Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 . __ . . -*- N A M V E T -*- ____/ \_ . . ( * \ . . Managing Editor \ Quangtri . . ---------------- \_/\ \_ Hue . . G. Joseph Peck \_Ashau Phu Bai . . \_* \_ . . Distribution Manager \ * ) . . -------------------- _/ Danang . . Jerry Hindle \|/ ( \_*Chu Lai . . --*-- \_ ------- \__ . . Section Editors /|\ \_ I Corps \ . . --------------- \ ------- ! . . IN-TOUCH: Ray "Frenchy" Moreau /\_____ ! . . INCARCERATED VETS: Joyce Flory / ! \ . . VETERAN BENEFITS: Jim Hildwine ! !___ \ . . AGENT ORANGE: Jim Ferguson ! \/\____! . . NEED-TO-KNOW: Lefty Frizzell ! ! . . MIA/POW: Marsha Ledeman / Dak To ! . . VETERAN EMPLOYMENT: Fred Sochacki / * / . . KEEPER OF THE LIST: Charlie Revie ! \_ . . ! 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 10 October 24, 1991 ================================================================== T A B L E O F C O N T E N T S 1. Editorials n' Stuff We're still here? ........................................ 1 Marsha's .357 Bamboo Machete ............................. 2 Additions to Murphy's Laws of Combat Operations .......... 8 Ask the Veterans' Affairs Counselor ...................... 10 2. Drums be not Silent Step-by-Step MIA/POW Advocacy! ........................... 11 Personal MIA/POW Affidavit ............................... 23 Organizational MIA/POW Affidavit ......................... 24 They haven't forgotten US!!! ............................. 25 3. In-Touch In-Touch ... or Soft-Touch? .............................. 26 In-Touch: What is it??? .................................. 28 L'chayim ................................................. 31 4. Together then... Still fighting Vietnam ................................... 32 Hands Across Time ........................................ 34 When remembering is too much... .......................... 35 5. Forgotten - again? Incarcerated Veterans Bill ............................... 38 A visit or note once in awhile? .......................... 44 Jungle to Jail - Part 2 .................................. 45 Viet Cons - Part 2 ....................................... 46 6. Don't drink the water! A History of Agent Orange ................................ 49 Break out the Clearasil ! ............................ 64 7. The Chapel at NamVet NAM VET - Making Peace with Your Past .................... 65 NamVet's Electronic Chapel ............................... 72 8. Veterans n' Jobtalk VETS - Federal Veteran Employment Watchdog ............... 73 Have You Considered On-The-Job or Apprenticeship Training? 74 OPM FEDERAL JOB INFORMATION OFFICES ...................... 77 PUBLIC LAW 102-16 MAR. 22,1991 .......................... 83 9. Shiftin' Sands Desert Storm Hero Wins A War At Home .................... 93 10. Sister Vets VWMP's Sister Search ..................................... 95 Monumental Difference .................................... 96 VWMP's Sister Search Form ................................ 97 11. Charlie's Angels Where do YOU get NamVet??? ............................... 98 VIETNAM_VETS and NamVet: Where? .......................... 99 Some Gave All... ......................................... 102 NAM VET Newsletter Page ii Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 ================================================================== Editorials n' Stuff ================================================================== We're still here? By G. Joseph Peck NamVet's Managing Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 We'll soon be marking our fourth year of producing NamVet. I can remember forever ago when Todd and I first began this project. Seemed like a real neat, nifty idea - a way to collect and save all the important veteran information that either one of us happened to see flyin' by in the VIETNAM_VETS echo. I remember, too, how BOTH of us felt as we birthed another issue: "How will our brother/sister veterans think of THIS issue?" Time marched on, another issue deadline came, and another NamVet was born and put into the electronic pipeline that connects us all together. NamVet has grown... and shrunk... and grown again to what it is today: YOUR electronic newsletter by, for and about the things that concern YOU and your brother/sister veterans. Our audience, too, has grown... and shrunk... and grown again to include spouses and children of veterans; educational institutions and facilities; libraries and, thanks to the hard, hard work of Joyce Flory (no blushin' now, Joyce), our incarcerated brothers and sisters. Speaking of "audiences" - you'll notice just before the Charlie's Angels report a NamVet Survey Form that (here's that name again) Joyce has so willingly volunteered to collect and report on (Doesn't that fine lady EVER stop "volunteering"?). Please take a few moments out of your enjoyable reading of this month's NamVet , tear out the page (or, better yet, just make a photocopy of it), complete and mail it (If we COULD, we would have included the postage - but that's an investment we're gonna have to ask YOU to make to help us find out WHERE our NamVet goes to and who's reading it). A note on the Fourth Anniversary Edition: Our Anniversary editions have become, in a sense, the "best of NamVet" -- I'd like to ask YOU and those around you to take a little time, look over the past issues of NamVet, and send in YOUR vote or note concerning which article you've seen in a past NamVet that was most meaningful or helpful or ??? to YOU. I still haven't quite figured out exactly WHAT we should include in an Anniversary issue but, up until now, what we HAVE been putting in them are those articles/stories/recipies (Heya Scott! Where's that Tobasco recipe book!!!) that have impacted either the staff of NamVet or its readers. How's about YOUR suggestions??? 'Til next month... Show a brother/sister veteran that YOU care!!! Ci'ao for Ni'ao - Joe - NAM VET Newsletter Page 1 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 Marsha's .357 Bamboo Machete By Marsha Ledeman NamVet MIA/POW Section Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 October 15, 1991 Letters to the Editor: Dear Sir, I have on more than one occasion written a letter to you and received no answer at all, so therefore I do not expect much this time either but I feel strongly enough about this issue to keep trying. Not more than a month ago, the government DID say that the photograph of Capt. Donald Carr MIA Special Forces Green Beret shot down over Laos in 1971, was an authentic photo. Yet they now tell us they cannot find the area that he is being held in. Our Senate Select Committee on POW/MIA affairs was formed or rather was approved and Sen. John Kerry of MA was elected chairman of that committee. He then proceeded with supposed rigor to state that he would embark on a "hot lead" trip to Laos, taking his two teenage daughters at his own expense. I ask you what kind of a "hot lead" was he following? Did they have a huge sale in Bangkok where the girls had to go shopping? You do not take teenage girls into the jungles of Laos if you are, in fact, following "hot leads". Now we are bombarded with nothing from the newspapers, and or media, except the Thomas mini-trial. Every paper for the last week and a half, has had nothing but this trial. The front page of all the newspapers sees fit to expose this along with large pictures but not a word about the Live POWs that are still languishing in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia. Where do your priorities lie? Obviously not with live servicemen that were sent to fight a war they were not allowed to win and left behind to be abandoned by the very same government that sent them there. When should issues of the nature of the Thomas-Hill subject come before the living human beings this government abandoned? You and all the other newspapers, must be too afraid of offending the government to print any truth about the POW/MIAs. Every time we make such headway, something comes along and takes the pull away from this issue. I had been raised on the Seattle Times, but I stopped it in favor of the Seattle Post Intelligencer who, at the time, was not afraid to print the news on the POW/MIA Issue. We are very disappointed with the lack of human caring that the papers, media, and etc. has for these men and their families. The government has not yet proved that the picture of the three POWs - Robertson, Stevens, and Lundy - is fake, although according to the newspapers, it has been proved. Don't you people ever check facts first before printing things like that? And have you been able to add anything to the mysterious disappearance of all three of those men's fingerprints? I realize this is a long letter, and the chances of it even being read are probably nil, but we needed to say this anyway. Until the papers get some grit and nerve, and are willing to put this issue on the front page, the American people will never get NAM VET Newsletter Page 2 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 their true answers. Too bad that all of the media, and newspaper reporters scare so easily. There are many, many issues to fight for, but only one of them involves the living men that this government abandoned. This is a travesty in this great country that must be aired and corrected. We have these men to thank for our freedom, we do not have Marshall Law, we do not have to stand in line for bread. We are free because we had men willing to fight for that freedom. Do you think the next generation of men will be willing to fight for a country that will abandon them if they are captured? What kind of man will now join the armed forces? I see nothing but criminals who are running from the law enlisting anymore. If you were to believe you would not be accounted for should you become MIA, would you join the armed forces??? I think not... Sincerely, Dale and Marsha Ledeman XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX Seattle, Wa. 98125-7319 =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= September 26, 1991 Several of you asked where I got my POW/MIA rings and also my satin jacket. We ordered them both from Task Force Omega on Illinois... The rings are $5.00 each they come in blue, red, and brushed silver. Any name you want can be put on these rings... The satin jackets come with the logo on the back. They are $30.00 each up to size xxxlrg. and that one is $40.00 ...they have small, med, lrg. x-lrg, xx-lrg. and xxx-lrg... These can be ordered from the new executive director, Rich Wilusz 4201-S. Center Lyons, Ill. 60534 There is a four dollar shipping and handling charge, but I did not get charged for my rings just the jackets and the other things I ordered... =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= One more thing of interest for those who do not yet have this information is: Where to reach Col. Millard "Mike" Peck for letters of support to be sent to him which I feel he richly deserves write him at: Col. Millard "Mike" Peck 3710-George Mason Falls Church, VA. 22141 I hope you all will send him a note of thanks for what he has done, he has essentially given up a long career to help with this issue and to stand by his beliefs and we are happy to have someone like him believe as we have for years that our POW/MIAs were abandoned and are alive in Southeast Asia. Thank you all, Marsha =*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*=*= NAM VET Newsletter Page 3 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 These are excerpts from the September/October 1991 Illinois Task Force Omega group newsletter. Some things we all should know and some things we all should be doing... ___________________________________________________________ I understand that the new book "Bamboo Cage" is outstanding, and makes Kiss The Boys Goodbye looks like a grade school primer, however the author has been unable to get it published in the United States, he is from England. Here is a way for you to purchase this book if you so choose... and cheaper than if you ordered it from England. *Homecoming II has Nigel Cawthorne's book BAMBOO CAGE available for $38.00 including shipping and handling. Mail checks to Homecoming II 5154 Piedmont Pl, Annadale, VA. 22003. Allow 3 - 4 weeks for delivery. ___________________________________________________________ * The following is a summary of a presentation given by Mark Reinig of Britt Small and Festival and sysop on the POW Network at a Skidmore Reunion recently: It was stated that there are certain indicators that the Vietnamese government and the Vietnamese people are willing to resolve the POW issue. However they are receiving confusing signals. They are hearing statements like the following: ^ In 1987, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Vernon Walter - who had been deputy director of CIA when George Bush was Director - said that it would be "detrimental" for the Vietnamese to "surface" living American POW's. ^ In August 1991, soon after returning from visiting Vietnam as a part of a congressional delegation, Arizona Republican congressman Jim Kolbe stated in a radio interview that if American POW's should "walk out" it would destroy relations between the U.S. and Vietnam for "years or decades". ^ Also in August 1991, Wyoming Republican Senator Alan Simpson said it would be foolish for the Vietnamese to still be holding American