Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 . __ . . -*- N A M V E T -*- ____/ \_ . . ( * \ . . Managing Editor \ Quangtri . . ---------------- \_/\ \_ Hue . . G. Joseph Peck \_Ashau Phu Bai . . \_* \_ . . Editorial Assistants \ * ) . . -------------------- _/ Danang . . Pete Farias \|/ ( \_*Chu Lai . . Sarge Hultgren --*-- \_ ------- \__ . . /|\ \_ I Corps \ . . Distribution Manager \ ------- ! . . ------------ /\_____ ! . . Jerry Hindle / ! \ . . ! !___ \ . . Section Editors ! \/\____! . . --------------- ! ! . . AGENT ORANGE: Martin H. Kroll, Sr. / Dak To ! . . IN-TOUCH: Ray "Frenchy" Moreau / * / . . INCARCERATED VETS: Joyce Flory ! \_ . . HOMELESSNESS: Lefty Frizzell ! Phu Cat\ . . FEDERAL BENEFITS: Jim Hildwine \ * * ) . . \ Pleiku ) . . -**- N A M V E T -**- \ \ . . / / . . "In the jungles of 'Nam, some of us ( -------- ! . . were scared and wary, but we pulled _\ II Corps ! . . one another along and were able / -------- \ . . to depend on each other. That has \ \ . . never changed. Today, free of the ! * / . . criticisms and misunderstandings _/ Nhatrang / . . many veterans have endured, _/ / . . NAM VET is a shining beacon, __/ ! . . a ray of hope, and a _ __/ \ ! . . reminder that the _____( )/ ! Camranh Bay . . lessons learned / !__ ! . . at such a high / \ / . . price shall not \ Bien Hoa \ / . . be forgotten - ! Chu Chi * \ __/ . . nor the errors \_ * --------- \ ___/ . . repeated!!!" ____ \ III Corps \ _/ . . / \_____) )_(_ --------- !__/ Duplication in . . ! ( ___/ any form permitted . . _____! \__ * ___/ for NONCOMMERCIAL . . ! Saigon/ purposes ONLY! . . \___ -------- / \/ . . \ IV Corps / For other use, contact: . . ) -------- / . . / ! G. Joseph Peck (413) 442-1660 . . / ____/ Managing Editor . . / Mekong/ . . ! Delta/ This newsletter is comprised of articles . . ! ____/ and items from individuals and other . . ! / sources. We are not responsible for the . . ! / content of this information nor are any of . . ! __/ NAM VETs contributors or Section Editors. . . \_/ gjp . . . NAM VET Newsletter Page i Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 ================================================================= T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S 1. Editorials n' Things Worth Thinkin' About Talk about goin' into a tailspin!!! ..................... 1 Who's at the other end of the line? ..................... 3 It didn't seem like Christmas ........................... 4 2. Across the pond... '74 Report Says "POWs still in 'Nam!" ................... 5 Where we should also look for our POWs .................. 7 Interim Report on SEA POW/MIA Issue ..................... 11 They haven't forgutten US!!! ............................ 20 Washington sells out POWs - Explosive Senate Report! .... 21 Legacy of a Covert War .................................. 24 Incarcerated Vets remember MIA/POWs ..................... 29 Christmas Tree Hijacked! ................................ 30 3. From Aztec Shore to Arctic Zone Part 1: USCG in SEA - The Vietnam Conflict ............. 31 4. ATTACK on the U.S.S. Liberty!!! The Liberty - What does the government DO with the truth? 39 "Truth" Held Hostage by Government Employment ........... 42 5. In-Touch In-Touch: What is it??? ................................. 45 IN-TOUCH Registration/Request Form!!! ................... 48 6. The NamVet Chapel Chaplain Jim??? ......................................... 50 The Electronic Chapel ................................... 52 7. Don't Abandon 'em Updating our Incarcerated Vets List ..................... 53 Incarcerated Vets Care for Needy Outsider's ............. 55 A visit or note once in awhile? ......................... 57 Incarcerated NamVets: Treated equally? .................. 58 VVA supports Incarcerated Vet Service ................... 65 Operation Self-Help for Incarcerated Vets ............... 66 "Caring" - from the inside out! ......................... 71 8. Hearts n' Minds NOT SOON TO FORGET ...................................... 73 Lets NOT let history repeat itself! ..................... 74 Is EVERYVET "not well"? ................................. 76 EVERYVET's A-OK!!! ...................................... 77 Statistics of Vietnam ................................... 84 Here puppy, here puppy... ............................... 85 9. Ol' Glory n' Shiftin' Sands Viet Vets View Similar, BUT... .......................... 86 No flags in the desert? Gimme a break! ................. 87 Thanksgiving Day Revisited .............................. 89 Whaddya MEAN - NO FLAG!!! ............................... 90 Top Ten in Saudi ........................................ 91 10. Uncle Sam wants YOU to know Disabled Vets - Last on the List? ....................... 92 Break out the Clearasil ! ........................... 93 VA To Test Mobile Clinics ............................... 94 VA Bills Insurance Companies ............................ 95 11. Concentrated IVVEC/NamVet Service The NamVet Service Desk ................................. 96 Things get worse before... .............................. 98 Congressman Says "We'll try THIS route..." .............. 100 Start Early!!! .......................................... 101 12. Please keep this in mind FIREBASE FREEDOM "91" ................................... 102 The Freedom Foundation .................................. 103 Some Gave All... ........................................ 107 NAM VET Newsletter Page ii Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 ================================================================= E d i t o r i a l s n ' T h i n g s W o r t h T h i n k i n ' A b o u t ================================================================= Talk about goin' into a tailspin!!! By G. Joseph Peck NamVet's Managing Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 Hiya NamVet brothers n' sisters! FINALLY, after retrofitting all of the other articles you'll be seeing in this month's issue, I've got a chance to sit down and write something from ME to YOU. I don't know HOW I made it this month (we're only four days late but, to me, that's like four decades late!). The past few months here have been difficult at best. On the verge of losing our house/home for over a year now, seems one positive thing after another kept happening and happening - just positive enough to keep us here, not positive enough to help us make any progress, except in an area that is dear to MY heart: veterans and veteran service. The clock was strikin' the 23rd hour, 59th minute, 59th second when a very dear friend said "No problem, Joe. Ya need help? How much do ya need?" I tol' him, he offered me work to pay it off - and wrote out a check for the amount we needed to re-finance the second mortgage. NOW all we gotta work on is the FIRST mortgage and the other bills... And that was the BEGINNING of a warp-drive change to this veterans self-image and self-esteem! Seems that the very next morning one of the temporary services I'm registered with called with employment for me - in a legal firm helpin' with letter writing and legal form preparation. First day on the job I felt like I'd been there a l-o-n-g time... have some great "firing line" experience doin' battle with federal and state bureaucracies... Where before I was comin' in to work in jeans and casual shirts now it's State Capitol cammy-type: suit & tie ... and it DOES something to what I've been starting to believe about this guy who'd applied for job-after-job only to discover the many reasons others had for denying very-needed employment. And now some "Are you interested in X position" letters are beginnin' to come in from the Post Office... finally. With 'nuff persistence and determination, I suppose, a body CAN find decent employment where s/he's got the SECURITY account paid first. But, with all the SECURITY "I've" known since my Army days, I've learned that it isn't SECURITY that I really want - its gettin' out here in the BBS world and blazin' new trails for veterans who NEED service, veterans who NEED to find someone else at the end of the line when the shadows are about beatin' 'em down... showin' and sharin' the UNITY in our veteran commUNITY! Many of ya were here "way back when" Todd and I used to carry on our conversations about "keep on keepin' on" and things WILL NAM VET Newsletter Page 1 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 happen. Many of ya have talked with me VOICE and TRIED to tell me that "Hey... ya gotta keep the wolf away from the door!" I remember too, the many who said "Joe, you're digging a grave for yourself and your family! Get out an' get a job, pick up aluminum cans, do dishes... ANYTHING!" "I'm not digging a grave - I'm building a solid foundation! PLUS - I'm writing about what I'm doin' and sharin' it with my brother n' sister veterans. Somewhere, someplace, somehow - somebody ELSE will see what I see in serving our veteran community via computer; somebody ELSE will see the value in providing on- line veteran camaraderie, help and support to housebound and homebound veterans - veterans who sometimes don't see beyond the four walls of their rooms for days, weeks and months; somebody ELSE will see, REALLY SEE, the help, the caring, the concern that daily goes on throughout all of the US and the world through a veteran-oriented BBS." "Digging a grave? I don't think so. We're gettin' the tee's crossed, and the eye's dotted." Yeah... I can SEE the change in a self-image... WOW! Can I really see it! Amazin' what "having a job" does for ya! It puts a LOT of meaning behind: HAVE A TERRIFIC HOLIDAY SEASON!!!! Merry Christmas Happy Hannukah and the best of all New Year's to each 'n every one of ya!!! 'til next month... Show a brother/sister veteran That YOU care!!! Ci'ao for Ni'ao - Joe - NAM VET Newsletter Page 2 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Who's at the other end of the line? Subject: American Association of Vietnam Vets Date: 19 Nov 90 17:48:23 By: G. Joseph Peck NamVet's Managing Editor East VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 ALERT!!! I received a telephone call this evening from a young lad named Ralph Savage. The telephone call began with all KINDS of information about the plight of our brother n' sister 'Nam vets... (ie "Did you know that over 35,000 have committed suicide ?" "Did you know that over 50 percent of America's homeless are Vietnam Vets "?) When I asked Ralph, "Are you Tax-Exempt" ... he said, "No, but we've applied for it." He then put down the phone, shuffled through what sounded like a lot of papers, then came back on the line to tell me that the American Association of Vietnam Vets has a Board of Directors, etc. etc. "Where are you located?" "In Santa Rosa, CA" I then asked Ralph, "Are you a Vietnam vet?" "Yes," he said. "When did you serve?" "Uh... Uh... I didn't... My father did..." I might have liked to hear the rest of his story and the rest of his appeal and would have liked to have learned WHAT they're tryin' to do for our brothers n' sisters, but, for ME... A story that STARTS "full of holes, inconsistences, and untruths" smacks all the way of a bogus appeal for funds. If any of *-YOU-* hear from this organization, please try to find out more about it for all of us in here. Seems "MY" triggers go off too easily lately... If this organization IS valid, it deserves some help (and maybe someone could tell 'em a little about 'having accurate facts at hand BEFORE they go public') 12/10/90 Update! -- Local VVA chapter informed me that people are calling them up and asking them if they have anything at all to do with the above. (They do not.) One lady was smart 'nuff to get an address from 'em: which is NOT in California: American Association of Vietnam Veterans P. O. Box 18207 Washington, D.C. 20036 Can someone in or near them please check 'em out??? NAM VET Newsletter Page 3 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 It didn't seem like Christmas By Douglas A. Martz Army Times - 12/17/90 Input by: G. Joseph Peck NamVet's Managing Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 It didn't seem like Christmas. Christmas meant being home with the family gathered around a blazing fire. Here in Bien Hon, north of Saigon, the sun was bright; the heat was, as always, oppressive; and sweat was a constant companion. It didn't seem to matter that we were celebrating the birth of the Prince of Peace. We were in a combat zone and doing the things it took just to stay alive. I wondered what my new daughter, 7 months old, was like now. Perhaps taking her first step, sleeping through the night, cutting her first tooth, smiling at her mother - and not at me. I wondered if I would ever see her again. In the nine days I had been with her before leaving the States, she had captured my soul. There was a part of me missing, and I would not be whole until we were reunited. I was terribly lonely, and feeling right sorry for myself. The sun was shining all around, but I could not keep the darkness away. A knock at the door. Another soldier in the same hootch. Another soldier with young children who will not remember their father if he fails to return. But he's grinning. "Come on over," he said, "and share some cookies. My wife wrote and said my daughter backed them. She said she helped 'just a little.' Come on over and share them with me." I went. Everyone was there - all the guys who shared this building every day, guys recalled from the field to serve here. Someone had brought soda, someone else cheese. I retrieved some pictures and food packages sent from home. We shared our "bounty," there together with the ache of separation. I looked at the familiar faces of young-men-grown-old sharing their food and themselves. I knew I had misjudged. It seemed just like Christmas. ------------------------------------ Army Lt. Col. Douglas A. Martz and his wife, Anne, live in Elgin, Ill., with their three children. Amy Elizabeth, whom he missed at Christmas, is now 20 and engaged. NAM VET Newsletter Page 4 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 ================================================================= A c r o s s t h e p o n d . . . ================================================================= POWs STILL IN VIETNAM, '74 REPORT SAYS By: Bill Gertz The Washington Times 10/29/90 P. A7 Input by: Sarge Hultgren NamVet Editorial Assistant Freedom's Choice BBS - Lynn, MA (617) 593-2605 ^^ This File Is Reproduced "AS IS" from the ORIGINAL DOCUMENT ^^ A Senate report to be released today says the U.S. government reported secretly in 1974 that "several hundred" Americans still were held captive from the Vietnam War in Southeast Asia. The Senate report, which revealed the conclusion of the still- secret Defense Intelligence Agency report, does not address the possibility that U.S. military personnel are still in captivity. The last known U.S. prisoner of war held by the Viet Cong in Vietnam was released in April 1973. The report says that despite "internal policies and public statements after April 1973, that "no evidence" existed of living POWs, the DIA authoritatively concluded as late as April 1974 that several hundred POWs and MIAs were still held captive in Southeast Asia. The Washington Times obtained a copy of the Interim Report on the Southeast Asian POW/MIA Issue, produced by the Republican staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and set for release today. The issue highlights the possibility that a conflict against Iraq could revive the problem of recovering POWs, the report states. Secretary of State James A. Baker III also has said recently that the POW issue is the last remaining obstacle to normalized relations with Vietnam. The report is based on a yearlong investigation of the U.S. government's handling of the POW-MIA issue and is continuing. It concludes that the U.S. government stance that there is no evidence of American POWs in the region "cannot be supported." The Senate report supports charges by critics that the Pentagon and other government agencies with covered up or discredited reports that Americans were being held captive by the communist governments of Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia since the end of the war. "This [DIA] report undercuts 17 years of official denials that POWs remained in captivity," said one committee investigator. Sen. Jesse Helms of North Carolina, ranking Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said a large majority of the American public believes U.S. prisoners are still alive in Vietnam. "Clearly, the U.S. government no longer maintains credibility on this issue," Mr. Helms said in an introduction to the report. In a related development, a Pentagon source said the National Reconnaissance Office, a supersecret photographic intelligence agency, obtained photographs of suspected American captives in Laos earlier this year. A Pentagon spokeswomen declined to comment on the report. The Pentagon stated in July that "although thus far we have been NAM VET Newsletter Page 5 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 unable to prove that Americans are still being detained against their will, the information available to us precludes ruling out that possibility." According to a new book on the subject, "Kiss the Boys Goodbye," the administration scrapped plans for two covert operations to rescue captive Americans in Southeast Asia in 1981 and 1983. An intelligence source said the CIA vetoed the operations because the rescue would have publicized past covert activities. According to the Senate report, the DIA concluded "beyond a doubt that several hundred living American POWs remained in captivity in Southeast Asia. This was a full year after Defense Department spokesmen were saying publicly that no prisoners remain." Congressional investigators for the first time were permitted to examine about 400 of the approximately 1,400 secret DIA reports of "live sightings" of Americans in Southeast Asia since 591 POWs were repatriated by the Vietnamese in 1973. At that time, the Pentagon declared, and subsequent administrations have repeated, that there are no living POWs left. As a result, the Senate report states, the emphasis has been to recover the remains of those killed in action rather than seek out living prisoners. A total of 2,103 cases of POWs or MIAs remain unresolved, according to the report. The report also states that the number of missing Americans could double if those captured or killed during covert paramilitary operations between 1973 and 1975 are factored in. NAM VET Newsletter Page 6 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Seven New Areas That Were Classified In "Kiss The Boys Goodbye" By: Michael Van Atta P.O. Box 302, Chatham, N.J. 07928 Input by: Sarge Hultgren NamVet Editorial Assistant Freedom's Choice BBS - Lynn, MA (617) 593-2605 ^^ This File Is Reproduced "AS IS" from the ORIGINAL DOCUMENT ^^ [From: 11/1/90 Dear Insiders (ISSUE #21)] (This information service, provides Bush appointees with facts & proof that Vietnam and Laos still hold US prisoners in captivity, alive in their prison systems, in 1990.) The SOVIET UNION and its involvement inside of Vietnam with captured U.S. POW's is a STATE SECRET, in the USA! At a SECRET debriefing facility in VINH, North Vietnam, captured U.S. prisoners, who had special knowledge, were interrogated by Soviet and Chinese Advisors. U.S. POW's with special knowledge in the areas of electronic countermeasures and military combat order of battle knowledge, who were taken to the SECRET facility at VINH would never return home according to defectors, ralliers, and workers at this VINH facility who have been debriefed by U.S. intelligence. "All of the U.S. POW's taken to this VINH complex were given three options- transfer to the U.S.S.R., transfer to China, or death." (see CIA report #CS-311/04439-71) The U.S. feared, during the Vietnam War, that the conflict would escalate into a super power war, pitting U.S. troops against Soviet and Chinese troops, in a direct combat role. Although, this fear was publicly expressed, the exposure of the extent to which Soviet and Chinese advisors were involved in a combat role, was thought to be so, politically sensitive, that the intelligence communities confirming acknowledgment, was and still is today, withheld as a STATE SECRET, in the USA. Although, the Vietnam War ended in 1975, it was not until May 1989 that the Chinese government publicly admitted that its troops had a direct combat role. "China admitted for the first time yesterday it sent more than 300,000 combat troops to Vietnam to fight against U.S. forces..." Chinese officials said that, "more than 4,000 Chinese soldiers were killed during the war. "The United States claimed repeatedly during the Vietnam War that there was evidence that Chinese forces were involved in the war. In April 1989 the Soviet Union confirmed politically, for the first time, that they also had a direct combat role in the Vietnam War, and had awarded medals to Soviet officers who, "helped shoot down 24 U.S. bombers. "But, the U.S. has remained silent, in exposing the extent of its knowledge of the Soviet combat role in Vietnam, because most of the U.S. intelligence on the Soviet role, remains highly classified, SECRET. The powers to be, have silenced all who talk about the Soviet combat role, and Soviet control of U.S. POW's. In fact, many at Defense Intelligence have made public statements denying any U.S. knowledge of the Soviet combat role in Vietnam NAM VET Newsletter Page 7 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 and denying that any captured U.S. POW's were moved to the Soviet Union. In December 1988, the DIA Director, Lt. Gen. Leonard Perroots wrote in the Armed Forces Journal, "There is absolutely nothing to suggest that any of our men were ever taken from Vietnam to the Soviet Union or any other Eastern-bloc nation." Stated assurances by DIA directors, denying that they have seen classified information to the contrary, erode public faith in government officials. General Perroots remarks are disputed by several others. In May 1990 Col. Schlatter told a group of veterans in a meeting at the State Department that Jon Sweeney (MIA 2/19/69-released 6/17/70) "was taken from Vietnam to the Soviet Union, and then to Stockholm where he was released." Jerry Mooney in March 1989 provided an affidavit, stating that while he was an employee of NSA he tracked, through enemy radio intercepts, the capture of U.S. POW's who were "Moscow Bound". Larry Hagerty in April 1990, with the Freedom Now TV Network, taped another former NSA employee who stated that he electronically tracked, captured U.S. POW's where were taken to VINH, North Vietnam (the SECRET Soviet debriefing site). These American POW's were then, taken back to Sam Neua, Laos (the headquarters for the Pathet Lao), and "flown on IL-14 Soviet type aircraft to the Soviet Union." Although, the U.S. POW's who were released in 1973, were debriefed about their contact with Soviet advisors, while prisoners, all of their debriefings are still, SECRET. Only by reviewing debriefings of defectors and ralliers, can one piece together a clearer picture of the Soviet combat role in Vietnam, a story that is still, a SECRET. Clearly, the Soviets took an active role in planning operations, but did they participate in combat? Were the Soviets directly responsible for the death of U.S. soldiers and did the Soviets suffer casualties? The Soviets helped develop sophisticated propaganda plans as captured propaganda material, printed in the Soviet Union, indicates. U.S. troops fought against Soviet supplied weapons, logistical support and manpower. There are many indications that Soviet Advisors worked deep inside Laos, Cambodia, and South Vietnam, in addition to their direct role at Surface-to-Air, (SAM) missile sites in North Vietnam. ^^ In 1970 Bui Con Tuong, defected and told that in 1967 he escorted a Soviet delegation to Kien Hoa, South Vietnam to see a "liberated" hamlet in the Mekong Delta. He escorted 5-Russian officers including a Soviet 1-star general and a captain, with a heavy security element that crossed over from Cambodia. During the trip, they came under fire briefly by U.S. and ARVN troops. ^^ In May 1965 Nguyen Van Ton defected and stated that he, "escorted Russians on military operations in War Zone C." ^^ In 1967 a Navy SEAL Team killed a Soviet Advisor in combat in Kien Gia Province and a U.S. Intelligence Officer confirmed that the Team had killed a Russian Advisor. ^^ In September 1969 Dr. Dang Tan defected in Pleiku Province and stated he saw Soviet Advisors in South Vietnam and Laos, who carried arms. He was in contact with 4 or 5 groups of foreign NAM VET Newsletter Page 8 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 military advisors including Cubans, Chinese, North Koreans, and Soviets who came to study the battlefield in South Vietnam. ^^ On October 29, 1967 Thomas Roubideaux on a L.R.R.P. ambushed and killed a Soviet fire team, including a Soviet Advisor and captured a secret Soviet "Dragunov' (SVD) sniper rifle that was used against U.S. troops. ^^ Many intelligence reports show that NSA intercepted a lot of Russian voice transmissions from Takeo Province, Cambodia using code words to direct secret missions. ^^ In late 1967 Truong Nhu Trang, a NLF rallier, said he was with Soviet visitors inside of South Vietnam when they were hit by a B-52 strike. ^^ In 1971 GRU operatives, acting as elite Soviet Spetsnaz Units operated, in South Vietnam. Russians disguised as Americans, were targeting U.S. SOG teams effectiveness. SOG teams who detected the Soviets, claim that some of the Soviets were killed and some Soviets were captured. ^^ In 1969 a Soviet Mi-6 Helicopter was ambushed in Darlac Province, killing 7-Soviet crewman. Intelligence sources confirm that Soviets piloted choppers delivering troops and supplies into Laos, Cambodia, and South Vietnam. ^^ A Viet Cong defector (identity withheld) claimed that Soviet submarines unloaded people and munitions along the South Vietnamese coast. ^^ In 1971 U.S. Intelligence reported that about a dozen Soviets were attached to the VC 3001st. battalion in An Xuyen Province. ^^ In July 1966 Soviets piloted a MIG jet that downed a U.S. C-47D, an airborne Command and Control aircraft. ^^ In June 1968 north of the Ben Hai River, near the DMZ, between 9 and 12 Soviet built and piloted Mi-4 helicopters, carrying Soviet STYX missiles were tracked on U.S. radar. U.S. Navy Phantom jets shot down all of the helicopters. General Cao Van Vien's staff said, "There were Russians aboard these Helicopters." ^^ A Pathet Lao defector (identity withheld) told of Soviet officers at Pathet Lao headquarters complex at Ban Na Kay Neua. He confirmed that Soviet manned helicopters flew between Hanoi and Sam Neua. ^^ There are several 100 intelligence reports that are eye witness sightings of Soviets, in the field of battle, inside South Vietnam. Soviets operating with enemy units were sighted near Camau in February 1973, at An Loc in November 1973, and outside of Danang in February 1974. Clearly, Soviet Advisors in Vietnam took on an active combat role in fightings against Americans and put their hands on captured U.S. POW's. Sincerely, Telephone (201) 701-0238 NAM VET Newsletter Page 9 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Michael Van Atta, P.O. Box 302, Chatham, N.J. 07928 Prisoners of War & Missing In Action What happened to the Americans who were captured alive in the Vietnam war who were not released? Find out in a new book "Kiss the Boys Goodbye" by Monika & Bill Stevenson. To order, send $20.00 to Mike Vanatta, P.O. Box 302, Chatham, N.J. 07928 NAM VET Newsletter Page 10 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Interim Report on SEA POW/MIA Issue Input by: Sarge Hultgren NamVet Editorial Assistant Freedom's Choice BBS - Lynn, MA (617) 593-2605 ^^ This File Is Reproduced "AS IS" from the ORIGINAL DOCUMENT ^^ UNITED Interim Report on the STATES Southeast Asian SENATE POW/MIA Issue (Seal) By the U.S. Senate Committee On Foreign Relations Republican Staff Release Date: Monday, October 20, 1990 United States Senate Committee On Foreign Relations Washington, DC 20510-6225 October 26, 1990 Dear Republican Colleague: Enclosed is an Interim Report prepared by the Minority Staff of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations on the U.S. Government's handling of the POW/MIA matter. This summary document represents a year of intensive investigation, culminating in a major breakthrough in the careful examination of DIA live-sighting reports on POW/MIAs -- the first time in 17 years that an independent branch of the government has had an opportunity to make an objective evaluation of the methods used in accounting for those categorized as POW/MIAs in Southeast Asia. On October 17, 1990, the Foreign Minister of Vietnam, Nguyen Cao Thac addressed a coffee at the Foreign Relations Committee and attended by Senators of the Committee as well as invited guests. In my opinion, the department of State's invitation to Thac to visit the United States was inappropriate at a time when the Executive Branch is still unwilling to address the hard issue of living American POWs still being held captive in Southeast Asia. The thrust of Thac's address was to call for the acceleration of the time table for renewal of relations between the governments of Vietnam and the United States. Thac indicated that the resolution of the POW/MIA issue is one of two major areas of contention. Furthermore, Thac stated that he had agreed to all terms levied by the President through his special envoy, General John Vessey USA (Ret.). But in re-stating the terms to which he had agreed, Thac never once mentioned that the issue of living American POWs in Vietnam had been addressed. The position of the Executive Branch is that there is "no evidence" that living Americans existing SE Asia, nor were any left after American prisoners were returned in 1973. Nevertheless, public opinion polls continue to suggest that 62% of the American people believe that U.S. POW/MIAs are still in NAM VET Newsletter Page 11 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Vietnam, and 84% of Vietnam veterans believe so. Clearly the U.S. Government no longer maintains credibility on this issue. For this reason, a year ago, I assigned investigators on the Minority Staff of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to conduct a staff investigation of the handling of the POW/MIA issue by the U.S. Government. These investigators are highly trained professionals, with a total of more than 68 years of investigative experience in the Executive Branch, including criminal investigation experience, as well as more than 17 years of experience in intelligence analysis. All served in Vietnam and are knowledgeable about history, geography, and language of that unfortunate country. The investigation has proceeded quietly, and without public fanfare. But much remains to be done. Information developed in the course of the inquiry was the result of the following methods: 1) face to face and telephonic interviews; 2) review of various classified and unclassified official documents; 3) corroborative information from government and private sources; and 4) historical research. This report is in all respects an interim report: It is incomplete and it is a summary report of conclusions which must be further tested. The Committee on Foreign Relations has authority to engage in oversight of POW/MIA issues implicit in its broad mandate to study and review foreign policy. Senate Rule 25.lj specifically refers to the Committee on Foreign Relations matters dealing with: "[11.] Intervention abroad and declarations of war," and "[15.] Protection of United States citizens abroad and expatriation." The focus of the inquiry has centered on the following questions: 1. Does the U.S. Government possess valid information concerning living POWs in Southeast Asia? 2. Has the U.S. Government failed to act on information concerning living POWs in Southeast Asia? 3. Has the U.S. Government acted improperly to intimidate, coerce, or