Volume 2, Number 4 2 April 1988 +---------------------------------------------------------------+ | | | | | | | - Nam Vet - So we don't have a logo | | small enough to take up | | International this itty-bitty space!! | | Vietnam Veterans | | Newsletter Who cares??? | | | | | | | +---------------------------------------------------------------+ Editor: Todd C. Looney, Vietnam Veterans Valhalla Assistant Editor: G. Joseph Peck, VETLink#1 Nam Vet is a special newsletter dedicated to Vietnam Veterans around the world, and provided both electronically and in print as a service to participants in the International Vietnam Veterans' Echo Conference (IVVEC) available on many FidoNet (tm) bulletin boards in the U.S., Canada, and Australia. It is passed from node to node over the network, and mailed upon request. Not all of the articles appearing in Nam Vet are written by participants in the IVVEC, but the Nam Vet is very much a newsletter by, of, and for Vietnam veterans, their friends, wives and lovers. Articles from veterans or anyone else wishing to express themselves about Vietnam or related experiences are especially invited. For inclusion in NAM VET, send your writings for publication to VETLink#1 (Node 321/203), to any node carrying the IVVEC whose sysop can forward your work from there, or to the Vietnam Veterans' Valhalla (Node 143/27), 28 Cecil Avenue, San Jose, CA. 95128, ATTN "NAM VET NEWSLETTER". Nam Vet is published monthly by the Vietnam Veterans Valhalla and VETLink#1. The views expressed are not necessarily those of the staff of NAM VET or it's volunteers. The newsletter is made up of articles and other newsletters as well as other sources. We are not responsible for the content of this nor are any of the above mentioned parties. In fact, most of the stuff we print comes from little furry people who hang out behind trees and whisper when we pass by, "Psssst ... hey buddy ... wanna read some good stuff?" Letters to the editors in response to anything you see in this newsletter are welcome and will be considered for publication in future issues. We look forward to hearing your comments and suggestions. Copyright 1988 by the Vietnam Veterans Valhalla and all contributing writers. All rights reserved. Duplication and/or distribution is permitted for non-commercial purposes only. For any other use, please contact Todd Looney, Editor, Nam Vet Newsletter, in writing. NamNews 2-04 2 Apr 1988 Table of Contents 1. EDITORIALS ................................................ 1 Trung Doi! ................................................ 1 Family Ties ............................................... 2 2. VETERAN SERVICES .......................................... 5 Members of the Veteran Affairs Committee .................. 5 PTSD Symptoms Scale ....................................... 7 VA to pay record insurance dividends in 1988! ............. 9 3. MISSING BUDDY SEARCH ..................................... 10 Vietnam Veterans Registry ................................ 10 4. MEMORIES ................................................. 12 Alan ..................................................... 12 Why Isn't Billy Up There? ................................ 13 Memories of a Boy Becoming a Man ......................... 15 The Wars' Last Battle .................................... 16 Vietnam Era Service - A Personal View .................... 18 The Real Life Platoon .................................... 23 5. TWENTY YEARS AGO ......................................... 26 March 1968 - Calley ...................................... 26 April 1968 - Pegasus ..................................... 29 6. GENERAL ARTICLES ......................................... 31 Bornagain ................................................ 31 WWII Merchant Marines Extended Veteran Status ............ 39 Stress Disorder .......................................... 40 7. WANTED ................................................... 42 Wall Rubbings ............................................ 42 NAM VET Subscription Form ................................ 43 8. IVVEC NODELIST (Complete - or darn close to it!) ......... 44 9. A SPECIAL GRAPHIC REMINDER ............................... 49 NamNews 2-04 Page 1 2 Apr 1988 ================================================================= EDITORIAL ================================================================= Trung Doi! By Todd Looney Vietnam Veterans Valhalla After thirteen years of "peace" in Vietnam, the war is being brought back. Not to the fields and villages as it was not-so long ago, but in the theaters. "Trung Doi" as the Vietnamese call it, "Platoon" as it is called here, was dubbed into Vietnamese and shown in theaters all over the country this week. Predictably, scenes of violence and brutality against Vietnamese civilians brought about a lot of emotions, but overall the movie was well-received. Most of the Vietnamese who watched the movie, many of whom fought for the North during the war, said they felt sympathy for the ex-GI's of America, because the "movie showed they were victims of the war". During it's premier showing in Ho Chi Minh City, an American ex-GI visiting the country joined his former enemies in the theater. He said it made a big difference in the way he viewed the film, sitting there next to those who he had fought twenty years before. Trung Doi is receiving raves all throughout Vietnam. It is not being shown as propaganda as the Vietnamese are so well known for, but to show how the war is being portrayed in America...to answer the question "What are American ex-GI's returning to Vietnam?" Which brings me to the point. I am extremely happy to announce "Back to the Bush", a once-in-a-lifetime trip back to Vietnam being sponsored as an outreach effort by Vietnam Veterans Valhalla in San Jose. "Back to the Bush" is intended to help bring those of us who fought in Vietnam back to that country in hopes that perhaps we can see it in all it's beauty, as God intended such beauty to be seen, rather than in the light and darkness of war as so many of us saw it over a decade ago. Hopefully many of the Vietnam vets who return with us will be accompanied by their loved ones or closest friends. Arrangements are just starting to be made through governmental, private, and South East Asian agencies so there's not a lot to tell you now. Getting around the country will be a lot easier than getting in. We can't simply "call up the local travel agent and make reservations" as a recent Daily News Magazine article by Paul Meskil so aptly stated. We will need to acquire special visas from the government of Vietnam since no recognized diplomatic representation can be found in the States. We'll need to determine what shots everyone needs to get (remember *that* the last time?). But, we should all have a great time. We'll be allowed to roam around on our own throughout the streets of each city we visit. NamNews 2-04 Page 2 2 Apr 1988 The black market still thrives. And I have been assured there is toilet paper and air conditioning in every hotel we will stay in. Maybe if we leave Vietnam this time with better visions and feelings, it will leave us with better feelings about the lives we lived there so long ago. Your thoughts and suggestions are all welcome. Please enter messages re: Back to the Bush, in the IVVEC located in your area, or send letters to me at: Vietnam Veterans Valhalla 28 Cecil Avenue San Jose, Ca. 95128 ATTN: Vietnam Visit ----------------------------------------------------------------- G. Joseph Peck VETLink #1 Pittsfield, MA Node 321/203 Gently, so as not to make too much noise, she approaches the black granite that rises, behemoth-like, from the grassy Washington Mall. She feels better coming alone and at night. On her left, appearing as if it would speak at any moment, is the Lincoln Memorial; light seeming to come from nowhere makes it as though a beacon in the darkness. To her right, towering high, is the Washington Monument. She can hear the precise steps of the military honor guard as it performs its vigilant duty at The Wall. A National Park Service attendant, small light shining on the Directory of Names, stands somber watch. "Wilbee Simmons, Sir? Could you tell me where I'd find his name listed?" The Park Attendant directs her to the west panels. Slowly, fearfully, yet mustering every bit of her strength, Teri looks carefully for the name of her husband. There's something about the way the Washington lights reflect from The Wall that remind her of the song Wilbee dedicated to her way back when they were only in their early years of high school. Building; preparing; steeling herself for the moment that HAS to come, she quietly hums to herself their familiar tune: "Ca-atch a falling star and put it in your pocket, never let it fade away... Ca-atch a.." - and then she came upon it. Hand shaking almost uncontrollably, she reaches over and begins to trace the letters... W I L . . . Eyes watering, it starts. Release. Blessed release. She hasn't cried like this since she'd received the telegram. She'd had to be strong for the kids sake. Now she can let the tears - and Wilbee - go. "Wilbee, Darling, you ARE a part of American history, a living NamNews 2-04 Page 3 2 Apr 1988 part. Here's John's name; and Gary's; and Jim's ... all of the soldiers you wrote me about. Each of you followed your fathers and family into service - and America's defense. Your brothers and sisters who made it back took upon their shoulders the battle begun by their grandfathers after World War I helping America to always, always keep her promise to care for those who put their lives on-the-line for her. Everyone says that you and all Vietnam veterans are the toughest, most persistent and determined veterans in all American history - and they're right! It's guys like you and your friends who gave EVERYTHING, Wilbee, and those who made it back, who help continue building the America we have today, and the responsible care for America's veterans that our grandfathers fought for. I remember when they used to tell us how the veterans of World War I were put on what we today would call the welfare rolls and looked down upon - and nearly every benefit they sought was denied. The inadequate War Risk Bureau, Board of Vocational Training and Public Health Services, in addition to so much more insensitivity, denial, and corruption of the Federal Government, made them march on Washington. I know you saw your brothers and sisters do a similar thing when they all came here to sharply prod the conscience of America and this monument was dedicated. I can tell you're part of the same family - only you're tougher. I brought the poem you wrote when you went to 'Nam, Wilbee. I remember how much it meant to you. I've saved it all these years - and I'll leave it here for you when I go. I've got it memorized. It's Easter now, a time of new beginnings, a time to get on with living my life in a way that would make you proud of me, a time to take the best that you've given - and go forward. I'm glad I got the chance to come here - to visit, to remember, to use those "Falling Stars" you and I put in our pockets years ago; many rainy days I've used them. Somehow, I have a little more strength now to help me through my life. Thank you, Wilbee Simmons. Remember I'll always love you and the sacrifices you made for me and everybody." Stepping back from the polished granite, Teri softly places a card from her and the two children, a flag, some flowers, and the often-read 12-line poem on the ground in front of Wilbee Simmons name: "America" This is my country! So beautiful and Free! A Land of Freedom for you and me! Where men have fought and men have died So that we may LIVE and share their pride; That this Country of ours, so great and strong, May unite again and sing a together song! Let us be brothers and join together To make our Nation - just a little better May we learn to forgive and forget our hates And never close our shining gates ... May Liberty's torch light the world around NamNews 2-04 Page 4 2 Apr 1988 And in ALL the nations - may Freedom's echo resound! Teri turned, began to walk away. A bright flash in the western sky quickly caught her eye. A falling star - streaking, as though an arrow, over the Lincoln Memorial. And she remembered the words Lincoln once said: "To care for him who shall have borne the battle, and for his widow, and his children." "Maybe tomorrow I'll ask the Veterans Administration if they can help. After all, my husband did give his life - and our children did give their father - so that we could all continue to live in freedom. Why didn't I think of that before?" Humming to herself another one of their old-time favorites, "That's the story of, that's the glory of... Love", Teri moves along the walkway towards the Washington city lights... 