Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 . __ . . -*- 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 ! \/\____! . . --------------- ! ! . . IN-TOUCH: Ray "Frenchy" Moreau / Dak To ! . . INCARCERATED VETS: Joyce Flory / * / . . COAST GUARD: Jack Hawkins ! \_ . . NEED-TO-KNOW: Lefty Frizzell ! Phu Cat\ . . \ * * ) . . \ Pleiku ) . . -**- N A M V E T -**- \ \ . . / / . . "In the jungles of 'Nam, some of us ( -------- ! . . were scared and wary, but we pulled _\ II Corps ! . . one another along and were able / -------- \ . . to depend on each other. That has \ \ . . never changed. Today, free of the ! * / . . criticisms and misunderstandings _/ Nhatrang / . . many veterans have endured, _/ / . . NAM VET is a shining beacon, __/ ! . . a ray of hope, and a _ __/ \ ! . . reminder that the _____( )/ ! Camranh Bay . . lessons learned / !__ ! . . at such a high / \ / . . price shall not \ Bien Hoa \ / . . be forgotten - ! Chu Chi * \ __/ . . nor the errors \_ * --------- \ ___/ . . repeated!!!" ____ \ III Corps \ _/ . . / \_____) )_(_ --------- !__/ Duplication in . . ! ( ___/ any form permitted . . _____! \__ * ___/ for NONCOMMERCIAL . . ! Saigon/ purposes ONLY! . . \___ -------- / \/ . . \ IV Corps / For other use, contact: . . ) -------- / . . / ! G. Joseph Peck (413) 442-1660 . . / ____/ Managing Editor . . / Mekong/ . . ! Delta/ This newsletter is comprised of articles . . ! ____/ and items from individuals and other . . ! / sources. We are not responsible for the . . ! / content of this information nor are any of . . ! __/ NAM VETs contributors or Section Editors. . . \_/ gjp . . . NAM VET Newsletter Page i Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 ================================================================== T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S 1. Editorials Together then - Together NOW! ............................ 1 Can't Do It Alone! ....................................... 5 2. Have You Seen? Soldier Search ........................................... 6 Vet's Daughter Again Missing ............................. 7 3. Forgotten - again? Come for Me!!! ........................................... 8 Colonel Peck Resigns from POW/MIA Special Office! ........ 9 Did the US Betray its POWs in Vietnam? KTBG review... ... 14 What If??? ............................................... 18 4. Remember Them!!! Better VA Benefit Availability for Incarcerated Vets? .... 19 A visit or note once in awhile? .......................... 25 Vietnam Veterans, Incarcerated ........................... 26 Incarcerated Veterans "Lifer's Club" ..................... 32 5. Ol' Glory n' Shiftin' Sands President Bush's "Liberation" Address .................... 38 She Flies Ever High!!! ................................... 41 For our GIs STILL in Saudi Arabia ........................ 42 Soldier's Wife Pledges... ................................ 44 MARS Messages to Saudi Arabia ............................ 45 For Sale - CHEAP!!! ...................................... 46 America - Clean up after yourself! ....................... 47 Gen. Powell Pushed for 5-Star Position ................... 48 General Schwarzkopf's Address to Congress ................ 50 In Memory... ............................................. 53 Hands Across Time ........................................ 58 6. Just across the river... Is there hope for Laos? .................................. 59 Break out the Clearasil ! ............................ 63 Cry The Beloved Country .................................. 64 7. In-Touch It's Not Finished Yet .................................... 67 In-Touch: What is it??? .................................. 69 IN-TOUCH Registration/Request Form!!! .................... 72 8. The NamVet Chapel Tears For All Mothers .................................... 74 The Electronic Chapel .................................... 76 Memory Of 'Nam Will Never Go Away ........................ 77 9. Concentrated IVVEC/NamVet Service A NEW American "Bush"? ................................... 79 Blind Veteran Requests Appointment With DVA's Derwinski .. 82 Fresh Start" Pinches Pennies from Bingo .................. 84 Soldiers & Sailors Relief Act ............................ 86 American Legion Announces "VETNET"... 1-900- style! ..... 88 ADF Foundation Promotes Concert .......................... 91 Veteran Homeowners: Refinance? ........................... 93 Washington State Veterans May Be Due Refund .............. 94 A real heartwarming letter... ............................ 95 Some Gave All... ......................................... 97 NAM VET Newsletter Page ii Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 ================================================================== Editorials ================================================================== Together then - together NOW! By G. Joseph Peck NamVets Managing Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 Wow! Putting this thing together is like learning how to do it all over again! Didn't realize how QUICKLY one can get rusty doin' something as "simple" (smile) as putting together an electronic newsletter. I'm beginning to see that the production of NamVet is kinda like a fine-tuned art. Guess its a matter of "format the articles WHEN they come in and don't wait until hours before deadline time to BEGIN!" grin>. I'll get it yet! Memorial Day was one of the very best I've had in a long, long time! As you know, things here have been pretty tough and strained (to say the least!). Car insurance had been cancelled and plates were due to expire 31 May 91. I was planning on joining many of our echo (VIETNAM_VETS) participants in a get- together at The Wall as sort of a "farewell" to my driving privileges and a "hello" to walkin', takin' the bus, and getting around the best way I could to get things done while I waited for the rest of the walls here to crumble . Besides, it would give my mind a much-needed break from the nearly 24-hour-a-day duty I've been doin' here at VETLink #1, let my blood pressure go back down, and maybe help me see things in that "all-of-us" perspective I've tried so hard to maintain. Firming things up, I talked to our Herndon, Virginia Board of Director member, Ray "Frenchy" Moreau. "Joe," he said, "Have you considered coming down by plane? Jane and I would be glad to have you here, so why don't you check your budget and see how much a round-trip ticket would cost? We'll help with another donation (He and Jane have helped tremendously!) when you get here." Three separate donations totalling $110 came in from California, New Mexico and Washington. The plane ticket would cost $158. To park my car in the economy spot at the airport would cost another $23. "Yes!" I would do it! - and did! Frenchy met me at Washington's National Airport. We didn't have much time to stand around 'cause we had to quickly shuttle over to Dulles and pick up Joyce (Hi Joyce!). Frenchy had made a sign welcoming her and I was standing there holding it high while we both scanned the deplaning passengers. Suddenly, a heavy-sounding "thud" caught my attention as this great lady sat her laptop computer down by my feet. Joyce! The next few hours were spent talking and finding Joyce's Washington, DC motel, making plans for the next day (Sunday). And Sunday was GREAT! Arriving early, Frenchy, his fine son - Raymond Jr., and I were quite surprised when we found a parking spot so close to The Wall. There before the rest of the crowds, we had time to casually visit with many of the veteran groups, visit their tents and displays, NAM VET Newsletter Page 1 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 talk to other veterans. At The Wall, still, is a hushed air of somber silence, tears, and pained looks upon the faces of veterans with reawakened memories that had long been tucked away from conscious thought. Look hard 'nuff, though, and ya can see the sense of RE-dedication and RE-commitment to the many things each of us battled for. As if out of nowhere, appeared Joyce Flory (glad ya made it!), Faye Kahn (glad ya made it!) Jim Henthorn (glad ya made it!) and Chick Curry (glad ya made it!). Jim Hildwine, another member of our Board of Directors, was going to TRY to make it but, that failing, he was definitely going to meet us at Frenchy's house in Herndon. "Together" we advanced towards The Wall... to each view our separate link to that quiet memorial to all our fallen brothers and sisters; to touch; to feel again. For "me", the feeling of support and camaraderie kept growing and growing and growing and I shared that with other veterans whose paths we crossed. It was catchy, too - Frenchy, Chick, Jim, Joyce and Faye, too, were busy talking and sharing with people they hadn't known a scant few hours ago . All of us made some NEW acquaintances (Did you know there's an organization for the widows of Vietnam Vets? I talked quite a bit with a few of 'em). Too soon, it seemed, the tight time-frame of the weekend caught up with us and Frenchy, Raymond Jr., and I had to go. Jim Hildwine was waiting for us at Frenchy's! And he had some GREAT news! Taylor and Tucker Construction, Inc., hailing from Churchtown, MD "donated" to Berkshire Veterans' Center, Inc. their old AT & CPM systems. There was also a Novell networking system, software and, on top of it all, a check for $50! Jim, who lives in Shady Side, MD - and his son, had brought it all with them! THANK YOU Taylor and Tucker Construction and our Board of Director Member, Jim Hildwine, for helping this happen! Excited beyond any that I've felt for a long, long time, it was nearly 3 that morning when I quietly climbed the stairs. Another computer; networking (I've never done THAT before ); all kinds of software and a positive indication of the directions Berkshire Veterans' Center should continue to take! All in ONE day! Monday was consumed before it even began . At first light, Frenchy and Jane were up, Jane doin' her walkin' and Frenchy tunin' up the ol' lawnmower to make its confusing passes on their lawn (Does it REALLY "confuse" the grass, Frenchy, when ya cut it in a different pattern each time? ). Stumbling downstairs, I found my way right to the computer room. When Frenchy had finished his lawn , together we tackled setting up various menu's and things on VETLink #2 which will soon be VERY functional and a veritable sea chest of veteran information! We also spent quite a lot of time checking out the donated equipment. Some things didn't quite work right and Frenchy, who also owns/operates MicroComputer Consulting Services in his SPARE time , told me: "When the equipment is running RIGHT, I'll send it up to you. In the meantime, you bring home the documentation on the Networking system and learn about how to use it. Your help will be needed, too, as I continue setting up VETLink #2." Making sure that even the slightest hiccup is cleared out of the equipment, Frenchy is busily helping NAM VET Newsletter Page 2 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 to make SURE that YOUR VETLink connections will be informative, helpful, and a real pleasure! (The excitement STILL hasn't worn off - especially as I contemplate the many good things we're tryin' and are about to accomplish for each of us.) The hour-and- a-half plane ride home was spent reading networking documentation! Arriving home 'bout midnight, I quickly learned a "truth" to what Jim Hildwine had told me during our visit: God doesn't give ya what ya WANT, He gives ya what ya NEED! VETLink #1 was barely, barely chugging along. In messages that our users had left, many of 'em thought the problem of "There's a long, long time that elapses between when I type a letter and when it's echoed back to me" was, very discretely, bad phone lines. I knew different when I saw the hard-disk making about a zillion rev's before it would even drop to DOS. Haven't had a chance to do much else other than keep VETLink #1 running, at least on a skeleton basis... Bob Morris, our often echo participant, told me he had an ol' 80- meg full-height hard-disk "just gatherin' dust on his basement shelf" and we were welcome to it. I telephoned him Friday night, May 31 and saturday, June 1, I drove down and picked it up. Should have filled my gas tank BEFORE I left 'cause when I got down there (Bob lives in Connecticut and I live in Massachusetts. About 120 one-way miles separate us), I was runnin' on Holy Water (Like Frenchy often does ). I asked Bob where I could get gas and my out-of-state check would be honored. "They don't honor out-of-state checks here," he said. "Take this..." and he gave me money for gas. He said I had NO choice 'cause he was bigger 'n me (and he's right!). THANKS Bob! I've spent the last week workin' on tryin' to get the drive to format (CDC 94155-86/SEAGATE ST4086) so that it would yield its maximum storage capacity. I'm SURE there's a way to do it (I've tried DOS's DEBUG g=c800:5 & FDISKed it but cannot access any logical drive on it beyond drive E:; tried SPEEDSTOR; and an older version of Seagate's DiskManager which doesn't have provisions for the ST4086. When VETLink #1 is in its quiet times, I take the board down and try again-- each time, though, ending with "Well, maybe I can do it later." This issue, scheduled for June 9 will happen on the 10th - but soon, as you've seen above, we should be getting all our ducks in a row and our scheduling tightened up a bit. My personal financial and employment situation has NOT changed - creditors STILL justifiably want their money ); the bank and HUD STILL want to be paid for the house we're living in; the VA STILL has not decided on my case/claim; and it's a minute-by-minute struggle to keep utilities on, food on the table, and teach my children - by my example - of what IS real and valuable in life... (Gosh, that sounds familiar ... There seems, though, to be NEW hope on the horizon and, as long as I can, I'll still be here, still tryin' to keep the UNITY in our veteran commUNITY! If YOU were thinking about donating to help us continue, PLEASE do - and send your tax-deductible donations (we're America's FIRST electronic vet center granted 501(c)(3) status to do what we do) to: Berkshire Veterans' Center, Inc., Post Office Box 2056, Pittsfield, MA 01202. NAM VET Newsletter Page 3 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 Together then -- Together NOW! 'til next month Show a brother/sister veteran That YOU care!! Ci'ao for Ni'ao - Joe - NAM VET Newsletter Page 4 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 Can't Do It Alone! Input by: Joyce FLory NamVet's Incarcerated Veterans Section Editor Desert Dolphin BBS - Las Cruces, NM (505) 523-2811 Hi to All; I just received these new names and thought I'd pass them on to you readers. I realize some of the names aren't as complete as I'd like, but I've been reassured that the letters WILL get to the right person. Mr. Peterson 167626 Mr. Vaughn 145696 Mr. Ron Duvall 119293 Mr. Corklin 159051 Mr. Thomas Van Antwerp 184766 Mr. Michael Deen 201339 Cotton Facility PO Box 3003 Jackson, Mich. 49024 I've been reading so much about continuing the letter campaign for the Saudi troops in the Nam_Vet Echo, that I have to pause for a moment or two and wonder why such a campaign isn't being waged for the "Forgotten Warriors" (as the incarcerated Vietnam Veterans call themselves)?? It may even be easier to write to these gentlemen, as you all have something in common with them... Vietnam. As I have said before, I write to 18 different inmates in 14 states and never once have I had contact with the proverbial "junky vet". Yes, some of them have PTSD, all are (rightly or wrongly) convicted of a crime, but all have treated me with the utmost respect and, at times are in awe of this project. Though they would like to, most of the gentlemen I write to would correspond with some of the other inmates I have contact with. I've sent at least three inmates my lengthy list of names. Alas, I have been let know that prisons are not allowed to write to other prisons. How are we going to keep these guys up on current programs for and about the Vietnam Veteran if we don't write them? I try my best, but I can't do it alone. How about some help from you folks? Just as it's a sad day for a Saudi soldier to not get any letters at mail call, think what it must be like for our "Forgotten Warriors". As always, I can be reached through the Nam_Vets Echo, the Desert Dolphin BBS (1:305/105 <505) 523-2811>), or by snail-mail at 1825 Evelyn Las Cruces, NM 88001. Later,Joyce NAM VET Newsletter Page 5 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 ================================================================== Have You Seen? ================================================================== Looking for Information Input by: Don Purvis LSO Systems - Everett WA ... Looking for information on the whereabouts of the following: (Ranks given as of SEA service or last contact) Captain Ronald Fishman Captain Herrlein Captain Wilbur Greene SGM Ted Dabney SFC James Purkey LTC Mitchum Captain Edward F. Holland Would appreciate any information..... -- Don -- (NOTE FROM JOE: Since Don enters his messages from a PRIVATE system, about the only way you can contact him if you discover anything about those for whom he searches is to place a notice in the VIETNAM_VETS Echo Conference.) NAM VET Newsletter Page 6 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 Vet's Daughter Again Missing By: G. Joseph Peck NamVet's Managing Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 Leaving a note for her parents that she "needed a couple of hours to sort things out", Jill Elizabeth Flory disappeared Friday, May 31, 1991. Her parents correctly suspected that she may have then attended a local end-of-school party in the Las Cruces, NM area. Jill was found - with the help of many - June 2, 1991. Together with the cooperation of New Mexico's Department of Social Services and those closely involved, a not-totally agreed-upon temporary arrangement was worked out where Jill would stay at a friends home until successful familial resolutions could be worked out. To her parents dismay, Jill never showed up at the "friends" house. As of this writing (5pm - 6/10/91), Jill is missing again, has not called nor contacted her family, the New Mexico Department of Social Services, nor the Las Cruces, NM Police Department since she left. A Missing Persons report has been filed and verified. If you have information concerning Jill Elizabeth Flory, please contact the Las Cruces, NM "CITY" (there's a CITY and a COUNTY of Las Cruces) Police Department at 505-526-0795 or NETMAIL her parents, Ken and Joyce Flory at Desert Dolphin BBS, FidoNet 1:305/105, 1-505-523-2811. You can also NETMAIL any information to VETLink #1 BBS, FidoNet 1:321/203, 1-413-443-6313 and any helpful information will be relayed to our brother veteran and his wife post-haste! Description: Jill Elizabeth Flory, age 15 Sex: Female DOB: 7/25/75 Ht: 5'4" Wt: 115# Hair: brown Eyes: hazel With prayers for Jill's safe return... Ci'ao for Ni'ao - Joe - NAM VET Newsletter Page 7 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 ================================================================== Forgotten - again? ================================================================== COME FOR ME!!! Input by: Marsha Ledeman Puget Sound TBBS - Edmonds, WA (206) 745-6340 Twenty years in the jungle has taken its toll on me, I'm not the same man I used to be. But one thing's consistent... I long to be free. Please, Mr. President, come for me. The scars of my torture will never go away, I'm fifty pounds lighter, my hair is now gray. But their shackles can't chain the freedom in me, Please, lawmakers, come for me. If my family believed there's a chance I'd survived, They'd fight to their deaths to prove I'm alive. I last saw my son when he was just three, Please, loving family, come for me. Some captors say you don't know that I'm here, That I'm doomed to this prison year after year. God Bless America, the land of the free. Please, friends and parishioners, come for me. Other captors say you know that I'm here, But refuse to accept the evidence, so clear. Will some caring citizens hear my plea? Please, fellow countrymen, come for me. I'll have faith in my country 'till my dying day, I'll never believe you could leave me this way. My country, 'tis of thee... Please, Please, America, come for me!!! c 1987, LeAnn Thieman With every single letter I write to anyone in congress and the senate, I enclose a copy of these poems just for their consciences to mull over. It is effective as I usually get answers to all my letters, not that I always like the content, but they are answered... Marsha Jean Ledeman NAM VET Newsletter Page 8 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 Colonel Peck Resigns from POW/MIA Special Office! Input by: Marsha Ledeman Puget Sound TBBS - Edmonds, WA (206) 745-6340 =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= Date: 28 March 1991 Office: POW/MIA Subject: A Farewell To: All Personnel 1. The purpose of this memorandum is to bid farewell to the Office and to wish everyone the very best. I will sincerely miss each one of you, and will always retain fond memories of our efforts together and the many triumphs we were able to achieve as a team. Because of the intensity of our activities and being under constant political fire, the bonding that I felt for you was similar to that which occurs to soldiers in combat and I came to love you as brothers and sisters. 2. The attached document fairly well sums up how I feel about the entire issue although, I subsequently lined out several portions. I am convinced that no one working within the present "structure" will ever satisfactorily resolve the question of whether or not U.S. prisoners were held after the cessation of hostilities in Vietnam or elsewhere. 3. It is my plan to pursue the issue via other avenues, and while so doing, will work diligently to give the POW/MIA Office the credit it so richly deserves and to ensure that your reputation, in all circles, is defended and upheld. Your honor and interests will always be one of my highest priorities -- and when I say that I mean it. 4. Many thanks to everyone, for your support; your devotion; your hard work; and your dedication to excellence. God bless you all. Adieu, Millard A. Peck Colonel, Infantry USA =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= Date: 12-Feb-1991 memorandum REPLY TO THE ATTENTION OF: POW/MIA U-0173/POW/MIA SUBJ: REQUEST FOR RELIEF TO: DR 1. PURPOSE: I hereby, request to resign my position as the Chief of the Special Office for Prisoners of War and Missing in Action. (POW/MIA) 2. BACKGROUND a. Motivation. My initial acceptance of this posting was based upon two primary motives: first, I had heard that the job was highly contentious and extremely frustrating, that no one would NAM VET Newsletter Page 9 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 volunteer for it because of its complex political nature. This, of course, made it appear challenging. Secondly, since the end of the Vietnam War, I had heard the persistent rumors of American Servicemen having been abandoned in Indochina, and that the Government was conducting a "cover-up" so as not to be embarrassed. I was curious about this and thought that serving as the Chief of POW-MIA would be an opportunity to satisfy my own interest and help clear the Government's name. b. The Office's reputation. It was interesting that previous exposure to the POW-MIA Office, while assigned to the DIA, both as a Deputy Director for Intelligence (DDI) and as the Chief Of the Asia Division for Current Intelligence (JSI-3) was negative. DIA personnel who worked for me, when dealing with or mentioning the office, always spoke about it in deprecating tones, alluding to the fact that any report which found its way there would quickly disappear into a "black hole." c. General Attitudes. Additionally, surveys of active duty military personnel indicated that a high percentage (83%) believed that there were still live American prisoners in Vietnam. This idea was further promulgated in a number of legitimate veterans' periodicals and professional journals, as well as the media in general, which held that where there was so much smoke there must be fire. d. Cover up. The dark side of the issue was particularly unsettling because of the persistent rumors and innuendoes of a Government conspiracy, alleging that U.S. military personnel had been left behind to the victorious communist governments in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia, and that for "political reasons" or running the risk of a second Vietnam War, their existence was officially denied. Worse yet was the implication that DIA's Special Office for POWs and MIAs was an integral part of this effort to cover the entire affair up so as not to embarrass the Government nor the Defense Establishment. e. The Crusade. As a Vietnam veteran with a certain amount of experience in Indochina, I was interested in the entire POW-MIA question, and willingly volunteered for the job, viewing it as a sort of holy crusade. f. The Harsh Reality. Heading up the Office has not been pleasant. My plan was to be totally honest and forthcoming on the entire issue and aggressively pursue innovative actions and concepts to clear up the live sighting business, thereby refurbishing the image and honor of the DIA. I became painfully aware, however, that I was not really in charge of my own office, but was merely a figurehead or whipping boy for a larger and totally Machiavellian group of players outside of DIA. What I witnessed during my tenure as the cardboard cut-out "Chief" of the POW/MIA could be euphemistically labeled as disillusioning. 