discredit sources which have valid information concerning living POWs in Southeast Asia? I believe that the investigators have come to valid conclusions, although of course much of the material they reviewed remains classified. Moreover, I believe that the American people have the right to see that this inquiry is pursued to a proper conclusion. I am deeply grateful for the enormous contribution of Senator Chuck Grassley who, out of his deep concern for American service personnel, joined me at the very beginning and supported and encouraged it at every step. Sincerely, /s/ Jesse Helms JESSE HELMS:lb "Accountability lies in oversight by Congress or in criticism from the electorate, but not in the judgement of the courts." NAM VET Newsletter Page 12 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 -- From Smith vs. Regan, United States Court of Appeals, for the Fourth Circuit, No. 87-1661, April 20, 1988, regarding the POW/MIA issue. INTRODUCTION One year ago, the Ranking Minority Member of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations assigned members of the Minority Staff to investigate the following questions: 1) Whether the United States Government has received and still possesses valid information concerning living prisoners of war/missing in action -- POW/MIAs -- in Southeast Asia; 2) Whether the U.S. Government has failed to act on such information; and 3) Whether the U.S. Government has acted improperly to intimidate and discredit sources of such information. The primary purpose of this investigation has been, and will continue to be, to determine whether the U.S. government has handled the question in a truthful and effective manner. But if it results in a determination that even one POW may still be alive, it will result in a dividend of blessings. The inquiry remains on-going. It is based not only on the review of thousands of classified and non-classified documents, but also upon hundreds of telephonic and face-to-face interviews with government officials and those affected by their decisions with regard to POW/MIAs. A full report will require much additional investigation and analysis. The following, however, represents an interim report at the conclusion of one year's work. It allows the presentation of some preliminary conclusions. PRELIMINARY CONCLUSIONS The U.S. Government states it has no evidence that POWs were left behind in Southeast Asia. The official policy asserts that it is open to investigation of all reports. For example, the official Department of Defense (DOD) POW-MIA Fact Book, issued July, 1990, states: Although we have thus far been unable to prove that Americans are still detained against their will, the information available to us precludes ruling out that possibility. Actions to investigate live sighting reports receive and will continue to receive necessary priority and resources based on the assumption that at least some Americans are still held captive. Should any report prove true, we will take appropriate action to ensure the return of those involved. Notwithstanding this professed openness to new evidence, the U.S. Government has insisted since April 12, 1973, that it has no evidence of living POWs. In fact, on that date - at the conclusion of OPERATION HOMECOMING, which brought home 591 POWs - Dr. Roger Shields, then Assistant Secretary of Defense, stated that the DOD had "no evidence that there were any more POWs still alive in all of Indochina." The assertion has been consistent. For example, last July, Col. Joseph A. Schlatter, then chief of the Defense Intelligence Agency's Special Office for POW/MIAs, was saying that "If we look at everything we collected during the war and everything we've NAM VET Newsletter Page 13 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 collected since the war, we don't find any evidence that Americans are captive." Furthermore, as late as October, 1990, an unnamed "senior State Department official" was quoted in the press as saying the U.S. Government has "no evidence" of living American prisoners in Southeast Asia. However, to say that the U.S. Government has "no evidence" is not the same as saying that no evidence exists. After all, there have been nearly 11,700 reports relating to POW/MIAs over the years, including 1,400 first-hand, live-sighting reports. The question is whether every single one of these reports can be dismissed from the category of credible evidence. The U.S. Government position makes sense only if every single one of these reports can be shown to have been fabricated, erroneous, or not relating directly to a POW/MIA -- for example, some reports may relate to Europeans in the area. In fact, DIA analysts have rejected the evidence of all these reports, except for a small pool of less than 150 still considered "unresolved." The preliminary conclusions presented by staff for review by Senators are as follows: 1. After the conclusion of OPERATION HOMECOMING in April, 1973, brought the return of the 591 POWs, official U.S. Government policy internally adopted and acted upon the presumption that all other POWs were dead, despite public assertions that the government was still open to investigating the possibility of discovering the existence of living prisoners. 2. Following the adoption of an internal policy in April, 1973, that all POW/MIAs were presumed dead, the U.S. Government, convened commissions in each military service to consider each case on the POW/MIA list in order to make a statutory declaration of presumption of death. 3. While there is no reason to believe that the majority, if not most, of the declarations of presumptive death are incorrect, staff review of live-sighting report files at DIA found a disturbing pattern of arbitrary rejection of evidence that connected a sighting to a specific POW/MIA or U.S. POW/MIAs in general. 4. The pattern of arbitrary rejection resulted in a declaration of presumptive finding of death for every such individual case, except one. 5. The internal policy that all POW/MIAs were presumed dead resulted in an emphasis on finding and identifying remains of dead personnel, rather than searching for living POW/MIAs. 6. The desire to identify specific sets of remains with specific names on the POW/MIA listed led DOD to an exaggeration of the capabilities of forensic science, and identification based on dubious presumptions and illogical deductions rather than actual physical identification -- a process which resulted in numerous misidentifications of remains. 7. Despite adherence to internal policies and public statements after April, 1973 that "no evidence" existed of living POW/MIAs, DIA authoritatively concluded as late as April, 1974 that several hundred living POW/MIAs were still held captive in South East Asia. 8. Although the Pathet Lao declared on April 3, 1973, NAM VET Newsletter Page 14 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 that Laotian Communist forces were holding American POWs and were prepared to give an accounting, nine days later a DOD spokesman declared that there were no more American prisoners anywhere in South East Asia. No POWs held by Laotian Communist forces ever returned. The evidence indicates that the U.S. Government made a decision to abandon U.S. citizens still in the custody of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia, at the conclusion of U.S. involvement in the Second Indochina War. 9. U.S. casualties, including POW/MIAs in South East Asia, resulting from covert or cross border operation, may not be included on the list of those missing. 10. The executive branch has failed to address adequately the concerns of the family members of the POW/MIAs, and has profoundly mishandled the POW/MIA problem. DEFINITION OF POW/MIA The subject of POW/MIAs requires some definitions. After the Second Indochina War -- popularly known as the Vietnam War, even though Thailand, Burma, Laos and Cambodia saw U.S. combat action -- hundreds of POWs returned alive, notably in OPERATION HOMECOMING, which concluded in April, 1973. Those who did not return home are classified by the Department of Defense into two categories: POW/MIAs -- that is, those for whom there is some documentation that they were captured but never repatriated; and KIA/BNRs -- that is, those believed to have been killed in action, but whose bodies were not recovered. For the latter, there is no evidence of their death except DOD's evaluation of the circumstances, even though no physical evidence of death may be available. In April, 1973, DOD reported that 2,383 personnel were unaccounted for: 1,259 POW/MIAs, and 1,124 KIA/BNRs. This study assumes that both categories of the unaccounted for deserve review. Since 1973 DOD has announced the return of 280 sets of remains, diminishing the overall number by that amount. In addition, there could well be an equal number of military personnel missing in action from various U.S. covert actions during the war. Since DOD files on covert actions have not been opened, and the participants in such actions never publicly identified, this inquiry could not establish any number for covert POW/MIAs. However, public source books and interviews with participants suggests that the issue of covert operations adds a substantial, but unknown, dimension to the MIA question which has received no scrutiny. REVIEW OF LIVE-SIGHTING DOCUMENTS In this inquiry, staff has reviewed hundreds of U.S. Government classified, declassified, and open-source documents. In addition, Senator Grassley and Committee Minority Staff were given access to, and have reviewed personally, hundreds of classified live- sighting reports (accounts by Southeast Asians of live POWs in Southeast Asia) in the files of the Defense Intelligence Agency (DIA). According to DIA, this is the first time that either a United States Senator or any United States Congressional Committee staff have been given access to the raw intelligence contained in the 1,400 live-sighting reports. Out of the 1,400 live-sighting reports, approximately 1,200 are considered by DIA to be "resolved." Each of the so-called "resolved" sightings was resolved by concluding that the live- NAM VET Newsletter Page 15 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 sighting report did not pertain to U.S. POWs present after April, 1979. Staff felt that in some cases such a conclusion was correct, but that in many it was not supported by the facts. Staff began by first examining so-called resolved cases in order to study DIA methodology by which a conclusion of "resolution" was reached. Since the guidelines set by DIA for access to the files were extremely restrictive, the time available allowed review of only about one-quarter of the so-called "resolved" cases, and none of those in the category of "unresolved." Nevertheless, staff concluded that a significant number of the "resolved" cases reviewed showed that the DIA methodology was faulty, or that the evidence did not support the DIA conclusion in the case, or both. The information collected and reviewed to date by the staff shows that the position held by the United States Government -- namely, that no evidence exists that Americans are still being held against their will -- cannot be supported. Rather, the information uncovered during this inquiry provides enough corroboration to cast doubt upon the veracity of the U.S. Government's conclusion. Without revealing classified information, staff believes that the review of the classified live-sighting reports reinforces that doubt. Although more information remains to be reviewed, the evidence this inquiry has thus far uncovered shows that: 1) living U.S. citizens, military and civilian, were held in Southeast Asia against their will after the U.S. Government's statement on April 13, 1973, that no prisoners remained alive; and 2) the information available to the U.S. Government does not rule out the probability that U.S. citizens are still being held in Southeast Asia. In fact, classified, declassified and unclassified information all confirm one startling fact: That DOD in April, 1974, concluded beyond a doubt that several hundred living American POWs remained in captivity in Southeast Asia. This was a full year after DOD spokesman were saying publicly that no prisoners remained alive. Evidence uncovered in the several hundred cases reviewed thus far clearly demonstrates that, in a disturbing number of cases, DOD made significant errors in drawing conclusions about live- sighting reports, the presumed death of individuals, or about individuals that were unaccounted for at the conclusion of the war. Although many cases resolved correctly based upon the files, there were too many errors apparent to rule out the need to undertake and complete the review of the "unresolved" cases. Staff also concluded that DOD spent an excessive amount of effort in discrediting live-sighting reports, while exaggerating or mishandling forensic data in order to confirm a presumptive finding of death. DOD appeared to be more anxious to declare a presumptive finding of death than in following up reports of sightings with creative investigative work. Furthermore, there is evidence of insensitivity on the part of the Executive Branch of the U.S. Government in providing complete and accurate information to the next-of-kin of missing American servicemen. The classified evidence in DIA files suggests a pattern by a few U.S. Government officials of misleading Congressional inquiries by concealing information, and misinterpreting or NAM VET Newsletter Page 16 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 manipulating data in government files. Interested Senators and staff with proper clearances no doubt will want to review the classified files themselves and draw their own conclusions. THE 1973 POLICY DECISION Those who have not dealt with the POW/MIA issue may find it difficult to understand how DOD's analysis of the information could be in error. Unfortunately, staff believes that DOD has allowed its procedures to be dictated by a preconceived policy finding. The New York Times reported on April 12, 1973, as follows: WASHINGTON, April 12 (AP) -- The Pentagon, two months after the first American prisoners of war began coming home, said today that it had no evidence that there were any more prisoners still alive in all of Indochina. Despite the fact that interviews with all returning prisoners are nearly complete, a Pentagon official, Dr. Roger Shields, said that none of the 1,389 Americans listed as missing were now technically considered prisoners. "We have no indication at this time that there are any Americans missing alive in Indochina," Dr. Shields said at a news conference. Dr. Shields was at that time Assistant Secretary of Defense, but he was following guidance issued on that date by the Department of State in a memorandum DOD which stated that "There are no more prisoners in Southeast Asia. They are all dead." This directive was issued immediately after the return of the last POWs in OPERATION HOMECOMING. This finding was made despite that the fact that none of the hundreds of POW/MIAs that the Pathet Lao publicly acknowledged holding were ever returned from Laos. There were hundreds of live-sighting reports on file in 1973. Thousands of such reports have continued to be received since then. PROCESS FOR "PRESUMPTION OF DEATH" Since it was official policy, then, that all MIAs were dead, it became a bureaucratic necessity for all "unresolved" cases to be resolved in favor of a presumed finding of death. Each respective military service from time to time convenes its own special commissions to pronounce on individual cases. Such a commission has before it at least three categories of information: The first is intelligence-related information concerning the individual. The second is eyewitness accounts of the loss event. The third is the so-called "incident report" -- the official report of the loss incident. If a year passes without new information, the respective military service can convene a commission to determine whether a presumptive finding of death should be declared. The April, 1973, statement of policy was a political statement, rather than a finding according to statutory authority. As a result, the military services subsequently review each individual case of those who previously had been declared dead en masse. And in every case except one, the commissions made a determination of a presumptive finding of death. NAM VET Newsletter Page 17 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Because of this procedure, the bureaucratic necessity arose for discrediting any evidence that might cast doubt on the mass presumptive finding of death of April 1973. From the standpoint of law and military regulations, the procedure followed in each case gave a legal affirmation to the original political statement. Therefore, in order to discredit any information which might undermine the political thesis, the analysis of intelligence files fell into a systematic pattern of debunking information contrary to the thesis. The systematic debunking included discrediting of reports, possible intimidation of witnesses, dismissal of credible evidence through technicalities, and -- if all else failed -- the arbitrary disregard of evidence contrary to the thesis. DOD's WORKING HYPOTHESIS An analysis of DOD's working hypothesis for fully accounting for American MIAs is the key to undertaking the discrepancies between DOD's position on the POW issue and the evidence uncovered by the staff. DOD's premise, beginning in April, 1973, has been that all MIA's are dead; the corollary, therefore, is that DOD must never find any evidence that any MIA is alive. The best evidence, in DOD's opinion, is a set of physical remains that can be identified as a specific individual on the POW/MIA list. Once such an identification has been made, the case of that individual can be removed forever from the list. This is an easier task than to accept live-sighting reports that might point to a living POW, thereby necessitating appropriate follow-up action. It is a reasonable assumption to remove POW/MIAs from the list when remains are identified, if the identification is correct. But the fact is that in a significant number of cases, such identifications have been made on the basis of inadequate physical evidence, using presumptive deductions that may or may not be true. The pressure to identify sets of remains even has resulted in specific cases where caskets have been buried with full military honors as the "remains" of the individual when, in fact, the casket is empty. Therefore, DOD acts on its premise by vigorously investigating for the remains of dead MIAs. The list of MIAs presumed dead following the conclusion of the war totalled 2,383. DOD has received and claimed to have identified a total of 280 sets of remains since 1973. Any full accounting of MIAs, according to DOD's working hypothesis, would necessarily involve only those cases in which either a presumptive finding of death could be made, or else full or partial remains could be discovered. As each presumptive finding of death is declared or set of remains is identified, DIA would remove, as accounted for, the names that matched those on the original MIA list. In this respect, DOD claims that DIA has vigorously investigated and resolved hundreds of such cases. The policy of DOD is to focus attention on the cases where some evidence, no matter how small, of physical remains can be recovered. But even while DOD enthusiastically and vigorously investigates remains case -- no matter how fragmentary -- it just as vigorously discredits live-sighting and other witness accounts. Throughout the 1970s and 1980s hundreds of thousands of Asians fled Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos. These refugees provided many first-hand reports, or knew by second- or third-hand reports, of American prisoners being held in their respective countries. NAM VET Newsletter Page 18 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 To date, over 11,700 accounts have been received by DOD; 1,400 of these are first-hand, live sighting reports. DIA claims to have analyzed fully each of these live-sighting reports, and to have left "no stone unturned" in searching for living prisoners. After analyzing the live-sighting reports, DIA has concluded that the majority are not related to living American POWs, with the possible exception of a small percentage of reports that DIA describes as "unresolved." However, no "resolved" case has ever concluded that an American POW remains captive in Southeast Asia. In this way DIA concludes that there is no evidence of Americans currently being held captive in Southeast Asia. This contention is consistent with both the working hypothesis described above and with DIA's apparent success at removing MIA list names that involve only those cases in which remains are identified, or a finding of death declared. Insofar as these discrepancies relate to the 1,400 first-hand reports of living prisoners, DOD's original premise comes into question. Numerous live-sighting reports have been erroneously discredited by DIA analysis. Moreover, staff has reason to believe that DOD has misidentified the remains of scores of MIAs, and has incorrectly presumed dead many others. This analytical bias is typical of bureaucracy defending an established policy at all costs, even if it means denying the obvious. It is also typical characteristic of an outmoded paradigm that can no longer explain the real world or real facts. If the original premise of DOD had been that at least some of the 2,383 MIAs were alive, then DOD would have been forced by circumstance to view the evidence collected, including the hundreds of live-sighting reports, from an objective standpoint. The relevance and validity of each report could have been judged on its own merits rather than whether it supported a pre- determined hypothesis that no living POW/MIA remained. Unfortunately, DOD chose to make its own analysis, without proper legislative oversight. Claiming extreme sensitivity and possible threats to sources and methods of intelligence gathering, DOD evaded the proper oversight that would have assured the objectivity of their process, The result has been a disservice to the POW/MIAs, their families and the American people. NAM VET Newsletter Page 19 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 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 O O W W M M II O O II PPPPPP O O ..... II AA PP PP OOOO . '' '' .. IIII A A PP PP ..' '.. A A PPPPPPP ..' ''. A A PP ..' '. AAAAAA PP .' ''. A A PP .' '. A A .' .:::::.. '. .' .::::::::::. ' .' .::::::::::::::. '. .' __ .::::::::::::::::;:... '. .' _- -_ .:::::::::::::::::::::::. '. .' _-_ _ _ -_ ::::::::::::::::::::::::' '. .. _- -!!___!!!-_:::::::::::::::::::::::. .. .' ==_ _- _= .:::::::::::::::::::::::: ', . =-_= _= = :::::::::::::::::::::::: . .' =-_ =_- = ::::::::::::::::::::::: '. .' = - -_ =_:::::::::::::::::::::. '. .' -_ -_- .:::::::::::::::::::;;;. '. .' _-_ ..::::::::::::::::::::::::; '. . _ _ .:;:::::::::::::::::::::;, . ' _ .:::::::::::::::::::::::::. '. Y .'.....::::::::::::::::::::::::::;' '. N ::::::::::::::::::::::::' `''' ': O `::::::::::::::::::::::: \v/ \ / :'E `:::::::::::::::::::::: =========================== :' U `:::::::::::::::::::::. /^\ \ :'T `:::::::::::::::::::: .: A `:::::::::::::::::: .:'T `::::::::::::::::::. .;' R `:::::::::::::::::. .;' T `::::::::::::::::. .;' E `:::::::::gjp::: .:' O `:::::::::::::...........'' G N O T F O R " Bring them home --- NOW !!! " NAM VET Newsletter Page 20 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 WASHINGTON SELLS OUT POWS HELMS AND GRASSLEY BLOW THE WHISTLE ON PLAN TO SELL OUT U.S. POWS. From: The Spotlight - November 5, 1990 By Mike Blair Submitted by: Terry Hayes VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 EXPLOSIVE SENATE REPORT The Spotlight has learned that the Senate Foreign Relations Committee is preparing to issue a report that will blast official U.S. government handling of the issue of American prisoners of war and missing in action still unaccounted for in Southeast Asia from the Vietnam War. There are currently 2,296 Americans still missing from the war, which ended in 1975 with the takeover of South Vietnam and neighboring Laos and Cambodia by the communists. For several months an investigative team, directed by Sen. Jesse Helms, (R-NC) and Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) has been quietly delving into the matter of the missing Americans. Helms is ranking minority member of the Foreign Relations Committee. A source close to the investigation told The Spotlight that the report is "explosive" and "devastating" on the U.S. government's official policy regarding the POWs and MIAs. LEFT IN CAPTIVITY The source said that the report will indicate that Americans were left behind in communist captivity, that the U.S. government was aware of it, and that the action taken by the government to account for the missing Americans has either been incompetent or a political agenda in Southeast Asia in which the POWs and MIAs were a liability. The report will include an appraisal critical of the methods used by the U.S. Department of Defense to identify remains of supposed MIAs recovered from Southeast Asia with the cooperation of the communist governments led by Hanoi. It will detail and question how some of the missing are identified by a single tooth, a method questioned by most experts, and how some remains have not been adequately identified and buried in communal graves. Helms recently criticized the Pentagon's methods of identification of remains in a speech on the Senate floor. His findings will be further detailed in the report. In a related issue, the panel's investigators have carefully probed the connections between Mrs. Ann Mills Griffiths, executive director of the National League of Families of Missing in Action and Prisoners of War in Southeast Asia, and the U.S. government. During the course of the investigation, Helms and Grassley requested from the Department of Defense, files regarding live sightings of U.S. POWs in captivity and other material concerning the fate of the men. An attempt to block them was made by Mrs. Griffiths, who has a unique security clearance to examine such files as a member of an "interagency group" working on the POW/MIA issue, granted her as the league's representative. The security clearance is unique because Griffiths has no official U.S. government affiliation. In a memorandum to Undersecretary of Defense, Paul Wolfowitz, Griffiths stated: "On any matter of highest national priority [the government NAM VET Newsletter Page 21 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 claims the POW-MIA issue is of highest national priority], sensitive information is not subject to indiscriminate release outside of the parameters established by the Congress itself". GRASSLEY FURIOUS: "I have to go to the Pentagon myself and camp out there if I want to review these documents," an angry Grassley said on the Senate floor. "I am not allowed to bring in my own staff, regardless of [security] clearance they have. Instead, I have to bring staff from one of the three committees, even though I do not sit on any of them. Furthermore, if I leave, the staff has to leave as well. Needless to say, this is a maximum inconvenience for a member of the United States Senate for documents that are classified mostly as "Secret", "Confidential", of "For official use only", which is not a category of classification at all". Referring to Griffiths, Grassley explained that in spite "of her non-governmental status, she has been given a security clearance. That clearance has enabled her to review the very documents she has lobbied strenuously to deny members of Congress access to, those eyewitness accounts of U.S. prisoners in Southeast Asia." SENATORS UNTRUSTWORTHY??? "She told me", Grassley continued, "in a meeting I had with her in my office in April, that she has read those eyewitness reports, and that they show no evidence that American citizens were left behind in Southeast Asia after the war in Indochina. Why is it then . . . that this quasi-government official would want to deny United States Senators an opportunity to review these documents as well?" "Could it be that she simply has a misunderstanding about the role of the United States Congress as laid out in the Constitution? Could it be that after years as a quasi-governmental official, that she has become afflicted with a disease known as "bureaucratitis"? Grassley accused Griffiths of having a "lack of awareness of the line between advocacy of a principle or an issue, and the government's own position. When a self-declared POW advocate, which Griffiths is in her non-quasi-governmental role, begins to take the government's position at face value", as Ms. Griffiths declares in her memo [to Wolfowitz] that she has done, then that line is crossed. . ." WHO'S PANDERING? Griffiths, who stated the decision to allow the senators to peruse the documents is "seeking to pander to Congress", is the object of considerable criticism by other POW-MIA activists and is accused by many of pandering herself to the official U.S. government position on POW-MIAs, as Grassley pointed out. The Senate panel has also investigated the part played by Griffiths in the funnelling of about $200.000 to Southeast Asia for supposed efforts to obtain information about POWs and MIAs but which instead allegedly ended up in the hands of anti-communist guerrillas in Laos. The money was supposedly donated by several Texan contributors including Nelson Bunker Hunt of Dallas, Ellen St. John Garwood of Austin and Robert Perry of Houston --- some of the same private contributors to the U.S. backed Contra rebels in Nicaragua. They were under the impression that their money would be used to seek NAM VET Newsletter Page 22 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 information about POWs and MIAs. The money was funnelled in 1982 and 1983 through a California- based organization, Support Our POWs/MIAs, reportedly with Griffith's instructions and with the full knowledge of the National Security Council, to the bank account of an individual by the name of Mushtag Ahmed Diwan in Bangkok, Thailand. A source in Thailand reported that Diwan "is a shadowy figure with Middle East connections and no substantial involvement in the POW-MIA issue". =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= (Note From Terry Hayes) Although we have already seen the report, I thought this was a rather extensive article and thought it was of much interest. It shows a picture of "Annie" with her hand out and looking a bit thin. Do you suppose it is from Sampley's process servers or this article??? I bet she has to walk backwards as she better watch her back! Uploaded by Marsha This is (The Spotlight) a paper that a neighbor of mine gets and he is aware of my consuming interest and involvement in the issue, so he brought it over for me to read. NAM VET Newsletter Page 23 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Legacy of Covert War - The Boys We Left Behind By Monika Jensen-Stevenson and William Stevenson Input by: David Stager Sonoma Online, RFE! - Santa Rosa, CA (707) 545-0746 ONE OF THE high costs of covert operations in Southeast Asia has been the denial of normal rights to U.S. armed forces personnel taken prisoner during the Vietnam War. If American military men and women become involved in secret operations in the Persian Gulf, their rights as prisoners may be no better protected. The Paris peace accords of 1973 resulted in the homecoming of 591 U.S. servicemen whom communist authorities admitted to holding. However, according to an interim Senate staff report to be released today (see Page C4), an April 1974 Defense Department intelligence document concluded that several hundred POWs remained in captivity. This intelligence remained classified until now under the rationale of protecting U.S. covert activities. The Pentagon in 1973 listed 317 Americans as missing in Laos, and government spokesmen