Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 . __ . . -*- N A M V E T -*- ____/ \_ . . ( * \ . . Managing Editors \ Quangtri . . -------------- \_/\ \_ Hue . . G. Joseph Peck \_Ashau Phu Bai . . Todd C. Looney \_* \_ . . \ * ) . . Distribution Manager _/ Danang . . Jerry Hindle ( \_*Chu Lai . . \_ ------- \__ . . Section Editors \_ I Corps \ . . --------------- \ ------- ! . . AGENT ORANGE: Martin H. Kroll, Sr. /\_____ ! . . MIA-POW : Rick Stolz / ! \ . . REUNIONS: Glen Kepler ! !___ \ . . CHAPLAIN: Ed Brant ! \/\____! . . HOMELESSNESS: Lefty Frizzell ! ! . . FEDERAL BENEFITS: Jim Hildwine / Dak To ! . . INCARCERATED VETS: Todd C. Looney / * / . . Joyce Flory ! \_ . . MEMORIES: G. Joseph Peck ! Phu Cat\ . . IN-TOUCH: Ray "Frenchy" Moreau \ * * ) . . \ Pleiku ) . . -**- N A M V E T -**- \ \ . . / / . . "In the jungles of 'Nam, some of us ( -------- ! . . were scared and wary, but we pulled _\ II Corps ! . . one another along and were able / -------- \ . . to depend on each other. That has \ \ . . never changed. Today, free of the ! * / . . criticisms and misunderstandings _/ Nhatrang / . . many veterans have endured, _/ / . . NAM VET is a shining beacon, __/ ! . . a ray of hope, and a _ __/ \ ! . . reminder that the _____( )/ ! Camranh Bay . . lessons learned / !__ ! . . at such a high / \ / . . price shall not \ Bien Hoa \ / . . be forgotten - ! Chu Chi * \ __/ . . nor the errors \_ * --------- \ ___/ . . repeated!!!" ____ \ III Corps \ _/ . . / \_____) )_(_ --------- !__/ Duplication in . . ! ( ___/ any form permitted . . _____! \__ * ___/ for NONCOMMERCIAL . . ! Saigon/ purposes ONLY! . . \___ -------- / \/ . . \ IV Corps / For other use, contact: . . ) -------- / Managing Editors . . / ! Todd C. Looney (408) 947-8439 . . / ____/ G. Joseph Peck (413) 442-1660 . . / Mekong/ . . ! Delta/ This newsletter is comprised of articles . . ! ____/ and items from individuals and other . . ! / sources. We are not responsible for the . . ! / content of this information nor are any of . . ! __/ NAM VETs contributors or Section Editors. . . \_/ gjp . . . NAM VET Newsletter Page i Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 ================================================================= T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S 1. EDITORIALS Another Frontier??? ..................................... 1 All I Ever Needed to Know ............................... 4 2. In Touch In-Touch: What is it??? ................................. 5 IN-TOUCH Registration/Request Form!!! ................... 8 They haven't forgutten US!!! ............................ 10 3. Agent Orange Agent Orange Update, August 1990 ........................ 11 American Legion Suing Over Agent Orange Study ........... 14 Break out the Clearsil ! ............................ 16 4. Living Memorials GREATER ROCHESTER VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL CORPORATION . 17 "Sunday in the Park" .................................... 19 Paralyzed Veterans of America ........................... 20 5. Just some thoughts... A Divided Life .......................................... 21 NAMI - NY Veterans Network .............................. 25 A visit or note once in awhile? ......................... 26 6. The NamVet Chaplain's Corner To Be Crushed Underfoot ................................. 27 The Electronic Chapel ................................... 29 Wife of a veteran? ...................................... 30 7. Veteran BBS's "Serving YOU" VETLink #1 - YOUR Organization! ......................... 31 Vietnam Veterans' Valhalla Membership ................... 34 The United States Veterans BBS .......................... 36 8. IVVEC & NamVet - WHERE? NamVet Roll Call ........................................ 38 IVVEC Nodelist .......................................... 40 Some Gave All... ........................................ 43 NAM VET Newsletter Page ii Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 ================================================================= E D I T O R I A L S ================================================================= Another Frontier??? By: G. Joseph Peck NamVet's Managing Editor East VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 Glued to CNN (tm), watching every newscast I can so as to keep abreast of happenings that involve my son - and the sons of many of you out there, I couldn't help but be reminded of the letter I had written to Past First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy just days before I enlisted in the US Army. The punctuation isn't like I'd do it today, nor the phraseology, but, shux... here it is... Then, as well as now, I continue to try giving my best!!! 19 Hillandale Avenue North White Plains, New York June 30, 1964 Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy Washington, D.C. Dearest Mrs. Kennedy I am a young man, soon to be 20, now living in New York. Since your husband's death last November, great feelings have been aroused in myself and now seems to be the proper time to share them with you and your family. If, in the words to follow, I cause you pain or have you look sadly into the past, please find it in your heart to forgive me, because all that I will write is written with only good, clean intentions and with the hope that you will remember me, my letter, and your husband, and smile when you think of them. I can remember, Mrs. Kennedy, when I lived in Los Angeles, California with my 5 younger brothers and sisters and my parents, how my sisters and I would drive around with Kennedy stickers on the bumper of our car. Driving through town, we would come across other cars, adorned in the same manner, and we would blow our horn and cheer for your husband, our president and leader, Mr. Kennedy. Soon we would have a parade started and all through town we would go. Horns blowing, cheering people and everywhere, smiling confident faces. I remember, too, on election night, how we stayed up and watched the returns come in. It was like New Years Eve when your husband won. Fireworks went off, again horns blew, and my family went outside and banged pots and pans, we were so happy. I can remember also that whenever our president appeared on television or came on the radio, how all my buddies and friends would give almost their undivided attention when he spoke. A lot of us got goose bumps. But, no matter what we got, we were always ready to follow him. He was one of us. Young, vigorous and setting an example the rest of the world will find hard to duplicate. NAM VET Newsletter Page 1 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 And then, Mrs. Kennedy, we lost him. Your husband, the children's daddy, and our president was gone. But in body only, for I feel he still lingers in Spirit. He gave to us, the Young Americans, one of the greatest gifts anybody could ever give, the gift of knowing what you want. We discovered then, and we miss him now, our greatest of all leaders, who picked up the loose ends of our great nation and tied us into one of the finest nations in the world. So you see, Mrs. Kennedy, how a lot of us feel about our late President - and how we will continue to feel. We loved him and we love his memory as much. But we can't just sit and mourn, nor can we just WISH that another like him "will come along." I feel we should do something about it. We shouldn't just wait, hoping. We should use the quality your husband instilled in us to full advantage - the ability to lead! We're young and we have every chance in the world of succeeding in whatever we tackle. I only wish my Heavenly Father would instill in me the desire to become president, to sacrifice so that I, while I'm still young, could take charge where your husband had to leave off - to mold our nation into one of beauty and to lead it with a strong and firm hand. My future, as does thousands of others like myself, lies ahead - unseen, unused. I pray that we'll be able to use it unselfishly, and intelligently. And, if we do, someday - believe me - we will have another JOHN F. KENNEDY! Thank you for taking time to read this letter and for being as sweet as you are. A Nation's best wishes, I'm sure, come with it. Very, very truly yours, George Joseph Peck I'm not sorry for holding on to words spoken by John F. Kennedy in, I believe, his inaugural speech... something about a New Frontier... about "Let every Nation know that... we will go any place, pay any price... in order that Freedom may prevail"! The Iraq situation... a real test of the New Frontier that you and I and so many others heard much about, a real test of how WELL we've passed on to OUR children the hopes, the dreams, the positive beliefs in our country. This month's issue is SHORT... there were not too many submissions by our participants or contributors - and I just didn't have time to input another 75k worth of reading material. I'd LIKE to see our issues continue in the 75-100 page per month range, but if we don't get submissions, there's just not too much I can do to help fill it out. This month's SERVICE section has been filled with ACTION - too much to write about NOW, but I'll try to get in a report for next month (it IS important, though, to note that there STILL has been NO response nor reply from the Disabled American Veterans related NAM VET Newsletter Page 2 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 to a 1/1/90 service request to both the National Commander and the Massachusetts State Commander of DAV!). 'Til Next Month... Show a brother and sister veteran that YOU care!!! Ci'ao for Ni'ao -Joe- NAM VET Newsletter Page 3 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten By Todd Looney NamVet's Managing Editor West Vietnam Veterans' Valhalla - San Jose, CA (408) 298-2740 Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in a sandbox at nursery school. These are the things I learned: Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don't take things that aren't yours. Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hands before you eat. Flush. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Live a balanced life. Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some. Take a nap every afternoon. When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup. The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup - they all die. So do we. And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned, the biggest word of all: LOOK. Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and sane living. Think of what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk about 3 o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap. Or if we had a basic policy in our nation and other nations to always put things back where we found them and cleaned up our own messes. And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together. Hug a vet, and have a great day! Todd NAM VET Newsletter Page 4 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 ================================================================= I n T o u c h ================================================================= In-Touch. What is it ??? Input by: Ray "Frenchy" Moreau NAM VETs IN-TOUCH Section Editor Herndon Byte eXchange - Herndon, VA (703) 471-8010 ================================================================= |+++++++++++++++++++++++++ IN TOUCH ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++| | There are some 43 million people in the United States whose | | lives were directly and irrevocably touched by the Vietnam | | War. | | | | Almost four million people served in Vietnam -- the longest, | | and perhaps most difficult, war in our history. More than a | | quarter of a million were seriously wounded. 