'til next month... Show a brother or sister veteran that YOU care... G. Joseph Peck, SYSOP VETLink #1 - "Helping those who served..." NamNews 2-04 Page 5 2 Apr 1988 ================================================================= VETERANS SERVICES ================================================================= Members of the Veterans Affairs Committee of the U. S. House of Representatives, arranged by party and seniority: G.V. (Sonny) Montgomery, D-Miss., CHAIRMAN Don Edwards, D-Calif. Bob Edgar, D-Pa. Sam B. Hall, Jr., D-Texas Douglas Applegate, D-Ohio Richard C. Shelby, D-Ala. Dan Mica, D-Fla. Thomas A. Daschle, D-S.D. Wayne Dowdy, D-Miss. Lane Evan, D-Ill. March Kaptur, D-Ohio Alan B. Mollohan, D-W.Va. Timothy J. Penny, D-Minn. Harley O. Staggers, Jr., D-W.VA. J. Roy Rowland, D-Ga. John Bryant, D-Texas James J. Florio, D-N.J. Kenneth J. Gray, D-Ill. Paul E. Kanjorski, D-Pa. Tommy Robinson, D-Ark. John Paul Hammerschmidt, R-Ark., RANKING MINORITY MEMBER Chalmers P. Wylie, R-Ohio Ellwood Hillis, R-Ind. Gerald B.H. Soloman, R-N.Y. Bob McEwen, R-Ohio Christopher H. Smith, R-N.J. Denny Smith, R-Ore. Bob Stump, R-Ariz. Dan Burton, R-Ind. Don Sundquist, R-Tenn. Michael Bilirakis, R-Fla. Nancy L. Johnson, R-Conn. Guy V. Molinari, R-N.Y. Thomas J. Ridge, R-Pa. William M. Hendon, R-N.C. John G. Rowland, R-Conn. Address mail to members of the House committee as follows: The Honorable (Name) Veterans Affairs Committee 335 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 NamNews 2-04 Page 6 2 Apr 1988 Members of the Veterans Affairs Committee of the U. S. Senate, arranged by party and seniority: Frank Murkowski, R-Alaska, CHAIRMAN Alan Simpson, R-Wyo. Strom Thurmond. R-S.C. Robert Stafford, R-Vt. Arlen Specter, R-Pa. Alan Cranston, D-Calif., RANKING MINORITY MEMBER Spark M. Matsunaga, D-Hawaii Dennis DeConcini, D-Ariz. George J. Mitchell, D-Maine Address mail to members of the House Committee as follows: The Honorable (Name) Committee on Veterans Affairs 414 Russell Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 NamNews 2-04 Page 7 2 Apr 1988 PTSD Symptoms Scale This is being put here with some reservations. The last time it was printed for the general public nearly every vet reading it and half the civilian population hot the shrinks screaming "PTSD!" Many people experience many of the same symptoms, but if you are one, it may be that you could use a little talk. Remember though, Vietnam veterans who suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorders almost invariably suffer from *all* of the symptoms listed below. Don't get hypochondriacal on us, read this with an open mind. ================================================================= PTSD SYMPTOMS SCALE (This scale was used for rating the level(s) of PTSD within the respondents - all Vietnam Combat veterans). --- IF --- You feel you have no goals that really matter; You feel like an empty shell with no deep feelings; You feel depressed and hopeless about the future; What used to be important no longer interests you. You feel numb and empty inside; You have trouble concentrating; You have problems remembering things you should know. You have problems getting close to loved ones and friends; You feel alienated and cutoff from other people; You feel uneasy in a crowd; You get into fights or conflicts with loved ones. You have difficulty falling asleep; You feel your heart pounding or racing; You're easily startled by sudden noises; You're extremely alert/aroused, always aware of everything. Things you see or hear remind you of Vietnam; Pictures of Vietnam pop into mind; You search for ambush spots while driving; You keep having the same dream or dreams about Vietnam; You think about Vietnam when you don't want to; Reminders bring back strong feelings about Vietnam; You have bad dreams about Vietnam. You try to remove Vietnam from your memory; You do everything to keep from thinking about Vietnam; You avoid things or situations that remind you of Vietnam; You avoid talking about Vietnam. You need to seek high amounts of risk and excitement; You feel the need to engage in dangerous adventures; You fear how you would act if you expressed the anger inside of you; NamNews 2-04 Page 8 2 Apr 1988 You experience explosive rage and anger; You lose temper and get out of control. You feel badly you didn't do more for buddies in Vietnam; You feel guilty a buddy was killed and you weren't. You have anxiety: trouble catching your breath; You feel sad about all that you missed out on because of Vietnam; You dream of yourself as the enemy being killed or injured --- THEN --- It might be time to stop by your local Vet Center - or call a friend who really cares about YOU. NamNews 2-04 Page 9 2 Apr 1988 Excerpt from DAV Magazine: VA to Pay Record Insurance Dividends in 1988 The VA has announced that 3 million veterans who have kept their GI life insurance policies in force will share a record annual dividend in 1988 of $960.3 million. No application is necessary. Each policy holder will receive the dividend in the month of the anniversary date of the policy. The record-high payout is due to lower policyholder death rates and high interest earnings on the funds' investments. The amount is $25.4 million more that paid out in 1987. Government life insurance has been issued through various periods, starting in 1919, through May 2, 1966, to veterans of World Wars I, II and the Korean War. Dividends for individuals covered under each program vary according to age, plan selected and length of time the policy has been in force. Some 2.6 million WWII veterans who kept their National Service Life Insurance (NSLI) in force will receive an average of $325 dividend. Veterans Special Life Insurance (VSLI) will pay out $85.4 million to more than 318,000 policy holders. The Veterans Reopened Insurance (VRI) program will pay $33.2 million to more than 119,000 policy holders. In addition to the regular dividend, $250,000 in termination dividends will be paid to VRI policyholders of their survivors whose policies terminate in 1988. The only program now open to new issues is Service Disabled Veterans Insurance, available without dividends, to service-connected disabled veterans with service on or after April 25, 1951. NamNews 2-04 Page 10 2 Apr 1988 ================================================================= MISSING BUDDY SEARCH ================================================================= VIETNAM VETERANS REGISTRY, INC. PO BOX 430 BRIDGTON, MAINE 04009 Dear Fellow Vietnam Veteran: The Vietnam Veterans Registry (computerized directory) is a non-profit corporation dedicated to: Assist Vietnam Veterans in locating friends made as a result of their service. Assist Vietnam veterans in locating fellow comrades in order to substantiate veterans claims. Assist Vietnam veterans in locating another veteran's next of kin. To promote solidarity among veterans and to ascertain their needs through surveys. To aid veterans in the creation of memorial funds. To assist veterans in organizing reunions. The registry is not affiliated with any veterans group or political party; it is an autonomous corporation. It is _not_ a veterans group; there is no membership and no annual dues. Access to the registry is limited strictly to those Vietnam veterans that have placed their names on file. The only information that will be released by the registry is a veteran's name and address. There is no fee for the registration, but a donation for as little as $5.00 will defray the cost of processing the registration. A donation of $10 or more will help to guarantee the success of the registry and pay the media exposure that is critical to its success. Please give generously. Registration is voluntary, but I urge all Vietnam veterans to complete the enclosed registration form even if you do not plan to use the services of the registry. If you know other Vietnam veterans, please let them know about the registry. Also, if you belong to any veterans group, please encourage them to publicize the registry. Please print clearly on the registration form; also, indicate if you belong to a veterans group. NamNews 2-04 Page 11 2 Apr 1988 It is hoped that 100,000 Vietnam veterans will register over a five-year period. The first main project of the registry is a reunion for the staff and patients of the 24th Evac. Hospital, Vietnam. Thank you for your interest in the registry. Sincerely, /s/ Larry Horn Director NamNews 2-04 Page 12 2 Apr 1988 ================================================================= MEMORIES ================================================================= Alan My name is Alan and I am 39 years old. I served a tour in Vietnam and I did not see very much combat. In fact, I saw very little and what I did see was not that heavy. For most of my time there I was a REMF. When I came back from Nam I pretty much got on with my life. I am satisfied with my career and I have achieved the goals I set for myself, though I think the goals were not that demanding or high in the first place. My marriage is OK and I have 2 good kids. Nam did not seem to effect me when I came back, but then about a few months ago, for some strange reason I got to feeling guilty about coming back untouched. I am alive and several of my friends are dead or mangled in one way or another. I am just fine. I got to feeling more and more guilty. Then I got nervous and crowds started to bother me. Now, I stay in the house in order to avoid crowds, like in malls and such. And, when I am out, it happened first at a gas station, I jump when I hear a loud noise. But that isn't the worst of it. The reason I am telling you this Doctor is that I have been having this dream. It happens over and over again. Each time I was out in the field and there were incomings. And the VC were firing at us. The bullets, I could hear them whiz by and see them hit the dirt. And my buddies were getting killed and hurt. And there were screams and yells. Then I would wake up, but I never was wounded. I always was OK. Then a couple of weeks ago I had the dream again and this time I got hit and I woke up in sweat. I have the dream now a couple of times a week, and I always get hit now. NamNews 2-04 Page 13 2 Apr 1988 Why Isn't Billy's Up There? by Mike Dealey You talk about strength, I show you strength. Strength in the form of one Billy Brown. Your war and mine lasted what; one tour, two, three at the outside? Billy's been fighting to survive everyday of his life for the last 21-years. Our 12-months was an eternity...Billy's been thru 250 months of pure hell. Funny how we met. I stopped in the deli at the supermarket to get a cup of coffee while I tried to remember what I had been sent to the store for--the ol' brain is going, I tell you. This fellow came rolling up in his wheelchair to another booth with a couple of corny dogs and a cup of joe. I didn't pay a whole lot of attention till I saw he was having trouble opening one of those little packets of mustard. His hands just couldn't do it and he was trying with his teeth. I walked over to give him an assist and just on a hunch said, "You in Nam?" I brought my coffee over and we had a pretty long chat. Turns out he was a Gyrene at Disneyland in '67. He was out in an LP when the gooks (his term, not mine) tried to breach the wire. They were