were quoted as saying the figure was actually much higher. The communist Pathet Lao claimed it had a detailed list of prisoners but would hand this over only if the U.S. government were willing to negotiate. The government, which was still conducting covert operations against the Pathet Lao, did not negotiate. Some of the young men recruited from the U.S. armed forces to participate in covert warfare obeyed orders reluctantly; others entered secret agreements in the belief they would be entitled to the usual guarantees that the U.S. government, in return for their services, would make every effort to bring them home or give a full accounting of their fate to their families. Few, if any, members of the armed services expected to be treated as "plausibly deniable" in the manner of Central Intelligence Agency controlled assets, and yet they were. Here are two of their stories: Air Force Sgt. Peter Cressman was a Morse systems operator assigned to an EC-47Q "Flying Pueblo" reconnaissance aircraft. On Feb. 5, 1973, while on a mission on the Vietnam-Laos border, the EC-47Q was shot down. The shoot-down occurred nine days after the Paris peace accords were signed. Cressman had realized that he and his colleagues were flagrantly violating the peace in a neutral country. Worried about the possibility of becoming responsible for war crimes, he had visited the base legal office to find out what his rights and obligations were. He was told he had no right to do anything but obey orders, even if they were illegal. Cressman's family would never have known about their son's mental anguish in the days before his shoot-down if he had not written several drafts of a letter, addressed to a public official, outlining his dilemma and asking for help. If he ever completed an official letter, there was no public record of it. Instead, the draft letters were returned to his family with his belongings. Evelyn Cressman felt that someone in her son's unit wanted his family to know the truth, and that this was how the drafts escaped the notice of military censors. NAM VET Newsletter Page 24 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 After the crash, it seemed unlikely there would be survivors. Air Force sources later told the Cressmans there was little chance of skilled specialists like their son being taken prisoner. Because of the sophisticated electronic equipment on board, arrangements existed for the immolation and destruction of the aircraft before it could fall into enemy hands, and it was almost impossible for the men to bail out. The unlikely occurred. Shortly after the shoot-down, another U.S. reconnaissance aircraft intercepted enemy communications and ascertained that at least four members of the EC-47Q had survived and been captured. This information was conveyed to U.S. officials almost immediately. A few days later, a U.S. search party found more evidence that crew members were taken captive. On Feb. 17, four crew members were seen and identified about 15 miles from the crash site, in apparent good health and under the guard of their captors. U.S. officials were again made immediately aware of this information. The Cressmans and other families of the EC-47Q flight crew were told none of this although Air Force directives ordered that families of such men be given the most complete information possible. Seventeen days after the shoot-down, the Air Force declared all of the men dead. Long after the war was over, Evelyn Cressman and Mary Matejov, the mother of Sgt. Joseph M. Matejov, one of Cressman's fellow crew members, went to see POW Task Force Director Roger Shields. He told them, they said, that their sons' names had initially been placed in the U.S. list of POWs to be returned in 1973 (i.e., those for whom the United States insisted on an accounting based on its own intelligence that they were alive). The mothers reported that Shields told them the names had then been crossed off the list. Shields wanted them to know, he said, that he himself had not made that decision. Then-congressman Billy Hendon (R-N.C.) later told the Cressmans he personally saw their son's name penciled in the official Operation Homecoming Bluebook. The name was crossed through and marked over with "Killed in Action." To Hendon, it seemed that the government was indicating to the former enemy that the United States was abandoning the men and the communists could therefore treat them as badly as they wanted. The Cressmans, like many other families, vowed to find out what really happened. It took them years to find out that two months after the shoot- down, the four captives were sighted again, still in apparent good health, about 40 miles from the crash site. Again, such information was known immediately by U.S. officials but withheld from the families. The Cressmans also found there were persons in the Department of Defense who strongly objected to what was done, but to no avail. These dissenters did succeed in having a written memorandum of their protest included in official files. Those files remain classified. When we first spoke to Evelyn Cressman, she told us, "Some of those dissenters told me privately what happened. They say they can't go public because it will hurt the country. It will NAM VET Newsletter Page 25 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 damage national security. Whose security? The security of boys like my son, Peter?" She sent us a voluminous file on her son. It included clearly stated "live sighting" intelligence reports on her son and a lengthy correspondence with government officials. The Cressmans explored every avenue in an attempt to get their government to take action to bring back its own men. The best answer they ever got was an evasive admission that information indicating some of the crew might have survived had been received and withheld by the government. The information was not, however, enough to warrant a reconsideration of the determination of death. Mel Holland was an American Air Force sergeant with a special talent for electronic intelligence and high-tech warfare who felt trapped in a covert operation in Laos. "They lied to us about this operation," he had written to his wife, Ann. "We'll talk about it on my next leave." But there was no next leave. He was lost soon after in a communist command strike everyone said was impossible. "They lied to us," he wrote, "real bad." What did he mean? The question had gnawed at Ann Holland during her long years of struggle to raise five children alone. She was warned by U.S. officials to drop the issue. Melvin Holland had disappeared in 1968. He had been assigned as a technician to a remote mountain top in Laos: Site 85, one of a chain of bases in the CIA's war in Laos, where, supposedly, no war was going on. Officially, he was based in Thailand. Each time he was flown from Thailand into Laos, he was "sanitized" and turned into a civilian in a secret war. If he was captured, or if his unit threatened to become a political embarrassment, the U.S. government would deny all knowledge of them. In March 1969, Ann was told he was missing. She must say nothing, not even to her five small children. Two years later, President Richard Nixon denied the loss of any Americans in ground combat in Laos. Ann had then asked her case-officer, "If my husband wasn't lost in Laos, where was he lost?" Holland contacted us after hearing about the POWs story Monika had produced for CBS News's "60 Minutes." The segment, entitled "Dead or Alive," aired during the Christmas season of 1985. We knew who she was because Site 85 had cropped up in Monika's research. Monika had even come across a report that at one time the U.S. government had put $6 million in a Hong Kong bank as a ransom payment for six Site 85 technicians. But we could never get a handle on what really happened because every bit of documentation was classified and most family members of men who had disappeared there were afraid to talk because they had signed secrecy oaths. Ann understood the frustration because she had struggled for years to learn the truth about what happened to Melvin. We felt Ann had a right to find out what happened - the truth might hurt national pride, nothing more. We were also intrigued by Site 85. Monika told her she'd look into her husband's case, and our education in irregular warfare took a new turn. NAM VET Newsletter Page 26 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 We heard, for instance, about "sheep-dipping" - a process for building the secret CIA army. An American serviceman, like Mel Holland, would go through the motions of formal resignation, his records would be transferred to a top-secret file, and some convincing story would be invented to explain his sudden return to civilian life. In Mel's case, the story was that he was working for Hughes Aircraft. However, he would continue to pursue his military career, though officially "off the books." He was then ready for clandestine activities. Pensions and insurance had to be somehow covered, and the CIA ran its own proprietary companies to deal with such problems. In some cases the families of MIAs who were sheep-dipped still receive two pensions - one from the military and one from the civilian "cover" company. It was thought by some that this was considered a good way to keep the families quiet, since they could be threatened with losing one pension. In the summer of 1986, Ann came to Washington from her home on the Pacific coast to ask a former helicopter pilot who had flown her husband and other men on and off the peak for rest breaks in Thailand, "Were they captured?" "That's something I cannot, absolutely cannot, talk about," he said. She demanded a better answer, and he said, "Ann, those men did not technically exist then. They do not technically exist now . . . . But you're on the right track. Don't give up now." Ann got a copy of a top-secret intelligence analysis of the seizure of Site 85 during a brief period when it was declassified. What she saw made it clear that her husband and other U.S. airmen were prized by the enemy as "special talents." In 1968, at Site 85, they ran highly secret equipment to guide American bombers onto targets around Hanoi, 160 miles to the east. The CIA said the enemy could not possibly pierce the heavily fortified, narrow path to the top, or scale the steep 5,600-foot cliffs. Despite such assurances, the enemy took the garrison in a surprise assault, using tactics developed by the Soviet Union's "Spetsznaz" special-operations regiment. Ann sent us her own painfully acquired documents. They revealed an extraordinary effort by friends in the armed forces to help her dig out facts. A senior U.S. Army officer, who had served with distinction in combat and military intelligence in three wars, said, "Remember, lots of areas in Laos, like Site 85, are remote. Communists come seldom, and then to collect taxes and rice. Even in that one cave where American captives have been reported, the communists don't have much communication equipment . . . . One CIA rescue effort was abruptly cancelled. There were to be six prisoners rescued. One died of a bleeding ulcer. They were Site 85 personnel. They were separated from another three prisoners in another cave. ALEX (code name for a ground observer) has a friend there captured in 1978, three years after Saigon fell, and was set up to be captured, but that's real low profile. The six Air Force guys captured are on the mountain at Phou Pha Thi . . . ." Cmdr. Hugh Taylor, a retired U.S. Navy pilot who later became a newspaper editor and spent many years seeking answers to the Site NAM VET Newsletter Page 27 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 85 mystery, claimed, "The U.S. government lied, threatened and purposely withheld information from the wives and families of the men left behind at Site 85. Families were prevented from finding out each other's identities to foil any attempt to correlate what little they knew, and were warned to stop trying to find out what happened. There are reports the Americans at the site were denied defensive support because their presence posed a threat to local CIA-supported drug operations" Hugh Taylor had a personal interest. During the Vietnam War, he had been approached to fly unspecified missions. Those who advised him against the seductive offer of intrigue and adventure - he was very young then and admired the secret services - later told him he was lucky. Had he volunteered to be sheep-dipped, he would likely be counted among the missing, his fate concealed from friends and family. Just like Melvin Holland. NAM VET Newsletter Page 28 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 "Vietnam Veterans Hold Candlelight Vigil" author-unknown Submitted by: Ron Triplett VVA 31 - Muskegon, MI Input by: Joyce Flory NamVet's Incarcerated Veterans Section Editor Desert Dolphin BBS - Las Cruces, NM (505) 523-2811 Sunday evening, on September 18, at 8:00 p.m., residents at MCF (Joyce's note: Muskegon Correctional Facility) were treated with the sight of two columns of Vietnam Veterans of America leaving the school building with lit candles in their hands. The candles represent that undying spirit that we hold for those who fought in Vietnam and are still Missing In Action (MIA) or are Prisoners Of War (POW) to this very day. The solemn procession marched to the MIA/POW Memorial near the visiting yard to honor those brave men and women who are still unaccounted for. As they approached the memorial from behind , each veteran placed his candle on the mantle, on either side of the flagpole. Ron Triplett, MCF's VVA Chairman, gave a welcoming address to the residents gathered there, and a few special guests, and acting chaplain, Guy Blondin, gave a prayer for those we refuse to forget. VVA Coordinator at MCF, John Kemme, Chapter #31, then delivered his address. Following Kemme, Michigan State Council Representative Lupe Alivar, Chapter #31, spoke to the assembled veterans about current MIA/POW issues. As the membership stood quietly by, with their hats in their hands, almost in an unconscious state of "attention," Ron Triplett read the roll call of those Michigan MIAs and POWs represented on our Memorial. Following the roll call, the acting chaplain read an emotional benediction and the vigil came to an end. This solemn ceremony was received well, not only by those participating, but from the MCF staff and residents as well. Today we salute those MCF veterans who so proudly paid tribute to their "brothers in battle" who seem to have been forgotten by far too many. This special day for MIAs and POWs was celebrated with such solemn occasion all across the country, with the ultimate hope and prayer that "Someday we WILL bring them home!" " NAM VET Newsletter Page 29 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Christmas Tree Hijacked! U.S. Veteran News & Report 11/19/90 Input by: Terry Hayes VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 WALDEN, CO -- Fifty to sixty Vietnam Veterans, POW/MIA family members and activists ambushed a freight train in Walden, Colorado today. The train was carrying the official Christmas tree bound for the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. Dr. Bruce Adams, whose brother, MSgt. Steven H. Adams, has been missing in North Vietnam since 18 October 1966, led the group which included long-time POW/MIA advocate Lew Ross, from Nevada. The action, called "Project Desert Wreath" supported U.S. servicemen and women serving in the Persian Gulf, and in particular, the eight now reported MIA from Operation Desert Shield. The group also called attention to live POW/MIAs from the wars in Southeast Asia and Korea as well as World War II. After stopping the train, Adams mounted ladders on the locomotive and held a press conference during which he dubbed the train the "Freedom Train" and the tree the "People's Tree." The group then decorated the tree and its car with a wreath containing the names of the eight MIAs from the Persian Gulf and several wreaths decorated with POW/MIA bracelets from all fifty U.S. states. "Project Desert Wreath" marks the first time a POW/MIA message has adorned an official tree of the U.S. Capitol Building. Dr. Adams asks for public support and media attention to the tree, which leaves Walden en route to Washington, D.C. through Nebraska in the next few days. He requests that concerned Americans make sure the tree reaches Washington still carrying the POW/MIA message. For information, contact Dr. Adams at: (307) 742-7260 or (307) 721-2900. Groups supporting the event included: Vietnam Veterans of Wyoming National Committee for American War Veterans National Alliance of Families (Special note must be taken that when the train stopped and the engineer appeared, he was a Vietnam veteran and was wearing a POW/MIA hat!) [Note from Joe: The reported MIA/POWs in Operation Desert Shield, after much discussion in VIETNAM_VETS, appear to be those that were KIA-BNR (Killed in Action - Body Not Recovered). THANX to all of you who responded so quickly when the question was asked!] NAM VET Newsletter Page 30 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 ================================================================= F r o m A z t e c S h o r e t o A r c t i c Z o n e ================================================================= U.S. Coast Guard in South East Asia/Vietnam Conflict; Part 1 By: John (Jack) Hawkins, USCG (Ret) VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 ------------------------------------- From Aztec Shore to Arctic Zone To Europe and Far East Our Flag is carried by Our Ships In Time of War and Peace Verse from "SEMPER PARATUS" The Coast Guard Marching Song ------------------------------------- The United States Coast Guard is the smallest of this nation's five armed services, and during the Vietnam War, Coast Guardsmen continued to serve with distinction, as their fathers did in Korea and World War II and their grandfathers in World War I. Operating from 82 foot coastal patrol boats, destroyer sized large cutters, C-123 & C-130 aircraft, 180 foot buoy tenders, ammunition laden vessels, isolated Loran stations, or as exchange pilots with the 37th ARRS or on staff with the merchant marine details in Saigon, "COASTIES" performed military duties every bit as heroic as their brother and sister Army, Navy, Marine and Air Force brother and sister Vietnam veterans. This article is the first part of a multi-part history of Coast Guard operations in SOUTH EAST Asia and the Vietnam Conflict. Many books, videos, movies, and such have discussed Vietnam from all angles, except from the view of the Coast Guardsman in SouthEast Asia. Originally written in 1975 as part of the Coast Guard Historical Nomograph program, I have transcribed it verbatim. The author, Eugene Tulich, then a Coast Guard Lieutenant, served two tours afloat on coastal barrier patrols off the coast of South Vietnam. So, we'll start with "A Story of Twenty-six", the 82-foot coastal patrol boats. ------------------------------------- And never have we struck it yet In spite of foeman's might Who cheered us on and cheered again for showing how to fight. "SEMPER PARATUS" ------------------------------------- INTRODUCTION Early in the war in Vietnam it was obvious that the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese forces were obtaining their supplies in a myriad of ways. The forces allied with the Republic of South Vietnam had no effective means of stopping the enemy infiltration of men, arms and supplies During February of 1965, an Army pilot flying over Vung Ro Bay near Qui Nhon noticed an "island" moving slowly from one side of the bay to another. Upon closer observation the "island" was NAM VET Newsletter Page 31 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 discovered to be a carefully camouflaged ship. Air strikes were called in and the vessel sunk. Intelligence sources determined the ship was of North Vietnamese origin and engaged in rearming enemy forces. It became imperative to establish a tight security and surveillance system. This would be no easy chore with over 1,200 miles of coastline to patrol and over 60,000 junks and sampans to control. To provide this coverage the Coastal Surveillance Force was established in March of 1965. This Task Force provided a single command to integrate sea-, air- and land-based units and coordinate U. S. Navy, Coast Guard and South Vietnamese naval units. This unique organization was called Market Time after the native sampans and junks utilizing coastal waterways for fishing. Naval units of the Market Time operation successfully interdicted enemy vessels carrying supplies and personnel. The success of the operation forced the enemy to rely on the Ho Chi Minh trail to transport supplies. As most of the trawler "kills" were in southern Vietnam near the Ca Mau peninsula, the enemy had to carry supplies over an extraordinarily long distance. A TALE OF TWENTY SIX It was shortly after the February trawler incident that Commander Naval Forces Vietnam (COMNAVFORV) gave serious thought to maintaining surveillance and patrols in the inland and coastal waters of the Republic of Vietnam. It was not long before the need for Coast Guard units was recognized and on the 16th of April, 1965 the Secretary of the Navy requested information on the availability of Coast Guard units from the Secretary of Treasury. Three days later on 19 April, the Commandant of the Coast Guard advised that 82 foot and 40 foot patrol boats were available. Coast Guard Representatives were sent to Commander in Chief Pacific Fleet (CINCPACFLT) and again only three days passed before the decision was reached that the Coast Guard would provide seventeen 82 foot patrol boats. In support of the seventeen, the Navy promised to support two Repair Ships (ARL's). A few days later on the 29th of April, the Secretaries of Defense and Treasury sent a joint memorandum to the President advising him of the proposed deployment. The following day it was announced that Coast Guard Squadron One was being formed. Shortly thereafter on the 6th of May the Coast Guard promulgated an operation order for the deployment of the seventeen and only twelve days later the 17 patrol boats were being loaded as deck cargo on merchant vessels in New York, Norfolk, New Orleans, San Pedro, San Francisco, and Seattle. Nine days following the loading of the patrol boats, Coast Guard Squadron One was commissioned at Coast Guard Base Alameda. The ceremony took place at 1000 hours, 27 May 1965. Particular note should be made of the willingness of the Navy to call up its primary back-up force and the preparedness of the Coast Guard to swiftly shift from a peacetime mission to a combat mission. Initially, total Coast Guard personnel assigned to the newly formed Squadron One numbered 47 officers and 198 enlisted. These Coast Guardsmen underwent survival training at Coronado, California and were instructed by the Coast Guard on such topics as the care and feeding of the 81 mm mortar and the .50 caliber machine gun, and other subjects which included NBC warfare, Damage Control, Navigation and Piloting, Organization, Rules of the Nautical Road, Boarding Procedures and Tactics, Lookout NAM VET Newsletter Page 32 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Procedures, Recognition, Combat Indoctrination, Radiotelephone Procedures, Water Survival, Hand to Hand Combat, and the Code of Conduct. Upon completion of the required training, the personnel joined their patrol boats at Subic Bay, Philippine Islands. On the 12th of June 1965, Coast Guard Squadron One came under the Authority of the Navy when it changed operational control to Commander in Chief, Pacific Fleet. While under the operational control of CINCPACFLT, the men and patrol boats of Squadron One were given shakedown and refresher training at Subic Bay Naval Base. While the cutters were preparing for the voyage to Vietnam, Squadron One established an liaison office at the Headquarters of Chief, Naval Advisory Group in Saigon to help smooth the rough waters that were bound to work up. Finally on 15 July, the boats of Coast Guard Division Twelve departed Subic Bay for Da Nang and five days later the patrol boats of Division Eleven sailed for An Thoi in the Gulf of Thailand. Upon arrival at their respective bases they CHOPPED to Commander Task Force 71. They were only under CTF 71 a few days as Commander Task Force 115 (Market Time) was established on 30 July 1965. Five Coastal Surveillance Centers were set up under CTF 115 and located at Da Nang, Qui Nhon, Nha Trang, Vung Tau, and An Thoi. These CSC's coordinated the patrols of the RONONE cutters and directed most significant operations. The cutters lost no time getting on patrol and going about their duties. As there was a great profusion of junks, sampans, and varied other craft, a priority system of boarding was instituted. The priority scheme was: first, vessels transiting the area; second, junks fishing or operating in restricted areas; third, fishing boats anchored and not working nets; and fourth, fishing boats working nets. These patrol duties were accomplished by being on underway two-thirds of the time in Division 11; and 3 days on patrol followed 1 day inport with a 5 day respite after 6 patrols in Division 12. When the cutters were underway they reported to the minesweeper or destroyer escort that was maintaining the outer barrier patrol. The outer barrier ships assisted the WPB's with radar and navigational information. In turn, the WPB's provided similar service to Vietnamese Naval Junk Force units that were close inshore. Though the water was too shallow for the cutters to be in close with the VNN junks, they were able to provide gunfire support if necessary. A few matters required quick rectification. The CGC POINT ORIENT on its first night time patrol near the 17th parallel received mortar and machine gun fire. White cutters are a beautiful sight on a moonlit or flare-lit night, that is unless you are on the cutter. On the 21st of September, CTF 115 ordered the patrol boats painted grey. An old adage of military life also crept in - the 10% that did not get the word. CGC POINT YOUNG on one of its early patrols received fire from friendly forces. Luckily no one was hurt and immediate steps were taken to preclude further incidents, though we will note a little later there was still that 10% of the 10%. It was felt that after one month of aggressive patrols there was only about a 10% chance of a junk slipping through the barrier and no chance of a steel hull. Division Eleven in its first month of operations boarded more than 1,100 junks and sampans, inspected over 4,000 Vietnamese craft, and used more that 4,800 man hours to carry out the assigned mission "Stop Sea Infiltration of Weapons and Supplies to the Viet Cong". The heavy patrol schedule of the NAM VET Newsletter Page 33 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 cutters was complemented by the shore staff working an average of 84 hours a week. The effectiveness of the patrols hurt the VC and the barrier patrol became both a physical and psychological warfare battle. The VC told the fishermen that the WPB's were driving them from their best fishing grounds just so U.S. fishing boats could be brought in. This may have appeared to be true to the Vietnamese fishermen since frequently the best fishing grounds were in restricted waters and the WPB's did chase them out. To counter this Coast Guard, Navy, and South Vietnamese set up a counter PSYOPS program which included handouts of literature and SVN flags. Medical treatment was given as needed and medevacs to U.S. hospital facilities were common. Of course, an American cannot participate in PSYOPS without dispensing profuse quantities of candy and cigarettes. Action was always just around the bend or the island and on 19 September 1965 the POINT GLOVER and the POINT MARONE had some. POINT GLOVER was nearly rammed by a 20 foot junk carrying five men, one of whom was subsequently captured along with several small arms, ammunition, papers and clothing. The cutter POINT MARONE was attempting to inspect a 40 foot junk when the junk evaded and opened fire with small arms and grenades. The cutter responded with machine gunfire killing 8 Viet Cong. One VC was captured along with small arms, ammunition, grenades, a lead sealed box, clothing, money, and caulking compound. Besides the normal duties of preventing the infiltration of enemy men and supplies, the WPB's were frequently called upon to provide emergency support for U.S. Special Forces camps. This emergency support consisted of the transportation of personnel, medevacs, and firing urgent Naval Gunfire Support missions. Even though the performance of the cutters was nothing less than outstanding, there remained a large gap in the force which had to be filled. Division Twelve in Da Nang covered the East Coast and Division Eleven provided coverage on the West Coast, but no one really protected the vital Southeast Coast. So on the 29th of October, 1965, the Coast Guard, at the request of the Secretary of the Navy, ordered nine additional Coast Guard 82 patrol boats detached from normal duties for deployment to RONONE under CTF 115. The WPB's of Division Thirteen were embarked on 1 December 1965 and the division established on the 12th. The cutters sailed from Subic enroute Vung Tau on 15 February 1966. As Squadron One grew so did the duties of its staff. On 5 November 1965, Commander Coast Guard Squadron One was assigned additional duty with COMUSMACV Joint Staff attached to NAVADVGRP in connection with IV Coastal Zone advisor task. On 15 December, COMCOGARDRONONE was upgraded to a captain (O-6) billet and the position tasked with additional duty as advisor to CHNAVADGRP SAIGON for Coast Guard related matters. The cutter POINT WHITE had not been in-country a month when she started conducting patrols on a VC controlled area of the Soi Rap River. The POINT WHITE used a ruse of steaming out of the patrol area and covertly returning to the VC area. Soon she spotted a junk crossing the river and attempted to stop it. The junk opened fire with small arms, including automatic weapons. POINT WHITE returned the fire and rammed the junk throwing the occupants into the water. The cutter's Commanding Officer rescued a survivor who turned out to be a key VC leader of the Rung Sat Secret Zone. During this month of March, 3 WPB's of Division Thirteen accounted for 27 VC killed in action, 7 captured in action, and considerable NAM VET Newsletter Page 34 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 contraband confiscated. Activity continued throughout April, 1966 with Coast Guard Cutter POINT COMFORT being fired upon by a Cambodian patrol in the Gulf of Thailand; the POINT PARTRIDGE capturing a hard core VC Colonel of Engineers; and Coast Guard and Navy personnel fighting a conflagration that destroyed seventy housing units in the village of An Thoi, Phu Quoc Island. May started out with the POINT PARTRIDGE capturing a junk containing CHICOM weapons and the POINT GRACE capturing a sampan taking 3 prisoners, rifles and ammunition. On the 19th of the month a significant naval engagement was fought. The POINT GREY was on patrol near the Ca Mau peninsula when she sighted a 120 foot trawler heading on various courses and speeds. Her suspicions were aroused and POINT GREY commenced shadowing the trawler. After observing what appeared to be signal fires on the beach she hailed the vessel, but received response. The trawler ran aground and POINT GREY personnel attempted to board it. They were prevented from doing so by heavy automatic weapons fire from the beach which resulted in three wounded on board POINT GREY. POINT CYPRESS and U.S. Navy units came to assist. After a determination was made that the trawler could not be salvaged, it was destroyed. U.S. Navy salvage teams recovered a substantial amount of war material. This incident was the largest single known infiltration attempt since the Vung Ro Bay incident of February, 1965. May was also the first birthday of RONONE and during that