a
negotiated peace.” (Simkin)
American pride is a hard shell on
the belly of these great states we live
in. Pride at all, whether it be personal,
pride for your state (because we all
know there is no pride bigger than
Texas Pride) or pride in watching
your kindergartener’s first ballet is
a strong element to surviving hard
times. The fact of the matter is that no
matter what happens, during all times,
good or bad, hard or easy, Americans
and people in general have the ability
to thrive and conquer those that
threaten them. However, a large part
of this is dependent on the feelings
and stability of the person themselves.
Human nature is to stand tall, take
what gets thrown at you and then
manage. When Giap sent his men into
not only South Vietnamese cities and
town but also into the very heart of
U.S. power, where no enemy should
be able to go, he caused a stir like
no other. Metaphorically speaking,
he kicked the beehive and laughed at
the hum it created. America is a great
beehive of activity. America is a great
homeland for her children. America
is a fighting animal of a country
that will not back down and will not
surrender when times get tough. On
the contrary, America is also a loving
mother who thinks to the best of her
ability and does what she feels is best
for her people. She is not blinded by
hate, or love, or jealousy. However,
she is not hard-hearted. She feels pain
and sometimes that pain is unbearable.
General Giap’s TET Offfensive caused
a pain in America that was not easily
overlooked. Change had to happen
and it did. America got up, dusted off
the struggles, coped and did what she
felt was necessary.
Rep. Isaac Passes Legislation for Veteran’s Driver’s License
AUSTIN, TX – During the 82nd
legislative session, Rep. Jason Isaac
(R-Dripping Springs) was successful
in passing legislation that will allow
veterans to add an endorsement to their
Texas driver’s license. House Bill 1514
will help honorably discharged veterans
of the United States Armed Forces more
easily prove their status.
Rep. Isaac commented, “I have many
veterans in my family, and it was recently
brought to my attention that they often
must carry their discharge form (DD-
214) with them at all times in order to
prove their status. Many businesses,
organizations, and events provide
certain benefits to this honorable group
of citizens and it seems unnecessary
that this cumbersome form is the only
proof of service that they currently
have. Adding a small endorsement to a
veteran’s driver’s license is a common
sense solution to this issue.”
The bill takes effect on September
1st, but because the Department of
Public Safety (DPS) will need to
establish and approve rules as well
develop software for the new license,
it may not be available until several
months later. DPS is already working
on the implementation of the bill and
veterans across the state are welcome
to call Rep. Isaac’s office or request
to join his e-mail newsletter list for
updates on the progress of the license.
When
the
development
is
complete, veterans will simply have
to present proof of honorable service
at the DPS office when they renew
their license in order to have the
endorsement added.
Rep. Isaac continued, “My hope is
that this will not only make day to
day life more convenient for veterans,
but also cut down on instances of
fraud in which non-veterans seek
benefits reserved for those who have
bravely served our country. Although
no license, tax exemption, or benefit
can ever repay the debt owed to our
veterans, I hope these efforts are a small
token of appreciation for their service.”
16
TEXAS VV NEWS
Supreme Court to Hear Stolen Valor Case
By James Vicini, Editing by Paul Simao
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The
Supreme Court said on Monday that
it would decide whether a federal law
making it a crime to lie about being
awarded a military medal or decoration
violated free-speech rights.
The justices agreed to review a federal
appeals court ruling that struck down the
“Stolen Valor Act” passed by Congress
in 2006 because the law went too far in
infringing on constitutional freedom-ofspeech protections.
The law targets individuals who falsely
claim, verbally or in writing, that they won
a military decoration or medal. Violators
can face up to six months in prison, or up
to one year if elite awards, including the
Medal of Honor, are involved.
Appeals court judges who struck down
the law said that if lying about a medal
can be classified a crime, so can lying
about one’s age or finances on Facebook
or falsely telling one’s mother one does
not smoke, drink, have sex or speed.
The Supreme Court said it would
hear an Obama administration appeal
defending the law as constitutional and
arguing it served an important role of
protecting the integrity of the nation’s
military honors system.
The case involves Xavier Alvarez, who
was elected to a California water board
in Pomona. He introduced himself at a
board meeting in 2007 and said he was
a retired Marine who won the Medal
of Honor, the nation’s highest military
decoration.
Alvarez, described in court documents
as a congenital liar, never received the
award and never served in the military.
The FBI got a recording of the meeting
and Alvarez became the first person
charged under the law in 2007. He
pleaded guilty and was sentenced to pay
a $5,000 fine and perform more than 400
hours of community service at a veteran’s
hospital.
He then challenged the law for violating
his free-speech rights.
By a 2-1 vote, a U.S. appeals court based
in San Francisco threw out his conviction
and ruled the government cannot bar
speech simply because it was factually
false. It noted the misrepresentations
caused no harm or danger.
U.S. Solicitor General Donald Verrilli
appealed to the Supreme Court. He said
the law prohibited only a narrow category
of knowingly made false factual claims,
lies that steal the honor and prestige
associated with military medals.
Jonathan Libby, a deputy federal
public defender in Los Angeles
who represented Alvarez, urged the
Supreme Court to reject the appeal
because the question did not involve
broad importance and the appeals court
simply applied settled law.
He said Alvarez made his false claim
introducing himself as an elected officer at
a political event, a water district meeting,
and was unconstitutionally punished for
political speech.
Legislation has been introduced
in the U.S. House of Representatives
in May to amend the law and make
misrepresentations about receiving a
medal or decoration a crime only if there
had been intent to profit.
The Supreme Court is expected to hear
arguments in the case early next year,
with a ruling likely by the end of June.
The Supreme Court case is United
States v. Xavier Alvarez, No. 11-210.
Stolen Valor Updates
William Devereaux
[Source: Gloucester County Times,
John Barna article 5 Aug 2011]
A former state Military and Veterans
Affairs official violated the terms of
his probation to charges he falsified
records to gain a tax exemption afforded
those who served in the armed forces by
continuing to work with veterans after
being ordered to cease such activities, a
Superior Court judge here ruled.
In August Judge Irvin Snyder continued
probation for William Devereaux,
but warned Deveraux he would be
incarcerated if another such violation
occurred. Deveraux pleaded guilty
in 2010 to falsifying his veteran and
government records in order to receive
tax exemption and benefits. Devereaux
was sentenced by Snyder in April 2010
to theft by failure to make the required
disposition. The terms of his sentence
required Devereaux to forfeit his position
with the state’s Division of Veterans’
Services and prohibited him from holding
any job with the State of New Jersey. He
also agreed to reimburse Laurel Springs
$54,142.25 in unpaid taxes. He is serving
five years of probation, during which he
is banned from working with veterans in
any capacity.
Snyder determined Friday that
Devereaux had worked with veterans
in Willingboro on a volunteer basis
from May to October 2010. He assisted
them with claims related to requests for
records, including records associated
with health care and military benefits
– Bill Devereaux is Bill Devereaux’s
own worst enemy. Camden County
Assistant Prosecutor Mark Chase said
at the hearing. Devereaux, appointed
director of Veterans Programs for
the state Department of Military and
Veterans Affairs by former Gov. James
McGreevey, admitted to using falsified
veterans’ records and other falsified state
documents to wrongly claim exemption
from property taxes in Laurel Springs
from April 2002 to his arrest in November
2008. He falsely stated he was 100
percent permanently and totally disabled
due to military service, qualifying him for
property tax exemption. In fact, Veterans
Affairs had stated Devereaux was only
temporarily disabled and was eligible to
pay property taxes.
The U.S. Department of Veterans’
Affairs Office of Inspector General
Criminal Investigation Division is
continuing an investigation into other
records Devereaux is accused of falsifying
– specifically military benefits forms for
the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs
in which Devereaux claimed he was a
paratrooper and artilleryman, exchanged
fire with enemy combatants and was
involved in an incident of friendly fire.
He also claimed to have been injured
multiple times in Vietnam and asserted he
received medals such as the Purple Heart,
the Soldiers Medal and the Bronze Star
with .V. device. Devereaux was never a
paratrooper or artilleryman, according
to court records. He served as a finance
clerk in Vietnam for 4 months, 11 days
in 1968. There is no record of his being
injured in combat or his receiving the
medals he has boasted of receiving.
Robert Lawrence Deppe
[Source: Lake County News,
Elizabeth Larson article 23 Aug 2011]
Robert Lawrence Deppe, 57, of Upper
Lake CA was sentenced 23 AUG to three
years in state prison for stealing hundreds
of dollars from his brother-in-law and
replacing the money with counterfeit
bills. We gave him a pretty big break,
Deputy District Attorney John Langan
said of Deppe. Langan said Deppe could
have faced life in prison because he was a
three strikes candidate, with two previous
felony first-degree burglary convictions
that occurred about 20 years ago. The
report on the case explained that Deppe
turned himself in at the Lake County
Jail on 9 FEB after an investigation
began into allegations that he took money
from his brother-in-law – who lived with
Deppe and his wife, Lisa – as well as
taking money from Lisa Deppe herself.
Deppe was alleged to have taken from
his brother-in-law eight $100 bills and
five $20 bills and replaced them with
fake bills. He also allegedly took two
$100 bills from his wife’s purse, also
putting fake bills in their place, according
to the initial sheriff’s report. The District
Attorney’s Office later charged Deppe
with forgery and felony petty theft.
It was about that same time that Deppe,
the former post commander of Veterans
of Foreign Wars Post 2015, was accused
of having falsified a Vietnam service
record, leading to him leaving the post.
That incident was reported in the 1 MAR
Edition of the RAO Bulletin. Langan said
the fact that Deppe used counterfeit bills
to cover the thefts showed premeditation.
Deppe made a complete confession
to the thefts. Lisa Deppe – who paid
her brother back the stolen money –
asked for leniency, and it was Langan’s
understanding that she also was speaking
for her brother-in-law, but found out
later that the brother-in-law wasn’t asking
for Robert Deppe to be given a break
– It was my mistake, said Langan. He
said he invited Deppe’s brother-in-law
to come and make a statement to the
court and lodge a complaint about the
process if he had one. However, when
the man addressed the court he said he
was fine with the outcome. He also stated
that he loved his sister but was tired
of dealing with Deppe. Because of the
previous convictions Judge Blum turned
down probation. Deppe was immediately
taken into custody and transported to the
Lake County Jail. From there he will be
transported to the California Department
of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
David Oh
[Source: Military.com | by
Bryant Jordan article 24 Aug 2011]
Republican city council candidate
David Oh claimed he was a Green
Beret officer in 1988 before returning to
Philly in the early 1990s and becoming
a successful attorney. He leveraged his
Army resume in politics, working for
then-Mayor Ed Rendell and later Gov.
Tom Ridge during a trade mission to
South Korea. But an online watchdog
group that investigates claims of Special
Forces qualifications uncovered evidence
that Oh was never a tab-wearing Green
Beret. According to former SF Master
Sgt. Jeff “JD” Hinton, Oh was authorized
to wear a Green Beret while his unit
supported the Special Forces, but that
hardly makes him a Green Beret. “During
that time [Oh was in], everyone in the
unit wore the Green Beret,” Hinton said.
“It was organizational headgear. That
included cooks, truck drivers, lawyers,
supply guys. That, however, did not make
them SF cooks, SF truck drivers, SF
lawyers, SF supply guys, or SF officers.”
Oh is “parsing words for political gain,”
said Hinton, who runs the Web site
ProfessionalSoldiers.com
Oh’s campaign office did not
return Military.com’s calls, but the
candidate has been posting apologies
on his campaign Facebook page
to Hinton and other SF veterans,
and on SOCNET, another special
operations-oriented Web site that
challenged his claims. In many of
his postings, he maintains that while
he wore the Green Beret, he never
wore the tab that only SF-qualified
Soldiers may wear. In his posting
to SOCNET, Oh said he was sorry
for his offenses. Retired Army Brig.
Gen. Bruce B. Bingham said Oh “is
seriously out of order. Just because
this guy served briefly as a nonqualified [detachment] commander
does not give him the right to wear
the beret after leaving that unit
or after leaving the service when
wearing his uniform, like at Veterans
Day events,” said Bingham, who
previously commanded the Army
Civil Affairs and Psychological
Operations Command (Airborne) at
Fort Bragg, N.C., one of four major
commands comprising the U.S. Army
VALOR UPDATES, continued on page 17
TEXAS VV NEWS
17
VALOR UPDATES, continued from page 16
Special Operations Command. Even
qualified Special Forces Soldiers,
if reassigned to another unit, may
wear the Green Beret only under
certain circumstances and with the
permission of his local commander,
according to Bingham.
Oh is the second candidate for public
office this month to be called out over
claims he served in the military as a Green
Beret. In Florida, a retired Army Reserve
colonel and U.S. Senate candidate pulled
from his campaign Web site a claim that
he served with Army Special Forces,
including in “black ops” programs. Mike
McCalister removed the claim after a
group called “Stolen Valor” looked into
his record and contacted his campaign
and the media. McCalister also had to
retract claims that he testified before
Congress on national security matters.
“If there was any misrepresentation, I
accept responsibility,” he said 20 AUG.
“Fooling individuals is relativity easy as
very few people are too intimidated or
would be too embarrassed to question
a ‘Green Beret’ concerning his claims
or credentials, especially in today’s
climate,” Hinton said. “We have found
that this sort of behavior continues until
the individual is confronted by another,
real, Special Forces Soldier.”
This is what happened when an
author and lecturer who long posed as
a former Green Beret and expert on
human trafficking encountered Iraq
and Afghanistan war veterans taking
his course at the Monterey Institute of
International Studies in California earlier
this year. William “Bill” Hillar’s claims
of having been a Special Forces colonel
who later unsuccessfully tried to rescue
a daughter who had been kidnapped by
sex slave traffickers in Asia didn’t ring
true for the veterans in his class, and
some of them began asking questions.
Hinton began exposing the truth about
Hillar on his Web site. Hillar was arrested
at his Maryland home in January and
pleaded guilty in March to wire fraud.
Among his victims were law enforcement
agencies, including the FBI, which paid
him to lecture on international crime and
human trafficking. He is scheduled to
be sentenced next week, and Hinton has
been subpoenaed to testify at the hearing.
Michael Hamilton
[Source: Eyewitness News 9 Greenville
NC Alex Freedman article 8 Sep 2011]
Man accused of impersonating a
Marine Corps Colonel in court 68-yearold, Michael Hamilton, allegedly violated
the Stolen Valor Act.
A federal judge sentenced Michael
Hamilton of Richlands, North Carolina
who was convicted in APR to 16 months
in prison for counts one and two (false
statements and larceny of government
property, respectively), six months
on count three (unlawful wearing of
uniform), and 12 months on count four
(unlawful claim of military decorations
and medals). The sentences are to
run concurrently, meaning the shorter
sentences will be completed while
serving the longer 16-month sentences.
Hamilton will be on supervised release
for three years after his prison term.
The judge ordered Hamilton to pay
$37,635 in restitution and $235 for a
special assessment fee. The judge did
not impose any additional fines, stating
Hamilton would not be capable of
paying. Hamilton has been held at the
Pitt County Jail, but will be transferred
to the Butner Federal Corrections
Complex. Hamilton faced up to 16
years in prison and $600,000 in fines.
Authorities at Camp Lejeune began
investigating the 67-year-old Hamilton
after his picture showed up in the
Jacksonville Daily News. Hamilton
was a speaker at a Vietnam veteran
ceremony where he was dressed in a
Marine colonel’s uniform decorated with
four Silver Stars and eight Purple Hearts.
At his trial, several people testified that
Hamilton had been seen at other military
installations in recent years wearing
high-ranking Marine uniforms. An FBI
agent says Hamilton was caught at the
Naval Air Station in Norfolk wearing a
general’s uniform, in the summer of 2000
a Marine 2nd lieutenant saw Hamilton
in San Diego at a Marine graduation in
a colonel’s uniform, and in July 2007
Camp Lejeune got a call about man
wearing a lieutenant general’s uniform.
In that case Marines say Hamilton could
not produce ID and was escorted off
base. A records custodian for the Marine
Corps says Hamilton was on active duty
from July 1961 and April 1962 and
never served in combat and was never
wounded overseas. Hamilton’s own sister
testified that after getting his fingers hurt
at Camp Lejeune he lived at home with
his parents and she could account for
where he was between 1961 and 1966. It
was during that time period that Hamilton
said he was involved in secret operations
in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.
Jesus M. Garcia
[Source: Associated Press article,
1 Sep 2011]
Jesus M. Garcia, 20, accused of posing
as a wounded U.S. Army veteran who
served four tours in Afghanistan will
apply for accelerated rehabilitation
according to his attorney Mark Sherman.
Garcia, who appeared in state Superior
Court on Tuesday after he was charged
16 JUN with fraudulent use of military
insignia, fraudulent representation of an
armed forces uniform and several counts
of larceny, will also pay back about
$1,200 he allegedly made while asking
friends, family and the public to pay
for fabricated medical procedures. If the
court approves Garcia’s application for
AR, he will enter a special program
for first-time, nonviolent offenders that
involves placing him on probation and
dropping the charges after he completes
the terms with no further arrests. “Let me
be very clear that this case is not really
about money,” Sherman said. “It’s about
the egregious act of posing as a veteran.”
Greenwich Police Capt. James Heavey
said he suspected Garcia was a fraud in
late May because Garcia’s uniform was
askew. Garcia did not have his military
identification card when Heavey asked
him for it, Heavey said then. During an
interview, Garcia said he had wanted to
join the military since he was a child.
Garcia failed a test to enlist and never
graduated high school. Garcia posted
bond and is scheduled to appear in court
6 OCT.
The photo released by the Greenwich
Police Department shows Jesus M.
Garcia, 20, who was charged in June
with larceny, fraudulent representation
of Armed Force uniform, fraudulent use
of military insignia and interfering with
an officer after he gave a false name and
date of birth.
Purple Heart Veterans Foundation
Purple Heart Veterans Foundation: A
national group made up of veterans who
received the Purple Heart medal has asked
a federal judge to bar an unaffiliated
Kansas nonprofit from using the Purple
Heart trademark to solicit funds. The
Military Order of the Purple Heart, which
was founded in 1932 and chartered
by Congress in 1958, filed a federal
lawsuit last week against Tonganoxiebased Purple Heart Veterans Foundation,
claiming trademark infringement. The
Lawrence Journal-World reported that the
suit accuses the foundation of using the
trademark in a misleading manner, both
online and in person, to collect donations.
An investigation by the newspaper found
that only 11 cents of every $1 donated to
the foundation goes to support veterans.
Foundation director Andrew Gruber
said the lawsuit will probably force him to
dissolve the charity because of its limited
financial resources. Gruber said he wasn’t
aware of the Military Order of the Purple
Heart when he founded his organization
in 2009, and he didn’t intend to deceive
anyone with its soliciting and marketing
practices. He said information brought
to light by the newspaper’s investigation
“kind of opened my eyes.” He said he
meant well in his charity efforts, but
“didn’t have the proper skills to get it
done.” The lawsuit seeks a permanent
injunction to prevent the foundation
from using the Purple Heart name and
registered logos. The Kansas attorney
general’s office has the authority to file
a restraining order against a nonprofit if
anyone involved in soliciting funds has
been convicted of theft. Gruber spent six
months in a Kansas prison after pleading
guilty to stealing a rental car, and has
been paying a fundraising company run
by his brother Scott Gruber, who also
has a criminal record, the newspaper
reported. A spokesman for the attorney
general said the office was aware of
Gruber’s case, but would not comment
further. Gruber also founded another
nonprofit, Kids vs. Cancer, which his
brother Steven Gruber operates in Texas.
Andrew Gruber said he plans to transfer
leadership of that group to his brother.
Terry Richard Calandra
[Source: NavyTimes, Rick Maze
article 12 Oct 201]
Terry Richard Calandra, 62, now of
Belvidere, was sentenced to a year of
probation 11 OCT for pretending to
have won the Silver Star, the Distinguish
Service Cross and two Purple Hearts
for his service in Vietnam in the U.S.
Army in 1969. He even enlisted the
help of then-U.S. Sen. Arlen Specter
to have the Silver Star upgraded to a
U.S. Congressional Medal of Honor. As
recently as 2008, Specter said his office
was working to get the recognition for
Calandra, who claimed to have grabbed a
grenade to save six other soldiers during
Vietnam. Calandra told agents he made
up the story because .he liked how it
felt to be a hero, that it boosted his ego
and was an addiction. He said he was
sorry for lying but proud that his story
helped raise money for veterans through
the Military Order of the Purple Heart.
Before he made up his war stories, he
had a hard time soliciting donations for
flowers, memorials and help for veterans,
he told authorities.
Calandra told FBI investigators he was
wounded twice by booby traps. He also
told investigators the story about the live
grenade, which he claimed to have grabbed,
put in a ditch and jumped on, using his body
as a shield to protect the other soldiers.
He later admitted he heard about a battle
on March 23, 1969, and lied about his
involvement in it. He claimed he was in
a morphine-induced state when a general
pinned a Silver Star and Purple Heart
medals to his pillow and told another officer
Calandra was in line for a Medal of Honor.
As far back as 1998, he and friends lobbied
for him to receive the highest military
honor. Specter agreed to help him win the
honor in August 2008. By December 2008,
he was the subject of an FBI stolen valor
investigation – They came to me and handed
me a box with a Silver Star in it, Calandra
told The Express-Times at the time – My
(Distinguished Service Cross) came to me
in the mail –I have nothing to hide. He later
admitted his Distinguished Service Cross is
a replica he bought in a military magazine.
Calandra pleaded guilty to making false
statements. U.S. District Court Judge Mary
A. McLaughlin ordered Calandra to serve
a year of probation, pay a $500 fine and
to forfeit the phony medals. “I’m shocked.
I’m at a loss for words,” said retired Warren
County Clerk Terry Lee, who started the
local Rolling Thunder motorcycle veterans’
organization with Calandra. Lee said he
worked on “many, many” veterans’ projects
with Calandra, including construction of
the Warren County War Memorial. “I’ve
served in many ceremonies with him,” Lee
said. “Hoisted a lot of MIA/POW flags
with him.”
Terry Calandra incarcerated for
felonies, temporarily eliminating flight
training as an education benefit and
reducing how much the Veterans Affairs
Department paid for correspondence
courses. Other cuts included having
veterans’ benefits start on the first day
of the month following a benefit award
rather than immediately, and rounding
cost-of-living adjustments to the next
lowest dollar. On multiple occasions,
Congress has restored temporary
increases in the origination fees charged
on veterans’ home loans. Past deficitreduction packages also contained the
first prescription drug co-payments for
VALOR UPDATES, continued on page 18
18
TEXAS VV NEWS
VALOR UPDATES, continued from page 17
veterans who were not being treated for
service-connected causes, and reduced
pensions for low-income veterans who
were receiving full-time hospital or
nursing home care.
No dollar figures are included in the
research service report. The Congressional
Budget Office, another nonpartisan arm
of Congress, is working on estimates for
how much could be saved by reusing
some of the old ideas, something that
will be helpful when the deficit reduction
committee begins to make decisions.
The deficit reduction panel, known as
the super committee, has 12 members,
equally divided between Republicans and
Democrats. It has until Nov. 18 to decide
how to achieve the savings and until
Nov. 23 to produce a formal report and
legislative language covering the details
of savings. Representatives of veterans’
service organization who have met with
super committee members have been
warned that VA will not be exempt from
budget cuts, but they have not been told
of any specific proposals.