prisoners as, if discovered, they would be shamed as "pariahs of the earth and the foul stench of humanity" for 50 years. He also said that Vietnam's effort toward normalizing relations with the rest of the world may include killing any POWs still alive to be "sure that there was no one alive in order that then they would be accepted in the family of nations." If the Vietnamese are to believe that the feelings of Americans are the same as those expressed by our leaders, as stated above, then it must surely appear that the LIVE POWs are a hindrance in the effort to normalize relations. It was stated that we must do everything we can to convince them that we KNOW they have authority over living American POWs and that lifting the U.S. trade embargo against Vietnam and/or normalizing diplomatic relations will be impossible until and unless those POWs are RELEASED... NAM VET Newsletter Page 4 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 We must write letters and encourage others to write letters stating that official statements do NOT reflect the feelings of the American public; that we need our LIVE POWS released; that then, and only then, can the United States and Vietnam work toward "normalization". Letters can be sent to: Mission of the SRV to the UN 20 Waterside Plaza, New York, NY 10012 ___________________________________________________________ THE FOLLOWING WAS PROVIDED BY MIKE VAN ATTA. IT OFFERS A GREAT DEAL OF DIRECTION AS FAR AS WHO TO WRITE, AND WHAT TO ASK FOR... Dear Insiders, (This information service, provides Bush appointees and the American public with facts and proof that Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia still hold US Prisoners, alive, in captivity, in their prison systems in 1991.) SO YOU WANT TO INVESTIGATE THE LIVE POW PROBLEM? Where does one get hard factual information on the POW's, who were captured alive but not released? If you contact the White House, who is responsible for all soldiers, you will be referred to DIA (Defense Intelligence Agency). If you contact Congress or the Senate, they will express their concern but will refer you to DIA. If you contact CIA (Central Intelligence Agency) they will refer you to DIA. If you contact the FBI they will tell you to contact the DIA. If you contact the President Foreign Intelligence Review Board, you will be referred to DIA. If you contact the State Department I and R, (Intelligence and Research) department, you will be referred to DIA. If you contact NSA (National Security Agency) at Ft. George G. Meade, MD. you will again be referred to DIA. If you contact NSC (National Security Council) you will still be referred to DIA... So, if you contact DIA, they will tell you that all the Intelligence information they have on POW's or Americans who were captured alive but not released is Classified, and deny your request. (Does this sound like a bureaucratic runaround?) So, if you want to investigate the live POW problem where do you turn for information??? You must look at several private, civilian suppliers of POW information to get a clear view of what the truth is about Americans who were captured alive but not released. I can strongly suggest that you put your hands on the following information: 1. Contact Mike Milne with the Veterans of the Vietnam War at 1-800-Vietnam and purchase the film: "MIAs We Can Keep You Forever", cost is $20.00 and that includes postage and handling. You will see, firsthand, 10 people who say they saw live U.S. POWs in S.E. ASIA still held as POW's. The film outlines 10 discrepancy cases, where Americans were captured alive but were not released. It also reviews some of the hard copy documents in CIA's files, interviews families of MIAs and presents the official U.S. government policy on POWs. 2. Contact Red McDaniel at the American Defense Institute and buy a copy of the book; "Kiss The Boys Goodbye" by Monika Jensen- Stevenson and William Stevenson. For $20.00 you will read a history of the live POW movement written by a former 60 minutes NAM VET Newsletter Page 5 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 reporter and see some of the information she uncovered. Red has several books available, one new one is the; "Bamboo Cage" by Nigel Cawthorne which I highly recommend. Call: (703) 519-7000. (Note the Stevenson's book is now out in paperback at most major book store outlets for $10.95.) 3. Obtain a copy of a list of non-fiction books written on the subject of POWs. The list has over 300 books listed with an outline of each POW that is discussed in each book. The cost is between $3.00 and $10.00. Write to: F. C. Brown 18 Reed Avenue - Hamilton Township, NJ 08610 After you have reviewed all of this information you will have a great deal of knowledge about some of the men who were captured alive but not released... THE SECOND PART OF YOUR EDUCATION PROCESS: This will be for you to write to some U.S. government officials, who are in charge of solving the live POW problem and get their input. 1. Write to the CIA and ask them to give you a computer print out that lists all the declassified files/records they have on the subject of: American POWs in Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnam. Also ask them to provide you will a listing of the Presidents Daily Intelligence Summary, briefing books in which live POW information is given. Address this to: Lee S. Strickland Information and Privacy Coordinator Central Intelligence Agency Washington, D.C. 20505 2. Write to the FBI and ask them for a list of the cases in which they received finger prints from the DIA to identify Americans missing in S.E. Asia. In addition, ask the FBI to list the cases in which it has done photo comparisons for DIA on pre- and post capture pictures, using their computer enhanced photo overlay process. Address this to: Federal Bureau of Investigation 1776 J.E.H. Building Washington, D.C. 20530 3. Write to the State Department and ask them to provide a list of the times the DIA has asked the State Department to use its diplomats or the diplomats of friendly foreign countries to investigate cases where missing Americans were reportedly seen alive in S.E. Asia. Address this to: Douglas P. Mulholland Assistant Secretary for Intelligence Department of State 2201 C. St. NW, Room 6531 Washington, D.C. 20520 4. Write to the NSC and ask how many times has President Bush been briefed on the live POW problem? Address this to: Peter S. Watson Director of Asian Affairs National Security Council Old Executive Office Building Washington, D.C. 20506 5. Write to the NSA and ask them to outline a list of times they have been asked by the White House to collect electronic intelligence on locations in S.E. Asia where American prisoners of NAM VET Newsletter Page 6 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 war were reportedly seen alive. Address this to: Vice Admiral William Studman Director, NSA National Security Agency Ft. George G. Meade, MD. 20755-6000 6. Write to the Presidents Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board and ask how many times they have prepared intelligence summaries and briefed President Bush on prisoners of war. Address this to: Bobby Innman Chairman of the President's Foreign Intelligence Advisory Board 334 Old Executive Office Building Washington, D.C. 20500 7. Finally, write to DIA and ask them how many times, in the last year, they have given a briefing on the POWs to President Bush. Address this to: Lt. General Harry Soyster Director, DIA The Pentagon Washington, D.C. 20301 This report is put together to give you the benefit of many years of experience and point you in the direction that will produce the most effective results. Should any of these contacts fail to respond, let me know. Now that you have completed all of the above required assignments, it is time to contact your Senator and Congressman and tell them that "YOU" have a briefing that you want to give to them, because you will, most likely know more about the POWs than they will. So, now call your Congressman and Senator (202) 224-3121 Sincerely, Michael Van Atta (201) 701-0238 P.O. Box 302 Chatham, NJ 07928 NAM VET Newsletter Page 7 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 Additions to Murphy's Laws of Combat Operations Submitted by Ken Flory Desert Dolphin BBS - Las Cruces, NM (505) 523-2811 Some additions from the Special Forces Collection: (You may notice a difference in the Enlisted point of view) (The ongoing list will be published in our 4th Annual NamVet) 51. If you can keep your head while those around you are losing theirs, you may have misjudged the situation. 52. If two things are required to make something work, they will never be shipped together. 53. Anything you do can get you shot, including nothing. 54. Whenever you lose contact with the enemy, look behind you. 55. The most dangerous thing in the combat zone is an officer with a map. 56. The quartermaster has only two sizes, too large and too small. 57. If you really need an officer in a hurry, take a nap. 58. There is nothing more satisfying than having someone take a shot at you, and miss. 59. If your sergeant can see you, so can the enemy. 60. You'll only remember your hand grenades when the sound is too close to use them. 61. Close only counts in horseshoes and hand grenades. 62. Well .. It could be worse: It could be raining .. and we could be out in it. 63. So he said, "Cheer up: it could be worse!" So we cheered up. And it got worse. 64. The side with the simplest uniform wins... From the COMMO end of the rules: 65. The spare batteries for your PRC- whatever, your troops have been carrying are either nearly dead or for the wrong radio. 66. The ping you heard was the antenna snapping off at 6 inches above the flexmount, while a firemission was being called in on a battalion of hostiles who suspect you are where you are. 67. Why is it the CO sticks his head in your radio hooch to see if anything has come down from DIV. when you are listening to the VOA broadcasting the baseball games? 68. How come you are on one frequency when everyone else is on another? 69. Why does your 500 watt VRC-26 (real old) not make it across 200 miles while a ham with 50 watts on the same MARS frequency can be heard from Stateside? 70. Know why short RTO's have long whips on their radios? So someone can find them when they step in deep water. Rules of the Rucksack: No matter how carefully you pack, a rucksack is always too small. No matter how small, a rucksack is always too heavy. No matter how heavy, a rucksack will never contain what you want. No matter what you need, it's always at the bottom. NAM VET Newsletter Page 8 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 Combat Mathematics: Forward Area Math: 2 confirmed plus 1 probable plus 2 pigs equals 15 enemy KIA. Rear Area Math: 2 beers times 23 men equals 49 cases. Phillip's Law: Four-wheel-drive just means getting stuck in more inaccessible places. Weatherwax's Postulate: The degree to which you overreact to information will be in inverse proportion to its accuracy. Least Credible Sentences: 1 - The check is in the mail. 2 - The trucks will be on the drop zone. 3 - Of course I'll respect you in the morning. 4 - I'm from the government and I'm here to help you. Brintnall's Second Law: If you receive two contradictory orders, obey them both. Pavlu's Rules for Economy in Decision Papers: 1 - Refute the last established recommendation. 2 - Add yours. 3 - Pass the paper on. Oliver's Law: Experience is something you don't get until after you need it. Lackland's Laws: 1 - Never be first. 