3. CURRENT IMPRESSIONS, BASED ON MY EXPERIENCE a. Highest National Priority. That National leaders continue to address the prisoner of war and missing in action issue as the "highest national priority" is a travesty. From my vantage point, I observed that the principal government players were interested NAM VET Newsletter Page 10 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 primarily in conducting a "damage limitation exercise" and appeared to knowingly and deliberately generate an endless succession of manufactured crises and "busy work". Progress consisted in frenetic activity, with little substance and no real results. b. The Mindset to Debunk. The mindset to "debunk" is alive and well. It is held at all levels, and continues to pervade the POW- MIA Office, which is not necessarily the fault of the DIA. Practically all analysis is directed to finding fault with the source. Rarely has there been any effective, active follow through on any of the sightings, nor is there a responsive "action arm" to routinely and aggressively pursue leads. The latter was a moot point, anyway, since the Office was continuously buried in an avalanche of "ad hoc" taskings from every quarter, all of which required an immediate response. It was impossible to plan ahead or prioritize courses of action. Any real effort to pursue live sighting reports or exercise initiative was diminished by the plethora of "busy work" projects directed by higher authority outside DIA. A number of these grandiose endeavors bordered on the ridiculous -- quite significantly -- there was never an audit trail. None of these taskings was ever requested formally. There was, and still is, a refusal by any of the players to follow normal intelligence channels in dealing with the POW/MIA office. c. Duty, Honor, Integrity. It appears that the entire issue is being manipulated by unscrupulous people in the Government, or associated with the Government. Some are using the issue for personal or political advantage and others use if as a forum to perform and feel important, or worse. The sad fact, however, is that this issue is being controlled and a cover up may be in progress. The entire charade does not appear to be an honest effort and may never have been. d. POW/MIA Officers Abandoned. When I assessed the office for the first time, I was somewhat amazed and greatly disturbed by the fact that I was the only military officer in an organization of more than 40 people. Since combatants of all Services were lost in Vietnam, I would have thought there would at least be a token service representation for a matter of the "highest National priority". Since the normal mix of officers from all services is not found in my organization it would appear that the issue, at least at the working level, has, in fact, been abandoned. Also, the horror stories of the succession of military officers at the 0-5 and 0-6 level who have in some manner "rocked the boat" and quickly come to grief at the hands of the Government policy makers who direct the issue, lead one to the conclusion that we are all quite expendable, so by extrapolation one simply concludes that these same bureaucrats would "sacrifice" anyone who was troublesome or contentious -- including prisoners of war and missing in action. Not a comforting thought. Any military officer expected to survive in this environment would have to be myopic, an accomplished sycophant, or totally insouciant. e. The DIA Involvement. DIA's role in the affair is truly unfortunate. The overall Agency, has generally practiced a "damage limitation drill" on the issue, as well. The POW/MIA Office has been cloistered for all practical purposes and left to its own fortunes. The POW office is the lowest level in the Government NAM VET Newsletter Page 11 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 "effort" to resolve the issue, and oddly for an intelligence organization, has become the "lighting rod" for the entire establishment on the matter. The policy people manipulating the affair have maintained their distance and remained hidden in the shadows, while using the Office as "toxic waste dump" to bury the whole "mess" out of sight and mind in a facility with limited access to public scrutiny. Whatever happens in the issue, DIA takes the blame, while the real players remain invisible. The fact that the POW/MIA Office is always the center of an investigation is of no surprise. Many people suspect that something is rotten about the whole thing, but cannot find an audit trail to ascribe blame, so they attack the DIA/POW/MIA "dump", simply because it has been placed in the line of fire as a cheap, expendable decoy. f. "Suppressio Veri Suggesto Falsi". Many of the puppet masters play a confusing murky role. For instance, the Director of the National League of Families occupies an interesting and questionable position in the whole process. Although assiduously "churning" the account to give a tawdry illusion of progress, she is adamantly opposed to any initiative to actually get to the heart of the problem, and, more importantly, interferes in or actively sabotages POW-MIA analyses or investigations. She insists on rewriting or editing all significant documents produced by the Office, inserting her own twist or meaning to what was originally prepared. This is then touted as the DIA position. She apparently has access to top secret, codeword message traffic, for which she is supposedly not cleared, and she receives it well ahead of the DIA intelligence analysts. Her influence in "jerking around" everyone and everything involved in the issue goes far beyond the "war and MIA protested gone straight" scenario. She was brought from the "outside" into the center of the imbroglio, and then, cloaked in a mantel of sanctimony, routinely impedes real progress and insidiously "muddles up" the issue. One wonders who she really is and where she came from. . . 4. CONCLUSIONS. a. The Stalled Crusade. Unfortunately, what began on such a high note never succeeded in embarking. In some respects, however, I have managed to satisfy some of my curiosity. b. Everyone is Expendable. I have seen firsthand how ready and willing the policy people are to sacrifice or "abandon" anyone who might be perceived as a political liability. It is quick and facile, and can be easily covered. c. High-Level Knavery. I feel strongly that this issue is being manipulated and controlled at a higher level, not with the goal of resolving it, but more to obfuscate the question of live prisoners, and give the illusion of progress through hyperactivity. d. "Smoke and Mirrors". From what I have witnessed, it appears that any soldier left in Vietnam, even inadvertently, was, in fact, abandoned years ago, and that the farce that is being played is no more than political legerdemain done with "smoke and mirrors", to stall the issue until it dies a natural death. NAM VET Newsletter Page 12 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 e. National League of Families. I am convinced that the Director of this organization is much more than meets the eye. As the principal actor in the grand show, she is in the perfect position to clamor for "progress", while really intentionally impeding the effort. And, there are numerous examples of this. Otherwise, it is inconceivable that so many bureaucrats in the "system" would instantaneously do her bidding and humor her every whim. f. DIA's Dilemma. Although greatly saddened by the role ascribed to the Defense Intelligence Agency, I feel, at least, that I am dealing with honest men and women who are generally powerless to make the system work. My appeal and attempt to amend this role perhaps never had a chance. We, all, were subject to control. I particularly salute the personnel in the POW-MIA Office for their long suffering, which I regrettable was unable to change. I feel that the Agency and the Office are being used as the "fall guys" or "patsies" to cover the tricks of others. 5. RECOMMENDATIONS a. One Final Vietnam Casualty. So ends the war and my last grand crusade, like it did actually did end, I guess. However, as they say in the Legion, "je ne regrette rein..." For all of the above, I respectfully request to be relieved of my duties as Chief of the Special Office for Prisoners of War and Missing in Action. b. A Farewell to Arms. So as to avoid the annoyance of being shipped off to some remote corner, out of sight and out of the way, in my own "bamboo cage" of silence somewhere, I further request that the Defense Intelligence Agency, which I have attempted to serve loyally and with honor, assist me in being retired immediately from active military service. Signed Millard A. Peck Colonel, Infantry USA -------------------------------- NAM VET Newsletter Page 13 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 Review of "Kiss the Boys Goodbye: How the United States Betrayed Its Own POWs in Vietnam." by The Staff of U.S. Veteran News and Report Input by: Marsha Ledeman Puget Sound TBBS - Edmonds, WA (206) 745-6340 When future historians probe that confusing maze that is the POW/MIA issue from the Vietnam War, they undoubtedly will turn to one book on the issue that appears to be the most comprehensive to date: "Kiss the Boys Goodbye: How the United States Betrayed Its Own POWs in Vietnam," by Monika Jensen-Stevenson and her husband, William Stevenson. The authors certainly are not without the appropriate credentials to delve into such a tangled and unresolved mess. Monika Jensen, who writes in the first-person of her efforts to learn the true story of American POWs left behind in Southeast Asia, is a former producer for the much-respected "60 Minutes" television show. Her husband, William Stevenson, who she dragged kicking and screaming into the story, is the author of such works as "A Man Called Intrepid" and "90 Minutes at Entebbe." Their book is a major step forward in the public exposure of the issue. It provides in some detail an overview of the POW/MIA story from early 1985, when Jensen first became involved in it because of a story she was producing for "60 Minutes," until early 1990. Written for the general public that has only a superficial knowledge of the POW/MIA situation, the book makes a number of substantive points. One in particular concerns former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and how in 1973, before and after the Paris Peace Accords were signed, he disavowed knowledge of POWs in Laos despite admissions by the Pathet Lao that they were still there. That Kissinger sold out American POWs is once again firmly established in this book and for that he should be held accountable. Another concerns the National League of Families for Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia, which took upon itself the burden of being the activist voice in Washington for the prisoners and their families in the mid-to late '70s, when no other voice was speaking for them. As Jensen-Stevenson correctly points out, by 1984 the League had become an arm of the government, fully supporting each and every POW/MIA policy statement the government spouted because the League's executive director, Ann Mills Griffiths, had been made a member of the Interagency Group (IAG), which formulates POW/MIA policy and passes it on to the White House for rubber stamping. Such a position lessened the effectiveness of the League as an activist organization that could prod the government into taking more action on the issue. JENSEN-STEVENSON HAVE DONE A SERVICE FOR THE POW/MIA ISSUE Jensen-Stevenson also points out that those charged with handling the issue are more concerned with preventing information about live POWs from leaking to the public than they are about investigating live sighting reports, a claim the POW/MIA activists have been making for years. The Stevensons have done a service to the POW/MIA movement and are to be commended for their initiative, their resolve and NAM VET Newsletter Page 14 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 their commitment to the issue that few in the media care to champion. Yet, by the same token, what was to be the definitive word on the issue is something less than that. In addition to a number of relatively minor errors, there are major oversights and omissions. Perhaps a major failing of the book is that the authors obtained much of their information from a limited number of sources, some of whom can be verified, some of whom can not. There is no questioning the contributions of people like Red McDaniel, Billy Hendon, Mark Waple, Mark Smith, Earl Hopper, Mike Van Atta, John M.G. Brown, Bo Gritz and Jerry Mooney. In researching this book, the Stevensons wrapped themselves in a coterie of "safe" people connected with the issue. They did not include what former National Security Council staffer Lt. Col. Dick Childress once referred to as the "North Carolina crazies" and "the nut fringe element." THEY "KISSED THE ACTIVIST GOODBYE" Just as the U.S. government kissed the boys goodbye, the Stevensons kissed the activists goodbye. The activists that the Stevensons kissed goodbye are the shock troops of the movement. They are the hundreds of every day people who have put their careers, their reputations and their families on hold while they struggled to pressure the White House into bringing the POWs home. They are the troops who landed in a Communist prison after venturing into Laos to publicize a POW reward, who were jailed for a sit in at the National League of Families office, who chained themselves to the White House fence, who marched into the National League of Families annual formal dinner dressed in POW pajamas, who have been doing whatever it takes to make that safe echelon of activists, the McDaniels and the Hendons and the Browns, seem more acceptable to those perpetrating the government myth that no more Americans are alive in Southeast Asia. When the leadership of the National League of Families abdicated its role as voice and conscience of the missing men and their families in 1984, it was left to the hard-core "crazies" and "nut fringe" to keep the issue alive with their street theater, their takeovers, their protests and their hunger strikes. NO ATOM BOMBS WERE SET OFF What could have been, what should have been, the definitive work on the POW/MIA issue is something less. "The book is not a disaster and it's not an atom bomb that blows the issue open. It's a disappointment," said John LeBoutillier, the former U.S. Congressman whose Skyhook II organization has been highly criticized by the government because of its activist work in the POW/MIA field. That response is typical of those intimately involved in the issue, many of whom are treated sympathetically in the book. One general criticism of the book by those familiar with the subject is that there was not enough research on the issue. The Stevensons seem to have taken the large body of knowledge available on the issue and put it together without setting off any atom bombs. They also leave unanswered a number of questions that beg to be answered. Why did Ross Perot give up the POW hunt after he said he came so close to getting men out? How and why did the League of Families become a mouthpiece for NAM VET Newsletter Page 15 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 the government? What happened to Mark Smith's partner, Sgt. 1st Class Melvin McIntire? Why was Naval Intelligence Service agent Lt. Commander Frank Brown, who was mentioned several times in the book, not identified by name? Why was Richard Armitage's name deleted from the manuscript so frequently when it was apparent to anyone who knows anything about the issue that he is the anonymous high Pentagon official who keeps cropping up as a major stumbling block on a resolution of the issue? If there were concerns by attorneys about mentioning Armitage's name, they need only quote Jack Anderson or the Boston Globe for sources on the investigation on one of the most mysterious men in this issue. The book obviously was not written for those with an intimate knowledge of the subject. There are holes and niggling little errors that frustrate, those who have been in the trenches and talked to the same sources and dug into the same information the Stevensons dug into. In particular there is the matter of Khun Sa, the drug lord of the Golden Triangle, about whom Jensen-Stevenson writes so fearfully. At one point she writes: "I found there was a way to reach Khun Sa by going through Rangoon, the Burmese capital, where the government wanted to get rid of the drug warlord and occupy his `free state.'" Anyone who has worked in that region, or who has tried to get into the Golden Triangle to see Khun Sa, will tell you that trying to get to him through Rangoon is the fastest way to get one's self deported, if not thrown into the Rangoon jail. Burmese ethnic resistance groups out of northern Thailand, the Thai Border Patrol Police and American missionaries working in the Golden Triangle are the best means of getting access to Khun Sa. THERE WERE OTHER JOURNALISTS TRYING TO UNRAVEL THE STORY Another of the concerns about this book involves Jensen- Stevenson's assertion that she is the only journalist trying to tell this story of unreturned POWs. On page 109 she writes: "I had a terrific and explosive story, which had never been told." What Jensen-Stevenson failed to realize, or refused to acknowledge, is that long before she became involved in the POW/MIA issue as a TV producer there were other journalists working hard to unravel this tangled story. Bill Paul of "The Wall Street Journal," Ron Martz of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution and David Hendrix of "The Press-Enterprise" of Riverside, Calif., have been among the most enterprising of print reporters who have delved into the issue. David Taylor of the BBC, Ray Robinson of the "Daily Oklahoman," Charles Wheeler of the "Washington Times," Mike Blair of "The Spotlight," Gary Lane of CBN, Karen McConkey of the Kingston "Free Press" and Jason Brady of the "Fayetteville Observer" have made major contributions toward exposing this story. These news outlets have been among the relative few willing to ignore White House pressure and run stories counter to U.S. government and League of Families positions on the issue. Among them is a story which Jensen-Stevenson refers to on pages 208 and 209 of the book and involves an intriguing and mysterious series of internal memos from the Carter White House that came to NAM VET Newsletter Page 16 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 her via the Casino Man, one of her anonymous sources. Those memos show that the POW/MIA issue was strictly a political issue in the Carter White House, which was paying little more than lip service to it. Jensen-Stevenson makes it appear as if Casino Man was the only person with access to those memos. Had she researched the origin of those memos a bit further, she would have discovered that they had already been written about by Ron Martz in the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. One senses the creative hand of her husband, William Stevenson, in some of the dramatic aspects of the book. Threatening phone calls, mysterious knocks on the door in the middle of the night, stolen briefcases and purses can be seen as anything one wants them to be seen. In this case, government intrusion was never proven. While the Stevensons have gotten very close to the truth and have done a great service to the missing men and their families, they unfortunately did not take it far enough. It will be left for someone else to write the complete story of the abandonment not only of America's POWs from the Vietnam War, but World War II and the Korean War as well. NAM VET Newsletter Page 17 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 WHAT IF??? Input by: Marsha Ledeman Puget Sound TBBS - Edmonds, WA (206) 745-6340 My son asked me some questions tonight, About the POW's plight, For he has heard much that has been said. What if they're not there? What if they're all dead??? What if the refugees are lying for some reason we don't know??? What if there's been no prisoners of war since a long time ago??? What if they all died in torture in a place without a name??? What if the POW Issue is all just a horrible game??? What if all our hopes are all in vain??? What if the Vietnamese are using us for their own personal gain??? What if what many are saying is really right??? What if we brought them all out at the end of that fight??? What if they're dead? What if they've all been shot??? ..... I ANSWERED HIM SIMPLY ..... WHAT IF THEY'RE NOT????? Rhonda Cain With every single letter I write to anyone in congress and the senate, I enclose a copy of these poems just for their consciences to mull over. It is effective as I usually get answers to all my letters, not that I always like the content, but they are answered... Marsha Jean Ledeman NAM VET Newsletter Page 18 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 ================================================================== Remember Them!!! ================================================================== Better VA Benefit Availability for Incarcerated Vets? Input by: Joyce FLory NamVet's Incarcerated Veterans Section Editor Desert Dolphin BBS - Las Cruces, NM (505) 523-2811 102D CONGRESS H.R. 1181 1ST SESSION To improve the availability of veterans' benefits and services to veterans incarcerated in Federal penal or correctional institutions, and for other purposes. ------------------------------ IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES February 28,1991 Mr. Brown (for himself, Mr. Bonior, Mr. Evans, Mr. Ravenel, Mr. Abercrombie, Mr. Rangel, Mr. Serrano of New York, Mr. Ackerman, and Mr. Kopetski) introduced the following bill; which was referred jointly to the Committees on Veterans' Affairs and the Judiciary ------------------------------ A BILL To improve the availability of veterans' benefits and services to veterans incarcerated in Federal penal or correctional institutions, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled, SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be referred to as the "Incarcerated Veterans Rehabilitation and Readjustment Act of 1991". SECTION 2. FINDINGS. The Congress finds that -- (1) there are rehabilitation needs unique to incarcerated veterans which, because of their incarceration, need to be addressed; (2) the Readjustment Counseling Program of the Department of Veterans' Affairs could be an effective part of efforts to rehabilitate incarcerated veterans; (3) veterans' benefits that incarcerated veterans are entitled to are not being provided on a consistent basis; (4) the resources provided by the Readjustment Counseling Program could be beneficial to incarcerated veterans if the Program were utilized to assist veterans released from Federal, State, and local penal institutions; and (5) incarcerated veterans treated for psychological readjustment problems can be expected to have lower recidivism rates than such veterans who do not receive such treatment. SEC 3. PURPOSES. The purposes of this Act are to -- (1) ensure that the rehabilitation and readjustment needs of NAM VET Newsletter Page 19 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 incarcerated veterans that are related to military service are addressed in a coordinated manner by the Department of Veterans' Affairs and the Federal Bureau of Prisons; (2) provide mental health care professionals employed by Federal prisons with the information necessary to diagnose and treat incarcerated veterans with mental disabilities, particularly post-traumatic-stress disorder, stemming from their military service; (3) integrate the resources available from the Readjustment Counseling Program and veterans employment programs into the parole and probation programs of incarcerated veterans who are released from Federal prisons to promote successful readjustment of such veterans into society; (4) provide incarcerated veterans with information relating to veterans' benefits and services; (5) assist incarcerated veterans after their release from Federal prisons in readjusting to society after their incarceration; (6) provide veterans incarcerated in State and local penal institutions with benefits similar to those provided in this Act by encouraging States and local governments to adopt, where applicable, the provisions of this Act; and (7) ensure the veterans incarcerated in Federal prisons receive the benefits and services from the Department of Veterans' Affairs to which they are entitled. SEC. 4. DEFINITIONS. As used in this Act-- (1) the term "Assistant Secretary" means the Assistant Secretary for Labor for Veterans' Employment and Training; (2) the term "Department" means the Department of Veterans' Affairs; (3) the term "Federal prison" means a Federal penal or correctional institution; (4) the term "incarcerated veteran" means an individual determined to be a veteran under section 101(b) who is incarcerated in a Federal prison; (5) the term "prisoner" means an individual incarcerated in a Federal prison; (6) the term "Secretary" means the Secretary of the Department; (7) the term "vet center" means a facility as defined in section 612A(i)(1) of title 38, United States Code; and (8) the term "veteran" has the same meaning such term has in paragraph (2) of section 101 of title 38, United States Code. TITLE I- INCARCERATED VETERAN ASSESSMENT AND ASSISTANCE SEC. 101. DETERMINATION OF VETERAN STATUS OF PRISONERS. (a) DUTIES OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL.-- (1) IN GENERAL.-- The Attorney General shall, to the extent practicable, identify those individuals who may be veterans among those-- (A) entering Federal prisons after the effective date of this Act; and (B) who are incarcerated in Federal prisons on the effective date of this Act and who are to remain incarcerated more than 30 days after that date. (2) TRANSMITTAL OF NAMES.