58,175 are dead | | or missing. | | | | Each of those who returned recognizes the true cost of war. | | But so too do the families and friends, wives and lovers of | | those listed on the Wall. They too paid a tremendous price, | | not always recognized... many still do. | | | | Though twenty years have passed, it seems that is the period | | people have needed to get the distance necessary to begin to | | address the unresolved, deeply personal issues that have | | been haunting them since the war. Perhaps that is a measure | | of the pain. | | | | But, the "healing of a nation" that was intended by the | | building of the Memorial, has begun. | | | | In the office of the Friends of the Vietnam Veterans | | Memorial, we hear them on the other end of the phone on | | any given day, and far into the night, they call from all | | corners of the country. | | | | "If only I could find out..." | | "I need to find his family so I can keep my promise..." | | "I just want to talk to someone who was with him... " | | "Please, can you help...?" | | | | At the Wall, we find them every day. Veterans who have not | | spoken of their experiences even to their most intimate | | family members are now beginning, tentatively, to seek a | | responsive ear. | | | | Brothers and sisters, parents and even wives who were simply | | never allowed full expression of their grief because of the | | fierce pressures of the time, are now coming forward, | | looking for someone who can help with their healing. | | | | We hear from children, now 15 - 25 years old, who are | | searching for bits and pieces of information they can | | assemble to help fill that empty place in their lives that | NAM VET Newsletter Page 5 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 | is the father they never knew well, if at all. And they want | | to talk to each other, to share their special needs and the | | unique experience of growing up with a father on the Wall. | | They understand each other all too well. | | | | Millions of Americans need to meet and talk because of the | | Wall, and only the Friends can help them. | | | | Initial discussions with many other national organizations | | whose work brings them into contact with Vietnam veterans | | and their loved ones have attested to the need for IN TOUCH | | and their willingness to help. | | | | Simply put, the Friends will draw on its special work at the | | Memorial, its acquired and available data bases and | | programs designed and integrated by Electronic Data Systems | | (EDS), and the commitment and concern of its volunteers to | | place people with a common association to a name on the Wall | | to be in voluntary communication with each other. | | | | From there, we will let human nature take its good course. | | And let the healing begin. | | | | The starting point for the data base will be the more than | | twenty thousand names of people who have requested name | | rubbings from our volunteers in Washington. Each will be | | contacted and given the opportunity to participate by being | | listed in the IN TOUCH central data base file. | | | | Confidentiality is the keyword to cooperation and IN TOUCH | | will respect the integrity of all lists and records. Lists | | will be unavailable for public use and will not be | | distributed for any commercial purpose. | | | | By its nature, IN TOUCH must reach far beyond the veterans | | community in order to be successful. With professional | | guidance, the Friends will develop a program of on-going | | articles and other coverage in major media markets, high- | | lighting the personal experiences of people as they are put | | "in touch." The International Vietnam Veterans Echo | | Conference via the Herndon Byte eXchange 1:109/316 node as | | the enter point for gathering and disseminating information | | will be used. Aside from bringing the program into public | | awareness, these articles and stories will serve as a val- | | uable tool for public education on a wealth of matters | | relating to the Vietnam era. | | | | As a preliminary test of the IN TOUCH project, the Friends | | has implemented a pilot project to test the design and | | demands of such a program. Several hundred requests with | | full background information have been entered into a system | | designed to match requestor data with the existing Memorial | | data. Even with such a small sample, limited data and a | | fairly unsophisticated cross-indexing system, matches have | | been made and IN TOUCH has produced its first real | | connections. The results have been as profoundly moving for | | the participants as expected. And as gratifying for the | | Friends. | | | NAM VET Newsletter Page 6 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 | But it was clear that the information management system and | | the supporting hardware system would have to be more power- | | ful and more complex in order to handle thousands, perhaps | | hundreds of thousands, of requests. Confidentiality of the | | system and information must be paramount. | | | | With well over 2,000 Vietnam veterans, Electronic Data | | Systems (EDS) became involved and has been generous in its | | assistance with designing the data management systems which | | will be critical to a successful program. The Friends have | | reached a three-year working agreement with EDS which | | promises continuity and maximum potential for success in | | building an information bank that can truly help people in | | their search for others who knew a loved one. | | | | The Friends are delighted that Bob Hope has agreed to make | | a public service announcement which we can use on radio and | | television to help get the word out to the public on the | | availability of the service. | | | | The Friends are also pleased to note that Hewlett Packard, | | Zenith Data Systems, Borland International, FASTCOMM | | Communications Corporation and the First National Bank of | | Chicago have all contributed computer equipment, computer | | software, and office equipment to the project, so they are | | beginning to feel fully functional. | | | | The Friends hear from people who have long been living with | | the pain of loss and looking for a way to heal. For | | instance, the Friends recently received a letter from a | | woman who wrote: | | | | Dear Friends: | | For quite some time I have been searching for a | | way to know my brother. It seems hopeless at times. | | I was 12 when he was killed... I had waited for the | | day he would come back to us. He never did. A part | | of me will always be 12 and continue to wait. | | Thank you for giving me hope that there may be | | a way to find him and bring him home to my heart..." | | | | + + + | | | | The Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial | | Electronic Data Systems | | Herndon Byte eXchange TCOMMnet BBS 1:109/316 | | | |+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++| NAM VET Newsletter Page 7 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 IN-TOUCH Registration/Request Form Input by: Ray "Frenchy" Moreau NAM VETs IN-TOUCH Section Editor Herndon Byte eXchange - Herndon, VA (703) 471-8010 THIS FORM REQUIRES SIGNATURE FOR CONFIDENTIALITY RELEASE PLEASE READ BELOW ------------------------------------------------------------------ I wish to be IN TOUCH with (Please circle and/or comment) Family, Friends and/or Fellow Veterans of the following: __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ ----------- PERSON WHO DID NOT COME BACK FROM VIETNAM ------------ First Name_____________ Middle Name___________ Last Name__________ Relationship to You and/or Reason for Request (Answer as fully as possible)_____________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ ================================================================== -------- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT HIM/HER - IF KNOWN --------- Rank_______ Birth Date ______________ Soc. Sec. # ________________ Tour Date of Birth _______________ Where Buried __________________ Branch of Service: AR__ NA__ AF__ MC__ CG__ RC__ CIV__ (Fill in his/her equivalent unit designations in the spaces below) Division ____________ Brigade ___________ Battalion ______________ Regiment ____________ Company ___________ Ship ___________________ Battles:__________________________________________________________ Locations:________________________________________________________ Nicknames:________________________________________________________ Hometown (while in Nam): ____________________ Home State: ________ ================================================================== ---------------------- INFORMATION ABOUT YOU --------------------- Title___ First Name ____________ Middle/Maiden Name _____________ Last Name ____________________ Address___________________________________________________________ City __________________________________ State ____ Zip: _____-____ Your Home Phone ( ) ____________ Work Phone: ( ) ____________ ---------------- IF YOU ARE A VIETNAM-ERA VETERAN ---------------- Tour date _______________________________ Rank __________________ Branch of Service: AR__ NA __ AF __ MC __ CG __ RC __ CIV __ Fill in your equivalent unit designations in the spaces below Division: __________ Brigade: ___________ Battalion: ___________ Regiment: __________ Company: ___________ Ship: ________________ Battles: _________________________________________________________ Locations: _______________________________________________________ Nicknames: _______________________________________________________ Hometown (when in VN) _______________________ Home State: ________ Comments: ________________________________________________________ NAM VET Newsletter Page 8 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 CONFIDENTIALITY STATEMENT _____ I give permission to the Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial to release my name, address, phone number and relationship to other participants in the IN TOUCH project seeking information on the individual above (strike out phone number if you do not want it released). OR _____ I would like to have the names, addresses, and phone numbers of persons who knew my friend or relative, but prefer NOT to have my name, address, and phone number released. I hereby release the Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial from any and all liability that may arise from the operation of the IN TOUCH project. Signature ____________________________________ Date _____________ NOTE: Do not electronically transmit this form, instead mail to: Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial 1350 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Suite 300 Washington, DC 20036 ----------------------------------------------------------------- NAM VET Newsletter Page 9 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 W W M M W W M M M M W W \ / M M M M OOOO W W W --*-- M M M IIII O O W W W W / \ M M II O O W W W W M M II Obut we pulled _\ II Corps ! . . one another along and were able / -------- \ . . to depend on each other. That has \ \ . . never changed. Today, free of the ! * / . . criticisms and misunderstandings _/ Nhatrang / . . many veterans have endured, _/ / . . NAM VET is a shining beacon, __/ ! . . a ray of hope, and a _ __/ \ ! . . reminder that the _____( )/ ! Camranh Bay . . lessons learned / !__ ! . . at such a high / \ / . . price shall not \ Bien Hoa \ / . . be forgotten - ! Chu Chi * \ __/ . . nor the errors \_ * --------- \ ___/ . . repeated!!!" ____ \ III Corps \ _/ . . / \_____) )_(_ --------- !__/ Duplication in . . ! ( ___/ any form permitted . . _____! \__ * ___/ for NONCOMMERCIAL . . ! Saigon/ purposes ONLY! . . \___ -------- / \/ . . \ IV Corps / For other use, contact: . . ) -------- / Managing Editors . . / ! Todd C. Looney (408) 947-8439 . . / ____/ G. Joseph Peck (413) 442-1660 . . / Mekong/ . . ! Delta/ This newsletter is comprised of articles . . ! ____/ and items from individuals and other . . ! / sources. We are not responsible for the . . ! / content of this information nor are any of . . ! __/ NAM VETs contributors or Section Editors. . . \_/ gjp . . . NAM VET Newsletter Page i Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 ================================================================= T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S 1. EDITORIALS Another Frontier??? ..................................... 