2 - Never be last. 3 - Never volunteer for anything. Rune's Rule: If you don't care where you are, you ain't lost. Law of Supply (also known as the Law of Gifts): You get the most of what you need the least. Hane's Law: There is no limit to how bad things can get. NAM VET Newsletter Page 9 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 "Ask the Veterans' Affairs Counselor" DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS Office of Public Affairs - News Service Washington DC 20420 (202) 233-2741 Submitted by: Jim Hildwine NamVet's Federal Benefits Section Editor VETLink #4 - Shady Side, MD (301) 261-5644 (Following are representative questions answered daily by VA counselors. Full information is available at any VA office.) Q-- Do veterans with compensable service-connected disabilities have to pay a funding fee when obtaining a VA-guaranteed home loan? A-- No. Q-- As national cemetery offices are closed weekends, how can a burial for the following week be scheduled? A-- When a death occurs late in the week or on weekends or holidays, interment for the next week may be scheduled by calling the local national cemetery where a recorded telephone number will refer the caller to one of the three large cemeteries that are staffed on weekends. A member of the cemetery staff will verify eligibility and schedule burial at the local cemetery. Q-- Is service in the Persian Gulf War considered wartime service for VA benefit purposes? A-- Yes. Under Public Law 102-25, the Persian Gulf War Veterans' Benefits Act of 1991, the Persian Gulf period is defined as beginning Aug. 2, 1990, and ending at a future date to be determined by presidential proclamation or by law. NAM VET Newsletter Page 10 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 ================================================================== Drums be not Silent ================================================================== Step-by-Step MIA/POW Advocacy! By: Mark Reinig P.O.W. NETWORK - Skidmore, MO 64487 (816) 928-3305 Submitted by Marsha Ledeman NamVet MIA/POW Section Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 [Note from Joe: The ORIGINAL version of this article (and the following affidavits) are available at VETLink #1 as GUIDE.ZIP. The information contained in Mark's file was SO important to advocating for our MIA/POWs and to the many of you out here in NamVetLand who want to do SOMETHING, I have edited and "changed around" Mark's original file to "fit" within this NamVet. I hope Mark forgives me for changing his writing around - but this HAD to go in THIS issue of NamVet so that we can ALL do something NOW!] One of the problems I have faced in getting people to act on the POW issue is their lack of confidence when it comes to dealing with the issue. Although people want to contribute, many feel they do not know enough to call their elected officials. "What happens if I call and they ask me about the bills I should know about? What if he wants me to justify why I think there are POWs? Maybe I should study some more before I call. Maybe tomorrow would be a better time." By now the original inspiration to help has passed and procrastination has crept in. This [article] is meant to give these people projects that start out requiring no knowledge of the issue. Each step helps them along the way while giving them tools they need to understand the issue. The first project involves getting copies of the Senate Foreign Relations Addendum from their Senators. I emphasize that even if the person [YOU] has the report, it is critical to order it from the Senate offices. Besides getting the Addendum, it also gives that person a first contact with their Senate offices; one that requires only the courage to pick up the phone and dial. The next projects require signing their name to the enclosed affidavits and sending them to the appropriate offices. Again, only action is involved. Knowledge is gained [in reading the subheading] EMERGENCY [further in this article]. The EMERGENCY [subheading] refers to two different individual and group affidavits. To eliminate confusion, I enclose only one individual and one group affidavit. [The affidavit's immediately follow this article.] I felt that the choice at this point would only confuse things (All of the affidavits are included in the AFFI4.TXT file on the P.O.W. Network if you wish to alter this package). Notice [that you are to make five copies of at least the first affidavit], enough for sending to Congressmen, Senators and the Vietnamese and for reproducing extras for friends. The Roone Arledge-ABC petition [contained in AFFI4.TXT] requires the person now employ the help of friends and neighbors. The remaining steps involve writing to their Congressmen and Senators, with the ninth step using knowledge gained from the enclosed articles and hopefully, from ordering Jeff Donahue's NAM VET Newsletter Page 11 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 INDOCHINA POW TIMELINE [see INDOCHINA POW TIMELINE further in this article] and other reading material. ....... I also strongly suggest you have a page made up with the Names, addresses and phone numbers on a page for the state the person is from. I have uploaded the file CONGRESS.EXE (IBM computers only) [to the P.O.W. NETWORK] for this purpose. If you can determine the district the person is in, highlight their Congressman. If you need help determining districts, or if you have a list of zip codes that you would like matched with Congressional districts, contact me. This is by no means an "end all" package. It is more a concept for teaching involvement while providing projects with some strategic significance. This package will change with unfolding events. If you have suggestions for the improving this concept, please contact me on the Network, write or call:. Mark Reinig/P.O.W. NETWORK Box 68 Skidmore MO 64487 Voice: 816-928-3631 Fax: 816-928-3304 WHAT YOU CAN DO TO HELP 1) Order a copy of the Senate Foreign Relations Minority Staff Report on POWs/MIAs (Also called the Addendum) from both of your Senators. Call the number next to your Senator's name. A secretary will answer the phone and ask for your name and address. You will then tell them: "I would like your office to send me a copy of the Senate Foreign Relations Minority Staff report on POWs/MIAs which was released in May of this year." [Besides getting you 2 copies of the report this accomplishes 3 things: 1. It tells the staff there is someone in the state interested in the POW issue; 2. It tells the staff the caller is an enlightened constituent as you are ordering a report of this type; and 3. When you receive the report you will become an informed constituent.] Get your friends, and associates to make this phone call - dial it for them if necessary. The more people call, the more effect this step will have.] 2) Read the enclosed [subheading] entitled "Emergency". This [subheading] describes the logic behind the [following] affidavits. After reading the [EMERGENCY subheading], sign 4 copies of the personal Affidavits. Send one to the Vietnamese consulate, one to your Congressman and one to both your Senators. The address of the Vietnamese consulate is listed in the EMERGENCY [subheading]. [As the [Affidavits and EMERGENCY subheading] describes, we need to convince both the Vietnamese and our Senators that the POW activists do not hold a grudge on the Vietnamese government so long as they release the American and ex-American citizens under their control. Our government is trying to convince the Vietnamese that it would be a mistake to bring out a POW. We must convince them that our government is lying and that it is IMPERATIVE that they release our men. The "Emergency" [subheading] refers to two different affidavits. I have enclosed the affidavit which includes the clause demanding release of Vietnamese citizens imprisoned for supporting the American side. For copies of the NAM VET Newsletter Page 12 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 affidavit excluding this clause, contact the P.O.W. Network.] 3) Take the ... fifth affidavit and make copies. Go to your friends and have them sign four copies. Do not rely on them to mail it. Mail it yourself - this guarantees that the job gets done. 4) Take the [following] group affidavit and present it to any organization that you feel you can convince to sign it. Make copies of the "Emergency" [subheading] to help you explain the situation. Present the Affidavit to more than just Veteran's organizations. Rotary clubs, Chamber of Commerce, Unions, any group that you can think of will help. 5) Take the "Petition to ABC" [from AFFI4.TXT], make copies, and get as many people to sign as you can. Send the signed petitions to: P.O.W. Network Box 68, Skidmore, MO 64487. [ABC had produced this movie [The Last POWs?] last year. For your information, Bobby Garwood was a POW in Vietnam who managed to get a message to a European embassy in 1979, causing the Vietnamese to release him. He was promptly arrested by the U.S. government and tried and convicted for collaboration. The movie "The Last POWs?" tells the story of Bobby Garwood's ordeal. Even though all reference to his knowledge of remaining Americans were taken out of the script, apparently the Vietnamese government convinced our government to pressure ABC to indefinitely suspend release of the movie in the United States. This petition is meant to apply pressure to ABC and its advertisers.] 6) Write a letter to your Congressman and Senators regarding the declassification of POW related documents. (See [further] synopsis on HR 1147 and HR 2038 for Congressmen and S. 1127 for your Senators) Ask Your Congressman in a handwritten letter (see ... "how to" [subheading]): "What is your voting record on H.R. 2038? Please send me a copy of the attached amendment pertaining to the POW issue. Have you co-sponsored H.R. 1147? Send me a copy of these bills." Ask Your Senators: "Have you co-sponsored S. 1127? Send me a copy of this bill." Thank them for their time and emphasize your desire for a response. [These bills pertain to the declassification of documents and is essential for the truthful action on behalf of our government. With this action you will again be telling your Congressman and staff that you are interested and enlightened on the POW issue.] 7) Within a week to ten days after sending the first letter, write a letter to your Congressman regarding the "Missing Service Personnel Act" HR 1730. (See [further] synopsis on HR 1730). Ask Your Congressman in a handwritten letter (see "how to" [subheading]): "Have you Cosponsored HR 1730, the Missing Service Personnel Act? Please send me a copy of the bill for my inspection." Thank them for their time and emphasize your desire for a NAM VET Newsletter Page 13 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 response. [This bill will change the way our government is allowed to declare a missing serviceman dead. It will also show that you are not going to go away after the first letter.] 8) After receiving the addendum from your Senator (should be within 3 weeks) write your Congressman and Senators concerning the contents of the addendum Report. Tell your Congressman and Senators you have received a copy of the Senate Foreign Relations Minority Staff report on POW/MIAs which was released in May of this year. Ask your representatives, "Have you read this report? Have you read the Tighe report which the Addendum report refers to? Please inform me within security guidelines what is contained in General Tighe's report. I await your reply." [This informs your Congressman that you now have the information (Addendum report) to start making judgments on his performance as a leader in Congress concerning the POW issue. You are also asking him to report back to you concerning a document (Tighe report) only he is allowed to read, but which you are aware.] 9) It is now imperative that you study the [following] excerpts from "Indochina POW Timeline" by Dr. Jeffrey Donahue. This paper describes to the day when we abandoned our men in Laos. This portion describes how we abandoned our men and never negotiated for their return. Also study the [following] "Politics Prevent POWs Return". The next letters will go to your Congressman and your two Senators. The contents of the letters can be identical (make sure you hand copy them as a photocopy won't do). Ask your representatives: "I have read the report POW TIMELINE by Dr. Jeffrey Donahue. He asserts that in 1973 the Lao government admitted to holding live American servicemen. The Vietnamese and the State Department both agreed that in order to get these men back our government must negotiate with the Pathet Lao directly. Do you know when we negotiated these "tens of tens" Americans out of Laos? Only nine came back during Homecoming through the Vietnamese government and I can find no record of our government dealing directly with the Lao for these live men. Please tell me when we negotiated for the rest of the Americans being held in Laos. Who did the negotiating?" "Recent photos of Donald Carr and Daniel Borah came out of Laos, and Carl Ford has stated that he believes there are some pilots held against their will there. What do you intend to do to get these men out?" [As the text of the POW TIMELINE indicate(s), we NEVER negotiated for the release of our live Americans captured by the Pathet Lao. Hopefully, your Congressman and/or Senators will take it upon themselves to discover this fact for themselves. If these representatives have a personal honor system, they will join in the fight to have these men released. If your representative doesn't respond adequately to your questions, we will help you develop a game plan for the next steps to take.] We want to know your progress on these projects. We would also like to know what your Congressmen and Senators say in response to your requests. Also, if you have any questions concerning the projects outlined above, or if you want to continue to help us in NAM VET Newsletter Page 14 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 our fight for the release of Americans held in foreign hands, please contact: P.O.W. Network/Mark Reinig Box 68 - Skidmore MO 64487 Voice: 816-928-3631 Fax: 816-928-3303 Modem: 816-928-3305 EMERGENCY Following the completion of Operation Homecoming in 1973, Henry Kissinger publicly stated that the discovery of any additional American prisoners in Vietnam would require stern retribution by the U.S. against Vietnam. In 1987, U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations, Vernon Walters - who had been Deputy Director of CIA when George Bush was Director - said that it would be "detrimental" for the Vietnamese to "surface" living American POWs. In August, 1991, soon after returning from visiting Vietnam as a part of a congressional delegation, Arizona Republican Congressman Jim Kolbe stated in a radio interview that if American POWs should "walk out" it would destroy relations between the U.S. and Vietnam for "years or decades." Also in August 1991, Wyoming Republican Senator Alan Simpson said that it would be foolish for the