NC Academy Head Suspected
of Posing as Vietnam Vet
By Mike Baker, Associated Press –
Thu Apr 7, 2011
OAK RIDGE, N.C. – Well before
he became commandant of North
Carolina’s only military boarding
academy, William Northrop regaled
people with stories of serving in the
jungles of Vietnam – how he was
wounded in battle, how some comrades
committed suicide, how he used
amphetamines on patrol.
But his war stories may be pure fiction.
There is no record Northrop ever served
in the military, let alone Vietnam.
Northrop, 66, left as commandant at
Oak Ridge Military Academy last fall
after just a few months on the job, the
same day a parent formally asked school
officials to look into his background.
He refused to discuss his past or
explain the discrepancies in his record
to an Associated Press reporter. The
academy’s president would not discuss
Northrop’s background either.
If his claim of wartime service proves
false, it will be the latest and one of
the most audacious to emerge in recent
years, and comes as the courts grapple
with the constitutionality of a 2006
federal law that makes it a crime to pose
as a war hero.
The academy, with an enrollment
of about 125, had hired Northrop to
oversee the cadets even though there
had been long-standing suspicions
about him, including a 1998 book on
military impostors, “Stolen Valor,” that
pronounced Northrop a “pretender.”
Northrop claimed in a 1992 book
profiling veterans that he served as
a Special Forces officer in Vietnam
and Laos and also saw duty with the
Israeli military.
He provided intimate stories about
life in the war zone and told the
author of “Saigon to Jerusalem” that
the experience still haunted him. Oak
Ridge’s archives, which Northrop
helped develop, likewise say he served
with the Army in Vietnam.
A photo on the Oak Ridge Web site
shows Northrop in fatigues, boots and a
dark beret.
In response to a request from the AP,
the National Archives said it could find
no record of Northrop’s military service
after extensive searches and a check
with the FBI. The National Archives
manages a big records center for those
who served in the military, and even
provides basic details on those who
took part in covert operations.
Northrop’s account of being wounded
in the February 1968 battle of Lang
Vei also doesn’t match military records.
Official accounts said 24 Americans were
involved and 10 were killed. Northrop
isn’t named in those accounts, nor is he
on a roster of Special Forces personnel
from that time.
“He’s lying. The whole thing is a lie,”
said Paul R. Longgrear, 67, who was
in the Lang Vei battle. Longgrear said
he was a little angry and repulsed while
reading Northrop’s account of Lang Vei
from “Saigon to Jerusalem,” written by
Eric Lee.
The Israel Defense Forces also couldn’t
confirm any record of Northrop, and
“Stolen Valor,” by B.G. Burkett and
Glenna Whitley, cited numerous
inaccuracies in Northrop’s war stories
and his supposed service record.
Northrop told an AP reporter that he
left Oak Ridge to work on a business
opportunity, not because of any questions
about his credentials.
“I’m not running for president. I’m not
explaining anything,” he said. He warned
a reporter to “be careful.”
Oak Ridge, a college preparatory school
about 100 miles northwest of Raleigh that
was founded in 1852 and bills itself as
the second-oldest military academy in the
country, has struggled recently. A few years
ago, it was unable to pay its employees
or its creditors. And a coach resigned last
month after the Securities and Exchange
Commission accused him of diverting
money for his own use.
Cuyler McKnight, who was Oak Ridge
president when Northrop was hired, said
Northrop was working as a volunteer in
the academy’s archives office when the
two met in 2009. By the middle of 2010,
the academy needed a commandant, and
McKnight thought Northrop, a 1962
graduate, would be good for the job
because he clearly cared for the school.
McKnight said he learned of concerns
about Northrop’s background only after
he left as president in September.
The current president, David Johnson,
said in a note to parents that he accepted
Northrop’s resignation Oct. 26, and
touted improvements Northrop made to
the campus. In an interview, Johnson said
he was unaware of any worries about
Northrop’s background before or after the
commandant’s departure.
However, Lori Yon, whose 17-year-old
son attended Oak Ridge, said she sent a
hand-delivered letter to Johnson on the
day of Northrop’s departure asking for an
investigation. She had been looking into
the commandant’s history after she found
encounters with him to be volatile and
bizarre. One time, she said, he flew into
a tirade after she informed him about her
son’s back injury. Yon has since taken her
son out of the academy.
Northrop told a reporter that Yon was
spreading nonsense about him and said her
son just “couldn’t cut it.”
School officials have refused to say
whether they are investigating Northrop.
Recently he was a guest speaker at a
student ceremony, according to two
people who attended. They spoke on
condition of anonymity, citing fears of
retribution from school leaders.
Jim Shields, who has an 18-year-old
son at Oak Ridge, said Northrop typically
wore civilian clothes on campus. But on
one September afternoon, Shields saw
Northrop wearing an Army uniform with
captain’s bars, patches for Rangers and
Special Forces, and three full rows of
service ribbons.
Congress passed a law that makes
it illegal to falsely claim to have been
awarded medals or other decorations
from the U.S. military. A federal court
last year deemed the law unconstitutional,
saying it infringes on free speech. The
case – involving Rick Strandlof, who was
arrested in 2009 after claiming he was
wounded in Iraq as a Marine and received
the Purple Heart and Silver Star – is now
before an appeals court.
Host of the show,
“Deadliest Warrior” Robert Daly
[Source: Military.com News,
Bryant Jordan article 14 Oct 2011]
The host of the show “Deadliest
Warrior” – a TV series that pits warriors
of different eras against each other – has
resigned over lying about his purported
Green Beret background. Robert Daly,
a former imagery specialist assigned to
an intelligence unit at the Presidio in
Monterey, Calif., claimed online in May to
“having been in the Special Forces.” In an
11 OCT mea culpa (i.e. a Latin phrase that
translates into English as “my mistake” or
“my fault”) to ProfessionalSoldiers.com,
a Web site run by a former Special Forces
master sergeant, Daly said he served as an
intelligence analyst for the 12th Special
Forces Group from 1991 to 1994, but
was not a Green Beret. “While I wore the
[Green Beret] as part of my uniform, I
utterly regret that I have misrepresented
my role by creating the impression that
I was a ‘Green Beret,’ ” Daly wrote.
“I have nothing but the utmost respect
for the Green Berets and my fellow
servicemen, and I respectfully apologize
to the Special Forces community.”
In the same posting Daly said he was
resigning as studio head of Pipeworks
Software, which produces “Deadliest
Warrior,” and would no longer host the
program. Pipeworks did not respond to
Military.com’s request for comment.
The new host for “Deadliest Warriors”
will be Richard “Mack” Machowicz, a
former Navy SEAL and current host
of “Future Weapons,” according to an
announcement on Spike TV’s Web site.
Spike carries both shows as original
programming. The same web page also
continues to refer to Daly as a “former
Green Beret.” Hinton told Military.com,
“Robert Daly had no doubt to the validly
of his ‘Green Beret’ claims, neither did
Professionalsoldiers.com. There is no
debate, no gray area. Being referred to
as a ‘Green Beret’ is analogous to being
pregnant. You either are or you are not.”
Daly is not the first veteran who served
in a Special Forces unit to later promote
himself as a Green Beret. In Philadelphia,
city council candidate David Oh claimed
in campaign literature to having been a
Green Beret. Oh ended up making an
online apology to the Special Forces
community via the Web site Socnet.
com. Hinton has become the bane of
phony Green Berets and Navy SEALs,
exposing numerous fakes by getting
their publicly available records through
Freedom of Information Act requests
and using his own network in the Special
Forces. In August Hinton testified before
a Maryland judge prior to the sentencing
of William G. “Bill” Hillar, who for years
passed himself off as a former Special
Forces colonel and expert in international
sex trafficking. Hillar taught classes on
the subjects at the Monterey Institute
of International Studies, and conducted
paid lectures to law enforcement groups
and agencies. Among his victims was the
FBI. Hillar was sentenced to 21 months
in jail for wire fraud after admitting
that an e-mail he sent to the University
of Oregon to apply for work included
fraudulent information about his military
background and experience. “All I do is
expose them,” Hinton said. “Ninety-nine
percent of the time someone else ‘finds’
them and then asks that poser questions.”
Once a skeptic asks “Is this guy for
real?” he said, “That’s the last words for
a poseur.”
TEXAS VV NEWS
19
Tic Toc, Tic Toc…
Will Congress Run Out the Clock?
By Ed Mattson - Military Affairs Examiner - October 31, 2011
Description: How will COLA be
reflected by the Super Committee?
When Congress returned from its
summer recess and the joint select
committee charged with reducing
the deficit began its work in earnest,
the news media, in an effort to take
the pressure off the President and
the wasteful Congress of 2008-2009,
focused all the attention on the Super
Committee. In the constant battle to
bolster the administration we continue
to see a biased slant regarding anything
to do with President Obama in most
news publications.
This includes now blaming all of
Washington’s budget ills on a “do
nothing Congress” and a “bunch of
Republicans intent on blocking all
budget ideas”, when in fact our real
budgetary problems which have been
building for years, were compounded
by the current administration.
What we really have had since 2008
is a “do everything” President and
a complicit Congress. While many
Americans are beginning to catch on,
most still don’t get it. With COLA
(Cost of Living Increase Adjustment)
now becoming part of the Beltway
conversation, we must become engaged.
According to a 2011 Pew Research
Poll, we still have the majority of
Americans that are either, dense, stupid,
ignorant, or simply don’t care as long
as they keep getting free goodies from
Washington. How else can one explain
that only 43% of Americans know
that John Boehner (Republican) is the
Speaker of the House, and that 40% of
the total US energy comes from coal
(many were thinking “green energy”).
Additionally, only 38% of Americans
realize that Republicans only control
the House of Representative - one
half of Congress which makes up only
1/3 of the ability to enact laws, and
didn’t realize that Democrats control
2/3 of the government with the Senate
and Presidency. Yet more than one
half know the founder of Facebook
(Zuckerberg) and 91% of Americans
know Lady Gaga or lyrics to her music.
This brings us around to what is needed
to be discussed today… “The Cost of
Living Adjustment (COLA)”; what it
is, how and when it will be applied, to
whom, is it fair, how is calculated, and
how it will affect the Super Committee’s
task of cutting the budget by $1.3 trillion
dollars. It’s a big task and will take more
than one brief article or sound bite.
What is COLA? COLA is not to
be confused with the Consumer Price
Index (CPI), but is used to adjust the
CPI during inflationary times. You’ve
heard the old expression, “the dollar
ain’t what it used to be”. That refers
to the fact that the purchasing power
of the dollar has been diminished by
inflationary factors such as government
spending, national debt, wage and salary
increases, improved productivity in the
workforce, and other factors beyond the
control of the citizenry.
The cost of living is a certain standard
used by the Bureau of Labor Statistics
(BLS) as a baseline from which to weigh
the purchasing power of the dollar.
The CPI is a cost-of-living index and
reflects changes in the prices of goods and
services, such as food and clothing that
are directly purchased in the marketplace.
A complete cost-of-living index would go
beyond this to also take into account changes
governmental or environmental factors that
affect consumers’ well-being and spending
habits. The treatment of public goods,
such as safety and education, health, water
quality, and crime are needed to provide a
complete cost-of-living framework. COLA
is used as a factor to balance the changes
in the CPI.
Is the CPI accurate? Only you can be
the judge of that question. Ask yourself,
as in the case of the current assessment
of CPI needing an upward adjustment
of 3.6% (COLA). Does that 3.6% really
cover the increased cost in that 10-pound
bag of potatoes which was $3.97 two
years ago and now costs $4.97? Does it
reflect the latest increase in healthcare
insurance, the cost of gasoline, the
increasing price of eggs, and the increase
cost for school services provided to your
children? In short can you still make it on
your pay check?
The CPI does not include investment
items, such as stocks, bonds, real estate
(how’s the value of your home these
days) , and life insurance. (These items
relate to savings and not to day-to-day
consumption expenses.) In other words,
when the government thought it would
be nice if “everyone should be able
to own a home”, whether they could
afford it or not, and looked the other
way while credit applications were
falsified causing the entire mortgage
market to collapse, your retirement
plans were probably severely altered as
your net worth plummeted. Not a penny
is covered in the CPI.
The CRI is supposed to include
analysis of costs involving the following
normal and customarily purchased
goods and services:
• FOOD AND BEVERAGES (breakfast
cereal, milk, coffee, chicken, wine, full
service meals, snacks)
• HOUSING (rent of primary residence,
owners’ equivalent rent, fuel oil,
bedroom furniture)
• APPAREL (men’s shirts and sweaters,
women’s dresses, jewelry)
• TRANSPORTATION (new vehicles,
airline fares, gasoline, motor vehicle
insurance)
• MEDICAL CARE (prescription drugs
and medical supplies, physicians’
services, eyeglasses and eye care,
hospital services)
• RECREATION (televisions, toys, pets
and pet products, sports equipment,
admissions);
• EDUCATION AND COMMUNICATION (college tuition, postage, telephone services, computer software and
accessories);
• OTHER GOODS AND SERVICES
(tobacco and smoking products,
haircuts and other personal services,
funeral expenses).
Now that we understand more about
the CPI and COLA, how, and when
is COLA applied, and who benefits
from the automatic adjustment in
salaries and wages. Over the last couple
of decades, most public workers (you
know, those who work in local, state,
and federal jobs), unions, and yes, even
our elected representative benefited from
COLA increases. Many of those in the
private sector workplace INCLUDING
the business owners did not. Most
importantly, those who really need the
inflationary adjustment are those living
on Social Security and Veterans, both
disabled and those living on retirement
benefit (mostly those who retired as
“enlisted military”).
The current crowd down occupying
Wall Street, are protesting inequities in
the Capitalistic system. They are quick to
point out facts and figures to justify why
they, in many instances, are protesting
rather than working. Unfortunately the
old axiom, “liars figure and figures lie”,
still holds true.
One of the greatest myths being
perpetuated is that the rich are getting
richer while the poor are getting poorer.
Unfortunately, most don’t have a clue as to
what’s going on and many are simply being
manipulated by those wanting to destroy
what made America Great. The real crux
of the protest is money…and the anger at
those that have more than those doing the
protesting…class envy and warfare is the
consistent theme that prevails.
The New York Times called it
“Soaring Poverty Casts Spotlight on
‘Lost Decade’” in a recent article. It is
true that if we look at entry level wage
earners, THE LOWER BRACKET,
it is still based mainly on minimal
wage earners. The MIDDLE CLASS
BRACKET (those making $48,000
up to a little over $66,000), UPPER
MIDDLE INCOME BRACKET (those
making up to $100,000 to $135,000) ,
and those who the protester consider
RICH. The class warfare being waged
today has many Americans believing
those in the RICH category got there
by ill-gotten means, not by higher
education, hard work, and putting
capital at risk.
The problem with such numbers and
those who simply throw them around is that
no thought is given that the fact that people
move in and out of the different brackets
constantly. In an editorial in Investor’s
Business Daily last year, Thomas Sowell
made this powerful insightful comment
about the issue (emphasis added below):
Only by focusing on the income
brackets, instead of the actual people
moving between those brackets, have the
intelligentsia and political elite been able
to verbally create a “problem” for which
a “solution” is necessary (i.e. government
interference in the free market). They have
created a powerful vision of “classes”
with “disparities” and “inequities” in
income, caused by “barriers” created by
“society” (the capitalistic, free-market
system). “But the routine rise of millions
of people out of the lowest brackets over
time makes a mockery of the “barriers”
assumed by many, if not most, of the
intelligentsia” (this includes those in the
news media).
With the knowledge that we will
always need an entry level LOWER
INCOME BRACKET as a place where
those without education, critical skills,
part time employees, and those just
entering the job force will have a place
to start, it is no wonder that the income in
that bracket is fairly static. Most in that
category have a desire to move up the
income brackets, and most do.
One certainly can’t expect businesses
to pay wages disproportionate to skill
levels, or there simply would be no
place for workers to get a starting job.
The LOWER INCOME BRACKET,
while not always a direct beneficiary
to COLA adjustments, often gets a
boost in the minimum wage rate,
by legislation enacted by Congress.
This by the way, is always seen later
affecting the next COLA adjustment as
the cost for minimum wage worker’s
wages is reflected in the cost to harvest,
manufacture, deliver, and service, for
the marketplace.
The beauty of the free market and
capitalistic system in general, is that the free
movement between the income brackets
is, in most cases, a result of hard work
and entrepreneurial reward. In short, those
believing in free enterprise, make their
own COLA by improving their education,
working longer hours, or creating new
products and services. This is why people
gravitate to the US for its opportunities.
The need for COLA, however, is to
provide for those who have are held
captive in a system where there are
no alternatives and see their income
diminished from government policies,
natural disasters, fluctuating supplies,
all beyond their control…those on
fixed incomes. I believe this is part
of the true “safety net” that a civil
society should support.
How Will COLA be reflected by the
Super Committee?
[Source:http://www.examiner.com/
military-affairs-in-national/tic-toc-tictoc-will-congress-run-out-the-clock?]
✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
20
TEXAS VV NEWS
21,000 Nonprofit Organizations in Texas Lose Tax-Exempt Status
By Darren Barbee | Star Telegram
Starting in the late 1980s, with
sometimes brutal politics simmering in
Colleyville, residents of that community
– some of them enemies – came together
to have a barbecue.
Over the years, the Colleyville Bar-B-Q
Cook-Off Association, a nonprofit, went on
to raise $178,000 for a community center
and library, co-founder Lynn Bural said.
“It soothed over the ills that were so bad,”
Bural said.
Then somewhere along the line,
someone didn’t file the right papers. The
organization ran into a little trouble. The
grills grew cold.
Now the organization is basically
dead after the IRS yanked its tax-exempt
status in a sweeping move that eliminated
275,000 organizations that failed to
follow the rules. Targeted organizations
had not filed annual reports for three
consecutive years.
The IRS says the vast majority of
the organizations were defunct, but it
also announced special steps to help
any existing organizations apply for
reinstatement of their tax-exempt status.
In Texas, more than 21,400 nonprofits
are no longer tax-exempt.
Barry Silverberg, president and CEO
of the Texas Association of Nonprofit
Organizations, said Texas had about
100,000 tax-exempt organizations,
including 72,000 nonprofits classified as
501(c)(3), which made donations to them
tax-deductible. The nonprofit status of
more than 14,100 of those organizations
was revoked, leaving roughly 58,000,
Silverberg said.
About 2,070 advocacy groups, for
which donations were not tax-deductible,
also lost their exemption.
Silverberg said the IRS is simply
clearing away a multitude of deadwood.
“This is not a story of the big bad IRS.
If it was, believe me, we would be” up in
arms, he said. “Really the IRS is doing its
job and cleaning up.”
Across the state, well-known
organizations to lose their exemptions
included roughly 160 American Legion
posts, about 110 Knights of Columbus
organizations and 100 League of United
Latin American Citizens councils. It’s
unclear to what extent that dents those
organizations’ overall ranks.
Defunct organizations in Tarrant County
include Furever Friends, Original King
Kids of America and Forgotten Children.
An organization called Southside
Church of Christ Educational Foundation,
founded in 1997 at 1800 Park Place Ave.
in Fort Worth, was also axed. Officials at
Southside Church of Christ on Hemphill
Street hadn’t heard of it.
For the past several years, the IRS
has tried to prod tens of thousands of
organizations nationwide to file required
financial reports. It mailed more than 1
million notices to organizations that had not
done so. And, last year, the IRS published
a list of at-risk groups and gave smaller
organizations an extra five months to
comply. The requirement to file information
was part of a law enacted in 2006.
In October, Silverberg expected
about 28,000 Texas organizations to
lose their status. However, about 6,000
organizations apparently took steps to
adjust their status with the IRS.
Texas saw “roughly a 19 to 20 percent
reduction in number of 501(c)(3)s in the
state,” he said. Still, IRS Commissioner
Doug Shulman said the agency realizes
that some legitimate organizations,
especially small ones, may be unaware
of their filing requirement. “We are
taking additional steps for these groups to
maintain their tax-exempt status without
jeopardizing their operations or harming
their donors,” he said in a news release.
The IRS said reinstatement, including
retroactive reinstatement, is possible.
Small organizations may regain their taxexempt status retroactive to the date of
revocation and pay a reduced application
fee of $100. More information is available
at www.irs.gov
In Colleyville, the brisket goes on.
In place of the old barbecue association,
this April the new Colleyville Bar-B-Q
Cook Off, benefiting Special Olympics
Texas, held its 10th annual rib fest.
About $20,000 went to the Special
Olympics, said Charlie Hall of Hall’s
Grocery & Farmers Outlet.
“We struggled,” he said, “but this year
was our biggest year to give.”
Retiring of the Last Huey…The End of a Vietnam Era Icon
This is the speech given at Fort Rucker when they retired the last Huey: CW4 Lawrence Castagneto, 17 May 2011.
As a Vietnam Veteran Army Aviator, I
would like to thank everyone for coming
to this special occasion, on this to be
honest…very sad day, the end of a era.
An era that has spanned over 50 years.
The retirement of this grand old lady
“OUR MOTHER”…the Huey.
I would like to thank, MG Crutchfield
for allowing me to speak at this event
and try to convey in my own inadequate,
meager way…what this aircraft means to
me and so many other Vietnam veterans.
First a few facts:
It was 48 years ago this month that
the first Huey arrived in Vietnam with
units that were to become part of the
145th and the 13th Combat Aviation
Battalions; both units assigned here at
Ft Rucker today. While in Vietnam,
the Huey flew approximately
7,457,000 combat assault sorties;
3,952,000 attack or gunship sorties
and 3,548,000 cargo supply sorties.
That comes to over 15 million sorties
flown over the paddies and jungles of
Nam , not to include the millions of
sorties flown all over the world and
other combat zones since then…what
a amazing journey…I am honored and
humbled to have been a small part of
that journey.
To those in the crowd that have had the
honor to fly, crew, or ride this magnificent
machine in combat, we are the chosen
few, the lucky ones. They understand
what this aircraft means, and how hard
it is for me to describe my feelings about
her as a Vietnam combat pilot…for she is
alive…has a life of her own, and has been
a lifelong friend.
How do I break down in a few minutes
a 42 year love affair, she is as much a
part of me, and to so many others…as
the blood that flows through our veins.
Try to imagine all those touched over the
years…by the shadow of her blades.
Other aircraft can fly overhead and
some will look up and some may not; or
even recognize what they see but, when
a Huey flies over everyone looks up and
everyone knows who she is…young
or old all over the world she connects
with all.
To those that rode her into combat…
the sound of those blades causes our
heart beat to rise…and breaths to
quicken…in anticipation of seeing that
beautiful machine fly overhead and
the feeling of comfort she brings. No
other aircraft in the history of aviation
evokes the emotional response the Huey
does…combat veteran’s or not…she is
recognized all around the world by young
and old, she is the ICON of the Vietnam
war, U.S. Army Aviation, and the U.S.
Army. Over 5 decades of service she
carried Army Aviation on her back, from
bird dogs and piston powered helicopters
with a secondary support mission, to the
force multiplier combat arm that Army
Aviation is today.
Even the young aviators of today, that
are mainly Apache pilot’s, Blackhawk
pilot’s, etc., that have had a chance to
fly her will tell you there is no greater
feeling, honor, or thrill then to be
blessed with the opportunity to ride
her thru the sky…they may love there
Apaches and Blackhawks, but they will
say there is no aircraft like flying the
Huey “it is special”.
There are two kinds of helicopter pilots:
those that have flown the Huey and those
that wish they could have.
The intense feelings generated for this
aircraft are not just from the flight crews
but, also from those who rode in back…
into and out of the “devils caldron”.