surrounded and calling in mortars almost on their own position when one of the only ChiCom grenades in history that ever detonated spewed a stream of shrapnel up his spine, shattering it from top to bottom. Totally paralyzed from the waist down. Arms only slightly better. Wears a steel back brace to keep his torso from folding up like a piece of cardboard. Speech is heavily slurred since he has minimal control of his jaw muscles. One step away from bed-ridden. Kinda looks like a skeleton. But Billy's got a whole lot better outlook on life than I could ever have in that circumstance: you do what you gotta do...just keep on a-humping...don't mean nothing. And the Lord will take care of you in the end. Yeah, fortunately Billy found the Lord a few years ago. Only thing he lives for now. Only thing he has. Billy makes do. He's 100% disability, of course. Lives in an apartment in a retirement facility where people go to die when their life is done. Medicaid picks up part of the bill. Billy's just sorry he hasn't got more to give to the church. He spends most of his day tending to himself: shaving, dressing, eating, making his own meals--all that's close to a full-time job. Some days he just stays in bed, getting up just isn't worth the effort. The rest of the time he spends reading the bible. Doesn't own a TV. Looks forward to his once-a-week sojourne to the supermarket and his two corny dogs, just like clock work. We chatted till his little shuttle bus came. I wheeled him out, watched as they operated the hydraulic thingie to lift his chair into the bus, and shot him a salute as they were leaving. NamNews 2-04 Page 14 2 Apr 1988 Ruined my whole day. Lyndon Baines Johnson would have been rolling over in his grave if he could have read my mind at that time. Why? Why? Why couldn't that grenade have gone ahead and totalled Billy on the spot? Why does he have to suffer the rest of his entire life for mankind? Why does Billy's war have to go on and on forever and ever? Why? There's 58,000 names on The Wall. We're told there are a quarter of a million Billies out there. I know I'm gonna get a bunch of hate mail for saying this, but I sometimes think they put the wrong names on that wall. NamNews 2-04 Page 15 2 Apr 1988 Don Griffith Enterprize BBS Pinole CA Memories of a Boy Becoming a Man Part V Ban Me Thout April & May 1969 I had finally seen how the real Vietnam looked. Our group arrived shortly after noon. We were pointed to a 12 man tent, still on the ground, and a large pile of empty sandbags. We spent our first day, and into the night, in the red dirt of the central highlands putting up a tent and trying to figure out how to fill the sand bags. Well, not that we didn't know how to fill them, it is just that we didn't know how many to fill. We were given no help or advice in the headquarters as to what to do. We just stumbled around doing what we thought was right. We managed to fill enough bags so that we thought we would be safe from stray bullets when we were asleep. The stack of sandbags was about 2 feet tall and we had no overhead protection at all! Here in Ban Me Thout I had my first experience with field sanitation. On my second day there, I was assigned to learn first hand how it was done. I was assigned to the (I am not using the Nam term for this because of the backgrounds and ages of some of the readers of this article) defecation incineration detail. This involved removing cut down 55 gallon drums from the 3 hole outhouses. Using a metal extension handle (about 3 to 4 feet long), we pulled the drums full out and moved them about 10 yards. We then poured Diesel fuel over the "mess" and light it with a match. We then replaced the canisters with fresh ones and left. Then, about a couple of hours later, we returned to the scene and using a hoe, we stirred the mess up. We then poured more Diesel in the can and started the fire again. At this point, our detail was over for the day. If the wind was blowing in the wrong direction, the camp developed a delightful aroma. In my flight to Ban Me Thout, I passed over some of the most beautiful country side I had ever seen. The beautiful mountains and lush greenery were spectacular. This beauty was marred by bomb craters and shell holes everywhere. It appeared as though some of these craters were being used to store water by the local residents. I guess in war, the civilians will do what ever they have to do to survive. Several days passed and most of our group was sent to their final locations. Since I had a Secret security clearance, it was decided that I would remain in Battalion Headquarters for the time being. I was to work as a clerk in G-2, working with the Secret file and as a courier. This lasted for about a month. My Battery commander yelled long and hard enough to get me out of this nice duty and to report to where I had been assigned. Well, here comes another lovely flight courtesy of the U. S. Air Force. NamNews 2-04 Page 16 2 Apr 1988 The War's Last Battle Bess Robinson Friend's BBS, Omaha, NE Excerpt from The Nebraska Legionnaire. The poem that follows was written about Larry Robinson by his mother. Larry was shot down over Laos on January 5, 1970. Neither he nor his remains have ever come home. Bess, his mother, wrote this tribute to her son one year to the day that her son was shot down. The purpose is to get you thinking of all the suffering that has been done by those who survive here at home. A TRIBUTE TO LARRY A tribute to our Larry Who, one year ago today Was shot down over Laos So many miles away. THE PRICE OF A MARINE The requirements of a good Marine Are boundless I am told They must be very strong of heart Courageous and so bold. They are taught the modern methods Of survival under fire Stamina and strength are skills They must and do require. Our lad so ambitious At the age of seventeen Chose his selection The life of a Marine. He trained with skill an sureness And then this twist of fate They shipped him to that country, twice A burning pit of hate. We eagerly awaited The mailman everyday For a letter in his writing "Hello folks, I'm Okay." January 8, the telephone brought it-- That message we all dread A chaplain informed us Our loved Larry was dead. His plane was down, it burned He said, "No body will there be." Lord! Why did this happen? NamNews 2-04 Page 17 2 Apr 1988 It's more than I can see. In our hears he'll remain forever This Larry that we love But we hope he smiles upon us From his heavenly home above. Years might erase the torment Of our hearts that writhe in paid But we'll always ask this question Lord, was it all in vain? When we take a look around us View the hatred and the strife Was it really necessary The he gave up his life? Maybe, if each would make an effort His own life to refine It would ease the loss within me Of the Marine flier of mine. --Bess Robinson, Larry's Mother January 5, 1971 NamNews 2-04 Page 18 2 Apr 1988 VIETNAM ERA SERVICE, A PERSONAL VIEW, #3 of a series Chuck Sterling Las Cruces, NM NASW, Las Cruces, NM (Opus 15/4) This is the third of a series of essays documenting my experiences and recollections while in the U.S. Navy during the period from early 1967 until my release from active duty in mid 1969. Another short excerpt from the MCB 40 Cruise Book: This was the perimeter, the frontier, the boundary of the combat base. After dark, the land beyond the barbed wire was "no-man's-land". The Security Department literally holds the "life" of U.S. Naval Mobile Construction Battalion Forty in the palms of their hands. Their hours are long and mind-dulling, and the constant attention required gets tiresome very quickly. But Security must be there, every day and every night - in the bunkers and towers, with their weapons and their illumination flares. One moment of inattention could cost heavily in lives for the battalion. Security was about as close as most of MCB 40 came to the war. We were primarily a defensive organization, with construction as our primary objective. The few patrols we sent out were not "search and destroy" missions, but to sweep our perimeter for mines and booby traps, and evidence of enemy presence. We were attacked with 122mm rockets on several occasions, but never was there a direct assault on our wire. We thought that there might be a repeat performance of the 1968 Tet offensive in 1969, but it never happened. I have since read documents that contend the 1968 Tet offensive was a major defeat for the NVA and Viet Cong, that there was no offensive mounted in 1969 because they had none left. Pretty shallow explanation, in retrospect. In any event, a description of the security arrangements at Camp Campbell and the Phu Bai combat base and how they were used and misused is central to MCB 40's story. In the Phu Bai combat base, and just across route one from Camp Campbell, Charlie sector, where Mobile Construction Battalion 40 set up housekeeping, D Battery, 33rd Artillery routinely bashed the area around the base with 175 mm shells (according to my letters I wrote home), under the direction of patrols or tower lookouts. The first time the artillery started, I thought we were being hit. "...where's my go*d*m gun christ hurry up NamNews 2-04 Page 19 2 Apr 1988 get outa my way open the friggin' door go*D*Mmit why isn't anybody MOVING!??..." Big guns make a lot of noise, and when they wake you up in the middle of the night the first time, you learn the meaning of the phrase, "hang loose", because you don't. If the shells are going out over your location, you can hear them as they rip through the air into the distance. And, it seems that the barrages are timed perfectly to just prevent your falling back asleep between them. I had a few sleepless nights listening to the racket. Eventually, I got halfway used to it. On our perimeter, we had a track mounting two 40mm cannons (the twin 40's...), which could pretty much tear up the terrain out in front of our wire. I have no idea of the actual range or usefulness of this weapon, but can tell you that the only time it was used during MCB 40's deployment, it was used in error, a reaction to imminent panic among our inexperienced personnel. The first night attack we overreacted, especially considering that no incoming hit Camp Campbell. During later attacks we normally stayed in the bunkers until the all-clear was sounded, but for this one, we had a couple of companies standing around with all their equipment, ready to go kill something. The Executive Officer showed up in the command bunker complete with helmet, .45 and belt of shells, and flak jacket, wearing skivvies. The twin forties started firing and kept it up until somebody from Base Security called and told us there were friendlies out there and to knock it off. I was in the command post thinking I ought to start carrying my .45, which was hanging in my locker, stuffed in the holster and wrapped in an oily sock. I feared we were about to be overrun, until I overheard the conversation between our security officer and Base. After a moment it was obvious that we had a pretty jumpy young officer up there, potential trouble, but somebody got him calmed down. Things weren't anywhere near as bad as we believed, and, when he relaxed, so did we all. He even came out of his bunker. It was an honest mistake that anyone could have made, but it highlighted what amateurs we were. The crew that manned our tall tower had a starlight scope, so they could get by without illumination, but normally, the mortar crew would light up the place with parachute flares. On several occasions, the tower spotted movement in front of the wire and called in artillery or high explosive rounds from the mortars. Only once did any rounds land short and threaten us instead of "them"... Any time the tower crew thought they wasted anybody out there, they would paint an appropriate number of little Vietnamese hats on the outside wall of the tower. There were only a few such, including those claimed by the MCB's that occupied Camp Campbell before us. I don't recall any NamNews 2-04 Page 20 2 Apr 1988 confirmed while