1 All I Ever Needed to Know ............................... 4 2. In Touch In-Touch: What is it??? ................................. 5 IN-TOUCH Registration/Request Form!!! ................... 8 They haven't forgutten US!!! ............................ 10 3. Agent Orange Agent Orange Update, August 1990 ........................ 11 American Legion Suing Over Agent Orange Study ........... 14 Break out the Clearsil ! ............................ 16 4. Living Memorials GREATER ROCHESTER VIETNAM VETERANS MEMORIAL CORPORATION . 17 "Sunday in the Park" .................................... 19 Paralyzed Veterans of America ........................... 20 5. Just some thoughts... A Divided Life .......................................... 21 NAMI - NY Veterans Network .............................. 25 A visit or note once in awhile? ......................... 26 6. The NamVet Chaplain's Corner To Be Crushed Underfoot ................................. 27 The Electronic Chapel ................................... 29 Wife of a veteran? ...................................... 30 7. Veteran BBS's "Serving YOU" VETLink #1 - YOUR Organization! ......................... 31 Vietnam Veterans' Valhalla Membership ................... 34 The United States Veterans BBS .......................... 36 8. IVVEC & NamVet - WHERE? NamVet Roll Call ........................................ 38 IVVEC Nodelist .......................................... 40 Some Gave All... ........................................ 43 NAM VET Newsletter Page ii Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 ================================================================= E D I T O R I A L S ================================================================= Another Frontier??? By: G. Joseph Peck NamVet's Managing Editor East VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 Glued to CNN (tm), watching every newscast I can so as to keep abreast of happenings that involve my son - and the sons of many of you out there, I couldn't help but be reminded of the letter I had written to Past First Lady Jacqueline Kennedy just days before I enlisted in the US Army. The punctuation isn't like I'd do it today, nor the phraseology, but, shux... here it is... Then, as well as now, I continue to try giving my best!!! 19 Hillandale Avenue North White Plains, New York June 30, 1964 Mrs. Jacqueline Kennedy Washington, D.C. Dearest Mrs. Kennedy I am a young man, soon to be 20, now living in New York. Since your husband's death last November, great feelings have been aroused in myself and now seems to be the proper time to share them with you and your family. If, in the words to follow, I cause you pain or have you look sadly into the past, please find it in your heart to forgive me, because all that I will write is written with only good, clean intentions and with the hope that you will remember me, my letter, and your husband, and smile when you think of them. I can remember, Mrs. Kennedy, when I lived in Los Angeles, California with my 5 younger brothers and sisters and my parents, how my sisters and I would drive around with Kennedy stickers on the bumper of our car. Driving through town, we would come across other cars, adorned in the same manner, and we would blow our horn and cheer for your husband, our president and leader, Mr. Kennedy. Soon we would have a parade started and all through town we would go. Horns blowing, cheering people and everywhere, smiling confident faces. I remember, too, on election night, how we stayed up and watched the returns come in. It was like New Years Eve when your husband won. Fireworks went off, again horns blew, and my family went outside and banged pots and pans, we were so happy. I can remember also that whenever our president appeared on television or came on the radio, how all my buddies and friends would give almost their undivided attention when he spoke. A lot of us got goose bumps. But, no matter what we got, we were always ready to follow him. He was one of us. Young, vigorous and setting an example the rest of the world will find hard to duplicate. NAM VET Newsletter Page 1 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 And then, Mrs. Kennedy, we lost him. Your husband, the children's daddy, and our president was gone. But in body only, for I feel he still lingers in Spirit. He gave to us, the Young Americans, one of the greatest gifts anybody could ever give, the gift of knowing what you want. We discovered then, and we miss him now, our greatest of all leaders, who picked up the loose ends of our great nation and tied us into one of the finest nations in the world. So you see, Mrs. Kennedy, how a lot of us feel about our late President - and how we will continue to feel. We loved him and we love his memory as much. But we can't just sit and mourn, nor can we just WISH that another like him "will come along." I feel we should do something about it. We shouldn't just wait, hoping. We should use the quality your husband instilled in us to full advantage - the ability to lead! We're young and we have every chance in the world of succeeding in whatever we tackle. I only wish my Heavenly Father would instill in me the desire to become president, to sacrifice so that I, while I'm still young, could take charge where your husband had to leave off - to mold our nation into one of beauty and to lead it with a strong and firm hand. My future, as does thousands of others like myself, lies ahead - unseen, unused. I pray that we'll be able to use it unselfishly, and intelligently. And, if we do, someday - believe me - we will have another JOHN F. KENNEDY! Thank you for taking time to read this letter and for being as sweet as you are. A Nation's best wishes, I'm sure, come with it. Very, very truly yours, George Joseph Peck I'm not sorry for holding on to words spoken by John F. Kennedy in, I believe, his inaugural speech... something about a New Frontier... about "Let every Nation know that... we will go any place, pay any price... in order that Freedom may prevail"! The Iraq situation... a real test of the New Frontier that you and I and so many others heard much about, a real test of how WELL we've passed on to OUR children the hopes, the dreams, the positive beliefs in our country. This month's issue is SHORT... there were not too many submissions by our participants or contributors - and I just didn't have time to input another 75k worth of reading material. I'd LIKE to see our issues continue in the 75-100 page per month range, but if we don't get submissions, there's just not too much I can do to help fill it out. This month's SERVICE section has been filled with ACTION - too much to write about NOW, but I'll try to get in a report for next month (it IS important, though, to note that there STILL has been NO response nor reply from the Disabled American Veterans related NAM VET Newsletter Page 2 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 to a 1/1/90 service request to both the National Commander and the Massachusetts State Commander of DAV!). 'Til Next Month... Show a brother and sister veteran that YOU care!!! Ci'ao for Ni'ao -Joe- NAM VET Newsletter Page 3 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 All I Ever Needed to Know I Learned in Kindergarten By Todd Looney NamVet's Managing Editor West Vietnam Veterans' Valhalla - San Jose, CA (408) 298-2740 Most of what I really need to know about how to live, and what to do, and how to be, I learned in kindergarten. Wisdom was not at the top of the graduate school mountain, but there in a sandbox at nursery school. These are the things I learned: Share everything. Play fair. Don't hit people. Put things back where you found them. Clean up your own mess. Don't take things that aren't yours. Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody. Wash your hands before you eat. Flush. Warm cookies and cold milk are good for you. Live a balanced life. Learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some. Take a nap every afternoon. When you go out into the world, watch for traffic, hold hands and stick together. Be aware of wonder. Remember the little seed in the plastic cup. The roots go down and the plant goes up and nobody really knows how or why, but we are all like that. Goldfish and hamsters and white mice and even the little seed in the plastic cup - they all die. So do we. And then remember the book about Dick and Jane and the first word you learned, the biggest word of all: LOOK. Everything you need to know is in there somewhere. The Golden Rule and love and basic sanitation. Ecology and politics and sane living. Think of what a better world it would be if we all - the whole world - had cookies and milk about 3 o'clock every afternoon and then lay down with our blankets for a nap. Or if we had a basic policy in our nation and other nations to always put things back where we found them and cleaned up our own messes. And it is still true, no matter how old you are, when you go out into the world, it is best to hold hands and stick together. Hug a vet, and have a great day! Todd NAM VET Newsletter Page 4 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 ================================================================= I n T o u c h ================================================================= In-Touch. What is it ??? Input by: Ray "Frenchy" Moreau NAM VETs IN-TOUCH Section Editor Herndon Byte eXchange - Herndon, VA (703) 471-8010 ================================================================= |+++++++++++++++++++++++++ IN TOUCH ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++| | There are some 43 million people in the United States whose | | lives were directly and irrevocably touched by the Vietnam | | War. | | | | Almost four million people served in Vietnam -- the longest, | | and perhaps most difficult, war in our history. More than a | | quarter of a million were seriously wounded. 