As paraphrased here from “Gods own
lunatics”, Joe Galloway’s tribute to the
Huey and her flight crews and other
Infantry veterans comments:
Is there anyone here today who does
not thrill to the sound of those Huey
blades?? That familiar whop-whop-whop
is the soundtrack of our war…the lullaby
of our younger days it is burned in to our
brains and our hearts. To those who spent
their time in Nam as a grunt, know that
noise was always a great comfort. Even
today when I hear it, I stop…catch my
breath…and search the sky for a glimpse
of the mighty eagle.
To the pilots and crews of that
wonderful machine…we loved you, we
loved that machine.
No matter how bad things were…if
we called…you came…down through
the hail of green tracers and other
visible signs of a real bad day off to
a bad start. I can still hear the sound
of those blades churning the fiery sky.
To us you seemed beyond brave and
fearless…Down you would come to us
in the middle of battle in those flimsy
thin-skin-chariots…into the storm of
fire and hell…we feared for you, we
were awed by you. We thought of
you and that beautiful bird as “God’s
own lunatics”…and wondered…who
are these men and this machine and
where do they come from…Have to be
“God’s Angels”.
So with that I say to her, that beautiful
lady sitting out there, from me and all
my lucky brothers, that were given the
honor to serve their country, and the
privilege of flying this great lady in
skies of Vietnam . Thank you for the
memories…thank you for always being
there…thank you for always bringing
us home regardless of how beat up and
shot up you were. Thank You!!!!
You will never be forgotten, we loved
you then…we love you now…and will
love you till our last breath.
And as the sun sets today, if you listen
quietly and closely you will hear that faint
wop wop wop of our mother speaking to
all her children past and present who rode
her into history in a blaze of glory she
will be saying to them: I am here. I will
always be here with you. I am at peace
and so should you be.
TEXAS VV NEWS
21
Vietnam War Military History Anniversaries
Aug 04 1964 - Vietnam: The U.S.S.
Maddox and Turner Joy exchange fire
with North Vietnamese patrol boats.
Aug 07 1964 - Vietnam: Congress
overwhelmingly passes the Gulf of
Tonkin Resolution, allowing the president
to use unlimited military force to prevent
attacks on U.S. forces.
Aug 11 1972 - Vietnam: The last U.S.
ground forces withdraw from Vietnam.
Aug 12 1969 - Vietnam: American
installations at Quan-Loi come under
Viet Cong attack.
Aug 14 1973 - Vietnam: The United States
ends the “secret” bombing of Cambodia.
Sep 04 1967 - Vietnam: Operation
Swift begins: U.S. Marines engage the
North Vietnamese in
battle in the Que Son Valley.
Sep 11 1965 - Vietnam: The 1st
Cavalry Division of the United States
Army arrives in country.
Sep 16 1972 - Vietnam: South
Vietnamese troops recapture Quang Tri
province in South Vietnam from the
North Vietnamese Army.
Sep 16 1967 - Vietnam: Siege of Con
Thien Began.
Sep 18 1964 - Vietnam: North
Vietnamese Army begins infiltration of
South Vietnam.
Sep 18 1964 - Vietnam: U.S. destroyers’
fire on hostile targets.
Sep 20 1965 - Vietnam: Seven U.S.
planes are downed in one day.
Sep 21 1961 - Maiden flight of the
CH-47 Chinook transportation helicopter.
Oct 05 1965 - Korea: U.S. forces in
Saigon receive permission to use tear gas
Oct 05 1966 - Vietnam: Hanoi insists
the United States must end its bombings
before peace talks can begin.
Oct 08 1968 - Vietnam: U.S. forces in
launch Operation Sealord, an attack on
North Vietnamese supply lines and base
areas in the Mekong Delta.
Oct 21 1967 - Vietnam: The “March
on the Pentagon,” protesting American
involvement draws 50,000 protesters.
Oct 22 1972 - Oct 22 1972 - Vietnam:
The 5-1/2 month Operation Linebreaker
I bombing of North Vietnam ended.
Bombing resumed as Linebreaker II from
18 to 29 DEC.
Oct 23 1965 - Vietnam War: The 1st Air
Cavalry Division launch a new operation,
seeking to destroy North Vietnamese forces
in Pleiku in the Central Highlands.
Oct 31 1968 - Vietnam: The bombing of
North Vietnam is halted by the United States.
Oct 31 1971 - Vietnam: Saigon begins
the release of 1,938 Hanoi POW’s.
Nov 01 1968 - Vietnam: President
Lyndon B. Johnson calls a halt to
bombing in Vietnam, hoping this will
lead to progress at the Paris peace talks.
Nov 03 1967 - Vietnam: The Battle of
Dak To 3-11 NOV.
Nov 04 1967 - Vietnam: American
troops broke a North Vietnamese 6 day
assault at Loc Ninh, near the Cambodian
border.
Nov 11 1970 - Vietnam: U.S. Army
Special Forces raid the Son Tay prison
camp in North Vietnam but find no
prisoners.
Nov 12 1969 - Vietnam: My Lai
Massacre - Independent investigative
journalist Seymour Hersh breaks the My
Lai story.
Nov 13 1982 - The Vietnam Veterans
Memorial is dedicated in Washington,
D.C. after a march to its site by thousands
of Vietnam War veterans.
Nov 14 1961 - Vietnam: President
Kennedy increases the number of
American advisors in Vietnam from
1,000 to 16,000.
Nov 14 1965 - Vietnam: Battle of Chu
Pon-ia Drang River. U.S. 1st Calvary
fought North Vietnamese regulars 14-17.
The second battle was fought by ARVN
Airborne Brigade 18-26 NOV.
Nov 15 1969 - Vietnam: A quarter of a
million anti-War demonstrators march in
Washington, D.C.
Vietnam Military Trivia
1. What South Vietnamese decoration was
issued to almost all US soldiers in Vietnam?
2. For a period of time the RVN
government awarded their highest
gallantry award posthumously to any
enlisted and NCO US soldier killed in
action. What award was this?
3. On the RVN Campaign Medal there is
something odd about its ribbon device.
What is it?
4. It’s 1969. You’ve just completed your
first tour in Vietnam with the Army
and wear your ribbons on your dress as
you head home. Which of the following
ribbons would you NOT expect to
have on your jacket - RVN Campaign
Medal, Soldier’s Medal, Vietnam
Campaign Medal, or National Defense
Service Medal?
5. For your exceptional service as colonel
in Vietnam the ARVN awarded you
this very prestigious medal. But when
you first see it you think it’s kind of
a joke; the thing has a plaited ribbon
on a jagged background, tassels, and a
rosette. What was it?
6. What was the main problem with
US soldiers being awarded the RVN
Wound Medal?
7. There were Bronze and Silver Star
Medals awarded to service personnel
during the conflict. Was there
something like a Gold Star medal?
8. Of the 246 Vietnam War Medal of Honor
recipients, which of the following groups
received three - Canadians, Colonels,
Chaplains, or Conscientious Objectors?
9. Of the Air Force Cross, Distinguished
Flying Cross, Aerial Achievement
Medal, and Air Medal which could not
possibly have been awarded to a superb
pilot during the Vietnam War?
10. More than 3 million US servicemen
served in the Vietnam War, of which
more than 150,000 were wounded.
Approximately how many Purple
Hearts were awarded?
Answers
1. The Gallantry Cross Unit Citation was
extensively awarded to foreign troops by
the government of the RVN. By 1974
it was decided to award it retroactively
to any American Army unit involved in
the Vietnam Conflict between 1961 and
1974, and therefore the soldiers.
2. The Military Medal was modeled after
the French Médaille Militaire, which
could also only be awarded to enlisted
men (and sometimes senior generals)
for distinguished service. Reasoning
that any man dying for the cause of the
RVN made them a hero it was decided
to award all of them this prestigious
award. However, with the increased
numbers of US troops in Vietnam, and
corresponding higher number of KIAs,
the number of bestowals soared, and
the policy was abandoned.
3. The “1960-” device was supposed
to show the start and end year of the
conflict, the latter to be engraved upon
victory. As the RVN lost and ceased to
exist the field was left empty, with only
“1960- on the scroll.
4. The Soldier’s Medal was rather rarely
awarded for non-combat acts of heroism,
in contrast to combat medals such as the
Bronze Star Medal or the Commendation
Medal with Valor Device.
5. Distinguished Service Order 1st
Class. While it was based on ancient
Vietnamese vestments for successful
military commanders, given to them by
the Emperor as a token of appreciation,
it stands out as one of the most peculiar
medal designs in modern history.
6. They were not allowed to wear it
on their uniforms. While some may
have thought that it brings them
bad luck, Army regulations did not
allow for the Wound Medal to be
worn on the uniform, as the Purple
Heart was the equivalent American
decoration, and it was thus
considered a needless redundancy.
7. Yes, in North Vietnam. The Gold Star
was (and is) the highest decoration of the
Socialist Republic of Vietnam, modeled
after the Soviet Gold Star Medal. There
is no connection to the American Bronze
and Silver Star.
8. Three. Vincent R. Capodanno, Angelo J.
Liteky and Charles J. Watters. William A.
Jones III were the only full-bird colonels
to receive the Medal of Honor during the
Vietnam War. Conscientious objector
Thomas Bennett received it while serving
as a medic, as did Canadian Peter C.
Lemon as an infantryman.
9. Aerial Achievement Medal. It was
created in 1988, well after the Vietnam
War had ended. It is arguably one of
the worst-looking American medals
ever designed. Approximately 350,000.
10. Servicemen could receive multiple
awards of the Purple Heart for
multiple instances of wounding.
However, the figure for physical
wounds dwarfs in comparison to
the 830,000 soldiers who were left
with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
(PTSD) due to the mental wounds
they received in Vietnam.
Social Security Administration Death Reporting
[Source: Southtown Star Susan Demar Lafferty article 5 Aug 2011]
Editor’s Note: This has already
happened to one of our VVA members
in Killeen.
Thousands of Americans are mistakenly
reported dead every year by the Social
Security Administration or other federal
agencies. And Illinois has one of the
highest rates of making such grave
mistakes, according to a recent report by
Scripps Howard News Service. Names of
the alleged dead are listed in a massive
Death Master File. database maintained
by the SSA. Research of the database
by Scripps Howard’s Thomas Hargrove
found the deaths of 31,931 Americans
were listed in error. The government
makes about 14,000 such errors every
year – or about one for every 200 death
reports – because of inadvertent keying
errors. by federal workers, according
to SSA spokesman Mark Hinkle. That
would mean about 400,000 people have
been falsely declared dead since 1980,
when the Death Master File was created at
the request of U.S. business interests who
wanted the records to reduce consumer
fraud. While the SSA authorizes the use
of the database as a death verification
tool, it is noted on a U.S. Department
of Commerce website that contains the
official file that the SSA cannot guarantee
its accuracy.
SSA doesn’t always know why
mistakes are made. It’s a larger issue
than just our agency, said Doug Nguyen,
SSA’s deputy regional communications
director in Chicago. Several agencies
other than the SSA submit death reports
that might make it to the Death Master
File. It’s usually human typing errors
entered into our system from another
system, Nguyen said. We do not verify
the accuracy of every death record. The
Social Security number was never meant
to be the identifying piece of information
it has evolved into, he said. Unfortunately,
he said, errors also can occur in recording
the date of birth, date of death or the
deceased’s name or address. Death
reports also are provided by individuals,
funeral parlors, nursing homes, state
and federal agencies such as Medicare,
the VA, railroad retirement plans, the
Department of Defense and Department
of Commerce, and other agencies that pay
federal benefits, Nguyen said. All go into
the Death Master File, which records 90
million deceased Americans.
The information is used not only by
agencies that pay federal benefits but
to determine eligibility and prevent
fraud for bank loans, credit cards and
SOCIAL SECURITY, continued on page 22
22
TEXAS VV NEWS
SOCIAL SECURITY, continued from page 21
insurance coverage. We make it clear
that our death records are not perfect
and may be incomplete, or rarely,
include information about individuals
who are alive, he said. Out of 2 million
deaths reported every year, the error
rate is about 0.5 percent, he said. But
if you are in that half of 1 percent, it
feels like 100 percent, Nguyen said.
When his agency discovers incorrect
information, it moves as quickly as
possible. to correct it, he said. The
agency requires current identification
and signed statements from the
person – not birth certificates. This
all helps, but it’s one piece of the
puzzle, he said. SSA also has to track
the mistake down to the source that
reported the death and follow the
chain of records in reverse. It takes
time to untangle, he said. Mistakes
usually are discovered when someone
calls about a late check. But many
of the walking dead. in the Scripps
Howard report said their deaths. were
discovered while shopping for a cell
phone, applying for a student loan,
mortgage or bank account, or renting
an apartment.
SSA Death Reporting
[Source: Money Talks Sandra Parker
article 12 Sep 2011]
According to an audit performed by the
Office of the Inspector General in April of
2011, Social Security’s Death Master File,
which is used by many private companies
from banks to insurance companies – is
rife with errors. An erroneous death entry
is caused by:
• An incorrect report,
• A death match with another agency that
has received an incorrect report,
• An erroneous return by the financial
institution with a reason code of death, or
• An input error at SSA
Once the erroneous death is on one
of SSA’s systems, it is propagated
to other SSA and Medicare/Medicaid
systems. Of the approximately 2.8
million death reports the Social Security
Administration receives per year,
about 14,000 – or one in every 200
deaths – are incorrectly entered into
its Death Master File, which contains
the Social Security numbers, names,
birth dates, death dates, zip codes and
last-known residences of more than
87 million deceased Americans. That
averages out to 38 life-altering mistakes
a day. Not only can a mistake in the
Death Master File cause your bank and
credit accounts to be frozen, it can stop
Social Security benefits payments – and
even result in the publication of your
personal information, which can lead to
identity theft once the bad guys figure
out you’re still alive.
How does this happen? The Social
Security Administration sells your
personal identifying information –Social
Security number, date of birth, etc. – to
the Department of Commerce’s National
Technical Information Services, which in
turn makes it available to its customers,
which can be anyone. This practice is
designed to thwart criminal activity by
notifying financial institutions as well as
federal, state, and local governments of
your death. And it works fine – at least
if the person being reported as dead is. If
you’re still alive and kicking, however,
anyone willing to pay for a subscription
can download all the information
they need to steal your identity. So if
you discover that the Social Security
Administration has accidentally killed
you off, here’s the convoluted and timeconsuming process to undo it – it’s the
government, after all.
• Drive to the federal government:
While you were pronounced dead via
computer, you can only revive yourself
in person. So contact your local Social
Security Administration office as soon as
you can. (Here’s how to find yours.) Go
there in person and show a photo ID. The
office will then launch an investigation.
• Drive to the county government: From
there, drive down to the keeper of your
county’s vital records. In many cases, that’s
the Public Health Department. Ask to file
an amended death certificate.. That requires
you to fill out an affidavit and file it with
the county registrar. That’s what Blevins
did, and it was relatively easy. For $7 and
a few hours of my time, I was able to order
a copy of my death certificate, complete the
amendment affidavit, and file it with the
Health Department, she says.
• Get on the phone: Call your
creditors and bank to re-establish your
existence. Your best bet here is to
contact as many of these companies
as you can in person, Blevins says.
This gives them the opportunity to
validate your identity via photo ID
and other security measures.. Some
establishments may require you
to wait until the Social Security
Administration updates your record in
the Master Death File before they can
reinstate your accounts. This was the
toughest step for me, Blevins says. I
ended up taking a day off from work
in order to go to my bank. Not only
did I have to present my photo ID,
but I had to show them a copy of my
amended death certificate as well.
• Get online: Dispute any inaccuracies
with the three major credit bureaus
(Equifax, Experian, and TransUnion).
Since the credit bureaus are required
to validate your existence, you’ll need
to wait until the SSA has updated your
record before submitting your disputes.
Thanks to the online dispute process,
I was able to submit my corrections
online, Blevins says. However, it took
eight weeks for the bureaus to get
everything straightened back out..
For more information regarding the
Social Security Administration’s Death
Master File, visit https://secure.ssa.gov/
apps10/poms.nsf/lnx/0202408700
Marines…You Can’t Top ‘Em
Submitted by Paul Sutton, USMC SSgt 61-69
I like the fact that if you are a selfdeclared enemy of America, Running into
a Marine outfit in combat is your worst
nightmare...and that your health record
is either about to get a lot thicker, or be
closed out entirely.
I like the fact that Marines are steadfast
and consistent in everything they do...
regardless of whether you agree with
them or not.
I like the fact that Marines view the
term ‘politically correct’ with nothing but
pure disdain.
I like the fact that Marines stand tall
and rigid in their actions, thoughts, and
deeds when others bend with the direction
of the wind and are as confused as a dog
looking at a ceiling fan.
I like the fact that each and every
Marine considers the honor and legacy of
The Corps as his personal and sacred trust
to protect and defend.
I like the fact that most civilians
don’t have a clue what makes us tick
and that’s not a bad thing. Because if
they did, it would probably scare the
Hell out of them.
I like the fact that others say they
want to be like us, but don’t have what it
takes in the Pain-Gain-Pride department
to make it happen.
I like the fact that the Marines came
into being in a bar, named Tun Tavern
and that Marines still gather in pubs,
bars and slop chutes to share sea stories
and hot scoop.
I like the fact that Marines do not
consider it a coincidence that there are 24
hours in a day and 24 beers in a case…
Because Marines know there is a reason
for everything that happens.
I like our motto... SEMPER FIDELIS,
And the fact that we don’t shed it when
the going gets tough, the battlefield gets
deadly or when we hang up our Uniform
for the last time.
I like the fact that Marines take care of
each other... In combat and time of Peace.
I like the fact that Marines know the
difference between ‘Chicken Salad’ and
‘Chicken Shit’ and aren’t afraid to call
either for What it is.
I like the fact that the people of America
hold Marines in the highest esteem and
that they know that they can count on us
to locate, close with, and destroy those
who would harm them.
I like the fact that people think we
are cocky.... Yet we know that we
have confidence in everything we do
and the fact that they don’t know the
taste of that makes them look at us as
if we are arrogant.
I like that fact that we know the taste of
freedom and would give our very Lives
for it. And that it is a taste the protected
will ever know.
I like the fact that Ronald Reagan said...
‘Some people spend an entire lifetime
wondering if they made a difference...
Marines don’t have that problem!’
I like the fact that we are brothers to the
end…And that no matter what happens in life,
we know that we have one another’s ‘six’.
I like the fact that an elected member
of congress felt compelled to publicly
accuse the Marine Corps of being ‘radical
and extreme’. And I Also like the fact that
our Commandant informed that member
of congress that she was absolutely
correct and that he passed on his thanks
for the Compliment.
I like the fact that Marine leaders - of
every rank - know that issuing every
man and woman a black beret - or polkadotted boxer shorts for that matter - does
absolutely nothing to promote morale,
fighting spirit or combat effectiveness.
I like the fact that Marines are Marines
first... Regardless of age, race, creed,
color, sex, and national origin, or how
long they served, their former rank, or
what goals they achieve in life.
I like Marines...and I love the fact that
I am humbled to walk among the ranks of
other Marines.
I like the fact that you always know
where you stand with a Marine. With
Marines, there is no middle ground or
gray area. There are only Missions,
Objectives and Facts.
In closing…if you aren’t a Marine,
the next best thing is to have a Marine
for a husband, wife, and father, mother,
brother, sister, son, daughter, best
friend, or friend.
SAEPE
EXPERTUS,
SEMPER
FIDELIS, FRATRES AETERNI (Often
Tested, Always Faithful, Brothers Forever)
Are Marines Dangerous or Extreme?
[Anonymous]
There have been some people who,
in ignorance have referred to Marines
as extremists, and more than a little
dangerous.
To his credit, former Commandant
of the Marine Corps, General Charles
Krulak has said in our defense: “Citizens
from all walks of life have donned the
Marine Corps uniform and gone to war to
defend this great nation, never to return.
Honor, courage and commitment are not
extreme. From a personal viewpoint, I
never knew a Marine who was only a
little dangerous. Most of us seemed to
be a lot dangerous. That, I believe is
supposed to be the idea.”
Are Marines Extremist?
I personally believe I am a Marine until
the day I die, at which time I become a
dead Marine;
I believe in God, Jesus Christ as
Savior and Lord, the Marine Corps
and its creed of Honor, Courage and
Commitment, Country, Mom and
Apple Pie, and I apologize to no one
for assigning God His rightful place;
I believe that Marines draw the Guard
Duty in Heaven, because the Marine
Corps Hymn says so;
I believe the Bible to be the finest book
ever written, containing the very words of
God, with the Marine Corps Guidebook
coming in a close second;
I believe that Marines in service today are
my direct descendants via the Warrior Spirit;
CAN’T TOP ‘EM, continued on page 23
TEXAS VV NEWS
23
CAN’T TOP ‘EM, continued from page 22
I believe only two types of people exist
within our nations military; Marines, and
those who wished they were;
I believe that the Marines in service
today are the finest Marines who have
ever served our country;
I believe that Lewis (Chesty) Puller
was the greatest American who ever
lived, with former Commandant Charles
Krulak a close second, and former
Secretary of the Navy James Webb (the
most decorated Marine of the Vietnam
War) coming in third with General Peter
Pace, the only Marine to ever serve as
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff
right on his heels.
I believe that Duty is a Right;
I believe that Service to our country is
a God-given opportunity;
I believe that Patriotism is Duty, not to be
taken lightly;
I believe in the Brotherhood of the
Marine Corps.
We, as Marines believe in the Freedom
of the American citizen, and have proved
it, tens of thousands of times.
Are United States Marines extremists?
The Chief of Naval Operations would
never be called a Sailor.
The General of the Army would never
be called a Soldier.
The Chief of Staff of the Air Force
would never be called an Airman.
The Commandant of the Marine Corps
is PROUD to be called: Marine.
I admit: I am old and gray, and I no
longer move as fast as I once did. My
active duty service is long behind me;
but the memory of those fellow Marines
with whom I served is as fresh today as
it was so many years ago.
Yes, Marines will always be extreme!
We know no other way to live, to serve,
to pay back our country for what we have
and for what we have earned.
And what we have earned is a title. A
name. A right.
We have earned, by the service, the
sacrifice and the blood of our brothers,
the right to be forever known as: UNITED
STATES MARINES.
The Title
It Cannot be Inherited, Nor Can it Ever
Be Purchased.
You or No One Alive Can Buy It for
Any Price.
It is Impossible to Rent and It Can Not
be Lent
You Alone and Our Own Have Earned It,
With Your Sweat, Blood and Lives.
You Own It Forever.
The Title: “United States Marine”
SEMPER FIDELIS
Semper Fidelis
“Esprit de corps”, an unhelpful French
phrase that means exactly what it looks like
– the spirit of the Corps…but what is that
spirit? and where does it come from?
The Marine Corps is the only branch
of the U.S. Armed Forces that recruits
people specifically to Fight. The Army
emphasizes personal development (an
Army of One), the Navy promises fun
(let the journey begin), the Air Force
offers security (its a great way of life).
Missing from all the advertisements is
the hard fact that a soldier’s life is to
suffer and perhaps to die for his people
and take lives at the risk of his/her own.
Even the thematic music of the services
reflects this evasion. The Army’s Caisson
Song describes a pleasant country outing.
Over hill and dale, lacking only a picnic
basket. Anchors Aweigh…the Navy’s
celebration of the joys of sailing could
have been penned by Jimmy Buffet. The
Air Force song is a lyric poem of blue
skies and engine thrust. All is joyful, and
invigorating, and safe. There are no land
mines in the dales nor snipers behind the
hills, no submarines or cruise missiles
threaten the ocean jaunt, no bandits are
lurking in the wild blue yonder.