Vietnamese to still be holding American prisoners as, if discovered, they would be shunned as "pariahs of the earth and the foul stench of humanity" for 50 years. He also said that Vietnam's efforts toward normalizing relations with the rest of the world may include killing any POWs still alive to be "sure that there was no one alive in order that then they would be accepted in the family of nations." According to many knowledgeable observers, the recent sweeping changes in Vietnam's top leadership came as a result of frustration that the former group was unable to clear the way for better trade and diplomatic relations with the West. If this is true, the new leaders will be more likely to take aggressive action to get Vietnam out of the POW/MIA dilemma - either as Senator Simpson suggests, or by unilaterally releasing them. It is ESSENTIAL that the Vietnamese gain a better understanding of the likely U.S. public reaction to each of those possible courses of action. We MUST do everything we can to convince them that we KNOW they have authority over living American POWs, no matter what the Vietnamese choose to call them and no matter whether they are held in Vietnam, Laos or Cambodia. Lifting the U.S. trade embargo against Vietnam and/or normalizing diplomatic relations will be impossible until and unless those POWs are released. Furthermore, we must show the Vietnamese that statements such as Kolbe's and Simpson's are LIES, and have been made to encourage the Vietnamese to take action which might be in the best interest of traitorous U.S. officials - who abandoned those men and lied about their existence for 18 years - but will not be in the interest of Vietnam. We MUST show the Vietnamese that all they have to do to get out of this mess is Come Clean - release ALL of the Americans, no matter what their physical or mental condition. [Make five copies of the following affidavits]: two [will be] for individuals; two [will be] for organizations. One of each includes a section which indicates that the SRV must open the gates of the re-education camps to release those who are held because they worked and fought by our side during the war. If you or your organization are unwilling to place this additional precondition on lifting the trade embargo and normalizing NAM VET Newsletter Page 15 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 relations, execute the affidavit(s) which do not contain this wording. Whichever applies to you or your group, sign it and send it four places as soon as possible: (1) Mission of the SRV to the UN, 20 Waterside Plaza, New York, NY 10012; (2)&(3) one copy to each of the two U.S. Senators from your state; (4) your Congressman. Also, reproduce the blank affidavits and send them to any and all individuals or groups with which you have contact - and not just POW or Veteran groups. We want the Vietnamese to know more about how ALL Americans feel about this problem. Act quickly; there is more danger AND more opportunity than ever before! HOW TO WRITE TO YOUR SENATORS AND CONGRESSMEN Let them know of your concern for swift action on the POW issue. A handwritten letter carries the most weight in a Congressional office. Be specific. Ask only one or two questions per letter (mail more than one letter!) and make sure you note that you expect a response. If you receive no reply, write again and ask why. Follow-up with a short note to the local editor of the newspaper, praising him if he responds or asking the question "Why does he not respond" if no help is forthcoming. Please let your Congressman know that if you have taken the time to write a personal letter, you expect no less of him, and form letters are inappropriate when dealing with the POW issue. BASIC LETTER FORM: Your Name Your Address Your City ST ZIP Congressman's Name Congressman's address Washington DC ZIP Today's Date Dear Congressman Name: [BODY OF LETTER] Sincerely, Your Name OTHER PROJECTS TO HELP YOU UNDERSTAND AND BE MORE EFFECTIVE IN THE POW ISSUE: JOIN the Insiders "telephone tree". You will receive monthly "targets" within the government to whom you will ask specific questions and expect replies. This is a nationwide, well coordinated effort to get the POW question to the officials that can make a difference. ->Mike Van Atta, Box 302, Chatham, NJ 07928. JOIN the National Alliance of Families and support their efforts to gain the release of men and documentation. This organization is made up of families of the missing but has a membership for those concerned, but not related to a POW/MIA. ->National Alliance of Families NAM VET Newsletter Page 16 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 5503 17th Avenue NW P-200 - Seattle WA 98107 If you have a computer and modem available, you can access the P.O.W. NETWORK. The NETWORK has hundreds of pages of documentation available, information on Congressional activities, biographies on our missing men, the capability of corresponding electronically with anyone around the world interested in the POW issue and more. ->P.O.W. NETWORK, Box 68, Skidmore, MO 64487 816-928-3304/Modem:816-928-3305/Fax:816-928-3304 READ: 1. Kiss the Boys Goodbye, by Monica Jensen-Stephensen (avail. at library or call POW NETWORK) 2. Indochina POW Timeline, by Dr. Jeffrey Donahue (available through P.O.W. NETWORK) 3. Unrepatriated American Prisoners of War, by John Nevin (available through the P.O.W. NETWORK) 4. Bamboo Cage, by Nigel Cawthorne (available only in Great Britain - Ask your library, bookstore or contact the P.O.W. Network) 5. Senate Foreign Relations U.S. Policy Towards POWs Interim Report and Addendum (see step 1 "What You Can Do To Help") HOUSE BILLS H.R. 1147 - The Truth bill seeks full disclosure of live sighting reports. These reports would be made public, with permission of the next of kin of the serviceman still POW or MIA. H.R. 2038 - The Truth bill amendment was attached to the Intelligence Authorization Bill and passed by voice vote in late June. The bill must now go to the Senate for approval and then the President for signature. Should the Senate change the wording on the bill, the bill would be sent back to Congressional committee for a hearing and compromise. H.R. 1730 - The Missing Service Personnel Act seeks to change 1942 laws that allow the presumptive finding of death hearings to proceed based strictly on the passage of one years time. As it is written now, the law allows for a serviceman missing or prisoner of war to be declared dead after only one year, regardless of information received in that year, especially if that material is a live-sighting report, as those are classified and not entered as evidence. H.R. 1900 - The POW/MIA Rescue bill allows for asylum of any refugee bringing a living American out of S.E. Asia and to a representative of the United States Government. SENATE BILLS S. 1127 - The Senate version of the Truth Bill. (see H.R. 1147) AVAILABLE TO ALL CONGRESSMEN AND SENATORS "The Tighe Report" - an in-depth, classified study on the issues and facts surrounding the POW issue by former director of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Ret. General Eugene Tighe. Open NAM VET Newsletter Page 17 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 hearings were held on only part of the report. Gen Tighe has stated that he believes, based on the volume of evidence he had seen, men were left behind in Vietnam. The Intelligence Authorization Act of 1991, H.R. 5422, had a clause which required the DIA to provide any member of Congress, upon request, access to this report. The INQUIRY AND ADDENDUM, by the Committee on Foreign Relations is an in-depth, 150 page, two part investigation into the POW/MIA issue. It covers the Defense Intelligence Agency's handling of documentation, proper routing and timeframe of follow-up on live sighting reports, the "mindset to debunk", the Presidential Priorities from WWI through the Gulf War as it relates to service personnel left behind, etc. Based on documents, family interviews, historical records and news articles. Released in two parts, November 1990 and June 1991. Excerpts from INDOCHINA POW TIMELINE By Dr. Jeffrey Donahue Published by National Forget-Me-Not Assoc, Connecticut Chapter March 25, 1973 PACIFIC STARS AND STRIPES: U.S. FEARS LAOS POWs WILL BE USED AS 'PAWNS' "U.S. officials said Friday that despite continued efforts, they have been unable to learn anything more of the fate of an undetermined number of American prisoners of war in Laos. The officials said no new light had been shed on the total number or whereabouts of the Laos POW's. Concern mounted that the Communists plan to hold them back as pawns in the continuing struggle in Indochina. The question of Laos POW's has become an issue in the continuing release of American prisoners by North Vietnam, with the United States ordering a holdup in the withdrawal of its last troops from South Vietnam until the Communists say when and where they will turn over nine Americans - seven military and two civilians - whose names appeared on a list of Laos POW's provided by the North Vietnamese. In addition to the nine there are approximately 320 Americans listed as missing in action in Laos. Most of them are air-crewmen downed during combat missions. U.S. sources believe that a substantial number of the missing - perhaps as many as 100 - still may be alive. The conclusions are based on inspections of crash sites by search teams and on intelligence reports. Friday was also marked by the expiration of the formal 30-day deadline for the formation of a coalition government in Laos. So far there has been little progress toward setting up the coalition under provisions of the cease-fire signed last Feb. 21, with government officials accusing the Communist Pathet Lao of causing the delay." [Soth Petrasy, the Pathet Lao spokesman] "broke a long silence on POWs last month to say they were holding Americans and that persons captured in Laos would be returned in Laos, despite U.S. contentions that North Vietnam had agreed to release Laos POWs in Hanoi. The Pathet Lao declined to give further details about prisoners. In contacts since then, U.S. officials say they have been unable to learn anything more. The list of nine American and one Canadian names was provided by the North Vietnamese when the United States inquired why no Laos NAM VET Newsletter Page 18 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 POWs were included in the 555 names turned over at the time the Vietnam cease-fire was signed." COMMENT: This tells it all in Laos. The POWs held in Laos became pawns in the uncertainty and confusion which characterized the United States interpretation of the Agreement and subsequent events regarding the POW/aid linkage. It is very important to note that when the United States complained at the last minute about the North Vietnamese failure to return POWs from Laos, the North Vietnamese produced nine POWs who had been captured in Laos and subsequently moved to Vietnam. Despite our awareness that there were POWs imprisoned in Laos, which was affirmed by the North Vietnamese and the Laotians themselves, not one of these POWs was released; they were held back as pawns and as collateral. Also, the nine POWs captured in Laos and released from Hanoi had been held separately from the other POWs captured in Vietnam. They had never been integrated into the regular POW system. [For a personal account of this isolation read Ernie Brace's book, A Code to Keep. According to Brace's testimony before the House Select Committee on Missing Persons on April 9, 1976, all the prisoners captured in Laos who ended up in the Hanoi prison system were segregated from the other prisoners and held separately in a group known as the `Lulu' group. In January 1973, the Lulu group was told of the Paris Peace Agreement but were informed they would not be released until there was a peace settlement in Laos. In March 1973, they were informed they would be released with the other American POWs.] Two additional considerations warrant comment. First, in April 1973, Soth Petrasy told my mother and father in person that the Pathet Lao were holding over 100 American POWs. Second, there was a great discrepancy in our government's POW numbers in Laos. Whereas the tally purportedly was 320 in 1973, today it is approximately 560 (which implies that the live POW count was/is 175.) The real number is an ultra classified secret, because Laos officially was a neutral country per the Geneva Protocols of the early 1950's and the United States was not supposed to be involved in the war there. March 26, 1973 PACIFIC STARS AND STRIPES: NEW SNAG STALLS PRISONER RELEASE "North Vietnam told the United States Sunday it intended to release the last group of American prisoners it holds at Hanoi's Gia Lam Airport on Tuesday and Wednesday, but said the U.S. demand that it also release POWs captured in Laos `is beyond the jurisdiction of the agreement [the Paris Peace Agreement].'" COMMENT: Here, North Vietnam told the United States unequivocally that the POWs in Laos were the responsibility of the Laotians and not the North Vietnamese. In other words, if the United States wanted the POWs from Laos returned it would have had to deal with the Laotians and offer a similar aid package to Laos, as well. March 27, 1973 PACIFIC STARS AND STRIPES: HANOI DRAGS FEET "Bui Tin, chief spokesman