58,175 are dead | | or missing. | | | | Each of those who returned recognizes the true cost of war. | | But so too do the families and friends, wives and lovers of | | those listed on the Wall. They too paid a tremendous price, | | not always recognized... many still do. | | | | Though twenty years have passed, it seems that is the period | | people have needed to get the distance necessary to begin to | | address the unresolved, deeply personal issues that have | | been haunting them since the war. Perhaps that is a measure | | of the pain. | | | | But, the "healing of a nation" that was intended by the | | building of the Memorial, has begun. | | | | In the office of the Friends of the Vietnam Veterans | | Memorial, we hear them on the other end of the phone on | | any given day, and far into the night, they call from all | | corners of the country. | | | | "If only I could find out..." | | "I need to find his family so I can keep my promise..." | | "I just want to talk to someone who was with him... " | | "Please, can you help...?" | | | | At the Wall, we find them every day. Veterans who have not | | spoken of their experiences even to their most intimate | | family members are now beginning, tentatively, to seek a | | responsive ear. | | | | Brothers and sisters, parents and even wives who were simply | | never allowed full expression of their grief because of the | | fierce pressures of the time, are now coming forward, | | looking for someone who can help with their healing. | | | | We hear from children, now 15 - 25 years old, who are | | searching for bits and pieces of information they can | | assemble to help fill that empty place in their lives that | NAM VET Newsletter Page 5 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 | is the father they never knew well, if at all. And they want | | to talk to each other, to share their special needs and the | | unique experience of growing up with a father on the Wall. | | They understand each other all too well. | | | | Millions of Americans need to meet and talk because of the | | Wall, and only the Friends can help them. | | | | Initial discussions with many other national organizations | | whose work brings them into contact with Vietnam veterans | | and their loved ones have attested to the need for IN TOUCH | | and their willingness to help. | | | | Simply put, the Friends will draw on its special work at the | | Memorial, its acquired and available data bases and | | programs designed and integrated by Electronic Data Systems | | (EDS), and the commitment and concern of its volunteers to | | place people with a common association to a name on the Wall | | to be in voluntary communication with each other. | | | | From there, we will let human nature take its good course. | | And let the healing begin. | | | | The starting point for the data base will be the more than | | twenty thousand names of people who have requested name | | rubbings from our volunteers in Washington. Each will be | | contacted and given the opportunity to participate by being | | listed in the IN TOUCH central data base file. | | | | Confidentiality is the keyword to cooperation and IN TOUCH | | will respect the integrity of all lists and records. Lists | | will be unavailable for public use and will not be | | distributed for any commercial purpose. | | | | By its nature, IN TOUCH must reach far beyond the veterans | | community in order to be successful. With professional | | guidance, the Friends will develop a program of on-going | | articles and other coverage in major media markets, high- | | lighting the personal experiences of people as they are put | | "in touch." The International Vietnam Veterans Echo | | Conference via the Herndon Byte eXchange 1:109/316 node as | | the enter point for gathering and disseminating information | | will be used. Aside from bringing the program into public | | awareness, these articles and stories will serve as a val- | | uable tool for public education on a wealth of matters | | relating to the Vietnam era. | | | | As a preliminary test of the IN TOUCH project, the Friends | | has implemented a pilot project to test the design and | | demands of such a program. Several hundred requests with | | full background information have been entered into a system | | designed to match requestor data with the existing Memorial | | data. Even with such a small sample, limited data and a | | fairly unsophisticated cross-indexing system, matches have | | been made and IN TOUCH has produced its first real | | connections. The results have been as profoundly moving for | | the participants as expected. And as gratifying for the | | Friends. | | | NAM VET Newsletter Page 6 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 | But it was clear that the information management system and | | the supporting hardware system would have to be more power- | | ful and more complex in order to handle thousands, perhaps | | hundreds of thousands, of requests. Confidentiality of the | | system and information must be paramount. | | | | With well over 2,000 Vietnam veterans, Electronic Data | | Systems (EDS) became involved and has been generous in its | | assistance with designing the data management systems which | | will be critical to a successful program. The Friends have | | reached a three-year working agreement with EDS which | | promises continuity and maximum potential for success in | | building an information bank that can truly help people in | | their search for others who knew a loved one. | | | | The Friends are delighted that Bob Hope has agreed to make | | a public service announcement which we can use on radio and | | television to help get the word out to the public on the | | availability of the service. | | | | The Friends are also pleased to note that Hewlett Packard, | | Zenith Data Systems, Borland International, FASTCOMM | | Communications Corporation and the First National Bank of | | Chicago have all contributed computer equipment, computer | | software, and office equipment to the project, so they are | | beginning to feel fully functional. | | | | The Friends hear from people who have long been living with | | the pain of loss and looking for a way to heal. For | | instance, the Friends recently received a letter from a | | woman who wrote: | | | | Dear Friends: | | For quite some time I have been searching for a | | way to know my brother. It seems hopeless at times. | | I was 12 when he was killed... I had waited for the | | day he would come back to us. He never did. A part | | of me will always be 12 and continue to wait. | | Thank you for giving me hope that there may be | | a way to find him and bring him home to my heart..." | | | | + + + | | | | The Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial | | Electronic Data Systems | | Herndon Byte eXchange TCOMMnet BBS 1:109/316 | | | |+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++| NAM VET Newsletter Page 7 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 IN-TOUCH Registration/Request Form Input by: Ray "Frenchy" Moreau NAM VETs IN-TOUCH Section Editor Herndon Byte eXchange - Herndon, VA (703) 471-8010 THIS FORM REQUIRES SIGNATURE FOR CONFIDENTIALITY RELEASE PLEASE READ BELOW ------------------------------------------------------------------ I wish to be IN TOUCH with (Please circle and/or comment) Family, Friends and/or Fellow Veterans of the following: __________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ ----------- PERSON WHO DID NOT COME BACK FROM VIETNAM ------------ First Name_____________ Middle Name___________ Last Name__________ Relationship to You and/or Reason for Request (Answer as fully as possible)_____________________________________ __________________________________________________________________ ================================================================== -------- ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT HIM/HER - IF KNOWN --------- Rank_______ Birth Date ______________ Soc. Sec. # ________________ Tour Date of Birth _______________ Where Buried __________________ Branch of Service: AR__ NA__ AF__ MC__ CG__ RC__ CIV__ (Fill in his/her equivalent unit designations in the spaces below) Division ____________ Brigade ___________ Battalion ______________ Regiment ____________ Company ___________ Ship ___________________ Battles:__________________________________________________________ Locations:________________________________________________________ Nicknames:________________________________________________________ Hometown (while in Nam): ____________________ Home State: ________ ================================================================== ---------------------- INFORMATION ABOUT YOU --------------------- Title___ First Name ____________ Middle/Maiden Name _____________ Last Name ____________________ Address___________________________________________________________ City __________________________________ State ____ Zip: _____-____ Your Home Phone ( ) ____________ Work Phone: ( ) ____________ ---------------- IF YOU ARE A VIETNAM-ERA VETERAN ---------------- Tour date _______________________________ Rank __________________ Branch of Service: AR__ NA __ AF __ MC __ CG __ RC __ CIV __ Fill in your equivalent unit designations in the spaces below Division: __________ Brigade: ___________ Battalion: ___________ Regiment: __________ Company: ___________ Ship: ________________ Battles: _________________________________________________________ Locations: _______________________________________________________ Nicknames: _______________________________________________________ Hometown (when in VN) _______________________ Home Staters and Vietnamese mothers - can have difficult adjustment problems because their split identities have mixed so long with hardship and neglect. Yet so far, My Phuong has defied the experts; she has overcome the odds. This week she will graduate, a top student at T.C. Williams High School. Next will come college, then some ambitious plans. "I want to go back to visit Vietnam and see if I can help anybody," she recently wrote in applying for college aid. "I am 90 percent sure I will work either in business or communications after that." For My Phuong, getting to this point has involved profound changes, some related to being a refugee, others, a teenager, and still others, an Amerasian. Many young people like her would be NAM VET Newsletter Page 21 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 discouraged. But My Phuong is confident that she can map out her future, and she even laughs now about her first awkward days in this country. These are good signs, antidotes for tearful Sundays. Ultimately, the hurt of war does not triumph over her - it just reminds her of what My Phuong has been up against and what she is defeating. I picture her boarding the airliner at Tan Son Nhut Airport in Ho Chi Minh City. It is May 1986. "I cannot describe how frightened I was," she remembers. "I looked around, saying goodbye to all that I knew." What My Phuong knew was not very much. Given away as an infant, she lived in foster homes in Vietnam, ending up with "Grandfather" Sau, an elderly man who brought her into a family of a dozen children. Sau treated My Phuong well - he even spoiled her - but My Phuong's light skin, her "American-ness," set her apart in Vietnamese society. "I never really fit in," she says. "Because I was Amerasian, I was not accepted." After Sau died in 1982, his older children contacted Vietnamese emigration authorities and present My Phuong as a young half- sister. Perhaps they had learned that Amerasians are priority emigration cases in Vietnam and hoped they could leave the war- ravaged country with her. But officials determined that My Phuong had no blood relatives, and when she finally left for the United States, she was alone, on her own. My Phuong was just 14-years-old the day she landed in New York. She felt dazed: "It was like being a person who is blind for many years, and now, suddenly, that person's eyes are open in a bright light." On one hand, she was fortunate; she had been sponsored by the United States Catholic Conference and immediately found a place in the social-services system as a ward of the Richmond diocese. On the other hand, she was far, far behind. My Phuong knew no English and had no money. Her education had slipped; the Vietnamese authorities had stopped her schooling for two years, from the time she got permission to leave, to the day she departed. And her "skills" - hawking motorbike parts on Ho Chi Minh City streets - hardly help promise for the U.S. job market. In her young eyes, the future looked frighteningly uncertain. Gradually, however, a new life took hold. Her birth name, which means "Vietnamese American," seemed hard for people to pronounce, spell, or remember - so somehow, she acquired the name "Rachel" at school. Her language and dress started to change, and streets began to look familiar. Nothing closed the gaps in her heart, however. She had hoped to find acceptance at last in the United States; instead, she passed through foster homes just as she had in Vietnam. One family had to move, leaving her behind. In a second home, there were insurmountable problems. But she never abandoned herr search for a family she could call her own. Last December, at a welcoming dinner when she moved into our house, My Phuong passed out wallet- sized copies of her senior picture. "Dear Dad," she wrote on the back of mine, "I am very nervous and scared... plus very happy... I hope it will work out for us... " The way My Phuong studied