first year of operations the cutters of Squadron One steamed more than half million miles; were underway over seventy percent of the time; detected 150,000 junks; inspected 30,000 junks; boarded 35,000 junks; accounted for 75 VC KIA/WIA/CIA; arrested hundreds; destroyed sixteen s and one steel hull; captured enemy weapons and supplies in excess of 100 tons; conducted thirty-five NGFS missions; participated in special operations in support of U.S. and South Vietnamese forces; and conducted an active PSYWAR campaign. The month of June proved to be as exciting as May. The POINT LEAGUE was on patrol and detected a 98 foot trawler in South Vietnamese waters. The POINT LEAGUE challenged the trawler and was fired upon. The cutter returned fire and ran the trawler aground. The cutters POINT SLOCUM and POINT HUDSON joined in the fray along with aircraft. A small explosion was observed on the trawler and she was subsequently boarded and captured. After refloating, the trawler was towed to Vung Tau where many tons of war material was removed. Two Coastguardsmen were wounded during the battle. Little happened during July, 1966 and August started off slowly with routine operations. The POINT ARDEN rescued an LCU from straying over the 17th parallel, a not uncommon occurrence due to the configuration of the coastline. On 11 August 1966, the POINT WELCOME was on patrol near the DMZ when suddenly she was illuminated and then attacked by friendly aircraft. Sustaining several hits in the bridge area, she was also ablaze with a gasoline fire. She attempted to repel the attack while extinguishing the fire. Still under attack she ran aground and was abandoned, but not before all donned life jackets. When other Coast Guard units arrived on scene the Commanding Officer of the POINT WELCOME was dead along with one of his crew. The executive officer, two other crewmen, the Vietnamese liaison, and a Life NAM VET Newsletter Page 35 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Magazine reporter were wounded. The POINT WELCOME was refloated and towed to port for repairs. September was a time for rescues with the Coast Guard saving four of six crewmen from a downed helicopter. The POINT LEAGUE responded to a distress on the S/S DRAGONLADY. POINT LEAGUE dewatered a flooded compartment, replaced the injured Chief Engineer with a first class engineman and gave general comfort to the seasick officers and the inexperienced crew. October was quiet and November was highlighted by the POINT COMFORT dispersing enemy forces attacking U.S. Special Forces personnel. POINT COMFORT provided NGFS, suppressed enemy fire and evacuated refugees. The days went routinely until 14 March 1967 when the POINT ELLIS and USN units detected an enemy steel hull trawler and forced it to beach. The enemy, forced to destroy a precious cargo of mortars, small arms, uniforms and other contraband, was deprived of a large quantity of much needed war material. The waters around Vietnam were relatively uncharted and so survey vessels were dispatched to conduct hydrographic operations. During these operations in May, 1967 a survey boat from the USS MAURY was hit by enemy fire and was sinking. The POINT KENNEDY went alongside the survey boat to give damage control assistance and simultaneously suppressed enemy fire while skillfully extracting both craft from this precarious position. The same month the Vietnamese liaison and a crewman from the POINT ELLIS went into the water to recover a sailor lost overboard from the USS PRINCETON. On 15 July 1967, the POINT ORIENT led an attack on an enemy trawler. The trawler, after being taken under fire by POINT ORIENT and a PCF grounded near a river. The trawler's superstructure was heavily damaged and she was ablaze from stem to stern. Though on fire she did not explode though several minor explosions did take place. The contents of the trawler were salvaged by USN and ROK units. In addition to trawler killing Coast Guard patrol boats acted as blockade units to prevent exfiltration, provided NGFS and conducted Harassment and Interdiction missions. The Coast Guard patrol boats were built for offshore rescue work in adverse weather conditions while their Navy counterpart, the PCF, was not. So well suited to their missions, they frequently remained on station while larger naval units departed. This did not go unnoticed at CTF 115. So in September, 1967, it was decided that seasonal shifts of WPB's were to take place with the WPB's following the monsoons and the PCF's following the sunshine. Though this policy may not have been popular with an occasional Coastguardsman, they still maintained the patrol schedule and fulfilled all their duties. The 29th of February, 1968 brought the largest naval engagement of the Vietnam war. Four trawlers attempted to penetrate the barrier. Of these, three were destroyed and the fourth beat a retreat to the north. The first attempted to run the barrier in the area near Da Nang. The Coast Guard Cutter ANDROSCOGGIN challenged her and shortly after commenced fire which the enemy infiltrator returned. POINT WELCOME closed in illuminating; with the POINT GREY and a PCF using machine guns. The trawler fired back at the patrol boats, but she beached herself. POINT WELCOME fired 81 mm and others fired machine guns which silenced the enemy fire. Shortly after 0230 on the 1st of March, the trawler destroyed itself. NAM VET Newsletter Page 36 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Another trawler was destroyed off the Ca Mau peninsula. After numerous hits by gunfire from the CGC WINOA, POINT GRACE, POINT MARONE, POINT HUDSON, and USN PCF's she burst into flame and subsequently exploded. She disappeared from the radar screens about the same time as the previous one. About the same time that the second trawler was sounding her death knell a third sounded hers. Caught and beached northeast of Nha Trang, she attempted to return fire of the Coast Guard and Navy units, but was destroyed after several direct hits from 81 mm mortars. A fourth trawler was spotted by the Cutter MINNETONKA on outer barrier patrol before the trawler crossed into Vietnamese waters. The trawler turned and left the area. Near the DMZ was a base at Cua Viet where a LST ramp was located for unloading supplies and ammunition. The POINT ARDEN was at that location on 10 March when a fire started. The chief boatswain's mate from the POINT ARDEN extinguished the fire, secured a 5" rubber hose pumping gasoline and is given probable credit for saving the main ammunition dump. He received shrapnel wounds from a minor explosion that took place. Between the Cua Viet LST ramp and the next major phase of RONONE history was the conducting routine operations such as patrol, NGFS, H & I, SAR, arresting draft dodgers and so forth. The POINT ORIENT captured six NVA officers in an infiltration attempt. A high level decision was made and in January 1969, two Vietnamese Navy lieutenants reported aboard WPB's as the first phase in a transition to Vietnamese control of WPB's. A month later 17 VNN ensigns and 2 more lieutenants reported as part of the turnover. With out a doubt language and communications did arise but they were quickly overcome. Vietnamese enlisted men phased in, replacing U.S. counterparts and after several fully operational patrols were ready for turnover. On 16 May 1969, the cutters POINT GARNET and POINT LEAGUE were transferred to the Vietnamese Navy in appropriate ceremonies at Saigon and named LE PHUOC DUC and LE VAN NGA respectively. While transition was taking place the other cutters continued their normal duties. In two boat trips through the surf, the POINT BANKS extracted nine friendlies trapped by the VC. The damage control parties of the POINT CYPRESS and the POINT WHITE saved a PCF from sinking. The POINT WHITE refloated two PCF's that went aground at Ha Tien. While at Ha Tien, crewmen from the cutter repaired an evaporator previously thought unrepairable and gave the forces in Ha Tien their first consistent water supply in more than a year. Regardless of whatever other activities the cutters were involved in the primary mission was turnover. Included in this turnover process was the training of Vietnamese repair forces. By August the VNN WPB repair crew was able to remove and install overhauled engines in the WPB's unaided except for some American muscle. Problems were inherent in the turnover as personnel reporting not of the proper pay grade, of insufficient number, and late reporting. But it must be remembered that the VNN was suffering growing pains emerging from primarily a coastal junk force to a modern navy in just a few years. Boats were constantly being turned over and while a substantial portion of the crew was Vietnamese several significant operations took place. In early 1970 the cutters POINT JEFFERSON and POINT PARTRIDGE conducted maximum boarding, search and PSYOPS missions. NAM VET Newsletter Page 37 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Three hundred fifteen junks were boarded or inspected, 2 detainees taken, 2,000 people reached, 3,000 bars of soap and 5,000 leaflets distributed along with numerous food items, and medical treatment given to twelve Vietnamese. A few days later the POINT JEFFERSON helped retake an outpost overrun by the VC by giving close support to friendly forces. During May 1970 the cutters POINT BANKS and POINT GREY landed a group, detained 16 suspected VC, captured 22 VC/NVA, and killed nine VC. Ten enemy watercraft, 15 offensive structures and 13 other structures were destroyed in the operation. On 15 August 1970, the last two cutters of the twenty-six, the Cutters POINT MARONE and POINT CYPRESS were transferred to the Vietnamese. The same day RONONE and Coast Guard Division Twelve were disestablished. A new post of Senior Coast Guard Officer, Vietnam was established as a sub-unit of Commander, Coast Guard SouthEast Asia Section. [Stay tuned for other parts of the USCG in SEA - Vietnam] NAM VET Newsletter Page 38 ================================================================= A T T A C K o n t h e U . S . S . L i b e r t y ! ! ! ================================================================= The Liberty - What does the government DO with the truth? Input by: Joe Meadors SeaBat BBS - Corpus Christi, TX (512) 387-6638 The following is an exact duplicate of a document prepared on September 21, 1967, by the Legal Adviser of the Department of State for Secretary of State Dean Rusk and Under Secretary for Political Affairs Eugene V. Rostow. The Legal Advisor, Mr. Carl F. Salans, was asked to analyze and compare the US Navy Court of Inquiry Report and the Israeli Defense Forces report of the USS Liberty incident. This document was classified TOP SECRET until January 24, 1983, when it was declassified and released in response to a $15,000 lawsuit filed in Minneapolis Federal District Court after the State Department refused to release it under the administrative provisions of the Freedom of Information Act. DEPARTMENT OF STATE The Legal Advisor September 21, 1967 TO: U - The Under Secretary THROUGH: S/S FROM: L - Carl F. Salans SUBJECT: "The LIBERTY" - Discrepancies Between Israeli Inquiry and U.S. Navy Inquiry - INFORMATION MEMORANDUM As you requested, we have compared the decision of the Israeli Judge, dated July 21, 1967, with the findings of the U.S. Navy Court of Inquiry, and the Clifford Report, concerning the LIBERTY incident. The following discrepancies are noteworthy: I. SPEED AND DIRECTION OF THE LIBERTY - The Israeli report indicates that the torpedo boat Division Commander reported and reconfirmed the target's (LIBERTY's) speed at 28 to 30 knots and that it had changed its navigational direction shortly after 1341 hours. - The U.S. Navy inquiry established that the LIBERTY had been on a steady course at 5 knots from 1132 hours until the attack. II. AIRCRAFT SURVEILLANCE - The Israeli report indicates that a ship was reported in the area by reconnaissance aircraft at 0600 and that another report was received of a contact between an Israeli aircraft and a surface vessel about 0900. - The Navy Court findings of fact, plus testimony of various members of the crew indicates reconnaissance overflights of the LIBERTY at 0515, 0850, 1030, 1056, 1126, 1145, 1220, and 1245. III. IDENTIFICATION BY ISRAELI AIRCRAFT NAM VET Newsletter Page 39 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 - The Israeli report indicates that the fighter aircraft carried out a run over the ship in an effort to identify it. - The Navy Inquiry reports no such identification run. Commander McGonagle testified that he observed one air- reconnaissance flight approximately five to six miles from the ship at an altitude of 7,000 feet. He did not see it approach the ship. Within a couple of minutes, a loud explosion was heard from the port side of the ship, apparently resulting from a rocket, launched by a second aircraft. IV. IDENTIFICATION BY TORPEDO BOATS - The Israeli report indicates that the torpedo boats approached the LIBERTY in order to establish visual contact and to identify it, and that in addition, the Commander of the torpedo boats signalled the LIBERTY requesting its identification. The LIBERTY reportedly answered, "Identify yourself first," and opened fire on the torpedo boats. - Commander McGonagle's testimony indicated that the only signals from the torpedo boats were those made during the high-speed approach from a distance of approximately 2,000 yards and that it was not possible for the LIBERTY to read the signals because of the intermittent blocking of view by smoke and flames. No reply signal was sent. Immediately after the liberty was struck by a torpedo, the torpedo boats stopped at a range of approximately 500 to 800 yards and one signalled by flashing light in English "Do you require assistance?" Commander McGonagle testified that he had no means to communicate with the boat by light but hoisted "CODE LIMA INDIA." ("I am not under command," i.e., not able to control movements of ship.) V. FLAG AND IDENTIFICATION MARKINGS - The Israeli report indicates that the fighter aircraft which reportedly made an initial pass over the LIBERTY was looking for a flag but found none; likewise no other identification mark was observed. ". . . Throughout the contact no American or any other flag appeared on the ship . . .." (Elsewhere the report had indicated that at 1055 the ship had been identified as the LIBERTY "whose marking was GTR-5.") - The Navy inquiry confirms by testimony of five members of the crew that they had personally observed the Ensign flying during the entire morning and up until the air attack. The Ensign was subsequently shot away during the air attack. Before the torpedo attack, a second Ensign was hoisted. The Navy report also found that "hull markings were clear and freshly painted." - The Clifford report noted that "the LIBERTY's U.S. Navy's distinguishing letters and number were painted clearly on her bow. The LIBERTY's name was clearly painted in English on her stern. The ship's configuration and her standard markings were clearly sufficient for reconnaissance aircraft and waterborne vessels to identify her correctly . . .." The report noted that at all times prior to the air attack the LIBERTY was flying her normal size American flag (5 ft. by 8 ft.) at the masthead. Five minutes prior to the attack by the torpedo boats, the LIBERTY put up a flag NAM VET Newsletter Page 40 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 measuring 7 ft. by 13 ft. to replace the flag which had been shot down in the air attack. VI. IDENTIFICATION OF SHIP AS "EL-KASIR" - The Israeli report indicates that shortly before the torpedo attack the torpedo boat Division Commander reported the certain identification of the vessel as an Egyptian transport ship named " El Kasir." Identification of the target was made both by the Division Commander and the commander of another torpedo boat. The Israeli Judge indicated in his decision that "on examining photographs of the two ships, I am satisfied that a likeness exists between them, and that an error of identification is possible, especially having regard to the fact, that identification was made while the ship was clouded in smoke." - The Clifford report noted "That the LIBERTY could have been mistaken for the Egyptian supply ship El Quseir is unbelievable. El Quseir has one-fourth the displacement of the LIBERTY, roughly one-half the beam, is 180 feet shorter, and is very differently configured. The LIBERTY's unusual antenna array and hull markings should have been visible to low-flying aircraft and torpedo boats. . . . Trained Israeli naval personnel should have been able easily to see and identify the larger markings on the LIBERTY. ADDITIONAL OBSERVATIONS REGARDING ISRAELI REPORT I. SPEED OF "LIBERTY" AND "EL KASIR" AS IDENTIFICATION FACTORS - The Israeli report states that the initial speed of the target reported by the torpedo boat commander at 1341 hours as 30 knots was verified within minutes and confirmed as a speed of 28 knots. The report notes that it was the speed of the target which led to the final conclusion that there was no reason for surmising that the target could possibly be the LIBERTY. - The reported speed would have ruled out the "El Kasir" as the target, as well as the LIBERTY since the top speed of the "Kasir," published in JANES FIGHTING SHIPS, is in the range of 14 knots. The LIBERTY's top speed is 18 knots. II. FAILURE TO RELATE LIBERTY TO BOMBARDMENT CAPABILITY - The Israeli report emphasizes that the attack originated with reports that the El Arish area was being shelled from the sea. The implication of such reports was obviously that a ship capable of such shelling was present in the immediate offshore area, i.e., within gun range of the shore. - It would be clear to any trained observer that the armament aboard the LIBERTY was incapable of shore bombardment. It appears nevertheless that neither the aircraft, torpedo boats, nor the command headquarters to which they presumably reported evaluated the ship's capability for shore bombardment. III. TIME SEQUENCE OF ATTACKS - The Israeli report indicates that it had been agreed that as soon as the torpedo boats located the target, aircraft would be dispatched. At 1341 hours the torpedo boat NAM VET Newsletter Page 41 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 located the target. "A few minutes later," the dispatch of aircraft was requested. The first air attack occurred at approximately 1400 hours. - Assuming "a few minutes later" would mean four or five minutes, the request for aircraft must have occurred about 1345. One may infer from the fact that within a period of approximately 15 minutes, the request was transmitted, received, a command decision made, aircraft dispatched, and the attack launched, that no significant time was expended in an effort to identify the ship from the air before the attack was launched. IV. ATTACK BY TORPEDO BOAT AFTER "DO NOT ATTACK" ORDER - The Israeli report confirms that during the final attack by aircraft the marking "CPR-5" was noted on the hull and an order was transmitted to the torpedo boat division not to attack. The order was recorded in the log book of the flag boat at approximately 1420 hours. The torpedo boats nevertheless began their attack run at approximately 1428. The Division Commander later "claimed that no such message ever reached him." The Deputy Commander testified that "he received the message and passed it on to the Division Commander." ================================================================= "Truth" Held Hostage by Government Employment By: James M. Ennes, Jr. Input by: Joe Meadors SeaBat BBS - Corpus Christi, TX (512) 387-6638 James M. Ennes, Jr. Woodinville, Washington 98072 February 8, 1988 Captain R. F. Testa, USN Deputy Chief of Legislative Affairs Department of the Navy Office of Legislative Affairs Washington, D.C. 20350 Dear Captain Testa: Admiral Robert Garrick has kindly shared with me your letter of 13 November which responds to some questions Admiral Garrick asked about the Israeli attack upon the USS Liberty in 1967. I should like to comment briefly upon certain government errors which you have repeated to Admiral Garrick in your letter. First, you tell Admiral Garrick that the Navy Court of Inquiry conducted a "thorough investigation" into the attack, taking testimony from numerous witnesses including officers and men of the Liberty, weighing contradictory evidence and evaluating the record as a whole. While I realize that our government has been claiming "thorough investigation" since 1967, I should like you to understand that your statement in this regard is mistaken. I was Liberty's officer of the deck when the attack started and I was on the bridge almost continually for seven hours preceding the first NAM VET Newsletter Page 42 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 strafing run, when I was wounded. I held the deck or the conn or both during most of that period. I was relieved of the conn only seconds before the firing started. No one else was on the bridge continually during that extended period of reconnaissance, count- down to the attack and start of the attack. Thus I was by any measure a key witness to the event. Yet the court declined to interview me personally and declined to accept a sworn statement I submitted while the court was in session. Similarly, none of the ship's deck logs or quartermaster's notebook logs were accepted into evidence by the Court or entered into the official record as is usual in cases of this sort. Like other vital records, ship's weather logs were available but ignored, even though wind and weather conditions were important to the court's deliberations. Other key officers were likewise forbidden to testify on the record. For instance, the ship's second-in-command who relieved our mortally wounded executive officer was forbidden to testify. Officers and key people who did testify were allowed only to cover a narrow range of answers which had been meticulously reviewed beforehand. This must be the only inquiry ever held by the Navy into a disaster at sea in which the Navy failed to interview either the Officer of the Deck for the critical period, or the ship's second in command, and failed to take into evidence any of the key deck, bridge and weather logs. Can anyone seriously call this a thorough inquiry? I could go on at length. The point is, that Court of Inquiry was by no means "a thorough investigation." Its conduct, in fact, in several instances was in gross violation of the requirements of the Manual of the Judge Advocate General of the Navy. The record, in fact, is such a travesty that the Judge Advocate for CINCUSNAVEUR refused to prepare an endorsement for it and objected strenuously and personally to the Judge Advocate General of the Navy when that task was handled by others. That officer, one of the few to display any courage in this case, later became Judge Advocate General of the Navy and retired as a Rear Admiral. The flawed report, however, sailed on and was ultimately approved for political reasons despite the many fatal defects. The main point I wish to make, however, regards your reply to Admiral Garrick's question which asked why Sixth Fleet rescue aircraft were recalled while we were still under attack and calling for help. According to your letter, those aircraft were recalled "following the receipt. . .of a message. . .stating that Israeli aircraft and torpedo boats had erroneously attacked a U.S. ship and that rescue operations were underway." That, sir, is not true. Captain Testa, the attack on our ship started at 2:00PM local time. At 2:09PM local time Captain Joseph Tully of the carrier USS Saratoga informed us by radio that rescue aircraft were enroute. Those aircraft, however, were recalled on orders from Washington while we were still fighting, dying, and crying for help. Numerous responsible people are available to verify this fact, including Captain Tully, his now-retired navigator Admiral Max Morris, and others. The recall mentioned in your letter was the recall of the second flight of aircraft. Those were launched NAM VET Newsletter Page 43 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 at least two hours later, long after we were torpedoed and 34 men were dead or mortally wounded. Those men could be alive today if Captain Joe Tully had been allowed to do his job. That is the flight that cost the lives of my shipmates! Forget the flight that originated after the shooting was over. Won't you tell us why Captain Tully's first flight, the rescue flight, the flight that could have saved 34 lives was recalled? You tell Admiral Garrick that Israel conducted its own inquiry which reported that the attack was an error--sadly suggestive of the fox investigating the case of the missing chickens! You fail to mention that the State Department subsequently examined that Israeli excuse and found it to be untrue, yet for political reasons classified that finding Top Secret until forced to release the report years later under the Freedom of Information act. Isn't it ironic that our government still cites in its arguments the discredited Israeli excuse, but ignores its own study which shows that the Israeli report is untrue? The Navy explains discrepancies in the conduct and findings of the Court of Inquiry by telling us that the court record is bound to contain conflicting evidence, including some evidence which may not support its findings. Conclusions, the Navy asserts, are necessarily based upon an evaluation of all the evidence. This assertion is evasive and misleading. Our complaint is that evidence was ignored and conclusions were published based upon no evidence whatsoever! Worse, our complaint is that several vital conclusions run counter to and are totally contradicted by and not supported in any way by any of the evidence. This is not a question of how the evidence was evaluated. Our complaint is that findings were made without regard for the evidence, and any careful reading of that transcript will show that this is so. For but one small example, the court concluded as a "Finding of Fact" that the flag may not have been seen by the attacking forces because it hung limp from the mast on a windless day. Yet, there is not one scrap of evidence to support such a conclusion. The ship's Weather Log records 14 knots of relative wind, and several witnesses report seeing the flag fly clearly displayed in a good breeze before and throughout the attack. Not a single witness and not one scrap of evidence suggests that the flag ever hung limp at the mast even for a moment. Yet the court, for reasons unclear, chose to disregard all existing evidence and testimony and instead engaged in unwarranted speculation and published an unjustified conclusion which says that the pilots may not have seen the flag because it might have been a windless day. Such nonsense. This, sir, was by no means a thorough investigation. My shipmates and I possess evidence to support every statement in this letter. We are eager to testify as well. Numerous patriotic Americans of the era agree with our position and have said so, including Admiral Thomas Moorer (who ordered the report you cite), Dean Rusk, Richard Helms and his deputy from CIA, General Marshall Carter and his Deputy from NSA, Paul Warnke who served at that time as principal advisor on National Security Affairs to the Secretary of Defense, and many others now out of government. The sad truth is that hardly anyone finds the courage to speak up on this subject until they are safely out of government. NAM VET Newsletter Page 44 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Isn't there someone still in the Navy with the courage to examine this subject honestly while they are still in government with some chance of influencing what our government says on this important subject. Must we hear the truth only from former government officials and retired naval officers? Surely, somewhere, there must be at least one active duty senior officer with the courage to examine the facts in this case and then to work within the system to help us correct the grave injustices of the past twenty years. Won't you take time to look into this case a bit deeper. If you will do that, I am certain you will find that the subject deserves a more thoughtful answer than the one you gave Admiral Garrick on November 13. Sincerely, Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 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 45 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 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 46 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 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 47 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 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 48 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 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 49 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 ================================================================= T h e N a m V e t C h a p e l ================================================================= As Jim Sees It! By: Jim Hildwine NamVet's Federal Benefits Section Editor VETPoint 47 - Shady Side, MD (413) 443-6313 [From the VIETNAM_VETS EchoConference] [lightly edited and spell-checked by Managing Editor] It's funny I've been off for awhile with computer problems, plus some business problems. I return to see the same old saber- rattling comments. First: This is an Echo [VIETNAM_VETS] devoted to Vietnam Vets, or any vet. There is no requirement for membership; there are as of this date no dues, and we are (self) supporting in our own ways. Two: I find no problems with anyone preaching his Higher Power, or religion on this Echo [VIETNAM_VETS]. As I think back to my first tour in the Nam, and wandering all over the Delta with a Mech Scout Plt, I really didn't have any time for God, or whatever you choose to call that or it entity. I do know, when ambushed one rainy day, and all hell was breaking loose, and three of my men were blow to bits, my RT hit, and radio out, I did do a bit of praying. I prayed for once the Lt had sent the fire mission right, and I prayed it came and it hit were it was supposed to, and I prayed when they didn't get any answer they would keep firing. All my prayers were answered. Up to that point in time, God had been no part of my life, even tho I went to catholic school for the first four years of my life. I was a Catholic NP (Non-practicing). Three: On the 13th of Oct 1984, I lay on a death bed in a military hospital, (I'm retired form the US Army). I was in an ICU, and my chances were nil, zero, nothing. I was going to die period. I went into a deep, very deep, depression - so deep, and so painful, I just wanted and waited for my last heartbeat, and then pass into whatever comes next if there is anything. Two things happened. The 1st was, I thought of GOD and not being a believer. I found my self saying that I would rather believe there was a god and wake up and find there was none, than not to believe and wake up and find that there was one. The second thing that happened was kind of personal, but, I heard a message. It was clear, and to the point, and it made only one demand of me for my entire life. What that demand was some people know, others will guess. But, the voice I heard said that from this point forward would be the hardest and most difficult time of my life. It (the voice) also pointed out that at the end I would know peace and happiness like no other man. So I can say this - It and I did get better. Things worked out, and certain feelings in my life left me. I started to love those who hated me, and at times I prayed for them too. I am far from a millionaire, and probably just as close to being poor, than when I started, but so many beautiful things have happened over these past six years. When I visit the wall, I am always overcome by the feeling that my NAME is not there! There is and must be a reason for my existence. I believe there is. NAM