-- The Attorney General shall, with the consent of the prisoner involved, transmit to the Secretary the names and locations of those prisoners identified as possible veterans pursuant to paragraph (1). NAM VET Newsletter Page 20 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 (3) METHODS OF IDENTIFICATION.-- In attempting to identify those prisoners who may be veterans, the Attorney General shall rely only on the records in the possession of the Attorney General, interviews with prisoners, or both. (b) DUTIES OF SECRETARY.-- (1) DETERMINATION OF VETERAN STATUS.-- The Secretary shall contact those prisoners whose names were transmitted pursuant to subsection (a)(2) within 30 days after the receipt of their names. The Secretary shall inform each prisoner of their ability to have their veteran status determined. Those prisoners requesting such determination shall be supplied with the material needed by the Secretary to make the determination. (2) INFORMATION RELATING TO VETERANS' BENEFITS.-- As soon as practicable after determining the veteran status of each prisoner requesting such determination, the Secretary shall-- (A) inform the prisoners of the determination of their veteran status; (B) inform those prisoners who determined to be veterans of their rights and responsibilities with regard to veterans' benefits and services and provide them with the information described in section 102; and (C) if the incarcerated veteran so desires, provide the information described in section 102 to those family members designated by the incarcerated veteran. SEC. 102. INFORMATION REGARDING VETERANS' BENEFITS. The information referred to in sections 101(b)(2)(B) and (C) shall include-- (1) the effect of the incarcerated status of the veteran on the receipt of veterans' benefits and services; (2) the ability of dependents of the incarcerated veteran to receive benefits available to dependents of veterans during the period of incarceration of the veteran; (3) the ability to have debt collection actions pursued by the Department against the veteran suspended during the time period provided by section 103; (4) the availability of counseling services within the Federal prison, wether provided by the Department or the Bureau of Prisons; (5) the potential effect on parole considerations of the participation by the veteran in counseling activities; (6) the reasons for any reduction in, or termination of, veterans' benefits resulting from the incarcerated status of the veteran; (7) the ability of the veteran to seek a correction of the military records or a review of the discharge or dismissal from military service of the veteran; (8) services from public and private organizations available to the veteran while incarcerated; (9) the ability of the veteran and dependents of the veteran to appeal the decisions of the Secretary affecting the provision of veterans' benefits and services; and (10) other information the Secretary considers appropriate. SEC. 103. SUSPENSION OF DEBT COLLECTION. (a) FEDERAL INMATES.-- Within 30 days after the Secretary NAM VET Newsletter Page 21 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 confirms, pursuant to section 101(b), that a prisoner is a veteran, the Secretary shall suspend debt collection activities of Department against the incarcerated veteran, and the obligation of the veteran to pay for debts owed to the Department, for the duration of his or her incarceration and for a period not to exceed 6 months following his or her release from a Federal prison. (b) STATE AND LOCAL INMATES.-- The Secretary shall suspend debt collection activities of the Department against any veteran the Secretary knows is incarcerated in a State or local penal institution, and the obligation of that veteran to pay for debts owed to the Department, for the duration of his or her incarceration and for a period not to exceed 6 months following his or her release from such an institution. TITLE II-- INCARCERATED VETERAN REHABILITATION COUNSELING SEC. 201. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY. The Secretary, in consultation with the Attorney General, shall-- (1) provide readjustment counseling to those incarcerated veterans suffering from mental and psychological disorders stemming from their military service; (2) take measures to ensure that incarcerated veterans have the same ability of being adjudicated as having service-connected disabilities as nonincarcerated veterans; (3) designate an employee in each of the regional offices of the Department to act as a liaison between each Federal prison and the Department to coordinate the provision of veterans' services and benefits for incarcerated veterans; (4) review the physical examinations forwarded by the Attorney General pursuant to paragraph (1)(A)(ii) of section 202 to determine whether the incarcerated veteran is eligible for the benefits provided by the Veterans' Dioxin and Radiation Exposure Compensation Standards Act (38 U.S.C. 354 note) or other relevant Federal laws; and (5) ensure that the employee designated pursuant to paragraph (3) provides liaison services between families of incarcerated veterans and Federal prisons. SEC. 202. DUTIES OF THE ATTORNEY GENERAL. The Attorney General shall-- (1) with the consent of the incarcerated veteran-- (A) for the purpose of determining eligibility for benefits under the Veterans' Dioxin and Radiation Exposure Compensation Standards Act (38 U.S.C. 354 note) or other relevant Federal laws-- (i) conduct physical examinations on each incarcerated veteran consistent with the protocol utilized by the Department in conducting Agent Orange registry examinations; and (ii) transmit such examinations to the Secretary; and (B) as soon as a date has been set for the release of the incarcerated veteran from a Federal prison, transmit the name and location of that veteran to the Secretary; and (2) consistent with the security requirements of each Federal prison, encourage and facilitate the organization within Federal prisons of "self-help" groups and other such programs that may contribute to the rehabilitation of incarcerated veterans. NAM VET Newsletter Page 22 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 TITLE III-- READJUSTMENT COUNSELING EDUCATION SEC. 301 DEVELOPMENT OF TRAINING CURRICULUM (a) DEVELOPMENT.-- The Secretary shall develop a training curriculum for use in assisting medical, psychiatric, psychological, and other relevant professionals employed by the Bureau of Prisons in acquiring the expertise necessary to diagnose and treat psychiatric disabilities peculiar to veterans. (b) AVAILABILITY OF CURRICULUM.-- The curriculum developed pursuant to subsection (a) may be made available to individuals, organizations, governmental agencies, and health facilities interested in the diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric disabilities peculiar to veterans. TITLE IV-- POST-INCARCERATION READJUSTMENT SERVICES SEC. 401. DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY. (a) DUTIES OF THE SECRETARY.-- Upon receipt of the names transmitted to the Secretary pursuant to paragraph (1)(A)(ii) of section 202, the Secretary shall inform those veterans of the veterans' benefits and services available to them upon release. This information shall include-- (1) the effect of the release of the incarcerated veteran on the entitlement of the veterans to veterans' benefits and services, including those terminated or reduced at the time of the incarceration of the veteran; (2) the availability of readjustment counseling services under the Readjustment Counseling Program of the Department, including the location of the vet center nearest to where the incarcerated veteran intends to reside after release; (3) the availability of additional readjustment services from State, local, and private agencies and organizations in the community in which the incarcerated veteran intends to reside; and (4) the availability of veterans programs administered by the Department of Labor and the Small Business Administration. SEC. 402. DUTY OF THE ASSISTANT SECRETARY. The Assistant Secretary shall designate a disabled veterans' outreach program specialist in each State where a Federal prison is located to serve as a liaison between each Federal prison and the disabled veterans' outreach program in that State. SEC. 403. DUTIES OF THE CHAIRMAN OF THE UNITED STATES PAROLE COMMISSION. The Chairman of the United States Parole Commission, in consultation with the Secretary, shall-- (1) integrate, to the extent practicable, the services available from the Readjustment Counseling Program of the Department into the parole programs of veterans paroled from Federal prisons; and (2) require that parole officers employed by the Commission who have responsibility for paroled veterans establish and maintain contact with appropriate vet center personnel in order to ensure that paroled veterans who are eligible to use vet center are encouraged to do so. TITLE V-- STATE AND LOCAL OUTREACH ASSISTANCE SEC. 501. EXTENSION OF BENEFITS TO VETERANS INCARCERATED IN STATE AND LOCAL PENAL INSTITUTIONS. NAM VET Newsletter Page 23 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 Within 6 months after the effective date of this Act, the Secretary and the Assistant Secretary shall implement a program to extend, to the extent practicable, the benefits of this Act to State and local penal institutions with respect to veterans incarcerated in such institutions. TITLE VI-- MISCELLANEOUS SEC. 601. REPORT The Attorney General, the Secretary, the Assistant Secretary, and the Chairman of the United States Parole Commission each shall submit to the Congress an annual report relating to their activities in implementing this Act. The first report shall be due on the January 1 occurring after the effective date of this Act and each January 1 thereafter. SEC. 602. MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING. Within 3 months after the effective date of this Act, the Secretary, the Attorney General, the Assistant Secretary, and the Chairman of the United States Parole Commission shall agree to and sign a memorandum of understanding detailing how the organizations and operations controlled by each shall interact to implement this Act. The Attorney General, or his designee, shall be responsible for convening and chairing meetings and initiating communications in order to reach the memorandum of understanding. SEC. 603. EFFECTIVE DATE This Act shall be effective 3 months after the date of enactment of the Act. NAM VET Newsletter Page 24 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXX XXXXX XXXXX XXXXX \ \ \ \ \XXXX XXXXX XXXXX.::::::::::::::.XXXXX INCARCERATED XXXX XXXXX XXXXX --------- XXXXX \ \ \ \ \ \ \XXXX XXXXX .XXXXX W W I I XXXXX. VETERANS \ \XXXX XXXXX ::XXXXX --------- XXXXX::. \ \ \ \ XXXX XXXXX :::XXXXX ------------- XXXXX:::. XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX K O R E A XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX ------------- XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX ------------- XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX V I E T N A M XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX ------------- XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX::::::::::::::::XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX::::::::::::::::XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX::' `::XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX:: ::XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX `..........''`XXXXX:::: XXXX XXXXX ::::XXXXX .:(O) . (O):. XXXXX:::' XXXX XXXXX ::' XXXXX .. 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 25 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 Got a minute? Just drop a postcard! ALABAMA Johnny Chadwick 110520 Holman Unit 5-U-5 Holman 37 Atmore, Ala. 36503-0037 ARKANSAS :===========================: : Arkansas Dept. of Corr. : : Maximum Security Unit : : Star Route, Box 22-B : : Tucker, Ark 72168-8713 : :===========================: Chaplain Dennis G Pigman James Metcalf 088642 Jerry Barnett 083876 George Moore 076781 Michael Bass 086961 Charles Moorman 076535 Ronald Brackett 800013 Herbert Newman 093888 Richard Brasher 077897 Michael O'Rourke 000903 Darrell Brooks 081683 Michael Orndorff 000889 Henry Burris 081658 William Parker 000899 John Campbell 078482 Eldon Patton 060104 John Campbell 076674 James Perdue 084302 Tommy Chappell 091711 James Phelps 084005 Stuart Clements 082516 Perry Powell 092346 Hoyt Clines 000886 James Renton 073560 Raymond Coble 088317 Darryl Richley 000888 Jessie Cockrell 082169 Willard Robbins 080976 Benny Cooper 089393 Larry Robertson 089180 James Dansby 082797 Craig Ryan 093104 Thomas Dinger 088756 Raymond Sanders 000918 Isiah Dumas 079752 Larry Sawdon 080276 Donnie Dunivan 082890 William Smallwood090456 David Fain 083803 Michael Smith 087109 Lewis Fields 083568 Reginald Smith 085042 Dennis Glick 086895 Jimmy Staton 089671 Michael Hanshew 086275 Charles Stoner 084433 Johny Henderson 082960 William Sykes 084447 Harold Hobbs 077219 Danny Taylor 083979 Herman Holland 084387 Robert Upton 066236 Dewayne Hulsey 000865 Arthur Walls 079942 Cecil Jeffers 073300 James Walters 087938 Tim Keepes 085209 Bruce Ward 000915 Larry King 095569 Derek Webster 091356 Harold Krigbaum 087060 Johnny Williams 079023 Eugene Lilly 091245 Alfred Wilson 062356 Scott Macdonald 082181 Johnny Witham 065978 James Madison 083401 Billy Woodard 089235 Timmothy Mcdaniel 078129 Gregory Woods 077991 Gary Mcdonald 082306 COLORADO :=========================: : PO Box 2017 : : Buena Vista, Colo 81211 : :=========================: Chris S.Crespin 45523 Dennis E.Prentis 43497 NAM VET Newsletter Page 26 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 Jerry Baack 57098 :=====================: : 0200 County Rd #219 : : Rifle, Colo 81650 : :=====================: Whitmarsh Bailey 56715 CONNECTICUT A. David Baez 57020 Box 100 Somers, Conn. 06071 GEORGIA :========================: : EG 172282 RCI Box 8409 : :Columbus, Ga 31907-8409 : :========================: Thomas Adams Dwight L.Lyons Donald E. Head :=====================: : PO Box 8409 : : Columbus, Ga. 31907 : :=====================: David M. McCook (DA-118) EF 18354 Jack T. Ruthledge C.I. INDIANA :==========================: : PO Box 41 : : Indiana State Prison : : Michigan City, In 46360 : :==========================: J Michael Ensley 28828 F Dorm W-84 Larry Lisenby 853325 CCH-149 Joe DeRado 902975 E Dorm E-42 Richard Martin 9634 CCH-164 James L. Davis 892971 E Dorm W-5 William R McCall 8031 ICH-404 Danny W. Hamby 892631 E Dorm W-93 Pat McGuire 892476 DCH-153 Scotty Hammack 10422 ACH-148 Dinzel Miller 23977 CCH-370 Lowell K. Idle 893265 DCH-424 Karl N. Robinson 852525 CCH-343 Richard Kirby 31358 DCH-262 Steve Swafford 874932 CCH-148 :=================================: : Westville Correctional Center : : P.O.Box 473 : : Westville, Ind. 46391-0473 : :=================================: Harold Mize 863934 Cory Naples 901359 MASSACHUSETTS :====================: : PO Box 466 : : Gardner, Ma 01440 : :====================: George Herbert Tyrone Smith Ron Gohn T2-rm 273 Kevin M Pennell Arthur Coy Robert Thompson NAM VET Newsletter Page 27 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 Richard Ortiz Frank Komnenus Leslie Gomes PO Box 565 Billerica, Mass. 01821 Lance Koren PO Box 1069 Concord, Mass. 01472 MICHIGAN :==========================: : 2400 South Sheridan Rd. : : Muskegon, MI. 49442 : :==========================: Boyd Blair 156418 David Prieto 193367 Herschel Davis 163765 Leonard Pikaart 179858 Willi Henderson-Bey 128457 Tim Shagen 203886 Ronald Kramer 181007 Richard Sheff 180946 William Letzgus 187075 Thomas Siemoneit 179536 David Martin 180065 Tony Slusarski 131661 Teddy McCray 200255 Teddy Stephens 182636 Danny McKay 147064 Ronald Triplett 132615 Wendell Neview 196387 James Wilson 180186 David Oates 190210 Edwin Zimmerman 184779 :=========================: : G. Robert Cotton Fac. : : PO Box 3003 : : Jackson, Mi 49204 : :=========================: Robert Dennstaedt 147258 Mr. Peterson 167626 Mr. Vaughan 1456962 Mr. Ron Duvall 119293 Mr. Conklin 159051 Mr. Thomas Van Antwerp 184766 Mr. Michael Deen 201339 :====================: : PO Box 1900 : : Adrian, Mi 49221 : :====================: Terry Snyder 193889 Alex Beaudine 145559 Bill Hammes 204434 MISSOURI :==============================: : 8201 N. Crosswell Rd. S.T.F. : : St. Louis, Mo 48880 : :==============================: Andy Cascarelli 201886 David Fox 200406 Tim Grassmyer 206270 Rick Isbell 207512 Earl Lord 196758 Antonio Lyte 165094 Charles Ray 205764 NAM VET Newsletter Page 28 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 Eddie Stenton 198136 Robert White 182002 NEW YORK :================================: : PO Box 618-135 135 State St. : : Auburn, New York 13024-9000 : :================================: Ervun L. Armlin Donald W. Knapp 86-C-0782 D-6-6 88-C-0072 A-3-8 Ron Chamberlain Micheal Mantice 81-C-0459 C-17-41 90-A-7640 B-7-18 Ed Beaufort Cutner Thomas H. Marlowe 89-C-1606 C-13-6 83-C-0834 E-9-16 Thomas Delmonte Alexander Micheal Marathon 86-C-1021 A-1-20 79-D-0127 B-2-7 Gary Emry Ferdinand Quiles 89-C-1315 A-7-24 83-A-5609 A-4-38 Elwood H. Fields Robert T. Smith 88-A-4043 D-8-13 81-A-2188 A-5-10 Giacomo A. Frascone Andrews S. Tenny 89-A-3512 A-6-22 81-B-2137 E-10-19 William L. Hargrove 83-A-4292 D-8-18 NEVADA :============================: : Nevada State Prison : : PO Box 607 : : Carson City, Nevada 89702 : :============================: James Bishop 31347 Eugene Perry 29647 Brook De Nault 29594 James Raines 31445 John Doane 14686 Dan Richmond 15601 Roy Fudge 29966 Eddie Romero 22115 James McGee 31489 Eddie Sanchez 26895 Earl Grissom 27536 Claude Theriault 11872 Brain Hern 14535 Robert Turner 30473 Ken Jezierski 30790 Harold Weaver 17624 Harry Lilly 29894 Jeff Weil 28242 George McIntyre 25124 Cecil Williams 23818 :=====================: : Ely State Prison : : PO Box 1989 : : Ely, Nevada 89301 : :=====================: Sam Howard 18329 Pete Huertas 15239 Jake Reynolds 21763 Paul Stadtlander 23389 :=========================: : Health and Safety : : PO Box 7011 : : Carson City, Nv 89702 : :=========================: Don Miller NAM VET Newsletter Page 29 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 PENNSYLVANIA :============================: : Drawer A Old Route 22 : : Cresson, Penn. 16630-0010 : :============================: George W. Burd AJ2110 Vernon E. Miller Sr. AJ1004 Darryl Houseman AJ1063 TENNESSEE :=====================: : PO Box 2000 : :Wartburg, Tenn. 37887: :=====================: John Cobb 126878 Unit 12 Myer Pettyjohn 90722 Unit 9 James Eades Unit 4 Bobby Tate 123531 Unit 5 Stanton Easley 86354 Unit 2 Kenneth Teague 112717 Unit 4 William Harris 77891 Unit 8 Charles Sprinkle 109200 Unit 4 Grant Henderson Unit 4 John Slate Unit 8 Johnny Ottinger Unit 14 VIRGINIA :=======================: : PO Box 488 : : Burkeville, Va. 23922 : :=======================: M Davenport 155165 (N-321) William Merriman 131789 (A-66) M Donati 150219 (D-71) L Rainsford 126380 (B-108) Joe Grace 136189 (B-108) Abdul Shah 101250 (O-417) M Glennon 140901 (O-101) Gerald Stovall Jr. 98899 (O-328) J Heidinger 102513 (O-421) R Sutton 141041 (O-317) Charles Ladison 138228 (O-330) :========================: : James River Corr. Ctr. : : State Farm, Va. 23160 : :========================: Roger Baxter 157594 D-2 Oliver Mayfield 106330 HA-2 Luther C Beasley 110375 D-2 James Moody 160399 D-4 Gordon Cawthron 135734 D-6 William Moran 131271 D-2 Robert Hall 148001 HA Preston Parker 118311 D-5 John Harris 133342 HA Jamal R Rashid 110781 D-2 Thomas Hawley 139294 D-1 Matthew Sanders 166545 D-4 Carlton Heflin 170297 D-5 Charlie Sherman 128403 D-6 Joseph Huggins 99433 D-6 William Simmons 106399 D-4 David Bailey 153526 D-2 David Swink 157682 D-6 Micheal Kay 136567 D-5 Curtis Wright 125330 HA Le'roi Mason 104969 D-5 WASHINGTON :=========================: : PO Box 1000 C2F3 : : Steilacoom, Wash. 98388 : :=========================: Larry DuBois WISCONSIN :========================: : PO Box 351 : NAM VET Newsletter Page 30 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 : Waupun, WI. 53963-0351 : :========================: Calvin Allen #203359 Ken Myers Jr. #173568 John Banaszak #188690 Aaron Overberg #142578 Edward Belamares #128592 Joe Perkins #50736 Merrit Burright #5593 Robert Warren #104480 Anthony Cartwright #2210911 Jose Rodriguez #193528 Eric Collins #201910 Philip Roth #168444 Charles Coogan #40001 Thomas Rush #177468 Irvin Doxtator #16876 Ruven Siebert #31311 John S. Deuchars #42641 William Selmon #0259321 John Erdman #133557 Robert Schmidt #187661 Keith Fenderson #210194 Wayne Schwamb #178746 Kevin Glover #167916 John Stallins #125612 Roosevelt Hall #180767 Charles Stephenson #179459 Jerry Hammill #66235 Merlin Sternitzky #155685 Dane Hedstrom #125111 Gary L. Stibb #202596 Danny Heller #149705 Kenneth Spears #88927 Joseph Higgins #210414 Lemuel Smith #6913 Mark Hinton #108536 Gary Sutton #196088 Colin Hutchinson #182042 Ron Swartout #84812 Dale Hylok #110660 Thaddeus Sieger #215663 Issac Jackson #186188 Louis Tarentino #184595 John Jaenke #89343 Ronald Taylor #181190 Tommy Johnson #138644 Eric Vogliotti #186603 Myung Jun #201398 Hoyt E. Vrooman #210573 Dereck Kelly #209110 Bernard Watts #177701 Herman Krause #39312 Richard Webb #103925 James Lelivelt #26992 Milton Wendler #135295 Richard Lewan #169630 Randolph Whiting #158604 William Lewis #44501 Robert L. Guck #72598 James Lowery #166070 Charles L. Marstan #210697 Robert McQueen #5705 NAM VET Newsletter Page 31 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 THE LIFER'S CLUB OF MCRCP Who, What, When, Where, and Why ? Input by: Joyce Flory NamVet's Incarcerated Veteran's Section Editor Desert Dolphin BBS - Las Cruces, NM (505) 523-2811 We are the Lifer's Club of Morgan County Regional Correctional Facility (MCRCF). We are a public benefit, non-profit, charitable organization formed in early 1989. We have dedicated our efforts to - among other things - promoting a public awareness of the good that can be accomplished by prisoners, encouraging public recognition of the inequality (and inequity) of prison sentences in Tennessee, and trying to do something about it. Our motto is "Helping Others On Our Way To Freedom", and we try to let that speak for itself. Our Board of Directors meets regularly, and we have semi-monthly meetings of the general membership. Several committees have been formed for special projects. We are supported entirely by membership dues, special fund-raising projects, and whatever donations we can generate from our outside sponsors and supporters. Our membership consists primarily of inmates in the Tennessee Department of Correction (TDOC) who have life sentences, but we have expanded that to include inmates who have the equivalent of a life sentence. It's safe to say that all our members have either served a lot of time, or have a lot of time to serve. We have 'associate members', and 'free-world' volunteers who are associate members. These are people who - while they, themselves, may not have our immediate concerns - recognize that we, in most instances, are the product of more complex 'outside influences', and support our efforts to bring these outside influences within our control and focus our lives in a more positive direction. We have a strong core group of members, and a strong base of support from the outside, consisting mainly of the 'free-world' volunteers mentioned above, various civic and church groups, families and friends of our members, and many state employees who support our position but are not able to be as vocal as they'd like to be. Our efforts are fully supported by the administration here at MCRCF. We've done a lot of good since we started, and we try not to miss a chance to call attention to it - following are some of our recent projects: > > > HOLLY ARMES PROJECT Holly Armes is the infant daughter of Riley and Kathy Armes, a family in the Morgan County area. When we first heard about their problem, Holly was six months old, Riley was unemployed, they were disabled and on welfare - but those problems were compounded by Holly's being born with a condition called 'large encephalocele', a birth disorder which results in the brain being formed outside the skull, and remaining exposed. At age five months, Holly had been given six days to live. Riley and Kathy Armes made a decision that dwarfed all their other problems - they decided to take Holly home, instead of institutionalizing her, and try to give her as much love and care as they could during her life that seemed pre- destined to be short. How could we NOT help a family like that? The Lifer's Club voted unanimously to 'adopt' the Holly Armes family, and join with many other concerned people involved with helping them out. Everyone at MCRCF had a hand in helping the NAM VET Newsletter Page 32 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 Armes family - members of the administration, counselors, correctional officers - but the Lifer's Club made the Armes family one of their first special projects, and helped in the only way they could - with a lot of love and support, and a special fund drive to help with some of their expenses, and the expenses incurred by the remodeling that was necessary to adapt their home to the special needs of a child like Holly. The Lifer's Club was proud to be involved with this project. > > > TOYS FOR TOTS PROJECT The 'Toys For Tots' project began as a joint effort to insure a Merry Christmas for several Morgan County area families who might not otherwise have had a Christmas at all. Toys were collected from various sourced, and brought to the MCRCF Annex so that inmates could repair them. Many different organizations joined