for the North Vietnamese delegation, said the Pathet Lao `have assured us that the American POWs they hold will be released' and that the Pathet Lao said they `are making preparations for the release.' `It is for this reason we are insisting that the withdrawal of U.S. troops and the release of the prisoners take place with no NAM VET Newsletter Page 19 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 relation to the POWs held by the Pathet Lao,' said Tin." COMMENT: The North Vietnamese reiterated that there were POWs in Laos and that the situation regarding these POWs was unrelated to the withdrawal of American troops from South Vietnam and the prisoner exchanges in the two Vietnams; it was up to the United States and the Laotians. Note that by this time everybody - the North Vietnamese, the Laotians, the State Department and Defense Department - had affirmed that there were POWs in Laos. There could be no more compelling proof than three separate governments saying there were POWs in Laos. However, not one of these POWs was released. They continue to rot in jungle prison camps today - some dying slow, cruel deaths, and abandoned by their own country. [For a complete copy of the INDOCHINA-POW TIMELINE contact: P.O.W. Network Box 68 Skidmore MO 64487] "POLITICS PREVENT POWS RETURN" Dennis Adamscheck M/Sgt - Retired Army Airborne / U.S. Air Force 8297 Demenge Road, Cloquet, MN 55720 (218) 879-8292 Recent pictures showing American servicemen in captivity in Southeast Asia have caused spokesmen for the U.S. government to publicly state the pictures are more than likely fakes and no one is being held in captivity. This coincides with the government's previous actions that declared missing in action servicemen and those known to be POWs, dead (without evidence) after World War II, Korea and Vietnam. It is politically efficient because they do not have to negotiate with their former enemies and can always give a cover story to the American people if anyone does return. Some who returned after World War II from Soviet captivity were swapped for Soviet spies apprehended in America. This was the case of 1963 returnee, Walter J. Ciszek, a Jesuit priest held in Soviet slave camps for 23 years after his capture in 1940. Also released in 1963 was Fulbright student, Marvin Makinen, (arrested in Moscow in 1961). Homer Cox returned in 1954 and William Verdine returned in 1955. John Noble was returned to freedom in 1955 after 9-1/2 years at forced labor in Soviet slave labor camps. Noble was released due to President Eisenhower's intervention. The State Department showed Noble files of some 700 Americans held in the USSR of whom reports of survival had been received. (Some of these Americans are still in Soviet prisons and slave camps today.) Upon Noble's release, he told the State Department about Americans he had seen in captivity and evidence he received of many more. Noble also related seeing Al Dulgan, a missing U.S. Embassy employee, in prison. The State Department said that could not be since the Dulgan case had been closed when the Soviets reported that he died and was buried in the Soviet Union in 1948. Al Dulgan did, however, return in 1971, more than 30 years after being taken prisoner and 16 years after Noble reported seeing him. The State Department had also tried to convince the Noble family that John was dead. Americans were also held in China after the Korean War, as bargaining chips to gain political favors. Joseph King and Walter Enbom were returned in 1957. Steve Kiba, a 1955 returnee, stated "While a prisoner of the Red Chinese after the Korean War, I saw over fifteen Caucasian prisoners. These fifteen men are in addition to John T. Downey and Richard Fecteau, with whom our B-29 crew spent three weeks (December 7 to 28, 1954). I reported these sightings to our Air Force Intelligence, the CIA and the State NAM VET Newsletter Page 20 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 Department upon my return to freedom. Their reaction was one of indifference and I was admonished to forget not only the fifteen, but also, Downey and Fecteau. It was suggested that perhaps I had imagined that I had seen these men." Richard Fecteau was returned in 1971 and John Downey in 1973, over 19 years after Steve Kiba had reported seeing them in captivity in 1954. Robert Garwood was released in 1979, 14 years after his capture in Vietnam. He has stated he saw other Americans in captivity prior to his release. Rosemary Conway returned in 1975 and CIA Pilot, Emmet Kay, returned in 1974. Kay had brought out information about other Americans still held in Laos after the Vietnam War. Kay believes he was returned to freedom only because he was ransomed for $12 million. This information is included in Nigel Cawthorne's book, "The Bamboo Cage", published in May, 1991 by Leo Cooper, Pen Sword Book Ltd of England. "The Bamboo Cage" gives the full story of the American servicemen still held hostage in Southeast Asia. If anyone doubts that Americans are being held in captivity, they should read the May 23, 1991, report by the U.S. Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, entitled "An Examination of U.S. Policy Toward POW/MIAs". The report confirms that approximately 30,000 Americans were knowingly abandoned to their communist captors during World War II, Korea and Vietnam. Most were shipped to the Soviet Union. The Senate report reveals that in 1991 the daughter of the U.S. Army Major Wirt Thompson found out that information existed proving that her father had not been killed in action, body not recovered, as previously reported by the U.S. government in 1944. She had not been told that in 1955 a German repatriate reported to the United States government that he had been imprisoned with Major Wirt Thompson in the Soviet Labor camps. Are the government's current denials of POW pictures and the possibility of Americans being held in captivity just another political necessity? [Dennis Adamscheck is a POW researcher/writer. He is a retired, 23 year veteran of the U.S. Army/Airborne and the U.S. Air Force. Since the publication of this article Assistant Secretary of Defense and Interagency Group official Carl Ford has made the following statements concerning live prisoners of war: SPOTLIGHT MAGAZINE August 8, 1991: Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for International Security Affairs Carl W. Ford has advised a House subcommittee the "body of information pertaining to this case (involving the photograph of the three captive American fliers) is quite extensive. There is so much of it that it's hard not to take it seriously." COMMENT: This quote refers to the photograph of Lundy, Robertson and Stevens, and came while the DIA was declaring the photo a fake. WASHINGTON TIMES August 7, 1991: Carl Ford Jr., the Pentagon's East Asia expert and the point man on the missing-in-action issue, told the lawmakers his "personal belief" is that a "small group, perhaps 10" Vietnam war pilots remain in Southeast Asia, the sources said. Mr. Ford gave his opinion, which conflicts with the Bush administration's recent public pronouncements, at a closed-door meeting on Capitol Hill last week. He met with senators concerned about the way the Defense Department has handled the MIA issue. NAM VET Newsletter Page 21 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 Mr. Cheney also attended the meeting. COMMENT: Carl Ford, besides his position in the Pentagon, is also a member of the POW/MIA Inter Agency Group which is assigned to handle government coordination on the issue. For Ford to say his "personal belief" is that there are "Americans in Southeast Asia" cannot be taken lightly. He has seen the reports and his conclusion must mirror those reports. PANTAGRAPH and NEW YORK TIMES August 31, 1991: [Carl Ford] has said the case involving a LeRoy woman's brother is strong, indicating he believes it may be possible Navy Lt. Daniel Borah is alive. ...Ford said he is giving top priority to the case of Army Capt. Donald Gene "Butch" Carr, a Texas soldier shot down in Laos two decades ago. "All the people who've looked at this case believe this is the one that, in fact, could be a case of an American in Southeast Asia," Ford said of Carr. COMMENT: This is as close to a Pentagon admission that these are authentic photos of men left in Laos. While not publicly admitting to live POWs, it is obvious players within our government are going as far as they can to intimate the existence of live POWs. As the President has said once proof is found, he will act swiftly to obtain their release, we must press him on his word. It seems the president is now at odds with the Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, and it is this secretary who has been appointed to be point man for the administration on the POW issue.] NAM VET Newsletter Page 22 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 AFFIDAVIT I, the undersigned, do hereby state and affirm that it is my carefully considered intention and pledge that I will exert the full extent of my influence to ensure that the Government of the United States follows that course of action which is in the long- term best interest of the United States of America in the matter of future relations between the United States and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. I further assert and affirm my belief that, under currently prevailing circumstances, it would be inappropriate and contrary to the best interest of the United States to take any steps toward the normalization of relations with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam or to lift or otherwise modify the current trade restrictions enforced against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam by the United States. However, should events unfold such that: (1) the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam release and/or provide an opportunity to return to the United States of any and all American or former American citizens currently living in Vietnam or any other area under the authority or influence of the government of Vietnam, whether injured, ill, maimed, mentally deficient or of good health; (2) the government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam release from incarceration and/or detention all Vietnamese citizens presently incarcerated or detained as a result of political or military activities engaged in prior to May 1, 1975, and the government of Vietnam further provide priority status for such individuals for emigration through the Orderly Departure Program; then and only then would the best interest of the United States be most effectively served by -- A. Normalization of the diplomatic relationship between the United States and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in order to build a stronger, more favorable and lasting relationship between the people of the United States and Vietnam; B. Normalization of the trade relationship between the United States and Vietnam including U.S. "Most Favored Nation" trading status to be extended by the U.S. to Vietnam, which would pave the way for U.S. companies, investors and private citizens to participate in the economic revitalization of Vietnam; C. The advance payment by the United States to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam the sum of US$4 billion in return for a 20-year lease of port facilities located at Cam Ranh Bay, allowing for the early closure of the U.S. base at Subic Bay, Philippine Islands. It is my fervent hope - in the interest of the American and Vietnamese people and our two nations - that circumstances occur which will warrant my best effort to promote and help to build a strong, lasting relationship between the United States and Vietnam. Signed _____________________________ Date _______________ Witness ____________________________ Date _______________ NAM VET Newsletter Page 23 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 AFFIDAVIT I (We), the authorized representative(s) of ____________________ do hereby state and affirm that it is the carefully considered intention and pledge of _____________________________ to exert the full extent of its influence to ensure that the Government of the United States follows that course of action which is in the long- term best interest of the United States of America in the matter of future relations between the United States and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam. ____________________________ further asserts and affirms the belief that, under currently prevailing circumstances, it would be inappropriate and contrary to the best interest of the United States to take any steps toward the normalization of relations with the Socialist Republic of Vietnam or to lift or otherwise modify the current trade restrictions enforced against the Socialist Republic of Vietnam by the United States. However, should events unfold such that: (1) The government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam release and/or provide an opportunity to return to the United States of any and all American or former American citizens currently living in Vietnam or any other area under the authority or influence of the government of Vietnam, whether injured, ill, maimed, mentally deficient or of good health; (2) The government of the Socialist Republic of Vietnam release