VET Newsletter Page 50 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Some of you are not going to like what I wrote. Well, that's your problem. I'm a Veteran of Vietnam, and this is part of my growing experience after war, 20 years later. Up until some times in Nam, and 13 Oct 84, the only thing I cared about was Jim. I didn't care for your or you family or your brother. It's a bit different now. We're not kids any more, and the war stories get old and tend to lean a bit to the left of center after all the years. This Echo [VIETNAM_VETS] to me, is what it is now. What I'm going thru and what I see. GJoe knows most of my story as we've talked a lot. I say, we each have our own ways. Lets respect the other fellows. As I once herd: "I don't like what you said, but I will defend with my life your right to say it." In other words, lets get back to the basics. We're all brothers, it's just 20 years later. I close with AMEN.. Jim Hildwine, in DownTown ShadySide, MD Federal Benefits? Ask me!!! - Jim - NAM VET Newsletter Page 51 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 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 Quiet 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 52 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 ================================================================= D o n ' t A b a n d o n ' e m ================================================================= Updating our Incarcerated Vets List Hi Folks; Thought you might like a little update on how the incarcerated Vets pen-pal program is going. I noticed the Anniversary issue listing was missing a few names and addresses,so here they are: David M. McCook (DA-118) EF 183542 Jack T. Ruthledge C.I. PO Box 8409 Columbus, Ga. 31907 Willi Henderson - Bey 128457 Richard Sheff 180946 Tony Slusarski 131661 Ronald Kramer 181007 Ronald Triplett 132615 Teddy Stephens 182636 Danny McKay 147064 Edwin Zimmerman 184779 Boyd Blair 156418 William Letzgus 187075 Herschel Davis 163765 David Oates 190210 Thomas Siemoneit 179536 David Prieto 193367 Leonard Pikaart 179858 Wendell Neview 196387 David Martin 180065 Teddy McCray 200255 James Wilson 180186 Tim Shagen 203886 2400 South Sheridan Rd. Muskegon, MI 49442 A. David Baez #57020 PO Box 100 Somers, CT 06071 Harold Mize 863934 Cory Naples 901359 Westville CCR PO Box 473 Westville, Ind. 46391 - 0473 (My note - I have 138 other names for this prison, but will not release them until I have approval). I have gotten in touch with Southwestern Prison, here in New Mexico and have gotten word that they think the program is great and it will be instituted as soon as "the proper autorities" give it their OK. So, hopefully the list will be added to further, as I will now. I have also gotten the following list just in the past couple of NAM VET Newsletter Page 53 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 days : Jeff Well 28242 Harold Weaver 17624 Cecil Williams 23818 Harry Lilly 29894 James McGee 31489 Claude Theriault 11872 Earl Grissom 27536 Dan Richmond 15601 Roy Fudge 29966 Ken Jezierski 30790 Eddie Sanchez 26895 James Raines 31445 George McIntyre 25124 John Doane 14686 Eddie Romero 22115 Robert Turner 30473 Eugene Perry 29647 James Bishop 31347 Brook De Nault 29594 Brain Hern 14535 Nevada State Prison PO Box 607 Carson City, Nevada 89702 Sam Howard 18329 Pete Huertas 15239 Jake Reynolds 21763 Paul Stadtlander 23389 Ely State Prison PO Box 1989 Ely, Nevada 89301 I had a small windfall recently and found a good way to spend it was on Christmas cards and postage. I sent a card to everyone of the inmates listed ( except the Navada list ) , the day after Thanksgiving and am already seeing results !! I have received 13 responses !! Everything from "I don't know you but thanks for the card." to "I don't remember you, but the card sure made my day." to (quoting from a letter from Chris Crespin in Colo.) "To receive a card from strangers at this time of the year is very special and does let me know that there are truly some great people out there. Again Thank You!" and from Oliver Mayfield in Va. "Just a quick note to thank you Ken and the rest of your family for the card you sent. Believe me, I truly appreciate it !!" It takes so little to bring some joy to our incarcerated vets. How about dropping just one vet a letter, note, or card? It would only take a moment and a stamp, but would brighten the day for one of our "forgotten warriors" (so the inmates call themselves at times). Here's hoping the best to you and your families over the upcoming Holiday season and, as always, if there is some avenue I've not gone down to find these Vets, contact me through the echo, netmail 305/105, or 1825 Evelyn Las Cruces NM 88001. NAM VET Newsletter Page 54 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 State prison inmates here plan to help needy families By Michael G. Walsh (Muskegan, MI) Chronicle staff writer Input by: Joyce Flory NamVet's Incarcerated Veterans Section Editor [Note from Joyce: This article was sent to me by Ron Triplett, an incarcerated Vietnam vet and chairman of V.V.A. Chapter 31 in Muskegon, Michigan.] Inmates serving time for felony offenses at Muskegon's two medium-security prisons hope to bring Christmas cheer to needy area families in the coming weeks. Vietnam veterans serving time for felony offenses at the Muskegon Correctional Facility plan to bring groceries to needy families of fellow veterans. Members of the Child of the Month at Muskegon Temporary Facility plan to host a party at the prison for five youngsters whose mother is incarcerated. RONALD TRIPLETT, chairman of the prison chapter of Vietnam Veterans of America, said prison veterans raised $207 to purchase groceries that will be given to needy veterans' families. That amount was matched dollar-for-dollar by members of the Vietnam Veterans of America, Muskegon chapter, and the entire $414 will be used to purchase groceries for up to 40 needy families. "What's in it for us is we're veterans helping veterans", said Triplett, 39, a Navy veteran serving 19-to-35-year sentence for assault with intent to murder and armed robbery. "We're going to eat pretty good in here and if you've ever known anybody on welfare, this is a bad time of year. But by giving these families food, the money they would've spent on food they could use to pay their light bill or buy presents for the kids." Last year, incarcerated veterans raised $78, which John Kemme, prison counselor and veterans coordinator, then used to purchase groceries that he delivered to two families. THIS YEAR, Triplett said two minimum-security inmates may be allowed to leave the prison to help deliver the groceries to selected families; Kemme said the request is under study. "They think it's a pretty neat project," Kemme said the veterans' annual effort." The top wage out here is $1.45 a day. When you have a guy give five or six bucks, it's like giving a week's worth of pay." Triplett, who hopes to earn parole in 1991, said the second annual effort on behalf of needy veterans' families helps prisoners' image as well. "There's so much negative about inmates in prison, it's hard to find positive things to say about inmates," said Triplett. "I thought we did a pretty good job." Contributions may be made to the effort and may be sent to Christmas Project, Vietnam Veterans of America, 315 W. Clay, Muskegon, 49443. Down the street from the Muskegon Correctional Facility at a new temporary prison, the 18-inmate Child of the Month Club will present five children with coats and toys, said club president Wayne Perkins. "THE PURPOSE (of the club) is to provide funds and things like that for underprivileged kids," said Perkins, 27, who is serving time for attempted uttering and publishing and who hopes for parole within eight months." I think most people here understand the needs of the underprivileged because I've experienced it NAM VET Newsletter Page 55 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 myself. Just having something will be helpful, knowing someone else cares." Perkins said the group raised $625 that will be spent on toys and coats for the five children, whose mother is imprisoned elsewhere. Club members earned the money through sale of soft drinks, donuts, and sandwiches and from monthly dues, Perkins said. Persons wishing to contribute to the club's efforts may send donations to the Child of the Month Club , Muskegon Temporary Facility, 2901 Olthoff Drive, Muskegon 49443." NAM VET Newsletter Page 56 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 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:::. XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX K O R E A XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX ------------- XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX ------------- XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX V I E T N A M XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX ------------- XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX::::::::::::::::XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX::::::::::::::::XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX::' `::XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX:: ::XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX `..........''`XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX .:(O) . (O):. XXXXX:::' XXXX XXXXX ::' XXXXX .. XXXXX:: XXXX XXXXX .:' XXXXX . .. XXXXX: XXXX XXXXX :: XXXXX . .. ` XXXXX XXXX XXXXX :: XXXXX ' '.. ` XXXXX. XXXX XXXXX :: XXXXX" ' ` XXXXX . XXXX XXXXX ``. XXXXX ' . . . ` XXXXX '. ........., XXXX XXXXX :: XXXXX'' ..''.'''. XXXXX .' '.XXXX XXXXX :: XXXXX" ':.:'' XXXXX .'' .:::'XXXX XXXXX :: XXXXX:.. .:XXXXX.'' .::::' .XXXX XXXXX :: XXXXX '.. ..:' XXXXX ..:' . .:::'XXXX XXXXX ....::'XXXXX ':::::;' XXXXX .:''. .:::' XXXX XXXXX .:::::' XXXXX .: XXXXX :'. ..:... 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 57 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Incarcerated NamVets: Treated equally? By G. Joseph Peck NamVet's Managing Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 "Crime is an intentional act or omission in violation of criminal law (statutory and case law), committed without defense or justification, and sanctioned by the state as a felony or misdemeanor." Paul W. Tappan CRIME, JUSTICE, AND CORRECTION McGraw- Hill NY 1960 - P. 10 "Seems to me that everyone has their own reason for committing crimes. The judge hears the same old "misunderstood and mistreated" stories from the whores, pimps, and pushers that he hears from the vets. We all know the rules and we all have similar pressures of living. Most of us don't commit crimes. When we do, we ought to pay the price, vet or non-vet. Using the excuse of being a vet out to outrage you. How'd you like it if every child molester or rapist said he'd done it because he had bad experiences as a veteran?" COMPOSITE RESPONSE TO REQUESTING PREFERENTIAL TREATMENT FOR VETERANS WITHIN THE CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM. " . . . But sometimes the experiences in a veterans' past may be the circumstances that sort of set him/her up for just the right time, just the right place and an action that we all call criminal. And the society that says, and practices, that 'justice is blind' rightfully imprisons/punishes the person that breaks the rules set by members of that respective society. Are WE, as a society, looking at the TOTAL picture? Are we taking into consideration, in the instance of a troubled Vietnam veteran, the unpopularity of the war s/he went off to fight? Are we taking into consideration the rejection s/he received from family and friends when s/he returned? Are we taking into consideration any of the ANGER that might have been built up within that individual at the rejection, the isolation, the negation of what SHOULD have been (and was) a patriotic duty to our country? Are we trying to 'understand' the person charged with the crime? Or are we seeking 'an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth?' I *-DON'T-* think that 'I did what I did because I had a bad experience in the war' can be looked at as anything *-BUT-* an excuse, not a reason. But I *-DO-* think we should try to look at things from many different angles. And, in the light of honorable service to protect, preserve and defend our freedoms, at least some consideration ought to be given this special portion of a persons' life." COMPOSITE REPLY AND AUTHOR'S POSITION STATEMENT When I first chose this research topic it was my assumption that there existed within the various penal and law enforcement NAM VET Newsletter Page 58 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 agencies throughout our county (Berkshire County, MA) and, by supposition, our nation, treatment that was discriminatory in nature towards those who were veterans of military service - either in treatment, or its absence, while incarcerated, or not taking into consideration the veterans' service to our country. I felt that my past experience as a Vocational Instructor in a Maximum Security Correctional Facility (Green Haven Correctional Facility, Stormville, NY) and my past position as volunteer Veterans' Advocate (Berkshire County House of Correction, Pittsfield, MA) revealed enough of a "uniformity of treatment" that it was sad commentary for those who had put their lives on the line in defense of the freedoms we all today enjoy. THE FIRST LAW Biblical lore overflows with tales of Adam and Eve and the breaking of the first law: "Of the fruit of the tree in the middle of the garden you shall not eat, neither shall you touch it, lest you die." (Genesis 3:3). As punishment for their transgression, they were banished from the Garden of Eden and each made to endure separate but equal pain. Adam and Eve produced Cain and Abel (the first murderer) and eventually began the beginnings of 'society' as we know it today. But, as the Bible says, the 'original' society became flawed and was soon destroyed in a great flood, save a man named Noah and his family. Noah and his family, heeding the urging of God to "Be fruitful and multiply, and fill the earth" (Genesis 9:1), left the ark and followed a rainbow to replenish again the earth, rebuild society. THE FIRST RULING CLASS Noah had more children and his children had children. As leader of his tribe, Noah established the laws that the family would live by. As the population grew and its members gained material possessions (sheep, cattle, land, etc.), the need for a more "civilized" method of controlling the population became apparent. Early Jewish tribal law would evolve from Noah's descendent, Abraham (Abram) - and would be the basis for "law" as we know it today. FROM BLOOD TIE TO LAND TIE AS BASIS FOR SOCIAL ORDER During the tribal period the legal system was in the hands of the tribal group, and justice was based on the blood-feud. After quite some time had passed (about 1800 years), the family (tribe) soon was no longer involved in law and justice. The State became the offended social unit and the State was the proper prosecutor in every case of crime. (C. Ray Jeffery, in THE DEVELOPMENT OF CRIME IN EARLY ENGLISH SOCIETY - Journal of Criminal Law, Criminology and Police Science, 47 /MarchApril 1957/pp 647-666). As we know it, this, basically, was the beginning of Anglo-Saxon law in the United States today. WARS Within a given society, there are several means by which individuals, families, corporations and business sectors within the ruling class obtain tax breaks, favors, subsidies and procedural rulings that are beneficial to their short-run (and long-term) interests (G William Domhoff THE POWERS THAT BE, p.25). When the lifestyle of the ruling class is threatened by a foreign country, usually after all other means have been attempted, war is generally the result as one group does its best to assure its very NAM VET Newsletter Page 59 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 survival and way-of-life or attempts to impress its will upon the other. WWI, WWII, the Korean conflict, Vietnam, Grenada, Beirut, Panama and Iraq are only but current examples of these conflicts. Generally speaking, those who fight the wars are not members of the ruling class but, instead, those whose lower social position puts them in the front lines of battle defending policies, principles, and ideologies which they may hardly understand and may never come face-to-face with. It is during this time of war that many atrocities may occur which have a lasting effect on the individual soldier - an effect so contrary to the societal norm that it will later be called "illegal" by the ruling class that initially sent the soldier to battle in the first place. POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER In 1981 Arthur Egendorf and others released the most comprehensive study then yet conducted on veterans and their postwar adjustment. The sample, representing every economic class, geographic region, and ethnic group, consisted of 1,400 men who were directly or indirectly involved in the Vietnam conflict. The results indicate that such factors as unemployment, low educational attainment, minority status, instability in the family of origin, and the amount and intensity of combat interact to produce varying degrees of PTSD (Arthur Egendorf and others. LEGACIES OF VIETNAM: COMPARATIVE ADJUSTMENTS OF VETERANS AND THEIR PEERS. Final report to the Veterans Administration, New York Vietnam Era Research Project of the Center for Policy Research, Inc., March 1981 p 729). It is estimated that 500,000 to 700,000 of the 2.8 million men and women who served in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War now have emotional problems. Many have post-traumatic stress disorder. Depression, a recurrent finding, may be due to the deaths of friends in Vietnam; negative attitudes of others toward the Vietnam veteran; unemployment (it is not unusual to interview a veteran who has had 30 to 40 jobs during the past ten years); and inability to express feelings about the war or to find someone who will listen. During periods of depression, many turn to drugs and alcohol. One explanation for PTSD is the survivor theory, based on the psychoanalytic principle that a pattern of denial, repression, and emotional avoidance follows a traumatic event. Such a behavior pattern has been confirmed in studies of those who survived the German concentration camps of World War II and the atomic bomb explosions at Hiroshima and Nagasaki. According to the survivor theory, people exposed to severe trauma go through a period of latency or detachment, lasting from a few days to decades. The latency period is sometimes referred to as the denial-numbing phase. The Vietnam veteran returned home "numbed" to the war. He avoided introspection about the war or his/her role in it, and s/he resumed his/her prior life. The DIAGNOSTIC AND STATISTICAL MANUAL OF MENTAL DISORDERS (DSM III) 3rd edition, p. 236-239, states that the essential feature of PTSD is the development of characteristic symptoms following a psychologically traumatic event that is outside the usual range of human experience. DIAGNOSTIC CRITERIA FOR POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER A. Existence of a recognizable stressor that would evoke significant symptoms of distress in almost everyone. B. Reexperiencing of the trauma as evidenced by at least NAM VET Newsletter Page 60 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 one of the following: (1) recurrent and intrusive recollections of the event; (2) recurrent dreams of the event; (3) sudden acting or feeling as if the traumatic event were reoccurring, because of an association with an environmental or ideational stimulus. C. Numbing of responsiveness to or reduced involvement with the external world, beginning some time after the trauma, as shown by at least one of the following: (1) markedly diminished interest in one or more significant activities; (2) feeling of detachment or estrangement from others; (3) constricted affect. D. At least two of the following symptoms that were not present before the trauma: (1) hyperalertness or exaggerated startle response; (2) sleep disturbance; (3) guilt about surviving when others have not, or about behavior required for survival; (4) memory impairment or trouble concentrating; (5) avoidance of activities that arouse recollection of the traumatic event; (6) intensification of symptoms by exposure to events that symbolize or resemble the traumatic event. (Elizabeth M Norman AMERICAN JOURNAL OF NURSING Nov 1982 P 1696) SO WHAT DOES ALL THIS HAVE TO DO WITH EQUAL TREATMENT FOR NAMVETS? Well, at the present, it really doesn't. At least, not until Post-Traumatic Stress is understood as a causative factor which may precede an individual's actions which are termed "criminal." "Any principled description of PTSD must begin with the clear recognition that it is not a new phenomenon in combat veterans, nor is it limited to veterans. A substantial body of research suggests that stress reactions among veterans have resulted from every major conflict in this century and, perhaps are an unavoidable consequence of war. In addition, over the past several decades research has indicated that reactions similar to the PTSD diagnostic criteria can be seen in such apparently diverse groups as rape victims, World War II and Korean War veterans, Holocaust survivors, Hiroshima atomic blast victims and survivors of other catastrophic events. Thus, any attempt to present PTSD as a "Vietnam Veterans Problem" is clearly misplaced and tactically unwise. According to DSM III, traumatic events that can precipitate PTSD symptoms include floods, earthquakes, car or plane accidents, bombing, torture, and, of course, combat. Following the traumatic event, a person who suffers from PTSD may have a number of symptoms that include: self-medication through substance or alcohol abuse, memory loss, loss of sleep, nightmares reliving the original traumatic event, intrusive thoughts, exaggerated startle response, reduction in emotional response, a feeling of alienation, and, "disassociative states" during which the original event is relived and "the individual behaves as though experiencing the event of the moment." Recent studies have reported that "explosive behavior" may be only one variant of the stress reactions experienced by veterans. Dr. John Wilson and Dr. Sheldon Ziglebaum have suggested that at least three types of PTSD reactions can be seen in the veterans they have interviewed and treated. First, a dissociative reaction in which the veteran behaves as he did in combat. Second, a compulsive "living on the edge" response in which the veteran repeatedly seeks out dangerous or highly stimulating situations. Third, a profound "survivor guilt" reaction which leads to intense NAM VET Newsletter Page 61 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 despair, suicide attempts or attempts to get caught, punished or killed." (Dr. John S. Wilson THE FORGOTTEN WARRIOR PROJECT) As one might expect, these reactions may lead to behavior that has a wide range of legal implications for veterans. Some authorities have suggested that twenty-five to thirty percent of Vietnam veterans who saw heavy combat have been arrested on criminal charges. In addition, high suicide rates, substance abuse, marital difficulties, and employment problems, all of which have legal implications, occur more frequently among Vietnam veterans who saw heavy combat than among the general population. Throughout the country... Vietnam veterans, especially those who served in heavy combat, bear to this day more symptoms of psychological distress than other Vietnam era veterans or than comparable men who were not in the military during the years of the Vietnam war. These symptoms, called "stress reactions," were more intense and more likely to persist among men whose position in our society makes them least able to cope -- blacks and other minority members, the unemployed or the irregularly employed, the poor, and men with varying levels of stability in their families when they were children (C. Peter Erlinder PAYING THE PRICE FOR VIETNAM: POST TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER AND CRIMINAL BEHAVIOR Boston College Law Review). ARE WE GONNA TALK ABOUT EQUAL TREATMENT FOR NAM VETS NOW??? Yes! We're finally there! My research has taken me all over the country - by car, telephone, letter, book or conversation. Reporting its' results is like trying to take a drink from a fire hydrant: you get your thirst quenched, but ya have a little trouble savoring each precious drop. Stratification (another way of defining 'Equal Treatment') involves a form of social inequality. Based on my initial observation and my present involvements, I thought for sure I would find an inequality that was detrimental to our country's veterans and sort of a "kick in the teeth" for the prior service to America that they had performed. Such was not the case - at least not in the small cities I contacted. In Pittsfield, Massachusetts, population approximately 51,000, I had the good fortune to speak with Captain W. Boyer of the Pittsfield, MA Police Department. When asked if he felt a veteran, any veteran, was given deferential treatment, Captain Boyer explained that the police force, in most instances, is familiar with Pittsfields' veterans and the problems they might have. According to Captain Boyer, their biggest problems lie in the area of alcohol abuse (which, in the light of information just presented, appears to be indicative of untreated Post Traumatic Stress Disorder(s)) for Combat veterans). When the Department receives a call or a report concerning one of Pittsfields' veterans, it usually has a close, working knowledge and relationship with him/her and, in many cases, unless the problem is extremely serious, charges are seldom brought. However, should the societal offense be of such a degree that incarceration is warranted, the veteran and his/her situation is presented to an attorney for proper defense before it is presented to a judge. If the veteran has a history of difficulties with alcohol and/or substance abuse or other war-related psychiatric- type difficulties, the attorney is advised of same and, in most instances, treatment rather than punishment is recommended. Should the attorney feel it will be helpful, the veterans' military record is also brought to the attention of the judge. NAM VET Newsletter Page 62 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Oftentimes, in lieu of punishment, a treatment program is worked out through either the local mental health department or a nearby Veterans Administration facility with close cooperation of the veteran, the parole officer, and the judicial system. Officer Smith (he gave me no first name), of the Albany, New York Police Department, 1980 population of 101,727, reported that "No. Veterans in our area are treated no different than any other citizen who breaks the law. We don't have the time to learn WHO they are nor what they've done prior to our being called to assist or arrest. We bring them to jail and treat them just like any other criminal. I wish I could help you more, but we're swamped here. Phones are ringing off the hook." And, finally, in a telephone conversation with Officer Dolan of the Hudson, New York Police Department, population approximately 13,000, I learned that Hudson knows its citizens well. They, too, like Pittsfield, MA, experience many difficulties with veterans and alcohol/substance abuse. They've established relationships with most of them (the veterans) and can usually handle any great difficulties. If they run into any severe difficulties, they have a Hotline number to the Albany, New York Veterans Administration Medical Center. It is interesting, though, that when I asked if they treated veterans differently than any other lawbreaking citizen, I was told "Our Vietnam veterans usually only have problems with alcohol or substance abuse" - which, in itself, is not *-BAD-* but seems to further the possibly erroneous stereotypical image of our Vietnam veterans. A Federal Corrections officer I spoke with mentioned that the only thing that seemed to make a difference in the Federal Prisons was the amount of money or social status that a person had prior to his/her incarceration. Whether a person was a veteran or not seemed to have little bearing on the treatment prior to, during, and after incarceration. AND IN CONCLUSION (FINALLY )... Please let me thank you for taking the time to read this. For me, it has been a real extra-curricular effort and I'm still pretty certain that I didn't get all of what I discovered in here. There was so much information! Equal Treatment? Stratification? Was there any? Yes, there certainly was - but NOT in the manner I expected. It appears, in retrospect and reflection, that if you're a veteran in a small town your chances of enjoying your freedom are about 25 to 50 percent greater than they are in cities with a large population. And, should you really have some extreme legal difficulties, there are many, many veteran organizations, both locally and nationally, that will help you prepare a good defence, may help you receive treatment for difficulties you've been enduring since your military service, and may effect a real change in your behavior. On the other hand, if you're a veteran in a large city, or in a federal prison, you can be sure you'll receive treatment "just like the other, non-vet, person" who did the same or similar thing. Equal Treatment? Stratification? Sure - but in the direction opposite to what I originally anticipated! I'd be interested in reports from YOUR community, city, town and state. I've heard so many stories of non-available services for NAM VET Newsletter Page 63 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 incarcerated veterans that, without documentation and reports from YOU, there's not much else that can be done for these, our brother and sister veterans who do NOT deserve to be abandoned nor forgotten! NAM VET Newsletter Page 64 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 VVA Supports Incarcerated Vet Service Input by: Joyce Flory NamVet's Incarcerated Veterans Section Editor [Note from Joyce: This was sent to me by Ron Triplett in Mich.] VETERANS AFFAIRS RESOLUTIONS INCARCERATED BENEFITS, OUTREACH AND COUNSELING V - 1 - 89 WHEREAS, the Department of Veterans Affairs has, for all practical purposes, no policy whatsoever for provision of benefits, services or guidance to incarcerated veterans ; and, WHEREAS, incarcerated veterans, because of their detention status, are unable to directly avail themselves of available DVA services; and, WHEREAS, the DVA has been reluctant and unwilling to enter penal institutions to provide services; and, WHEREAS, there is a clear need for counseling and medical services for incarcerated veterans such as readjustment and Post - traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) counseling, disability rating examinations, prosthetic services and benefits counseling; and, WHEREAS, the disability compensation of incarcerated veterans is reduced without benefit of advising these veterans that unavailable compensation benefits may be apportioned to a spouse; and, WHEREAS, provision of counseling and services to incarcerated veterans can be expected to reduce the rate of recidivism among these veterans; therefore be it RESOLVED that the Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc. at National Convention in Chicago, Illinois, August 3 - 6 1989, supports legislation to establish a DAV policy requiring that counseling benefits and medical service be provided to incarcerated veterans with a particular emphasis on counseling for PTSD ; and , be it finally RESOLVED that the VVA calls upon the states to initiate PTSD treatment programs in penal institutions as required to comply with the eighth amendment to the United States Constitution in sheltering the incarcerated from cruel and unusual punishment stemming from denial of appropriate medical treatment. NAM VET Newsletter Page 65 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Operation Self-Help for Incarcerated Vets (Note from Joyce... This is the first part in a two part series on how one prison is proposing to deal with PTSD without benefit of any agencies or government funds. This program was sent to me by Ron Triplett, I can only hope it can help others start their own self-help groups.) VIETNAM VETERANS OF AMERICA INCARCERATED CHAPTER 31 2400 S. Sheridan Road Muskegon, Michigan 49442 February 26, 1990 PROGRAM PROPOSAL "OPERATION SELF-HELP" A VIETNAM VETERANS POST-TRAUMATIC STRESS DISORDER/SUBSTANCE ABUSE SELF-AWARENESS PROGRAM FOR INCARCERATED VETERANS. COORDINATORS: HOYT FONGER, VOLUNTEER, MUSKEGON COMMUNITY COLLEGE INSTRUCTOR RONALD G. TRIPLETT, VVA CHAIRMAN, PEER COUNSELOR THOMAS W. SIEMONEIT, VVA VICE-CHAIRMAN, PEER COUNSELOR DANNY D. MCKAY, VVA SECRETARY, PEER COUNSELOR I. TITLE AND PURPOSE A. This is a proposal to establish a Vietnam Veterans Self- Awareness Program at the Muskegon Correctional Facility, Muskegon, Michigan. The program purpose is to effectively improve upon the dual diagnosis symptoms that are directly related to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and Substance Abuse among Incarcerated Vietnam Veterans, as defined in the American Psychiatric Association's "Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders," Third Edition - Revised, 1987. 