The Marines’ Hymn, by contrast, is all
combat. “We fight our Country’s battles,”
“First to fight for right and freedom,”
“We have fought in every clime and place
where we could take a gun,” “In many a
strife we have fought for life and never
lost our nerve.”
The choice is made clear. You may join
the Army to go to adventure training, or
join the Navy to go to Bangkok , or join
the Air Force to go to computer school.
You join the Marine Corps to go to
War! But the mere act of signing the
enlistment contract confers no status in
the Corps. The Army recruit is told from
his first minute in uniform that “you’re
in the Army now, soldier”. The Navy
and Air Force enlistees are sailors or
airmen as soon as they get off the bus
at the training center. The new arrival
at Marine Corps boot camp is called a
recruit, or worse, (a lot worse), but never
a MARINE. Not yet, maybe never. He
or she must earn the right to claim the
title of UNITED STATES MARINE, and
failure returns you to civilian life without
hesitation or ceremony.
Recruit Platoon 2210 at San Diego ,
California trained from October through
December of 1968. In Viet Nam the
Marines were taking two hundred
casualties a week and the major rainy
season and Operation Meade River had
not even begun yet Drill Instructors
had no qualms about winnowing out
almost a quarter of their 112 recruits,
graduating 81. Note that this was postenlistment attrition. Every one of those
31 who were dropped had been passed
by the recruiters as fit for service. But
they failed the test of Boot Camp! Not
necessarily for physical reasons. At least
two were outstanding high school athletes
for whom the calisthenics and running
were child’s play. The cause of their
failure was not in the biceps nor the legs,
but in the spirit. They had lacked the will
to endure the mental and emotional strain
so they would not be Marines. Heavy
commitments and high casualties not
withstanding, the Corps reserves the right
to pick and choose.
History classes in boot camp? Stop a
soldier on the street and ask him to name
a battle of World War One. Pick a sailor
at random and ask for a description of the
epic fight of the Bon Home Richard. Ask
an airman who Major Thomas McGuire
was and what is named after him. I am
not carping and there is no sheer in
this criticism. All of the services have
glorious traditions but no one teaches
the young soldier, sailor or airman what
his uniform means and why he should be
proud of it.
But ask a Marine about World War
One and you will hear of the wheat field
at Belleau Wood and the courage of the
Fourth Marine Brigade comprised of the
Fifth and Sixth Marines. Faced with an
enemy of superior numbers entrenched in
tangled forest undergrowth the Marines
received an order to attack that even the
charitable cannot call ill-advised. It was
insane. Artillery support was absent and
air support hadn’t been invented yet.
Even so the Brigade charged German
machine guns with only bayonets,
grenades, and an indomitable fighting
spirit. A bandy-legged little barrel of a
Gunnery Sergeant, Daniel J. Daly, rallied
his company with a shout, “Come on
you sons a bitches, do you want to live
forever?” He took out three machine guns
himself. French liaison-officers hardened
though they were by four years of trench
bound slaughter were shocked as the
Marines charged across the open wheat
field under a blazing sun directly into the
teeth of enemy fire. Their action was so
anachronistic on the twentieth-century
field of battle that they might as well have
been swinging cutlasses. But the enemy
was only human. The Boche could not
stand up to the onslaught. So the Marines
took Belleau Wood . The Germans,
those that survived, thereafter referred
to the Marines as “Tuefel Hunden”
(Devil Dogs) and the French in tribute
renamed the woods “Bois de la Brigade
de Marine” (Woods of the Brigade of
Marines). Every Marine knows this story
and dozens more. We are taught them
in boot camp as a regular part of the
curriculum. Every Marine will always be
taught them!
You can learn to don a gas mask
anytime, even on the plane in route to the
war zone, but before you can wear the
Eagle, Globe and Anchor and claim the
title United States Marine you must first
know about the Marines who made that
emblem and title meaningful. So long as
you can march and shoot and revere the
legacy of the Corps you can take your
place in line.
And that line is as unified in spirit
as in purpose. A soldier wears branch
of service insignia on his collar, metal
shoulder pins and cloth sleeve patches
to identify his unit. Sailors wear a
rating badge that identifies what they
do for the Navy. Marines wear only the
Eagle, Globe and Anchor together with
personal ribbons and their CHERISHED
marksmanship badges. They know why
the uniforms are the colors they are and
what each color means. There is nothing
on a Marine’s uniform to indicate what
he or she does nor what unit the Marine
belongs to. You cannot tell by looking
at a Marine whether you are seeing a
truck driver, a computer programmer
or a machine gunner or a cook or a
baker. The Marine is amorphous, even
anonymous, by conscious design. The
Marine is a Marine. Every Marine is a
rifleman first and foremost, a Marine
first, last and Always! You may serve
a four-year enlistment or even a twenty
plus year career without seeing action
but if the word is given you’ll charge
across that Wheatfield! Whether a Marine
has been schooled in automated supply
or automotive mechanics or aviation
electronics or whatever is immaterial.
Those things are secondary – the Corps
does them because it must. The modern
battle requires the technical appliances and
since the enemy has them so do we. But no
Marine boasts mastery of them. Our pride
is in our marksmanship, our discipline, and
our membership in a fraternity of courage
and sacrifice. “For the honor of the fallen, for
the glory of the dead”, Edgar Guest wrote of
Belleau Wood. “The living line of courage
kept the faith and moved ahead.”
They are all gone now, those Marines
who made a French farmer’s little
Wheatfield into one of the most enduring
of Marine Corps legends. Many of them
did not survive the day and eight long
decades have claimed the rest. But their
actions are immortal. The Corps remembers
them and honors what they did and so they
live forever. Dan Daly’s shouted challenge
takes on its true meaning - if you lie in the
trenches you may survive for now, but
someday you may die and no one will care.
If you charge the guns you may die in the
next two minutes, but you will be one of
the immortals.
All Marines die in either the red
flash of battle or the white cold of the
nursing home. In the vigor of youth or
the infirmity of age all will eventually
die but the Marine Corps lives on. Every
Marine who ever lived is living still, in
the Marines who claim the title today.
It is that sense of belonging to something
that will outlive our own mortality, which
gives people a light to live by and a flame
to mark their passing.
Passed on to a Marine from another Marine
and to his friends!
SEMPER FIDELIS!!!
24
TEXAS VV NEWS
Heroes of the Vietnam Generation
By James Webb
The rapidly disappearing cohort
of Americans that endured the Great
Depression and then fought World War
II is receiving quite a send-off from
the leading lights of the so-called 60s
generation. Tom Brokaw has published
two oral histories of “The Greatest
Generation” that feature ordinary people
doing their duty and suggest that such
conduct was historically unique.
Chris Matthews of “Hardball” is fond
of writing columns praising the Navy
service of his father while castigating
his own baby boomer generation for its
alleged softness and lack of struggle.
William Bennett gave a startling
condescending speech at the Naval
Academy a few years ago comparing
the heroism of the “D-Day Generation”
to the d rugs-and-sex nihilism of the
“Woodstock Generation.” And Steven
Spielberg, in promoting his film “Saving
Private Ryan,” was careful to justify his
portrayals of soldiers in action based on
the supposedly unique nature of World
War II.
An irony is at work here. Lest we
forget, the World War II generation
now being lionized also brought us
the Vietnam War, a conflict which
today’s most conspicuous voices by and
large opposed, and in which few of
them served. The “best and brightest”
of the Vietnam age group once made
headlines by castigating their parents
for bringing about the war in which
they would not fight, which has become
the war they refuse to remember.
Pundits back then invented a term for
this animus: the “generation gap.” Long,
plaintive articles and even books were
written examining its manifestations.
Campus leaders, who claimed precocious
wisdom through the magical process of
reading a few controversial books, urged
fellow baby boomers not to trust anyone
over 30. Their elders who had survived
the Depression and fought the largest
war in history were looked down upon as
shallow, materialistic, and out of touch.
Those of us who grew up on the other
side of the picket line from that era’s
counter-culture can’t help but feel a little
leery of this sudden gush of appreciation
for our elders from the leading lights of
the old counter-culture. Then and now,
the national conversation has proceeded
from the dubious assumption that those
who came of age during Vietnam are a
unified generation in the same sense as their
parents were, and thus are capable of being
spoken for through these fickle elites.
In truth, the “ Vietnam generation”
is a misnomer. Those who came of
age during that war are permanently
divided by different reactions to a whole
range of counter-cultural agendas, and
nothing divides them more deeply than
the personal ramifications of the war
itself. The sizable portion of the Vietnam
age group who declined to support the
counter-cultural agenda, and especially
the men and women who opted to serve
in the military during the Vietnam War,
are quite different from their peers who
for decades have claimed to speak for
them. In fact, they are much like the
World War II generation itself. For them,
Woodstock was a side show, college
protestors were spoiled brats who would
have benefited from having to work a
few jobs in order to pay their tuition, and
Vietnam represented not an intellectual
exercise in draft avoidance, or protest
marches but a battlefield that was just
as brutal as those their fathers faced in
World War II and Korea.
Few who served during Vietnam ever
complained of a generation gap. The
men who fought World War II were their
heroes and role models. They honored
their father’s service by emulating it, and
largely agreed with their father’s wisdom
in attempting to stop Communism’s reach
in Southeast Asia
The most accurate poll of their
attitudes (Harris, 1980) showed that 91
percent were glad they’d served their
country, 74 percent enjoyed their time
in the service, and 89 percent agreed
with the statement that “our troops were
asked to fight in a war which our political
leaders in Washington would not let
them win.” And most importantly, the
castigation they received upon returning
home was not from the World War II
generation, but from the very elites in
their age group who supposedly spoke
for them.
Nine million men served in the
military during Vietnam War, three
million of whom went to the Vietnam
Theater. Contrary to popular mythology,
two-thirds of these were volunteers,
and 73 percent of those who died were
volunteers. While some attention has
been paid recently to the plight of our
prisoners of war, most of whom were
pilots; there has been little recognition
of how brutal the war was for those who
fought it on the ground.
Dropped onto the enemy’s terrain
12,000 miles away from home, America’s
citizen-soldiers performed with a tenacity
and quality that may never be truly
understood. Those who believe the war
was fought incompletely on a tactical
level should consider Hanoi’s recent
admission that 1.4 million of its soldiers
died on the battlefield, compared to
58,000 total U.S. dead.
Those who believe that it was a “dirty
little war” where the bombs did all the
work might contemplate that this was the
most costly war the U.S. Marine Corps
has ever fought-five times as many dead
as World War I, three times as many dead
as in Korea, and more total killed and
wounded than in all of World War II.
Significantly, these sacrifices were
being made at a time the United States
was deeply divided over our effort in
Vietnam. The baby-boom generation had
cracked apart along class lines as America
‘s young men were making difficult, lifeor-death choices about serving. The better
academic institutions became focal points
for vitriolic protest against the war, with
few of their graduates going into the
military. Harvard College, which had
lost 691 alumni in World War II, lost
a total of 12 men in Vietnam from the
classes of 1962 through 1972 combined.
Those classes at Princeton lost six, at
MIT two. The media turned ever more
hostile. And frequently the reward for a
young man’s having gone through the
trauma of combat was to be greeted by
his peers with studied indifference or
outright hostility.
What is a hero? My heroes are the
young men who faced the issues of war
and possible death, and then weighed
those concerns against obligations to their
country. Citizen-soldiers who interrupted
their personal and professional lives at
their most formative stage, in the timeless
phrase of the Confederate Memorial in
Arlington National Cemetery, “not for
fame or reward, not for place or for
rank, but in simple obedience to duty,
as they understood it.” Who suffered
loneliness, disease, and wounds with an
often-contagious elan. And who deserve
a far better place in history than that now
offered t hem by the so-called spokesman
of our so-called generation.
Mr. Brokaw, Mr. Matthews, Mr.
Bennett, Mr. Spielberg, meet my
Marines. 1969 was an odd year to be in
Vietnam. Second only to 1968 in terms
of American casualties, it was the year
made famous by Hamburger Hill, as well
as the gut-wrenching Life cover story
showing pictures of 242 Americans who
had been killed in one average week of
fighting. Back home, it was the year of
Woodstock, and of numerous anti-war
rallies that culminated in the Moratorium
march on Washington . The My Lai
massacre hit the papers and was seized
upon by the anti-war movement as the
emblematic moment of the war.
Lyndon Johnson left Washington in
utter humiliation.
Richard Nixon entered the scene,
destined for an even worse fate. In the An
Hoa Basin southwest of Danang, the Fifth
Marine Regiment was in its third year of
continuous combat operation s. Combat is
an unpredictable and inexact environment,
but we were well led. As a rifle platoon
and company commander, I served under a
succession of three regimental commanders
who had cut their teeth in World War II,
and four different battalion commanders,
three of whom had seen combat in Korea.
The company commanders were typically
captains on their second combat tour in
Vietnam, or young first lieutenants like
myself who were given companies after
many months of “bush time” as platoon
commanders in the Basin’s tough and
unforgiving environs.
The Basin was one of the most
heavily contested areas in Vietnam, its
torn, cratered earth offering every sort
of wartime possibility. In the mountains
just to the west, not far from the Ho Chi
Minh Trail, the North Vietnamese Army
operated an infantry division from an
area called Base Area 112. In the valleys
of the Basin, main-force Viet Cong
battalions whose ranks were 80 percent
North Vietnamese Army regulars moved
against the Americans every day. Local
Viet Cong units sniped and harassed.
Ridgelines and paddy dikes were laced
with sophisticated booby traps of every
size, from a hand grenade to a 250pound bomb. The villages sat in the rice
paddies and tree lines like individual
fortresses, crisscrossed with the trenches
and spider holes, their homes sporting
bunkers capable of surviving direct hits
from large-caliber artillery shells. The
Viet Cong infrastructure was intricate
and permeating. Except for the old and
the very young, villagers who did not
side with the Communists had either been
killed or driven out to the government
controlled enclaves near Danang.
In the rifle companies, we spent the
endless months patrolling ridgelines and
villages and mountains, far away from
any notion of tents, barbed wire, hot food,
or electricity. Luxuries were limited to
what would fit inside one’s pack, which
after a few “humps” usually boiled down
to letter-writing material, towel, soap,
toothbrush, poncho liner, and a small
transistor radio.
We moved through the boiling heat with
60 pounds of weapons and gear, causing
a typical Marine to drop 20 percent of his
body weight while in the bush. When we
stopped we dug chest-deep fighting holes
and slit trenches for toilets. We slept on the
ground under makeshift poncho hootches,
and when it rained we usually took our
hootches down because wet ponchos shined
under illumination flares, making great
targets. Sleep itself was fitful, never more
than an hour or two at a stretch for months
at a time as we mixed daytime patrolling
with night-time ambushes, listening posts,
foxhole duty, and radio watches. Ringworm,
hookworm, malaria, and dysentery were
common, as was trench foot when the
monsoons came. Respite was rotating back
to the mud-filled regimental combat base at
An Hoa for four or five days, where rocket
and mortar attacks were frequent and our
troops manned defensive bunkers at night.
Which makes it kind of hard to get excited
about tales of Woodstock, or camping at the
Vineyard during summer break.
We had been told while training that
Marine officers in the rifle companies
had an 85 percent probability of being
killed or wounded, and the experience
of “Dying Delta,” as our company was
known, bore that out. Of the officers in
the bush when I arrived, our company
commander was wounded, the weapons
platoon commander wounded, the first
platoon commander was killed, the second
platoon commander was wounded twice,
and I, commanding the third platoon,
fared no better. Two of my original threesquad leaders were killed, and the third
shot in the stomach. My platoon sergeant
was severely wounded, as was my right
guide. By the time I left, my platoon I had
gone through six radio operators, five of
them casualties.
These figures were hardly unique; in
fact, they were typical. Many other units;
for instance, those who fought the hill
battles around Khe Sanh, or were with the
famed Walking Dead of the Ninth Marine
Regiment, or were in the battle of Hue
HEROES, continued on page 25
TEXAS VV NEWS
25
HEROES, continued from page 24
City or at Dai Do, had it far worse.
When I remember those days and the
very young men who spent them with
me, I am continually amazed, for these
were mostly recent civilians barely out
of high school, called up from the cities
and the farms to do their year in hell
and then return. Visions haunt me every
day, not of the nightmares of war but of
the steady consistency with which my
Marines faced their responsibilities, and
of how uncomplaining most of them
were in the face of constant danger.
The salty, battle-hardened 20-year-olds
teaching green 19-year-olds the intricate
lessons of the hostile battlefield. The
unerring skill of the young squad leaders
as we moved through unfamiliar villages
and weed-choked trails in the black of
night. The quick certainty when a fellow
Marine was wounded and needed help.
Their willingness to risk their lives to
save other Marines in peril. To this day it
stuns me that their own countrymen have
so completely missed the story of their
service, lost in the bitter confusion of the
war itself.
Like every military unit throughout
history we had occasional laggards,
cowards, and complainers. But in the
aggregate, these Marines were the finest
people I have ever been around. It has
been my privilege to keep up with many
of them over the years since we all came
home. One finds in them very little
bitterness about the war in which they
fought. The most common regret, almost
to a man, is that they were not able to do
more for each other and for the people
they came to help.
It would be redundant to say that
I would trust my life to these men.
Because I already have, in more ways
than I can ever recount. I am alive
today because of their quiet, unaffected
heroism. Such valor epitomizes the
conduct of Americans at war from the
first days of our existence. That the
boomer elites can canonize this sort
of conduct in our fathers’ generation
while ignoring it in our own is more
than simple oversight. It is a conscious,
continuing travesty.
Former Secretary of the Navy James
Webb was awarded the Navy Cross,
Silver Star, and Bronze Star medals for
heroism as a Marine in Vietnam. His
novels include The Emperor’s General
and Fields of Fire.
Diabetes Update
[Source: MedPage Today John Gever Article 7 Oct 2011]
The FDA has approved a fixeddose combination tablet that combines
the diabetes drug sitagliptin with
simvastatin, under the brand name
Juvisync. It’s the first product with
drugs for diabetes and high cholesterol
in a single pill, the agency. Sitagliptin
is a DPP-4 inhibitor sold as Januvia,
first approved in 2006 as an adjunct to
diet and exercise. Simvastatin (Zocor)
is one of the most popular statin drugs
for reducing total and LDL cholesterol.
In the short term, the combination
product will come in three strengths,
all with 100 mg of sitagliptin and 10,
20, or 40 mg of simvstatin. The FDA
advised physicians to consider other
drugs that patients may be taking when
deciding which strength to prescribe.
The FDA noted that statins can
exacerbate hyperglycemia in patients
with type 2 diabetes. “This risk appears
very small and is outweighed by the
benefits of statins for reducing heart
disease in diabetes,” the agency said.
“However, the prescribing information
for Juvisync will inform doctors of
this possible side effect. The company
will also be required to conduct a postmarketing clinical trial comparing the
glucose lowering ability of sitagliptin
alone compared to sitagliptin given
with simvastatin.” Common side effects
associated with the combination include
upper respiratory infections, rhinitis,
sore throat, headache, muscle and
stomach pain, constipation, and nausea.
The product’s retail price has not yet
been disclosed.
US Panel Says No to Prostate
Screening for Healthy Men
By Gardiner Harris – October 6, 2011
Healthy men should no longer receive
a P.S.A. blood test to screen for prostate
cancer because the test does not save
lives overall and often leads to more tests
and treatments that needlessly cause pain,
impotence and incontinence in many, a
key government health panel has decided.
The draft recommendation, by the
United States Preventive Services Task
Force and due for official release next
week, is based on the results of five
well-controlled clinical trials and could
substantially change the care given to
men 50 and older. There are 44 million
such men in the United States, and 33
million of them have already had a P.S.A.
test – sometimes without their knowledge
– during routine physicals.
The task force’s recommendations are
followed by most medical groups. Two
years ago the task force recommended
that women in their 40s should no
longer get routine mammograms, setting
off a firestorm of controversy. The
recommendation to avoid the P.S.A. test
is even more forceful and applies to
healthy men of all ages.
“Unfortunately, the evidence now
shows that this test does not save men’s
lives,” said Dr. Virginia Moyer, a
professor of pediatrics at Baylor College
of Medicine and chairwoman of the task
force. “This test cannot tell the difference
between cancers that will and will not
affect a man during his natural lifetime.
We need to find one that does.”
But advocates for those with
prostate cancer promised to fight the
recommendation. Baseball’s Joe Torre,
the financier Michael Milken and
Rudolph W. Giuliani, the former New
York City mayor, are among tens of
thousands of men who believe a P.S.A.
test saved their lives.
The task force can also expect resistance
from some drug makers and doctors.
Treating men with high P.S.A. levels
has become a lucrative business. Some
in Congress have criticized previous
decisions by the task force as akin to
rationing, although the task force does
not consider cost in its recommendations.
“We’re disappointed,” said Thomas
Kirk, of Us TOO, the nation’s largest
advocacy group for prostate cancer
survivors. “The bottom line is that this
is the best test we have, and the answer
can’t be, ‘Don’t get tested.’ “
But that is exactly what the task force
is recommending. There is no evidence
that a digital rectal exam or ultrasound
are effective, either. “There are no reliable
signs or symptoms of prostate cancer,” said
Dr. Timothy J. Wilt, a member of the task
force and a professor of medicine at the
University of Minnesota. Frequency and
urgency of urinating are poor indicators of
disease, since the cause is often benign.
The P.S.A. test, routinely given to
men 50 and older, measures a protein –
prostate-specific antigen – that is released
by prostate cells, and there is little doubt
that it helps identify the presence of
cancerous cells in the prostate. But a vast
majority of men with such cells never
suffer ill effects because their cancer is
usually slow-growing. Even for men who
do have fast-growing cancer, the P.S.A.
test may not save them since there is no
proven benefit to earlier treatment of such
invasive disease.
As the P.S.A. test has grown in
popularity, the devastating consequences
of the biopsies and treatments that
often flow from the test have become
increasingly apparent. From 1986
through 2005, one million men received
surgery, radiation therapy or both who
would not have been treated without a
P.S.A. test, according to the task force.
Among them, at least 5,000 died soon
after surgery and 10,000 to 70,000
suffered serious complications. Half
had persistent blood in their semen,
and 200,000 to 300,000 suffered
impotence, incontinence or both. As a
result of these complications, the man
who developed the test, Dr. Richard J.
Ablin, has called its widespread use a
“public health disaster.”
One in six men in the United States
will eventually be found to have prostate
cancer, making it the second most
common form of cancer in men after skin
cancer. An estimated 32,050 men died of
prostate cancer last year and 217,730 men
received the diagnosis. The disease is
rare before age 50, and most deaths occur
after age 75.
Not knowing what is going on with
one’s prostate may be the best course,
since few men live happily with the
knowledge that one of their organs is
cancerous. Autopsy studies show that a
third of men ages 40 to 60 have prostate
cancer, a share that grows to three-fourths
after age 85.
P.S.A. testing is most common in
men over 70, and it is in that group
that it is the most dangerous since
such men usually have cancerous
prostate cells but benefit the least
from surgery and radiation. Some
doctors treat patients who have high
P.S.A. levels with drugs that block
male hormones, although there is no
convincing evidence that these drugs
are helpful in localized prostate cancer
and they often result in impotence,
breast enlargement and hot flashes.
Of the trials conducted to assess the
value of P.S.A. testing, the two largest
were conducted in Europe and the United
States. Both “demonstrate that if any
benefit does exist, it is very small after 10
years,” according to the task force’s draft
recommendation statement.