together to help in this effort, and several different fund-raising methods were used to make sure that there would be enough money to supply, not only toys, but food boxes and other things as well. Names of needy families were submitted by the Department of Human Services, area churches, and concerned individuals. This project ballooned beyond everyone's expectations, and - in the spirit of Christmas - surprised everyone with the enthusiasm that could be generated in an institution-type setting, where enthusiasm is not normally found. The Lifer's Club donated $100.00, as well as supporting two individual children, with an additional $200.00 each. The largest single donation - $650.00 - came from the general population at MCRCF, many of whom are members of the Lifer's Club, and had already contributed through their initial donation from the dues fund. > > > FIREWOOD PROJECT Right before Christmas, 1989, the Lifer's Club participated in a firewood project, coordinated by the Volunteer program here at MCRCF. This project was originated to supply firewood for needy families in the Morgan County area during the cold weather that always comes with the holiday season. Sometimes the worry about where their next rick of firewood is coming from can put a damper on whatever enjoyment a family might have at Christmas-time. The Lifer's Club membership voted to commit itself to supply 25 ricks of firewood for these needy families, and immediately started a fund drive here at MCRCF. The fund drive was so successful that our original 25 rick commitment was increased to 30 ricks. With funds collected from the general population by the Lifer's Club, 30 ricks of firewood was purchased and stored for later distribution to needy families. > > > 1989 SPECIAL OLYMPICS The Michael Dunn Center is a local school for students with special needs. The Lifer's Club , and the general population at MCRCF, seems to have a special regard for needy children, so when we were contacted about sponsoring some of these children in the Special Olympics that is held locally each year, we voted unanimously to get on with it, and see what we could do to help. As a result of our fund drive, we were able to sponsor 21 children's participation in the 1989 Special Olympics. We also furnished Lifer's T-shirts and hats for them to wear, and we were proud to be able to help some of these children in their efforts NAM VET Newsletter Page 33 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 to overcome the particular obstacles that life has put in their way. > > > AMY GAMBLE PROJECT Amy Gamble is a teen-age girl who lives in the Morgan County area with her parents, Gerald and Wilma, and her younger sister, Janet. When we first heard about her problem, she was a 18 year old high school senior, an honor student, and had recently been diagnosed as having 'aplastic anemia'. Her condition requires regular blood transfusions, frequent trips to Nashville, Tennessee for treatment, and has caused her to be home-bound. Amy managed to continue her high school work, and plans to graduate this year - with honors - in spite of her not being able to attend school regularly because of her condition. She eventually will have to have a bone-marrow transplant, but that must wait until a compatible donor can be found. The Lifer's Club made Amy a special project, and started a fund drive to collect money to offset the tremendous expenses she and her family has incurred - or will incur - because of her condition. We were able to present Amy with a check for $1000.00, all collected from the general population and members of the Lifer's Club at MCRCF. Additionally, at our regular membership meeting, when a vote was taken allowing us to conduct the fund drive, the membership voted - to a man- to ask the Warden to look into what would be involved in allowing MCRCF inmates to present themselves to be tested for possible compatibility for potential bone marrow donation. Very few people understand the problems that life can dish out like an inmate does, and when we're given a chance to help - we do it, it's as simple as that. > > > SHARON DAVIDSON WHEELCHAIR FUND The Lifer's Club of MCRCF has become involved in a joint project with a local Masonic Lodge, raising funds to provide a wheelchair for Sharon Davidson, a Morgan County area lady who has multiple sclerosis. We are going to be able to present Sharon Davidson with a check for $400.00, collected from the general population and members of the Lifer's Club at MCRCF. We intend to challenge the Masonic Lodge that asked for our help to triple our donation - our challenge will probably result in another challenge, and the end result will be that Sharon Davidson will get her wheelchair. We were proud to be given the chance to join with a local fraternal organization like the Masons, and do what little we could. > > > 1990 SPECIAL OLYMPICS The Lifer's Club's experience with the 1989 Special Olympics (and the Michael Dunn Center) was so fulfilling that we tried to expand it this year. Our plans were to sponsor the entire Michael Dunn Center's participation in this year's Special Olympics. We joined forces with an outside organization (International Isshinryu Karate Association) to try to raise the extra funds that would be necessary. Coordinating our efforts with the Karate Association, and with the help of some of our 'free-world' volunteers, we planned to sponsor a walk-a-thon in the Morgan County area. We had tremendous support in our efforts, and things were looking good - unfortunately, the weather didn't cooperate with us. The walk-a- thon was rained out, and stayed rained out until past time for the Special Olympics, so we've had to readjust our plans. We are sending the Michael Dunn Center a check for the same amount as last year, to offset the cost of this year's participation in the NAM VET Newsletter Page 34 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 Special Olympics. We intend to hold the walk-a-thon at a later date (with the karate school's help), and any funds generated from the walk-a-thon will be used for another Michael Dunn Center project. > > > NURSING HOME PROJECT The Lifer's Club has unanimously voted to 'adopt' a local nursing home (Life-Care Center), and furnish some things that the nursing home needs that we are able to furnish. This project is presently being coordinated through one of our committees, and the necessary outside arrangements are being made. In addition to the items that we can provide with funds generated from within the Lifer's Club, we intend to furnish flowers, flower pots, etc. - or anything else that we can secure through an arts and crafts project here at MCRCF. Initially, plans are under way for a party for the residents of the nursing home. We have a lot of support in this program, and we are looking froward to being able to bring a little enjoyment into the lives of the people who live at the nursing home. > > > STRAIGHT TALK PROGRAM While the Straight Talk Program is not a specific program of the Lifer's Club, the idea, looked upon with scepticism by some, but pioneered within the TDOC at MCRCF, grew out of an idea that was created by the Lifer's Club, in early 1989. Necessarily, participation in the Straight Talk Program is not limited to the Lifer's Club members, but - not coincidentally - almost all the participants are either members or officers of the Lifer's Club. The program really gained ground after the initial visit by some Hiwassee College students and their instructor, Dean William Bell. This program could be compared to a similar program in the New Jersey prison system (Scared Straight), and coincides with a Tennessee plan that is just being implemented (shock incarceration, or the 'Boot Camp' idea), with one major difference. The Straight Talk Program involves only straight talk - no scare tactics, no profanity, no bull - employing the reality of prison life and the factors that contributed to the incarceration of the participants to encourage young people not to get caught up in the same trap. So far, students have come to MCRCF from many different institutions - ETSU, Sunbright, Blout County Boys Club, Alcoa High School - to participate in this project, and we have been allowed to carry our program outside the institution several times. Our efforts have reached all the way to Washington, and a representative of the Justice Department, Mr. Morgan Doughton, has noticed us and wants to file one of our programs as a model for use in implementing programs like ours nationwide. Of course, recognition and success are some of the more obvious, immediate rewards - but who knows what future effect our participation in this project will have on the lives of the many hundreds of young people who have listened to our 'straight talk'? As mentioned before, even though this undertaking is not a specific Lifer's Club project, the program is a special concern to most of us, since the idea originated in our club, and we are very interested in the success of the Straight Talk Program and the good we feel that it can do. Now, having said all that - why are we, the Lifer's Club of MCRCF, doing what we are doing? On first impression, that seems a NAM VET Newsletter Page 35 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 fairly easy to answer. Here's an organization made up of people with long prison sentences, who want to do whatever they can do to shorten them and go home. That's almost right - but it goes a little deeper than that. Indeed, it might surprise you to know that a majority of the Lifer's Club membership would not even substantially affected by the new laws. Most correctional officers and professionals in the field will tell you that a prison is like a small community. We, as inmates, know this is so. A prison community has its own set of laws (written and unwritten), its own set of values, and its own set of unique problems - problems that are generally misunderstood by everyone except the people who are the closest to them. Who better to help with problems - or to bring about some type of positive change - than the people who are right in the middle of them? We, as the Lifer's Club ARE these people, and we can usually recognize, and head off, problems before they become problems. We, as members of the Lifer's Club, like to think of ourselves as 'leaders' in our 'community' efforts. You can see our counterparts in a host of outside organizations - Jaycees, Civitans, Lions, etc. - if we weren't in prison, some of us might even be legislators, city-council members, judges - well, maybe we are over-exaggerating our importance a little bit - but, at any rate, we'd be the ones who would be working to try to better things, wherever we are. We, as members of the Lifer's Club - all people with long sentences - know that we are generally the ones most affected by whatever happens - inside or outside - that concerns the prison system. We also know that the stereotyped image of prisoners that people on the outside have - often perpetuated by the media and people to whom corrections is a big business - is not correct in all instances. We have already seen many positive changes, and recognize that many more positive changes are possible. We have long recognized the need for more education and vocational programs within the system to prepare inmates for a productive life on the outside. Many times the lack of simple social skills, or a marketable trade, can cause the behavior that results in a prison sentence. It's no accident that a majority of the executive committee (and many of the core group of Lifer's Club members) either work for, or are somehow connected with, the Treatment or the Education Department here at MCRCF. The Straight Talk Program - a controversial undertaking that has ballooned beyond everyone's expectations - is almost exclusively made up of Lifer's Club members and officers. In the past, many changes have been made in the system by inmates. Anyone who was at Turney Center (or any one of several other institutions in the middle 80's) knows what kind of changes inmates can make - violence and unrest always results in changes. However, this kind of change is not always for the best, and we - as Lifer's Club members - recognize that the inmates most affected by the type of change brought about by violence and unrest are the inmates who must live here the longest - as opposed to the ones who can just cause trouble and go. We have long known that there is a distinct difference in inmates, and we have just recently - right here at MCRCF - been given the opportunity, by a forward- thinking administration, to show what we can do. If you can accept the premise that there can be 'community leaders" within a prison system, and if you can indulge us a little further by accepting that an organization such as the Lifer's Club is where these 'community leaders' will show up, then it's not hard to NAM VET Newsletter Page 36 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 understand why we see it as our responsibility to promote the Lifer's Club of MCRCF, publicize it's accomplishments, and do what we can to improve the system that we must live in. In the past, we have recognized a potential problem in a kind of perceived unfairness in the sentences and sentencing practices in the state of Tennessee. The new sentencing laws gave us a ray of hope, but we believe it is extremely important for us to call attention to the potential unfairness - real or perceived - that would result from new inmates, with shorter,'new law' sentences, coming into a system full of inmates with longer 'old law' sentences. We've got the Lifer's Club at MCRCF started, we've got a handle on what we're trying to accomplish through an organized group of inmates and their outside helpers, and we've got the help and support of a lot of good people. We think the only thing that could possibly hold us back would be our lack of imagination. We intend to continue promoting a public awareness of the good that can be accomplished by prisoners, to continue encouraging public recognition of the inequality (and inequity) of prison sentences in the state of Tennessee, and to keep on trying to do something about it - just a longer way of saying: "Helping Others On Our Way To Freedom" Joe Lifer Community Relations Committee Lifer's Club of MCRCF " NAM VET Newsletter Page 37 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 ================================================================== Ol' Glory n' Shiftin' Sands ================================================================== President Bush's Address to the Nation Wednesday, January 16, 1991, 9:00 PM E.S.T. (Sent to VETLink #1 with no FileAttach Message) VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 "Just two hours ago, Allied Air forces began an attack on military targets in Iraq and Kuwait. These attacks continue as I speak. Ground forces are not engaged. This conflict started August 2d, when the dictator of Iraq invaded a small and helpless neighbor. Kuwait, a member of the Arab league and a member of the United Nations, was crushed; its people brutalized. Five months ago Saddam Hussein started this cruel war against Kuwait. Tonight, the battle has been joined. This military action, taken in accord with United Nations resolutions, and with the consent of the United States Congress, follows months of constant and virtually endless diplomatic activity on the part on the United Nations, the United States, and many, many other countries. Arab leaders sought what became known as an Arab solution only to conclude that Saddam Hussein was unwilling to leave Kuwait. Others traveled to Baghdad, and a variety of efforts to restore peace and justice. Our Secretary of State, James Baker, held an historic meeting in Geneva, only to be totally rebuffed. This past weekend, in a last ditch effort, the Secretary General of the United Nations went to the Middle East, with peace in his heart - his second such mission. And he came back from Baghdad with no progress at all in getting Saddam Hussein to withdraw from Kuwait. Now, the 28 countries with forces in the Gulf area, have exhausted all reasonable efforts to reach a peaceful resolution, have no choice but to drive Saddam from Kuwait by force. We will not fail. As I report to you, air attacks are underway against military targets in Iraq. We are determined to knock out Saddam Hussein's nuclear bomb potential; we will also destroy his chemical weapons facilities; much of Saddam's artillery and tanks will be destroyed. Our operations are designed to best protect the lives of all the coalition forces by targeting Saddam's vast military arsenal. Initial reports from General Schwarzkopf are that our operations are proceeding according to plan. Our objectives are clear: Saddam Hussein's forces will leave Kuwait, the legitimate government of Kuwait will be restored to its rightful place, and Kuwait will once again be free. Iraq will eventually comply with all relevant United Nations resolutions and then, when peace is restored, it is our hope, that Iraq will live as a peaceful and cooperative member of the family of nations, thus enhancing the security and stability of the Gulf. Some may ask, "Why act now, why not wait?" The answer is clear: The world could wait no longer. Sanctions, though having some effect, showed no signs of accomplishing their objective. Sanctions were tried for well over five months, and we and our allies concluded that sanctions alone would not force Saddam from NAM VET Newsletter Page 38 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 Kuwait. While the world waited, Saddam Hussein systematically raped, pillaged, and plundered a tiny nation no threat to his own. He subjected the people of Kuwait to unspeakable atrocities. And among those maimed and murdered - innocent children. While the world waited, Saddam sought to add to the chemical weapons arsenal he now possesses - an infinitely more dangerous weapon of mass destruction - a nuclear weapon. And while the world waited, while the world talked peace and withdraw, Saddam Hussein dug in and moved massive forces into Kuwait. While the world waited, while Saddam stalled, more damage was being done to the fragile economies of the third world, emerging democracies of Eastern Europe, to the entire world including to our own economy. The United States, together with the United Nations, exhausted every means at our disposal to bring this crisis to a peaceful end. However, Saddam clearly felt, that by stalling and threatening and defying the United Nations, he could weaken the forces arrayed against him. While the world waited, Saddam Hussein met every overture of peace with open contempt. While the world prayed for peace, Saddam prepared for war. I had hoped, that when the United States Congress, in historic debate, took its resolute action, Saddam would realize he could not prevail, and would move out of Kuwait in accord with the United Nation resolutions. He did not do that. Instead, he remained intransigent, certain that time was on his side. Saddam was warned over and over again to comply with the will of the United Nations - "Leave Kuwait or be driven out." Saddam has arrogantly rejected all warnings. Instead he tried to make this a dispute between Iraq and the United States of America. Well he failed. Tonight, 28 nations, countries from five continents: Europe and Asia, Africa and the Arab league, have forces in the Gulf area, standing shoulder to shoulder against Saddam Hussein. These countries had hoped the use of force could be avoided. Regrettably, we now believe that only force will make him leave. Prior to ordering our forces into battle I instructed our military commanders to take every necessary step to prevail as quickly as possible. And with the greatest degree of protection possible for American and Allied servicemen and women. I've told the American people before, that this will not be another Vietnam. And I repeat this here tonight, our troops will have the best possible support in the entire world. And they will not be asked to fight with one hand tied behind their back. I'm hopeful that this fighting will not go on for long, and that casualties will be held to an absolute minimum. This is an historic moment. We have, in this past year, made great progress in ending the long era of conflict and cold war. We have before us the opportunity to forge for ourselves and for future generations a new world order. A world where the rule of law, not the law of the jungle, governs the conduct of nations. When we are successful, and we will be, we have a real chance at this new world order, an order in which a credible United Nations can use its peace-keeping role to fulfill the promise and vision of the U.N.'s founders. NAM VET Newsletter Page 39 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 We have no argument with the people of Iraq. Indeed, for the innocents caught in this conflict, I pray for their safety. Our goal is not the conquest of Iraq. It is the liberation of Kuwait. It is my hope that somehow the Iraqi people can, even now, convince their dictator that he must lay down his arms, leave Kuwait, and let Iraq itself rejoin the family of peace loving nations. Thomas Paine wrote, many years ago, "These are the times that try mens' souls." Those well known words are so very true today. But even as planes of the multi national forces attack Iraq, I prefer to think of peace, not war. I'm convinced, not only that we will prevail, but that out of the horror of combat, will come the recognition that no nation can stand against a world united. No nation will be permitted to brutally assault its neighbor. No president can easily commit our sons and daughters to war. They are the nation's finest. Ours is an all volunteer force, magnificently trained, highly motivated. The troops know why they're there. And listen to what they say. For they've said it better than any president or prime minister ever could. Listen to Hollywood Huddleston, Marine Lance Corporal. He says, "Let's free these people so we can go home and be free again." And he's right. The terrible crimes and tortures committed by Saddam's henchmen against the innocent people of Kuwait are an affront to mankind and a challenge to the freedom of all. Listen to one of our great officers out there. Marine Lieutenant General Walter Boomer. He said, "There are things worth fighting for. A world in which brutality and lawlessness are allowed to go unchecked isn't the kind of world we're going to want to live in." Listen to Master Sergeant J.P. Kendel of the 82nd Airborne. "We're here for more than just the price of a gallon of gas. What we're doing is going to chart the future of the world for the next hundred years. Its better to deal with this guy now, then five years from now." And finally, we should all sit up and listen to Jackie Jones, an Army lieutenant, when she says, "If we let him get away with this, who knows what's going to be next." I've called upon Hollywood and Walter and J.P. and Jackie, and all their courageous comrades in arms, to do what must be done. Tonight, America and the world are deeply grateful to them, and to their families. And let me say to everyone listening or watching tonight, when the troops we've sent in finish their work, I'm determined to bring them home as soon as possible. Tonight, as our forces fight, they and their families are in our prayers. May God bless each and every one of them, and the coalition forces at our side in the Gulf, and may he continue to bless our nation, the United States of America." NAM VET Newsletter Page 40 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 Operation Desert Shield NMNMNMNMNMNMNM\ Operation Desert Storm MH * * * HN/NMNMNMNMNMNMNMNNMNM\ NH * * * HM/MH * * HMNMMNMN/MMMMMMMMMMMMM\ MH * * * HN/NH * * * H////////MMMMMMMMMMMMM/MMMMMMMMMMMMMMH NH * * * HM/MH * * H//////////////////////MMMMMMMMMMMMMMH MH * * * HN/NH * * * HNMNMMNM/////////////////////////////H MH * * * HM/MH* * * HMNMNNMN/NMNMNMNNMNMNM///////////////H MH * * * HN/NH * * * H////////MNMNMNMMNMNMN/NMNMNNMNMNNMNHH NH * * * HM/MH * * H//////////////////////MNMNMMNMNMMNMNH MH * * * HN/NH * * * HMNMMNMN/////////////////////////////H H//////////////MH * * HNMNNMNM/NMNMNMNNMNMNM///////////////H H//////////////////////////////////MNMNMNMMNMNMN/NMNMNNMNMNNMNMH NNNNNNNNNNNNNN///////////////////////////////////MNMNMMNMNMMNMNH NNNNNNNNNNNNNN/NMNMNMNMNMNMNMNNMNM/////////////////////////////H H//////////////MNMNMNMNMNMNMNMMNMN/NMNMNMNNMNMNM///////////////H H//////////////////////////////////MNMNMNMMNMNMN/NMNMNNMNMNNMNMH MNMNMNMNMNMNMN///////////////////////////////////MNMNMMNMNMMNMNH NMNMNMNMNMNMNM\NMNMNMNMNMNMNMMNMNM/////////////////////////////H \NMNMNMNMNMNMNNMNMN\NMNMNMNNMNMNM///////////////H \MNMNMNMMNMNMN\NMNMNNMNMNNMNMH WELL DONE !!! \MNMNMMNMNMMNMNH WELCOME HOME!!! NAM VET Newsletter Page 41 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 For our GIs still in Saudi Arabia Input by: Gale Barrows GOTCHA! BBS - Custer, SD The folowing came over the Firearms echo and I thought it would be of interest here. Please excuse the jumbled transfer. Apparently the returns didn't come through properly. ___________________________________________________ To any of you who still have friends or relatives in the Persian Gulf ... here are a few suggestions: IGNORE the post office when they discourage the sending of packages to APO/FPO addresses ... they ARE getting through, and in better time now than before ... Mail is a BIG morale factor. Here are some suggestions you may not have thought of yet, but which will be GRATEFULLY received: Plastic mixing containers ... a one-quart for milk and the pudding I will tell you about, and/or a two-quart for the koolaid ... the ones I have are Rubbermaid brand "Servin' Savers", and work very well. Next, add these things to the package ... Jello brand "Instant Pudding & Pie Filling" 5 1/4 oz size Milkman brand powdered milk ... one-quart envelopes Sugar Free Koolaid (comes in boxes of four 2-quart envelopes) Tabasco Sauce Soy Sauce Small candies ... such as the big bags of Snickers, etc you buy at Halloween. (non-chocolate is edible all day long, but the nights get cool enough to re-solidify the chocolate, too.). Tobasco is not as hard to find as it once was, in fact some of the new MREs come with small bottles ... but they are quickly used ... some mess sections have larger bottles, but it isn't always Tobasco brand, and that is clearly the best. The soy is a nice diversion, and it takes both soy AND tobasco to make Tuna and Noodles edible. If your friend is going to be there a long time, you may have time to order a special Tobasco bottle "holster" from the Tobasco Company that fits on his web gear!! Highly sought after :) Kool-Aid is not so hard to get anymore, either ... some of the field rations come with small packets now, too. But that makes half a canteen cup ... the sugar-free packets are lighter, easier to carry, mix more readily ... and make two quarts at a time. One package of powdered milk and one package of pudding mixed with 2 4 ounces of water (the plastic containers are graduated) and mixed by shaking them in the one-quart container will make enough pudding to fill five to six of the small sections of a GI mess kit ... just shake it for a couple of minutes and pour into the trays. It will set quickly at night without refrigeration, and will thicken enough to eat even on a hot day. And you can make six happy GIs per package :) I guess most of what I said here applies to soldiers and marines more than to airmen or sailors ... who seem always to be better fed :) -=- Ain't Peace Wonderful? -=- --- ------------------- With the winding down over there, moral is probably harder than ever to maintain, especialy for those folks who see others NAM VET Newsletter Page 42 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 shipping home and knowing THEY will be there for some time yet. Packages and letters are possibly even more important now. -- Gale -- NAM VET Newsletter Page 43 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 A Soldier's Wife Pledges From the White Sands Missile Range Paper, 29 Mar 91 Input by: Charlie Revie Desert Dolphin BBS - Las Cruces, NM (505) 523-2811 (White Sands Editor's Note: The following pledges were submitted to the Missile Ranger by Jo Ann Zidlickey whose husband, CW2 Robert F. Zidlicky Jr., served in Saudi Arabia with the 11th ADA from Fort Bliss. I Am a Soldier's Wife I Pledge Myself To defend my husband and all his uniform represents and through it show pride and love of my country; To protect my husband's children and shield them in time of want to the best of my ability; To be a good reflection of my husband in all circumstances To be honorable and honest in all my dealings; To serve well my military community, and through it my husband and country; To endure whatever hardships the Army may demand of my husband with home, love and faith; To observe the Officers' Wife's unwritten Code of Ethics and to conform my conduct to its lofty and honorable ideals. I Am a Soldier's Child I Promise To respect my father and the uniform he wears proudly; To help my mother everyday and by helping her helps him while he is away from us; To write my father on a timely basis and show him my love and concern; To be strong in my everyday life, To be a good student; To never be ashamed that my father wears the uniform of the United States of America; To show pride, love, loyalty and faith in my father and the country he may give his life to defend. Gwen wanted to share these with the rest of us............ Later, Charlie (Thanx Gwen & Charlie!... Joe and the NamVet Staff) NAM VET Newsletter Page 44 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 MARS Messages to Saudi Arabia Input by: Don Purvis LSO Systems - Everett WA In case you forgot..... The Desert Storm Message Express is on line and providing message service to soldiers deployed in Operation Desert Storm. The Desert Storm Message Express is a bulletin board system (BBS) operated by the Fort Lewis HF/MARS Station (AAA0USA) and the Fort Lewis Amateur Radio Activity (W2USA), Fort Lewis, Washington, to provide family members a means of sending messages using the Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) to their loved ones deployed in Operation Desert Storm. The BBS is open 24 hours a day and can be reached from any state in the continental United States using an 800 number. Messages entered will be downloaded once a day and refiled into the MARS network. Depending on the current military situation in South West Asia, MARS can provide faster service than mail. We are sorry to say that at this time we can not service any NAVY/MARINE FPO MESSAGE'S. Only APO ADDRESSES can be sent to Desert Storm at this time. Please check with the BBS about FPO messages and to when they can be sent. Instructions concerning message format and length are available when users log onto the BBS. The board is only a message service, so please do not expect to find a files section for uploading and downloading the latest in shareware. Please note that this is a one way message system. No reply will be sent back through the BBS from your loved one. They may initiate a MARS message from their location and you will receive it by a phone call from a MARS affiliate member delivering their message. The Desert Storm Message Express is running on donated equipment and we thank the following for their support: The Major BBS by Galacticomm Inc. Software Donated by ProStar Software, Inc. (206)859-8653 Hewlett Packard Computers Donated by R & D Industries (206)881-8490 800 Number Donated by MCI Corp. The Desert Storm Message Express: 800-955-1249 206-967-5750 357-5750 (Military AUTOVON) 2400 Baud 8-N-1 -- Don -- NAM VET Newsletter Page 45 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 For Sale - CHEAP!!! From The Desert Storm EchoConference GeneSys Project Mail Only (1:3623/11) Date: 14 Mar 91 07:53:32 Low Msg : 1 From: Sadam Hussein High Msg : 1346 To : All Total Msgs : 821 Subj: Sale! Msg Size : 977 Due to the recent "bad weather", we're having a massive scratch, dent, and hail damage sale! T-72's at below original factory invoice! A select group of BRDM's slashed to move, move, move! Low mileage vehicles with the classic "white flag" accessories intact! Dealers and restorers welcome! Come on down to Sadam's Used Tanks - just three blocks from the Euphrates past the second bridge - be careful in the "construction" zone! Bring your own petrol - at these prices, we can't afford to fill 'em up! Open 24 hours at Baghdad-549 ... that's Baghdad-549! NAM VET Newsletter Page 46 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 Peace in the Middle East By: Catherine Cerdedo Texas Father's for EQUAL Rights BBS - Houston, TX (713) 376-4767 As a military wife I feel my duty is to my husband and children and except (but not totally understand) everything the army gives us. But, for the life of me, I do not understand this peace thing in the middle east. Pres. Bush says he would bring peace to a part of the world that has never (and probably never will) know peace. I don't understand were we as americans feel we won anything when, we pull out of Iraqi and leave it in total and complete chaos and confusion. Saddom (sic) is still in power and killing people. So someone tell me what we won? Kuwaiti is a total waste. We walked out of there leaving those poor people with what they have to survive with. My husband called me the other day and told me of the sorry shape the entire area is in. He himself does not understand why we are leaving it in that sorry condition, which we helped put it in. Someone tell me why my husband spent 7 months in a hell-hole for nothing. If someone tells me we were fighting for "our" freedom one more time I will... I think the US fighting machine as a whole is a wonderful protector and aggressor, but it needs to learn to clean up its room know. Isn't that what we teach our children? We are not setting a good example are we! IF you make a mess everyone helps clean it up. CC NAM VET Newsletter Page 47 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 Gen. Powell Pushed for 5-Star Position Submitted by: Dave Nelson Electric Locksmith BBS - Security, CO (719) 390-9249 I got the following from the Air Force Times weekly paper dated March 18, 1991. "The idea of promoting Gen. Colin L. Powell (USA) and Gen. H. Norman Schwarzkopf (USA) to the five-star rank of general of the Army, which was quickly gaining political ground in the House, was quashed by the Senate Armed Services Committee. While paying tribute to Powell... and Schwarzkopf... for their role in the victory over Iraq, the Senate committee has proposed giving each a Congressional Gold Medal rather than a fifth star. The committee endorsed the medal idea March 5. The action could kill efforts by other lawmakers to get Congress to approve a promotion to the five-star grade for Powell and Schwarzkopf because the Senate Armed Services Committee would have to approve any promotions to general of the Army." "It would take an act of Congress to restore the five-star rank. It last was used in 1950, when President Truman promoted Gen. Omar Bradley to general of the Army. There have been five other five-star generals, four five-star fleet admirals and one six-star general. The six-star general and commander in chief rank was held by George Washington, who after the Revolutionary War was appointed commander in chief by the Continental Congress June 15, 1775. John Pershing, the allied commander in World War I, was a five- star general of the armies. The other generals were George C. Marshall, Douglas MacArthur, Dwight D. Eisenhower and Henry H. "Hap" Arnold. Arnold, who led the Army Air Forces, is the only five-star Air Force Officer. The five-star fleet admirals were William D. Leahy, Ernest J. King, Chester W. Nimitz and William F. Halsey. Pentagon manpower officials said a promotion to five-star rank at this point would be a tribute more than a military necessity, such as that which prompted establishment of the rank during World War II." "The Congressional Gold Medal is the highest honor Congress can bestow. Recipients include Washington, boxer Joe Louis, pioneer aviators Wilbur and Orville Wright, Billionaire Howard Hughes and poet Robert Frost. Although it originated as a military award for commanders in the Revolutionary War, the scope was broadened through the years and the medal is now given as recognition of excellence in a variety of fields." >> Thought this would be of interest to ya'all. Cya Dave NAM VET Newsletter Page 48 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 NAM VET Newsletter Page 49 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 Gen Norman Schwarzkopf's address to joint meeting of Congress 5/8/91 Input by: Lefty Frizzell NamVet's Need-To-Know Section Editor The Executive Washroom - Katy, Texas (713) 347-2558 Mr. Speaker, members of Congress, and distinguished guests, it's a great day to be a soldier and it's a great day to be an American. I want to thank you for the singular distinction of being allowed to speak to a special session of the Congress of the United States of America. Indeed, I am awed and honored to be standing at the podium where so many notable men and women have stood before me. Unlike them, I don't stand here today for any great deed that I have done. Instead, I stand here because I was granted by our national leadership the great privilege of commanding the magnificent servicemen and women who constituted the armed forces of Operation Shield and Desert Storm. And before I go any further, I must, through their representatives who are here today, tell each and every one of those extraordinary patriots that I have no idea what the future holds in store for me, but I do know one thing. I will never, ever, in my entire life, receive a greater reward than the inspiration that I received every single day as I watched your dedicated performance -- your dedicated sacrifice, your dedicated service to your country. Since I was fortunate enough to command these great Americans, and since you are the elected representatives of the American people, I would presume today to speak for our servicemen and women through you to the people of our great nation. And we were Protestants and Catholics and Jews and Moslems and Buddhists and many other religions, fighting for a common and just cause. Because that's what your military is. And we were black and white and yellow and brown and red. And we noticed that when our blood was shed in the desert, it didn't separate by race. It flowed together. You see, that's what your military is. And we fought side by side with brothers and sisters in arms who were British and French and Saudi Arabian and Egyptian and Kuwaiti and members of many other Arab and Western nations. And you know what? We noticed the same thing when their blood was shed in the desert. It did not separate according to national origin. We left our homes, our families, and traveled thousands of miles away and fought in places with names we couldn't even pronounce, simply because you asked us to, and therefore it became our duty, because that's what your military does. We now proudly join the ranks of Americans who call themselves veterans. We're proud to share that title with those who went before us. And we feel a particular pride in joining the ranks with that special group who served their country in the mountains NAM VET Newsletter Page 50 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 and the jungles and the deltas of Vietnam. We who were there, and they served just as proudly in Vietnam as we served in the Middle East. And now that we've won a great victory, we dare to ask that, just as we were willing to sacrifice and fight to win the war, you'd be willing to sacrifice and search to win the peace. We want to offer our thanks. First, weld like to thank our God for the protection he gave us in the deserts of Kuwait and Iraq. Most of us came home safely. We ask him to grant a special love to all of our fallen comrades who gave their lives for the cause of freedom. And we ask that he embrace us to his bosom, not only the 147 of us who were killed in action, but also the 188 of us who gave their lives before the war, during Desert Shield, and since the termination of Desert Storm. They, too, no less than our killed-in-action, died for the cause of freedom. We also ask that God grant special strength to our comrades who are still in the hospitals with wounds and injuries they received during the war. By their example we should all remember that the freedoms we enjoy in this great country of ours do not come without a price. They are paid for and protected by the lives, the limbs and the blood of American servicemen and women. We would also like to thank our commander-in-chief for his wisdom and courage and the confidence he demonstrated in us by allowing us to fight this war in such a way that we were able to minimize our casualties. That is the right way to fight a war. We would like to thank the Congress and former administration for giving us the finest tanks, the finest aircrafts, the finest ships and the finest military equipment in the world, without question. Without question, that is what gave us the confidence necessary to attack into the teeth of our enemy with the sure knowledge that we would prevail. And we would ask that in years to come, as we reduce the quantity of our armed forces, that you never forget that it is the quality of the armed forces that wins wars. We want to say a special thanks to our comrades in uniform who stayed behind. You backed us up so we could carry the fight to the enemy. You maintained the peace so that we could win the war. We never could have done our job if you hadn't done yours. We also want to thank the families. It's you who endure the hardships and the separations simply because you choose to love a soldier, a sailor, an airmen, a Marine or a Coast Guardsman. But it's your love that truly gave us strength in our darkest hours. Military families are the wind beneath our wings. Finally and most importantly to the great American people, the prophets of doom, the naysayers, the protesters and the flag- burners all said that you wouldn't stick by us, but we knew better. We knew you'd never let us down. By golly, you didn't. Since the first hour of Desert Shield until the last minute of Desert Storm, every day in every way, all across America, you NAM VET Newsletter Page 51 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 shouted that you were with us. Millions of elementary school, high school and college students. Millions of families, untold numbers of civic organizations, veterans' organizations, countless offices, factories, companies, and work places, millions of ... Americans never let us forget that we were in your hearts and you were in our corner. Because of you, when that terrible first day of war came, we knew we would not fail. We knew we had the strength of the American people behind us, and with that strength, we were able to get the job done, kick the Iraqis out of Kuwait, and get back home. So for every soldier, thank you, America. For every sailor, thank you, America. For every Marine, thank you, America. For every airman, thank you, America. For every Coast Guardsman, thank you, America. From all of us, who proudly served in the Middle East in your armed forces, thank you, to the great people of the United States of America. -End of Speech- I think that about says it all... it's a great time to be an American. Lefty NAM VET Newsletter Page 52 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 In Memory Input by: Charlie Revie Desert Dolphin BBS - Las Cruces, NM (505) 523-2811 Question has been asked how many? and who? I copied the following from the AUSA NEWS, Apr 91. The list is incomplete in that it contains only Army Personnel. Believe me it was rough typing this list..... The Association of the United States Army salutes our Army Soldiers and our one Department of the Army Civilian Employee who scarificed their lives during Operation DESERT SHIELD and Operation DESERT STORM. They are: ALABAMA Died SSG Tatiana Dees, Enterprise KIA CWO Robert F Godfrey, Phenix City KIA PFC John W Hutto, Andalusia Died SGT Arthur Jactson, Brent KNH SPC Thomas R Jarrell, Alexander City KNH SGT Baldwin Satchell, Courtland ARKANSAS KIA SPC Steven G Mason, Paragould KNH SGT Scotty L Whittenburg, Carlisle KIA PFC David M Wieczorek, Gentry CALIFORNIA KIA SGT David R Crumby, Jr, Long Beach KNH SGT Ira L Foreman, Sacramento KIA SGT Jimmy D Haws, Travers KIA PFC David W Kramer, Palm Desert KIA SGT Edwin B Kutz, Sunnymeade KIA SPC Scott J Lindsey, Diamond Springs KIA PVT Adrienne L Mitchell, Moreno Valley KIA SGT Cheryl L O'Brien, Long Beach KNH SPC Dale L Paulson, Sacramento KIA SGT Adrian Stokes, Riversid KIA WO George R Swartzendruber, San Diego KNH SFC David L Tapley, Winton COLORADO KIA SGT Young Dillon, Aurora CONNECTICUT KIA SPC Cindy M Beaudeon, Plainfield KIA SSG William T Butts, Waterford KNH CWO Robert Hughes, Vernon DELAWARE KIA CPL James R McCoy, Wilmington FLORIDA KNH PFC Robert L Daugherty, Jr, Hollywood KIA CWO Philip M Garvey, Pensacola KNH SSG Raymond E Hatcher, Jr, Monticello Died 2LT Shannon P Kelley, Gulf Breeze KIA SGT Dodge R Powell, Hollywood NAM VET Newsletter Page 53 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 KNH SSG Michael R Robson, Seminole KNH MSG Eloy A Rodriquez, Key West KNH 1SG Henry J Sanders, Cocoa GEORGIA KIA CWO Hal H Riechle, Marietta KNH PFC Charles S Walker, Jonesboro KIA SPC James E Worthy, Albany GUAM KIA SPC Roy T Darnian, Jr, Toto IDAHO KIA SGT Nels A Moller, Paul ILLINOIS KNH CPT Charles W Cooper, St Charles KNH SPC Gary W Crask, Cantrall KNH SGM Patrick R Hurley, New Douglas INDIANA KNH CWO Michael F anderson, Frankfort KIA SPC James R MIll, Jr, Decatur KNH PFC Mark A MIller, Cannelton KNH PFC Jeffrey D REll, Vincennes KIA CPL Brian K Simpson, Indianapolis IOWA Died SPC Steven D Clark, Cedar Rapids KNH DAC James F Neberman, DeWitt KIA SPC Michael W MIlls, Jefferson KIA SPC Ronald D Rennison, Dubuque KANSAS KIA SPC Michael D Daniels, Fort Leavenworth KIA PFC Marty R Davis, Salina KIA SPC Jeffrey T Middleton, Oxford KIA SFC Gary E Streeter, Manhattan KENTUCKY KNH SPC Donald R Myers, Paducah KNH SPC Kenven E WRight, Louisville LOUISIANA KNH MAJ Earl K Stribling, Gilbert MARYLAND KNH SSG Garland V Hailey, Baltimore KIA SGT Ronald M Randazzo, Glen Burnie KIA PFC Timothy A Shaw, Suitland MASSACHUSETTS KNH SGT Paul L Burt, Hingham KNH 1LT Thomas J Haggerty, West Harwich Died SGT Jeffrey E Mullin, Kingston KIA SFC Russell G Smith, Fall River MICHIGAN KIA SGT Roger P Brilinksi, Jr, Ossingeke NAM VET Newsletter Page 54 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 KNH SSG Steven Hansen, Lundington KIA SPC Timothy Hill, Detroit KIA PFC Aaron W Howard, Battle Creek KIA SPC William E Palmer, Hillsdale MINNESOTA KIA SPC Glen D Jones, Grand Rapids KIA PFC Scott A Rush, Blaine KNH SGT Lawrence N Welch, Chisholm MISSISSIPPI KNH SSG Michael P Allen, West Point KNH SSG Mike A Garrett, Laurel Died SGT Tracy Hampton, Tutweiler Died SGT James Wilcher, Crystal Springs MISSOURI Died 1LT Jeffrey J Bnosky, Ft Leonard Wood KNH PFC Geral A Cohen, St Louis KIA SPC Steven P Farnen, Columbia KNH SPC David L Heyman, Hazelwood KNH CWO Richard R Lee, Independence KIA SPC Phillip D Mobley, Blue Springs KNH SPC Steven R Trautman, Houstonia MONTANA KNH SPC Mark R Cronquist, Columbia NEW HAMPSHIRE KNH SPC Wade E Hector, New Port KIA WO David G Plasch, Portsmouth KNH PFC Todd C Ritch, Charleston NEW JERSEY KNH MAJ Marie T Rossi, Oradell KNH SGT Leonard A Russ, Pleasantville KIA PVT Robert D Talley, Newark KIA PFC Robert C Wade, Hackensack NEW MEXICO KNH SPC Adrian J Hart, Albuquerque NEW YORK KNH SSG David R Ames, Schuyler KNH MSG Otto F Clark, Corinth KIA CPT Mario Fajardo, Flushing KNH WO Kerry P Hein, Sound Beach KIA SGT Pat Bouvier E Ortiz, Ridgewood KIA SPC Thomas G Stone, Falconer KNH SPC Peter L Swano, Jr, Salem Died PVT Scott N Vigrass, Tonawanda KIA SSG Harold P Witzke III, Caroga Lake NORTH CAROLINA Died SGT Tommy A Blue, Springlake KNH SGT Christopher J Chapman, Charlotte KIA SSG Michael A Harris, Jr, Pullocksville KNH PFC Kenneth J Jackson, Concord KIA PFC Jerry L King, Winston-Salem NAM VET Newsletter Page 55 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 Died SGT Melvin D McDougle, Fayetteville KNH SPC Bobby L McKnight, Dallas KIA SPC Kenneth J Perry, Lake Waccamaw KNH SPC Bobby M Ware, New Bern OHIO KIA SGT Tony R Applegate, Portsmouth KIA SPC Clarence A Cash, Ashland Died SGT Donald Danielson, Newward KIA SSG Jonathan H Kamm, Mason KIA SPC Anthony W Kidd, Lima Died SPC Robert A Noonan, Cincinnati OREGON KIA PFC Michael C Daily, Jr, Klamath Falls KIA SPC Troy M Wedgeworth, The Dallas PENNSYLVANIA KIA SPC Steven E Atherton, Nurmine KIA SPC John A Boliver, Monongahela KIA SGT John T Boxler, Johnstown KNH SPC William C Bruce, Fountain Hill KIA SPC Beverly S Clark, Armagh KIA MAJ Mark A Connelly, MD, Lancaster KIA SGT Alan B Craver, Penn Hills KNH MAJ John H Gillespie, Philadephia KIA SPC Duane W Hollen, Jr, Bellwood KIA SPC Frank S Keough, North Huntington KIA SPC Anthony Madiosn, Monesson KIA SPC Christine L Mayes, Rochester Mills Died PFC Jeff Speicher, Camp Hill KIA SPC Stephen J Siko, Latrobe KIA SPC Frank J Walls, Hawthorne KIA SPC Richard V Wolverton, Latrobe PUERTO RICO KNH SGT Mario Vega Velazquez, Ponce RHODE ISLAND Died 1LT Tommie W Bates, Coventry TENNESSEE KIA SPC Douglas L Fielder, Nashville KNH 1LT Daniel Graybeal, Johnson City Died LTC Joe H Hancock, Springfield KIA Spec James D Tatum, Athens KIA PVT Roger E Valentine, Memphis TEXAS KIA SPC Andy Alaniz, Corpus Christi KIA SPC Tommy D Butler, Amarillo KIA PFC Melford R Collins, Uhland KIA SPC Luis Delgado, Laredo Died SPC Gary W Mahan, Waco KIA PFC James C Murray, Jr, Conroe KIA SSG Christopher H Stephens, Houston KIA PFC Corey L Winkle, Lubbock UTAH NAM VET Newsletter Page 56 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 KNH SGT Jeffrey A Rolins, Bountiful VIRGINIA Died PVT Hans C Avey, Falls Church KIA SGT Jason C Carr, Halifax KIA SGT Kenneth B Gentry, Ringgold KNH SSG Donald Morgan, Ford KIA 1LT Jerry Plunk, Vinton KIA 1LT Donaldson P Tillar, Jr, Miller School KIA CPT Johathan M Williams, Portsmouth KIA MAJ Thomas C M Zeugner, Petersburg WASHINGTON KIA SGT Lee A Belas, Port Orchard KIA PFC Ardon B Cooper, Seattle KIA SGT David O Douthit, Tacoma Died PFC Dustin C Lamoureaux, Bremerton KIA WO John K Morgan, Bellevue WEST VIRGINIA KNH PFC Reuben G Kirk III, Dunlow KIA SPC Joseph P Bongiorni, Morgantown WISCONSIN Died PFC Kevin L Calloway, Arpin KIA SGT Brian P Scott, Park Falls KIA SGT William A Strehlow, Kenosha HOME OF RECORD NOT AVAILABLE KIA CPL Stanley W Bartusiak KIA CPL Rolando A Delagneau KIA PVT Michael L Fitz Died SPC Jimmy W James KIA Killed In Action -- Operation DESERT STORM KNH Killed, Non-Hostile -- Operation DESERT STORM Died Died -- Operation DESERT SHIELD "Go now, rest in peace, you have done your task well." -- Charlie -- NAM VET Newsletter Page 57 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 . . . For Information on our Saudi Soldiers: . . . . ARMY: 1-703-614-0730 . . 1-800-626-1440 . . 1-800-642-9254 . . NAVY: 1-800-732-1206 . . 1-800-255-3808 . . 1-202-746-5915 . . MARINES: 1-800-523-2694 . . AIR FORCE: 1-800-253-9276 . . COAST GUARD: 1-800-283-8724 . . . . Support Groups: . . National Guard Families: 1-800-356-2794 . . Army Reserve Units: 1-800-874-8451 . . . . . . xxxxx XXXXxxxxx, . . xx''xxxxxxX XX xX XXx . .xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXX x xX' x'' XXXx . . x x xX xXX Xx . . 