1. This program is to provide a atmosphere of self-worth, by encouraging development of a group identity and an area for maintaining information about PTSD, Substance Abuse and other Veteran's issues. 2. This program seeks not to compete or conflict with the existing substance abuse treatment modality, but instead, to augment it by offering self-awareness for PTSD to those in substance abuse treatment program. We will work with the existing structure by adding the other dimension needed to address the dual diagnosis of the incarcerated veteran. 3. This group will be meeting on Mondays, from 1:00 P.M. to 3:00 P.M. in the School Building, and will be under the supervision of the School Officer and under the direction of the Group Coordinator Hoyt Fonger. 4. The effectiveness of this program in meeting its purpose will be evaluated following a 90-day trial period, and will be reported in the VVA Quarterly Report. B. The essential feature of this disorder is the development of characteristic symptoms following a psychologically distressing event that is outside the range of usual human experience. The stressor producing this syndrome would be markedly distressing to almost anyone, and is usually NAM VET Newsletter Page 66 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 experienced with intense fear, terror, and helplessness by the characteristic symptoms that involve re-experiencing the traumatic event, avoidance of stimuli associated with numbing of general responsiveness, and increased arousal. (Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 309.89 Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Third Edition 1987. Washington D.C., American Psychiatric Association) 1. The most common traumata involve either a serious threat to one's life or physical integrity; a serious threat or harm to one's children, spouse, or other close relative and friends; sudden destruction of one's home or community; or seeing another person who has recently been, or is being, seriously injured or killed as the result of an accident or physical violence. In some cases the trauma may be learning about a serious threat or harm to a close friend or relative. 2. The traumatic event can be re-experienced in a variety of ways. Commonly the person has recurrent and intrusive recollections of the event or recurrent distressing dreams during which the event is re-experienced. In rare instances there are dissociative states lasting from a few seconds to several hours, or even days during which components of the event are relived, and the person behaves as though experiencing the event at that moment. 3. Persistent symptoms of increased arousal that were not present before the trauma include difficulty falling or staying asleep (recurrent nightmare during which the traumatic event is relived are sometimes accompanied by middle or terminal sleep disturbances), hypervigilance, and exaggerated startle response. Some complain of difficulty in concentrating or in completing tasks. Many report changes in aggression. In mild cases this may take the form of irritability with fears of losing control. In more severe forms, particularly in cases in which the survivor has actually committed acts of violence (as in war veterans), the fear is conscious and pervasive, and the reduced capacity for modulation may express itself in unpredictable explosions of aggressive behavior or a inability to express angry feelings. 4. Symptoms characteristic of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, or physiologic reactivity, are often intensified or precipitated when the person is exposed to situations or activities that resemble or symbolize the original trauma. a. Symptoms of depression and anxiety are common, and in some instances may be sufficiently severe to be diagnosed as an Anxiety or Depressive Disorder. b. Impulsive behavior can occur, such as suddenly changing place of residence, (moving from the community to be placed in prison, moving from institution to institution), unexplained absences, (skipping work or school assignments, being late for appointments), or other changes in ones life style, (death in family, divorce, family life). II. JUSTIFICATION A. Approximately three million veterans served in Vietnam, of which 57,000 were killed and 153,000 were wounded or injured (Presidential Review Memorandum on Vietnam Era Veterans, NAM VET Newsletter Page 67 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 H.R. Rep. No. 38, 96th Congress, 1st Session 12 1979). 1. Many psychological and behavioral problems existing among Vietnam veterans may be attributed to PTSD. Although estimates of the number of Vietnam combat veterans who suffer from PTSD vary from as few as 500,000 to as many as 1,500,000, it has become so increasingly clear that a substantial number of those who served in Vietnam continue to feel the psychological after-effects to their wartime experiences (Stress Disorders Among Vietnam Veterans: Theory Research and Treatment, Figley & LeVantman ed. 2. Approximately 20% of the inmate population in the Bureau of Prisons are veterans of the Military forces, (Bureau of Justice Statistics Bulletin, February, 1981). 3. Most veterans are serving sentences for crimes of violence, leading to concerns over issues of impulse and anger control (U.S. Veterans Administration Annual Report, 1979). a. At the time of commission of offense, more than 25% of incarcerated veterans were under the influence of alcohol or drugs. b. More pertinent, and frightening, is the realization on the part of many americans that more Vietnam veterans have died as a result of alcohol-related car accidents and suicides than actually died in Vietnam. B. Since the Official end of the Vietnam era on April 30,1975, the incidence of what psychologists have come to call PTSD has actually increased. According to a recent study released by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta, Georgia, 15% of all Vietnam Veterans suffer from some form of PTSD (The National Commission on Correctional Health Care, Vol 2, Issue 4, October, 1988). 1. The extensive criminal histories many prison inmates report are often accompanied by equally long histories of drug use. About four-fifths of the inmates in prison in 1986 reported use of an illegal drug in the past. It is reported that 35% of the inmates said they were under the influence of a drug at the time of their current offense, and 43% were using drugs daily in the month before the offense. (Bureau of Justice Statistics Special Report, January 1988). a. One area where there is great hope of dealing with the problems of readjustment back into society , is the precise area not available to incarcerated Vietnam veterans here at MCF. b. Incarcerated Vietnam veterans cannot go to Vet Centers, incarcerated veterans do not have access Psychologists (UNLESS THEY ARE RECEIVING TREATMENT FOR SOME OTHER PSYCHOLOGICAL PROBLEM), who are familiar with P.T.S.D. symptomology, nor do they have the network of fellow veterans available to whom they can at least talk, with whom they can share some fundamental experiences. c. Given these seemingly enormous handicaps, it is highly likely that incarcerated actually exacerbates the problems attendant to P.T.S.D., making it even more difficult for a Vietnam veteran to reacclimate himself to life in America. NAM VET Newsletter Page 68 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 III. RESPONSIBILITY A. It is proposed that Hoyt Fonger, Volunteer - MCC College Instructor, be designated as the "OPERATION SELF-HELP" Coordinator at Muskegon Correctional Facility, Muskegon, Michigan. 1. The Coordinator is responsible for overall management of the program, including: a. Assuring that only VERIFIED Vietnam in-country and Era veterans participate in actual group sessions, (i.e. DD-214, Discharge Certificate), b. Providing on-going supervision of all program personnel, (i.e. Community Volunteers, staff), c. Maintaining an Institution Waiting List for inmates referred to or volunteering for the program, d. Coordinating official correspondence regarding the program and its progress. 2. The Coordinator is responsible for utilizing resources outside of the Bureau of Prisons for staff training and other materials, including : a. Veterans Administration b. Vietnam Veterans of America c. Other volunteer self-help organizations 3. The Coordinator will supervise and support the "Peer Counselors." Peer Counselors are Vietnam Veterans who have had some experience with PTSD and Substance Abuse Treatment, who have been trained to assist other veterans in the areas of self-awareness. a. Peer Counselor training included a Certificate for Satisfactorily Completing 10 Months of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Peer Counseling and Substance Abuse Counseling for Self-Awareness. b. Peer Counselors could run the "Self-Awareness Group" or even assist with individual counseling at the discretion of the Coordinator. 4. The Coordinator will ensure that all personal information is held in strict confidence except in situations of threat of bodily harm to self or others, or threat of significant property damage. The Coordinator is responsible for informing all participating inmates of the limits to confidentially. 5. Inmates with critical, medical, neurological, or psychiatric needs will not be included in the program, and will be referred to appropriate sources for needed treatment. 6. Inmates participating in this group will be expected to follow ALL Rules regulating conduct within the Department of Corrections and MCF. Any other conduct by a group member is strictly prohibited. 7. This program is not intended to be used for diagnostic purposes, other than is necessary to determine appropriateness of including an individual to participate. The group will not be used for diagnosis of PTSD for sentenced inmates preparing litigation, or as a mitigating circumstance for criminal offenses or sentence rendered. PROGRAM PRINCIPLES "OPERATION SELF-HELP" is a Self-help Program designed to effectively improve upon the symptoms that are directly related to PTSD and Substance Abuse among Incarcerated Vietnam Veterans. This Program was created for Vietnam Veterans by Vietnam Veterans and NAM VET Newsletter Page 69 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 should not be interpreted as to be receiving a professional diagnosis or professional treatment. This Program falls under the direction and guidelines established for Inmate Self-Help Programs by the Michigan Department of Corrections. Respectively, Ronald G. Triplett Ron Cole Peer Counselor MCF VVA Coordinator VVA Chairman VVA Chapter #31 VVA Chapter #31 Cedar, ARUM 2400 South Sheridan Rd. 2400 South Sheridan Rd. Muskegon, MI 49442 Thomas W. Siemonet Danny D. McKay VVA Vice - Chairman VVA Secretary Peer Counselor Peer Counselor Gordon Bush H. Gary Wells Dir. Prisoners Services Warden Muskegon Correctional Facility Muskegon Correctional Facility [Next months installment will be the questionnaires and evaluations needed [for/]from this program.] NAM VET Newsletter Page 70 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 "Caring" - from the inside out! Input by: Joyce Flory NamVet's Incarcerated Veterans Section Editor Desert Dolphin BBS - Las Cruces, NM (505) 523-2811 [These just in from the James River C.C.R.'s Oct. - Dec. 1990 newsletter... Joyce] "THE SILENT ONES" Joseph "Thundercloud" Huggins " I returned from Vietnam in February, 1969. I returned to a chaotic world in which the family structure was ripped apart, returned to a family who would become silent when I spoke about Vietnam. I was alone in a world that neither cared nor understood what I had done, why I went, what I had seen, why I came back alive and how I survived. My honor was no longer the issue, being a SOLDIER was. I became angry. I had been cheated and sold out. There was no purpose in my life, my country, or the people around me. So I alienated and withdrew into a silent world. My anger led me to kill 19 years ago -- and so, I began living two hells. The one within brought me to the brink of destroying myself. I have so much pain and hurt of things I saw and did. I cannot even think about them. I am unsure if I can ever put voice to them. Perhaps my silence is over and my feelings of feeling dead- wounded, and missing is at end. With the "Rap Group Sessions," when a man is speaking I do not have to look in his face to see his pain. I hear it in his voice and words. It is a struggle within each man to come forward with the pain and hurt that has laid dormant since his return. It is not easy to speak about something that has been hurting us all these years. We have begun our struggle to return within ourselves. That is why our hurt and pain has pulled us together again as one. We fight this "war within" among ourselves. We had no choice. We are not silent nor alone anymore. We have begun a journey... "Together Again As One" "OPINION~ By: Le Roi (Mason) I feel that we have lost (rescued) the most valuable asset that this chapter has to date. Joseph "Thundercloud" Huggins, has been released from the chains of Virginia's penal system. He did not receive a rousing round of applause, nor a big-bashing party, or even a group "thank you". There was no gold watch, not even a dipping of the flag. You see, it was unsafe for us to give him such a send off -- too sensitive. But now that he has across the LD and the element of surprise is no longer a concern it is my opinion that there are many of us here that will now cry out to that was-is our brother, "You Are Our Hero", and we know that you will represnt us well in your mission. Base-camp is alive with the things you left behind for us to do, and part of our mission is not to let you down. As we break camp and pick up your trail, we will be just as careful to leave a trail as fine as that which you leave for us. Be at Peace O' Warrior Brother. (From The Real Warroirs) To the loyal friends of Joe, and 486, we are grateful to each one of you for being there for our Brother, and while we know that Joe is not the first that you were there for, we know that you NAM VET Newsletter Page 71 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 will find yhe greatest reward in all that he has been to us, and what he will be to and for you, individually and professionally. Our mission here is to try to produce more soldiers of Joe's calibur (as we cmae to know him and believe about him), and we need you and others to be there for us as we too cross the LD into the land of freedom and opportunity to be rejuvenated into humanity. We will work it out -- Le Roi (Mason) " "A SALUTE TO OUR GOLD STAR MOTHERS" By: Gordon Cawthorn We have just completed a successful fund raising drive to finance a trip to the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Wall, in Washington D.C., for a Gold Star Mother. The mother we chose was Mrs. Evelyn Barbour. Through my relationship with Evelyn, I have found her to be a very strong and caring person. She lost her son in Vietnam on August 27, 1968. His name was Jimmy II. She recently lost her husband who served 21 years in the U.S.A.F. Jimmy II had a son which he never got a chance to see. Evelyn says he is just like his dad and she is so proud of him. Evelyn lives in South Richmond and has another son named Wayne. She thanks God everyday that she still has him. He is such a big comfort to her. In our correspondence, Evelyn says it makes her proud and sad to be a Gold Star Mother. Proud because her son was so brave and sad because she lost him. Evelyn tells me that she is so proud of her vets, that she loves them all very much, and that their families are her family. We feel the same towards Evelyn. We love her very much and she will always be a part of our family. Gold Star Mothers are mothers who lost their sons or daughters in the line of duty during WWI, WWII, Korea, Vietnam, and other strategic areas while on military assignment or who died as a result of such service. Their purpose and activities are many. Here are a few: 1. Promoting individual service to the community , state and nation. 2. Assisting veterans of all wars and their dependents. 3. Inspiring patriotism and respect for our Country. Gold Star Mothers give thousands of volunteer hours to Veteran Hospitals and organizations that aid veterans. By helping the survivors, they honor the memerory of their lost loved ones. In my research, I was surprised to find there isn't a Gold Star Mother Chapter in Richmond. It only takes five mothers to form one and I would love to see one started. Interested mothers can contact: Ms. Emogene M. Cupp (President of G.S.M. Inc.) 5805 Piedmont Drive Alexandria , VA , 22310 NAM VET Newsletter Page 72 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 ================================================================= H e a r t s n ' M i n d s ================================================================= NOT SOON TO FORGET By: Gordon Giroux Input by: Pete Farias Namvet Editorial Assistant Berkshire Estates BBS - Pittsfield, MA (413)499-1327 It's been 25 years since I did my time in the Vietnam War. The nights of waking in a cold sweat have finally passed. The dreams return from time to time, but I've grown used to them by now. You would think after 25 years the memories of a very unpopular war would have faded into the past. You would think that in time the emotional wounds would heal. If it had been another war, maybe. You could spend a lifetime trying to make others understand, but the only ones who really understand are the men and women who served in what I call our own personal hell. I talk about Nam, read books, and see movies about it every chance I get. I don't want to forget. I don't want to forget the friends I made or the ones I lost. It was, is, and always will be an important factor in the way I think today. If nothing else it taught me that war is not prejudice. War will take the life of son's, daughters, husbands, fathers, and even children. Color, race, or religion mean nothing. In any war people die, Men and women who lay their lives on the line for what they believe in. A lot of people in this country take their freedom for granted. They have no idea what it's like to not have that freedom because there has always been someone to fight the Hitler's, the Khrushchev's, Ho Chi Min's, and Hussein's of the world who would like to take that freedom from us. Vietnam Veterans like myself have fought for these beliefs, and all we ever wanted when we came home was to be treated with the same respect and understanding that Veterans from previous wars received. That's all we asked then, and that's all we ask now. I've been asked by many "If you had it to do all over again, would you?" My answer--- "You're Damn Right I Would!" NAM VET Newsletter Page 73 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Lets NOT let history repeat itself! By Don Purvis (In the VIETNAM_VETS EchoConference) LSO Systems - Everett WA (206) 743-3489 Every now and then I read here [VIETNAM_VETS] about the "liberal do-gooders" of the sixties and how bad they were (are?). I strongly suspect most of these missles were written by those who were still in grade or high school when the protests began. I see little written here by those who were in SEA in the EARLY 60's. Those who lived in the hotels of Saigon and left daily on "routine" patrols. For those who write of the "liberals" let me tell you about them. In the early 60's, the Viet-nam situation was a divided camp. Those serving in the military of the time would either volunteer to go (chance for promotion, medals, get out of a bad outfit) or they would move heaven and hell to stay where they were. Retirements were the order of the day whenever SEA orders hit the post. As time passed, the hero concept took on a new light. Men were coming back from Viet-Nam with a different look. Most had been exposed to a new kind of battle, not only in the jungles. It had become a political war, a war where the enemy was truth, a war where the body count was padded for the sake of looking good on Officer Efficiency Reports. The war had changed. American soldiers were being killed and/or wounded in increasing numbers. The efforts of the political machinery in Washington could no longer convince the public of their given reason our boys were dying. Classified information concerning build-up costs (and reasons) began being leaked to the press. Slowly, the youth of the time became convinced the Viet-Nam conflict was unjust and immoral. They wanted no part of it and began what was to become the protest years of the Woodstock generation. (Remember the little ditty sung by Joe Cocker..."be the first one on your block to have your boy come home in a box"?) The new generation tried to tell the elders that it was time to stop this carnage but Mom & Dad wouldn't listen. So the kids let their hair grow...and started marching! They began the battles that eventually ended the conflict and brought the American Soldier home. Liberals? Not necessarily. People who believed in the American Dream and way of life? Most assuredly. They were willing to do battle to get our guys home, and they did. They battled police and the military. The press and the politicians. The message was clear in those days, end the war! The confusion came because those same kids could not understand why the soldiers didn't protest the war right along with them. This was the cause of a lot of the "anger" against those in uniform in the late 60's and early 70's. Some soldiers did protest and were summarily arrested, tried, and convicted of "failure to obey a lawful order of a superior officer. Few were aware of how the entire trial was planned and executed BEFORE they were even arrested. How the basic rights of those first three men were openly violated. NAM VET Newsletter Page 74 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Once again our politicians are sending our soldiers off to die for a (perhaps secret) cause. The very soldiers (Read that Soldier, Sailor, Marine, or Airman) that served with honor 25+ years ago now find their sons and daughters are treading the same paths they walked at that age. The difference is the older folks are now doubting the reasons where in the 60's it was the other way around. As Veterans, instead of attempting to label those who protested, we should try to understand their justifications and, perhaps join in the protests to the possible deaths of some 25,000 American lives in the deserts of the Persian Gulf. If we don't speak out, who will? NAM VET Newsletter Page 75 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Is EVERYVET "not well"? By: David Kirschbaum Date: 18 Nov 90 14:19:42 The F e d e r a l Post - Fayetteville, NC (9190 436-2055 TM> the popularity of the conflict. I pray that the healing you TM> so richly deserve comes soon! TM> Thomas A. Mick TM> * Origin: 1st Special Forces - First in SE Asia (1:105/204) Ah, an Okie Rat, eh? Heh .. the stories I used to hear ... But a question here: I THINK it's Michael Mccoombs I've been chatting with for a while now (swapping war stories). The recon guy, right? I didn't notice him asking for or appearing to need any healing! (Well, maybe a little problem waking up from unrecalled bad dreams .. but he's dealing with that just fine, so it appears. And that little souvenir was a VERY small point in our conversation.) He seemed to be pretty together, matter of fact: anyone who enjoys rat jokes can't be TOO unhealthy! (But only SF guys would sympathize with THAT viewpoint!) (And maybe a few SEALs.) If my assumption is correct (that Mike is ok) and you are NOT showing some sort of supernatural perceptiveness (e.g., that Mike is NOT ok) .. that reveals a VERY dominant theme or attitude on this Echo [VIETNAM_VETS]: that EVERYBODY who ever had a tour in SE Asia (call that group "EVERYVET") is mentally ill! And EVERYVET who hasn't gone around the bend yet .. well, it's just a matter of time until they do .. And that EVERYVET on this Echo is looking for (or at the very least, desperately needing) sympathy, help, guidance, rebirth, etc.! This may be a knee-jerk overreaction .. but I keep seeing this attitude! Hey, guys, I'm just fine! Ain't killed nobody in .. gee .. must be weeks and weeks now. No bad dreams. No drug habit. No overwhelming desires to climb a clock tower with a 30-30. (Well, only occasionally.) Don't really hate ANYONE (except those g*ddamned North Korean murderers from that little tree-cutting episode at Panmunjon .. may all the demons of hell chew on THEIR souls, yea, even unto the tenth generation ...) Like my buddy Wojo and I keep wondering .. are we missing something obvious here? NAM VET Newsletter Page 76 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 The Veteran Today (1986) By: Tony Bliss In 2/86 Edition of "Back to Battle: Vietnam" Input by: G. Joseph Peck NamVet's Managing Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, Massachusetts (413) 443-6313 "When I came home from Vietnam I found that all my friends were still worried about what color Alpaca sweater to wear to the football game. I couldn't identify with that. I felt something was dramatically changed. I felt isolated." Isolation, bitterness, depression - hallmarks of Post Delayed Stress Disorder (PDSD) - are familiar to Frank Norris, a former infantry sergeant with the 101st Airborne Division in 1966-67. But contrary to the image of the Vietnam veteran foisted on the American public by the media, Norris is not a drug-crazed, unemployed, shaggy-haired, down and out walking time bomb. He is, like the overwhelming majority of Vietnam veterans, a successful, hard-working, solid member of his community who has turned the Vietnam experience into a positive driving force in his life. Today Vietnam veterans can be found on the top of every profession, from judges, governors and congressmen to self-made millionaires such as former Marine pilot Fred Smith, a two-tour Vietnam veteran who started Federal Express. Vietnam was an intensely individual experience - a soldier went to Vietnam alone and he came back alone. He was in combat one day and back on the block the next day with no time to decompress and with few veteran peers to talk out his feelings. He returned to a nation in turmoil that scorned his service to his country and failed to understand his experiences. And, the war's final outcome derided his sacrifices and left for naught the death of his comrades. It is no wonder then that there are "bush vets" who have turned their back on society and retreated into the mountains or other Vietnam veterans with serious emotional problems. Yet, while these troubled veterans have received an overwhelming portion of the media coverage devoted to Vietnam veterans, they represent only a tiny portion of the 2.6 million men and women who served in Vietnam of which only about 518,000 actually served in combat arms. From Vietnam, veterans brought back not just their memories but a strong drive and desire to succeed and to live life to its fullest. "My father said I never got that Airborne attitude out of me," says Frank Norris who lives with his wife and three children in Marion, S.C. Norris credits Vietnam for giving him aggressive drive and decisive decision-making ability. Norris has built a successful accounting firm, owns a computer company and a military supply company, is part owner of a restaurant and is a corporate financial consultant. He is also an active skydiver and rappeller. Yet Vietnam remains a big part of Norris' life. "I get depressed sometimes," he says, "because I saw a lot of people give up their lives in Vietnam for a cause I feel was valid and I feel this country as a whole let them down completely. I feel they died in vain." Many of the myths continuously spoonfed to America about Vietnam and the veteran are still deeply ingrained in the public more than NAM VET Newsletter Page 77 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 15 years after the last combat troops left the war zone. How the war is portrayed and remembered has continued to bother veterans ever since they returned from the war zone. "If someone calls me up," explains Norris, "and says, 'Hey, did you watch FIRST BLOOD?' and he wants to know if that what really what it was like - well, that rubs me the wrong way. I'll tell them 'You got a case of posthumous curiosity. Where was your curiosity in 1966?'" For Frank Norris and most other Vietnam veterans the war will never be completely over but like Norris they have reconciled themselves to the fact there is nothing they can do about it. Norris' sense of responsibility has always carried him through the rough spots and while he is "extremely empathetic" with those who have valid problems he feels that many use Vietnam and delayed stress as an excuse to cover up their own personal failures and lack of fortitude. "Now, the guy who was a food inspector in Cam Ranh Bay and living in some hootch in mortal fear of a rocket coming in the whole year he was in Vietnam, to me that's not tangible. Yet who knows? There's a circuit breaker in everybody's head. Some just close more quickly than others. "While I'll be glad to help those who are willing to help themselves, if I see somebody sitting around crying in their beer over Vietnam, I'd like to kick their ass and get them going," he says. =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= Howard Klein was drafted in 1965. "I really had no objection to going. I couldn't let somebody else fight my war," he explains. After flying helicopters for the 101st Airborne Division in '67 - '68, Klein is now president of his own electrical contracting company and captains his own dive boat. =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= "I was a volunteer. I got what I asked for. I can't sit around making excuses for myself." Howard Klein was drafted in 1965. "I really had no objection to going. I couldn't let somebody else fight my war," he explains. So Klein volunteered for Airborne and flight school and got the latter. In 1968 Klein found himself at the controls of a chopper of the 101st Airborne Division disgorging paratroopers on the roof of the American Embassy in Saigon during the Tet offensive. During his Vietnam tour Klein was shot down four times and was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for performing a hazardous hot extraction of a long-range patrol team. Today Klein is president of a successful electrical contracting business in New York City and owner and captain of a diving boat. He lives on Long Island with his wife and two daughters. Like all successful men Klein buried himself in his work "16 hours a day, seven days a week" going after his goals. "Yet, without the organizational and logistical support