The European trial had 182,000 men
from seven countries who either got
P.S.A. testing or did not. When measured
across all of the men in the study, P.S.A.
testing did not cut death rates in nine
years of follow-up. But in men ages 55 to
69, there was a very slight improvement
in mortality. The American trial, with
76,693 men, found that P.S.A. testing did
not cut death rates after 10 years.
Dr. Eric Klein of the Cleveland Clinic, an
expert in prostate cancer, said he disagreed
with the task force’s recommendations.
Citing the European trial, he said “I think
there’s a substantial amount of evidence
from randomized clinical trials that show
that among younger men, under 65,
screening saves lives.”
The task force’s recommendations
apply only to healthy men without
symptoms. The group did not consider
whether the test is appropriate in
men who already have suspicious
symptoms or those who have already
been treated for the disease. The
recommendations will be open to
public comment next week before
they are finalized.
Recommendations of the task force
often determine whether federal health
programs like Medicare and private
health plans envisioned under the health
reform law pay fully for a test. But
legislation already requires Medicare to
pay for P.S.A. testing no matter what the
task force recommends.
Still, the recommendations will most
likely be greeted with trepidation by the
Obama administration, which has faced
charges from Republicans that it supports
rationing of health care services, which
have been politically effective, regardless
of the facts.
After the task force’s recommendation against routine mammograms for
women under 50, Health and Human
Services Secretary Kathleen Sibelius
announced that the government would
continue to pay for the test for women in
their 40s. On Thursday, the administration announced with great fanfare that as
DIABETES, continued on page 26
26
TEXAS VV NEWS
DIABETES, continued from page 25
a result of the health reform law, more
people with Medicare were getting free
preventive services like mammograms.
Dr. Michael Rawlins, chairman of
the National Institute for Health and
Clinical Excellence in Britain, said he
was given a P.S.A. test several years
ago without his knowledge. He then
had a biopsy, which turned out to
be negative. But if cancer had been
detected, he would have faced an awful
choice, he said: “Would I want to have
it removed, or would I have gone for
watchful waiting with all the anxieties
of that?” He said he no longer gets
the test.
But Dan Zenka, a spokesman for the
Prostate Cancer Foundation, said a high
P.S.A. test result eventually led him to have
his prostate removed, a procedure that led
to the discovery that cancer had spread to
his lymph nodes. His organization supports
widespread P.S.A. testing. “I can tell you it
saved my life,” he said.
VA Claim Filing
[Source: NavyTimes Rick Maze article 20 Jul 2011]
A seemingly simple idea – to have
the Veterans Affairs Department send
out emails to speed up notifications to
veterans that their disability claims have
been received has drawn complaints
from major veterans groups that say
the idea would be more expedient but
not necessarily fair. Representatives of
Veterans of Foreign Wars and Disabled
American, testifying 30 JUL before a
House subcommittee about H.R.2383,
the Modernizing Notice to Claimants Act,
said they are concerned that veterans may
be hurt by the bill, which would authorize
electronic communication instead of
regular mail to provide notice that VA
has received a claim and has begun to
process it. The problem for them isn’t the
electronic notice, but how people often
deal with email and what rights they
might be waiving if the notice isn’t clear
and veterans don’t read the fine print.
Jeffrey Hall, DAV’s assistant
national legislative director, said
veterans now receive a detailed and
individualized notice from the VA that
includes a form giving consent for VA
to help obtain private medical records
that might support a claim, requests
for specific information to help process
the claim and a record of what steps
have been taken so far. It also asks for
crucial information to support a claim,
and provides legal notice of VA’s duty
to help a veteran. At the hearing of the
House Veterans’ Affairs Committee’s
oversight and investigations panel, Hall
said he worries that electronic messages
will be less detailed and more generic,
and may not be fully read because the
Internet is an environment where users
have become accustomed to checking
the box on license and other disclaimer
agreements without first reading them.
Ryan Gallucci, VFW’s deputy national
legislative service director, had similar
concerns. One of his worries is that
veterans might read the message and
believe they have to collect their own
medical evidence while waiving VA’s
duty to help. Under this proposal,
veterans may spend weeks and months
collecting their medical evidence based
on VA’s encouragement to veterans
to collect their own records,. he said.
This will negatively affect veterans by
making their effective date later.
Hall said it is possible that veterans
could end up with lower disability rates
because those filing electronic claims
and getting electronic replies may be less
likely to seek the help of veterans service
officers, who understand the VA system
and how to get the maximum benefit. Even
so, both Hall and Gallucci like the general
idea of VA communicating electronically
with veterans, with Gallucci noting that.
many veterans conduct business via
email and Web-based portals. But for
this specific purpose, Hall said electronic
notification may end up becoming a tool
to cut the disability claims backlog, but in
a way that leaves veterans with something
less than their full benefits.
The only way to reduce the backlog is
to create a system designed to get claims
done right the first time, not just get them
done quickly,. Hall said. As such, we
believe that notice should be sent by the
most effective means, not simply the most
expeditious means. For many veterans,
that may well be by way of electronic
communication. Others may strongly
prefer written communication. Thomas
Murphy, VA’s compensation service
director, said electronic notification.
would significantly enhance. efficiency
and. provide increased flexibility, and
has the potential to. significantly shorten
overall claim development time. Some
technical changes are sought by the VA
in the bill, but Murphy said the VA. fully
supports. the measure. Rep. Bill Johnson,
R-Ohio, chairman of the oversight and
investigations subcommittee, is the
bill’s sponsor. The bill was subsequently
amended, approved, and passed on to the
HVAC for consideration.
VA Appeals
[Source: http://www.
uscourts.cavc.gov Jun 2011]
The United States Court of Appeals
for Veterans Claims is a national court
of record, established under Article I of
the Constitution of the United States.
The Court has exclusive jurisdiction to
provide judicial review of final decisions
by the Board of Veterans’ Appeals, an
entity within the Department of Veterans
Affairs. The Court provides veterans an
impartial judicial forum for review of
administrative decisions by the Board of
Veterans’ Appeals that are adverse to the
veteran-appellant’s claim of entitlement
to benefits for service-connected
disabilities, survivor benefits and other
benefits such as education payments and
waiver of indebtedness. In furtherance of
its mission, the Court also seeks to help
ensure that all veterans have equal access
to the Court and to promote public trust
and confidence in the Court.
Whether or not you have someone to
represent you, if you disagree with the
final decision of the Board of Veterans’
Appeals (BVA) and want to appeal to
the Court, you must file a notice of
appeal with the Court within 120 days
after the date the Board mailed a copy
of its final decision. The starting day is
the date which is stamped on the front
of the Board’s decision. If you do not
appeal to the Court or file a motion
for reconsideration with the Chairman
of the Board within 120 calendar days
from the date that the Board’s decision
was mailed to you, the Board’s decision
becomes final and the Court may not
have jurisdiction to hear your appeal. A
Notice of Appeal is considered received
by the Court on the date of a legible
postmark if it is properly addressed and
sent by the U.S.
Postal Service or the date it is actually
received by the Court if it is sent by means
other than the U.S. Postal Service or
faxed. Filing a motion for reconsideration
with the Board within 120 days of its
original decision stops the clock on your
time to file an appeal with the Court. If
you do file a motion for reconsideration
with the Chairman and the Chairman
denies your motion, the time to file an
appeal with the Court begins again, and
you must file a written Notice of Appeal
with the Court within 120 days from the
date of the Chairman’s letter denying the
motion for reconsideration (set out in a
letter). You do not need a lawyer to file
the appeal.
Steps to file
Go to the Court’s Web site and review
the procedures and requirements for filing
an appeal. The site is http://www.uscourts.
cavc.gov/about/how_to_appeal/
HowtoAppealWithoutHowtoFile.cfm
Complete the Court’s Form 1”Notice
of Appeal” and send it to the Court. See
additional information below regarding
mailing of Notice of Appeal. The form can
be completed on online and downloaded
at
http://www.uscourts.cavc.gov/
documents/NOA_Consent_CombinedForm.pdf
Submit the one-time $50 fee to file, OR
ask the Court to waive the fee by filing the
Court’s Form 4 Declaration of Financial
Hardship. The form can be completed on
online and downloaded at http://www.
uscourts.cavc.gov/documents/Form04_DofFH_-_FORM-RE1.pdf.
If you do not have computer
access both forms can be requested
from the court at the address below;
or the Pro Bono Program can send
them to you.
If time is running out and you
cannot get these forms, you may simply
print your name, current address, and
telephone number on a piece of paper
and write: I want to appeal my BVA
decision dated ___________. Then sign
your name. Don’t forget the 120-day
deadline for filing. Mail, hand deliver,
or fax the completed form(s) or your
letter to: Clerk of Court, US Court of
Appeals for Veterans Claims, 625 Indiana
Avenue, N.W., Suite 900, Washington,
DC 20004 Tel: (202) 501-5970 FAX
(202) 501-5848.
If you fax your Notice of Appeal, you
must mail the filing fee or Declaration
of Financial Hardship so that the Court
receives it not later than 14 days after the
fax was sent. You should also contact the
Court to confirm receipt of the Notice of
Appeal as the Court is not responsible for
faxes that are not received.
Self-represented appellants may file
a Declaration of Financial Hardship
with a Notice of Appeal by submitting
those forms to esubmission@uscourts.
cavc.gov. You should keep evidence of
the date on which you sent the Notice
of Appeal.
SEND YOUR NOTICE OF APPEAL
FORM DIRECTLY TO THE COURT.
DO NOT SEND IT TO THE VA OR
THE PRO BONO PROGRAM!
[NOTE: It is very important to use
the Court’s complete address, including.
Suite 900. VA also has an office at 625
Indiana Avenue, and if the Postal Service
delivers your appeal to VA instead of to
the Court, you can lose your case before
you even get a chance to tell the Court
your side of the matter. A notice of appeal
will still be considered to be on time even
if the Court does not receive it within
the 120-day deadline IF you mailed it
to the Court’s correct address AND it
contains a legible U.S. Postal Service
postmark dated within the 120-day time
limit. Regular, first class mail is fine.
You do not need to send it express mail,
priority mail, or certified mail. (Note that
a Federal Express, UPS or other delivery
service date stamp, or foreign postal
service postmark, does not count, and if
you send your Notice of Appeal in any
of these ways, the date the Court actually
receives your Notice of Appeal will be
your filing date.)
There are two parties to every
appeal to the Court. You will always
be the. appellant. in the case, while
the opponent in every appeal is the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs. The
Secretary will always be referred to
as the appellee. You can only appeal a
final BVA decision that denied some or
all of your requests for benefits.]
✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
TEXAS VV NEWS
27
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
Some interesting and sobering items about the Vietnam Wall.
There are 58,267 names now listed on
that polished black wall, including those
added in 2010.
The names are arranged in the order
in which they were taken from us by
date and within each date the names are
alphabetized. It is hard to believe it is 36
years since the last casualties.
The first known casualty was Richard
B. Fitzgibbon, of North Weymouth,
Mass., listed by the U.S. Department of
Defense as having been killed on June 8,
1956. His name is listed on the Wall with
that of his son, Marine Corps Lance Cpl.
Richard B. Fitzgibbon III, who was killed
on Sept. 7, 1965.
There are three sets of fathers and sons
on the Wall.
39,996 on the Wall were just 22
or younger.
The largest age group, 8,283 were just
19 years old 33,103 were 18 years old.
12 soldiers on the Wall were 17 years old.
5 soldiers on the Wall were 16 years old.
One soldier, PFC Dan Bullock was 15
years old.
997 soldiers were killed on their first
day in Vietnam.
1,448 soldiers were killed on their last
scheduled day in Vietnam.
31 sets of brothers are on the Wall.
Thirty one sets of parents lost two
of their sons.
54 soldiers on the Wall attended Thomas
Edison High School in Philadelphia.
8 Women are on the Wall – nursing
the wounded.
244 soldiers were awarded the Medal
of Honor during the Vietnam War; 153 of
them are on the Wall.
Beallsville, Ohio with a population of
475 lost 6 of her sons.
West Virginia had the highest casualty
rate per capita in the nation. There are
711 West Virginians on the Wall.
The Marines of Morenci, AZ – In
the patriotic camaraderie typical of
Morenci’s mining families, the nine
graduates of Morenci High enlisted
as a group in the Marine Corps. Their
service began on Independence Day,
1966. Only 3 returned home.
The Buddies of Midvale – LeRoy
Tafoya, Jimmy Martinez, Tom Gonzales
were all boyhood friends and lived on
three consecutive streets in Midvale, Utah
on Fifth, Sixth and Seventh avenues.
They lived only a few yards apart. They
played ball at the adjacent sandlot ball
field. And they all went to Vietnam. In
a span of 16 dark days in late 1967, all
three would be killed.
LeRoy was killed on Wednesday, Nov.
22, the fourth anniversary of John F.
Kennedy’s assassination. Jimmy died less
than 24 hours later on Thanksgiving Day.
Tom was shot dead assaulting the enemy on
Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.
The most casualty deaths for a single day
was on January 31, 1968 – 245 deaths.
The most casualty deaths for a single
month was May 1968 – 2,415 casualties
were incurred
Five Names Are Added to the
Vietnam Veterans Memorial
• Sgt. Henry L. Aderholt, U.S. Army
• ETR2 Richard Lewis Daniels,
U.S. Navy
• BT3 Peter Otto Holcomb, U.S. Navy
• SPC Charles J. Sabatier, U.S. Army
• SPC Charles Robert Vest, U.S. Army
In addition, the designation symbols
for eight others were changed as well.
These refer to the symbols that appear
beside each name on The Wall. A
cross denotes “missing in action;” a
diamond is for “killed in action.” When
an individual’s remains are found and
positively identified, the symbol is
changed to a diamond.
VVMF held a ceremony at The
Wall on May 8 to unveil one of the
names, that of Charles J. Sabatier.
Among the speakers were Secretary
of Transportation Ray LaHood, who
presented Sabatier’s family with an
award last year for his work in fighting
for accommodations for the disabled,
and Sabatier’s widow, Peggy Griffin.
The five new names will be read for
the first time during the Memorial Day
Observance at The Wall on May 30.
This brings the total number of names
on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to
58,272.
VVMF Begins Soil Testing on
Education Center Site
Geotechnical and soil testing, the first
step in the construction process for the
Education Center at The Wall, began in late
April and will continue for several weeks.
The work is being done by Schnabel
Engineering of West Chester, Pa., and
is supervised by Tishman Construction
Corp., the construction manager for the
Education Center.
VVMF President Jan Scruggs and other
organization officials have been spending
time on the site surveying the progress
and talking to those involved.
Veteran Charities Updates
Veterans call it disgraceful. Former
state Sen. Dan Gelber wants to make
it a felony. The problem, men dressed
in military fatigues at intersections and
grocery stores, soliciting donations for
veterans. Real military vets say nonveterans dressed in fatigues are fooling
the public into donating money. Senate
Bill 1824 - which earned a 10-0 vote in
the committee - would make it a felony
to misrepresent oneself as a veteran or
member of the U.S. Armed forces in
order to collect donations from the public.
In many of Florida’s major cities, paid
solicitors asking motorists and shoppers
for contributions, are dressed in military
combat uniforms and stationed on street
corners and at retail stores. This is a
critical first step toward passage, and I
thank my colleagues for joining me in
standing up for our veterans all across
Florida,” Gelber said. “The unanimous
vote just goes to show that impersonating
our veterans for personal enrichment
won’t be tolerated.” The bill next heads
to the senate criminal justice committee
for a hearing.
“Why do they need to wear the uniform?
We are furious,” Don Rickard, Treasurer
of the Disabled American Veterans
Chapter 133, told Miami TV Channel
10’s reporter Jeff Weinsier. “It galls
me. Words can’t describe it,” said Harry
Ahrens with The Veterans of Foreign
Wars. “Do you get any money? How
much money do you get?” Weinsier asked
“Brian,” a non-veteran who was wearing
fatigues and soliciting on Hillsboro
Boulevard and Federal Highway for an
organization called Veterans in Need
Foundation. “Sir, I have no comment,”
the man replied. Weinsier asked Josh
Riley, the Chief Operating Officer for the
foundation, how much money collected
actually goes to veterans. “We don’t have
a figure to give to the public at this time,”
Riley said. An internet check revealed
Veterans In Need Foundation located
at 2303 W Mcnab Road, Pompano
Beach, FL 33069 Tel: (954) 941-1919
is a private company categorized under
Veterans’ and Military Organizations.
Current estimates show this company
has an annual revenue of $81,000 and
employs a staff of approximately 3.
[Source:.html article 15 Mar 2010 & VFW
Post 2391 Incident report 25 Jul 2011]
U.S. Navy Veterans Association
The final months of the U.S. Navy
Veterans Association were marked by
frantic attempts to fend off reporters and
investigators who suspected the charity
was a fraud. Though it had reported raising
nearly $100 million to assist veterans, the
nonprofit’s directors were nonexistent,
its headquarters nothing more than mail
drops. Run out of a dilapidated duplex
in Ybor City, a historic neighborhood
in Tampa, Flor but soliciting donations
nationwide, the group sent much of its
money to politicians, not needy veterans.
Under scrutiny in the spring of 2010, the
Navy Veterans stonewalled subpoenas
and scrambled to survive. But as spring
turned to summer, the group’s leader, a
scruffy 60-something who called himself
Commander Bobby Thompson, vanished
from view. The last two board members
resigned. The group’s tricked-out pickup
was sold. Private investigators and a
PR person were hired. Those and other
details about the waning days of the Navy
Veterans are contained in documents
released as part of ongoing investigations
into the group, which so far have sent a
Hillsborough County woman to prison
and made Thompson a wanted fugitive.
Also detailed in the documents: how
by July 2010, even the Navy Veterans’
long-time lawyer Helen Mac Murray had
severed her relationship with the group
and gone to the authorities with serious
accusations of wrongdoing.
For more than six months the Navy
Veterans’ general counsel, had been
fielding queries from the media, including
one seemingly easy request: Prove that
dozens of directors and officers exist.
Of 85 officers listed for the group, only
one could be found: Thompson. In her
affidavit to Florida officials, Mac Murray
urged quick action to secure the Navy
Veterans’ documents at Contreras’ home.
Florida and federal officials took nearly
a month to act on her tip. By the time
authorities seized documents from the
Clair-Mel home of one of Thompson’s
associates, some records already had been
shredded. Florida’s criminal investigation
into the Navy Veterans is ongoing, but
its civil action has been closed. With
Thompson a fugitive, state officials say,
there is no one to sue. Ohio officials, who
estimate their state’s residents were bilked
for more than $2 million by the Navy
Veterans, have been the most aggressive
in their prosecution of the case. Last
month one of Thompson’s volunteers,
Blanca Contreras, was sentenced to five
years in an Ohio prison after pleading
guilty to aggravated theft and money
laundering. In a separate civil action,
Ohio investigators continue to hunt for
clues that could lead to Thompson, who
was last seen at an ATM in New York
City on June 16, 2010.
[Source: St. Petersburg Times Kris
Hundley and John Martin article 4 Sep
2011]
28
TEXAS VV NEWS
POW/MIA News Update
[Source: Washington Post Steve Vogel article 24 Jul 2011]
A coalition of groups representing
veterans and the families of missing
U.S. service members has accused the
Defense Department of undercutting a
joint U.S.-Russian program that seeks
answers to the fate of Americans who
disappeared behind the Iron Curtain.
The U.S.-Russia Joint Commission on
POW/MIAs, established in 1992, has
given investigators from the United
States access to Russia’s central military
archives and opportunities to interview
potential eyewitnesses about U.S. service
members who may have perished in the
former Soviet Union or the territory of
its allies during World War II, Korea,
Vietnam and the Cold War.
After nine months of broken promises,
we cannot sit quietly and allow senior
officials in the Department of Defense to
redirect funding, transfer researchers and
linguists and jeopardize any possibility of
mission success for the U.S.-Russia Joint
Commission on POW/MIAs,. the coalition
stated in an editorial released this month.
The issue was addressed 22 JUL at the
National League of POW/MIA Families
national meeting in Crystal City, but
Defense Department officials attending
the conference did not satisfy concerns
raised by the veterans groups, according
to Ann Mills-Griffiths, executive director
of the league. .Other than to say the
overall accounting mission will continue
to do the most with what it has, their
responses did not answer our questions or
shed any new light into the direction [the
Defense Department] may be taking,. said
Joe Davis, spokesman for the Veterans of
Foreign Wars, one of the groups that
signed the editorial. In a 29 JUN memo
shortly before leaving office, Secretary
of Defense Robert M. Gates directed
.a reassessment of what is minimally
required. to increase the capacity of
the POW/MIA accounting community.
.Our concern is very much about the
undercutting of the Joint Commission,.
Air Force Maj. Carie Parker, a
spokeswoman for the Defense POW/
Missing Personnel Office, said Friday
that the Pentagon is working with the
National Security Council .to ensure that
the department provides the appropriate
support to the commission.. No funding
to support the commission has been cut
.to date,. said Parker, adding that she
was unaware of plans to do so. .The
mission continues,. she said. Parker
noted that funding for the division that
supports the commission has increased
14 percent over the last six years. She
said that while two research analysts
in the division have been transferred to
a new World War II section, they are
.doing the same exact job.. The veterans’
coalition editorial said that a failure to
fully support the commission .will make
it nearly impossible for our government
to locate information and/or remains to
help determine the fates of hundreds, if
not thousands, of Americans who may
have perished in the former Soviet Union
or in the lands of their allies during
World War II, Korea, Vietnam and the
Cold War.. Other groups signing the
editorial include the American Legion,
Disabled American Veterans, Vietnam
Veterans of America, Marine Corps
League, American Veterans and Jewish
War Veterans of the U.S.A. The number
of service members or civilians missing
and unaccounted for include 78,000 from
World War II, 8,000 from Korea, 1,680
from Vietnam, 120 from the Cold War,
and one each from Iraq and Afghanistan.
Remember our POWs in Iraq and
Afghanistan – Spec. Ahmed Altaie and
Pvt. Bowe Bergdahl.
Father of Bowe Bergdahl
Breaks His Silence
On Friday May 6th Robert Bergdahl,
father of POW Bowe Bergdahl posted a
video on YouTube seeking the release
of his son. The following comes from an
ABC News Report By Avin Patel.
The father of Bowe Bergdahl, the only
U.S. soldier to be held in captivity by the
Taliban, released a statement on YouTube
Friday pleading for the safe release of his
son in the wake of the U.S. killing of
Osama bin Laden.
“Our son is being exploited. It is
past time for Bowe and the others to
come home,” said Robert Bergdahl in
a video statement posted on-line. In
the three-minute message, he addresses
the Pakistani military and thanked the
Taliban commanders holding his son.
“Strangely, to some, we must also thank
those who have cared for our son for
almost 2 years,” said Bergdahl. “We
understand the rationale the Islamic
Emirate has made through videos…
our son’s safe return will only heighten
public awareness of this.” He asked the
Pakistani Army, which has been fighting
the Taliban in the border region, to help
secure his son’s release. “Our family
knows the high price that has been paid
by your men in the Army and Frontier
Corps. We give our condolences and
thanks to the families of those who have
fallen for Pakistan.”
The video is the first public statement
by Bowe Bergdahl’s father since the
Army private first class was captured….
The statement follows a video released by
the Taliban earlier in the week featuring
a 10 second clip of Bowe Bergdahl being
blindfolded and led away by his captors.