we were there, with the exception of a dozen or so ducks that should have moved less, and thus had their pictures stenciled on the side of the tower. The tower crew could sometimes see incoming rockets being launched out in "rocket alley" ten miles away. When this happened, they would start the attack siren well before anyone else at Phu Bai knew we were under attack. We used to catch some flak from Base Security about starting our siren for no reason, but they finally decided that we knew what we were doing. When the tower crew was on the ball, we had a couple of minutes to get under cover before the first rocket hit. Somebody installed a searchlight on the perimeter that, as far as I know, we never lit except for testing. I suppose that if anyone was close enough to be seen in the searchlight, they were close enough to shoot holes in it, too. There was another tower in the center of the camp, mainly used to watch what was going on inside the camp. It was only about 30 feet tall, and was little use to the perimeter. Made a pretty good target, though. One man earned a ticket home and an administrative discharge by sleeping on watch in the small tower. I was on watch in the command post and had to do a communication check with him every so often. The problem was that I had to wait for the field phone to wake him up before I could do the comm check. This didn't set too well with the security officer when he called to talk to the guy up there and I couldn't rouse him. After seeing the grin on his face, I'm sure it was his intention to get sent home one way or another, and with twenty-twenty hindsight, I doubt that he was really asleep. That was my first first- hand contact with the anti-war movement. He should have just gone to Canada in the first place, rather than put the rest of us in jeopardy. We had a series of sandbag bunkers behind the wire, two (or was it four?) guys to a bunker, under the direction of "Gunny", the only Marine in MCB 40. In my opinion, these guys had the worst job there was. Most of the day, they worked on the perimeter, adding sandbags, digging trenches, stringing wire, or guarding our Vietnamese employees as they did the s**t burning, garbage pickup, you name it. At night, they had to stay awake when absolutely nothing was going on, just in case... And when something did happen, they had to be alert right then, no slack. If there had been an attack on the wire, they were the first ones to mix it up, the most likely to go home in a box. They did their job so well that few people appreciated what they went through. You almost never heard anything about problems with the Security group. NamNews 2-04 Page 21 2 Apr 1988 There was movement near the wire one evening, obviously a hoomin bean, not a duck or water buffalo. The bunker crews watched this person walking along a few yards out and parallel to the wire, passing several bunkers. They called out to him to get away from there, to identify himself, and he didn't acknowledge. If he had started into the wire, the guards would have killed him, but it didn't add up right and somebody decided to take a closer look. When the guard got out there, he found an American, drunk as a skunk, taking a walk in the park. Crazy, foolish, and lucky. I remember one "casualty" at the bunkers during the cold season. To keep warm, the crews would wear several layers of heavy clothing. This unlucky man had a large centipede fall from the ceiling of the bunker down his neck, next to his skin. By the time he got out of all those shirts and jackets the insect had made about ten laps around his chest and stomach, leaving some painfully infected, if not dangerous, wounds in its wake. Took a week or two in sick bay to get over the fever and such. Another couple of insect stories happened in the underground command post. No casualties this time, though. I showed up for work at 11 p.m. and found a bright red and very dead 8 inch centipede lying in the middle of the room. Turns out the radio watch saw the bug wandering around and reached for the olive-drab insecticide aerosol can. He sprayed the bug until the can was empty, but didn't even slow it down, so he beat the insect to death with a broom. Turned out the can was full of red stencil ink. Above and beyond the call of duty, etc. The command post was accessed through a tunnel lined with metal runway matting. The dirt would fall through the holes, leaving pockets that were home for zillions of cockroaches. They also lived behind the plywood walls of the command post, and got out of control for a while. Cockroach s**t has a special odor all its own... If you walked quickly through the tunnel, the roaches would fall behind you when they scattered, but if you took your time, the blasted varmints would land on your head, fall into your shirt... Well, you just didn't take your time. I got fed up and bought two large cans of Raid at the PX, then sprayed one every which way in the tunnel and most of the other through the cracks in the plywood walls. That morning I swept up a half-bushel or so of dead roaches from the floors. No more roach hotel. One guy manned the listening post bunker outside the perimeter, and didn't have much trouble staying awake. His biggest problem was reporting via radio what was going on out there without his whispers being heard by whoever he was reporting on. He had to wear an earphone over one ear to hear his radio, while his other strained to hear anything that moved. During the monsoon season, this man NamNews 2-04 Page 22 2 Apr 1988 rode a boat, sort of a canoe, to his bunker. "Puff" the Magic Dragon (remember Puff?) made an appearance a few times on the far side of the base, but was never used near us. Good thing, too. That was something to see in operation at night, the tracers looking like a stream of fire being hosed back and forth toward the ground. In spite of knowing what a meat grinder Puff was, it was beautiful to watch (from a distance...). 6000 rounds a minute, I think, a regular fire breather. Deadly effective. I'll continue this train of thought in the next installment. NamNews 2-04 Page 23 2 Apr 1988 The Real-Life Platoon A former Army platoon leader in Vietnam remembers a young hero. John C. Shoemaker The heat was incredible. I could hardly breathe. My muscles ached. As an infantry platoon leader in Vietnam, I had it a little easier than some of the others. My rucksack weighed only 75 pounds or so. But when you added grenades, four or five bandoleers of M-16 and machine gun ammo, it was quite a burden. But I could not think about that now. I had other things to worry about; my mind was racing. "Anticipate. You must anticipate," I kept telling myself. Where would the next ambush come from and how should I react? My eyes were wide open in search of the unknown. As I moved my platoon of 20-odd teen-agers through the jungle, I chose to walk third in the line of march. I had no seasoned veterans with me -- no sergeants who had been through it before. Some of my "men" couldn't even read a map. If I got hit, I reminded myself, they would have trouble finding their way back to the firebase. My point man was some well-meaning, poor soul who was on his first patrol. He had a well-trained scout dog, which looked like Rin Tin Tin. Right behind him was Pvt Larry Gatliff. A tall, gawky guy, Larry was special. Simply put, he was one nice kid. Innocent, polite, cooperative. He wanted everyone to "get along." To defuse arguments and keep harmony among his comrades, he would dig their foxholes in searing heat after a long day's march through the rice paddies. He was the kind of boy who would make any father proud. On this day, I followed behind Larry as we walked slowly and carefully forward. Having experienced the same scene during training in Panama, I had brought one squad up on my right flank for extra protection. I was "anticipating." As we proceeded up a hill, it happened. Machine-gun fire. Screaming. Rustling. Groaning. More firing. Blood. Silence. The scout dog ran off howling through the jungle, never to be seen again. The dog handler was shot through both legs but was still alive. I yelled at him to fire his M-16 at the enemy. Larry fell backward next to me. A bullet had passed through his helmet and taken off most of his head. "Fire!" I screamed to the others. "Fire! Don't stop! Get those bastards." Bullets vibrated over my head. I could actually feel them. I was angry. It seems crazy, but I wasn't scared. I was too busy. The enemy tried to run around to our right. They always seemed to be in control. This time, however, they were too eager. Too cocky. They nearly tripped over my other squad, which was ready NamNews 2-04 Page 24 2 Apr 1988 for them. Minutes later, I placed Larry onto a chair that was dropped down from a medical evacuation helicopter hovering above. Up he went, as I stared at him. Tears filled my eyes. I had done everything "by the book": I had anticipated; I had used my intuition. But I had still lost him. Although my voice was drowned out by the noise of the Huey, I yelled to him, "I'll never forget!" Weeks and months passed. There were more ambushes. I lost several other soldiers every week. Such was the hazard of working in I Corps in 1970 in South Vietnam in the Americal Division. I made it a habit not to get too close to them. I didn't want to be their friend. I was their lieutenant. I knew about My Lai, Tet and Son Tay, but I was able to forget or at least accept it. Later, I learned about Agent Orange and felt betrayed. But for some reason, Larry's memory kept coming back to me. Years passed. I considered contacting Larry's parents. I knew that they had been notified by a form letter and that it had been a closed casket. From my friends, I got divided opinions. Some said, "Don't contact them now--it's over, forget it; don't dredge up old pain and agony." Others would tell me, "If I were Larry's parents, I'd want to know how he died." More time passed. I did nothing. Finally, on the eve of Veterans Day last year, I visited the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, D.C. As I rubbed my fingers over Larry's name, I looked to my left and was surprised to see Chuck Norris standing next to me. I said I didn't know he had been in Vietnam. He whispered that his brother had been there. His name was inscribed very near Larry's. While at the memorial, I learned that Larry came from Lebanon, Ore., and wondered again if I should contact his family. I decided to call. It was nearly 16 years later, but somehow I thought it must be done. From that call, I realized the full extent of one man's tragic death. Because it had been a closed casket, doubt had gnawed at the family for all these years: It's not really Larry, right? There was a mistake, wasn't there? Other questions preyed on them: Did Larry die dishonorably? Was he killed by one of his own men? Was he into drugs? Did he run away? Maybe he fled to another country, ashamed to come home because of a crippling injury. Was it an accident? I spoke with Larry's mother and revealed the true nature of Larry Gatliff's honor. He was, indeed, one of the best: a hero who died at a young age in an ugly war. NamNews 2-04 Page 25 2 Apr 1988 Later, I found out that after our discussion, Larry's mother was able for the first time in 16 years to talk about her son without crying. In some way, she had found peace. So had I. NamNews 2-04 Page 26 2 Apr 1988 ================================================================= TWENTY YEARS AGO ================================================================= March 1968 - Calley Edited by: Todd Looney Well, I forgot to hit the right button last month, and because it was 3 in the morning, I didn't even notice that the TWENTY YEARS AGO section was left out. So, in good faith, here it is! In Sam Nuea Province. the North Vietnamese had made several unsuccessful attempts to drive the Americans off Phou Pha Thi, from which bombers were directed at targets in the Red River delta. The position appeared so inaccessible that the NVA outfitted some of their antiquated Russian