training I got in the military," he acknowledges, "I would not be as successful as I am now. My company would not run as efficiently as it does. "The Vietnam experience gave me a can-do attitude because you knew if you didn't accomplish your mission somebody could lose their life. Vietnam taught me to operate efficiently under pressure and any business in the New York metropolitan area is a pressure business." NAM VET Newsletter Page 78 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Like Frank Norris, being a Vietnam veteran is an experience that has stayed with Klein. "Still to this day, I feel very bitter toward a lot of people my own age. The bitterness is caused because a lot of them took the easy way out. In a lot of respects, I feel that I can't bridge the gap that exists. "The friends I had before that didn't want to pay their dues - I didn't retain them as friends. I dissociated myself from them. And when I meet my peers today if I find that they were in college and they protested Vietnam then I have no use for them socially. "As a matter of fact I have dissociated myself from a number of them in business because I don't like dealing with people I feel uncomfortable with. That kind of individual is not an ethical individual. "I find that the veteran, the one that went to Vietnam and paid his dues, is far more ethical and has a far greater sense of responsibility and is much more successful in business than a person who did not." Every Saturday and Sunday as well as Wednesday night from spring through fall Klein captains his 36-foot dive boat, the "Grey Eagle," named after the call sign of his first commander in Vietnam. He still works a full week at his company. Next year Klein takes delivery on the 56-foot "Eagle's Nest" now being built in New Jersey specifically for dive operations. He ultimately plans a 120-foot boat which will be his "final resting place" when he retires from his electrical contracting business. =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= After having served with the 1st Cavalry Division in 1967, Steve Kanaly "felt a lot stronger about being an American. I think Americans represented themselves well in Vietnam and my unit did an exemplary job. I have an advantage over people who do not have this experience." Kanaly is now an actor playing the part of Ray Krebs in the TV show "Dallas." =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= "I need a challenge and diving is both a physical and mental challenge," Klein explains. "In scuba diving, you're in your own world. You're making things happen. When I get down there I can come out of my shell and be myself. And I find that most veterans do have that wall around them and it's pretty thick. "What they need more than anything is somebody close that will really listen to them so they can get it off their chest and be at peace. When the Vietnam veteran came home we were non-entities. It was like walking into a room and being totally ignored. People don't want to hear Vietnam. They didn't want to know it. "I personally feel a very great responsibility toward my brother veteran.. I give to every veteran organization. I enjoy sharing my success with other veterans who were less fortunate. I would sooner give to a veteran organization than the Salvation Army or Red Cross because I would rather help somebody that put his life n the line and spilled his blood for his country. They deserve the help more than the people that are on the welfare line who do nothing but take from society." Steve Kanaly, who plays Ray Krebs in the weekly television series "Dallas" survived a tour as an infantryman with the 1st Cavalry Division in 1967. He says "The whole experience of being drafted jerked me out of my everyday complacent, wonderful, fat lifestyle. When I ca back to America I felt there wasn't anything NAM VET Newsletter Page 79 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 I couldn't accomplish. "I felt a lot stronger about being an American. I think Americans represented themselves well in Vietnam and my unit did an exemplary job. I have an advantage over people who do not have this experience." For a long time, Kanaly, who lives in Los Angeles with his wife and two daughters, was able to put Vietnam out of his mind. Since 1982 when he was grand marshall of the parade during the Vietnam Memorial dedication in Washington, D.C., he has been active in fund raisers for disabled veterans, POW issues and the Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program. One of Steve Kanaly's long-range goals is to "do that movie about Vietnam" and finally bring to the public an accurate portrayal of the Vietnam experience. Before John Wetterer was drafted and sent as an infantryman to Vietnam to join the Americal Division in late 1967, he had a degree in economics and was a personnel officer with the Chase Manhattan Bank. When he returned to the States in the spring of 1969 he knew he would never be stuck behind a desk again. Touched by the misery and helplessness of Vietnam's children, Wetterer formed the non-profit "American Friends of Children" (P.O. Box 431, Massapequa, NY 11758) and became heavily involved with a local orphanage. Discharged in 1969, Wetterer made numerous trips back to Vietnam to work with homes for children in Da Nang and Saigon. =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= "I feel very good and I'm proud of the fact I went," says 1st Cav infantry vet Dean Quillet. "I've put most of my personal frustrations behind me. The memorial in Washington was a big help." Today, Quillet is executive vice president and chief administrative officer for Commonwealth Life Insurance Co. in Louisville, Ky. =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= In April of 1975, as Saigon was falling, he brought 600 orphans ranging from infants to six years old to America and placed them with families. Three of the boys he adopted himself. Since August of 1976 Wetterer has been living in Guatemala City where he opened a home for boys in a former children's hospital. He renamed it MI CASA (My Home) and is now legal guardian to 248 boys, the youngest of which is five and the oldest 19. "When a boy becomes part of this family he is here for his entire childhood until he is ready to go out on his own," says Wetterer. "Obviously it's not easy to find a babysitter for 248 boys so I don't get back to the States often. I did make it a point to see the Vietnam wall. I brought my little son with me because I wanted to show him the name of a friend I lost who he is named after." Like most Vietnam veterans, John Wetterer is bitter because "after all the time, money - and especially lives - we just let Vietnam go down the tubes." Vietnam opened Wetterer's eyes to "an intense need that existed" but rather than dwelling on the misery of war Wetterer used his Vietnam experience as a springboard for accomplishment. Another veteran who turned his Vietnam experience into a positive force is Dean Quillet, the executive vice president and chief administrative officer of Commonwealth Life Insurance Company of Louisville, Ky. NAM VET Newsletter Page 80 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 "To keep from dwelling on all the frustrations of Vietnam, I lost myself in my work. I put in many, many hours and it paid off in more ways than one," says Quillet, who credits Vietnam for his positive attitude and ability to work cooperatively with others. Quillet was drafted and sent to the 1st Cavalry Division in 1966 as an infantryman. His second Purple Heart entitled him to a year's stay in Walter Reed. "When I first got to the hospital I was very depressed. All I could do was lay back and stare at the ceiling, feeling sorry for myself. Then I got to looking around and saw people without arms, legs, eyes... and they were coping better than myself. I had all my limbs - they were just badly bent out of shape. I lost part of a finger, got braces on both legs, got an arm screwed up, a few scars on my face and stomach, but basically I'm in good shape. My attitude began to change considerably. "I feel very good and I'm proud of the fact I went and I think the reasons we went to Vietnam and made a commitment there were all good. I've put most of my personal frustrations behind me and the memorial in Washington was a big help. We lost 40 KIA from my company on 21 November 1966 and it pleases me to see those guys who fell have some recognition. It's very emotional for me to go because it's not just names I see: I see the faces. "Contrary to the way most folks operate today, the company I'm working for is the same company I started out with back in 1968 after I was discharged from the Army. And, I'm still married to the same lady I married back in February of '66 before I went into the Army." Quillet has an 11-year-old son. He is now active with the Kentucky Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program which helps find jobs for those vets who have not put their problems behind them. =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= Combat veteran of the 101st Abn. Div., '66-'67, Frank Norris doesn't fit the common American stereotype of the misfit vet who "can't come home." Norris owns his own accounting firm, computer company, military supply company and is part owner of a restaurant. =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= For the first 10 years after coming back from Vietnam in 1969, Dallas real estate developer Tom Hartin didn't know any other Vietnam veterans. "I already had my college degree so I got right into real estate and soon opened my own company," says Hartin, a 1st Cav infantryman who was decorated with a Silver Star. "My year in the bush will stay with me the rest of my life," he concedes. "The alertness, the drive, the ability to move forward and make decisions quickly and not get bogged down in trivial matters" are all traits driven home by Hartin's Vietnam experience which he says have added greatly to his success in business. But Hartin felt there was "something I missed which was the association of veterans I had things in common with. There were a lot of things I wanted to talk about." Hartin had been working seven days a week to develop his career. As his son and daughter were getting older, he decided to shift emphasis and wind down his home-building business. On the spur of a moment in mid-1982, he drove down to Ft. Hood, the home base of the 1st Cav Division, and got to know his old outfits. At the same time he joined the division association. Since then Hartin has made up for the first 10 years and spent NAM VET Newsletter Page 81 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 more than half his time at his own expense tackling veteran issues. He is now vice president of the First Cavalry Association, Chairman of the Dallas Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program, president of the National Veterans Leadership Program, vice chairman of the fund-raising committee for the Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial, and chairman of the Dallas/Ft. Worth Veterans Business Council. In addition, he is on the Small Business Administration's Veterans Advisory Committee and was named SBA State Veteran Advocate of the Year for the last two years. In conjunction with three other veterans, Hartin has formed VETPAC, a political action committee to raise funds to support Vietnam veterans in politics and encourage other veterans to enter the political arena. "Those of us who have made the adjustment and been fairly successful," he says, "need to step forward and identify ourselves as Vietnam veterans." At a State fair where Hartin manned a fund- raising booth for the Texas Vietnam Veterans Memorial, he would "watch the Vietnam veterans kind of circle around and in many cases the wives would come forward and then they would slowly come forward. It was really interesting. They were obviously the ones that had never really stepped forward before. After all these years it's really amazing the number of people who have not really dealt with their Vietnam experience. "I'm a firm believer that you've got to talk about your experiences to be able to work it out in your head." TOm Hartin has met many Vietnam veterans in the last three years including a bank president and the biggest real estate developer in Dallas. He has also gone into several businesses with other veterans because as he says, "I feel comfortable with and trust fellow Vietnam veterans." "A gap exists," says Hartin, "between those who have gone through the war experience and those who have not. It is their loss because I'm a better person for having gone through it, survived it, and gone on about my life." Richard Kolb, the former chairman of the Houston Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program, is very emphatic about the gap between veterans and non-veterans. "There is some kind of a unique bond us Vietnam veterans have," he says. "The first question that comes into my mind when I meet a guy between 31 and 40 is to ask him, "What did you do between 1965 and 1971?" I really use that as a measure for my peer group." Kolb got to Vietnam in 1970 as an RTO with the 4th Infantry Division. When the 4th was sent back to the States he was transferred to the 101st Airborne Division. For the last five years Kolb has worked as a Tenneco oil scout monitoring his company's competitors. He also works as a freelance writer, having published over 30 articles dealing mostly with military history. "If it wasn't for Vietnam," says Kolb, "I wouldn't have done 80 percent of the things I have done with my life. It has propelled me into writing. It instilled a drive in me and was a motivating factor in traveling around the world. For the longest time after I got out of the Army I kind of lived my life a year at a time. I really didn't plan too much in the future." Kolb's wife of 11 years, and three sons, were a big factor in settling down and breaking the one-year syndrome. Kolb became so frustrated with the faulty image of the Vietnam veteran as portrayed by the media, as well as the "mentality of NAM VET Newsletter Page 82 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 certain veterans that want to make you all into a welfare state," that he put together a statistic sheet that separated fact from fiction. Predictably, the information was ignored by all the major media. All the veterans interviewed for this article expressed concern that there are far too many Vietnam veterans who are using Vietnam as a crutch for their own personal failures. Richard Kolb saw this happen at the Houston Vet Center. "A certain percent of guys have genuine legitimate problems as a result of something that happened in combat. For these guys my heart goes out to them. There is nothing too good for them to help them. "We found a lot of guys who never set foot in Vietnam down at the Vet Center crying the blues about how tough the war was. Even one of the counselors admitted that to us. Guys came down there and said they had emotional problems because they worried about having to go to Vietnam. Things like that really hurt it for the guys that deserve the attention." The memories and scars of the Vietnam War are as varied as the many facets of the war itself. But for all veterans, as Frank Norris Phrases it: "Vietnam is hard to remember but impossible to forget." But the camaraderie, brotherhood, love and dependence on one another on the battlefield has now transcended into civilian life. In combat, Americans prided themselves on never leaving their wounded behind. And today, even those veterans who blocked out the war for years as they build successful lives are stepping forward and reaching out to help that minority of their comrades who need it. All across the country, especially since the dedication of the Vietnam Memorial in 1982 and the recent ticker-tape parade in New York City, Vietnam vets are coming out of the woodwork, standing up proud, tall and ready to aggressively assert the fact of their Vietnam service. They are increasingly earning their rightful place as leaders of American society. The tables have turned. As Richard Kolb puts it: "I still have a personal vendetta against flag burners, draft dodgers and protesters. For years, I said to myself, 'What are you going to do if you run into one?' But I can get anybody to admit they were in that category. Nor for a change, it is THEM that are keeping things to themselves instead of us!" NAM VET Newsletter Page 83 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Statistics of Vietnam By: Phillip Hebert, Director VIETNAM LEARNING CENTER - PO Box 3536 Alexandria, VA 22302 =*= Longest war in U.S. history, August 4, 1964 to May 7, 1975. =*= Over 8.5 million served in the Armed Forces during the Vietnam era =*= Approximately 4 million served in Vietnam. =*= 500,000 to 1,500,00 saw active combat or were exposed to hostile situations. =*= 58,156 KIA and MIA are listed on the Memorial in Washington, D.C. =*= 303,000 were wounded. =*= 150,000 required hospitalization. =*= 75,000 sustained serious wounds resulting in permanent impairment. =*= 300% higher rate of amputation. =*= 18.4% sustained multiple amputations, compared with 5.7% in World War II. =*= 2.5% mortality rate in Vietnam, compared with 4.5% in World War II. =*= It is estimated that 20%-60% of all who served in Indochina may be suffering emotional repercussions of their war experience (800,000 to 1.5 million people). =*= It is estimated that between 54,000 and 108,000 veterans have committed suicide since the war. Figures from 1978 to date. =*= Outreach Workers and Mental Health Professionals estimate that there are 35,000-45,000 Veterans living in ISOLATION. =*= FIGURES OF ALL WAR KIA AND MIA: World War I - 3,350 MIA's World War II - 406,872 KIA's - 78,750 MIA's 22,000 live POW's in German camps were kept by the RUSSIANS. Korean War (Conflict) - 54,235 KIA's - 8,177 MIA's Vietnam War - 57,685 KIA's - 2,459 MIA's As of to date there are 2,370 MIA's still missing. TOTAL NUMBER OF KIA's 518,792 - MIA's 92,736 KIA: Killed In Action MIA: Missing in Action POW: Prisoner of War NAM VET Newsletter Page 84 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Here puppy, here puppy... By: David Kirschbaum [captured from a message in VIETNAM_VETS] RC> We never got anything big, though. One duck and the RC> services of the owner as cook turned out to be the biggest RC> deal I witnessed. Never bartered with RVN since we were usually able to scrounge up something ourselves. Never fancied dog myself .. especially if they've been run hard before killing. Which brings to mind ... War Story: During my period as Commander, Dak To (e.g., Team Maine was only guys there besides abandoned TACAN team). One scroungy, skinny garbage dump dog sniffing around the abandoned bunkers. 'Yards decide they just HAVE to have fresh meat. First I cleverly stalk Friend Dog around the area, using highly refined SF stalking skills, taking an occasional semi-automatic shot at him with my silenced Sten gun. (Silenced Stens are NOT noted for accuracy. Nor for silence when they're as old as mine was!) Finally got a round close enough to him to notice and he started getting nervous. End of stalking, switch to high-speed pursuit mode. Dave Baker (Riverside CA) , my 11, driving like a madman; Sherman Miller (Louisiana) and Mike Buckland (Seattle Washington) hanging on in the back with about 3 of the 'Yards .. and all of them screaming like madmen; me standing in the front seat, hanging on to the windshield with a hand or two, and trying to squeeze off bursts whenever Friend Dog (and/or Dave Baker) went halfway in a straight line ... Chased that sucker ALL over the runway, range area, contonement area, etc. Finally (maybe six magazines later) winged him. Dave comes to smoking halt beside Friend Dog (who is still twitching); whips out his trusty sawed-off M79, and fires point-blank at Friend Dog (who is lying at our collective feet). Everybody screams, simultaneously with sound of M79 firing. Turns out Dave was NOT totally mad; had a shotgun round chambered; truly put Friend Dog out of his misery (and took ten years off my life!). We'll save the traditional 'Yard food preparation for a later edition. (You can take off your helmets and flak jackets now.) NAM VET Newsletter Page 85 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 ================================================================= O l ' G l o r y n ' S h i f t i n ' S a n d s ================================================================= Vietnam vet's view: Similar - but not the same by Robert Locke El Paso Press Pool El Paso Times - 12/2/90 Input by: Joyce Flory NamVet's Incarcerated Veterans Section Editor SAUDI ARABIA - The Army camps of Saudi Arabia have a very different feel from those of Vietnam two decades ago - the feel of an army that doesn't plan to stay long and has not yet come under fire. Except for the ever-present tools of war - and the soldiers' universal desire to go home - few similarities jog a Vietnam veteran's memory. Sandbags are filled in the desert just as in the jungle - but they aren't nearly as many of them. A forward base in Vietnam seemed almost all sandbags. At Con Thien and Khe Sahn few structures rose more than four feet above the ground and few materials other than sandbags met the eye. Marines lived underground. Even in larger bases where tents were used, the "hooches" were protected by sandbag walls. Not so in the 3rd Armored Cavalry and 11th Air Defense Artillery encampments in the desert. Tents are the rule and sandbag barricades are absent. But the camps are surrounded by concertina wire, as in Vietnam and the gun pits are unchanged: three-foot- deep holes surrounded and covered by sandbags with gaps for firing holes. And the tripod-mounted .50-caliber machine guns are as ugly and menacing as ever. Everything looks neat in these desert camps, including the soldiers. Boots are polished. No one here writes messages - or counts down months - on their new Kevlar helmets with the Nazi-like profile. In Vietnam , a helmet was a billboard. It was marked with peace signs or threats against Ho Chi Minh or statements of outrage. And stuck in helmet bands was insect repellant, cigarette packs, plastic spoons and lucky charms. The bone-busting jeep is gone from this army, replaced by the ubiquitous "humvee," which seems more versatile and certainly offers a more pleasant ride. And the canned C-rations that were the staff of life for Vietnam troops are no more. Now its MREs - Meals, Ready-to-Eat - with food tucked into plastic bags. Yet soldiers in 1990 complain about the MREs exactly as those of 1968 complained of C-rations. Some things never change. NAM VET Newsletter Page 86 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 No flags in the desert? Gimme a break! By: Clay Tannacore <<< SYSTEM ONE >>> BBS - Charleston, SC (803) 556-1999 I know d*mned well this is *off topic*, in this echo (VIETNAM_VETS), but I had to get it off my chest. It's 7:00 PM (EST). I've just sat down at the dinner table. On the TV I see Dan Rathers' ugly face staring at me, with his ever- active mouth running on and on about something that CBS finds newsworthy. My wife, my children, and my grandson are preparing to devour an invigorating meal of something my wife calls "chicken fried steak, corn, rice(can't get Nam out of the household) with green beans." I turn up the volume of the TV, to maybe offset a meal I'm not real happy about. Ol' Dan is saying something about Saudi. On the screen I see some Army sargent, with a pen knife in his hand, removing an insignia of the American flage from the shoulder of a recently called up reservest. The reporters voice is saying that American troops are being *ordered* to remove all insignias with American flags, because, "it would offend the Saudis'" "Jesus H. Christ!" I hear myself shouting. "What the hell is going on? Who in the hell do these camel drivers think they are?" My wife looks up at me with that old familiar look on her face which says, "He's ready for the Vet Center, again." My oldest girl plays it safe. She slips down until she's on the floor, under the table. My grandson (who's never experienced one of my outbursts) drops his spoon on the floor, takes a crap in his Pamper(tm), and tries to run, but his feet aren't touching the floor. I tell you all this, so I can say this. I sat around and said to myself (I talk to myself a lot ever since Nam. At least I get the answers I want.) when I heard about the troops over there not being able to have a Bible, because *it offends the Saudis'*. "Well, this is because of their religion, and anyway, if I know American GI's, they're gonna' have a Bible, no matter what." I even found a way to justify the Saudis' bull crap about our troops eating Pork. Seems this too, *offends* them. I made a joke out of the fact that *The Sand* in that Land of Sand, was sacred to them, and if American GI's wanted to fill sandbags, they'd have to bring in their own sand. Seeing the guys and gals over there being told that they can't read a Playboy/Playgirl magazine wasn't too bad. I knew from experience that American ingenuity would solve that problem, and The Centerfolds would again reign supreme. The Beer (alcohol) matter was another thing. If memory serves me, beer is the prime ingredient in GI motivation. If you wanna' win a war with American GI's, you better have The Bud ready...[smile] I took all of the above in the finest tradition of The American Way. BUT! Now The Camel Drivers are *OFFENDED* by the sight of Old Glory? PISS on them! Let em' be *offended*, let em' fight their own battles. Let Saddam take over their Sand Box (Ooops, NAM VET Newsletter Page 87 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 meant to say country). When Ol' Saddam is all done with them, then we (America) can go in and wipe his sandblasted ass off the face of the Earth, and let the American Oil Companies run both countries, so that gas prices at the pump can go up to two fifty a gallon....[smile] Remember The Saudi Battle Cry: Nuke em' till they glow in the dark, then shoot em' after supper." NAM VET Newsletter Page 88 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Thanksgiving Day Revisited Sarge Hultgren NamVet Editorial Assistant Freedom's Choice BBS - Lynn, MA (617) 593-2605 Bird Day upon us Kitchen smells are delicious In the electronic world, meals Are mostly ficticious To you and your friends On this day remember The ones gone before That had hard Novembers In times of full plenty When our tables are stacked Start with some thanks because we don't lack And a special rememberance To those who stand Not with dressing but dressed On hot desert sands God speed you all Home to Mom's Apple pie To the umbrella of blue One of freedom's clear skies If the occasion arises Which we hope it will not We wish you the accuracy Of David's sling shot The world trusts America She stands by her word If the chance does come by Flip Saddam your bird Wake up! Take five! And ponder your way The reason is simple For freedom you pay NAM VET Newsletter Page 89 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Whaddya MEAN - NO FLAG!!! By: Jerry Hindle NamVet's Distribution Manager M.R.M.S. Mk VII - Memphis, TN (901) 683-5410 (Mail Only) (From VIETNAM_VETS Mon Dec 03 1990 22:14:01) I just saw on the news where OUR TROOPS are being ordered NOT to fly the US flag while in Saudi Arabia during Operation Desert Shield. They have even been ordered to take the flags off their shoulder patches. This is all due to the fact that the Suadi's "might be" offended by the US flag. To this I say too bad. If the Suadi's want our help they need to be prepared to allow us to use our flag, otherwise I am now taking the psoition that if they are so offended then we should just leave and let them fight their own dam war. One National Guard unit protested the decision and flew the flag anyway whereupon the commander was instantly arrested and held for refusing to obey an order.... I SAY THIS SUCKS! I am immediately calling my congressman and senator tomorrow and voicing my opposition to this decision. If the Suadi's want us to fight for their protection then they will have to start giving in to our needs more or do their own fighting. I URGE ANYONE who saw this report and feels the same way as I to voice this feeling to our elected officials and directly to the president and let them know that unless the Suadi's immediately reverse this decision that we will simply leave and let Hussain have them. What do you say??? NAM VET Newsletter Page 90 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Top Ten in Saudi Input by: Jim Hildwine NamVet's Federal Benefits Section Editor VETPoint 47 - Shady Side, MD (413) 443-6313 The following list of songs are the top ten requested from the troops in SA. How they're getting em I do not know. 1. We Gotta Get out of this place (Um heard that somewhere before) 2. Leaving on a Jet Plane. (Darn I know that one from somewhere) 3. You can take this job and shove it. (ah memories) 4. Puff (Apache) the Magic Dragon (Now I know I know that but where?) 5. Where have all the flowers gone? ( in sand?) 6. I got a feeling ( me too) 7. Rain Drops are falling on my head. (ah the rainy season hits sa) 8. Does your chewing gum loose it's flavor on the bed post over night? 9. Soldier Boy 10. When I take my next vaction, it won't be over here. Top VCR Tapes Requested: 1. Top Gun ( Very popular with marine airdales) 2. The Wizard of OZ (any thing is better then this place) 3. Glory (keeping in the American Spirt) 4. Jane Fonda's Workout (sorry guys too much T/A, plus is blacklisted) 5. All John Wayne Movies. Least request are the following: Rambo 1,2,3,4,5,6,????? Rocky 1,2,3,4,5,????? Most sought after Mag's (which are banned in the sa. Playboy, Playgirl, etc. Most requested item's from home Tabasco, WD 40, Q Tips (gets the sand out of your ears) Most Looked for item by all troops: M A I L From HOME!!!!!!!!! Federal Benefits? Ask me!!! - Jim - NAM VET Newsletter Page 91 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 ================================================================= U n c l e S a m w a n t s Y O U t o k n o w ================================================================= Follies on the Hill? From December 1990 DAV Magazine Input by: G. Joseph Peck NamVet's Managing Editor VETLInk #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 Has Congress lost its sense of human priorities? Do our elected Representatives and Senators give greater value to methane emissions, the House beauty parlor, and a Lawrence Welk museum than to disabled veterans? "Yes" would seem to be the answer, according to some federal funding projects that Capitol Hill saw fit to pass on the one hand while denying disabled veterans a cost-of-living adjustment on the other. Here are some examples, among others, that came out of the Fiscal Year 1991 budget passed by the 101st Congress: -> $19 million to study the methane emissions from the flatulence of cows and other barnyard animals; -> $375,000 for a face-lift for the House beauty parlor; -> $250,000 top study placement of television lighting on the Senate floor; -> $2.5 billion in tax breaks for the oil and gas industry; and -> $500,000 for the town of Strasburg, North Dakota, to build a museum honoring band leader Lawrence Welk. Also, Congressional representatives voted themselves a 25 percent pay raise that will increase their salaries from $98,000 to $125,000 a year. While DAV National Commander Joseph E. Andry said he found some of the federal expenditures amusing, he added "they're not so funny when you consider that men and women who are injured while defending this nation will not be receiving a cost-of-living adjustment for their disability compensation. At times, this is what we're dealing with in Washington, a total disregard for the real, human needs in this country." =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= [Note from Joe: How's about we put a QUALIFIER on the salaries of elected officials? A QUALIFIER kinda like: In order to receive a pension for their government service, a period of a minimum of 9- months active duty in any branch of the military currently engaged in operations OUTSIDE of the U.S.? Betchya THEN we might see some truly dedicated commitment!] NAM VET Newsletter Page 92 Volume 4, Number 12 December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xxx _ -. . - .