for a school test one night sticks in my NAM VET Newsletter Page 22 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 mind as an example of the strengths she somehow summons. For hours that evening, she played recorded lessons on a tape deck that she normally loads with Vietnamese and American rock songs. On and off went the tape, on and off, as My Phuong carefully listened, wrote out words she did not understand, then asked me their meanings. She was not doing her English homework, though; the lessons were part of a computer course. My Phuong was simply making sure she could understand the exam questions. The real focus of the test - how to operate a computer - had to wait. "You should not have to go through this," I said, doubting that many other students bore such a double burden. I was certain My Phuong would quit. Yet she kept working on the tape - rewinding, fast-forwarding, eagerly pushing the control buttons - until finally, of course, she had mastered both the English and the computerese. In the few months she has been with us, the frustrations of that night have been repeated in much of what has happened this side of her divided life. Nothing quite goes the way it should, and My Phuong has to mount a great and steady effort just to get through, to do the most ordinary things. America must look and feel so big to herr; it must seem to burst with difficult but unavoidable challenges. "Do you have a backpack?" my wife and I inquired one day shortly after her arrival when My Phuong came home from school exhausted from carrying an armful of textbooks half her weight. "Do you want a pillow to sit on," I asked, seeing her 90-pound frame barely poke above the steering wheel of our car at the start of a driving lesson. And the endless forms - the college admission papers, the summer job applications - all the bureaucratic rites of passage teenagers face - how quickly they bring My Phuong's vague past to the surface. "Mother's name? Father's?" the forms demand. How does one say the war stole the answers? Back in Vietnam, "Grandfather" Sau tried to fill in some of the holes in her background. He assigned her a birth date, and clearly she's a teenager. However, my wife and I wonder exactly how close Sau came to reality. At times, My Phuong playfully hides her tiny body behind furniture, then pops out shrieking "Hi Dad!" or "The fog is coming!" - a warning cry from a horror video we watched together. As My Phuong dashes off, alive with laughter, we are sure that she is younger than 18. But then, she will do something difficult and responsible, like ending a relationship with a well-meaning but "too serious" boyfriend because she does not want to mislead his heart; at those times, My Phuong appears older. And when the hurt of war bears down like it did the Sunday My Phuong became upset by her aunt, she looks much, much older than us, as if she never had been just a kid. The unknowns; the unresolved hurt; the pressures of being on her own; alone and adrift; the complications of belonging to two very different peoples, countries, and cultures separated by years of bitterness NAM VET Newsletter Page 23 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 - it never rests, and it eats up young, innocent lives so easily. And the pressures continue. In her desk, mixed in with school papers and a driver's permit, My Phuong keeps letters from another foster relative, a desperate uncle still stuck in Vietnam. For years, he has been trying to leave legally for the United States, and he cannot understand why his emigration application remains unapproved. He wants My Phuong to determine the problem and to send him money - as she has done before. But the uncle is not the only needy one. On another Sunday, I enter the act. "Where is My Phuong?" I ask anxiously; she disappeared hours ago. My wife reports that she is at her girlfriend Chau's house enjoying a dinner of banh xeo, a favorite shrimp-stuffed pancake. Suddenly, I turn blind about our daughter, her needs for cross- cultural companionship and native food, her brave accomplishments. I just want her home, spending time with us as a family. My Phuong will go to college near home this fall and can remain with us indefinitely, but we all know that she must and will become increasingly independent. I go to bed uneasy, thinking that I have grown so attached to her, that I have become unreasonable and possessive. Early the next morning, we notice that My Phuong has already sensed that her long absence the previous afternoon had caused some concern, and she has gone about the business of survival. My wife comes back into the bedroom with something she finds by the door - an apologetic note from ever-earnest My Phuong. "I am very sorry," she writes. "I hope both of you forgive me. I promise I will never upset you again." NAM VET Newsletter Page 24 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 NEW VETERANS NETWORK NEEDS YOUR INFO By Patrick Metoyer, Co-Chair NAMI Veterans Network Submitted by: Joseph Benezra, MD Psychiatry - Board Certified One Barstow Road - Suite 6P Great Neck, NY 11021 Note from Dr. Benezra: "NAMI is a group of families and patients who have mental illness and is an advocacy group. You might list this information in your next Vietnam news letter." Glad we could help. -Joe- The new NAMI Veterans Network is now conducting a survey on Department of Veterans Affairs (DVA) medical centers and clinics. We would like to know which centers and clinics have successful support programs for families. If a center or clinic has no support groups, we want to encourage the hospital administrators to collaborate with local NAMI affiliates to provide supportive services for military families. We would like to have the following information before the NAMI Convention in (sic) July: 1--What is the name, address and phone number of the veterans/military medical center or clinic in your affiliate area? 2--What type of family support does the medical center or clinic provide? 3--What kinds of pilot programs or model programs is the medical center or clinic conducting for the seriously mentally ill and/or their families? 4--Who is in charge of these programs? 5--Please poll your membership to learn who uses DVA or military facilities for psychiatric services. If those members are interested in our network, please forward their names to us. 6--Is there a veteran/military family member who would like to be our network contact in your affiliate? As we continue to grow and as we gather information about DVA/Military psychiatric care, we will be able to use that information in our advocacy efforts -- collaborating with veterans/military service groups and lobbying Congress for quality care and services for our seriously mentally ill family members. Please mail your responses to NAMI or to Patrick Metoyer, P.O. Box 55332, Grand Junction, CO 81505. NAM VET Newsletter Page 25 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX \ \ \ \ \XXXX XXXXX XXXXX.::::::::::::::.XXXXX INCARCERATED XXXX XXXXX XXXXX --------- XXXXX \ \ \ \ \ \ \XXXX XXXXX .XXXXX W W I I XXXXX. VETERANS \ \XXXX XXXXX ::XXXXX --------- XXXXX::. \ \ \ \ XXXX XXXXX :::XXXXX ------------- XXXXX:::. 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XXXX XXXXX.::' :: XXXXX: PREPARED TO XXXXX .'' ''.. XXXX XXXXX::' :: XXXXX`: FIGHT XXXXX.' '.XXXX XXXXX' :: XXXXX ``. XXXXX XXXX XXXXX '' XXXXX PREPARED TO XXXXX XXXX XXXXX :: XXXXX DIE ...'XXXXX XXXX XXXXX :: XXXXX `...' XXXXX XXXX XXXXX `..' XXXXX .' XXXXX XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX /\ .' .' XXXX XXXXX /\ \ . . XXXX XXXXX / \ \...' `. .' XXXX XXXXX / NOT PREPARED TO BE DESERTED XXXX XXXXX / .'.' . .`.' XXXX XXXXX / ~ | : : : . XXXX XXXXX / |`. : : . .__________ XXXX XXXXX / ~ ~ ||.` ` : || \ / XXXX XXXXX / WRITE OR VISIT AN INCARCERATED VETERAN SOON ! XXXX XXXXX / ~ || . .'. / / XXXX XXXXX/ ~ ~ ~|| ||/ / XXXX XXXXX ~ ~ ~ || || / XXXX XXXXX || || / XXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX \_________XXXXX________|| XgjpX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX NAM VET Newsletter Page 26 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 ================================================================= T h e N a m V e t C h a p l a i n ' s C o r n e r ================================================================= To Be Crushed Underfoot By Rev. Ed Brant NamVet's Chaplain Hey! Time flies! I was sitting in my church last week, at a pot- luck affair, when one of the men asked how things were going in my Point Man Ministries group. Somehow the conversation got around to snakes. He asked about the snakes in Vietnam. Well, what can I say? How many of us have a snake story? Lots of us, I imagine. As I began to relate a personal story of a Bamboo Viper (if you were in the I Corps area, you probably know what I'm speaking of), a little bright green snake about 9 or 10 inches long and about as big around as your little finger, I found myself BACK in Vietnam! I must have gotten that thousand foot stare in my eyes because suddenly I saw him looking at me...YES! I came "home".......AGAIN. You know, the nation of Israel saw snakes, too. This was long ago, some time after they had been formed into a nation. They were out in the desert, and because of sin in the camp, God sent vipers among them. The Bible says that these vipers were deadly like the bamboo viper. This is how the scripture reads: (Numbers 21:4-10) 4. And they journeyed from Mount Hor by the way of the Red Sea, to compass the land of Edom: and the soul of the people was much discouraged because of the way. 5. And the people spoke against God, and against Moses, Wherefore have you brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wilderness? For there is no bread, neither is there any water; and our soul loathes this light bread. 6. And the Lord sent fiery serpents among the people, and they bit the people; and many people of Israel died. 7. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned; for we have spoken against the Lord, and against you; pray the Lord, that he take away the serpents from us. And Moses prayed for the people. 8. And the Lord said to Moses, Make you a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole; and it shall come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall live. 9. And Moses made a serpent of bronze, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass that, if a serpent had bitten any man, when he looked at the serpent of bronze, he lived. 