from incarceration and/or detention all Vietnamese citizens presently incarcerated or detained as a result of political or military activities engaged in prior to May 1, 1975, and the government of Vietnam further provide priority status for such individuals for emigration through the Orderly Departure Program; Then and only then would the best interest of the United States be most effectively served by -- A. Normalization of the diplomatic relationship between the United States and the Socialist Republic of Vietnam in order to build a stronger, more favorable and lasting relationship between the people of the United States and Vietnam; B. Normalization of the trade relationship between the United States and Vietnam including U.S. "Most Favored Nation" trading status to be extended by the U.S. to Vietnam, which would pave the way for U.S. companies, investors and private citizens to participate in the economic revitalization of Vietnam; C. The advance payment by the United States to the Socialist Republic of Vietnam the sum of US$4 billion in return for a 20-year lease of port facilities located at Cam Ranh Bay, allowing for the early closure of the U.S. base at Subic Bay, Philippine Islands. It is the fervent hope of _______________________________ - in the interest of the American and Vietnamese people and our two nations - that circumstances occur which will warrant the best effort to promote and help to build a strong, lasting relationship between the United States and Vietnam. Signed _____________________________ Date _______________ Witness ____________________________ Date _______________ NAM VET Newsletter Page 24 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 W W M M W W M M M M W W \ / M M M M OOOO W W W --*-- M M M IIII O O W W W W / \ M M II O O W W W W M M II O O W W M M II O O II PPPPPP O O ..... II AA PP PP OOOO . '' '' .. IIII A A PP PP ..' '.. A A PPPPPPP ..' ''. A A PP ..' '. AAAAAA PP .' ''. A A PP .' '. A A .' .:::::.. '. .' .::::::::::. ' .' .::::::::::::::. '. .' __ .::::::::::::::::;:... '. .' _- -_ .:::::::::::::::::::::::. '. .' _-_ _ _ -_ ::::::::::::::::::::::::' '. .. _- -!!___!!!-_:::::::::::::::::::::::. .. .' ==_ _- _= .:::::::::::::::::::::::: ', . =-_= _= = :::::::::::::::::::::::: . .' =-_ =_- = ::::::::::::::::::::::: '. .' = - -_ =_:::::::::::::::::::::. '. .' -_ -_- .:::::::::::::::::::;;;. '. .' _-_ ..::::::::::::::::::::::::; '. . _ _ .:;:::::::::::::::::::::;, . ' _ .:::::::::::::::::::::::::. '. Y .'.....::::::::::::::::::::::::::;' '. N ::::::::::::::::::::::::' `''' ': O `::::::::::::::::::::::: \v/ \ / :'E `:::::::::::::::::::::: =========================== :' U `:::::::::::::::::::::. /^\ \ :'T `:::::::::::::::::::: .: A `:::::::::::::::::: .:'T `::::::::::::::::::. .;' R `:::::::::::::::::. .;' T `::::::::::::::::. .;' E `:::::::::gjp::: .:' O `:::::::::::::...........'' G N O T F O R " Bring them home --- NOW !!! " NAM VET Newsletter Page 25 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 ================================================================== In-Touch ================================================================== In-Touch or Soft Touch By Ray "Frenchy" Moreau NamVet's In-Touch Section Editor VETLink #2 - Herndon, VA (703) 471-8010 The elderly couple relaxed in their special chairs were fascinated with what was appearing on the television screen. It appeared as though nothing could shake them loose from the modern imagery except for a phone call. Leo got up from his chair and grabbed the clattering device. "Damn," he thought,"been saying to myself to silence this ringer." "Hello." "Hello!! Is this Mr. Snapwood speaking?" "Yes! Who is this please?" "You don't know me, Mr. Snapwood, but you will. Do you remember Albert Marion Snapwood?" "Yes, he is my nephew and he has been MIA since 1966." "We found him Mr. Snapwood... Is the Mrs. available?" Puzzled, Leo laid the receiver down and motioned for Jay to come to the phone. "Guy on the line says he found Albert... he wants to talk to you" Jay picked up the phone and again reiterated what Leo had said. "Who is this?" "Mrs. Snapwood this is good news for your family. We have reason to believe that Albert is very much alive. If we cannot prove he is alive then we will make sure his name will be placed on The Wall." The above is an excerpt from a conversation my in-laws had just a few weeks ago. Somehow, somewhere a new scam is crawling out of the midst of toxic waste. That scam, although small, is growing and is attacking our elderly. They have suffered enough. Yet, some devilish fiends are trying to make easy money by preying on those that have loved one's presumed to be MIAs. My in-laws know about the "In Touch" system. Within its databases all the information relative to each and every soldier, sailor, or marine that has been killed, POW and MIA is available. Additionally, many offices in Washington, DC provide to the public information about an individual if found. The one question which Jay asked had stopped the would-be beggars from continuing. That question was simple and to the point - "How come my sister was not NAM VET Newsletter Page 26 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 notified? And, by the way, Albert's name IS on the Wall". The guy hung up........ Please educate your neighbors, especially the elderly, concerning the possibility of falling into the arms of a con artist. With the latest news about the possibility of the US Government's cover-up about the MIA and POW's, our families would be more attuned to getting assistance from these gutter bums. - Frenchy - NAM VET Newsletter Page 27 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 In-Touch. What is it ??? Input by: Ray "Frenchy" Moreau NAM VETs IN-TOUCH Section Editor Herndon Byte eXchange/VETLink #2 - Herndon, VA (703) 471-8010 ================================================================= |+++++++++++++++++++++++++ IN TOUCH ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++| | There are some 43 million people in the United States whose | | lives were directly and irrevocably touched by the Vietnam | | War. | | | | Almost four million people served in Vietnam -- the longest, | | and perhaps most difficult, war in our history. More than a | | quarter of a million were seriously wounded. 58,175 are dead | | or missing. | | | | Each of those who returned recognizes the true cost of war. | | But so too do the families and friends, wives and lovers of | | those listed on the Wall. They too paid a tremendous price, | | not always recognized... many still do. | | | | Though twenty years have passed, it seems that is the period | | people have needed to get the distance necessary to begin to | | address the unresolved, deeply personal issues that have | | been haunting them since the war. Perhaps that is a measure | | of the pain. | | | | But, the "healing of a nation" that was intended by the | | building of the Memorial, has begun. | | | | In the office of the Friends of the Vietnam Veterans | | Memorial, we hear them on the other end of the phone on | | any given day, and far into the night, they call from all | | corners of the country. | | | | "If only I could find out..." | | "I need to find his family so I can keep my promise..." | | "I just want to talk to someone who was with him... " | | "Please, can you help...?" | | | | At the Wall, we find them every day. Veterans who have not | | spoken of their experiences even to their most intimate | | family members are now beginning, tentatively, to seek a | | responsive ear. | | | | Brothers and sisters, parents and even wives who were simply | | never allowed full expression of their grief because of the | | fierce pressures of the time, are now coming forward, | | looking for someone who can help with their healing. | | | | We hear from children, now 15 - 25 years old, who are | | searching for bits and pieces of information they can | | assemble to help fill that empty place in their lives that | | is the father they never knew well, if at all. And they want | | to talk to each other, to share their special needs and the | | unique experience of growing up with a father on the Wall. | | They understand each other all too well. | NAM VET Newsletter Page 28 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 | | | Millions of Americans need to meet and talk because of the | | Wall, and only the Friends can help them. | | | | Initial discussions with many other national organizations | | whose work brings them into contact with Vietnam veterans | | and their loved ones have attested to the need for IN TOUCH | | and their willingness to help. | | | | Simply put, the Friends will draw on its special work at the | | Memorial, its acquired and available data bases and | | programs designed and integrated by Electronic Data Systems | | (EDS), and the commitment and concern of its volunteers to | | place people with a common association to a name on the Wall | | to be in voluntary communication with each other. | | | | From there, we will let human nature take its good course. | | And let the healing begin. | | | | The starting point for the data base will be the more than | | twenty thousand names of people who have requested name | | rubbings from our volunteers in Washington. Each will be | | contacted and given the opportunity to participate by being | | listed in the IN TOUCH central data base file. | | | | Confidentiality is the keyword to cooperation and IN TOUCH | | will respect the integrity of all lists and records. Lists | | will be unavailable for public use and will not be | | distributed for any commercial purpose. | | | | By its nature, IN TOUCH must reach far beyond the veterans | | community in order to be successful. With professional | | guidance, the Friends will develop a program of on-going | | articles and other coverage in major media markets, high- | | lighting the personal experiences of people as they are put | | "in touch." The International Vietnam Veterans Echo | | Conference via the Herndon Byte eXchange 1:109/316 node as | | the enter point for gathering and disseminating information | | will be used. Aside from bringing the program into public | | awareness, these articles and stories will serve as a val- | | uable tool for public education on a wealth of matters | | relating to the Vietnam era. | | | | As a preliminary test of the IN TOUCH project, the Friends | | has implemented a pilot project to test the design and | | demands of such a program. Several hundred requests with | | full background information have been entered into a system | | designed to match requestor data with the existing Memorial | | data. Even with such a small sample, limited data and a | | fairly unsophisticated cross-indexing system, matches have | | been made and IN TOUCH has produced its first real | | connections. The results have been as profoundly moving for | | the participants as expected. And as gratifying for the | | Friends. | | | | But it was clear that the information management system and | | the supporting hardware system would have to be more power- | | ful and more complex in order to handle thousands, perhaps | | hundreds of thousands, of requests. Confidentiality of the | NAM VET Newsletter Page 29 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 | system and information must be paramount. | | | | With well over 2,000 Vietnam veterans, Electronic Data | | Systems (EDS) became involved and has been generous in its | | assistance with designing the data management systems which | | will be critical to a successful program. The Friends have | | reached a three-year working agreement with EDS which | | promises continuity and maximum potential for success in | | building an information bank that can truly help people in | | their search for others who knew a loved one. | | | | The Friends are delighted that Bob Hope has agreed to make | | a public service announcement which we can use on radio and | | television to help get the word out to the public on the | | availability of the service. | | | | The Friends are also pleased to note that Hewlett Packard, | | Zenith Data Systems, Borland International, FASTCOMM | | Communications Corporation and the First National Bank of | | Chicago have all contributed computer equipment, computer | | software, and office equipment to the project, so they are | | beginning to feel fully functional. | | | | The Friends hear from people who have long been living with | | the pain of loss and looking for a way to heal. For | | instance, the Friends recently received a letter from a | | woman who wrote: | | | | Dear Friends: | | For quite some time I have been searching for a | | way to know my brother. It seems hopeless at times. | | I was 12 when he was killed... I had waited for the | | day he would come back to us. He never did. A part | | of me will always be 12 and continue to wait. | | Thank you for giving me hope that there may be | | a way to find him and bring him home to my heart..." | | | | + + + | | | | The Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial | | Electronic Data Systems | | Herndon Byte eXchange TCOMMnet BBS 1:109/316 | | | |+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++| NAM VET Newsletter Page 30 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 L'chayim by Ralph S. Carlson VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 Carl came gentle to basic and none of the D.I.'s snapping at our heels nor the direct orders yelled up our nostrils-- EVERY RECRUIT AND I MEAN EVERY RECRUIT INCLUDING YOU WISE GUY WILL ON MY COMMAND MARCH TO THE NEXT BAYONET PRACTICE STATION WITH WEAPON AT PORT ARMS AND EVERY TIME YOUR PEACE-LOVING LEFT FOOT HITS MY TRAINING GROUND YOU WILL WITH EVERYBODY ELSE IN THIS PLATOON YELL 'KILL' DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME BOOT!