Antonov biplanes to carry mortar shells with which to bomb the radio and radar antennas on the summit. The lumbering craft made easy targets, and their raids were little better than suicide missions; the exuberant Americans at Phou Pha Thi gave visitors pieces of the wreckage of two of the biplanes as souvenirs. March 12th Peace candidate Eugene McCarthy made an extremely strong showing in the New Hampshire Democratic Party presidential primary. March 16th Robert Kennedy, brother of the former President, announced his candidacy for the Democratic Party nomination for president. A neat quilt-patch pattern of farmlands and rice paddies, broken by necklaces of trees with rivers and the sharp, straight line of Highway 521 cutting through was inhabited by members of Charlie company. The place was later to become known worldwide as My Lai. From the air it was mostly amoeba-shaped, mostly green, with the brown bamboo roofs of the hooches poking through. Thick jungle growth shielded neighbor from neighbor. There was a trail running east-west along the southwest and it was crossed by another one, slashing straight southward between farms to Highway 521 - My Lai's road to the markets of Quang Ngai City. The trail crossing was a landmark of the hamlet's life and so it was to be of its death. Rusty Calley rode to battle like a leader, taking the first helicopter ferrying Charley Company to My Lai. Because of the artillery fire, the choppers circled before making their final approach. "We came in on our final and the guns opened up," Calley said [later], "The door gunner on our chopper didn't open up because the gunships were almost right off the side of him. But the only really significant thing I remember there, that on final, the AC [aircraft commander] turned around and told me we had a hot one, we were coming in hot and I believe he said, 'When I get low, un-ass.' "And we definitely did, I think my first man went out the chopper NamNews 2-04 Page 27 2 Apr 1988 when we were still at 15 feet. I went off, it was about 5 feet off the ground." Lt. William L. Calley, Jr. had arrived at My Lai. The VC 48th was going to have a fight that day, even though it hadn't chosen to make its stand at My Lai. A Capt. Medina, from section, told Calley to get his men moving again - "and get rid of the people I had there that were detaining me. When I broke out of the village on the southern trail, I at that time ran into Paul Meadlo that was there with a large, well, a group of people." Paul Meadlo, 20 then, was a dark-haired, broad-chested youth and a PFC rifleman in Calley's platoon. Calley said he asked Meadlo if he knew what he was supposed to do with "those people." "He said he did," Calley went on, "I told him to get moving, get on the other side of the ditch. I am talking about the main ditch that was right there in front of us." He turned to a sergeant, L.G. Bacon, and told him where to set up his guns. "He roger-ed and the next conversation I had was with section, Capt. Medina. He asked me why I was disobeying his orders. Well, I explained to him why, what was slowing me down, and at that time he told me to waste the Vietnamese and get my people out on line, and in the position they were supposed to be." Calley said he yelled to Bacon and told him to get his men searching the bunkers. Then he started over to S. Sgt. David Mitchell's position and noticed Meadlo still standing there with a group of Vietnamese. Calley yelled to the PFC. "I told him if he couldn't move all these people, to get rid of them. He gave me a reply, I don't know what it was." Then Calley said, he heard a considerable volume of firing.... March 18th President Johnson met with friends and advisers, including George Ball, Dean Acheson, and Maxwell Taylor, all of whom are no longer part of the U.S. government. March 22nd President Johnson announces that General Westmoreland is to be recalled to become chief of staff of the U.S. Army. Poet W.D. Ehrhart expresses a prevailing GI attitude of this time. GUERRILLA WAR It is practically impossible NamNews 2-04 Page 28 2 Apr 1988 to tell civilians from the Vietcong. Nobody wears uniforms. They all talk the same language (and you couldn't understand them even if they didn't). They tape grenades inside their clothes, and carry sack charges in their market baskets. Even the women fight; and young boys, and girls. It is practically impossible to tell the civilians from the Vietcong' after awhile you quit trying. NamNews 2-04 Page 29 2 Apr 1988 April 1968 - Pegasus By Todd Looney From an editorial standpoint, I'm sorry to say that the fighting in Vietnam diminished during the month of April 1968 and lasted throughout the rest of the year. Those who were there at the time were relieved to have a rest...of that at least, I'm sure. Operation Pegasus was launched on April 1st. The ARVN portion of the operation was called Lam Son 207; the ARVN had long since given up trying to give each operation a gutsy, evocative nickname...unlike their American ally. 1st Cavalry Division, with an ARVN airborne battalion moving with them, was to leap- frog into successive positions east and then south of Khe Sanh. Less dramatically, the 1st Marine Division (can anyone who was there ever forget the infamous Hughes?) and three ARVN were to move overland westward from Ca Lu to once again open up Route 9 itself. Campbell and the 3rd Brigade of the 1st Cav established a fire support base east of Khe Sanh. Aril 3 The DRV replies to President Johnson: it's representatives met with those of the United States. For months after, the parties argued over the selection of the site and the shape of the table. April 4 In Memphis, Tennessee, civil rights leader Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated. April 9 For the first time in 45 days, no shells landed on Khe Sanh; and U.S. forces went back into Lang Vei Special Forces camp, meeting virtually no resistance. By April 12th, Route 9 was once again open to truck traffic. April 14 Operation was declared a success and over. The battle for Khe Sanh had been fought according to the plan: the Marines had buttoned up their defenses; the enemy had been engaged with massive firepower, air and artillery; the defenders had been adequately resupplied by air; land communications were restored with the return of good weather. Wrote General Westmoreland: "The key to our success at Khe Sanh was firepower, principally aerial firepower. For 77 days, Air Force, Marine, and Navy aircraft provided round-the-clock, close-in support to the defending garrison ...... Between 22 January and 31 March, tactical aircraft flew an average of 300 sorties daily, close to one every five minutes, and expended 35,000 tons of bombs and rockets." During the same period, Strategic Air Command's B-52's had flown 2,602 sorties and dropped over 75,000 tons of bombs. Marine NamNews 2-04 Page 30 2 Apr 1988 howitzers at Khe Sanh and Army 175's supporting from Camp Carroll and the Rockpile, had fired over 100,000 rounds, nearly 1,500 shells a day. 14,000 tons or more of supplies were delivered by Marine and Air Force by air to Khe Sanh, 65% by parachute drop. In all there were 629 drops. American television had given the impression that anything attempting to land at Khe Sanh was shot down when in fact out of the 455 landings there, only four fixed-wing aircraft - a C-130, a C-123, an A-4, and an F-4 - appear to have been destroyed by enemy action. In any case, there was never a serious supply shortage. In no way was Khe Sanh another Dien Bien Phu. The Marines never thought that it would be. NamNews 2-04 Page 31 2 Apr 1988 ================================================================= GENERAL ARTICLES ================================================================= Bornagain by Jim Merlini (C) 1986 For Jerry, whom a war couldn't kill, but a car crash could. "YOU'RE ALL SINNERS! YOU'RE ALL DOOMED!!" was one of Bornagain's favorite expressions on The Rock, Okinawa, in 1968. One that brought an invariable response of, "Fergawd's sake, shaddap, Bornagain!" or "Fuckoff, willya, Bornagain!" from his fellow members of the 2152nd Communications Squadron whenever he launched them, torpedo -like, at their collective waterlines. The profane and obscene ripostes from his squadron mates more amused than daunted Bornagain, who was quite certain that they were sinners and, in fact, doomed. Bornagain, having been washed in the Blood of the Lamb, had no such fear for himself; his only concern was the salvation of his peers, a kindness they did not appreciate as that concern was frequently coupled with moralistic teachings and lectures on the advantages of the Good and Christian Life. Bornagain agonized over the other troops' Friday-night forays into Nominouie, the red light district of Naha City, and prophesied the probability of total moral decay, a perversion of the American Ideal of Christian Home life, and the clap. He was right about everything except the clap. Apparently through the intercession of God the squadron was not stricken with the pox. Only a small fraction of the squadron lined up for injections of V-cillin other high-velocity antibiotics at the dispensary. The only illnesses Bornagain contracted during his stay on The Rock were A) flu (very common), B) constipation, and C) a fungal infection of the feet that all troops caught, puritan morality notwithstanding, the barracks' shower stalls being breeding grounds for it. True Christians being accustomed to suffering, Bornagain took everything in stride save the constipation, which infuriated him because the know-nothings at the base dispensary refused to give him a laxative. "Drink fruit juice, they tell me!" he shrilled. "Drink bloody fruit juice! I've drunk so much fruit juice I'm turning into a prune!" That was an exaggeration. His complexion was more a mottled green, a side effect of constipation. But he drank the fruit juice, haunting the chow hall with a furtive look on his face, until the lower intestinal blockage cleared itself and regularity returned. He appeared in the barracks room one evening with a broad smile on his face. "I can tell," Jomo the black man said from his lower bunk, "that Bornagain has had a good healty shit." Bornagain's face fell. "Well," he said. "I wouldn't put it exactly like that." He grinned. "How about 'a good healthy bowel movement?'" "Same-same," Jomo said and returned to his copy of Playboy. Bornagain had arrived on the Rock in early '67, just in time to NamNews 2-04 Page 32 2 Apr 1988 learn to hate the place and to be on hand when the Tet Offensive went down in '68, generating a tremendous demand for open ended supplies of whole blood to save the lives of the grunts, groundpounders, and flyboys down south in 'Nam who were being shot up or blown away in record numbers. Bornagain opened his veins time and time again for the whitecoated medical types that set up shop in the base gym. The squadron and base troops also opened their veins, and in one issue of the squadron newsletter the Old Man thanked everyone for going 350 percent over the squadron goal for blood donations. The squadron was given a pennant to hang from the stanchion that bore the squadron flag, and for a time everyone thought it was for the blood donations. It wasn't. It was for having the "lowest maintenance record keeping error rate in the Pacific," which roused the general sentiment among some troops that that was a pretty fucking dumb thing to give a pennant for under the circumstances. Bornagain went through a series of roommates because nobody could stand his moralistic preachings. For a time he even had a room to himself, a rarity in those four-men-to-a-telephone-booth days. People, and most especially young soldiers, do not enjoy sermons on The Right Life as they are preparing to go into the ville and get laid. Or try to get laid, for there was some question as to who actually would get the shaft, the B-girls in the Nominuie bars being inhumanly canny and wise. The B-girls made a living by letting the troops buy them fruit-juice drinks at mixed drink