10 And the children of Israel set forward..... Wow! Sound familiar? Hard time, hostile terrain, rough going. And snakes. I remember....Whoops! There I go again! Got to come back to the here and now. Bronze serpent. In God's word, bronze represents judgment. As the ones who had been bitten looked at the bronze serpent on the pole, they were healed. Now, just a thought, if you please. They started it! It was the people who were the ones that complained! But when asked, God provided a way to escape the punishment. It was the bronze serpent on the pole. Now the NAM VET Newsletter Page 27 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 people had a choice. They could look at the emblem of judgment and be healed, or they could choose to not look and die. In the New Testament, (John 3:14,15) we are told that as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have eternal life. Well, without going into it too deeply, it sort of looks like a healing for us! The children of Israel got a physical healing in another time and as an example to us. We can be healed too. Our healing when we look at Christ, who was set on a cross, is a spiritual healing and often a mental healing. Can you see the picture? Anger, jealousy, fear, bad dreams, difficult relationships, discomfort in certain situations, flashbacks; these are some of the things that can be healed when we look at the "Bronze serpent" i.e. judgment. In previous writing, we have explained that a righteous God will not allow sin to be in His presence. Since He created us, and because He created us for fellowship, and because He loves us, He had to do something to make it possible to restore the lost fellowship. What He did was to provide His son Jesus Christ as a judgment for us. When we appropriate that judgment we have the ammunition necessary to be healed. Don't get me wrong. I believe that healing can be instant, however most healing results from learning who this Christ is and how to begin to live in Him, while allowing Him to live in you. Why the serpent? In the Garden of Eden Satan used the serpent to tempt Eve. As a result the serpent was judged. And further along in the future, The book of Revelation chapter 12 verse 9, says that the serpent is Satan, who "deceives the whole world". It also says the he, Satan, was cast out of heaven to the earth! Now believe this: Satan does not want you to be healed. He wants you to continue in anger, in rage, in distrust, in fear, in interrupted sleep, in broken marriages, in ..... You know....The whole list! The Viper, Satan, doesn't want us to be healed because he knows that if we are healed, then we'll find peace of mind, peace of spirit, and peace of heart. Most of us desperately want peace. Personal peace. And many of us have searched far and wide looking for that thing that will give us peace. My brothers, sisters, fellow Vets, if the serpent has bitten you, and you are on the way to death, look at the Cross of Christ. Find Christ. Find healing. And don't forget, POINT MAN MINISTRIES is here for you. At Point Man, you'll find other vets that know what you are going through. They have, or are, going through the very same things! At Point Man you can find out more about healing and how to find it. You have questions? I am available via netmail or echo mail. Till next month, Keep in the battle! There's VICTORY to be had! Rev. Ed NAM VET Newsletter Page 28 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 I I IIIII I I 88888 ITTTI o88888888 I I o888888888888o 8888 I I 888888888888888888888888 I I 88888888888888888 8888 888 xI Ix 8888888888888888 88888888 T III T 88888888888888 888888 88 I III I 8888888888888888 88888888 xI III Ix 888 888 88888888888' T I I T 88888888 I I I I 8888 xI IIIII Ix TI IT II II II II The Chaplain's Place IT | TI II --|-- II XIII | IIIX oooo o II I I II o88 888) (888) II I IIII I II o88 88888888 8888) XII I II II I IIX (88 8 88 888888) XIII III III IIIX (8 8 8 88 88 88 8 888) XIIII I I IIIIX (88 8 8 8 88888888) II II I xIIIIIx I II II ( 8 88 888 88888) II I T T T I II (8888 88 8 8 8888888) II I I I I I II (8 88888 888 88 88) II I I I I I II (8888)888 88888) II I I II II I II (8) (I8I8I) 8 oo8888888o II I I I I I II IIIII X 8888888 888BII I I I I I IIXX III X XX 88 88 88 BII I TIIIIIT I IIXXX III XXXXX 888888 88BII I .... I IIXXXXXX III XXgXXX 888 888888888XXXXXII ... IIXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXjXX II .. IIXXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXpX The Vietnam Veteran XII IIXXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXXX has relatives in the III IIIXXXXXXXXXXXX XXXXXX Old and New Testaments III IIIXXXXXXXXXX XXXXX who also experienced loss II IIXXXXXXXXX XXX and grief, guilt and shame, II IIXXXXXXXXX XX rejection and betrayal, I IXXXXXXXXX alienation and estrangement, I IXXXX XX isolation and withdrawal. II IIXXXX II IIX Adam and Eve tried to hide from God; II II Moses, born Hebrew and raised Egyptian IIII IIII searched long and hard for his real self; II II Job, losing his children and all he owned, II II became sorely diseased; IIII III Biblical Joseph was rejected by his brothers, II II lied about and imprisoned; I Peter denied Jesus. II I "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" Matthew 28:20 NAM VET Newsletter Page 29 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 For the Mrs. - a patch which acknowledges the other side of the Vietnam Veteran: His wife! Hardly needing any explanation, it is multicolor with Red, White, Blue, Green and Gold for the Map of Vietnam. While the text drawing below doesn't really do it justice, I think if you run it out on your printer, you'll sorta get the idea of how special this unique patch is. They are available for $5 each from VETLink #1 - Dept. 65 P O Box 2056 Pittsfield, MASSACHUSETTS 01202 (Please allow 4-6 weeks for delivery) @@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@@ @@@@@@@@ @@@@@ @@@@@ @@@@@@@@ @@@@ @@@ @@@ @@@@ @@@@ @@@@@ @@@@ @@@@ @@@@ @@@ V I E T N A M V E T S W I F E @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ :@@@@@@@@@@@: :@@@@@@@@@@@: @@@ @@@ @.............@ @.............@ @@@ @@@ @...............@ @...............@ @@@ @@@ @.................@ @.................@ @@@ @@@ (...................@@...................) @@@ @@@ @............. ..............@ @@@ @@@ @.............. MAP OF USA ..............@ @@@ @@@ @................. .................@ @@@ @@@ @................. WITH .................@ @@@ @@@ @.............. ...............@ @@@ @@@ @............... MAP OF ...............@ @@@ @@@ (........ .......) @@@ @@@ @...... VIET NAM SUPERIMPOSED ......@ @@@ @@@ @........ .........@ @@@ @@@ @.......... OVER IT ............@ @@@ @@@ I @ ............................ @ N @@@ @@@ @............................@ @@@ @@@ @..........................@ A @@@ @@@ S @........................@ @@@ @@@ @....................@ M @@@ @@@ T @..................@ @@@ @@@ @................@ @@@ @@@ A @............@ Y @@@ @@@ @..........@ @@@ @@@ N @......@ M @@@ @@@ @..@ @@@ @@@ D @@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ B Y @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ @@ (c) 1988 VVA Chapter #65 Pittsfield, MA NAM VET Newsletter Page 30 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 ================================================================= V e t e r a n B B S ' s " S e r v i n g Y O U " ================================================================= VETLink #1 - YOUR Organization! By: G. Joseph Peck NamVet's Managing Editor East VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 Berkshire Veterans' Center, Inc. (the Sponsor of VETLink #1) has applied for federal recognition of its tax-exempt status as a nationally-accessible veteran counseling and service organization. A great deal of additional funding is necessary to continue the service and veteran-comradery initially envisioned when, in 1985, Berkshire Veterans' Center, Inc. was created. (Our on-line veteran-service database, as well as many other veteran-related projects, are currently at a painful standstill until funding of some sort is obtained.) Berkshire Veterans' Center, Inc. was initially created to meet the needs of Berkshire County (MA) Vietnam and other veterans as well as their family and friends through the operations of a storefront-type Center. Adequate funding to provide the quality and type of services envisioned in its original corporate charter did not materialize and the corporation then focused its efforts on both quiet grassroots veteran-service and the linking together of veterans throughout the nation via its computer-based bulletin board, VETLink #1. During its existence, VETLink #1 (aka Berkshire Veterans' Center, Inc.), through its President and present System Operator, G. Joseph Peck, has provided on-line comradery, support, and various forms of crisis intervention, as well as provided guidance in completing claims for VA benefits (Educational, Medical, Burial, Etc.), Agent Orange testing, Employment searches, and help for the homeless. This has all been accomplished with nonexistent funding. Berkshire Veterans' Center, Inc. has now reached the stage where "funding" and "grants" will allow it to develop further its monthly electronic publication entitled "NamVet" (initially published 11/11/87), as another method of aiding in readjustment by Job Counseling, Family Counseling, and generally coming to terms with life outside of the military; install and operate a facsimile machine for rapid transmission of veteran-related forms and documents; develop a resource-base of qualified veteran counselors to provide services to our nations veterans and their families. These same benefits will be extended to veterans in the Berkshire County (MA) area. All services to veterans will be at no charge. Berkshire Veterans' Center, Inc. also provides others who have not experienced the war in Vietnam an opportunity to interact and learn first-hand from Vietnam veterans about the war and the veterans experience. Through "NamVet", Berkshire Veterans' Center provides input to various educational institutions and has recently intensified efforts of outreach to the incarcerated veteran community. NAM VET Newsletter Page 31 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 Since its creation, Berkshire Veterans' Center has continued to exist only because of the totally volunteer efforts of its members. Upon Federal recognition of its tax-exempt, nonprofit status, efforts already in-progress seeking funding and greater support can/should be met with positive affirmations. Would you like to help us continue in what we began in 1985? Would you like to help VETLink #1 and NamVet continue in its outreach efforts to the veterans of our nation, their dependents and families? Would you like to be a CHARTER MEMBER of the nation's FIRST national organization dedicated and committed to the veterans of our nation and the issues that concern them (Agent Orange, PTSD, Incarcerated Veterans, Homelessness, etc.)? Your membership, whether you're a veteran, wife/husband of a veteran, child or dependent of a veteran - or just care about veterans - is welcome. We would like YOU to take part in helping us continue providing a very-needed service to the quiet heroes and heroines of our nation. THANK YOU for accepting this application for CHARTER MEMBERSHIP in Berkshire Veterans' Center, Inc. - our Berkshire County, Massachusetts OLDEST veteran center dedicated and committed to helping the veterans of our nation and bringing the outside world in to those who are housebound through an international computer communication network. The membership "dues" are fifteen dollars ($15.00) - this is just about the smallest we could make them and still stay on-line. If you have computer-related surplus parts, a fax machine, or other needed and helpful donations, we would certainly appreciate YOUR help. Our "long range" plans include the potential refurbishing of donated computer and telecommunications equipment, installation of a communications program and the setting up of individual locations which will interconnect Vet Centers, Veteran Support Groups, housebound individuals, and others, throughout the U.S. and Canada. We hope to continue providing the nation's BEST in veteran service and advice... As a member of Berkshire Veterans' Center, Inc., the sponsor of VETLink #1, you will have a part in making available to veterans everywhere our monthly publication entitled "NamVet" - an electronic publication by, for, and about the veterans of our nation and the issues that concern them. Eventually we hope to obtain electronic printing media and make NamVet available to all those who request it for only the cost of its mailing. You will also have a part in continuing a very important part of VETLink #1 and our veteran-communication network: an international support and crisis intervention network where those who served in the military can share that time of their life - and share with those who haven't had the same experience. Members of our Board of Directors are located in key cities throughout the continental U.S. As they become available, there will also be some "extra's" that you, as a CHARTER MEMBER, will be receiving (ie: a monthly BVCI newsletter, ways that YOU might be able to help in