The appearance is the fifth time the Idahoborn U.S. soldier, now 25, has been seen
since he was captured in June of 2009
along the Afghan-Pakistani border. Army
spokesman Colonel Thomas Collins said
that officials were studying the video and
could not confirm if the shots were new
or different than what had been released
in previous videos.
Obama Statement on
Missing Servicemen
One day after Navy Seals successfully
completed the mission to get Bin Laden,
President Obama awarded posthumously
the Congressional Medal of Honor to
two soldiers from the Korean War.
They are Private First Class Anthony
Kaho’ohanohano and Private First Class
Henry Svehla. Both gave their lives
to assure the survival of their fellow
soldiers. Of the two Pvt. Svehla remains
unaccounted for. “That’s a wound in the
heart of his family that has never been
fully healed,” said President Obama. “It’s
also a reminder that, as a nation, we
must never forget those who didn’t come
home, are missing in action, who were
taken prisoner of war – and we must
never stop trying to bring them back to
their families.”
Words are nice but actions speak
louder. While remains recovery operation
move forward at a brisk pace, the issue
of surviving POWs receives no action.
Admissions of capture and “survival into
captivity” by former enemies are ignored.
If someone “survived into captivity,” the
odds of recovering their remains from
a loss location are minimal, unless the
Vietnamese salted the recovery site. So,
why does JPAC continue to search loss
locations for men the Vietnamese told us
“survived into captivity?”
With Friends Like This,
Who Need Enemies
The Afghan government of President
Hamid Karzai deliberately sabotaged U.S.
efforts to negotiate the release of POW
Bowe Bergdhal. On August 29th the
Associated Press reported the breakdown
of negotiations with the Taliban. The
following is excerpted from the AP article
by Kathy Gannon and Anne Gearan.
Direct U.S. talks with the Taliban had
evolved to a substantive negotiation before
Afghan officials, nervous that the secret
and independent talks would undercut
President Hamid Karzai, scuttled them.
“Featured prominently in the talks was
the whereabouts and eventual release
of U.S. Army Sgt. Bowe Bergdahl of
Hailey, Idaho, who was captured more
than two years ago in eastern Afghanistan
, according to a senior Western diplomat
in the region and a childhood friend of the
Taliban negotiator, Tayyab Aga.
The U.S. negotiators asked Aga what
could be done to gain Bergdahl’s release.
The discussion did not get into specifics
but Aga discussed the release of Afghan
prisoners at Guantanamo Bay , Cuba and
in Afghanistan at Bagram Air Field.
A senior U.S. official acknowledged
that the talks imploded because of the
leak and that Aga, while alive, had
disappeared. The U.S. will continue to
pursue talks, the official said. Current and
former U.S. officials spoke on condition
of anonymity because they were not
authorized to discuss the talks.
The talks were deliberately revealed
by someone in the presidential palace,
where Karzai’s office is located, said
a Western and an Afghan official. The
reason was Karzai’s animosity toward
the U.S. and fear that any agreement
Washington brokered would undermine
his authority, they said.
From the Archives – Another
Reason We Need H.Res 111
Documents and memos found in the records
of the Senate Select Committee on POW/
MIA Affairs continues to amaze us. Some add
context to documents already in hand. Others
offer new avenues of investigation. Some
leave us shaking our heads and wondering;
why would they suggest this if they didn’t
have some type of evidence?
One such document, dated July 1,
1992, is an internal email written by
committee investigator Harold “Nick”
Nicklas. Addressed to Committee Chief
of Staff, Frances Zwenig, the email offers
a list of suggested questions for the
Vietnamese. Among the questions posed
are two suggesting the committee had
information the events occurred.
The first question is: “We believe (sic)
you sent a B-52 crew to the Soviet Union
for debriefing and they were returned to
your control? Our intelligence also reports
flights to the Soviet Union of small groups
of American electronic warfare officers in
questioning American Prisoners. How did
your cooperation work?”
Comment – Both the Vietnamese and
Russians deny Soviet involvement with
American Prisoners of War in Southeast
Asia . Claiming the Soviets only observed
interrogations submitting any questions
for the American’s to the Vietnamese,
who would ask the question. Yet, we know
the Vietnamese gave Cuban interrogators
POW/MIA, continued on page 29
TEXAS VV NEWS
29
POW/MIA, continued from page 28
unlimited access to a limited group of
POWs. It is hard to believe the Soviets
who supplied the North Vietnamese
with aircraft and anti-missile sites were
not given access to POWs, while the
Cuban who provided far less support had
unlimited access.
The second question of interest
reads: “We believe you sent an F111 and
its crew downed by Chinese 37mm antiaircraft fire to China for exploitation and
debriefing? Please tell who was sent and
when they returned to your control. Why
did they not return with Homecoming?”
Comment – While there is no information
on this F111, we do have the words of
former POW John Alpers who believes
his initial interview determined his fate
sending him to Hanoi rather than China or
the former Soviet Union . In a letter, dated
November 7, 1991 addressed to Committee
Chairman John Kerry, Alpers described this
first interview saying:
“I and my pilot were captured
immediately and taken toward Hanoi .
Sometime in the middle of that first night
we disembarked the truck we had been
riding in and were handcuffed to a tree.
I was then taken alone into a structure
and made to sit on a stool. My blindfold
was removed and I found myself in front
of a table behind which were sitting four
oriental men in civilian clothes. The one
who conducted my interrogation was tall,
slim and used impeccable English. A
prolonged effort was made to get me to
discuss certain elements of my mission,
aircraft, base and combat leadership
chain-of-command. I also remember
numerous questions directed at my own
general level of military knowledge, as
well as other questions which tired to
elicit comment from me about specific
technical knowledge of equipment and
tactics which I might possess.”
Alpers continued saying: “I have for the
past 18 years thought that this interrogation
was intended by the enemy to accomplish
two things: First, to ascertain my general
level of physical well-being (people with
major and/or disfiguring wounds almost
never turned up in the Hanoi prison
system), and; second, whether I might have
certain military information that could be
of immediate use to the Hanoi war effort.”
In closing Alpers wrote; “I can now better
understand another possible reason for all
the interest in my technical knowledge. The
possibility I might have “special talents” of
use to Red China and the Soviet Union.”
“I and my pilot managed to get
through that “screening” process and
were subsequently taken on to the Hanoi
Hilton. I now believe that other captives
either “failed the physical” and were
disposed of, or were diverted from Hanoi
and taken north through Red China to
Russia so that the communists could try
to exploit certain “special talents.” By the
way, I felt then and still do now that my
chief interrogator that night was Chinese,
not North Vietnamese. Also that this
relatively important person was not in a
dilapidated building out in the boonies
of North Vietnam in the middle of the
night just my accident. This interrogation
seemed to be an on-going process. My
inquisitors were there when we arrived.
They were waiting for us, not us being
made to wait for them.”
A Voice from the Grave
When Russian General Dmitri
Volkogonov, the first Russian co-chair
of the U.S./Russian Joint POW/MIA
Commission, passed away in December
1995, he left his personal papers to our
Library of Congress.
Found among is papers, in 1998,
was General Volkogonov account of
his efforts to help resolve the fate of
American POWs. Volkogonov wrote:
“I am not certain that we have fully
clarified everything. I know that quite a few
documents were destroyed. However, one
document, probably sensational, is still in
storage. I have a copy of it. Its content
is as follows: at the end of the 1960s the
KGB (external foreign intelligence) was
given the task of “delivering informed
Americans to the USSR for intelligence
gathering purposes.” When I found this
sensational paper in a “special pouch,”
I immediately went to Y. M. Primakov
(Director of Foreign Intelligence). He
called in his people. They brought in
a copy of this project signed; it seems
to me, by Semichastny (I will explain).
For a long time, there was a search
underway to find traces of this task.
These, the traces, as I had expected “were
not found.” They said that the task had
not been accomplished. So how did this
happen in fact? The regime was such
that one could speculate on the wildest of
variants. This remained a secret, which I
could not penetrate. I also did not report
this to my much-esteemed Ambassador,
M. Toon. I am speaking about this now in
the hope that these notes will make it into
my book Reflections.”
General Volkogonov’s notes continued:
“History, especially Soviet history, is full
of secrets, and very often evil. With the
exception of this incident, I can say that I
have done something in order to raise the
mysterious curtain from them.”
On November 9th, 1998, in an article by
Bill Gertz, the Washington Times broke
the story of the document’s existence.
According to the article, “ Moscow is
refusing to turn over a secret KGB document
suggesting captured Americans were taken
to the Soviet Union in the late 1960s for
“intelligence-gathering purposes...”
The article continued, “The Russian
government has told U.S. officials the
plan was never carried out, and Moscow
recently turned down U.S. government
requests to study the intelligence
document, saying it is classified and will
not be released.
“Never Carried Out”
During the Vietnam War, the Soviets
provided North Vietnam with advisors,
troops, supplies, munitions, and aircraft.
U.S. airmen were routinely dodging SAM
missiles and destroying their launch sites.
These were the same SAM missile sites
defending the former Soviet Union .
Who doesn’t think the Soviets had a
passing interest in the technology that
could easily destroy their defenses and
the men who operated that technology?
Were the Soviets pouring millions of
rubles into the North Vietnamese war
effort with no expectation for a return on
their investment? Hardly!
It is naïve of anyone to believe that the
Soviets and Chinese had no interest in the
technical abilities of American POWs.
It is equally naïve to believe these two
nations would not want some form of
repayment for their support of the Hanoi
government, the officials said.”
U.S. Funds $1 Million Project to
Identify Remains of
Vietnamese War Dead
As funded, the project was designed
to assist in the identification of North
Vietnamese, Viet Cong and South
Vietnamese war dead. This humanitarian
effort would help account for Vietnamese
MIA’s, both allies and enemy. The problem,
the Vietnamese refuse to consider the
identification of South Vietnamese soldiers
as part of the program.
As reported by Bill Bartel of The
Virginian-Pilot, U.S. Sen. Jim Webb
wants the federal government to suspend
funding for a project in Vietnam to identify
that country’s missing war dead because
of concerns the effort only focuses on
deceased soldiers who fought against the
United States . Webb, a decorated Vietnam
War veteran, requested that the U.S.
Agency for International Development
suspend the $1 million program until
agency officials provide assurances that
the money is being used to identify fallen
soldiers from both the communist and
anti-communist armed forces.
“This project must ensure fair treatment
to MIAs from the North Vietnamese
Army, the Viet Cong, and the Army of
the Republic of Vietnam,” Webb said
in a prepared statement. “However,
according to information provided to my
office, discussions between USAID and
the Vietnamese government indicate that
former ARVN soldiers are not counted by
the Vietnamese government as among the
missing, and therefore are not included in
this project.”
“As a result, if U.S. assistance were
to go forward now, it would only go
toward identifying fallen soldiers on the
Communist side of this long and tragic
war,” Webb said. “That should not be the
case for reasons of fairness, justice, and
national reconciliation.”
Vietnam government officials have
said they want to identify about 650,000
North Vietnam Army and Viet Cong
fighters who are buried in government
cemeteries or are still missing, Webb
said. But the government also needs to
find a still unknown number of missing
South Vietnamese troops that fought with
U.S. forces, he said.
The senator, who visited Vietnam as
part of an official Asian tour last month,
said he saw that the Binh An Cemetery,
the largest burial ground for South
Vietnamese troops killed in combat, was
being neglected and in need of repair.
When asked about Webb’s request, a
USAID spokesperson said the agency
is “committed to begin the process of
recovering and identifying remains on both
sides of the conflict to help bring closure to
millions of Vietnamese families who don’t
know the fate of missing loved ones.”
The Vietnam Embassy in Washington
did not respond to The Virginian-Pilot’s
requests for comment.
POW Torture
MOH George Everett “Bud” Daye
George Everett .Bud. Day (born
February 24, 1925) is a retired U.S. Air
Force Colonel and Command Pilot who
served during the Vietnam War. He is an
American Hero and is often cited as being
the most decorated U.S. Service member
since General Douglas MacArthur, having
received some seventy decorations, a
majority for actions in combat. Day is
a recipient of the Medal of Honor. Bud
Day has certain specific comments about
the actions of our current commander-inchief based on his personal experiences.
You the reader can decide on their
relevance to the chaos and dangers in the
world today. This extract of Col. Day’s
story reinforces his credentials as an
expert in what real torture is about:
Let me inform him what real torture is
about. I got shot down over N Vietnam
in 1967. I was a Squadron. Commander.
After I returned in 1973, after five years
of punishing torture, I published 2 books
that dealt a lot with real torture in Hanoi.
I was put through a mock execution
because I would not respond to the
Communist interrogators. Exhausted,
they pistol whipped me on the head. A
couple of days later, I was hung by my
feet all day. I escaped the prison into
the jungles with no food and little water.
A couple of weeks later, I got shot and
recaptured. Being shot was OK…what
happened afterwards was not.
They marched me to Vinh…put me in
the rope trick; that trick almost pulled my
arms out of the sockets. Then, they beat me
on the head with a little wooden rod until
my eyes were swelled shut, and my unshot,
unbroken hand was beaten to a pulp.
The next day hung me by the arms…
rebroke my right wrist…wiped out the
nerves in my arms that control the hands,
and my fingers rolled up into a ball. I was
only left with the slightest movement of my
left forefinger. So I started answering the
torturing asses with some incredible lies.
The frustrated Commie gooks then sent
me to Hanoi strapped to a barrel of gas in
the back of a truck. Now in the Hanoi Hilton
(our name for the horrible prison) I was
once again placed kneeling on my knees
before they did the shoulder rope trick on
me again. Following my no response, I was
beaten severely by a big fool. When that
failed, they strapped me with leg irons onto
a bed in Heartbreak Hotel.
I spent much of my ‘out of leg iron’
time held in a kneeling position. There
was so much kneeling –hands up at Zoo.
In the middle of this arduous process,
I took some really bad beatings for
refusing to condemn Lyndon Johnson.
Following several more inescapable
kneeling events. I could see my knee
bones through kneeling holes in my skin.
Once there was a prisoner escape
from the annex to the Zoo. I was the
Senior Officer of a large building…
because of escape…they started a mass
torture of all commanders. I think it was
July 7, 1969…they started beating me
with a car fan belt. In the first 2 days
POW/MIA, continued on page 30
30
TEXAS VV NEWS
POW/MIA, continued from page 29
I took over 300 strokes…then stopped
counting because I never thought I
would live through it.
They continued day-night torture to get
me to confess to a non-existent part in the
escape. This went on for at least 3 days.
On my knees…fan belting…cut open my
scrotum with one fan belt stroke. Opened
up both knee skin holes again with my
kneecaps showing. My fanny looked like
hamburger…I could not lie on my back,
even with the leg irons on me.
They tortured me into admitting that
I was in on the escape…and that my
two roommates knew about it. The next
day I denied the lie. They commenced
torturing me again with 3- 6- or 9
strokes of the fan belt every day from
about July 11 or 12 to 14 October 1969.
I continued to refuse to lie about my
roommates again.
Now, the point of this is that our elected
officials have declared to the world that we
(U.S.) are a bunch of torturers…thus it will be
OK to torture us next time when they catch
us…because that is what the U.S. does.
These officials think that pouring
a little water on someone’s face, or
hanging a pair of women’s pants over
an Arab’s head is TORTURE. I just
talked to MOH holder Leo Thorsness,
who was also in my squadron in jail…
as was John McCain…and we agree that
McCain does not speak for the POW
group when he claims that Al Ghraib
was torture…or that water boarding,
which has no after-effect, is torture. If it
got the Arab to cough up the story about
how he planned the attack on the twin
towers in NYC…Hurrah for the guy
who poured the water!
Editors Note: I have paraphrased and
softened a few of Col. Days’ comments on
this subject. Those who want to know his
EXACT words regarding his feelings about
our official’s position on this subject can read
them at http://www.veteransnewsnow.
com/2011/10/18/medal-of-honor-winnercol-bud-day-american-hero/
[Source: Veterans News Now Tom
Dillman article 18 Oct 2011]
VETERAN AFFAIRS
VA Homeless Veterans Update
As part of its drive to end homelessness
among Veterans by 2015, the Department
of Veterans Affairs is launching a nationwide outreach initiative, “Make the Call,”
to spread the message about its special
programs to help homeless Veterans and
their families to 28 communities across
the nation in October. “Those who have
served this nation as Veterans should
never find themselves on the streets,
living without care and without hope,”
said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric
K. Shinseki. Shinseki noted that 28
communities – from Atlanta to Hawaii
– will host special programs this fall
highlighting local services for homeless
Veterans, their families and those at risk
of becoming homeless. “Working with
our partners in state and local government,
the non-profit and the private sectors,
we can restore our homeless Veterans
and their families to the lives of dignity
they’ve earned,” Shinseki added.
This fiscal year, VA expects to spend
$3.4 billion to provide health care to
homeless Veterans and $800 million
in specialized homeless programs. The
latest studies say more than 75,000
Veterans are homeless on a typical night,
and about 135,000 spend at least one
night a year in a homeless shelter. VA is
encouraging family, friends and citizens
in the community to “Make the Call”
and help prevent and end homelessness
among Veterans. Since March 2010, VA
has offered a toll-free telephone number,
staffed around the clock by trained
professionals, to help homeless Veterans,
their families and at-risk people. The
number is 877-4AID-VET (or 877-4243838). Recently, VA has transformed its
efforts in the fight against homelessness.
It is changing from a program focus
upon temporary, shelter-based services,
to prevention, employment, permanent
housing, and help to families and Veterans
at risk of becoming homeless. The special
awareness and outreach programs in the
28 selected communities are in:
Alaska - Anchorage, Oct. 12
Arizona - Phoenix, Oct. 18-19
California - San Francisco, Oct. 19;
Los Angeles and San Diego, Oct. 12
Colorado - Denver, Oct. 14
District of Columbia - Oct. 14
Florida - Miami, Oct. 21
Georgia - Atlanta, Oct. 29
Hawaii - Kauai, Oct. 14; Oahu, Oct. 17
Illinois - Chicago, Oct. 12
Louisiana - New Orleans, Oct. 22
Massachusetts -Boston, Oct. 20
Michigan - Detroit, Oct. 12
Missouri - St. Louis, Oct. 17
Montana - Billings, Oct. 11
Nevada - Las Vegas, Oct. 6
New York - Canandaigua, Oct. 12;
New York Harbor, Oct. 21
North Carolina - Fayetteville, Oct. 12
Ohio - Cleveland, Oct. 12
Pennsylvania - Lebanon, Oct. 12
South Dakota - Sioux Falls, Oct. 12
Tennessee - Memphis, Oct. 11
Texas - Houston, Oct. 20; Dallas, Oct. 18
Washington - Seattle, Oct. 12
VA Homeless Vets Update
[Source: Reuters Molly O’Toole article
15 Jul 2011]
The number of homeless veterans on
any given night has dropped by over
55,000, the Department of Veterans
Affairs said on 15 JUL, due in part
to programs like the $46.2 million
announced 14 JUL to provide permanent
housing for 6,790 homeless veterans.
Despite a still-stagnant economy and
increased troop drawdowns leading to
potentially higher numbers of homeless
veterans, VA Deputy Press Secretary
Drew Brookie said the number of
veterans that are homeless each night
has dropped from an estimated 131,000
in 2009 to 75,700 as of June this year.
But continued pressure on this targeted
group makes funding fundamental to
the Obama Administration’s goal of
ending veteran homelessness by 2015,
according to Anne Oliva, director of
the Department of Housing and Urban
Development’s homeless office.
“It’s a critical time,” Oliva told Reuters.
“We have veterans that are returning from
Iraq and Afghanistan that are potentially
becoming homeless in higher numbers
than they have in the past. This new
influx of people...we want to try and get
in front of it.” The $46.2 million will go
to public housing agencies in all 50 states
and the District of Columbia. “We’re
reducing the time it takes to get veterans
into homes,” Brookie told Reuters. The
funding is part of the Veterans Affairs
Supportive Housing Program. HUD
Secretary Shaun Donovan and VA
Secretary Eric Shinseki announced the
grants Thursday morning. They are the
first of two rounds of funding that will
allocate the $50 million appropriated to
fight veteran homelessness in Fiscal Year
2011. Participating veterans in the HUDVASH program generally contribute no
more than 30 percent of their income
toward rental of privately owned housing,
according to the HUD. The program is
coordinated by HUD, the VA and local
housing authorities. “Now we know what
works,” Oliva said. “This is the time; we
have the resources…having one veteran
homeless is too many.”
VA Women Vet Programs
[VA News Release 13 Oct 2011]
The Department of Veterans Affairs is
taking its internal culture-change message
to the public with a new video about the
vital role women play in the military
and the importance of providing women
Veterans with high quality health care.
VA’s Women Veterans Health Strategic
Health Care Group recently completed a
60-second public service announcement
(PSA) that challenges viewers to rethink
pre-conceived notions about women
Veterans. This video features images
of women in service to our country:
they drive supply trucks, participate in
reconnaissance missions, walk safety
patrols, and operate helicopter machine
guns. “When these brave women complete
their service and become Veterans, we
want them to know that VA is there to meet
their health care needs,” said Dr. Patricia
Hayes, Chief Consultant of the VA’s
Women Veterans Health Strategic Health
Care Group. “At the same time, we want
the public to recognize the contributions
of women Veterans and the benefits
they have earned through their service
to the Nation.” The PSA is available for
viewing on YouTube at http://www.
youtube.com/watch?feature=player_
profilepage&v=BOP5DCgjxPE and at
http://www.va.gov.
Broadcast organizations interested in
obtaining a broadcast-quality version of
the PSA should contact VA’s Office of
Public Affairs (202-461-7600).
The number of women using VA has
doubled in the past decade, and that
increase is expected to continue into
the next decade. More than half of the
women using VA health care have a
service-connected disability. These range
from combat PTSD to missing limbs.
The PSA gives a sampling of the serviceconnected disabilities women Veterans
must cope with on a daily basis. The PSA
was developed for nationwide release
from a new employee orientation video –
available at http://www.womenshealth.
va.gov – created as part of VA’s ongoing
efforts to change its culture to be more
understanding and accommodating of
women Veterans and honor the important
service they have given our country.
“VA’s goal is to provide the highest
quality care for every Veteran, regardless
of gender. Part of this initiative has been
educating staff so they understand and
appreciate that it is their job to make sure
VET PROGRAMS, continued on page 31
TEXAS VV NEWS
31
VET PROGRAMS, continued from page 30
women Veterans receive the best care
anywhere,” said Hayes.
In addition to new employee
orientation, VA is spreading its cultureof-change message to current employees
through posters, conferences, and e-mail
messaging. VA health care providers are
all given the opportunity to participate
in a ground-breaking mini-residency
program in Women’s Health for Veterans.
This program has already educated more
than 1,100 VA providers on the latest
knowledge in gender-specific health care.
For more information about VA programs
and services for women Veterans, visit:
http://www.va.gov/womenvet
and
http://www.womenshealth.va.gov
Veterans Affairs Addresses Growing
Demand of Women Needing Care
By Chris Vaughn |
Fort Worth Star Telegram
Roughly 6,000 female veterans in
Dallas-Fort Worth get medical care from
Veterans Affairs.
They represent 6 percent of the patients
in the Fort Worth outpatient clinic and
Dallas hospital, but the trend is definitely
heading north. The VA expects to serve
18,000 North Texas women within five
to 10 years, in part because Texas has the
second-most female veterans of any state.
The growing number of female
veterans, including many with combat
experience and some with debilitating
injuries, has led the Veterans Affairs
Department to re-engineer some of its
services to a population that was largely
unfamiliar to the VA system in the past.