prices until the troops passed out on the floor. The B-girls got a cut of the profit from the mama-san who owned the bar and rarely got laid except by some of the older hands who knew the score, the ropes, and the system. Green agreed that buying B-girls drinks was a waste of time, an attitude that endeared him to Bornagain, but for different reasons. Bornagain saw it as sin rampant; Green knew the B-girl score because of a fortunate late-night lecture he had received from a seasoned troop who was rotating through the Rock to 'Nam for the fourth or fifth time. To Green it was a simple waste of money. Still, out of that strange confluence of thoughts grew a stranger friendship. Bornagain was notorious for his enthusiasm in doing maintenance, an enthusiasm not tempered by practical electronic experience or innate ability. Early one morning, soon after Green had arrived on the Rock, the routine roll-call and work assignment was interrupted in the corrigated iron quonset hut by the Tall Texan, the shop chief, who asked, "Where's Bornagain?" "Up at the transmitter site," said Wrongway, who was new to the squadron and didn't know it wasn't safe to let Bronagain work on anything but R-278 UHF receivers because of Bornagain's bad habit of assuming the worst when trouble shooting equipment problems and looking for major glitches when nothing major was wrong. There was a chorus of, "Oh, shit's" from around the room and soon Green found himself in the open back of a dirty Air Force blue Ford Econoline truck headed for the transmitter site. The transmitter site sat atop a hill inside a patch of Army property on the ocean side of the runway where a Nike battery waited for the attack by Russian bombers that never came. The NamNews 2-04 Page 33 2 Apr 1988 truck passed through the machinegun-guarded checkpoint in the barbed-wire-topped cyclone fence and in the small stucco bulding atop the highest hill inside the battery's fence they found Bornagain with the guts of a T-217 UHF transmitter spread across two workbenches and one trolly cart. Bornagain looked up as the morning shift trooped in through the heavy steel security door and said, "Hi. This one went down about midnight last night. I think the trouble is somewhere back in the driver stage, just before the finals." "Right," said the Irish Arab, looking at the welter of test equipment clustered around the disembowled transmitter. Every tech order relating to T-217s was open on the floor, the three-page circuit diagrams spread out like Christmas wrappings. The NYC Kid, who knew a lot about T-217s and how they behaved in rooms where the ambient temperature never fell below 80 degrees Farenheit, walked over to the olive drab equipment rack and examined the as-yet-untouched transmitter modulator deck. "Here's the trouble. The high voltage fuse is blown." All the transmitters blew fuses because the building was so hot. The building stayed hot A) because of the climate and, B) because someone had stolen the two heavy duty air conditioners supply had sent over to keep the building cool. In summer the inside temperature shot up to 130 degrees regularly and the transmitters went berserk in heat for which they had never been designed. By the end of his tour, Green estimated enough money had been spent on fuses to pay for an air conditioned dome over the entire base. Bornagain was chastened by the rough undoing of his attempt to be a good maintenance troop and sulked for a while, but his naturally optimistic nature quickly re-emerged as time passed and his friendship with Green developed. Green was a defrocked Methodist from the Old South, who had traveled the rocky religion road from Baptist through Methodism to Confucianism, Bhuddism, and Taoism, with brief layovers as agnostic and druid. At first he was a little put out with Bornagain's attempts to save his soul. Green felt that his soul would eventually go where it was destined to go, and if his lifestyle had offended God or The Force, then he would pay and pay and pay. Period. Bornagain, contrarywise, held that Jesus was the Answer and flailed at Green with concepts of fundamental Christianity until Green was nearly buried by the bombardment. But Green found Bornagain a very sharp troop underneath the brilliant coating of Christianity and enjoyed hearing him talk about his church and beliefs. The tales and stories reminded Green of some of the fundamentalist teachings from his home state and it was pleasant to find a semi-soul brother on the Rock, even if he did come from California. The relationship solidified into friendship one evening when they had joint standby duty and Bornagain set an ambush for Green. The head-shed trusted Bornagain to do standby if he promised to limit his endeavours to replacing fuses and not attempt curing any drastic equipment problems. Green was new to the squadron and had been given to Bornagain for on-the- job standby training. So Bornagain squired Green around the base in the dirty blue Ford Econoline that was never washed because the younger 304X4 troops were too clever to have it gassed up at the motor pool during the day when all vehicles were inspected and cleaned. No inspection meant no wash, and NamNews 2-04 Page 34 2 Apr 1988 also meant no routine maintenance, and eventually the Econoline began to run so rough that Green had to reset the ignition points. One fateful night Bornagain forgot to have the Econoline gassed up and when it was taken to the motor pool the next day with an empty gas tank the inspection crew almost had a coronary when they scoped out its filthy external state and miserably missing engine. Nasty letters were exchanged between the motor pool and the squadron, the truck was confiscated, and everyone in the shop suffered. That night, before the failure-to-refuel debacle, Green and Bornagain had standby and, after a moderately greasy supper at the chowhall, went to church at Bornagain's insistence. Green had not been to church in years and was flattered that Bornagain thought him harmless enough to introduce to the congregation. They arrived at the nondenominational building around 21-hundred hours and Bornagain led the way inside past the gilt-plastic crucifixes and into the main hall where the meeting --- it turned out to be a youth revival --- was just ending. All the youngsters were wearing conservatively cut brown or grey suits. Bornagain darted ahead of Green and began talking to an apple-cheeked young man while Green wondered if it was really OK to be in a House of God in dirty fatigues and if God minded his putting his hands in his pockets. Bornagain lead the apple-cheeked youth back to Green and as Green reached out to shake hands Apple Cheek whipped a New Testament from an inner coat pocket like Dillinger drawing down on a cop and said, "Why haven't you accepted Jesus to be your Lord and Master?" Green was appalled at Apple Cheek's incredibly bad manners and began a steady but inexorable retreat from the building, smiling and nodding and being nice when he actually wanted to take one of the folding metal chairs and NamNews 2-04 Page 35 2 Apr 1988 drive Apple Cheek into the floor like a croquet wicket. Later, in the truck, Green let Bornagain know that if he ever did that again he, Green, would break off both Bornagain's legs and feed them to him "en brouchette". Bornagain, very chastened by Green's language, replied that he was only concerned for the salvation of Green's soul; to which Green replied that he had a fledgling Baptist preacher --- a high school buddy called to the cloth --- praying for him regularly, and that if that didn't work nothing would. Friendships frequently grow from conflict and shortly afterward Bornagain moved into the room with Green and Jomo because Green was one of the few troops --- perhaps the only one --- who didn't take offence at Bornagain's preaching, and because the two had reached a truce under which Bornagain didn't preach at Green and Green didn't respond with a salvo about the terrible things done by the church during the Dark Ages. Green's recounting of the martyrdom of Jenne d'Arc nearly reduced Bornagain to tears and he became a little gunshy of arguing fine theological points. Bornagain's key to heaven was the Conversion of the Jew, a story he never tired of telling and retelling to other Christians he happened to corner. Apparently there was a rule somewhere that said Christians and Jews were hereditary enemies, like the mongoose and the cobra, and the defection of any from one camp to the other was a cause for widespread celebration. Bornagain had become a hero of his church because of the conversion, which he said was a rare and miraculous happening. "I just explained it to him," he said, "all about Jesus and Salvation, and he said 'I'll do it.'" He beamed. "We had quite a service. He loved the baptism." It was Green's first and closest contact with an evangelical and the stories about the church were fascinating. The "casting out of demons" was particularly thrilling, since Bornagain had been lucky enough to be the youth who helped hold down the man's feet while the evil spirit was departing. "I saw it come out of his mouth like a black cloud. He was thrashing and rolling around, and it took three of us to hold him, but in the end the spirit came out and he relaxed. When he stood up," Bornagain said, "he was a whole new man." Green would have liked to have seen that, and perhaps get it on film or videotape. That sort of miracle, he thought, needed documenting to tip over the unbelievers. Not that he disbelieved Bornagain for one instant. Through all his religious readings Green had learned one thing: he knew nothing about religion. And if Bornagain said he saw a black cloud come out of a prostrate man's mouth, well, maybe he did. The look of pure belief on Bornagain's face was more than enough to convince Green that Bornagain certainly had seen something. Jomo tolerated Bornagain and uniformly rebuffed all his chiding that Jomo's regular visits to Nominouie would do him more harm than good. Jomo would do a fake shuffle and diddy-bop as he combed his tight-curled hair and checked the crease in his trousers in preparation for a run to the 'ville, humming some Beach Boys number and surveying himself in the tiny mirror bolted to his wooden locker. Finally Bornagain would push it a little too far and Jomo would whirl on him like a striking snake. "Now just a damn minute, Bornagain!" he would snap, eyes flashing. "All you've been saying to me, man, is 'self NamNews 2-04 Page 36 2 Apr 1988 discipline.' Right? That's what you've been saying: keep yourself straight and do right. Right? Then where do you come off talking about self discipline when you're wearing the goddam grodiest fatigues I've ever seen? Your boots look like you polished them with a Hershey bar!" Jomo was absolutely right. Bornagain's fatigues always looked as if he had slept in a grease pit for three days, and any trace of polish on his brogans applied by the manufacturer had long since vanished. Bornagain had polished the toes of one pair of low quarters, allowing them to protrude shyly from beneath his bunk to pacify the squadron and base commanders when they insisted on an inspection. But Bornagain couldn't counter Jomo's accusation and Jomo would diddybop out the door and into a cab headed for Nominouie, the 'ville, and the hoped-for 'illicit liasion' or 'piece of ass,' depending on one's mindset. The diddybop didn't help when the F-8 pilot died and Jomo cried because his reflexes were a fraction of a second to slow. Green and Bornagain were loners, albeit for different reasons, and because both had perverse turns of mind they hit it off well, much to the surprise of the rest of the squadron, most of whom thought Bornagain certifiably nuts. Bornagain loved to create senarios wherein he could defeat the forces of the Devil; Green attempted to find some solution to the weirdness he found himself in: a war, the military, and the incredible loneliness that made him, as well as some senior NCOs and officers, curse when Big Red, the mail