a situation near YOU - or that others may help you in return, etc.). NAM VET Newsletter Page 32 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 As soon as you possibly can, please complete the form below and mail with your tax-deductible Membership Amount (Please make checks payable to Berkshire Veterans' Center, Inc.): ---------------------------------------------------------------- CHARTER MEMBER APPLICATION / DONATION FORM (Receipt and a THANK YOU will be returned to you) BERKSHIRE VETERANS' CENTER, INC. ATTN: Charter Member Department Post Office Box 2056 Pittsfield, Massachusetts 01202 Dear Berkshire Veterans' Center, Inc.: I would like to: __ be a CHARTER MEMBER of Berkshire Veterans' Center, Inc. and help in providing veteran information and services to those who request and/or need it. __ donate funds to help in VETLink #1's continued operation. __ donate __________ to help in VETLink #1's continued operation (a certificate/statement will be issued you for tax purposes). Full Name_______________________________ Amount enclosed $______ Street Address___________________________________________________ City, State, and ZipCode_________________________________________ Birthday __/__/__ Business Telephone #_______________ Home Telephone #_____________ I am a Veteran __; Spouse of a Veteran __; Child of a Veteran __; Non-Veteran __; Relative of Veteran __; I understand that the opinions expressed on VETLink #1 are those of the individuals involved, and do not necessarily reflect those of Federal or State governments, the SYSOP or others who make use of this system. I explicitly acknowledge that all information obtained from VETLink #1 is provided "as is" without warranty of any kind, either expressed or implied, including, but not limited to the implied warranties of merchantability and fitness for a particular purpose, and that I accept responsibility for any risks that may arise from acting on information obtained from VETLink #1, including the entire costs of all necessary remedies, and that I absolve all other users and the SYSOP of VETLink #1 and/or Berkshire Veterans' Center, Inc. from any such responsibility. Comment(s): ____________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ Signature_______________________________________________________ Date____________________ NAM VET Newsletter Page 33 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 Vietnam Veterans' Valhalla Membership By Todd Looney NamVet's Managing Editor West VIETNAM VETERANS VALHALLA - San Jose, CA (408) The Vietnam Veterans' Valhalla, Inc. is a non-profit organization providing the services available on this bulletin board system FREE of charge to Vietnam veterans, their family, friends and lovers. Membership to this organization grants full access on a 23-hour per day basis, 365-days per year. Members are also solicited to attend offers and representative meetings conducted once per month with full voting privileges. Members are also encouraged to participate in ongoing projects, and to contribute their writing skills to the NAM VET Newsletter. Also, by becoming a member of the Vietnam Veterans' Valhalla, Inc., you can be assured our work will continue, and that you will play a major part in our success in doing so. Our current projects are: INCARCERATED VETERANS Brenda Fields, our Special Projects Coordinator and a one-year member of the Valhalla, heads this project dedicated to providing pen-pals to our veterans who are incarcerated in various Federal, State, and County correctional facilities. They didn't let us down while we were in Vietnam fighting alongside one another, and we won't let them down now. Also, we provide benefits services to the incarcerated Vietnam veteran in these correctional facilities. NAM VET NEWSLETTER This famous newsletter is in it's third year of publication and reaches thousands of Vietnam veterans and others every month. Co-Managed by a brother-organization in Massachusetts, VETLink #1, operated by G. Joseph Peck, it's 100 pages are full of useful information dedicated to the recovery efforts of our nations Vietnam veterans, as well as to educating the public as to the history of the Vietnam war. BREAK THE CYCLE Through the painstaking efforts of one of our members, John Casselli, the Valhalla is attempting to educate the public and support incest survivors through national echo conferences available on this system, as well as through a special newsletter called SIPIS, Singleness in Purpose, Incest Survivors. We need your writing skills to enhance the important work already being done in this area. Your assistance in any of these projects is greatly needed, or if you wish, you can start and coordinate a project of your own choosing if approved by the Board of Directors during our regular monthly BOD meeting. NAM VET Newsletter Page 34 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 VIETNAM VETERANS' VALHALLA, Inc. M E M B E R S H I P A P P L I C A T I O N NAME __________________________________________________________ STREET ADDRESS ________________________________________________ CITY ____________________________ STATE _____ ZIP ____________ DAY PHONE (___)_______________ NIGHT PHONE (___)_______________ SPECIAL VIETNAM VETERAN'S VALHALLA INTERESTS: __________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________ PROJECTS YOU MIGHT LIKE TO WORK ON (Whether they already exist or not: _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Please check the appropriate membership and dues enclosed: One Year Membership $100.00 ____ 6-Month Membership $ 50.00 ____ Honorary membership (no voting privileges) ___ Please make all checks payable to: VIETNAM VETERANS' VALHALLA Mail the dues and this application to: Vietnam Veterans' Valhalla, Inc. 1016 E. El Camino Real Suite 331 Sunnyvale, California 94087 Thank you for becoming a member! Your membership packet will be in the mail to you within 4-6 weeks. NAM VET Newsletter Page 35 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH 6 1 2 - 5 2 2 - 2 0 2 6 HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH USA * USAAC * USCG HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH USN * USMC * USAF HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH * T H E U N I T E D S T A T E S V E T E R A N S B B S * HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH 4800+ REUNION NOTICES VETERAN LOCATOR 720MB ONLINE 6900+ FILES HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH NAMVET MONTHLY NEWSLETTER MODEMNEWS MAG MIA/POW MASTER LISTINGS HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH 9600/2400/1200/300 MNP5 V.42 8-N-1 4 NODES 24 HRS 7 DAYS/WEEK HHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH LEVELS AVAILABLE LEVEL MIN PER DAY ACCESS REQUIRMENTS NODE ACCESS ----------------------------------------------------------------- LEVEL 1 15 Min/Day (1st Logon) 1 LEVEL 2 20 Min/Day (Downloading Privileges Suspended) 1 LEVEL 3 30 Min/Day (If You Register With A Real Name) 1 LEVEL 4 40 Min/Day (After Uploading 250K or $2.50/year) 1 LEVEL 5 50 Min/Day (After Uploading 500K or $5.00/year) 1 LEVEL 6 60 Min/Day (After Uploading 750K or $7.50/year) 1 LEVEL 7 70 Min/Day (After Uploading 1.00M or $10.00/year) 1-2 LEVEL 8 80 Min/Day (After Uploading 1.25M or $12.50/year) 1-2 LEVEL 9 90 Min/Day (After Uploading 1.50M or $15.00/year) 1-2 LEVEL 10 100 Min/Day (After Uploading 1.75M or $17.50/year) 1-2 LEVEL 11 110 Min/Day (After Uploading 2.00M or $20.00/year) 1-3 LEVEL 12 120 Min/Day (After Uploading 2.25M or $22.50/year) 1-3 LEVEL 13 130 Min/Day (After Uploading 2.50M or $25.00/year) 1-3 LEVEL 14 140 Min/Day (After Uploading 2.75M or $27.50/year) 1-3 LEVEL 15 150 Min/Day (After Uploading 3.00M or $30.00/year) 1-4 LEVEL 16 160 Min/Day (After Uploading 3.25M or $32.50/year) 1-4 LEVEL 17 170 Min/Day (After Uploading 3.50M or $35.00/year) 1-4 LEVEL 18 180 Min/Day (After Uploading 3.75M or $37.50/year) 1-4 LEVEL 19 190 Min/Day (After Uploading 4.00M or $40.00/year) 1-5 LEVEL 20 200 Min/Day (After Uploading 4.25M or $42.50/year) 1-5 LEVEL 21 210 Min/Day (After Uploading 4.50M or $45.00/year) 1-5 LEVEL 22 220 Min/Day (After Uploading 4.75M or $47.50/year) 1-5 LEVEL 23 230 Min/Day (After Uploading 5.00M or $50.00/year) 1-5 LEVEL 24 240 Min/Day (After Uploading 5.25M or $52.50/year) 1-5 LEVEL 25 250 Min/Day (After Uploading 5.50M or $55.00/year) 1-5 LEVEL 26 260 Min/Day (After Uploading 5.75M or $57.50/year) 1-5 LEVEL 27 270 Min/Day (After Uploading 6.00M or $60.00/year) 1-5 LEVEL 28 280 Min/Day (After Uploading 6.25M or $62.50/year) 1-5 LEVEL 29 290 Min/Day (After Uploading 6.50M or $65.00/year) 1-5 LEVEL 30 300 Min/Day (After Uploading 6.75M or $67.50/year) 1-5 LEVEL 31 310 Min/Day (After Uploading 7.00M or $70.00/year) 1-5 LEVEL 32 320 Min/Day (After Uploading 7.25M or $72.50/year) 1-5 LEVEL 33 330 Min/Day (After Uploading 7.50M or $75.00/year) 1-5 LEVEL 34 340 Min/Day (After Uploading 7.75M or $77.50/year) 1-5 LEVEL 35 350 Min/Day (After Uploading 8.00M or $80.00/year) 1-5 LEVEL 36 360 Min/Day (After Uploading 8.25M or $82.50/year) 1-5 LEVEL 37 370 Min/Day (After Uploading 8.50M or $85.00/year) 1-5 LEVEL 38 380 Min/Day (After Uploading 8.75M or $87.50/year) 1-5 LEVEL 39 390 Min/Day (After Uploading 9.00M or $90.00/year) 1-5 LEVEL 40 400 Min/Day (After Uploading 9.25M or $92.50/year) 1-5 LEVEL 41 410 Min/Day (After Uploading 9.50M or $95.50/year) 1-5 LEVEL 42 420 Min/Day (After Uploading 9.75M or $97.50/year) 1-5 LEVEL 43 430 Min/Day (After Uploading 10.00M or $100.00/yr) 1-5 NAM VET Newsletter Page 36 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 LEVEL 44 440 Min/Day (After Uploading 10.25M or $102.00/yr) 1-5 LEVEL 45 450 Min/Day (After Uploading 10.50M or $105.00/yr) 1-5 LEVEL 46 460 Min/Day (After Uploading 10.75M or $107.50/yr) 1-5 LEVEL 47 VISITING SYSOP'S 1-5 LEVEL 48 SYSTEM CO-SYSOP 1-5 LEVEL 49 SYSTEM CO-SYSOP 1-5 LEVEL 50 SYSTEM SYSOP 1-5 This BBS maintains a 2 to 1 Download to Upload ratio. You have the choice of uploading files in the ZIP format or sending a donation to The United States Veterans BBS to receive additional access. Any donation is used to maintain and upgrade "your" BBS. If you make a financial donation you will be EXEMPT from the download/upload ratio! United States Veterans BBS 3400 Abbott Avenue North Robbinsdale, Minnesota 55422 NAM VET Newsletter Page 37 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 ================================================================= I V V E C & N a m V e t - W H E R E ? ================================================================= The NAM VET Roll Call Maintained by: Todd Looney NamVet's Managing Editor West Vietnam Veterans' Valhalla - San Jose, CA (408) The following are the current locations where the NamVet newsletter and Annual editions are currently sent and, as I understand it, available for Bark/Wazoo File Requests. FidoNet & AlterNet Nodes: ------------------------ Scott McKnight 1:389/2001 Blytheville, Arkansas Todd Looney 1:143/27 San Jose, California Mike Nelson 1:125/20 Burlingame, California Greg Peters 1:103/232 La Mirada, California Sam Saulys 1:141/488 Branford, Connecticut John McCorkle 1:369/10 Fort Lauderdale, Florida Charles Harper 1:370/10 West Athens, Georgia Gene Clayton 1:161/414 Kauai, Hawaii Glen Randles 1:115/529 Elk Grove, Illinois Gordon Kaough 1:380/5 Lake Charles, LA Mort Sternheim 1:321/109 Amherst, Massachusetts G. Joseph Peck 1:321/203 Pittsfield, Massachusetts Pete Farias 1:321/210 Pittsfield, Massachusetts Jim Henthorn 1:261/1044 Baltimore, Maryland Bob Rudolph 1:261/0 Reisterstown, Maryland Wayne Parrish 1:308/20 Alamogordo, New Mexico Chuck Haynes 1:308/60 Alamogordo, New Mexico Mike Connealy 1:305/101 Las Cruces, New Mexico Kathleen Kelly 1:1033/0 Staten Island, New York Tom Mickus 1:480/114 Toronto, Ontario, Canada Bob Currie 1:105/204 Milwaukie, Oregon Luis Salazar 1:367/16 San Juan, P.R. Jerry Hindle 7:48/0 Stratford Heights, Tennessee