-- by sergeants short on more than inseams subdued his gentleness. nor did that night on base camp perimeter guard, Martin and Sedrowski in the M79 emplacement, Lee out left in the rifle pit, Carl and Duffy on starlight scope, field phone and M60 in the main bunker when 86th Sappers under new moon cloud cover pulled infiltration and assault to satchel the ammo bunkers and blew the humid black to tracers crazing the whole perimeter, with friendly 81s and 105s dropping shit right in the wire under chute flares to catch Charles coming and going, and Lee taking an AK slug in the chest and yelping till Carl and Duffy shitcan common sense and belly out under the lead to drag him back into bunker four-two, work his flak jacket and jungle blouse off and rip enough t-shirt away to start a gauze wrap around the ribs, letting the rest of the world play war in silhouettes spattering rounds dizzy under the dangle of white phosphorus hissing down to cigar-glow, their rifles chinned against the back wall beyond the aid kit, out of reach, when a shadow rises in the east door, grenade shoulder high for the lob, and Carl, Duffy, Lee and the universe freeze, gauze rolls at the ready over Lee's staining chest - four shadows welded in the breath none could take - till the grenade hand melts back into the short bulk and then the doorway flickers once more with the pink spray of tracers from four-three's machinegunner working his field of fire and Carl, still gentle, names his every breath thereafter a gift. NAM VET Newsletter Page 31 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 ================================================================== Together then... ================================================================== Still fighting Vietnam Support group forms for Viet vets' families by Carolyn A. April The South Advocate Input by G. Joseph Peck NamVet's Managing Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 Alma Schilling of Otis knew little about Post Traumatic Stress Disorders (PTSD) until this year, when her husband, a Vietnam veteran, underwent the dramatic personality changes and temper flares associated with the disorder. Now 23 years after her husband's return from Southeast Asia, Schilling has formed a support group in Berkshire County for families whose spouse or loved one is still suffering the after- effects of the Vietnam War. The support group is called SURVIVOR (Support Understanding Recovery for Veteran's families Independent of the Veteran's Origins or Readjustment problems). Schilling's group will meet weekly in Pittsfield to discuss the effects of PTSD and to help wives handle stress associated with their husbands readjustment problems. SURVIVOR will be based on a 12-step recovery program similar to the one used by groups like Alcoholics and Overeaters Anonymous. "There is a big need for this group," Schilling said in an interview last week. "For some men it has taken up to 25 years for symptoms to come out because they have been repressing them unknowingly all this time. So what do we as families do when it happens to us?" Schilling's husband (she would not reveal his name to protect his anonymity) served in the military from 1965-1968, seeing active combat duty from 1967-1968. Once home, he became a virtual workaholic, holding down three jobs at once for most of their married life. Keeping busy was his way of repressing the war, she said. But when an accident last winter kept him confined to the house for six months, her husband's entire personality started to change. "I didn't know what was happening to him, and he just couldn't explain it to me," Schilling said. "He simply went nuts being here in the house all day." At the time, Schilling noted that her husband's at-home time coincided with the Persian Gulf War and television's daily broadcast of soldiers' celebrated return home. Her husband's mental health failed to improve over this time, and he was eventually hospitalized at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Northampton for PTSD treatment. Schilling says her need for a support group like SURVIVOR came after she discovered that there were no support services or literature out there to help her understand and cope with what was happening to her husband. "I had nowhere to turn to get answers," she said. So she has started SURVIVOR, in the hope it can become a recovery tool for wives of men still devastated by the Vietnam NAM VET Newsletter Page 32 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 War. "Our intention is not to explain the Vietnam experience to each other," Schilling said. "We can't do that, because only they [veterans] know what happened then. We want to try and explain what is happening now, and see what can be done about it." Approximately 500,000 Vietnam veterans nationwide suffer from PTSD, according to Renee Mendez, a psychiatric nurse clinician at the Northampton Veterans Hospital. Mendez specializes in PTSD treatment at the hospital and is the professional consultant for the new SURVIVOR group. She says PTSD symptoms can lay dormant for years, to be triggered by something later on in a veteran's life. (The Persian Gulf War, for example, has intensified many PTSD sufferers symptoms). PTSD symptoms include isolation, violence, insomnia, rage, depression, combat flashbacks and substance abuse. As women struggling to keep their families intact, wives are under an enormous amount of stress, Mendez said. Many PTSD men are unable to work because they can not concentrate for any length of time - therefore, women not only run the household, but are also the breadwinners. "It is the superwoman syndrome," she said. "And these women are walking on eggshells whenever their husbands are around. His problems cause them to feel like they are not doing something right, which then leads to feelings of guilt and inadequacy." GROUNDBREAKING PROJECT Mendez hails the SURVIVOR group as a groundbreaking project that finally deals with the wives of PTSD victims. Up until this point, she says, most professional attention has been centered on treating the veterans only. Like wives of alcohol and drug abusers, Schilling and the other PTSD women often lose a sense of their identity and become as isolated from the outside world as their husbands, Mendez says. SURVIVOR's 12-step program will give these women a clear set of recovery guidelines to follow. The steps will help women to redefine who they are and to stop trying to be all things to all people. The program will also incorporate reading materials and educational literature about the Vietnam War and PTSD, so women can get a better sense of what their husbands have gone through. Most veterans, Mendez said, refuse to relate painful war experiences to their families. "It's important for these women to get out of their homes and share their experience with other women who are going through the same thing," she said. "Mutuality of experience is integral to any type of recovery." Ongoing support groups like SURVIVOR are especially important because PTSD may not be curable. "We just don't know yet if it is or not," Mendez said. "We do know that many men are chronically affected." The first meeting of the SURVIVOR support group will be Sept. 30 at 7 p.m. at the Veterans Outreach Center on Whipple Street in Pittsfield (MA). Both transportation and child care are available. For more information call (413) 269-4252. NAM VET Newsletter Page 33 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Among the honored and proud! . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 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!" . . . . From . . The Staff of NamVet . . . . and participants in . . . . The International Vietnam Veterans EchoConference . . . NAM VET Newsletter Page 34 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 "WHEN REMEMBERING IS TOO MUCH ... OR NOT ENOUGH" by G. Joseph Peck NamVet's Managing Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 Tears traced their crooked fingers down the paraplegic veterans' face, wrapped themselves around the stylus held in his mouth, and gently spiraled towards his computer keyboard. "Finally," sobbed the veteran, "Someone who understands what I'm talking about when I mention bouncing betty's, C-Rats or mad-minutes! A brother veteran!" 35-minutes later, telephone wires from his home jumped to life as he connected with a faraway computer bulletin board (BBS) that was part of FidoNet(tm), a worldwide network of over 11,000 amateur computer operators, and delivered his reply to a message he'd read earlier. The walls around him slowly began to dissolve as the howling winter wind screamed through the dark night outside. He was no longer alone. After working his eighth consecutive 16-hour day, the tired but restless veteran found himself again unable to sleep. Inside his luxurious home, trophies, plaques and civic awards hung on all the walls. To all that knew him, he WAS a success - but still something gnawed at, agitated, irritated him. He turned on his computer and called a local FidoNet BBS to see what new messages had come in that day. Reaching for her cup of tea, hand brushing a potted plant, the nurse began to tremble as hot steam and plant leafs reawakened memories of long-ago hurried footsteps from a medevac helicopter. Closed in on all sides by tall jungle grass, the pathway was soon dotted with droplets of blood and fluids from the battle-wounded soldier she helped carry to the field hospital. A wave of relief came over her as she saw the familiar characters: "Please input your name-" appear on the monitor screen of her computer. Quickly, she signed in and navigated her way to an area of the BBS entitled "VIETNAM_VETS International Echo". (An "echo" is a message base that is shared - echoed - from BBS-to-BBS around the world.) In March of 1987, G. Joseph Peck, a Pittsfield, MA service- disabled veteran, veteran activist, and founder/President of Berkshire Veterans' Center, Inc. (BVCI) - a grassroots electronic veteran service organization whose Board of Directors includes members in Herndon, VA; Katy, TX; Shady Side, MD; Chatsworth, GA and Staten Island, NY - came upon the International VIETNAM_VETS Echo Conference (IVVEC) which had been created by Todd C. Looney of San Jose, CA, and added it to the offerings of VETLink #1, a BVCI-sponsored BBS veteran outreach effort. In a very short time, BVCI helped create the VETNet echoes - a collection of veteran-oriented file and message bases - which also soon began to be shared throughout the U.S. and Canada. Veterans, spouses and children of veterans, and those interested in the veteran experience began sharing and relating their various experiences, their nightmares, their good times and bad, as well as important veteran information into the message bases. Veterans who had long ago lost contact with others they had served alongside found long lost friends and service buddies. IVVEC and NAM VET Newsletter Page 35 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 the VETNet echoes began to shine with a truly international hue as veterans from Canada and Australia added their voices to the rapidly growing veteran kaleidoscope, and VETLink #1 became the Eastern hub of the VETNet echoes described below. VIETNAM_VETS-- An echo by, for and about veterans, primarily those of the Vietnam era but often participated in by veterans of ALL era's and conflicts. MIA-POW------- An echo for the discussion(s) of efforts involving the MIA-POW situation. VET_REUNION--- An echo for announcing reunions of various military outfits and groups. MILITARY_ISSUE An echo for discussions related to life in the military. VETREACH------ An echo for locating missing military buddies and friends. IN_TOUCH------ An echo for discussions concerning the Friends of the Vietnam Memorial's In-Touch project. TOUCH_BACK---- An echo for discussions concerning those who have made contact with the family/friend of a soldier whose name is on The Wall. FVVM_NEWS----- An echo sharing information from Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. JEWISH_VETERANS An echo for veterans of the Jewish faith. VETERANS_TOO-- An echo for the children of Vietnam Veterans. VETS_FRIENDS-- An echo for discussions amongst those concerned about veterans and the issues that concern them. HOSP_VETS----- An echo for discussions of various situations surrounding the hospitalized veteran. CHRISTIAN_VET- An echo for discussions concerning Faith, Religion and the veteran. 