The Fort Worth outpatient clinic, for
example, opened a women’s clinic, led by
a female internist, in its new building last
fall and has integrated cervical exams,
mammography and sexual trauma therapy
into its clinical options.
“Certainly there is demand,” said
Assistant VA Secretary L. Tammy
Duckworth. “For the first time in our
nation’s history, we have combat veterans
giving birth. We have found that women
veterans of Iraq and Afghanistan use the
VA at far higher rates than any other
demographic group. We’ve come a long
way in the last two years. We have a
lot more work to do, but we’ve made
tremendous progress.”
Duckworth, 43, herself is Exhibit A
of the changing face of the warrior and
veteran. She flew UH-60 Black Hawk
helicopters in the Illinois National Guard
and was grievously wounded in Iraq in
2004 when a rocket-propelled grenade
struck the cockpit. She had both legs
amputated and lost partial use of one arm.
She was in North Texas last week
for a national VA conference on equal
employment and spoke with the StarTelegram for about 40 minutes.
More on the Agenda
Duckworth and her boss, VA Secretary
and retired Army Gen. Eric Shinseki,
make a point of asking about women’s
programs as they visit VA facilities,
occasionally dragging a hesitant local
director along on the issue, she said.
“More than once I’ve embarrassed
someone at a VA health clinic, especially
when I first came on board,” Duckworth
said. “I’ve put hospital directors on the
hot seat. It’s about personally reaching out
and communicating our dead seriousness
that this is an important issue.”
For all the good the VA is accomplishing
in ramping up women’s access to care,
retired Air Force Col. Kim Olson of
Weatherford would like it to happen faster.
Olson, executive director of the nonprofit
Grace After Fire, characterizes the VA as
“great, but it’s such a huge bureaucracy that
it’s difficult to move quickly.”
“If the VA still takes the stance of ‘build
it and they will come,’ they will never get
the numbers,” said Olson, who receives
VA care. “They’ve got to build a rock-solid
outreach program with this generation. If
you take that old VA approach and wait,
these young women will never try the VA.
The VA needs to step it up. These women
need help yesterday.”
Vicki Fulwiley, a Navy veteran who
lives in Fort Worth, illustrates that point.
She only found out about the clinic a
month ago, after having been told about it
through the Texas Workforce Commission.
“I didn’t even know this was here,”
she said.
Average Age Lower
Fourteen percent of the activeduty military and 17 percent of the
National Guard and reserves are
women. Although they are still barred
from infantry and armor jobs, they are
far from strictly rear-echelon support
personnel. In Iraq and Afghanistan, 140
women have died, compared with eight
during the Vietnam War.
Within the VA system this startling
dichotomy reflects the times: The average
male veteran who receives care is in his
early 60s; the average age of female
veterans is close to 40.
Some of those women want separate
entrances and waiting areas for their
clinics. Others, like Duckworth, would
prefer to be in the mix with men. She
said the VA is trying to listen to women
as they make their wishes known. She
said the VA has hired a women’s health
coordinator at every location nationwide
to “advocate, listen and coordinate” care.
The Fort Worth clinic handles many
gender-specific tests and exams in-house
but contracts out for obstetrics services to
civilian providers.
“We used to get three [pregnancies]
a quarter, but I’ve had three this week,”
said Kim Rice, a registered nurse who is
the acting women’s program manager.
“When the veterans are young like those
we’re getting now, they’re continuing
their families.”
Group Therapy
One of the biggest differences between
the genders may well be in Post-Traumatic
Stress. A VA Office of Inspector General
report in January discovered that women
returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are
more likely to be diagnosed with mentalhealth conditions than men, yet men
are far more likely to receive financial
benefits for those problems.
Because of the overwhelming demand
for counseling and a shortage of therapists,
the VA conducts much of its therapy in
group sessions. But Olson said that won’t
work for many women.
“I’m painting in generalizations,
but group therapy doesn’t work for
women,” she said. “You think a woman
is going to go into a room full of men
and say, ‘Hi, I’m Sally and I ran over
a child trying to get out of the kill
zone.’ Women veterans want one-onone counseling, not to mention that it
usually takes a woman an hour to get to
the point of her problem. Therapy needs
to be different for gals.”
Duckworth said female veterans can
ask to see a female therapist, attend a
women-only group session or, in some
cases, request to be seen by a civilian
provider paid by the VA.
“The key is listening and providing
those services and understanding that it
may be different,” she said. “It’s about
being flexible. We don’t want women to
walk through the doors and turn on their
heels and leave. Because once they leave,
it’s 10 times more difficult to get them to
come through a second time.”
The VA outpatient clinic in Fort Worth
is at 2201 SE Loop 820. For information
on eligibility, call 817-730-0133. For
information on women’s programs,
go
to
www.publichealth.va.gov/
womenshealth
Grace After Fire is a nonprofit that seeks
to help female veterans get connected
with one another and with professional
services. More information can be found
at www.graceafterfire.org
By the Numbers
The number of women using VA
healthcare in North Texas was 4,859 in
fiscal 2008. Through March this year, the
number is 6,091.
VA Death Pension
Widows of veterans are eligible for
pension if the following criteria can be met:
• the deceased veteran was discharged
from service under other than
dishonorable conditions, AND
• the deceased veteran served at least 90
days of active military service 1 day of
which was during a war time period.
If he or she entered active duty after
September 7, 1980, generally he or she
must have served at least 24 months
or the full period for which called
or ordered to active duty. (There are
exceptions to this rule.) AND
• you are the surviving spouse or unmarried
child of the deceased veteran, AND
• your countable income is below a yearly
limit set by law (The yearly limit on
income is set by Congress).
If you are unsure if you meet all
criteria, you are encouraged to go ahead
and file an application, particularly if
your countable income appears to be near
the maximum. VA will determine if you
are eligible and notify you. If you do not
initially qualify, you may reapply if you
have un-reimbursed medical expenses
during the twelve month period after
VA receives your claim that bring your
countable income below the yearly
income limit. These are expense you have
paid for medical services or products for
which you will not be reimbursed by
Medicare or private medical insurance.
The following are examples of the
types of exclusions or deductibles to
countable income:
• Final expenses of the veteran’s last
illness and burial paid by the surviving
spouse or eligible children.
• Public
assistance
such
as
Supplemental Security Income is
not considered income.
• Many other specific sources of
income are not considered income,
however all income should be
reported. VA will exclude any
income that the law allows.
• A portion of un-reimbursed medical expenses
paid by the claimant after VA receives your
pension claim may be deducted.
• Certain other expenses, such as a
surviving spouse’s education expenses,
and in some cases, a portion of the
educational expenses of a child over 18
are deductible.
32
TEXAS VV NEWS
VETERANS ISSUES
Agent Orange Korea
[Source: Los Angeles Times John M. Glionna article 21 Jul 2011]
Using such modern tools as groundpenetrating radar and conducting analyses
of water and soil core samples, a team of
investigators in South Korea is searching
for clues to a decades-old mystery: Did
American soldiers dispose of the defoliant
Agent Orange at a U.S.-run base about
150 miles southeast of Seoul in 1978? For
weeks, a U.S.-South Korean survey team
has focused on a helipad site at the Camp
Carroll base. Recently, tiny amounts of
a toxic element found in Agent Orange
were discovered in three nearby streams.
But South Korean officials say the
amount of dioxin is too small to cause
health problems such as cancer or birth
defects and has not yet been connected
to the alleged burial of drums containing
Agent Orange at the base. U.S. officials
say they have no evidence or records of
Agent Orange ever being kept at the base.
The investigation was launched after a
U.S. veteran told a Phoenix television
station in May that he and others buried
dozens of drums containing Agent
Orange at Camp Carroll more than three
decades ago. We’re taking the claim very
seriously, said U.S. Army Col. Joseph F.
Birchmeier, an engineer and co-chairman
of the joint investigative team. Our focus
is on the health and safety of U.S. soldiers
and their families at Camp Carroll and of
residents around the base.
Agent Orange Okinawa
[Source: Special to The Japan Times
Jon Mitchell article 13 Aug 2011]
An American veteran has told The Japan
Times that in the late 1960s, the U.S.
military buried dozens of barrels of the
toxic defoliant Agent Orange in an area
around the town of Chatan on Okinawa
Island. The former serviceman’s claim
comes only days after Foreign Minister
Takeaki Matsumoto said that he would
ask the U.S. Department of Defense to
come clean on its use of the chemical on
the island during its 27-year occupation of
Okinawa between 1945 and 1972.
The U.S. government has repeatedly
maintained that it has no records
pertaining to the use of Agent Orange
in Okinawa. The veteran’s allegation
is likely to cause considerable concern
in Okinawa, as Agent Orange contains
highly carcinogenic dioxin that can
remain in the soil and water for decades.
The area where the veteran claims the
barrels were buried is near a popular
tourist and housing area.
The 61-year-old veteran, who asked
to remain anonymous, was stationed
between 1968 and 1970 in Okinawa,
where he drove a forklift in a U.S. Army
supply depot. During that time, he helped
load supplies – including Agent Orange
– onto trucks for transport to the port
of Naha, from where they were shipped
to Vietnam. The veteran said that in
1969, one of the supply ships became
stranded on a reef offshore and he had
to take part in the subsequent salvage
operation. “They brought in men from
all over the island to Naha port. We
spent two or three days offloading the
boat on the rocks. There were a lot of
broken containers full of drums of Agent
Orange. The 55-gallon (208-liter) barrels
had orange stripes around them.
Some of them were split open and we
all got poured on,” he said. Following
the removal of the damaged barrels, the
veteran claims he then witnessed the
army bury them in a large pit. “They dug
a long trench. It must have been over 150
feet (46 meters) long. They had pairs of
cranes and they lifted up the containers.
Then they shook out all of the barrels into
the trench. After that, they covered them
over with earth.”
Two other former service members
interviewed by The Japan Times – soldier
Michael Jones and longshoreman James
Spencer – backed up the veteran’s claim
that Naha’s port was used as a hub to
transport thousands of barrels of herbicide.
Spencer also said he witnessed the 1969
salvage operation to unload the containers
from the listing ship, though he was unable
to confirm the contents of the containers.
But the veteran making the allegations
said he was sure. “They were Agent Orange.
I recognized the smell from when I handled
(the barrels) at Machinato (Service Area).”
Since his exposure to the defoliant’s dioxin
during the salvage operation, the veteran
has suffered serious illnesses, including
strokes and chloracne. The U.S. Department
of Veterans Affairs (VA) – which handles
compensation for ailing service members –
pays the former soldier more than $1,000
a month in medical fees related to Agent
Orange exposure.
But the VA claims he was exposed to
dioxin during the six-month period that
he was stationed in Vietnam. But due to
the Pentagon’s repeated denials that Agent
Orange was ever stored in Okinawa, it
does not pay these benefits to U.S. veterans
who claim dioxin-exposure on the island.
The veteran said he is aware of the risk of
discussing the issue – especially given the
sensitivity of current Japan-U.S. relations
over Okinawa, where negotiations are
currently under way to realign U.S. forces
stationed there. “I worry if I go public with
my name on this, they’ll take away my
benefits,” he said.
In 2002, the prefectural government
uncovered a large number of unidentified
barrels in the Chatan area near the location
where the veteran claims he witnessed the
trench being dug. According to a source
close to the Chatan municipal office, after
the barrels were uncovered, they were
quickly seized by the Naha-based Okinawa
Defense Bureau, which is under what is
now the Defense Ministry. “I asked the
Chatan town base affairs division if they
had a report from the defense bureau. They
said no. The town still does not know
what the substance was, how the barrels
were treated or if the bureau conducted
an analysis of the substance,” the source
said. Over the past six months, The Japan
Times has gathered firsthand testimony
from a dozen U.S. veterans who claim to
have stored, sprayed and transported Agent
Orange on nine U.S. military installations
on Okinawa – including the Kadena air base
and Futenma air station – between the mid1960s and 1975. Among those who have
come forward are Joe Sipala, a 61-yearold former U.S. Air Force mechanic, who
says he sprayed the defoliant regularly
to kill weeds around the perimeter of the
Awase Transmitter Site, and Scott Parton,
a marine at Camp Schwab who alleges
that he saw dozens of barrels of Agent
Orange on the base in 1971. Both men’s
allegations are supported by photographs
of barrels of the defoliant on Okinawa.
They are currently suffering serious
illnesses – including type-2 diabetes and
prostate disorders – related to their contact
with the defoliant, and Sipala’s children
show signs of deformities consistent with
exposure to dioxin. However, the VA is
continuing to reject the men’s claims due
to the Department of Defense’s denials that
the defoliant was ever present on Okinawa.
The accounts of these 12 veterans
suggest the wide-scale use of Agent
Orange on the island during the
Vietnam War. They say the defoliant
was used and stored in massive
quantities from the northern Yambaru
district to Naha port in the south. The
defoliant’s carcinogenic properties
were not fully revealed until the mid1980s. Okinawans expressed concern
over the issue. A retired teacher whose
school was located near one of the nine
bases where Agent Orange had been
sprayed recently explained how several
of her students had died of leukemia –
one of the diseases listed by the U.S.
government as caused by exposure to
dioxin. Yoshitami Oshiro, a member of
the Nago Municipal Assembly, called
for an investigation into the claims of
Parton, the former marine, that he had
seen large numbers of barrels at Camp
Schwab – which is in Nago. This is not
the first time the U.S. military has been
accused of disposing toxic waste this
way. In 2005, Fort Mainwright, Alaska,
made deadlines after construction workers
discovered tons of PCB-contaminated
earth beneath a planned housing unit. In
May, three U.S. veterans claimed they
helped bury barrels of Agent Orange on
Camp Carroll in South Korea in 1978.
The Pentagon is currently investigating
this assertion.
Agent Orange Stateside Use
[Source: Connecticut Health I Team
Lisa Chedekel article 7 Sep 2011]
In recent complaints to the Air Force
Inspector General, the chief of the Air
Force Reserve, the Institute of Medicine
and other officials, post-Vietnam War
era, Wes Carter and Paul Bailey have
cited documents showing that the Air
Force knew, at least since 1994, of Agent
Orange contamination aboard C-123
Provider aircraft flown at Westover and
other bases – but failed to warn personnel
of the health risks. Both men are diagnosed
with prostate cancer along with many
other in their Air Force Reserve former
crewmates in the 74th Aeromedical
Evacuation Squadron. Carter was stunned
when he began checking and found that
the first five crewmen he called had
prostate cancer or heart disease. The
sixth man he tried had died. Since then,
he and Bailey have found dozens more
former Westover reservists who are
sick – with prostate cancer, diabetes,
heart disease, peripheral neuropathy and
other illnesses connected to exposure
to Agent Orange [AO]. In just a few
months, they have compiled a list of
close to 40 of their fellow pilots, medical
technicians, maintenance workers and
flight engineers who are sick or have
died of such illnesses, many of them from
Connecticut and Massachusetts.
Among the documents the veterans
cite is a 1994 Air Force report that
found one of the airplanes, known as
Patches, was .heavily contaminated.
with dioxins. Tests on other planes
showed
similar
contamination,
records show. In a 2000 legal brief,
the General Services Administration
argued that the proposed sale of
C-123s to a private buyer should
be canceled, dubbing the planes
extremely hazardous and saying
their release would carry .the risk of
dioxin contamination to the general
public.. In a 1996 internal memo, an
official in the Air Force Office of the
Staff Judge Advocate, Directorate of
Environmental Law, had expressed
similar concerns about the possibly
contaminated aircraft being sold to
third parties, but said: .I do not believe
we should alert anyone outside of
official channels of this potential
problem until we fully determine its
extent. So far, attempts by Westover
reservists to claim veterans’ benefits
linked to Agent Orange exposure on
C-123s have been stymied.
One of the veterans who tried was
Aaron Olmsted of Ellington, CT, a
retired Air Force Lieutenant Colonel
who flew the C-123. Olmsted, 60, was
killed in a plane crash in Pennsylvania
in May, four years after he had lost
a battle with the Board of Veterans
Appeals to prove that he was sick
from exposure to Agent Orange.
While Olmsted had logged hundreds
of hours piloting C-123s at Westover,
the veterans’ appeals board in 2007
AGENT ORANGE, continued on page 33
TEXAS VV NEWS
33
AGENT ORANGE, continued from page 32
rejected his claim that his diabetes
mellitus was connected to Agent Orange
exposure. The Board acknowledges that
the veteran maintains he was exposed
to Agent Orange while flying aircraft
from 1979 to 1982 in the Air Force
Reserves because the aircraft were used
to spray Agent Orange in Vietnam
from 1962 to 1971 and that he was
thus exposed to Agent Orange residue,
Veterans Law Judge Steven L. Cohn
wrote in dismissing Olmsted’s claim.
[But] the veteran has not submitted any
evidence substantiating his contention
that there was any residual Agent
Orange material on the aircraft he
served on. His contention, standing
alone, is not sufficient to show he had
actual exposure to Agent Orange.
Olmsted’s widow, Diane, said she was
frustrated that the VA had denied her
husband’s appeal on the grounds that he
had not provided specific tail numbers
of the C-123s he flew. He flew Patches
and other planes that were found to be
contaminated with dioxins, flight records
and photographs show. I don’t understand
why they would put him through this, when
it was clear he flew contaminated planes,
she said. Why would they turn their backs
on him after he had served his country so
long and so well? I feel like it’s such an
injustice.. She said federal aviation officials
are now investigating whether her husband
had a medical crisis that caused the small
plane he was piloting to crash this spring.
We always joked he could have landed
a refrigerator with wings, she said. The
plane was fine, the weather was good – [the
crash] makes no sense.
Odd Smells, Stinging Eyes
A hazmat team at Davis-Monthan
Air Force Base, Arizona
Records show that some C-123 planes
were held in quarantine storage in recent
years, and then disposed of by shredding
and smelting in 2010. In June 2009, an
Agent Orange consultant to the Secretary
of Defense had lobbied for the .immediate
destruction. of the planes, in part to avoid
attracting media attention to the health
claims of stateside veterans. A whole
new class of veterans may claim that
their exposure was due to the fact they
were members of aircrews or mechanics
associated with the contaminated
aircraft that returned from Vietnam, the
consultant, Dr. Alvin L. Young, wrote in
the June 26, 2009, memo.
Carter, Bailey and their fellow reservists
want the Air Force to explain why it
never warned former crew members of
their exposure and the possible health
consequences, even as tests confirmed the
presence of dioxins in the planes. Work
crews that prepared Patches for display
in a museum were instructed in a 1994
memo to wear hazardous material suits
and respirators—yet Carter, Olmsted and
others had flown in the plane often,
without protection. Carter and Bailey
both recall the strange chemical smell of
the C-123s and the stinging in their eyes
and mouths – at the time, inexplicable
sensations. I was always pretty sick on
the airplanes – I ended up throwing up
a lot, said Bailey, 65, who is undergoing
radiation treatment for cancer. I never
knew why. Now it makes sense..
Agent Orange Guam
[Source: KUAM News Nick Delgado
article 8 Oct 23 2011 ]
Veterans and their families who were
on Guam during the Vietnam War and
were exposed to Agent Orange have
launched a petition drive, calling on
the Obama Administration to launch a
full investigation into the matter. One
such veteran hopes the White House
will listen and learn from his story.
“I’m Master Sergeant Leroy Foster,”
the man said, introducing himself. “I’m
retired from the U.S. Air Force. I came
over to Guam during the Vietnam War
412 with the 99th Air Force Base
and I was assigned to at that time
it was the 3960th Combat Support
Group. I think it was the 819th Support
Squadron converted to the 43rd Supply
Squadron.” According to Foster, he
arrived to Guam in September 1968. “I
was assigned to the Fuel Division and
I worked on fuel tank farms refueling
aircrafts, B-52s. They had me spraying
Agent Orange herbicides.”
Foster is one of many veterans who
say they were exposed to Agent Orange
on Guam during the Vietnam War
and have signed a petition calling on
President Barack Obama to launch an
investigation. Foster says it wasn’t too
long after working in the fuel tank farms
on Guam his health began to deteriorate
and just got worse through his military
career and into retirement. “Sometime
in 1978, not realizing that it was all
connected to Agent Orange, I ended
up having some severe health problems
right up until I retired from active duty.
But they discovered I had spongeolosis.
I was denied employment after I retired
from active duty because I’m paralyzed
from my waist down.” He added, “[I] had
strokes and heart attacks not knowing
what happened to me, and then in July
2009, the Agent Orange Commission
released Agent Orange Update and I
realized then what was happening to me
and it was from those herbicides that I
sprayed over there in Guam from and on
Andersen AFB and off-base.”
A total of 5,000 signatures are
needed in order to get the White
House’s attention. Currently there are
only 589 people who have signed the
petition as of 11 OCT. If you would
like to read the petition you can read
it at https://wwws.whitehouse.gov/
petitions#!/petition/investigation
-full-disclosure-where-and-when
-agent-orange-herbicides-were-used
-outside-vietnam/rQdBtRyd. To sign
the petition you must be registered
which can be done on the https://
wwws.whitehouse.gov/petitions site.
Once registered you can sign any
of the other petitions listed if you
so choose. The deadline to get the
required number of signatures is 22
OCT. Meanwhile, Congresswoman
Madeleine Bordallo supports the
initiative, telling KUAM News that
individuals who may have been
exposed to these chemicals deserve
to have this matter investigated fully.
Agent Orange Thailand & Korea
[Source: DVA Compensation & Pension
Service Bulletin May 2010]
Effective immediately, when regional
offices (ROs) receive disability claims based
on exposure to tactical herbicides, such as
Agent Orange, from veterans who served
in Thailand or Korea during the Vietnam
era, there is no longer a requirement to
send an inquiry to the Compensation &
Pension (C&P) Service Agent Orange
Mailbox. Development inquiries can be
sent directly to the Army and Joint Services
Records Research Center (JSRRC) when
the available evidence does not indicate
tactical herbicide exposure. This will
reduce processing time and provide better
service to Veterans.
Thailand Service:
• After reviewing documents related
to herbicide use in Vietnam and
Thailand, C&P Service has
determined that there was significant
use of herbicides on the fenced
in perimeters of military bases in
Thailand intended to eliminate
vegetation and ground cover for
base security purposes. Evidence of
this can be found in a declassified
Vietnam era Department of
Defense (DoD) document titled
Project CHECO Southeast Asia
Report: Base Defense in Thailand.
Therefore, when herbicide related
claims from Veterans with Thailand
service are received, RO personnel
should now evaluate the treatment
and personnel records to determine
whether the Veteran’s service
activities involved duty on or near
the perimeter of the military base
where the Veteran was stationed.
• DoD has provided information that
commercial herbicides, rather than
tactical herbicides, were used within
the confines of Thailand bases to
control weeds. These commercial
herbicides have been, and continue
to be, used on all military bases
worldwide. They do not fall under the
VA regulations governing exposure
to tactical herbicides such as Agent
Orange. However, there is some
evidence that the herbicides used on
the Thailand base perimeters may
have been either tactical, procured
from Vietnam, or a commercial
variant of much greater strength
and with characteristics of tactical
herbicides. Therefore, C&P Service
has determined that a special
consideration of herbicide exposure
on a facts found or direct basis should
be extended to those Veterans whose
duties placed them on or near the
perimeters of Thailand military bases.
This allows for presumptive service
connection of the diseases associated
with herbicide exposure.
• The majority of troops in Thailand
during the Vietnam era were stationed
at the Royal Thai Air Force Bases
of U-Tapao, Ubon, Nakhon Phanom,
Udorn, Takhli, Korat, and Don Muang.