plane, landed and departed without bringing a letter from the Land of the Big BX --- America. When Tet came in early 1968 the relative peace and quiet ended for the squadron. The luxury of two-man standby ended as did the custom of having the day after off duty. The best anyone could hope for was a quiet night with no equipment failures at the tower, GCA, communications center, weather station, transmitter and receiver sites, and the damned base PA over which the national anthem was played as the colors were struck at retreat, the end of each workday. The base PA was the lowest item on every ground radio troop's personal list of priorities, but the base commander became wroth if the colors were struck and some poor troop hidden behind some hill somewhere on base failed to stop, turn, and salute in the general direction of base headquarters when the flag came down. The base commander feared that morale would be in jeopardy if anyone missed retreat and filed so many complaints about the PA that eventually the Irish Arab was assigned to cure the problem. The Arab took the NYC Kid into tow, surveyed the PA, wrote some priority parts requests, and had the PA working like a charm within two weeks. The base commander was so pleased with the result that he gave the Arab the job or preparing a PA system for base elementary school football games and a wireless PA for the base riding club. For this venture the Arab was allowed to spend certain difficult to obtain 'nonappropriated funds' which, apparently, could be used to buy expensive wireless microphones for the riding club, but not to replace the stolen air conditioners that would have kept the temperature in the transmitter site building down to a habitable level. Green and Bornagain attempted to NamNews 2-04 Page 37 2 Apr 1988 square the obsession with the base PA and PAs in general with the reality of the war going on down south as seen through the awful films that came back up north, and the stories brought back by troops who had rotated down south for a tour. They could not, and arrived at the mutual conclusion that either A) the base commander was crazy or B) the war down south did not exist. Since an unofficial part of their duty day was occupied by watching grunts lie on the grass behind Base Ops waiting to get on Herkey birds and fly down south to get killed, they, again mutually, decided the base commander was crazy. When they saw the coverage of the Watts riot on Armed Forces television they decided America had gone crazy too. Craziness became legion, a manic intensity. The previous typhoon season caught the base unprepared when a sudden cell materialized off the coast and caught all the Herkey birds and Deuces on the ground. The hundred-plus mile an hour winds wrecked several aircraft and damaged more. When the '68 typhoon season arrived and the first storm brewed up out in the Pacific, the base went on maximum alert and the base commander and his entourage trooped across the runway to the checkerboard square GCA site to watch the Irish Arab get the double-trailer rig off its elevated turntable. The Arab played the scene to the hilt. Under normal conditions he and two two-stripers could get the GCA trailer down and ready for towing in two hours, maybe less. With the base commander and his enclave at hand, the Arab became Jimmy Cagney, sandpapering his fingertips before cracking a particularly difficult safe. The Arab knew about typhoons, and knew the current one would probably pass well north of the island and hit Japan, with only rain and wind for Okinawa. The Magician, who worked in the weather station and also knew about typhoons, seconded the Arab's opinion, saying there was no cause for worry. The only thing the base commander knew was that the last base commander got his ass fried for overlooking a tiny, sneaky typhoon, and he had no intention of going the same route. The Herkeys and Deuces had long since flown out to safety. The base was buttoned up, steel storm shutters closed on barracks windows, raising the temperature and noise level to intolerable levels; great strips of nylon reenforced duct tape covered the windows of the tower greenhouse, a precaution against shattering in the expected force ten winds; the chowhall, clubs, and in-flight kitchen closed. The ground radio troops who remembered the last typhoon abandoned the barracks for the hilltop receiver site with its air conditioning and tried to heat C-rations over inadequate heat tabs. Green nibbled his canned turkey loaf with distaste, a symptom of a rapidly intensifying case of the flu, while Bornagain experimented with a folding metal stove he found in the C-ration case. After nearly setting a workbench afire he gave it up as hopeless and ate his ham and limas cold. As the wind and rain increased outside Green's temperature spiked to over one hundred and in a lightheaded daze he retuned an R-390 receiver to a local NAVAIDS frequency and toyed with the beat-frequency-oscillator until the doop-de-deep-PE-DAAP-PE- DOOP-pe-dop nearly drove the other troops crazy and someone offered to break his head for him. Then he went outside and NamNews 2-04 Page 38 2 Apr 1988 tried to hang from the antenna guy wires, swinging in the sixty knot winds, until Bornagain enticed him inside to a cot and blankets. From the barracks down the hill came the muted blast of country and western music and rock played at full volume from two dozen different stereo sets. The next morning Green saw that Bornagain had slept curled on a workbench and that some wag had suspended a maintenance warning sign from his boot that read, "DANGER! DO NOT ENERGIZE," in red block stencil letters. When he awoke Bornagain was not amused. The morning brought brilliant sunshine, blue skies and acute hangovers for most of the troops who spent the night in the barracks. Typhoon watch meant party time, similar to hurricane parties held along America's Gulf Coast when the winds began to rise, and as he made his unsteady way to the dispensary Green saw ashen faces with squinting eyes peering out the barracks windows, disbelieving, at the cloudless sky. One of the chief noise polluters was the Surfer. Green and Bornagain spiked his cannon one glorious week and brought peace of mind to everyone from the squadron commander down. NamNews 2-04 Page 39 2 Apr 1988 American Veterans and DAV Auxiliary. WWII MERCHANT SEAMEN EXTENDED VETERANS' STATUS The Department of Defense has extended veterans' status to those who served as merchant seamen who served in active, oceangoing service during the period Dec. 7, 1941 to Aug 15, 1945, are now eligible to receive armed forces discharge certificates. In general, the newly designated veterans and their survivors are eligible for the full range of VA benefits and services. This includes service-connected disability compensation, non-service connected pension, related survivors' benefits, medical care, loan guaranty, burial benefits and, in some cases, vocational rehabilitation. Included in this group are members of the United States Merchant Marine service, Civil Service crew members aboard U.S. Army Transport Service ships, or Naval Transportation Service vessels in oceangoing service or foreign waters. Individuals covered by this determination may receive a discharge certificate from the military branch they served with as civilians by making application on DD Form 2168 and addressing it to one of the following" Merchant Marine: Commandant (GMVP-1/12) United States Coast Guard, Washington D.C., 20593 Army Transport Service: Commander U.S. Army Reserve Components Personnel & Administrative Center (PAS-EENC) 9700 Page Blvd., St. Louis, Mo., 63132-5200 Navy Transportation Service: Naval Military Personnel Command (NMPC-3) Navy Department, Washington, D.C. 20370-5300 For qualifying veterans, total active duty will be the summation of each foreign, near foreign, coastwise, and intercostal voyage within the period of armed conflict during WWII. Creditable service of merchant seamen taken as prisoners of war while on active duty shall extend to date of repatriation or date of death while a POW. The Department of Defense estimates there are between 80,000 and 90,000 living merchant marine seaman from the specified period. While the exact number of persons killed performing merchant marine service during WWII is unknown, it is estimated to be in the thousands. DD Form 2168 is available from VA offices, Merchant Marine organizations, and from the offices listed above. NamNews 2-04 Page 40 2 Apr 1988 Stress Disorder By DANIEL Q. HANEY AP Science Writer BOSTON (AP) -- Unlike wounded Vietnam War veterans, victims of muggings, rapes and other violence rarely suffer the full-blown symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder, a study published today concludes. A random survey found that Vietnam veterans who were wounded in combat were the only group in which the disorder was relatively common. About 20 percent of those questioned suffered nightmares or other signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. In the past, the disorder has been studied largely by focusing on war veterans and victims of other violent encounters. The authors of the latest work attempted to see how common the disorder is among a cross-section of the population. "We didn't have much information prior to this and didn't know what to expect in terms of the proportion of people from the general population who would develop symptoms in response to trauma," said Dr. John E. Helzer of Washington University, who directed the study. Post-traumatic stress disorder was formally accepted in 1980 by the American Psychiatric Association, in part as a result of a drive by veterans groups to recognize a "post-Vietnam syndrome." Helzer cautioned that only 64 Vietnam veterans were among the 2,493 people surveyed, so the percentage who suffered the stress disorder may not precisely mirror the proportion nationwide who have the problem. His study found that 1 percent of the general population had symptoms that fit the definition of the disorder. Among civilians exposed to physical attack and Vietnam veterans who were not wounded, 3.5 percent had the disorder. Although the figures may seem low, Dr. Bessel van der Kolk of Harvard Medical School said this is because it's difficult to meet the official definition of post-traumatic stress disorder. Other studies, still unpublished, show that "the full syndrome tends to disappear over time and leaves people with residual anxiety and hyper-alertness and re-enactment," van der Kolk said. "It doesn't mean that all the consequences of the stress are gone." Helzer's study, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, was based on interviews conducted in St. Louis. People who had been subjected to severe and sudden stress were said to have the disorder if they re-enacted the experience or relived it through dreams and thoughts and if they suffered emotional numbing that made it impossible to care for others. They also had to show at least two of a list of other possible symptoms that included jumpiness, trouble sleeping, guilt, difficulty concentrating, avoidance of anything that made them remember the trauma or worsening of symptoms if anything happened that resembled it. Among the findings: --The disorder in the men surveyed was caused only by Vietnam combat or seeing someone hurt or die. No combat-related symptoms were reported by veterans of other wars. --The most common cause in women was physical attack, NamNews 2-04 Page 41 2 Apr 1988 including rape. Other events cited by women were discovering a husband's affair, being poisoned and having a miscarriage. --The most common symptoms were nightmares, jumpiness and trouble sleeping. --Half of men with combat symptoms had the signs for more than three years. --Sixty-nine people surveyed had been beaten or mugged in the 1 1/2 years before the survey. Only 3 percent met the definition for the disorder, although 19 percent had at least one of the symptoms. --Of the 64 Vietnam veterans in the survey, 15 were wounded in combat, while 