-. - . . . . - XXXXXxxXXXXXXXXXXXx -. - .- . - . . XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-. .--. - .- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX -.- - -.- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX -. -. -. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx .g -. -. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX .- j. .- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX . p .-. XXXXXXXX ]XXXXXXXXX ]XXXXXXXX .- - -. XXXXXX XXXXX XXXXXX -.- - -- XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX -- - XXXXXXXXX X'`XXX XXXXXXX Y Y XXXXXXXXX XXXXX XXX XXXXXXX X X XXXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXX XXXXXX XXX XX X XXX XX XX XXXX XX XXX XX XX XX XXXX XXX]XXXXXXXXXXXX XXX[ XX XX XXX XXXXXXXXXX " I t ' s o n l y t e e n a g e a c n e ! " -Robert Nimmo- NAM VET Newsletter Page 93 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 VA TO TEST MOBILE CLINICS DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Office of Public Affairs - News Service Washington DC 20420 (202) 233-2741 The Department of Veterans Affairs is announcing plans to test the effectiveness of using mobile clinics to provide health care to veterans living in remote areas. "This exciting project combines state-of=the=art communications technology with an array of medical services in a mobile package," said VA Secretary Edward J. Derwinski. VA will test the mobile clinics in five geographical areas: Fayetteville/Durham, N.C.; Prescott, Ariz.; Poplar Bluff, Mo.; Spokane, Wash.; and Togus, Maine. Based at least 100 miles from a VA health-care facility, the clinics will be equipped to communicate with the parent facility for consultations and emergency backup. The clinics will provide preventative health-care screening for a variety of diseases, such as colon and oral cancer, anemia and diabetes, and follow-up appointments for veterans discharged from a VA medical center. Staff also will be equipped to suture and perform minor dermatologic procedures. The clinics will be staffed by one physician, one physician's assistant or nurse practitioner, one nurse and one mobile clinic operator/medical administration clerk. Depending on the workload and the distances to be travelled, each mobile clinic will visit counties in its service area about once every two weeks. The clinics, expected to be operating by the summer of 1991, will handle approximately 10,000 outpatient visits a year. NAM VET Newsletter Page 94 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 VA Bills Insurance Companies Input by: Jim Hildwine NamVet's Federal Benefits Section Editor VETPoint 47 - ShadySide, MD (413) 443-6313 VA STEPS UP EFFORTS TO BILL INSURANCE COMPANIES FOR VETERANS CARE. The Dept. of VA is strengthening efforts to file claims for the cost of medical care provided to certain veterans covered by private health insurance policies. VA has begun introducing updated insurance claims procedures throughout its 172-hospital system and reassuring veterans that their eligibility for VA health care will not be affected. Additional employees have been hired to enhance existing collection activities, which are projected to reach $500 million per year within the next five years. Congress passed legislation in 1986 authorizing VA to recover from insurance companies the cost of providing medical care to non-service-disabled veterans. This legislation also required that these veterans provide health insurance information, upon request, when applying for VA medical care. The omnibus Budget Reconciliation Act of 1990 further authorized VA to recover from insurance companies, through Sep 30, 1993, the cost of care provided to service-disabled veterans for treatment of nonservice-related health problems. The amount VA can collect from insurance companies is limited to the amount the veteran or other health-care provider would receive if the care has been furnished by a nongovernment agency. The insurance company reimburses VA directly. Veterans are not billed by VA or the veteran's insurance company, and veterans's eligibility for VA health-care services is not effected. Veterans will not be responsible for uncollected claims against their policies, nor for copayments that many policies require. Va's absorption of annual policy deductibles from recovered claims my satisfy the obligation of veterans who later seeks private medical care. For more info call 202-233-2741 NAM VET Newsletter Page 95 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 ================================================================= C o n c e n t r a t e d I V V E C / N a m V e t S e r v i c e ================================================================= If Mohammed won't come to the mountain... __________ \ NamVet \ _____) Service )_____ _________(____(_________(_____(@) ) ) gjp / O O O O O O O O O/_/| /<> O O O O O O O O O/ | /MM O O O O O O O MM/ | / ___________ / . /O (___________) O O/. 14 Dec 90 (====================( There HAS been an AWFUL lot goin' on in our SERVICE department during the last few months. Sometimes, tryin' to handle it all kinda gets me to wonderin' WHERE I'll ever find time to just sit n' rest... But... let's update ya here on what we're doin'... In our regular NamVet sections we try to keep the focus on issues that concern all of our veterans in a "national" scope. Here in the NamVet Service Department, usin' the Managing Editor's own experiences (talk about NIGHTMARES! as a "teaching example," we've been tryin' to share with you some of the many things that STILL occur today in the job market, in the housing field, in the educational field, and any others we happen to come across. Regarding the issue(s) concerning the house/home of a disabled veteran that was detailed in last month's NamVet: There is slow, slow - but positive - progress being made. For a closer, birds- eye view of what's been happening, please see the following articles which almost speak for themselves. The veteran HAS been fortunate enough to find temporary employment while he waits on the "speedy" folk on The Hill... EMPLOYMENT WITH THE USPO, detailed in last month's issue of NamVet: The veteran received a notice that he was not the one chosen for the position. HOWEVER, he was called almost immediately for another interview at another USPO. He is now scheduled for a physical - as part of the final steps before being hired. One of the "difficult" things for the veteran in this instance is knowing that he was turned down for USPO employment becuase of lifting limitations - given to the USPO *-BY THE VA-* and the VA, in turn, in spite of the previous job denial, refused to grant unemployability. Let's see how THIS one works out... On another front: The veteran mentioned above requested a personal hearing before the Veterans Administration. He received notice at the time of this writing (13 Dec 90) that his personal hearing was granted and he will appear in Boston, MA in '91. We WILL keep ya posted on this one... And, finally, BERKSHIRE VETERANS' CENTER, INC. continues to grow! Daily we're receiving more and more requests for information concerning membership in the nation's FIRST self-supporting NAM VET Newsletter Page 96 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Electronic Vet Center. A dollar price tag CANNOT be put on the value of a restless veteran callin' a BBS in the middle of the night (his/her time) and discovering that the SysOp IS there and WILL spend some time with him/her. If you or any veteran/dependent that you are in close touch with have a need for veterans' services or benefit information, please contact us at VETLink #1 BBS (413) 443-6313 ... or write: BERKSHIRE VETERANS' CENTER, INC. Post Office Box 2056 Pittsfield, MA 01202 I will keep you all apprised of any changes in any of the above situations. We're working HARD to see that ALL veterans receive what they rightfully earned when they put their lives on-the-line for America!!! Ci'ao for Ni'ao -Joe- NAM VET Newsletter Page 97 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Things get worse before they get better... XXX XXXX Street Pittsfield, Massachusetts 01201 5 November 1990 The Honorable Silvio O. Conte, Member of Congress 78 Center Street Arterial Pittsfield, Massachusetts 01201 Dear Congressman Conte: It is difficult to know "where" to begin this letter or "which" topic to address first, so much has been happening. An objective assessment of the present situation(s) of my family and I will reveal that we're on the razor-sharp edge of either total failure or finally achieving some of the many things we've attempted. I think, first, I should update you on the situation(s) concerning employment with the U.S. Postal Service. In your letter to me of 2 Mar 90, you stated: "... Since I have very recently held Office Hours, and due to the fact that sessions in the United States House of Representatives are in progress, it is impossible to state at this time exactly when my schedule will permit me to meet with constituents there again. I want to assure you, however, that your name is on file for an appointment and when a date has been set, you will be notified by telephone." HAD the requested appointment taken place by now, I could have told you that U.S. Dept. of HUD has been very helpful and patient in working with us to save our house and home but that XXXX XX XXX XXXXXXX is attempting to foreclose on the Second Mortgage we have on our home; that it again appears I'm going through another round of foot-dragging and lip-service with my VA Claim for Unemployability and increased disability ratings; and that we've tried EVERYTHING possible to hold on, hoping that all this would clear up. It hasn't... Let's see if I can briefly recap what has transpired. On or about 13 Jul 90, my wife, Georgia, was terminated from her place of employ - XXXXXX, XXXXX XXXXXXX, Dalton, MA. She registered at many temporary services and filed for unemployment. She now receives unemployment compensation of $211.00 per week. On 24 Jul 90 I took the Postal Exam for Custodian. This resulted in a passing score of 108.1 with my veterans' preference points added. On 1 Aug 90 I took the Postal Exam for Distribution Clerk and received a passing score of 95.3 with my veterans preference points added. On 4 Oct 90, as per USPO request, I drove to Springfield, MA for drug testing (I passed ). On 1 Nov 90 as per USPO request, I was interviewed for a Custodians Position at Agawam, MA. No positive or negative indication of my potential hire was ascertained. I can only hope that finally I will have a job! (Pertinent copies attached) My wife, Georgia, and I have attempted to declare Chapter 13 "Wage Earners" bankruptcy. The referee assigned us has indicated that he could not allow us to do so since our house/home has an assessed valuation of $98,790, we have a total of $46,861.94 in mortgages and $23,583.52 in personal debts and we are, effectively, "equity rich" - although we can't spend a penny of this "richness" to pay off some of our outstanding obligations. On 2 Nov 90 I approached XXXXXXXXX Funding Corporation, XXXX XXXX St., Pittsfield, MA in a last-ditch effort to see if there was SOME way to save our house/home. "If you had a regular job, NAM VET Newsletter Page 98 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Joe, there MIGHT be a chance," said the loan representative (as have many other lending agencies). While there, I mentioned the corporation which I formed in 1985 - Berkshire Veterans' Center, Inc. - and all that I had tried to do to keep it going. I showed the representative our just-completed IRS Form 1023 which reveals the personal investment I have made into it (nearly $17,000 from the time it began to now). The loan representative suggested I speak to you or your office concerning any funding that might be available to help me keep the organization going up until the time it can truly stand on its own two feet. (Accompanying this letter will be a copy of our IRS Form 1023 and supporting documentation). Now let me see if I can effectively sum this up. 1. My wife, Georgia, after working hard for the past few years to both raise a family (we now have 2 sons in the U.S. Army. Michael is in the Army Reserves in Tampa, Fl, and David, now 18, will be entering the Army for his BASIC training 30 Nov 90) and continuously advance herself, was terminated from her last place of employment because, in the employer's words, "She wasn't fast enough." She now collects unemployment insurance. 2. In spite of over 150 applications and hundreds of hours of effort, I am still unemployed. Positions I've applied for range from Data Entry to Probation Officer to Assistant to the Mayor (I DO have a Bachelors Degree in Sociology). Still no success in any quarter - although, on the horizon, the prospect of Federal employment may be a possibility. I have also continuously applied for positions within New York State at the Albany, VA and through NY Director of Veterans' Affairs, Tom Lewis. 3. XXXX XX XXX XXXXXXX, holders of the second mortgage on our house/home, are in the process of attempting foreclosure. 4. Our attempt to file for a "Wage Earners" bankruptcy plan in which no creditor would lose (Chapter 13), appears to be unsuccessful because we are "equity rich." 5. Berkshire Veterans' Center, Inc., of which I am the founder and six-term President, has now applied for official recognition/determination of its non-profit status. All around the nation (and Canada), Berkshire Veterans' Center, Inc., through its outreach arm of VETLink #1, has aided and assisted veterans and their dependents. If "I" fail now, all that I've worked for and towards since 1983 (BVCI became "official" on 23 Jan 85) will be lost - as will the veteran service that many have now come to rely on. If there is ANY way you and/or your office might assist us, I would certainly be grateful. Yours, in Service to America ... and my fellow man In kindness, honesty, and good faith G. Joseph Peck GJP/jct cc Files Encl's NAM VET Newsletter Page 99 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Let's try THIS route... SILVIO O. CONTE WASHINGTON ADDRESS First District, Massachusetts 2300 Rayburn Office Building Washington, DC 20515 COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Phone: 202-225-5335 Ranking Republican Member CONGRESS OF THE UNITED STATES HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES WASHINGTON, DC 20515 SUBCOMMITTEES Labor - Health and Human DISTRICT OFFICES Services - Education Federal Building Transportation 78 Center Street Arterial Pittsfield, MA 01201 LEGISLATIVE Phone: 413-442-0946 Ex Officio Member Of All Subcommittees 187 High Street Holyoke, MA 01040 COMMITTEE ON SMALL BUSINESS Phone: 413-532-7010 Subcommittee on Procurement, Innovation, and Minority Enterprises Development MIGRATORY BIRD CONSERVATION COMMISSION November 9, 1990 BOARD OF REGENTS SMITHSONIAN INSTITUTION Mr. G. Joseph Peck XXX XXXX Street Pittsfield, Massachusetts 01201 Dear Mr. Peck: I would like to take this opportunity to acknowledge and thank you for recently contacting my Pittsfield Office regarding your claim with the Veterans Administration for a federal grant and/or non- profit status for the Berkshire Veterans' Center, INcorporated. I thank what you do for the veterans of our country is a commendable and wonderful thing, and you deserve to be rewarded. I want you to know that I have contacted Mr. Robert F. Moakley, Director, Veterans Administration, on your behalf, and I have asked that he afford your claim an expeditious and sympathetic review, and to keep me apprised through my Pittsfield Office. You may rest assured that I will forward any additional information to you without hesitation as soon as I am in receipt of it. Should you find yourself in need of any further assistance, please do not hesitate to contact me. With my best wishes and warm regards, I am Cordially yours, /s/ Silvio O. Conte Member of Congress SOC:cl NAM VET Newsletter Page 100 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 7 November 90 Governor-Elect William Weld Executive Office The State House Boston, Massachusetts 02133 Dear Governor-elect Weld: I am a disabled Vietnam era veteran who left a little blood on a highway in Dawn, VA; had his injuries misdiagnosed by Dept. of the Army doctors and was subsequently Honorably discharged; fought for 18-1/2 years before the "mistake" was finally corrected, losing one wife and two children but gaining another (who came with 3 children of her own); losing many jobs, two homes and one projected-successful Radio/TV Repair business along the way; and, for the last eight years, has totally immersed himself in serving his fellow veterans, from Charter membership and dedicated activity in veteran organizations, Commandership of a 500+ member chapter of Disabled American Veterans, spearheading the drive for a storefront Veterans' Outreach Center, to an innovative approach to veteran service that breaks down walls for the handicapped and housebound, provides camaraderie, support, and, once in awhile, crisis intervention, to computer-using veterans, their family members, and others: An "electronic vet center." Unable to secure gainful employment for the past few years, I have devoted almost my every waking moment and nearly my entire VA Disability Compensation check to developing and refining VETLink #1 to bring it to the point where "services requested are services delivered" - asking no funds from anyone for the work I have done, glad and grateful to be of service to my fellow veteran. For MY efforts, our home is about to be foreclosed upon and we are now on the cutting edge (two weeks) of bankruptcy. Things ARE pretty close! During your 31 Oct 90 Statehouse-steps speech before the many veterans who were concerned about the closing of Soldiers' Homes and State Veteran Outreach Centers (I was the one who yelled: "Sign it in blood! We did!") you pledged "continuity of already- existing veteran services." I would appreciate the opportunity of working with you and your administration in keeping that pledge. A classmate of yours, XXXX XXXXXXXX, as well as myself, wishes you the best as you accept the role of Governor of Massachusetts. Yours, in Service to America ... and my fellow man In kindness, honesty, and good faith G. Joseph Peck, President Berkshire Veterans' Center, Inc. GJP/jct cc Files NAM VET Newsletter Page 101 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 ================================================================= P l e a s e k e e p t h i s i n m i n d ================================================================= FIREBASE FREEDOM 91 By: Henry Elsworth + T.M.E. + -- Coos Bay, OR (503) 269-1935 On January 18th,19th,& 20th 1991 Point Man International of Nevada is hosting a Vietnam Veteran's Conference at life Center in Reno, Nevada. The Conference speakers, all veterans or their spouses, will be giving "hands on" help with the issues and answers to Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, ( PTSD). Conference sessions will address the following subjects: What's the problem and how did it start? What's it been like since coming home? Making peace with my past ! What really happened to us? To Hell and Back ! PTSD, adrenalin and the Nam vet. "Cease Fire" - A time for forgiveness and understanding. Who's the real enemy? Guerilla warfare in God's Army! Moving on from here! For more Info. Contact Point Man Vietnam Veterans Conference P.O. Box 12904 Reno, Nevada 89510 Or Call (702) 829-1969 Hope You Can Make It 8-) Hank NAM VET Newsletter Page 102 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 The Freedom Foundation 2857 Pond Road - Ronkonkoma, NY 11779 (516) 467-4236 Input by: Terry Hayes VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 A Non Profit educational Organization [A Voice for American Prisoners Of War] TO: All Friends of American Prisoners Of War SUBJECT: BRINGING OUR POWS HOME: Pressure from the Grassroots of America through a Massive POW Awareness Campaign October 20,1990 Dear Friend of FREEDOM: We have never had a better opportunity to correct and resolve the POW/MIA issue than we do right now! Last month the book: KISS THE BOYS GOODBYE was released with much success. And, as you already know, a U.S. Senate criminal investigation began in March of 1990 on the POW scandal, and their conclusion will be released shortly. We must not let this window of opportunity PASS US BY! We must be ready to react TOGETHER. In order to accomplish this goal of FREEDOM for our POWs, Captain Eugene (Red) McDaniel, President of the AMERICAN DEFENSE INSTITUTE, Washington, DC has agreed to head and correlate this project. Captain McDaniel is a formidable man, he's the right man to head this project. Captain McDaniel is one of the most dedicated and knowledgeable Americans in our great country, regarding the plight of American POWs. However, Captain McDaniel can not accomplish the goal of freeing our "known" POWs alone, he needs and deserves our COMBINED STRENGTH NOW. The AMERICAN DEFENSE INSTITUTE NEEDS $50,000 immediately to take full advantage of this opportunity and inform the American people of the truth: fact or reality about American POWs. We cannot and must not fail. Only with the help and support of American patriots like yourself, will we be able to raise the urgently needed $50,000. Please read the four page PROGRAM attached and decide for yourself if our POWs are worth this effort. If you really want to bring this tragic issue to the forefront of the American public, and to correct and resolve this national disgrace; this project is for you. The time has come: the time is NOW! Send your, or your organization's tax deductible donation to the: AMERICAN DEFENSE INSTITUTE, PO Box 2497, Washington, DC 20013. Call 202-544-4704 if you have any questions for Captain McDaniel. Thank You for your Help & Support. Sincerely Yours, Danny DeMauro, President The Freedom Foundation =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= BRINGING OUR POWS HOME Evidence of the incontestable reality of American prisoners of war in Vietnam continues to come to the attention of the American Defense Institute. Just seven weeks ago, we received a photograph of a POW in Vietnam, for example. The most compelling information, however, has come in the form NAM VET Newsletter Page 103 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 of a book that makes the case in such a way that we defy anyone to read it and walk away unconvinced. "Kiss the Boys Goodbye", even if only a small fraction of it were true, presents courtroom- quality evidence about negligence so criminal and a cover-up so pervasive that Watergate and Iran-Contra are trivialities by comparison. A Senate investigation, headed by Senators Jesse Helms and Charles Grassley, is looking into the government's handling of POW evidence. The explosive report of the Senate investigators is imminent. We have the chance right now, and possibly never again, to raise the kind of public outcry about the POW issue that will finally get these men out of their jungle dungeons. WE MUST NOT MISS THIS MOMENT! The American Defense Institute needs to raise $50,000 immediately to mount an intensive awareness campaign that will ignite a prairie fire of indignation and grassroots pressure throughout the United States - pressure that will force our elected officials to negotiate seriously for the return of our POWs. While the end result of ADI's mobilization program will be moving the hearts of the broad masses of the American people, the goal is possible only when a core group of committed patriots decides to make it happen. That is why we are appealing to you. Remember, we have this window of opportunity for just a few weeks from today. LET'S MAKE IT HAPPEN NOW! "BRINGING OUR POWS HOME: Pressure from the Grassroots" will have three elements: 1) the mobilization of the thousands of groups and individuals who share our anger about the POW scandal, 2) a media campaign to focus the attention of grassroots America on the evidence that Americans remain in captivity in Southeast Asia, and 3) a direct mail campaign to maximize grassroots pressure. 1)MOBILIZATION OF ACTIVISTS The campaign will mobilize the thousands of groups and individuals who share our anger about the POW scandal and will provide support services to channel their anger into constructive action. A grassroots action kit, called the "POW Freedom Kit", will be announced via a press release and made available via an 800 phone number as a public service. Kits will also be mailed to POW activists throughout the nation. The POW Freedom Kit will contain: - Ideas that can be adapted locally to raise funds to perpetuate and intensify the communications campaign; - Background on the issue that can be provided to the local media and to others in an organization; - Speech that be delivered to any organization seeking understanding of the issue; - Suggested letters to Congress and the media; - Specimen editorial; sample advertising copy; - Reply card with list of other available materials, including a copy of "Kiss the Boys Goodbye" at a reduced price; a bibliography of the POW issue; a poster; public service announcement, both video and audio; a slide presentation, either with script or sound tape or both. (As the mobilization of activists gains momentum, funds permitting, a second kit for a speakers bureau geared specifically NAM VET Newsletter Page 104 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 toward the POW Freedom Campaign may be offered via another press release. The speaker's kit would include a brief manual regarding how to obtain speaking platforms; an eight- minute slide presentation; and two or three speeches of varying lengths.) 2) MEDIA CAMPAIGN Every American needs a basic understanding of the essential of the POW issue. ADI's media campaign will develop press materials that are simple enough and brief enough to focus attention on the fact that Americans are still held in captivity and move people to read "Kiss the Boys Goodbye" and other detailed evidence. The POW Freedom Media Campaign will include: - Regular mailing of release and background materials to national and local electronic and print media; - Articles, opinion-page pieces, and letters submitted to influential mass media and the more specialized media, such as veterans publications; - Interviews and panel discussions on radio and television talk shows; - Interviews with key editors and reports in major print media markets; - Public Service Announcements; - Development of a strategy to obtain opportunities for Red McDaniel and other POW spokesmen to speak at the best available forums and seek local publicity opportunities appropriate to these speaking engagements; - Direction for local individuals and organizations in media relation activities, using ADI as a Washington clearinghouse for relevant legislative and other information. 3) DIRECT MAIL Some constituencies can only be reached by direct mail, an environment that has particular importance for an issue complex enough to require fuller explanation. An integral part of "BRINGING OUR POWS HOME" will be an intensive direct mail campaign consisting of period mailings to certain segments of the population who can affect POW policy. Audiences targeted for direct mail include: - Individuals and organizations involved in the POW issue to update these activists on the particular needs of the POW cause at a given moment, enclosing any new materials that are available; - Influential members of Congress; - Political candidates in the 1990 elections; - Business people seeking economic opportunities in Vietnam; - Prominent citizens who might affect POW policy. The American Defense Institute needs your support as we move forward with "BRINGING OUR POWS HOME" - the massive campaign our fighting men need if they are to have any hope of the freedom and the heroes' welcome they deserve. The day they return will be a day of pride for those who took specific action to bring them home to freedom. It will be a day of shame for those who realized the urgent realities but did nothing. Why now? Men in squalid prison conditions are in a fragile state both physically and emotionally. Some issues can bear delay, but one threat involves the recovery of POWs cannot. Now, moreover, is the time that the fullest exposition of the evidence is being released through "Kiss the Boys Goodbye" and the Senate NAM VET Newsletter Page 105 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 investigation. We have a window of opportunity NOW! Experience has shown that an opportunity can die, no matter how brilliant or important a revelation or a book. The time is NOW. LET'S NOT MISS THIS MOMENT! NAM VET Newsletter Page 106 Volume 4, Number 12 December 14, 1990 Some Gave ALL ... Some Still Give!!! O O O SOME GAVE ALL ... ________O__________________________________O______________ ! O O ! ! pow mia pow mia - BRING THEM HOME NOW! - pow mia pow mia ! ! O O ! ! ~~~~~ ~ ~ O~ ~~~ ~~ ~~ ~~~~~~ ~~~~ O ~~ ~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~ ! ! ~~~~ ~ ~~ O ~~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~O~~~ ~~~ ~ ~~~~ ~~ ! ! ~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~ O~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~~ O ~~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~ ! ! ~~~ ~~ ~~ ~ O ~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~ O ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~ ~ ! ! ~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~ ~ O ~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ O ~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~ ! ! ~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~ O ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~ O ~ ~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~~ ! ! ~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~ O ~_~_~_~_~_ ~ O ~ ~~~~ ~ ~ ~~~ ~~ ~~ ! ! ~~~ ~ ~ ~~~ ~~ ~ O ) O ~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~~ ! ! ~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ /(O) / O \ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~~ ~ ~ ! ! ~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~ / / O \~~~~ ~~ ~~~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~ ! ! ~~ ~ ~ ~~ ~~ / PRISONER / \~~ ~~ ~~ ~~~ ~ ~~~~~~ ! ! ~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~ / / MISSING \~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~~ ~ ~~ ! ! ~~~ ~ ~~ ~~ / OF /\ \~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~ ~~~~ ~ ! ! ~ ~~~~ ~~ ~ / / \ IN \~ ~~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~ ! ! ~~~ ~~~ ~ / WAR / ~~ \ \ ~~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ! ! ~ ~~ ~~ ~ / / ~ ~~ \ ACTION / ~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~ ~~ ! ! ~~ ~~ ~~~(__________/ ~~ ~~~ \ / ~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ! ! ~~~~~ ~~ ~ ~~ ~~ ~ ~ ~~ ~ ~~~ \ / ~~ ~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~ ! ! ~~ ~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~ ~~~ \ / ~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~~~~~ ! ! ~~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~~~ \ /~ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ ~ ~ ! ! ~ ~~ ~~~ ~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~ ~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~~ ~~ ! ~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~ ~~~ ~~ ~~~~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~ SOME STILL GIVE ! ~ ~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ~~~~ ! ~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~~ ~~ ~ ~~~~ ~~~ ~~~~ ! ! mia pow mia pow - BRING THEM HOME NOW! - mia pow mia pow ! !__________________________________________________________! NAM VET Newsletter Page 107