If a US Air Force Veteran served on
one of these air bases as a security
policeman, security patrol dog handler,
member of a security police squadron,
or otherwise served near the air base
perimeter, as shown by MOS (military
occupational specialty), performance
evaluations, or other credible evidence,
then herbicide exposure should be
acknowledged on a facts found or
direct basis. However, this applies only
during the Vietnam era, from 28 FEB
61 to 7 MAY 75.
• Along with air bases, there were some
small Army installations established in
Thailand during this period, which may
also have used perimeter herbicides
in the same manner as the air bases.
Therefore, if a US Army Veteran
claims a disability based on herbicide
exposure and the Veteran was a
member of a military police (MP) unit
or was assigned an MP MOS and states
that his duty placed him at or near the
base perimeter, Veteran was a member
of a military police (MP) unit or was
assigned an MP MOS and states that
his duty placed him at or near the base
perimeter, then herbicide exposure on
a facts found or direct basis should be
acknowledged for this Veteran.
• The difference in approach for US
Army Veterans is based on the fact that
some MPs had criminal investigation
duties rather than base security duties.
Therefore, the Veteran’s lay statement
is required to establish security duty on
the base perimeter. This also applies
to US Army personnel who served on
air bases in Thailand. During the early
years of the war in Vietnam, before
Air Force security units were fully
established on air bases in Thailand,
US Army personnel may have provided
perimeter security. In such cases, if
the Veteran provides a lay statement
that he was involved with perimeter
security duty and there is additional
credible evidence supporting this
statement, then herbicide exposure on
a facts found or direct basis can be
acknowledged for this Veteran.
• If evidence shows that the Veteran
performed duties along the military
base perimeter, ROs should
acknowledge herbicide exposure on a
facts found or direct basis.
Korean Service - Currently, tactical
herbicide exposure can be presumed
for Veterans who served in specific
US Army units that operated along
the Korean demilitarized zone (DMZ)
from APR 1968 through JUL 1969.
These units were identified by DoD
documents and are listed in M21-1MR
IV.ii.2.C.10.o. When service treatment
or personnel records show that a
Veteran was assigned to one of these
units during the time frame of tactical
herbicide use, the Veteran qualifies for
the presumption of exposure.
✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯✯
34
TEXAS VV NEWS
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
[Source: New York Times Dan Frosch article 18 Jul 2011]
For years now, some veterans groups
and marijuana advocates have argued that
the therapeutic benefits of the drug can
help soothe the psychological wounds of
battle. But with only anecdotal evidence
as support, their claims have yet to gain
widespread acceptance in medical circles.
There is a widely accepted need for a
new treatment of PTSD, said Rick Doblin,
who wants to do research on marijuana.
Now, however, researchers are seeking
federal approval for what is believed to
be the first study to examine the effects of
marijuana on veterans with chronic posttraumatic stress disorder. The proposal,
from the Multidisciplinary Association
for Psychedelic Studies in Santa Cruz,
Calif., and a researcher at the University
of Arizona College of Medicine, would
look at the potential benefits of cannabis by
examining 50 combat veterans who suffer
from the condition and have not responded
to other treatment. With so many veterans
from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan,
there is a widely accepted need for a new
treatment of PTSD, said Rick Doblin,
founder and executive director of the
psychedelic studies group. These are people
whom we put in harm’s way, and we have a
moral obligation to help them.
In April, the Food and Drug
Administration said it was satisfied
that safety concerns over the study
had been addressed by Mr. Doblin and
Dr. Sue Sisley, an assistant professor
of psychiatry and internal medicine at
Arizona, according to a letter from the
drug administration provided by Mr.
Doblin. But the letter also noted that the
project could not go forward until the
researchers identified where they would
get their marijuana. And that cannot
happen, Mr. Doblin said, until the project
is approved by a scientific review panel
from the Department of Health and Human
Services, which includes representatives
from an assortment of federal health
agencies. If the proposal is approved,
Mr. Doblin said, the researchers will
use marijuana grown by the University
of Mississippi under a contract with the
National Institute on Drug Abuse. It is
the only marijuana permitted to be used
in federally approved studies.
A Health and Human Services
spokeswoman said the proposal was
still under review. The production and
distribution of marijuana for clinical
research is carefully restricted under a
number of federal laws and international
commitments, the spokeswoman,
Tara Broido, said in an e-mail. Study
proposals are reviewed for scientific
quality and the likelihood that they
will yield data on meaningful benefits.
An institutional review board must
also approve the study, as well as
the Drug Enforcement Administration,
Mr. Doblin said. Getting final approval
from the federal government could
prove difficult, Mr. Doblin and Dr.
Sisley conceded. They said it was far
more challenging to get authorization
for a study that examines the benefits
of an illegal drug than its risks. We
really believe science should supersede
politics, Dr. Sisley said. This illness
needs to be treated in a multidisciplinary
way. Drugs like Zoloft and Paxil have
proven entirely inadequate. And there’s
anecdotal evidence from vets that
cannabis can provide systematic relief.
Medical marijuana is legal in 16 states
and the District of Columbia. But only
New Mexico and Delaware specifically
list post-traumatic stress disorder as a
qualifying condition for treatment,
according to the Marijuana Policy Project,
a Washington-based group that supports
legal regulation of the drug. Currently,
nearly a third of the 4,982 patients
approved for medical marijuana in New
Mexico suffer from post-traumatic stress
disorder, more than any other condition,
according to the state’s health department.
It is unclear how many are veterans. One
recent Army veteran from Texas who
fought in Iraq for 18 months beginning
in 2006, said he used marijuana three
times a day in lieu of the painkillers and
antidepressants he was prescribed after
returning home. He asked that his name
not be used because Texas does not allow
medical marijuana. The veteran, who said
he had been shot in the leg and suffered
numerous head injuries from explosions
while deployed as a Humvee gunner, said
marijuana helped quiet his physical and
psychological pain, while not causing the
weight loss and sleep deprivation brought
on by his prescription medications. I
have seen it with my own eyes, he said. It
works for a lot of the guys coming home.
If the study is approved, veterans
who participate would be observed on
an outpatient basis over three months,
Mr. Doblin said. During two four-week
increments, they would be given up to
1.8 grams of marijuana a day to treat
anxiety, depression, nightmares and
other symptoms brought on by PTSD.
Researchers would also observe the
veterans for periods when they are not
permitted to use marijuana. In addition
to a placebo, researchers plan to use
four marijuana strains in the study,
each containing different levels of
tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), a primary
component of the drug. One of the strains
will also contain cannabidiol (CBD),
another ingredient thought to have an
anti-anxiety effect. Mr. Doblin said the
veterans would be allowed to use the
marijuana at their own discretion.
Half will be instructed to smoke the
drug, while the other half will inhale it
through a vaporizer.
PTSD Update
[Source: Psych Central News
Editor article 2 Aug 2011]
Post-Traumatic stress disorder
is among the most common and
disabling psychiatric disorders among
military personnel serving in combat.
No psychiatric medication is approved
by the FDA to treat it. However,
antidepressants
are
commonly
prescribed for some symptoms of
PTSD. Within the U.S. Department
of Veterans Affairs (VA), 89 percent
of veterans diagnosed with PTSD
and treated with pharmacotherapy are
prescribed SSRIs, the most common
type of antidepressant. However, [S]
SRIs appear to be less effective in
men than in women and less effective
in chronic PTSD than in acute PTSD.
Thus, it may not be surprising that
an SRI study in veterans produced
negative results. Second-generation
antipsychotics (SGAs) are commonly
used medications for SRI-resistant
PTSD symptoms, despite limited
evidence supporting this practice, the
authors write. Researchers wondered
whether risperidone (Risperdal)
added to an ongoing pharmacotherapy
regimen would be more effective
than placebo for reducing chronic
military-related PTSD symptoms
among veterans whose symptoms did
not respond to at least two adequate
SSRI treatments. The researchers also
discovered that risperidone was not
statistically superior to placebo on
any of the other outcomes, including
improvement on measures of quality
of life, depression, anxiety, or
paranoia/psychosis. Overall, the rate
of adverse events during treatment
was low but appeared related to
dosing of risperidone.
In summary, risperidone, the second
most widely prescribed second-generation
antipsychotic within VA for PTSD and
the best data-supported adjunctive
pharmacotherapy for PTSD, did not reduce
overall PTSD severity, produce global
improvement, or increase quality of life in
patients with chronic SRI-resistant militaryrelated PTSD symptoms. Overall, the data
do not provide strong support for the current
widespread prescription of risperidone
to patients with chronic [S]SRI-resistant
military-related PTSD symptoms, and these
findings should stimulate careful review of
the benefits of these medications in patients
with chronic PTSD, the authors conclude.
In treating military-related PTSD, Charles
W. Hoge, M.D., of the Walter Reed Army
Medical Center, writes that significant
improvements in population care for war
veterans will require innovative approaches
to increase treatment reach. Research is
required to better understand the perceptions
war veterans have concerning mental health
care, acceptability of care, willingness
to continue with treatment, and ways to
communicate with veterans that validate
their experiences as warriors. The study
appears in the August 3 issue of the Journal
of the American Medical Association.
PTSD Update
[Source: Stars & Stripes Megan
McCloskey article 5 Oct 2011]
In
2007,
the
Chicago-based
anesthesiologist Eugene Lipov discovered
that injecting a local anesthetic into a
bundle of nerves in the neck of war
veterans relieved PTSD symptoms. One,
or sometimes two injections, and the
veterans were suddenly better. Lipov has
tried three times in the last four years
to get the Department of Defense to
fund a study on the treatment, but even
with an endorsement of then-Sen. Barack
Obama, he hasn’t been able to wrench
open the government pocketbook. The
best he’s been able to do is convince
two Navy doctors in San Diego to do
a small study of their own. You would
think the government would look at the
results I’ve had and say, “This is a great
idea. How can I help you?’. Lipov said.
But I’m still waiting. Perhaps a shot
is too simple an idea. At first glance
it can seem gimmicky, almost like an
infomercial pitch. But Lipov says his 12
patients have shown the shot to work,
and in 2009, an Army doctor replicated
those results with two soldiers at Walter
Reed Army Medical Center. Lt. Col. Sean
Mulvaney’s results were published in the
Pain Practice journal, where he wrote that
both of his patients with chronic PTSD
experienced immediate, significant and
durable relief. Mulvaney has now treated
15 patients with the shot.
The testimonials of many of the veterans
and servicemembers are powerful. The
nightmares, flashbacks, anger and other
PTSD-related issues were gone, they
said, replaced with a calm they hadn’t
felt in years. Still, with those who hold
the purse strings in the military research
community, it’s been a hard sell for
an outsider like Lipov. The 10-minute
procedure has been used since 1925 to
treat pain, so it isn’t a new concept.
But no one before has proposed that
it could treat PTSD, which despite its
physical manifestations in the brain, is
still largely thought of as an emotional
problem. Here’s how Lipov believes the
shot works: There is a group of nerves in
the neck called a stellate ganglion that is
a part of the sympathetic nerve system,
which among other things sends pain
messages to the brain and controls stress,
including the fight-or-flight response.
When someone experiences trauma, the
stellate ganglion produces an increased
amount of nerve growth factor, which
cause excess nerves to sprout in the
brain, according to Lipov. This leads to
overactive stress response and anxiety,
he hypothesizes. By injecting the stellate
ganglion with anesthetic, the nerve
growth factor returns to normal levels, the
excess nerves die off and the symptoms
subside. Basically the shot settles down
the sympathetic nervous system, resetting
the brain to where it was before the trauma
and onset of PTSD, Lipov theorizes.
The U.S. Army Medical Research and
Materiel Command at Fort Detrick isn’t
buying it. Last month, they rejected
Lipov’s latest proposal, a $1.6 million
clinical trial. Reviewers of the proposal
acknowledged that should a randomized
controlled trial prove successful, it
could lead to important innovations in
the medical treatment of PTSD. But
they wrote in their scientific review
that they were concerned Lipov’s study
was overly ambitious and expensive
for a relatively untested concept —
and one they think lacks a convincing
neurobiological explanation for why it
works. Even a psychologist who has
signed on to help advise Lipov as he
moves forward with his work, agrees
POST-TRAUMATIC, continued on page 36
TEXAS VV NEWS
35
WHAT DO THESE PEOPLE
HAVE IN COMMON?
THEY’RE A HANDFUL OF THE PEOPLE WHO MAKE UP VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA IN TEXAS.
THEY’RE VETERANS, FAMILY AND FRIENDS, AND THEY INVITE YOU TO JOIN THEM.
WHAT DOES VVA OFFER YOU?
* Community involvement and networking
* Programs targeted to help veterans & their families
* Hard-hitting work Capitol Hill & in Austin
* Free VVA representation in VA Claims cases
* VVA informational and self-help guides
* An award-winning National Newspaper (The Veteran)
* An award-winning State Newspaper (The Texas Vietnam
Veterans News) (2000, 2002 & 2003 State Newspaper of the Year).
* Membership is open to anyone who served on active duty in the
U.S. Armed Forces between February 28, 1961 and
May 7, 1975 (In-country) or between August 5, 1964- and
May 7, 1975 (For Vietnam-era veterans).
* A Copy of your DD-214 is required for membership
* All those who share our concerns are invited to join as Associates.
* Vietnam Veterans of America was granted a congressional charter
in 1986 as a nonprofit veterans service organization.
DECLARATION OF PRINCIPLES
WE, the veterans of the war in Vietnam, who embraced through sacrifice and service to country
the most fundamental and cherished bonds of our democracy, reaffirm that commitment to spirit
and ideals, accepting it as the solemn responsibility of our survival, to bear the burden of what
has been, so that tragedy once endured can never be forgotten.
AND, so do we resolve that the true measure of our worth as citizens, as veterans, and as patriots
be found in our willingness to draw from and abide by these strengths and convictions born of
heritage and experience.
TO HOLD that a sacred and binding contract exists between governors and governed; with the
latter recognizing an obligation of compulsory foreign or domestic service equitably shared by
all, and the former morally obligated to implement foreign and domestic policies that are clear,
consistent, and reflective of the will of the people.
TO HOLD, further, that the contract extended obligatory service with the Nation bound
whenever and wherever appropriate to the prompt delivery of compensation to individual or
survivors in direct proportion to sacrifice and service rendered.
TO HONOR with dignity the sacred memory of the war dead, and so in dignity, insure that the
lasting legacy of the fallen is responsibility toward, not exploitation of their sacrifice.
TO STAND for cooperation, dialogue, and friendship among the nations of the world community
with full respect and support of those principles central to our national life.
MEMBERSHIP APPLICATION
Last Name:______________________________________ First Name:_____________________________________ Initial:______________
Address:________________________________________ City:___________________________________________ State:______________ Zip Code:��
Home Phone:_____________________________________ Work Phone:____________________________________
Date of Birth:____________________________________ Age:______________
❑ Male ❑ Female
Please Check Membership Type:
❑ Individual: Vietnam Veteran (28 February 1961 through 7 May 1975)
❑ Individual: Vietnam Era Veterans (5 August 1964 through 7 May 1975)
Attach a Copy of your DD-214 or other official documentation of service in the U.S. Armed Forces
Branch of Service:
❑ USA ❑ USN ❑ USMC ❑ USAF ❑ UCG
DD-214 Attached:
❑ Yes ❑ No
Did you serve in Southeast Asia?
❑ Yes ❑ No
Associate: Any non-veteran or any Military Service Veteran who did not serve at any time during the Vietnam War Era.
Membership dues: Annual Dues $20; 3-Year Dues $50; and Life membership dues based on age starting at $250
It’s not the price you pay to be eligible for membership. BUT THE PRICE YOU PAID TO BECOME ELIGIBLE
Return to your local Chapter or for at-large membership, mail to: Buster Newberry, P.O. Box 1860, Fritch, Texas 79036 | Phone: 806-857-2261 | Fax 806-857-2261
Please Make Checks/M.O. Payable to: Vietnam Veterans of America
36
TEXAS VV NEWS
POST-TRAUMATIC, continued from page 34
with the reviewers on that note. You
have to start with a theory that makes
sense to folks, said Stevan Hobfoll, who
heads the Department of Behavioral
Sciences at the Rush University
Medical Center in Chicago. Col. Carl
Castro, director of Ditric’s Operational
Medicine Research Program, said Lipov
skipped an important step: a study
with control groups. Without that, the
scientific community looks at results as
little more than fallible anecdotes. The
Army, which spends about $30 million
a year on PTSD research, would like to
explore Lipov’s approach, but he needs
to do a scientifically rigorous study, and
that way if he gets promising results,
we can be confident in doing a much
larger clinical trial, Castro said. We
don’t want to fund a study that has the
possibility of failure, or has findings
that will be so ambiguous we won’t
know what to make of the findings.
It’s a novel concept and really we
have just got to ensure that what we’re
doing is safe and actually does what the
treatment is supposed to do.
Lipov said one Pentagon official
told him he’s getting slow rolled
because his treatment challenges the
old guard, telling him: The horse and
buggy industry did not embrace the
Model T. Hobfoll, who said he’s
skeptical about every new treatment
that comes along, decided nonetheless
to help out Lipov because he thinks
it has some chance of opening up
avenues. that aren’t currently available
to treat PTSD. Other treatments that
have been successful and accepted in
treating PTSD also lack a thoroughly
explained mechanism for why it works.
But it works, Hobfoll said. I think
Eugene may have stumbled on one
of these. He said he thinks Lipov
might be overselling the treatment,
saying it’s not the way I would do
it, but still it makes more sense to
me than drugs. Lipov has managed to
persuade doctors at the Naval Medical
Center in San Diego to test the shot
on active-duty patients with chronic
PTSD who haven’t seen results with
traditional treatments. It happened by
way of Congress. A senior naval officer
had heard Lipov testify last year at the
House Veterans’ Affairs Committee
and took the idea to the psychiatric
department at the medical center in
San Diego. Lipov is frustrated that
he’s unable to reach as many people as
he’d like because of the limited funds,
but he’s determined to keep moving
forward with the treatment.
Medicaid Eligible Vets
[Source: Stateline | State Policy and Politics Pamela M. Prah article 18 Jul 2011]
A growing number of states are shifting
health care costs to the federal government
by finding military veterans who receive
Medicaid and signing them up for medical
benefits through the U.S. Department of
Veterans Affairs. Arizona, California and
Texas are among the states that are working
to replicate a program first launched in
Washington State. That program, begun
in 2003, has moved some 9,500 veterans
from the state’s Medicaid rolls to the VA’s.
Washington State has avoided paying $27
million in health care bills this way –
enough to make a small dent in a strained
state budget. And veterans generally find
that the benefits offered through the VA are
more generous that what they were getting
through the state. The fact that it saves
Medicaid dollars is an added benefit, says
Bill Allman, who created the Washington
State program and is its biggest advocate
nationally. That would appear to make it
a no-brainer for each and every state. Of
course, Allman’s program doesn’t result in
less spending on health care – what saves
money for the state costs money for the
feds. But at a time when federal stimulus
dollars have dried up, it represents a clever
way to get the federal government to pick
up one of the states’ bills.
Allman came up with the idea for the
program while working with a database
intended to catch welfare fraud. Allman
works in the Washington State Health Care
Authority. He also served in Vietnam.
He discovered that the federal database
known as the .Public Assistance Reporting
Information System, or PARIS, could
also tell him which Medicaid clients were
veterans. With that information, Allman’s
office could work with the state VA to
determine which benefits those veterans
were eligible for but not receiving and
encourage them to sign up. Generally,
anyone who has served in the military for
24 continuous months or the full period
for which they were called to active duty,
and meets other criteria set by Congress,
is eligible for VA health benefits. Of the
22.6 million veterans nationwide, only 8.3
million received health care in VA facilities
in 2010, according to the U.S. Department
of Veterans Affairs. Many do not know
they are eligible. Some 40 percent of current
veterans are over the age of 65.
Under Allman’s program, the state
spends less money and the veteran gets
equal or more generous coverage. That’s
particularly true when it comes to longterm care. If a veteran dies while receiving
long-term care services from Medicaid, the
state can claim assets such as a family
home to repay taxpayers for the cost of
their care. Veterans’ benefits don’t have that
string attached because the veterans earned
the benefits through their military service.
Medicaid is a payer of last resort, Allman
says. Speaking as a Vietnam veteran, I
would much rather collect benefits that I
earned than to request state aid. It costs states
money to set up and manage a program like
Washington’s. But Allman figures that for
every $1 spent on the program, the state
gets back $8 in health bills paid by the
federal government. The experience was
much the same in Montana, which copied
the program in 2008 and shifted $900,000 in
costs off its books in the first year. Maryland
expects to save $750,000 in the first year of
its program. And in California, which will
go statewide with a pilot program it had
initiated in several counties, the Legislative
Analyst’s Office ran its own numbers and
estimated that the state could save $250
million by shifting 144,000 veterans from
Medicaid to VA health care.
The federal government doesn’t track how
many states have implemented the veterans
program or estimate how much extra it
costs the VA as a result. For the states,
says Tom Miller, a PARIS Project Officer
with the U.S. Department of Health and
Human Services. The benefits outweigh
the cost of administering a program like the
state of Washington’s. Not all states have
come around to using PARIS this way. For
example, New York has been aggressive
about using the database to crack down
on benefits fraud; it saved $62 million in
2009 after PARIS showed that more than
10,000 Medicaid, welfare and food stamp
recipients had moved out of state. New York,
however, currently does not use PARIS
to link veterans with federal government
benefits. All we can say at this point is that
New York is looking into this program,
says Peter Constantakes, a spokesman for
the New York State Department of Health.
Allman says that as more troops return
from Iraq and Afghanistan and retire from
the military, the Washington program is
just one way to help ensure veterans get
the benefits they are owed for their service.
It is the most rewarding program that I’ve
ever been involved with in my 27-year state
government career, he says.
Luke’s Wings
As most of you know, there are many
programs out there that provide direct or
in-direct support to many of our veterans,
be their unemployed, disabled, elderly,
homeless and so on.
At the Training Conference
in Houston a few weeks ago the
following information from one of the
vendors that provides assistance to all
Texas Veterans, regardless of income
of “status” that Texas veterans should
know about.
The program is called Luke’s Wings,
a national organization that has flown
hundreds of family members to the
bedsides of our wounded servicemen and
women for OIF/OEF.
This program provides complimentary
airline tickets bought through the Texas
Veterans Transportation Assistance
Program (V.A.T.P.). If you are a
veteran, a current Texas resident and
possess a Texas Drivers License, you and
your loved ones may be eligible. Travel
is only approved for specific qualifying
major life events.
1. To fly a Veteran to a hospital for
required healthcare.
2. To fly a Veteran’s immediate family
to a Veteran’s bedside if hospitalized.
3. To fly a Veteran home for a death in the
family or hospitalization of immediate
family member.
Luke’s Wings will process requests,
provides complimentary planning,
assign a customer relations manager,
assign a devoted travel agent and
ensures the Texas Veteran receives the
best possible flight. The organization
has received a grant from the Fund for
Veterans Assistance, Texas Veterans
Commission and is an organization
dedicated to the support of Texas
Veterans who have served our country.
Recognizing the high cost and frequency
of travel, as well as the demographic
considerations of most veterans today,
Luke’s Wings is proud to provide the
complimentary tickets and they thank
you for your service.
Contact information at www.texasvtap.
org or e-mail: texasvtap@lukeswings.
org or phone 512-971-9848 or Toll-Free
Fax: 1-977-859-7414.

15th VVA National Convention – Reno, Nevada By Jim W. Boyd

Transcription

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