'x' X XXxx . . xxx X. . xX . . xX . . VIETNAM x x x xX . . VETERANS x xX X x X IRAQ . . X X X X x < VETERANS . . X X X X X Xx . . xxxxxxxxxX X X X x Xxx . . XXX'' /__X__ XX__X___xXX xXxxxxx . . xXXX 'Xxxxx xX Xxx . .XX WE SUPPORT YOU XxxxxxxxxxxxX X. .X BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN SERVICE . . . . . . "We are with you . . Wherever you may be . . We are sailing . . With you on every sea . . We are standing . . With you on desert sand . . We're your country . . Together we stand!" . . . . . . The Staff of NamVet . . . . and participants in . . . . The International Vietnam Veterans EchoConference . . . NAM VET Newsletter Page 58 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 ================================================================== Just across the river... ================================================================== "IS THERE HOPE FOR LAOS?" Michael A. Harris - RVN '68-69 SeaEast Exchange BBS - Kirkland, WA (206) 822-4615 For those of you who don't know, Point Man International (PMI) is a Vets for Vets outreach. It was initiated in 1984 and has grown yearly ever since. One facet of PMI is sending teams over to Southeast Asia to help those cultures affected by the war in Viet Nam. PMI supplies Tactical Teams to work in conjunction with World Aid Inc., a medical relief agency whose president is a Viet Nam veteran. I have been privileged to participate in all of the first Tactical Teams to Asia. This article will update you on our work in eastern Laos. As I stood in the filthy alley, my nostrils filled with the stench of raw sewage, my mind drifted as I watched the small- framed men separate their booty. Brass in one pile, iron in another. An old gunny sack had just belched out a myriad of metal objects gathered throughout the surrounding jungles. Ancient looking clothing irons, solid brass icons, and lots of shrapnel from two decades past caught my eyes. Casings from 155's and 105's, 40's and 20's, Ak's and M-16's, and cartridges I'd never seen before. Shrapnel was abundant in all shapes and sizes. It brought back memories of my buddies who had been unfortunate enough to be in the path of similar merciless fragments of metal during my tour in Viet Nam. I thought of how close I had come to death. How fresh it still was in my mind. As I glanced up at the merchandisers, I thought of the Vietnamese Marines that we had so often transported through the rivers and canals of the Mekong Delta in South Viet Nam. These men before me must have suffered much during the war. Some still wore partial military clothing. Now under communist rule, they make their living off of the fragments of war. What used to cost billions of dollars to make, was being sold for a minuscule amount of Laotian "kip". We were right on the Vietnamese border near the heralded Khe Sanh battleground. So many of the men I was looking at were Vietnamese. Where had they been during the siege of Khe Sanh? They probably wondered about me also. Just then Al hollered, "Let's go Mike!" I didn't want to. I wanted to stay and find out more about these men. I wanted to see what else was in those other gunny sacks. This was part of my youth. But I knew I had to go. World Aid Inc. had signed a contract with the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (PDR) during the summer of 1990. This contract allows them to work throughout Savannakhet Province in Central Laos. Their purpose is to bring medical aid to the underprivileged. This is done by upgrading district and regional hospitals as well as village clinics. Teams from different organizations participate. NAM VET Newsletter Page 59 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 I was able to be there in January 90 when initial discussions took place with the Lao Minister of Health. What happened was nothing short of a miracle! Great doors were opened for access to the Lao people. As we surveyed the conditions that first time, I was appalled by the horrendous decay of the medical facilities. What medical equipment that was present was archaic and in terrible shape. One drugstore in the U.S. probably holds more medicine than most of their hospitals. It is truly sad! We hardly ever hear anything here in the U.S. about the condition of Laos. I led PMI's Tactical Team #2 over in November of 90. We broke ground for a long work by treating several hundred village children with oral polio and an initial DPT shot. Many other maladies were treated also. We took over hundreds of pounds of medicines and tools. Part of the team began refurbishing one wing of a hospital in Sepone (Tchepone) which is about 20 kilo's from the Vietnamese border. We came away exhausted but gratified that we were able to begin laying a foundation for the future. Tactical Team #3 arrived in Savannakhet, Laos in late Feb. 91. We spent the night there recuperating from the 20 hour plane trip and the 12 hour bus ride. We still had a rugged 5 hour truck ride to Sepone to endure the following day. This would be our last night of conveniences for nine days. The new team members did not fully understand the luxuries they would be leaving behind. This was my wife Connie's first trip out of the U.S. At this point she was still excited. Bob Taylor, World Aid's founder, had brought his Thai wife Toi along for her first trip also. I was happy that Connie had female companionship. They laughed and joked, not realizing the adverse conditions that lie ahead. When it was all over, I would be proud of both of them. They would perform well. Since I had been to Sepone before, I knew what the work team faced at the hospital. Our previous team had painted the entire wing inside, installed lighting, and done other miscellaneous projects. This time we would begin screening in the wing for protection against mosquito's. Eastern Laos has a 90% malaria rate. Because the people are so poor, they have no medicine or physical protection. It is estimated that over 50% of the children are dying from preventable diseases. Malaria is the #1 killer. While we worked on the screening, a nine month old baby died of malaria. She was brought in too late to be saved. On the brighter side, however, a 10 year old survived due to the medicines we had taken in with us. It hurts to see them die! There is no electricity in Sepone except a generator that runs for 3 hours in the evening. We took cordless tools but our batteries ran down quickly. So we ended up ripping 1/4" plywood lengthwise with a dull hand saw for two days. The high humidity did not help matters. Then we snipped all of the tips off of our nails so they would penetrate the mortar but not hit the brick interior. When doing things so primitively, you appreciate the people more keenly. They just do not have the quality of life that we do. As we worked the children were always present. Emut, Evao, Egao, Thig, etc. Us men are called "Lung" for uncle. So it's always Lung Mike, Lung Al, Lung Lee, etc. We get along just fine without NAM VET Newsletter Page 60 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 knowing each others language. Balloons, jacks, and marbles helped with diplomacy. With their joyful support, we completely screened in the wing and framed in two large entry ways to receive screen doors. We know this will save lives in the future! While we worked on the hospital the rest of the team went from village to village treating the people. They treated over 1,200 and visited 16 villages. Most of the villages are situated on or around the old Ho Chi Minh Trail. Years later exploding ordinance still kills and maims as they try to salvage the scrap. As the days passed by the medical team became more weary. Connie soon stopped eating the local food and chowed down on the freeze dried rations that we had taken. She almost had a heat stroke one day. The evening "solar" showers were comforting to her after a day of riding in the vehicle and tolerating crowds of villagers. Toi assisted with a minor operation and fainted, skinning her cheek and knee. It was obvious that they were tiring quickly. Nine days is about the limit. One evening they returned to Sepone grieved by the condition of the children in one Bru village. They had lost almost all of their crops due to flooding and the little ones were suffering badly. Our hearts were touched and we pooled our money and purchased 400 kilo's of rice for them. The next day was Sunday. After praying for this village, we journeyed back out there and delivered the rice. They didn't jump up and down for joy. They humbly received it with gratitude. It was a special moment for all of us! My heart is over there with those people as I sit here and write this. Gjoseph asked me to let you know how this trip came out. To me, it seems a bit redundant, but I hope it touches your heart too. There is so much to do but we must be satisfied with what is being done. Before the summer of 90, no one had been where we have been recently in a long while. We CAN make a difference and already have. Everything we do is voluntary. Everyone raises their own finances. We gather medical equipment and supplies wherever we can. We lug them over there by the ton in trunks. It is a sacrifice, but lives are beginning to be affected. Friendships are being cultivated. Trust is abounding. Connie and I went to see "Dances with Wolves" last night. I watched as the story line showed how the Sioux were driven off of the land that they had cherished for centuries. I watched as the Cavalry Lieutenant left behind the horrors of war, choosing to head out to the frontier post. I thought of Post Traumatic Stress and how many of us headed for some sort of frontier somewhere because of what we had experienced. As the Lieutenant befriended the Sioux, and they him, I saw a parallel with the Lao peoples. A parallel with how my heart feels towards them. A frontier devastated by the Viet Nam war. I was overwhelmed with the desire to walk those highlands one day befriending again those we had left behind. Telling them in their native tongue how sorry I am for what my nation has done to their culture. I think one day it will happen! Again, I appeal to you for help! World Aid is not subsidized by the government or any other agency. They collect all of the NAM VET Newsletter Page 61 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 equipment and supplies primarily by "word of mouth". It's through people like you that they get their contacts. Maybe you can't help with supplies personally, but perhaps you know someone who can. Please let us know by contacting me at the address below. If you would be interested in participating on a team I can surely get you some information out. We have two teams scheduled for Nov/Dec of this year. I have already received some encouraging help from individuals on this Echo. Sherry, Gale, and others have offered assistance. This is how it is going to come about. One paramount need in Laos at the present is vehicles. The Lao PDR has let World Aid bring in their private vehicles from Thailand but that is going to stop. Vehicles can be purchased in Laos. Bob wants to get a Toyota Landcruiser and a Toyota 4WD pickup to begin with. If you have an old vehicle that you could sell and donate the money to this cause I'm sure he would be grateful. Medicines and used medical equipment are always needed. Used bicycles, small motorcycles, hand tools, torches, etc. can all be used. Bob is shooting for a 20' container to be shipped to Laos by the end of May. We have it about 1/2 full at the present. The shipping is paid for already. We need to fill it up. World Aid U.S. headquarters is in Gig Harbor, WA just outside of Tacoma. Why not let me know how you can help? For more information please contact me at: P.O. Box 440 Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043 (206) 486-5383 (10 - 4:30 weekdays) In His Name, MIKE NAM VET Newsletter Page 62 Volume 5, Number 6 June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peace so that we could win the war. We never could have done our job if you hadn't done yours. We also want to thank the families. It's you who endure the hardships and the separations simply because you choose to love a soldier, a sailor, an airmen, a Marine or a Coast Guardsman. But it's your love that truly gave us strength in our darkest hours. Military families are the wind beneath our wings. Finally and most importantly to the great American people, the prophets of doom, the naysayers, the protesters and the flag- burners all said that you wouldn't stick by us, but we knew better. We knew you'd never let us down. By golly, you didn't. Since the first hour of Desert Shield until the last minute of Desert Storm, every day in every way, all across America, you NAM VET Newsletter Page 51 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 shouted that you were with us. Millions of elementary school, high school and college students. Millions of families, untold numbers of civic organizations, veterans' organizations, countless offices, factories, companies, and work places, millions of ... Americans never let us forget that we were in your hearts and you were in our corner. Because of you, when that terrible first day of war came, we knew we would not fail. We knew we had the strength of the American people behind us, and with that strength, we were able to get the job done, kick the Iraqis out of Kuwait, and get back home. So for every soldier, thank you, America. For every sailor, thank you, America. For every Marine, thank you, America. For every airman, thank you, America. For every Coast Guardsman, thank you, America. From all of us, who proudly served in the Middle East in your armed forces, thank you, to the great people of the United States of America. -End of Speech- I think that about says it all... it's a great time to be an American. Lefty NAM VET Newsletter Page 52 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 In Memory Input by: Charlie Revie Desert Dolphin BBS - Las Cruces, NM (505) 523-2811 Question has been asked how many? and who? I copied the following from the AUSA NEWS, Apr 91. The list is incomplete in that it contains only Army Personnel. Believe me it was rough typing this list..... The Association of the United States Army salutes our Army Soldiers and our one Department of the Army Civilian Employee who scarificed their lives during Operation DESERT SHIELD and Operation DESERT STORM. They are: ALABAMA Died SSG Tatiana Dees, Enterprise KIA CWO Robert F Godfrey, Phenix City KIA PFC John W Hutto, Andalusia Died SGT Arthur Jactson, Brent KNH SPC Thomas R Jarrell, Alexander City KNH SGT Baldwin Satchell, Courtland ARKANSAS KIA SPC Steven G Mason, Paragould KNH SGT Scotty L Whittenburg, Carlisle KIA PFC David M Wieczorek, Gentry CALIFORNIA KIA SGT David R Crumby, Jr, Long Beach KNH SGT Ira L Foreman, Sacramento KIA SGT Jimmy D Haws, Travers KIA PFC David W Kramer, Palm Desert KIA SGT Edwin B Kutz, Sunnymeade KIA SPC Scott J Lindsey, Diamond Springs KIA PVT Adrienne L Mitchell, Moreno Valley KIA SGT Cheryl L O'Brien, Long Beach KNH SPC Dale L Paulson, Sacramento KIA SGT Adrian Stokes, Riversid KIA WO George R Swartzendruber, San Diego KNH SFC David L Tapley, Winton COLORADO KIA SGT Young Dillon, Aurora CONNECTICUT KIA SPC Cindy M Beaudeon, Plainfield KIA SSG William T Butts, Waterford KNH CWO Robert Hughes, Vernon DELAWARE KIA CPL James R McCoy, Wilmington FLORIDA KNH PFC Robert L Daugherty, Jr, Hollywood KIA CWO Philip M Garvey, Pensacola KNH SSG Raymond E Hatcher, Jr, Monticello Died 2LT Shannon P Kelley, Gulf Breeze KIA SGT Dodge R Powell, Hollywood NAM VET Newsletter Page 53 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 KNH SSG Michael R Robson, Seminole KNH MSG Eloy A Rodriquez, Key West KNH 1SG Henry J Sanders, Cocoa GEORGIA KIA CWO Hal H Riechle, Marietta KNH PFC Charles S Walker, Jonesboro KIA SPC James E Worthy, Albany GUAM KIA SPC Roy T Darnian, Jr, Toto IDAHO KIA SGT Nels A Moller, Paul ILLINOIS KNH CPT Charles W Cooper, St Charles KNH SPC Gary W Crask, Cantrall KNH SGM Patrick R Hurley, New Douglas INDIANA KNH CWO Michael F anderson, Frankfort KIA SPC James R MIll, Jr, Decatur KNH PFC Mark A MIller, Cannelton KNH PFC Jeffrey D REll, Vincennes KIA CPL Brian K Simpson, Indianapolis IOWA Died SPC Steven D Clark, Cedar Rapids KNH DAC James F Neberman, DeWitt KIA SPC Michael W MIlls, Jefferson KIA SPC Ronald D Rennison, Dubuque KANSAS KIA SPC Michael D Daniels, Fort Leavenworth KIA PFC Marty R Davis, Salina KIA SPC Jeffrey T Middleton, Oxford KIA SFC Gary E Streeter, Manhattan KENTUCKY KNH SPC Donald R Myers, Paducah KNH SPC Kenven E WRight, Louisville LOUISIANA KNH MAJ Earl K Stribling, Gilbert MARYLAND KNH SSG Garland V Hailey, Baltimore KIA SGT Ronald M Randazzo, Glen Burnie KIA PFC Timothy A Shaw, Suitland MASSACHUSETTS KNH SGT Paul L Burt, Hingham KNH 1LT Thomas J Haggerty, West Harwich Died SGT Jeffrey E Mullin, Kingston KIA SFC Russell G Smith, Fall River MICHIGAN KIA SGT Roger P Brilinksi, Jr, Ossingeke NAM VET Newsletter Page 54 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 KNH SSG Steven Hansen, Lundington KIA SPC Timothy Hill, Detroit KIA PFC Aaron W Howard, Battle Creek KIA SPC William E Palmer, Hillsdale MINNESOTA KIA SPC Glen D Jones, Grand Rapids KIA PFC Scott A Rush, Blaine KNH SGT Lawrence N Welch, Chisholm MISSISSIPPI KNH SSG Michael P Allen, West Point KNH SSG Mike A Garrett, Laurel Died SGT Tracy Hampton, Tutweiler Died SGT James Wilcher, Crystal Springs MISSOURI Died 1LT Jeffrey J Bnosky, Ft Leonard Wood KNH PFC Geral A Cohen, St Louis KIA SPC Steven P Farnen, Columbia KNH SPC David L Heyman, Hazelwood KNH CWO Richard R Lee, Independence KIA SPC Phillip D Mobley, Blue Springs KNH SPC Steven R Trautman, Houstonia MONTANA KNH SPC Mark R Cronquist, Columbia NEW HAMPSHIRE KNH SPC Wade E Hector, New Port KIA WO David G Plasch, Portsmouth KNH PFC Todd C Ritch, Charleston NEW JERSEY KNH MAJ Marie T Rossi, Oradell KNH SGT Leonard A Russ, Pleasantville KIA PVT Robert D Talley, Newark KIA PFC Robert C Wade, Hackensack NEW MEXICO KNH SPC Adrian J Hart, Albuquerque NEW YORK KNH SSG David R Ames, Schuyler KNH MSG Otto F Clark, Corinth KIA CPT Mario Fajardo, Flushing KNH WO Kerry P Hein, Sound Beach KIA SGT Pat Bouvier E Ortiz, Ridgewood KIA SPC Thomas G Stone, Falconer KNH SPC Peter L Swano, Jr, Salem Died PVT Scott N Vigrass, Tonawanda KIA SSG Harold P Witzke III, Caroga Lake NORTH CAROLINA Died SGT Tommy A Blue, Springlake KNH SGT Christopher J Chapman, Charlotte KIA SSG Michael A Harris, Jr, Pullocksville KNH PFC Kenneth J Jackson, Concord KIA PFC Jerry L King, Winston-Salem NAM VET Newsletter Page 55 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 Died SGT Melvin D McDougle, Fayetteville KNH SPC Bobby L McKnight, Dallas KIA SPC Kenneth J Perry, Lake Waccamaw KNH SPC Bobby M Ware, New Bern OHIO KIA SGT Tony R Applegate, Portsmouth KIA SPC Clarence A Cash, Ashland Died SGT Donald Danielson, Newward KIA SSG Jonathan H Kamm, Mason KIA SPC Anthony W Kidd, Lima Died SPC Robert A Noonan, Cincinnati OREGON KIA PFC Michael C Daily, Jr, Klamath Falls KIA SPC Troy M Wedgeworth, The Dallas PENNSYLVANIA KIA SPC Steven E Atherton, Nurmine KIA SPC John A Boliver, Monongahela KIA SGT John T Boxler, Johnstown KNH SPC William C Bruce, Fountain Hill KIA SPC Beverly S Clark, Armagh KIA MAJ Mark A Connelly, MD, Lancaster KIA SGT Alan B Craver, Penn Hills KNH MAJ John H Gillespie, Philadephia KIA SPC Duane W Hollen, Jr, Bellwood KIA SPC Frank S Keough, North Huntington KIA SPC Anthony Madiosn, Monesson KIA SPC Christine L Mayes, Rochester Mills Died PFC Jeff Speicher, Camp Hill KIA SPC Stephen J Siko, Latrobe KIA SPC Frank J Walls, Hawthorne KIA SPC Richard V Wolverton, Latrobe PUERTO RICO KNH SGT Mario Vega Velazquez, Ponce RHODE ISLAND Died 1LT Tommie W Bates, Coventry TENNESSEE KIA SPC Douglas L Fielder, Nashville KNH 1LT Daniel Graybeal, Johnson City Died LTC Joe H Hancock, Springfield KIA Spec James D Tatum, Athens KIA PVT Roger E Valentine, Memphis TEXAS KIA SPC Andy Alaniz, Corpus Christi KIA SPC Tommy D Butler, Amarillo KIA PFC Melford R Collins, Uhland KIA SPC Luis Delgado, Laredo Died SPC Gary W Mahan, Waco KIA PFC James C Murray, Jr, Conroe KIA SSG Christopher H Stephens, Houston KIA PFC Corey L Winkle, Lubbock UTAH NAM VET Newsletter Page 56 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 KNH SGT Jeffrey A Rolins, Bountiful VIRGINIA Died PVT Hans C Avey, Falls Church KIA SGT Jason C Carr, Halifax KIA SGT Kenneth B Gentry, Ringgold KNH SSG Donald Morgan, Ford KIA 1LT Jerry Plunk, Vinton KIA 1LT Donaldson P Tillar, Jr, Miller School KIA CPT Johathan M Williams, Portsmouth KIA MAJ Thomas C M Zeugner, Petersburg WASHINGTON KIA SGT Lee A Belas, Port Orchard KIA PFC Ardon B Cooper, Seattle KIA SGT David O Douthit, Tacoma Died PFC Dustin C Lamoureaux, Bremerton KIA WO John K Morgan, Bellevue WEST VIRGINIA KNH PFC Reuben G Kirk III, Dunlow KIA SPC Joseph P Bongiorni, Morgantown WISCONSIN Died PFC Kevin L Calloway, Arpin KIA SGT Brian P Scott, Park Falls KIA SGT William A Strehlow, Kenosha HOME OF RECORD NOT AVAILABLE KIA CPL Stanley W Bartusiak KIA CPL Rolando A Delagneau KIA PVT Michael L Fitz Died SPC Jimmy W James KIA Killed In Action -- Operation DESERT STORM KNH Killed, Non-Hostile -- Operation DESERT STORM Died Died -- Operation DESERT SHIELD "Go now, rest in peace, you have done your task well." -- Charlie -- NAM VET Newsletter Page 57 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 . . . For Information on our Saudi Soldiers: . . . . ARMY: 1-703-614-0730 . . 1-800-626-1440 . . 1-800-642-9254 . . NAVY: 1-800-732-1206 . . 1-800-255-3808 . . 1-202-746-5915 . . MARINES: 1-800-523-2694 . . AIR FORCE: 1-800-253-9276 . . COAST GUARD: 1-800-283-8724 . . . . Support Groups: . . National Guard Families: 1-800-356-2794 . . Army Reserve Units: 1-800-874-8451 . . . . . . xxxxx XXXXxxxxx, . . xx''xxxxxxX XX xX XXx . .xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXX x xX' x'' XXXx . . x x xX xXX Xx . . 