28 had fought but weren't hurt. Among those wounded, 20 percent met the criteria for the disorder, and 60 percent had at least one symptom. --The disorder is more common among people who had behavioral problems as children, such as stealing, fighting and running away. The researchers speculated that such people may be more likely to get themselves into dangerous situations where they are exposed to traumatic events. NamNews 2-04 Page 42 2 Apr 1988 ================================================================= WANTED ================================================================= By: Alex Humphrey If you would like a rubbing taken of the name of a relative, friend or loved one from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington DC, you can get it done by writing: Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Inc. 4200 Wisconsin Avenue NW Suite 106-108 Washington DC 20016 Attention: Name Rubbing NamNews 2-04 Page 43 2 Apr 1988 NAM VET NEWSLETTER SUBSCRIPTION FORM The Nam Vet Newsletter is a non-profit publication available free of charge to anyone wishing to have a copy. It can be obtained in electronic computer format by anyone having access to a computer and modem by dialing up any of the IVVEC hosting bulletin board systems listed in this issue of the Nam Vet. It can also be mailed to you in printed format if you are willing to pay the $1.67 cost for postage and the mailing envelope. If you desire to have the Nam Vet mailed to you in printed format, please complete the subscription form below, clip it out, and mail it to: Nam Vet Newsletter Vietnam Veterans Valhalla 28 Cecil Avenue San Jose, California 95128 If you send your payment in check or money order, please make it payable to Todd Looney. NAME_____________________________________________________________ STREET ADDRESS __________________________________________________ CITY/STATE/ZIP __________________________________________________ AMOUNT ENCLOSED ($1.67 per month desired) _______________________ If this subscription is for someone else, to whom shall we credit the gift? ______________________________________ apr88 ----------------------------------------------------------------- NamNews 2-04 Page 44 2 Apr 1988 ================================================================= International Vietnam Veterans EchoConference Nodes ================================================================= Max. Node # Baud BBS Name Phone Number City/State/Country ================================================================= 632/350 1200 Yarra Valley BBS 61-3-848-331 Melbourne Australia 114/113 2400 Corwin's Keep 1-602-894-1470 Tempe AZ 153/123 9600 DAETECH 1-604-420-2641 Burnaby BC 153/133 2400 Hot Line Data Network 1-604-533-0421 Langley BC 153/135 2400 DAETECH 2 1-604-420-9485 Burnaby BC 153/501 2400 Valley Hub 1-604-850-0021 Clearbrook BC 220/20 2400 Old Frog's Almanac 1-604-758-3072 Nanaimo BC 10/215 2400 Silver BBS 1-619-226-4502 San Diego CA 103/501 2400 Mount Silverthorn 1-714-544-3369 Tustin CA 103/507 9600 Philosopher's Log 1-714-535-1258 Anaheim CA 125/12 2400 The Grape Vine 1-707-546-4938 Santa Rosa CA 125/7 2400 Survival Forum 1-707-545-0746 Santa Rosa CA 125/78 2400 Living Sober BBS 1-415-342-2859 San Mateo CA 143/22 2400 P-CAD's Board 1-408-279-4908 San Jose CA 143/27 2400 Vietnam Veterans Valhalla 1-408-293-7894 San Jose CA 143/86 2400 Cat's Tail BBS/S.T.O.P. 1-415-349-8245 San Mateo CA 161/1 9600 Nerd's Nook 1-415-672-2504 Concord CA 161/34 9600 Now and Zen OPUS 1-916-962-1952 Fair Oaks CA 161/39 2400 Nightline 1-916-362-1755 Mather AFB CA 161/5 9600 River City II OPUS 1-916-646-9678 Sacramento CA 161/509 2400 Enterprize 1-415-758-1650 Pinole CA NamNews 2-04 Page 45 2 Apr 1988 161/56 2400 Nat'l Family Forum 1-415-651-4147 Freemont CA 161/66 2400 Generic BBS 1-916-722-3659 Citrus Heights CA 161/7 2400 Mover Mouse BBS 1-415-883-1644 Fremont CA 161/943 9600 Eagle's Nest 1-916-334-2822 Sacramento CA 200/100 2400 The Board Room 1-213-498-6425 Belmont Shores CA 200/200 1200 CSULB 1-213-494-8737 Long Beach CA 202/401 2400 jabberWOCky 1-619-743-9935 Escondido CA 104/28 2400 Pinecliff BBS 1-303-444-7073 Boulder CO 104/51 2400 P2 B2 1-303-329-3337 South Denver CO 104/739 2400 The Phoenix 1-303-841-9570 Parker CO 141/250 9600 Wilton Woods 1-203=762-8481 Wilton CT 135/35 1200 The Way Out BBS 1-305-665-3283 Miami FL 363/10 1200 Midas Touch 1-305-648-1133 Orlando FL 363/9 1200 Wit's End 1-305-894-0807 Orlando FL 366/38 9600 Jolly Green Giant 1-904-651-3875 Shalimar FL 18/43 9600 Athens Echo 1-404-546-7857 Athens GA 370/10 2400 OnLine OPUS 1-404-548-0726 Athens GA 370/5 9600 Athens Forum 1-404-546-7857 Athens GA 12/1 2400 Aura Net 1-808-533-0190 Honolulu HI 11/109 2400 Peoria OPUS Net 1-309-691-5416 Peoria IL 115/20 2400 North Shore BBS 1-312-491-2611 Evanston IL 115/429 2400 Chicago Business 1-312-491-2611 Evanston IL 115/529 2400 Elk Grove Repeater 1-312-529-1586 Elk Grv Vlg IL 115/761 2400 ICS/TRIX 1 OPUS 1-312-761-7887 Chicago IL 11/202 1200 The SouthSide BBS 1-317-882-9330 Indianapolis IN 227/1 9600 Michiana TechLine 1-219-258-0286 Mishawaka IN NamNews 2-04 Page 46 2 Apr 1988 108/50 2400 The ZOO BBS 1-606-283-2040 Independence KY 108/90 2400 DATANET Info System 1-606-727-3638 Erlanger KY 321/109 9600 Pioneer Valley PCUG-1 1-413-256-1037 Amherst MA 321/201 2400 Mountain Top 1-413-684-2886 Dalton MA 321/202 9600 Jones' Nose 1-413-528-5663 Gt Barrington MA 321/203 2400 VETLink #1 1-413-443-6313 Pittsfield MA 109/648 2400 Falcon's Rock 1-301-345-7459 College Park MD 109/717 1200 The Tin Badge BBS 1-301-589-2016 Silver Spring MD 109/722 1200 Ronnie's Roadies BBS 1-301-736-0135 Camp Sprngs MD 13/29 9600 Berkshire Board 1-301-574-1984 Essex MD 13/30 9600 The Futurists BBS 1-301-529-0716 Perry Hall MD 13/33 9600 Avi-Technic 1-301-252-0717 Lutherville MD 261/628 2400 Liberty Hall 1-301-833-8933 Reisterstown MD 261/628.1 2400 Systemhouse Link 1-301-833-8933 Reisterstown MD 1/214 2400 Region 14 Echo Coor 1-612-377-3398 Minneapolis MN 1/314 2400 Software Dist 1-612-377-3469 Minneapolis MN 282/1 9600 Midwest Echo Star 1-612-377-3469 Minneapolis MN 151/100 9600 NC Central 1-919-851-8460 Raleigh NC 151/1000 2400 REDCON 1-919-859-3353 Raleigh NC 151/20 2400 Metro Link 1-704-541-8626 Charlotte NC 151/60 2400 VMC-BBS 1-919-945-4850 Lewisville NC 143/99 2400 Friend's BBS 1-402-896-2669 Omaha NE 132/101 2400 BBS Source Archive 1-603-888-8179 Nashua NH 150/803 2400 Jersey Vertex 1-609-869-0139 Moorestown NJ 15/4 2400 NASW New Mexico 1-505-646-2868 Las Cruces NM NamNews 2-04 Page 47 2 Apr 1988 107/105 2400 NY Transfer 1-718-442-1056 Staten Island NY 108/105 2400 Global Time Systems 1-606-341-7910 Cincinnati OH 110/20 2400 EDS Data 1-513-455-2431 Dayton OH 157/1 2400 Auer Register 1-216-883-0578 Cleveland OH 147/14 9600 Dark Star TBBS 1-405-691-0863 Oklahoma City OK 385/4 2400 Info-Net 1-405-357-6181 Lawton OK 385/6 2400 Bink's Barn 1-405-357-2473 Lawton OK 11/700 9600 FCAU IBM Net 1-416-427-0682 Toronto ON 221/156 9600 Waterloo CBCS PUBLIC 1-519-746-5020 Waterloo ON 221/157 9600 Waterloo CBCS Echomail Unpublished Waterloo ON 105/16 2400 Net 105 EchoMail Hub 1-503-761-3003 Portland OR 105/61 2400 Shotgun OPUS 1-503-760-4521 Portland OR 157/506 2400 Beacon Hill OPUS 1-412-962-9514 Transfer PA 18/6 2400 The Burnout Board 1-901-353-4563 Memphis TN 362/1 2400 The Mines of Moria 1-615-344-9601 Chattanooga TN 362/501 2400 Coconut Telegraph 1-615-698-4858 Chattanooga TN 106/108 9600 Stormy Weather I 1-713-644-4345 Houston TX 106/111 2400 Shutterbug's OPUS 1-713-880-4329 Houston TX 106/113 2400 The Opus Network 1-713-780-4153 Houston TX 106/114 2400 The Fireside 1-713-496-6319 Houston TX 106/132 2400 Fast BBS OPUS 1-713-392-0093 Katy TX 106/357 2400 TMBBS 1-713-497-5433 Houston TX 106/666 2400 Anything Goes OPUS 1-713-997-2624 Houston TX 124/106 9600 CHAI Way II 1-214-250-3323 Dallas TX NamNews 2-04 Page 48 2 Apr 1988 124/110 9600 Flying Dutchman 1-214-642-3436 Dallas TX 124/117 2400 NCC-1701 Node 1 1-214-240-8821 Dallas TX 124/117 2400 NCC-1701 1-214-240-8821 Dallas TX 124/14 2400 Chrysalis 1-214-985-9054 Dallas TX 124/200 2400 Dallas Outbound 1-214-437-4075 Dallas TX 124/201 2400 Hardweird 1-204-931-2987 Dallas TX 124/214 2400 *CHRYSALIS* 1-214-985-9054 Dallas TX 130/5 2400 CUSSNET UTA 1-817-273-3966 Arlington TX 136/200 2400 The Chai Way II 1-214-358-3738 Austin TX 381/201 2400 Pro Link 1-915-944-2952 San Angelo TX 382/1 2400 Crystal Palace 1-512-339-8037 Lake Travis TX 382/14 9600 Corona Del Mar 1-512-729-7026 Rockport TX 109/604 2400 ShanErin 1-703-941-8291 Alexandria VA 109/639 2400 The RENEX BBS 1-703-494-8331 Woodbridge VA 1/217 2400 Region 17 Echo Coord 1-206-848-5317 Puyallup WA 138/101 9600 Story Board 1-206-848-5317 Puyallup WA 138/3 2400 Puget Sound Gateway 1-206-848-9232 Puyallup WA 138/35 2400 US HDS Human Service 1-206-442-8127 Seattle WA 138/4 2400 PTC Net 1-206-757-5248 Mount Vernon WA 138/49 9600 The Cohort 1-206-848-2646 Puyallup WA 138/52 2400 Burrell's Ballpark 1-206-752-4672 Tacoma WA 343/111 2400 Lessor Puget TB 1-206-742-8067 Edmonds WA 343/9 1200 Everett OPUS 1-206-355-1295 Everett WA 139/640 2400 Fox Valley Tech 1-414-735-2513 Appleton WI 154/200 2400 PC-Express 1-414-327-4104 Greenfield WI NamNews 2-04 Page 49 2 Apr 1988 O O SOME GAVE ALL ... ! pow mia pow mia - BRING THEM HOME NOW! - pow mia pow mia ! ! O O ! ! ~~~~~ ~ ~ O~ ~~~ ~~ ~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~ O ~~ ~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~ ! ! ~~~~ ~ ~~ O ~~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~O~~~ ~~~ ~ ~~~~ ~~ ! ! ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ O~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~~ O ~~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~ ! ! ~~~ ~~ ~~ ~ O ~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~ O ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~ ~ ! ! ~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~ ~ O ~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ O ~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~ ! ! ~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~ O ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~ O ~ ~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~~ ! ! ~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~ O ~_~_~_~_~_ ~ O ~ ~~~~ ~ ~ ~~~ ~~ ~~ ! ! ~~~ ~ ~ ~~~ ~~ ~ O ) O ~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~~ ! ! ~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ /(O) / O \ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~~ ~ ~ ! ! ~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~ / / O \~~~~ ~~ ~~~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~ ! ! ~~ ~ ~ ~~ ~~ / PRISONER / \~~ ~~ ~~ ~~~ ~ ~~~~~~ ! ! ~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~ / / MISSING \~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~~ ~ ~~ ! ! ~~~ ~ ~~ ~~ / OF /\ \~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~ ~~~~ ~ ! ! ~ ~~~~ ~~ ~ / / \ IN \~ ~~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~ ! ! ~~~ ~~~ ~ / WAR / ~~ \ \ ~~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ! ! ~ ~~ ~~ ~ (_________ / ~ ~~ \ ACTION / ~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~ ~~ ! ! ~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~ ~~~ \ / ~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ! ! ~~~~~ ~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~ ~~~ \ / ~~ ~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~ ! ! ~~ ~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~~ ! ! ~~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~ ~~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ ~ ! ! ~ ~~ ~~~ ~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~ ~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ! ! ~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~ ~~~ ~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~ SOME STILL GIVE ! ~ ~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ! ~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ! ! mia pow mia pow - BRING THEM HOME NOW! - mia pow mia pow !