Aaron Schmiedel 1:124/4106 Dallas, Texas Carrie Brown 1:130/10 Fort Worth, Texas Rick Edwards 1:106/113 Houston, Texas Bob Davis 1:106/116 Houston, Texas Art Fellner 1:106/437 Missouri City, Texas Ray Moreau 1:109/316 Herndon, Virginia Jim Barth 1:350/21 Brownsville, Washington Ralph Sims 1:350/341 Grapeview, Washington Rick Ayers 1:128/22 Colorado Springs, Colorado Paul Keefrider 1:128/54 Colorado Springs, Colorado Dan Gallat 1:128/60 Colorado Springs, Colorado Yasha Kida 1:151/305 Fayetteville, North Carolina Other Nets: ---------- Martin Kroll MetroLink Chatsworth, GA Lefty Frizzell RelayNet Houston, Texas Edward Green Shop Qbbs Exeter, NH (603)778-1698 Areas not covered: NAM VET Newsletter Page 38 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 If *-YOUR-* BBS is in any of the areas listed below *-AND-* you have the NAM VET available for File Requests, please let us know your BBS (and SysOp) Name, its net/node number (if any), and its telephone number so that we might be able to direct a user in *-YOUR-* area to you. - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - * - Australian Continent - All European Continent - All Alabama Alaska Arizona Calgary, Canada Colorada Delaware Idaho Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Maine Minnesota Wisconsin Mississippi Missouri Connecticut Montana Nebraska New Jersey Nevada North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Pennsylvania South Carolina South Dakota Utah Vancouver, B.C Vermonts Washington, D.C. West Virginia Winnipeg, Canada Wyoming NAM VET Newsletter Page 39 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 International Vietnam Veterans EchoConference Nodelist Maintained by: Todd Looney NamVet's Managing Editor West Vietnam Veterans' Valhalla - San Jose, CA (408) 298-2740 The following list of bulletin board systems throughout the United States and Canada host the International Vietnam Veterans' EchoConference (IVVEC). If you are a host system and do not find your name on this list, please contact Todd Looney, NAM VET's Managing Editor West, Vietnam Veterans' Valhalla, 1:143/27, (408) 298-2740 300/1200/2400 baud. If you see a system in this list which is not currently hosting the IVVEC, please drop me a note in either IVVEC or by E-mail to the Vietnam Veterans' Valhalla. Net/Node Name, City Telephone No Baud ========= ================================= ============== == 7:520/563 3 EEE's BBS, Clifton NJ Ed Edell 1-201-340-3531 96 107/563 EEE's BBS Clifton NJ Ed Edell 1-201-340-3531 96 141/488 Alice's Restaurant Branford CT 1-203-488-1115 24 141/250 Wilton Woods Wilton, CT 1-203-762-8481 96 124/201 Hardwired Dallas, TX 1-204-931-2987 24 344/117 LSO QuickBBS, Everett WA 1-206-334-3088 96 344/9 The Precedent, Everett WA 1-206-355-1295 ? 138/35 US HDS Human Service Seattle, WA 1-206-442-8127 24 343/26 AFMINS BBS 1-206-488-4309 96 343/111 Lessor Puget TB Edmonds, WA 1-206-742-8067 24 138/52 Burrell's Ballpark Tacoma, WA 1-206-752-4672 24 138/4 PTC Net Mount Vernon, WA 1-206-757-5248 24 138/49 The Cohort Puyallup, WA 1-206-848-2646 96 138/101 Story Board Puyallup, WA 1-206-848-5317 96 138/3 Reg17 ADVISOR EMERITUS Puyallup WA 1-206-848-9232 24 200/200 CSULB Long Beach, CA 1-213-494-8737 12 200/100 The Board Room Belmont Shores CA 1-213-498-6425 24 124/117 NCC-1701 Node 1 Dallas, TX 1-214-240-8821 24 124/106 CHAI Way II Dallas, TX 1-214-250-3323 96 136/200 The Chai Way II Austin, TX 1-214-358-3738 24 124/4210 Hardwired Dallas TX 1-214-437-4075 96 124/110 Flying Dutchman Dallas, TX 1-214-642-3436 96 124/14 Chrysalis Dallas, TX 1-214-985-9054 24 157/501 The PC-Key BBS Girard OH 1-216-545-9205 24 157/1 Auer Register Cleveland, OH 1-216-883-0578 24 227/1 Michiana TechLine Mishawaka, IN 1-219-258-0286 96 227/150 The SX Project Whiting IN 1-219-659-2711 24 13/33 Avi-Technic Lutherville, MD 1-301-252-0717 96 109/648 Falcon's Rock College Park, MD 1-301-345-7459 24 261/1004 The PainFrame 1-301-488-7461 ? 13/30 The Futurists BBS Perry Hall, MD 1-301-529-0716 96 109/717 Tin Badge BBS Silver Spring, MD 1-301-589-2016 12 109/722 Ronnie's Roadies, Camp Springs MD 1-301-736-0135 12 261/628 Liberty Hall Reisterstown, MD 1-301-833-8933 24 261/1044 Firestation BBS, Baltimore, MD 1-301-866-8613 24 261/1007 FINAL FRONTIER 1-301-947-4404 ? 104/51 P2 B2 South Denver, CO 1-303-329-3337 24 104/28 Pinecliff BBS Boulder, CO 1-303-444-7073 24 128/16 Firenet Leader Colorado Springs CO 1-303-591-9600 24 128/22 Electric Locksmith Clrdo Spg CO 1-719-392-2960 96 NAM VET Newsletter Page 40 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 128/54 Military Connection Clrdo Spg CO 1-719-591-5924 96 128/60 Falc-A-Traz Colorado Springs CO 1-719-380-8813 96 104/739 The Phoenix Parker, CO 1-303-841-9570 24 135/35 The Sober Way Out BBS Miami, FL 1-305-445-6917 24 135/27 Bitsy's Place Miami Beach FL 1-305-865-0495 96 232/4 Runways End OPUS Peoria, IL 1-309-691-5416 96 115/20 North Shore BBS Evanston, IL 1-312-491-2611 24 115/529 Elk Grove Repeater Elk Grv Vlg IL 1-708-529-1586 96 115/761 ICS/TRIX 1 OPUS Chicago, IL 1-312-761-7887 24 11/202 SouthSide BBS Indianapolis, IN 1-317-882-9330 12 380/5 Duffy's Tavern Recovery Board 1-318-436-2992 96 285/622 Friend's BBS Omaha, NE Joan Renne 1-402-896-2669 24 370/5 Athens Forum Athens, GA 1-404-546-7857 96 370/11 Classic City Vet's Conf, Athens, GA1-404-548-0130 ? 370/10 Classic Quick Echo, Athens, GA 1-404-548-0726 24 128/13 COSUG-Colorado's User Clrdo Spg CO 1-719-633-4563 24 385/6 Bink's Barn Lawton, OK 1-405-357-2473 24 385/4 Info-Net Lawton, OK 1-405-357-6181 24 147/14 Dark Star TBBS Oklahoma City, OK 1-405-691-0863 96 363/10 Midas Touch Orlando, FL 1-407-648-1133 24 363/9 MaMaB--Mark's Bedroom, Orlanda, FL 1-407-894-0807 96 157/506 Beacon Hill OPUS Transfer, PA 1-412-962-9514 24 321/109 PIONEER VALLEY PCUG #1 Amherst, MA 1-413-256-1037 96 321/203 VETLink #1 Pittsfield, MA 1-413-443-6313 96 321/210 Berkshire_Estates Pittsfield, MA 1-413-499-1327 96 125/78 Living Sober BBS San Mateo, CA 1-415-342-2859 24 125/20 SeaHunt BBS, Burlington, CA 1-415-343-5904 96 143/27 VN Vets Valhalla, San Jose, CA 1-408-298-2740 96 161/208 G.A.D.M. Multi-User Hayward, CA 1-415-581-3019 24 125/31 Echo Coord San Francisco CA 1-415-621-5206 96 161/56 Nat'l Family Forum Freemont, CA 1-415-651-4147 24 161/1 Nerd's Nook Concord CA 1-415-672-2504 96 161/509 Enterprize Pinole, CA 1-415-758-1650 24 161/7 Mover Mouse BBS Fremont, CA 1-415-883-1644 24 11/700 FCAU IBM Net Toronto, ON 1-416-427-0682 96 148/120 Genetic Research Vat Toronto ON 1-416-480-0551 24 14/703 Telen-Quest BBS 1-417-882-5108 ? 19/43 McScott's BBS, Blytheville AR 1-502-532-6212 96 105/61 Shotgun OPUS Portland, OR 1-503-760-4521 24 105/16 Net 105 EchoMail Hub Portland, OR 1-503-761-3003 24 305/105 Desert Dolphin, Las Cruces, NM 1-505-523-2811 96 322/230 Denis's OPUS, Ayer, MA (Ft.Devins) 1-508-772-6373 ? 382/1 Crystal Palace Lake Travis, TX 1-512-339-8037 24 387/401 Comp-U-Gen II San Antonio TX 1-512-496-9373 24 387/601 NCOA Intl BBS San Antonio TX 1-512-653-0409 24 382/14 Corona Del Mar Rockport, TX 1-512-729-7026 96 110/20 EDS Data Dayton, OH 1-513-455-2431 24 221/156 Waterloo CBCS PUBLIC Waterloo, ON 1-519-746-5020 96 153/130 VETSTAR (Northwest) 1-602-462-8752 24 114/13 Corwin's Keep Tempe AZ 1-602-644-0179 24 132/101 BBS Source Archive Nashua, NH 1-603-888-8179 24 153/123 DAETECH Burnaby BC 1-604-420-2641 96 153/133 Hot Line Data Network Langley BC 1-604-533-0421 24 220/20 Old Frog's Almanac Nanaimo BC 1-604-758-3072 24 153/508 Ebenezer Christian BBS Mission BC 1-604-826-6607 96 108/50 The ZOO BBS Independence, KY 1-606-283-2040 24 108/105 Global Time Systems Cincinnati, OH 1-606-341-7910 24 108/90 DATANET Info System Erlanger KY 1-606-727-3638 24 150/803 Jersey Vertex Moorestown, NJ 1-609-869-0139 24 NAM VET Newsletter Page 41 Volume 4, Number 8 August 20, 1990 362/1 The Mines of Moria Chattanooga, TN 1-615-344-9601 24 362/501 Coconut Telegraph Chattanooga, TN 1-615-698-4858 24 10/215 Silver BBS San Diego, CA 1-619-226-4502 24 202/401 jabberWOCky Escondido CA 1-619-743-9935 24 109/639 The RENEX BBS Woodbridge, VA 1-703-494-8331 24 109/124 ZEPHYR National Capital Area 1-703-620-5418 96 109/604 ShanErin Alexandria, VA 1-703-941-8291 24 379/201 Metro Link Charlotte, NC 1-704-553-9534 96 125/7 Survival Forum Santa Rosa, CA 1-707-545-0746 96 125/12 The Grape Vine Santa Rosa, CA 1-707-546-4938 24 161/502 Wildcat Benicia CA 1-707-746-5820 24 106/132 Fast BBS OPUS Katy, TX 1-713-392-0093 24 106/114 The Fireside Houston, TX 1-713-496-6319 24 106/357 TMBBS Houston, TX 1-713-497-5433 24 106/108 Stormy Weather I Houston, TX 1-713-644-4345 96 106/113 The Opus Network Houston, TX 1-713-780-4153 24 106/386 Info Center Exchange Houston TX 1-713-872-4429 24 106/111 Shutterbug's OPUS Houston, TX 1-713-880-4329 24 103/507 Philosopher's Log Anaheim CA 1-714-535-1258 96 103/501 Mount Silverthorn Tustin, CA 1-714-544-3369 24 7:441/1 Lord Frog Of Swamp 1-715-362-3895 ? 13/1033 NY Transfer Staten Island, NY 1-718-448-2358 24 12/7 HPCUA Honolulu HI 1-808-422-8406 96 12/1 Aura Net Honolulu, HI 1-808-533-0190 24 130/5 CUSSNET UTA Arlington, TX 1-817-273-3966 24 366/38 Jolly Green Giant Shalimar, FL 1-904-651-3875 96 19/5 Micro Application El Paso TX 1-915-594-9738 24 381/201 Pro Link San Angelo, TX 1-915-944-2952 24 161/943 Eagle's Nest Sacramento, CA 1-916-334-2822 96 161/39 Nightline Mather AFB, CA 1-916-362-1755 24 161/11 The Byte Boutique Sacramento CA 1-916-483-8032 24 161/5 River City II OPUS Sacramento, CA 1-916-646-9678 96 161/34 Now and Zen OPUS Fair Oaks CA 1-916-962-1952 96 151/601 VMC-BBS Winston-Salem NC 1-919-744-0883 24 151/100 NC Central Raleigh, NC 1-919-851-8460 96 151/1000 REDCON Raleigh, NC 1-919-859-3353 96 632/350 Yarrap, whether you're a veteran, wife/husband of a veteran, child or dependent of a veteran - or just care about veterans - is welcome. We would like YOU to take part in helping us continue providing a very-needed service to the quiet heroes and heroines of our nation. THANK YOU for accepting this application for CHARTER MEMBERSHIP in Berkshire Veterans' Center, Inc. - our Berkshire County, Massachusetts OLDEST veteran center dedicated and committed to helping the veterans of our nation and bringing the outside world in to those who are housebound through an international computer communication network. The membership "dues" are fifteen dollars ($15.00) - this is just about the smallest we could make them and still stay on-line. If you have computer-related surplus parts, a fax machine, or other needed and helpful donations, we would certainly appreciate YOUR help. Our "long range" plans include the potential refurbishing of donated computer and telecommunications equipment, installation of a communications program and the setting up of individual locations which will interconnect Vet Centers, Veteran Support Groups, housebound individuals, and others, throughout the U.S. and Canada. We hope to continue providing the nation's BEST in veteran service and advice... As a member of Berkshire Veterans' Center, Inc., the sponsor of VETLink #1, you will have a part in making available to veterans everywhere our monthly publication entitled "NamVet" - an electronic publication by, for, and about the veterans of our nation and the issues that concern them. Eventually we hope to obtain electronic printing media and make NamVet available to all those who request it for only the cost of its mailing. You will also have a part in continuing a very important part of VETLink #1 and our veteran-communication network: an international support and crisis intervention network where those who served in the military can share that time of their life - and share with those who haven't had the same experience. Members of our Board of Directors are located in key cities throughout the continental U.S. As they become available, there will also be some "extra's" ________________________________! NAM VET Newsletter Page 43