'x' X XXxx . . xxx X. . xX . . xX . . VIETNAM x x x xX . . VETERANS x xX X x X IRAQ . . X X X X x < VETERANS . . X X X X X Xx . . xxxxxxxxxX X X X x Xxx . . XXX'' /__X__ XX__X___xXX xXxxxxx . . xXXX 'Xxxxx xX Xxx . .XX WE SUPPORT YOU XxxxxxxxxxxxX X. .X BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN SERVICE . . . . . . "We are with you . . Wherever you may be . . We are sailing . . With you on every sea . . We are standing . . With you on desert sand . . We're your country . . Together we stand!" . . . . . . The Staff of NamVet . . . . and participants in . . . . The International Vietnam Veterans EchoConference . . . NAM VET Newsletter Page 58 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 ================================================================== Just across the river... ================================================================== "IS THERE HOPE FOR LAOS?" Michael A. Harris - RVN '68-69 SeaEast Exchange BBS - Kirkland, WA (206) 822-4615 For those of you who don't know, Point Man International (PMI) is a Vets for Vets outreach. It was initiated in 1984 and has grown yearly ever since. One facet of PMI is sending teams over to Southeast Asia to help those cultures affected by the war in Viet Nam. PMI supplies Tactical Teams to work in conjunction with World Aid Inc., a medical relief agency whose president is a Viet Nam veteran. I have been privileged to participate in all of the first Tactical Teams to Asia. This article will update you on our work in eastern Laos. As I stood in the filthy alley, my nostrils filled with the stench of raw sewage, my mind drifted as I watched the small- framed men separate their booty. Brass in one pile, iron in another. An old gunny sack had just belched out a myriad of metal objects gathered throughout the surrounding jungles. Ancient looking clothing irons, solid brass icons, and lots of shrapnel from two decades past caught my eyes. Casings from 155's and 105's, 40's and 20's, Ak's and M-16's, and cartridges I'd never seen before. Shrapnel was abundant in all shapes and sizes. It brought back memories of my buddies who had been unfortunate enough to be in the path of similar merciless fragments of metal during my tour in Viet Nam. I thought of how close I had come to death. How fresh it still was in my mind. As I glanced up at the merchandisers, I thought of the Vietnamese Marines that we had so often transported through the rivers and canals of the Mekong Delta in South Viet Nam. These men before me must have suffered much during the war. Some still wore partial military clothing. Now under communist rule, they make their living off of the fragments of war. What used to cost billions of dollars to make, was being sold for a minuscule amount of Laotian "kip". We were right on the Vietnamese border near the heralded Khe Sanh battleground. So many of the men I was looking at were Vietnamese. Where had they been during the siege of Khe Sanh? They probably wondered about me also. Just then Al hollered, "Let's go Mike!" I didn't want to. I wanted to stay and find out more about these men. I wanted to see what else was in those other gunny sacks. This was part of my youth. But I knew I had to go. World Aid Inc. had signed a contract with the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (PDR) during the summer of 1990. This contract allows them to work throughout Savannakhet Province in Central Laos. Their purpose is to bring medical aid to the underprivileged. This is done by upgrading district and regional hospitals as well as village clinics. Teams from different organizations participate. NAM VET Newsletter Page 59 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 I was able to be there in January 90 when initial discussions took place with the Lao Minister of Health. What happened was nothing short of a miracle! Great doors were opened for access to the Lao people. As we surveyed the conditions that first time, I was appalled by the horrendous decay of the medical facilities. What medical equipment that was present was archaic and in terrible shape. One drugstore in the U.S. probably holds more medicine than most of their hospitals. It is truly sad! We hardly ever hear anything here in the U.S. about the condition of Laos. I led PMI's Tactical Team #2 over in November of 90. We broke ground for a long work by treating several hundred village children with oral polio and an initial DPT shot. Many other maladies were treated also. We took over hundreds of pounds of medicines and tools. Part of the team began refurbishing one wing of a hospital in Sepone (Tchepone) which is about 20 kilo's from the Vietnamese border. We came away exhausted but gratified that we were able to begin laying a foundation for the future. Tactical Team #3 arrived in Savannakhet, Laos in late Feb. 91. We spent the night there recuperating from the 20 hour plane trip and the 12 hour bus ride. We still had a rugged 5 hour truck ride to Sepone to endure the following day. This would be our last night of conveniences for nine days. The new team members did not fully understand the luxuries they would be leaving behind. This was my wife Connie's first trip out of the U.S. At this point she was still excited. Bob Taylor, World Aid's founder, had brought his Thai wife Toi along for her first trip also. I was happy that Connie had female companionship. They laughed and joked, not realizing the adverse conditions that lie ahead. When it was all over, I would be proud of both of them. They would perform well. Since I had been to Sepone before, I knew what the work team faced at the hospital. Our previous team had painted the entire wing inside, installed lighting, and done other miscellaneous projects. This time we would begin screening in the wing for protection against mosquito's. Eastern Laos has a 90% malaria rate. Because the people are so poor, they have no medicine or physical protection. It is estimated that over 50% of the children are dying from preventable diseases. Malaria is the #1 killer. While we worked on the screening, a nine month old baby died of malaria. She was brought in too late to be saved. On the brighter side, however, a 10 year old survived due to the medicines we had taken in with us. It hurts to see them die! There is no electricity in Sepone except a generator that runs for 3 hours in the evening. We took cordless tools but our batteries ran down quickly. So we ended up ripping 1/4" plywood lengthwise with a dull hand saw for two days. The high humidity did not help matters. Then we snipped all of the tips off of our nails so they would penetrate the mortar but not hit the brick interior. When doing things so primitively, you appreciate the people more keenly. They just do not have the quality of life that we do. As we worked the children were always present. Emut, Evao, Egao, Thig, etc. Us men are called "Lung" for uncle. So it's always Lung Mike, Lung Al, Lung Lee, etc. We get along just fine without NAM VET Newsletter Page 60 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 knowing each others language. Balloons, jacks, and marbles helped with diplomacy. With their joyful support, we completely screened in the wing and framed in two large entry ways to receive screen doors. We know this will save lives in the future! While we worked on the hospital the rest of the team went from village to village treating the people. They treated over 1,200 and visited 16 villages. Most of the villages are situated on or around the old Ho Chi Minh Trail. Years later exploding ordinance still kills and maims as they try to salvage the scrap. As the days passed by the medical team became more weary. Connie soon stopped eating the local food and chowed down on the freeze dried rations that we had taken. She almost had a heat stroke one day. The evening "solar" showers were comforting to her after a day of riding in the vehicle and tolerating crowds of villagers. Toi assisted with a minor operation and fainted, skinning her cheek and knee. It was obvious that they were tiring quickly. Nine days is about the limit. One evening they returned to Sepone grieved by the condition of the children in one Bru village. They had lost almost all of their crops due to flooding and the little ones were suffering badly. Our hearts were touched and we pooled our money and purchased 400 kilo's of rice for them. The next day was Sunday. After praying for this village, we journeyed back out there and delivered the rice. They didn't jump up and down for joy. They humbly received it with gratitude. It was a special moment for all of us! My heart is over there with those people as I sit here and write this. Gjoseph asked me to let you know how this trip came out. To me, it seems a bit redundant, but I hope it touches your heart too. There is so much to do but we must be satisfied with what is being done. Before the summer of 90, no one had been where we have been recently in a long while. We CAN make a difference and already have. Everything we do is voluntary. Everyone raises their own finances. We gather medical equipment and supplies wherever we can. We lug them over there by the ton in trunks. It is a sacrifice, but lives are beginning to be affected. Friendships are being cultivated. Trust is abounding. Connie and I went to see "Dances with Wolves" last night. I watched as the story line showed how the Sioux were driven off of the land that they had cherished for centuries. I watched as the Cavalry Lieutenant left behind the horrors of war, choosing to head out to the frontier post. I thought of Post Traumatic Stress and how many of us headed for some sort of frontier somewhere because of what we had experienced. As the Lieutenant befriended the Sioux, and they him, I saw a parallel with the Lao peoples. A parallel with how my heart feels towards them. A frontier devastated by the Viet Nam war. I was overwhelmed with the desire to walk those highlands one day befriending again those we had left behind. Telling them in their native tongue how sorry I am for what my nation has done to their culture. I think one day it will happen! Again, I appeal to you for help! World Aid is not subsidized by the government or any other agency. They collect all of the NAM VET Newsletter Page 61 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 equipment and supplies primarily by "word of mouth". It's through people like you that they get their contacts. Maybe you can't help with supplies personally, but perhaps you know someone who can. Please let us know by contacting me at the address below. If you would be interested in participating on a team I can surely get you some information out. We have two teams scheduled for Nov/Dec of this year. I have already received some encouraging help from individuals on this Echo. Sherry, Gale, and others have offered assistance. This is how it is going to come about. One paramount need in Laos at the present is vehicles. The Lao PDR has let World Aid bring in their private vehicles from Thailand but that is going to stop. Vehicles can be purchased in Laos. Bob wants to get a Toyota Landcruiser and a Toyota 4WD pickup to begin with. If you have an old vehicle that you could sell and donate the money to this cause I'm sure he would be grateful. Medicines and used medical equipment are always needed. Used bicycles, small motorcycles, hand tools, torches, etc. can all be used. Bob is shooting for a 20' container to be shipped to Laos by the end of May. We have it about 1/2 full at the present. The shipping is paid for already. We need to fill it up. World Aid U.S. headquarters is in Gig Harbor, WA just outside of Tacoma. Why not let me know how you can help? For more information please contact me at: P.O. Box 440 Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043 (206) 486-5383 (10 - 4:30 weekdays) In His Name, MIKE NAM VET Newsletter Page 62 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 _ ______ _______ __ _ _______ /\\ H M H H\\ H HHHHHHH / \\ H H H \\ H H /====\\ H ns:________________________________________________________ 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 72 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 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 73 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 ================================================================== The NamVet Chapel ================================================================== Tears for All Mothers Robert D Amundson Las Cruces Sun News, 3 Mar 91 Input by: Charlie Revie Desert Dolphin BBS - Las Cruces, NM (505) 523-2811 As I was sitting in the Phoenix airport awaiting my connection for Washington, DC, my head buried in a magazine, reading an article updating me on the Middle East, out of the corner of my eye I noticed the shine of patent leather. As I slowly glanced up a sharp young man in an Air Force Combo 1 dress uniform, and a master of 35-10 (dress code), was approaching the airline gate as if on a mission. Before he could take another step, two young boys that I last noticed watching airplanes at the window, challenged the soldier and made him stop as if he heard the command: "Company Halt." As the Airman looked down at the boys he then knelt to their level. The boys with their eyes running wild, started to ask the young man questions. "Why do you wear a uniform?" The Airman honorably replied, "Because I am in the United States Air Force." The next question came as fast as the first one was answered. "Are you going to Saudi Arabia?" "Yes." "When are you going?" "Soon." Then the smallest of the two boys asked the Airman with excitement in his voice, "Do you have dog tags?" The Airman proceeded to loosen his tie and unbutton his shirt, and found the chain around his neck and proudly pulled them out. He then started to explain the hammered out etchings on the tags, but before he could finish, the same youngster asked, pointing his small finger at the tags, "If you die in the war, who gets your dog tags?" The young Airman, stunned by the question, paused for an instant. He then replied as if dreaming of that moment, "I want them given to my mother." As I looked up, the boy's mother, now standing behind her son, had tears running down her cheeks. The Airman, now aware of her, stood up. I sensed a feeling for just an instant when he looked into her eyes, that she was the mother that provided him life into this uncertain world. She then extended out her arms and the young man obeyed her command and moved forward to embrace this stranger. She then reached down for her son's hands and began to slowly walk away, turning her head, she said, "God bless you and God Bless America." As I lookez, Key West KNH 1SG Henry J Sanders, Cocoa GEORGIA KIA CWO Hal H Riechle, Marietta KNH PFC Charles S Walker, Jonesboro KIA SPC James E Worthy, Albany GUAM KIA SPC Roy T Darnian, Jr, Toto IDAHO KIA SGT Nels A Moller, Paul ILLINOIS KNH CPT Charles W Cooper, St Charles KNH SPC Gary W Crask, Cantrall KNH SGM Patrick R Hurley, New Douglas INDIANA KNH CWO Michael F anderson, Frankfort KIA SPC James R MIll, Jr, Decatur KNH PFC Mark A MIller, Cannelton KNH PFC Jeffrey D REll, Vincennes KIA CPL Brian K Simpson, Indianapolis IOWA Died SPC Steven D Clark, Cedar Rapids KNH DAC James F Neberman, DeWitt KIA SPC Michael W MIlls, Jefferson KIA SPC Ronald D Rennison, Dubuque KANSAS KIA SPC Michael D Daniels, Fort Leavenworth KIA PFC Marty R Davis, Salina KIA SPC Jeffrey T Middleton, Oxford KIA SFC Gary E Streeter, Manhattan KENTUCKY KNH SPC Donald R Myers, Paducah KNH SPC Kenven E WRight, Louisville LOUISIANA KNH MAJ Earl K Stribling, Gilbert MARYLAND KNH SSG Garland V Hailey, Baltimore KIA SGT Ronald M Randazzo, Glen Burnie KIA PFC Timothy A Shaw, Suitland MASSACHUSETTS KNH SGT Paul L Burt, Hingham KNH 1LT Thomas J Haggerty, West Harwich Died SGT Jeffrey E Mullin, Kingston KIA SFC Russell G Smith, Fall River MICHIGAN KIA SGT Roger P Brilinksi, Jr, Ossingeke NAM VET Newsletter Page 54 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 KNH SSG Steven Hansen, Lundington KIA SPC Timothy Hill, Detroit KIA PFC Aaron W Howard, Battle Creek KIA SPC William E Palmer, Hillsdale MINNESOTA KIA SPC Glen D Jones, Grand Rapids KIA PFC Scott A Rush, Blaine KNH SGT Lawrence N Welch, Chisholm MISSISSIPPI KNH SSG Michael P Allen, West Point KNH SSG Mike A Garrett, Laurel Died SGT Tracy Hampton, Tutweiler Died SGT James Wilcher, Crystal Springs MISSOURI Died 1LT Jeffrey J Bnosky, Ft Leonard Wood KNH PFC Geral A Cohen, St Louis KIA SPC Steven P Farnen, Columbia KNH SPC David L Heyman, Hazelwood KNH CWO Richard R Lee, Independence KIA SPC Phillip D Mobley, Blue Springs KNH SPC Steven R Trautman, Houstonia MONTANA KNH SPC Mark R Cronquist, Columbia NEW HAMPSHIRE KNH SPC Wade E Hector, New Port KIA WO David G Plasch, Portsmouth KNH PFC Todd C Ritch, Charleston NEW JERSEY KNH MAJ Marie T Rossi, Oradell KNH SGT Leonard A Russ, Pleasantville KIA PVT Robert D Talley, Newark KIA PFC Robert C Wade, Hackensack NEW MEXICO KNH SPC Adrian J Hart, Albuquerque NEW YORK KNH SSG David R Ames, Schuyler KNH MSG Otto F Clark, Corinth KIA CPT Mario Fajardo, Flushing KNH WO Kerry P Hein, Sound Beach KIA SGT Pat Bouvier E Ortiz, Ridgewood KIA SPC Thomas G Stone, Falconer KNH SPC Peter L Swano, Jr, Salem Died PVT Scott N Vigrass, Tonawanda KIA SSG Harold P Witzke III, Caroga Lake NORTH CAROLINA Died SGT Tommy A Blue, Springlake KNH SGT Christopher J Chapman, Charlotte KIA SSG Michael A Harris, Jr, Pullocksville KNH PFC Kenneth J Jackson, Concord KIA PFC Jerry L King, Winston-Salem NAM VET Newsletter Page 55 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 Died SGT Melvin D McDougle, Fayetteville KNH SPC Bobby L McKnight, Dallas KIA SPC Kenneth J Perry, Lake Waccamaw KNH SPC Bobby M Ware, New Bern OHIO KIA SGT Tony R Applegate, Portsmouth KIA SPC Clarence A Cash, Ashland Died SGT Donald Danielson, Newward KIA SSG Jonathan H Kamm, Mason KIA SPC Anthony W Kidd, Lima Died SPC Robert A Noonan, Cincinnati OREGON KIA PFC Michael C Daily, Jr, Klamath Falls KIA SPC Troy M Wedgeworth, The Dallas PENNSYLVANIA KIA SPC Steven E Atherton, Nurmine KIA SPC John A Boliver, Monongahela KIA SGT John T Boxler, Johnstown KNH SPC William C Bruce, Fountain Hill KIA SPC Beverly S Clark, Armagh KIA MAJ Mark A Connelly, MD, Lancaster KIA SGT Alan B Craver, Penn Hills KNH MAJ John H Gillespie, Philadephia KIA SPC Duane W Hollen, Jr, Bellwood KIA SPC Frank S Keough, North Huntington KIA SPC Anthony Madiosn, Monesson KIA SPC Christine L Mayes, Rochester Mills Died PFC Jeff Speicher, Camp Hill KIA SPC Stephen J Siko, Latrobe KIA SPC Frank J Walls, Hawthorne KIA SPC Richard V Wolverton, Latrobe PUERTO RICO KNH SGT Mario Vega Velazquez, Ponce RHODE ISLAND Died 1LT Tommie W Bates, Coventry TENNESSEE KIA SPC Douglas L Fielder, Nashville KNH 1LT Daniel Graybeal, Johnson City Died LTC Joe H Hancock, Springfield KIA Spec James D Tatum, Athens KIA PVT Roger E Valentine, Memphis TEXAS KIA SPC Andy Alaniz, Corpus Christi KIA SPC Tommy D Butler, Amarillo KIA PFC Melford R Collins, Uhland KIA SPC Luis Delgado, Laredo Died SPC Gary W Mahan, Waco KIA PFC James C Murray, Jr, Conroe KIA SSG Christopher H Stephens, Houston KIA PFC Corey L Winkle, Lubbock UTAH NAM VET Newsletter Page 56 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 KNH SGT Jeffrey A Rolins, Bountiful VIRGINIA Died PVT Hans C Avey, Falls Church KIA SGT Jason C Carr, Halifax KIA SGT Kenneth B Gentry, Ringgold KNH SSG Donald Morgan, Ford KIA 1LT Jerry Plunk, Vinton KIA 1LT Donaldson P Tillar, Jr, Miller School KIA CPT Johathan M Williams, Portsmouth KIA MAJ Thomas C M Zeugner, Petersburg WASHINGTON KIA SGT Lee A Belas, Port Orchard KIA PFC Ardon B Cooper, Seattle KIA SGT David O Douthit, Tacoma Died PFC Dustin C Lamoureaux, Bremerton KIA WO John K Morgan, Bellevue WEST VIRGINIA KNH PFC Reuben G Kirk III, Dunlow KIA SPC Joseph P Bongiorni, Morgantown WISCONSIN Died PFC Kevin L Calloway, Arpin KIA SGT Brian P Scott, Park Falls KIA SGT William A Strehlow, Kenosha HOME OF RECORD NOT AVAILABLE KIA CPL Stanley W Bartusiak KIA CPL Rolando A Delagneau KIA PVT Michael L Fitz Died SPC Jimmy W James KIA Killed In Action -- Operation DESERT STORM KNH Killed, Non-Hostile -- Operation DESERT STORM Died Died -- Operation DESERT SHIELD "Go now, rest in peace, you have done your task well." -- Charlie -- NAM VET Newsletter Page 57 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 . . . For Information on our Saudi Soldiers: . . . . ARMY: 1-703-614-0730 . . 1-800-626-1440 . . 1-800-642-9254 . . NAVY: 1-800-732-1206 . . 1-800-255-3808 . . 1-202-746-5915 . . MARINES: 1-800-523-2694 . . AIR FORCE: 1-800-253-9276 . . COAST GUARD: 1-800-283-8724 . . . . Support Groups: . . National Guard Families: 1-800-356-2794 . . Army Reserve Units: 1-800-874-8451 . . . . . . xxxxx XXXXxxxxx, . . xx''xxxxxxX XX xX XXx . .xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXX x xX' x'' XXXx . . x x xX xXX Xx . . 'x' X XXxx . . xxx X. . xX . . xX . . VIETNAM x x x xX . . VETERANS x xX X x X IRAQ . . X X X X x < VETERANS . . X X X X X Xx . . xxxxxxxxxX X X X x Xxx . . XXX'' /__X__ XX__X___xXX xXxxxxx . . xXXX 'Xxxxx xX Xxx . .XX WE SUPPORT YOU XxxxxxxxxxxxX X. .X BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN SERVICE . . . . . . "We are with you . . Wherever you may be . . We are sailing . . With you on every sea . . We are standing . . With you on desert sand . . We're your country . . Together we stand!" . . . . . . The Staff of NamVet . . . . and participants in . . . . The International Vietnam Veterans EchoConference . . . NAM VET Newsletter Page 58 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 ================================================================== Just across the river... ================================================================== "IS THERE HOPE FOR LAOS?" Michael A. Harris - RVN '68-69 SeaEast Exchange BBS - Kirkland, WA (206) 822-4615 For those of you who don't know, Point Man International (PMI) is a Vets for Vets outreach. It was initiated in 1984 and has grown yearly ever since. One facet of PMI is sending teams over to Southeast Asia to help those cultures affected by the war in Viet Nam. PMI supplies Tactical Teams to work in conjunction with World Aid Inc., a medical relief agency whose president is a Viet Nam veteran. I have been privileged to participate in all of the first Tactical Teams to Asia. This article will update you on our work in eastern Laos. As I stood in the filthy alley, my nostrils filled with the stench of raw sewage, my mind drifted as I watched the small- framed men separate their booty. Brass in one pile, iron in another. An old gunny sack had just belched out a myriad of metal objects gathered throughout the surrounding jungles. Ancient looking clothing irons, solid brass icons, and lots of shrapnel from two decades past caught my eyes. Casings from 155's and 105's, 40's and 20's, Ak's and M-16's, and cartridges I'd never seen before. Shrapnel was abundant in all shapes and sizes. It brought back memories of my buddies who had been unfortunate enough to be in the path of similar merciless fragments of metal during my tour in Viet Nam. I thought of how close I had come to death. How fresh it still was in my mind. As I glanced up at the merchandisers, I thought of the Vietnamese Marines that we had so often transported through the rivers and canals of the Mekong Delta in South Viet Nam. These men before me must have suffered much during the war. Some still wore partial military clothing. Now under communist rule, they make their living off of the fragments of war. What used to cost billions of dollars to make, was being sold for a minuscule amount of Laotian "kip". We were right on the Vietnamese border near the heralded Khe Sanh battleground. So many of the men I was looking at were Vietnamese. Where had they been during the siege of Khe Sanh? They probably wondered about me also. Just then Al hollered, "Let's go Mike!" I didn't want to. I wanted to stay and find out more about these men. I wanted to see what else was in those other gunny sacks. This was part of my youth. But I knew I had to go. World Aid Inc. had signed a contract with the Lao Peoples Democratic Republic (PDR) during the summer of 1990. This contract allows them to work throughout Savannakhet Province in Central Laos. Their purpose is to bring medical aid to the underprivileged. This is done by upgrading district and regional hospitals as well as village clinics. Teams from different organizations participate. NAM VET Newsletter Page 59 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 I was able to be there in January 90 when initial discussions took place with the Lao Minister of Health. What happened was nothing short of a miracle! Great doors were opened for access to the Lao people. As we surveyed the conditions that first time, I was appalled by the horrendous decay of the medical facilities. What medical equipment that was present was archaic and in terrible shape. One drugstore in the U.S. probably holds more medicine than most of their hospitals. It is truly sad! We hardly ever hear anything here in the U.S. about the condition of Laos. I led PMI's Tactical Team #2 over in November of 90. We broke ground for a long work by treating several hundred village children with oral polio and an initial DPT shot. Many other maladies were treated also. We took over hundreds of pounds of medicines and tools. Part of the team began refurbishing one wing of a hospital in Sepone (Tchepone) which is about 20 kilo's from the Vietnamese border. We came away exhausted but gratified that we were able to begin laying a foundation for the future. Tactical Team #3 arrived in Savannakhet, Laos in late Feb. 91. We spent the night there recuperating from the 20 hour plane trip and the 12 hour bus ride. We still had a rugged 5 hour truck ride to Sepone to endure the following day. This would be our last night of conveniences for nine days. The new team members did not fully understand the luxuries they would be leaving behind. This was my wife Connie's first trip out of the U.S. At this point she was still excited. Bob Taylor, World Aid's founder, had brought his Thai wife Toi along for her first trip also. I was happy that Connie had female companionship. They laughed and joked, not realizing the adverse conditions that lie ahead. When it was all over, I would be proud of both of them. They would perform well. Since I had been to Sepone before, I knew what the work team faced at the hospital. Our previous team had painted the entire wing inside, installed lighting, and done other miscellaneous projects. This time we would begin screening in the wing for protection against mosquito's. Eastern Laos has a 90% malaria rate. Because the people are so poor, they have no medicine or physical protection. It is estimated that over 50% of the children are dying from preventable diseases. Malaria is the #1 killer. While we worked on the screening, a nine month old baby died of malaria. She was brought in too late to be saved. On the brighter side, however, a 10 year old survived due to the medicines we had taken in with us. It hurts to see them die! There is no electricity in Sepone except a generator that runs for 3 hours in the evening. We took cordless tools but our batteries ran down quickly. So we ended up ripping 1/4" plywood lengthwise with a dull hand saw for two days. The high humidity did not help matters. Then we snipped all of the tips off of our nails so they would penetrate the mortar but not hit the brick interior. When doing things so primitively, you appreciate the people more keenly. They just do not have the quality of life that we do. As we worked the children were always present. Emut, Evao, Egao, Thig, etc. Us men are called "Lung" for uncle. So it's always Lung Mike, Lung Al, Lung Lee, etc. We get along just fine without NAM VET Newsletter Page 60 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 knowing each others language. Balloons, jacks, and marbles helped with diplomacy. With their joyful support, we completely screened in the wing and framed in two large entry ways to receive screen doors. We know this will save lives in the future! While we worked on the hospital the rest of the team went from village to village treating the people. They treated over 1,200 and visited 16 villages. Most of the villages are situated on or around the old Ho Chi Minh Trail. Years later exploding ordinance still kills and maims as they try to salvage the scrap. As the days passed by the medical team became more weary. Connie soon stopped eating the local food and chowed down on the freeze dried rations that we had taken. She almost had a heat stroke one day. The evening "solar" showers were comforting to her after a day of riding in the vehicle and tolerating crowds of villagers. Toi assisted with a minor operation and fainted, skinning her cheek and knee. It was obvious that they were tiring quickly. Nine days is about the limit. One evening they returned to Sepone grieved by the condition of the children in one Bru village. They had lost almost all of their crops due to flooding and the little ones were suffering badly. Our hearts were touched and we pooled our money and purchased 400 kilo's of rice for them. The next day was Sunday. After praying for this village, we journeyed back out there and delivered the rice. They didn't jump up and down for joy. They humbly received it with gratitude. It was a special moment for all of us! My heart is over there with those people as I sit here and write this. Gjoseph asked me to let you know how this trip came out. To me, it seems a bit redundant, but I hope it touches your heart too. There is so much to do but we must be satisfied with what is being done. Before the summer of 90, no one had been where we have been recently in a long while. We CAN make a difference and already have. Everything we do is voluntary. Everyone raises their own finances. We gather medical equipment and supplies wherever we can. We lug them over there by the ton in trunks. It is a sacrifice, but lives are beginning to be affected. Friendships are being cultivated. Trust is abounding. Connie and I went to see "Dances with Wolves" last night. I watched as the story line showed how the Sioux were driven off of the land that they had cherished for centuries. I watched as the Cavalry Lieutenant left behind the horrors of war, choosing to head out to the frontier post. I thought of Post Traumatic Stress and how many of us headed for some sort of frontier somewhere because of what we had experienced. As the Lieutenant befriended the Sioux, and they him, I saw a parallel with the Lao peoples. A parallel with how my heart feels towards them. A frontier devastated by the Viet Nam war. I was overwhelmed with the desire to walk those highlands one day befriending again those we had left behind. Telling them in their native tongue how sorry I am for what my nation has done to their culture. I think one day it will happen! Again, I appeal to you for help! World Aid is not subsidized by the government or any other agency. They collect all of the NAM VET Newsletter Page 61 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 equipment and supplies primarily by "word of mouth". It's through people like you that they get their contacts. Maybe you can't help with supplies personally, but perhaps you know someone who can. Please let us know by contacting me at the address below. If you would be interested in participating on a team I can surely get you some information out. We have two teams scheduled for Nov/Dec of this year. I have already received some encouraging help from individuals on this Echo. Sherry, Gale, and others have offered assistance. This is how it is going to come about. One paramount need in Laos at the present is vehicles. The Lao PDR has let World Aid bring in their private vehicles from Thailand but that is going to stop. Vehicles can be purchased in Laos. Bob wants to get a Toyota Landcruiser and a Toyota 4WD pickup to begin with. If you have an old vehicle that you could sell and donate the money to this cause I'm sure he would be grateful. Medicines and used medical equipment are always needed. Used bicycles, small motorcycles, hand tools, torches, etc. can all be used. Bob is shooting for a 20' container to be shipped to Laos by the end of May. We have it about 1/2 full at the present. The shipping is paid for already. We need to fill it up. World Aid U.S. headquarters is in Gig Harbor, WA just outside of Tacoma. Why not let me know how you can help? For more information please contact me at: P.O. Box 440 Mountlake Terrace, WA 98043 (206) 486-5383 (10 - 4:30 weekdays) In His Name, MIKE NAM VET Newsletter Page 62 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 _ ______ _______ __ _ _______ /\\ H M H H\\ H HHHHHHH / \\ H H H \\ H H /====\\ H 6 June 10, 1991 where veterans deal with veterans. "There's a commonality that makes them feel more at home," He said. "It's awfully hard for these guys to fit in programs set up for non-veterans." Steve B., a Vietnam combat veteran, is at Fresh Start awaiting a July 24 opening in the PTSD unit at the Veterans Administration hospital in Topeka. He's gone through nine alcohol rehabilitation programs in 20 years. Sobriety, he said, only seemed like half the answer. "Before I came here, I'd never heard of post traumatic stress," Steve said. "I'm hoping it'll explain some things." He declined to talk about his Vietnam experiences but later added, "I wish people would drop the baby-killer stigma." As for public opinion that many of today's troubled Vietnam veterans had psychological problems before entering the military, Steve said, "If they haven't shared the experience, they shouldn't say that. I joined the Marines when I was 18 and I wasn't any different from any other 18-year-old kid. Hell, I never saw marijuana until I got to Vietnam." Andrew said the future of Fresh Start is uncertain. His student loan ends this summer. "I'm comfortable working with these guys and it's what I'd like to do. But at this point I can't say whether the money will be there," he said. DIRECTOR-- While Kansas prepares to welcome home troops from the Persian Gulf, Don Andrew wonders if three Wichita shelters for homeless veterans will have enough money to stay open. NAM VET Newsletter Page 85 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 Soldiers & Sailors Relief Act Input by: Charlie Revie Desert Dolphin BBS - Las Cruces, NM (505) 523-2811 Item paraphrased from Assn US Army News, Mar 91-- The House cleared legislation to aid members of the Armed Services called to active duty in the Persian Gulf War. By vote of 414 to 0, the 50-year old Soldiers' and Sailors' Civil Relief Act was amended to update many of its vital protections. AUSA urged adoption of several of the approved amendments in testimony before a joint hearing the the House and Senate Veterans' Affairs Committees last fall. We expect that the Senate will act on this very soon. Major provisions include: * Increases from $150 to $1200 the monthly rent threshold protection against eviction. * Provides for reinstatement of employer provided health insurance immediately upon return to civilian life. * Delays until July 1, 1991, any civil actions against members. * Suspends medical malpractice insurance premiums for physicians called to active duty. Also provides for reinstatement of coverage upon their return to civilian practice. * Clarifies existing reemployment rights for reservists called to active duty for periods of 90 days or longer. Other legislation strongly supported by AUSA is on a fast track. Congress sent to the President for signature a bill that broadens an earlier order by President Bush granting military personnel in the Persian Gulf an extension for filing and paying their income taxes. The House passed the bill on Jan 23 by 413 to 0. The Senate acted the very next day voting approval 99 to 0. The President is expected to sign the measure. An earlier Presidential executive order designated Iraq, the entire Arabian Peninsula and surrounding waters as a combat zone. This meant troops serving in the Desert Storm operation would not have to file their 1990 tax returns or pay any balance owed until 180 days after returning from the combat zone. Congressionally approved legislation goes beyond the President's order in several respects. First, it applies to personnel who have served in the Persian Gulf any time after Aug 2, rather than only those on duty after Jan 16, when combat started. Additionally, interest on income tax refunds would accrue from Apr 15, even if the military taxpayers have not filed their income tax returns by then. Notably, the measure also grants tax relief up to five years to soldiers who are hospitalized as a result of wounds received in the gulf. The President's order also triggered an existing law that exempts enlisted personnel from income taxes on pay received while serving in a combat zone. Commissioned officers must pay taxes on pay in excess of $500 per month, the level established in 1966 for those serving in Vietnam. Lawmakers stated budgetary constraints precluded raising the exemption to $2000 per month, the level that would be needed to compensate for inflation since then. A Joint Tax Committee estimate puts the cost of the approved bill at $10 million per year. NAM VET Newsletter Page 86 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 NAM VET Newsletter Page 87 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 VETNET LAUNCHES NEW ERA IN OUTFIT REUNIONS June 1991 Edition of The American Legion Submitted by: Fred Sochacki VETPoint #75 - Passaic, NJ (413) 443-6313 =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= VETNET is a telecommunications service for veterans, their families and friends. The system provides a fast, simple and economic way to help military groups get together... and stay in touch. VetNet is the product of Softguard Systems, Inc., the company that helped develop the very successful Family Support Network of The American Legion that was established to help Desert Storm families. You can call the VetNet number from most touch-tone telephones. You will need the VetNet number of the group you want to reach. These five-digit numbers are published in THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE. are provided by group coordinators and are also available from VetNet Directory Assistance by calling toll free: 1-800-348-VETS To find out information on a particular group, dial 1-900-773-VETS (1-900-773-8387) VetNet will tell you the price of the call and other basic instructions. After the greeting you will be asked to enter the 5- digit VetNet group number. You may also elect to hear a VetNet demonstration message. After entering the 5-digit number, you will hear a message from the reunion coordinator of the group you selected. When this message is completed, you will be asked if you want to use the group's MailCall feature or return to the main menu to select another group. VetNet guides you through the entire process. You may hang up at anytime. In MailCall, you can skip over messages, record and edit your own message or simply listen to news from other callers. NOTE: VetNet cannot be reached from some touch-tone phones because local phone companies do not have the necessary switching equiptment. We are working with the phone companies to correct this situation. Also be aware that pay phones and some company switchboards will not process VetNet calls. =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= AT&T's slogan "reach out and touch someone" takes on new meaning this month with THE AMERICAN LEGION MAGAZINE'S launch of a telephone information system to help veterans keep in touch. The new veterans telephone network - VetNet - operates on 1-900- 773-VETS (1-900-773-8387). National Commander Robert S. Turner hailed VetNet as another example of how the Legion uses modern technology to serve veterans and their families. NAM VET Newsletter Page 88 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 "VetNet uses combinations of telephones and computers to create a nationwide information service for anyone to use, 24 hours a day," Turner said. "VetNet is a logical expansion of our excellent experiences with the Family Support Network and the magazine's successful VetVoice polling service." VetNet callers do not have to be members of The American Legion. VetNet is available to all veterans, their families and friends. The users of VetNet pay reasonable fees for the service, all of which is used for Legion projects, VetNet is an excellent way for non-members to help support our programs. Our old method of announcing outfit reunions was severely hampered by our magazine printing schedule, which required five months advance submission of notices. Many times your reunion plans were not finalized and notices were late in being submitted. Because of the heavy volume of notices and space limitations, we also could publish your reunion or Let's Get Together notice only one time each year. All we could offer is a few lines of type, providing the barest information. With VetNet, reunion coordinators can update reunion plans as often as they want and provide detailed, up-to-the-minute information around the clock. VetNet will also eliminate the nuisance of having to write for reunion forms and include SASEs every time you want to announce your reunion. VetNet provides group coordinators a voice bulletin board which can be updated as often as once a day. This feature allows coordinators to speak directly to all their members when plans change or new information is available. "Getting information to everyone, especially at the last minute, has always been the toughest job a reunion planner faces," said Douglas Foote, a World War II veteran of the 6th Air Force. "Some of us miss out. I'm sure it takes a lot of postage and personal efforts when plans change quickly. Now one phone call can do the job!" VetNet is built on an outfit reunion format so callers can always hear the most current reunion information. For groups with no reunion plans, VetNet can be used to plan a get-together. With MailCall, a second VetNet feature, veterans can share messages with each other on a daily basis. The VetNet concept has received rave reviews from selected individuals and test groups. "If VetNet had been around, it might not have been 43 years before I met the fellow who helped save my life at Omaha Beach," said Harry Gentry, a 56th Field Artillery Battalion veteran. "I could have left a message on VetNet that I was looking for this unknown guy, instead of meeting him by chance at our last reunion. He said it was his first reunion and didn't know for sure who I was either... or that I'd been looking for him at every reunion." To reach VetNet, callers dial 1-900-773-VETS from a touch-tone phone and when asked, enter the VetNet number of the group about which they want information. Each outfit has a different 5-digit NAM VET Newsletter Page 89 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 VetNet number. This issue of the magazine lists nearly 600 outfits and their special VetNet number. Calls cost $1 per minute and are included on local phone bills. The system begins June 1. Former Marine Harry Todd reviewed VetNet plans in January and liked what he saw. "I would certainly spend a few dollars a month to keep in touch with my former outfit and hear some current news from some of my old buddies." The Legion has identified nearly 10,000 groups to enroll in VetNet, and enrollment packets are being sent out. It will take several months to enroll all groups, but we want to hear from group coordinators who have not received a VetNet enrollment packet. For best results, coordinators are asked to write VetNet at P.O. Box 1055, Indianapolis, IN 46206. Please do not call, since we'll already be handling thousands of calls a day for those groups that are already enrolled. The Legion hopes to have every group identified by July 4, and enrolled by Labor Day. Enrollment is free, but must be done on special VetNet forms. There are no annual fees and no need to re-enroll each year. VetNet groups are required to provide information about the group coordinator when a new individual assumes the role. VetNet operates a directory assistance service to help callers find the correct VetNet group numbers to use in the system. The VetNet directory call is toll free at 1-800-348-VETS. VetNet numbers have been assigned to all groups whose reunion notices have appeared in 1991 issues of the magazine. About 95 percent of the nation's phones can call VetNet, but to use the system requires a touch-tone phone. When local phone companies upgrade their switching equipment, VetNet will become available to callers everywhere. For those who cannot reach VetNet, the magazine will continue to print the name and address of the group coordinator. "There's one guy in my old outfit I tried to find recently," said former Army pilot James T. Jones. "We were in flight school together. As soon as our squadron enrolls, I'm calling VetNet with a message for him." While personal messages are encouraged, no unauthorized commercial messages are allowed on VetNet. Profanity and other inappropriate commentary is prohibited. MailCall messages remain on the system for approximately one month before being removed. The VetNet system is easy to operate, and people are invited to call 1-900-773-VETS and listen to a demonstration of how a typical group uses VetNet to communicate. They'll hear about reunions, hospitalizations, buddy searches, travel plans and parties... and hopefully get some interesting ideas of all the things VetNet can do. NAM VET Newsletter Page 90 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 ADF Foundation Promotes Concert By: Dale Malone Freedom Line BBS - Orlando, FL (407)423-2111 (Note from Joe: At press time, we've learned that the date of the concert mentioned below has been changed to 11 Nov 91.) AMERICA'S DEFENDERS OF FREEDOM FOUNDATION P.O. Box 568795 Orlando, FL 32856-8795 (407)872-1211 (407)423-2111-(BBS) May 27, 1991 United States Veteran USA Veteran Family & Friends Anywhere, World Dear Vet, Family, and Friends: The time is here for us to help each other around the country and the world. The "Veterans for Veterans" BENEFIT Concert is at Tampa Stadium in Florida, Saturday, June 29 at 5 PM. We've asked Bruce Springsteen to headline the concert. Proceeds benefit local organizations. Give your support today. Here's what to do: 1. Write ADF a letter supporting the idea, referring to your veteran connection if you have one. It only takes a minute. It can change a vet's life. 2. Tell your local vet organizations. Tell them to write a letter of support and include a LIST OF THEIR VET PROGRAMS WITH THE NEEDS. 3. Save your pennies. Join the ADF PENNIES FOR FREEDOM campaign. 4. Join ADF. 5. Pass the word. Tell TEN friends to tell TEN friends. Together, as veterans we CAN get results. As the Officer told his men in Desert Storm, "You put your life on the line for your buddy." Bring that sentiment home, too. It's time to heal old wounds. The time is now to recognize and honor ALL veterans. Let's put money back into your local veteran organizations who know and help veterans every day. Let's teach the world about freedom and preserve its history. Education through entertainment is the key. Proceeds benefit this effort too. The ADF Park will pass on to our children the lessons learned in our defense of freedom since 1776. Let's put freedom in the limelight. It belongs there. Act today. Write, call, help. The results depend on you and I and every other person who enjoys the fruits of freedom. Remember those who have died. The sacrifices must never be in vain. One letter WILL make a difference. ALL THE DIFFERENCE IN THE WORLD! NAM VET Newsletter Page 91 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 Believing in freedom for all, Charles Richard "Woody" Woodson President AMERICA'S DEFENDERS OF FREEDOM FOUNDATION NAM VET Newsletter Page 92 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 VA URGES VETERANS TO REFINANCE HOME LOANS (Department of Veterans Affairs - For Immediate Release) Input by: G. Joseph Peck NamVet's Managing Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 With VA home loan interest rates at their lowest in more than four years, the Department of Veterans Affairs is instituting an outreach program encouraging veterans and lenders to work together to refinance existing, higher rate VA-guaranteed home loans. The VA encourages veterans to refinance loans with interest rates that are two points or more higher than the market rate. For lesser differences in rates, refinance costs eat up much of the savings. The current interest rate on a VA-guaranteed home loan is 9 percent. Under VA's Interest Rate Reduction Refinancing Loans initiative, regional offices will first identify outstanding home loans with relatively high interest rates, beginning with those at 12 percent or higher. Veterans with the outstanding mortgages are then informed of the potential savings that could be realized through refinancing and are provided a list of lenders willing to refinance the loans, with no out-of-pocket cost to the veteran. Nationwide, more than 218,700 VA-guaranteed loans currently carry interest rates of 12 percent or higher, and at the least another 196,400 loans are in the 11- to 12-percent range. During the past six years, more than 394,400 veterans have refinanced VA-guaranteed home loans, and in the process earned more than $13.5 billion in long-term personal savings. The potential individual and collective savings to veterans are substantial. A $70,000, 30-year loan at 11 percent, for example, has a monthly payment of $666.63 but would result in savings of $103.39 a month if the loan were changed to 9 percent. Veterans considering refinancing should contact a private lending agency. If there are questions concerning eligibility for a VA-guarantee of the refinanced loan, the veteran should contact the nearest VA Regional Office. Toll-free numbers are available in all states. - - - - Number and Value of VA-guaranteed home loans outstanding with interest rates 11 percent or higher (As of Dec. 30, 1990) INTEREST RATE NUMBER VALUE 11.0 to 11.49 50,750 $3,330,948,625 11.5 to 11.99 145,702 8,451,954,983 12.0 to 12.49 81,223 4,656,572,202 12.5 to 13.49 92,299 5,051,717,115 13.5 to 14.49 31,014 1,553,126,325 14.5 and above 14,239 652,546,911 TOTAL 415,227 $23,696,866,161 NAM VET Newsletter Page 93 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 WASHINGTON STATE VETERANS MAY BE DUE REFUNDS FOR VA HOME LOAN DEBTS (For Immediate Release - Department of Veterans Affairs) Input by: G. Joseph Peck NamVet's Managing Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is announcing that certain veterans who made payments on a VA home loan debt for property in Washington state may be entitled to a refund. As a result of a class-action suit against VA, the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Washington determined that VA could not establish a debt against veterans whose VA-guaranteed home loans were foreclosed without the lender going to court. The court also ordered VA to refund money collected after June 4, 1981, on loan debts established as a result of these nonjudicial foreclosures. In order for veterans to obtain a refund, each case must meet the following criteria: > The veteran obtained or assumed a VA-guaranteed home loan for property in Washington state; > The loan was foreclosed or terminated for nonpayment and the lender did not go to court during the foreclosure process; > VA paid the defaulted loan guarantee to the lender and established a debt against the veteran; and > The veteran paid money or was subject to an involuntary offset, e.g., a reduction in VA benefits payments, to VA on or after June 4, 1981, resulting from the loan default. > However, if VA obtained a final judgment against the veteran prior to June 4, 1987, the veteran is not eligible for a refund. > If the veteran repaid in full VA's loss on the loan, had the loan entitlement benefit restored and obtained a new VA- guaranteed loan using this restored entitlement, the veteran also may not be eligible for a refund. To file a claim for a refund of any money paid to VA, veterans should contact the nearest JVA regional office for additional information (toll-free numbers are available in all states) and to obtain the appropriate form (Number 20-0154) for submitting the claim. Veterans also can write to: Chief, Finance Division (242W), Department of Veterans Affairs, 915 Second Ave., Seattle, WA 98174. Claims must be in writing and must be postmarked no later than Dec. 31, 1991. Veterans also may write the attorney involved in the class- action suit: David A. Leen, Leen and Moore, 520 E. Denny, Seattle, WA 98122. NAM VET Newsletter Page 94 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 A real heartwarming letter Input by: G. Joseph Peck NamVet's Managing Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 Y'all know that we sent the SPECIAL EDITION of NamVet to a few of the people who are kind of special to the leadership of America. One of them was General Schwarzkopf... In last month's mail came the NICEST letter that I'd like to share with you. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - \____________ \) \ \ * * * * \ \ \ \)__________\ \ COMMANDER IN CHIEF UNITED STATES CENTRAL COMMAND RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA, APO NY 09852 16 April 1991 Dear Mr. Peck, Thank you for sending me your special edition of NAMVET. I read several of your editorials and it was clear that you write from the heart. Thanks also for your kind remarks about our performance during Operation Desert Storm. I look forward to the day when you are reunited with your brother, niece and nephew, and all our service men and women have returned to the shores of our great nation. Thank you again for writing and sending me your publication. Sincerely, H. NORMAN SCHWARZKOPF General, U.S. Army Mr. Joseph Peck Managing Editor, NAMVET P. O. Box 2056 Pittsfield, MA 01202 - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - While General Schwarzkopf's letter is not (and, according to D.O.D. regulations, CAN NOT) be an endorsement for what we have been doing these past few years, I really feel honored and highly complimented that all *-OUR-* work with NamVet has been received so positively. If I "write from the heart," its a heart that is daily touched by NAM VET Newsletter Page 95 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 YOU, brother and sister veterans and their families... a heart that keeps on a beatin' whilst I'm getting telephone calls at all hours of the day and night... a heart that daily learns from each of you - from BBS calls to VETLink #1 asking for guidance, sharing some veteran-related piece of information, and even the one's who've talked about packin' it all in 'cause nothin' seems to work... If I "write from the heart," its a heart that EACH OF YOU have helped sensitize to ALL our needs and concerns... a heart that is "yours", too! Thank YOU for what you've shown and shared with ME... Ci'ao for Ni'ao - Joe - NAM VET Newsletter Page 96 Volume 5, Number 6 June 10, 1991 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 ! !__________________________________________________________! 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