12STEPS_VETS-- A recovery-type echo devoted to helping veterans recovering from various forms of addictions. VETS_JOBTALK-- An echo for discussions concerning the hunt for the elusive job, lack of promotions , and other job-related hassles. BROWN_WATER--- An echo for discussions concerning the Brown Water Navy - The River Rats, PBR's, small boats and crews. KOREAN_VET---- An echo for discussions by, for and about Korean vets. ISAW---------- (Institute for Study of American Wars) An echo for discussions concerning all wars and the soldiers/participants therein. VETLINK_CENTCOM - A "VETLink-ONLY" echo for service and other communication between the various VETLink's On Veterans' Day, 1987 (11/11/87) Looney and Peck, mindful of the fact that messages on many BBSs get deleted, created and produced the premier issue of an electronic newsletter called "NamVet" that would distill much of the information from the VETNet echoes, include contributions from echo participants, and add other important information for all veterans, their families, and those interested and concerned about America's veterans. Averaging 90 - 100 pages in length, NamVet continues to be produced monthly and is now in high demand by Vietnam and other veterans and their families. With VETLink #1, the VETNet echoes, and NamVet, it appeared that NAM VET Newsletter Page 36 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 the work of BVCI was complete and there was nothing left to do but polish up and keep adding to the offerings of VETLink #1 - among them being Electronic Service Officers (disabled or other house/homebound veterans who could devote time and energy towards serving their fellow veterans) and computerized versions of Department of Veterans Affairs forms for processing/submitting claims. The quiet breeze of support, camaraderie and veteran benefit information that had softly begun to rustle quickly became a whirlwind as, zephyr-like, more and more veterans discovered the variety of VETNet echoes and NamVet. With no thought of reward save that of "continuing in proud service to America and those who serve(d) her", the repertoire of VETLink #1 efforts and services resulted in other veterans volunteering to set up a VETLink in their hometown. Korean/Vietnam Navy veteran Raymond Moreau, designer of the Friends of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial IN_TOUCH computer program, became VETLink #2 in Herndon, VA; Mike Bryeans, software designer of the OSIRIS BBS and ISIS mailer in use by all VETLink's to-date, became VETLink #3 in Cape Girardeau, MO; Retired Army veteran James Hildwine, with a great deal of communications expertise, became VETLink #4 in Shady Side, MD; and medically- discharged Marine Corps veteran Fred Sochacki, experienced in veteran job-searching techniques, added VETLink #5 in Passaic, NJ. VETLink's for the western part of the U.S., Canada and Australia are now in the process of being established. "Getting veteran news and information out to the public, operated with a spirit of dedicated and committed care and concern, a VETLink is totally a volunteer effort on the part of all our VETLink System Operators," says Peck. "I would like to see telephone companies provide 800- numbers to the VETLink's so that veterans, who have already paid so dear a price for the freedom we enjoy today, wouldn't have to continue paying to get information and camaraderie they've EARNED; I would like to see Berkshire Veterans' Center, Inc. - a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization, listed in the IRS List of Charitable Organizations - become the recipient of funding because, since its creation, it has only been supported by my VA Disability Compensation check, donations of needed equipment and supplies from other VETLink's, and small donations from the general public; and I would really be happy, deep down in my heart, if I knew that any veteran, no matter where s/he is, could find the information, camaraderie, support and fellowship they so well earned by virtue of their military service." John F. Kennedy once said: "Some men dream dreams and say 'Why?' I dream dreams and say 'Why not!'" When all that remains is a stylus to tap-tap-tap out a message; when memories of yesterday agitate and annoy, and when life-fluids seem to ebb low, the dream - and hard work - of G. Joseph Peck, Berkshire Veterans' Center, Inc., and all VETLink System Operators stand ready for you and those you care about... when remembering is too much - ... or not enough. NAM VET Newsletter Page 37 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 ================================================================== Forgotten - again? ================================================================== Incarcerated Veterans Bill By Joyce Flory NamVet's Incarcerated Veterans Section Editor Desert Dolphin BBS - Las Cruces, NM (505) 523-2811 In recent months, I have been asked by at least three Vietnam Veterans, incarcerated (from New York, Pennsylvania, and Indiana) to get the following Bill out into the public to try and gain support for it. This Bill was introduced to Congress in early 1991 and has, apparently, been stalled or put onto a back burner as to its importance. This is not the case with the Vietnam Veterans, incarcerated. They *need* this Bill to be passed. It will help many of those presently incarcerated to obtain services and benefits now denied them and will set up guidelines for those imprisoned in the future. Please take a few moments to read this Bill, and then a few more to write to your Congressmen and Senators in support of it. We, as a whole, have been able to do wonders by writing Congress on behalf of the Agent Orange and POW/MIA issues, let's see what we can do to help the incarcerated vets. 102ND CONGRESS H.R. 1181 IH 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 as: 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 NAM VET Newsletter Page 38 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 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 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 as in paragraph (2) of section 101 of title 38, United States Code. NAM VET Newsletter Page 39 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 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). (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; NAM VET Newsletter Page 40 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 (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 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-- NAM VET Newsletter Page 41 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 (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. 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 NAM VET Newsletter Page 42 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 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. 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 43 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 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 44 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 [Note from Joe: Joyce went to a LOT of work to get the O.K. for this article's reproduction in NamVet. Immediately preceding each segment of the article (it is in three parts), her request and the answer to her request are printed.] August 23,1991 To Who It May Concern; I am trying to locate Mr. Marc Leepson. I was recently sent a copy of his article called "Viet Cons" and I would like to reprint it, with proper credit, into a monthly Vietnam Veterans newsletter. I would like Mr. Leepson's permission, the magazine name, and date that it was published. The managing editor of the newsletter requires this information before reprinting anyone's work. I am the section editor for the Vietnam Veterans, Incarcerated section of the newsletter. I found Mr. Leepson's article informative and would like to pass this on to other Vietnam veterans. I, also, have contact with Vietnam veteran inmates in fifteen states across the country. I would like to pass this article on to them. It was stated at the end of the article that Mr. Leepson was a columnist and book editor for "Veterans" magazine and your's was the closest address I could find to locate him. If I have contacted the wrong person or place, thank you for your time. If there is any way you may be able to help me contact Mr. Leepson, I would appreciate the information. Thank you, in advance, for any time and trouble taken on my behalf. Yours truly; Mrs. Joyce Flory XXXX XXXXXX XXX Las Cruces, N.M. 88001 (505)-XXX-XXXX On Sept. 16th I received the following handwritten reply from Mr. Leepson: "9-12-91 TO Joyce Flory, My article on Vietnam veterans in jail appeared in the July 1988 issue of Gallery magazine. You have my permission to reprint it in your newsletter. Please send me a copy. And please identify me as: ARB Editor of "The Veteran," The Monthly Newspaper Published By Vietnam Veterans of America. Thank you, Marc Leepson" NAM VET Newsletter Page 45 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 VIET CONS "Why American Vets have gone from jungle to jail" By Marc Leepson, ARB Editor The VVA Veteran Magazine Input by Joyce Flory NamVet's Incarcerated Veterans Section Editor Desert Dolphin BBS - Las Cruces, NM (505) 523-2811 [Note from Joyce: The following piece was sent to me by Mike Harris. In order to have the article included in the newsletter, I have broken it into a three part series. This is Part 2 of 3.] Combat and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Exactly how many vets in prison are there because of psychological trauma associated with their tours of duty in Vietnam is an open question. The psychological problems of combat soldiers have been recognized and measured during and after nearly every war in modern times. But Vietnam was different, and several factors peculiar to the fighting there have made psychological adjustments for returning vets particularly difficult. For those in the field, fighting in 'Nam was "mostly a matter of enduring weeks of expectant waiting and, at random intervals, of conducting vicious manhunts through jungles and swamps, where snipers harassed us and booby traps cut us down one by one," says Marine combat vet Philip Caputo in his widely praised memoir, A Rumor of War. "Without a front, flanks or rear, we fought a formless war against a formless enemy who evaporated like the morning jungle mists, only to materialize in some unexpected place. Most of the time nothing happened; but when something did, it happened instantaneously and without warning." Add to that trauma the fact that most of those who bore the brunt of the fighting in 'Nam were teenagers - at a time of life when one is particularly vulnerable to mental stress. And then there's the extremely controversial nature of the war - and the fact that people back home weren't exactly on total war footing. And that's not to mention the underwhelming reception most vets received once they survived the ordeal and made it back home. When World War II vets came home and went to bars, the story goes, everybody bought them a round of drinks. When Korean War vets came home, they had to buy their own drinks. And when Vietnam vets came home, they had to buy everybody else a round of drinks. Vietnam vets may have been heroes to their families and friends, but the joy they felt coming home was soon dampened by their reception. To be blunt: Vietnam vets were blamed by the hawks for not winning the war, and by doves just for taking part in it. Most vets reacted to the tepid reception by turning inward and not dealing with their war experiences. But even armchair psychologists can tell you that when traumatic events are suppressed they'll eventually rise to the surface. That's what happened in the early '70s, when the experts began identifying what they started calling " Vietnam syndrome" among many combat vets. Max Clelland, the former head of the Veterans Administration and himself a combat vet, describes the syndrome as a "feeling of malaise or disaffection or alienation." Caputo calls it "combat veterantis," which he describes as "an inability to concentrate, a childlike fear of darkness, a tendency to tire easily, chronic nightmares, an intolerance of loud noises, and NAM VET Newsletter Page 46 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 altering moods of depression and rage that [come] for no apparent reason." In 1980 the American Psychiatric Association officially recognized the condition and gave it an official name: post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The experts are quick to point out that most of the vets in jail today would be there whether they had been to Vietnam or not. "There are Vietnam vets in prison whose problems have nothing to do with the war," says Dr. John P. Wilson, a professor of psychology at Cleveland State University, who is recognized as the nation's leading PTSD expert. The Vietnam veterans in prison are "like any other population," Wilson says. "You'll find folks in there who are just plain nasty. They just happen to be veterans." However, Wilson and others who have studied the psychological makeup of Vietnam veterans believe that, for a significant number of vets, what happened to them in Vietnam has had a direct relationship to their criminal behavior. "I think there are lots of people who are in prison who shouldn't be, because when they were found in this criminal activity, it was associated with Vietnam," notes Dr. Charles Figley, a Marine Vietnam veteran who is a professor of family therapy and psychology at Indiana's Purdue University and a longtime expert on PTSD. In the last decade, experts like Wilson and Figley have testified in criminal and civil cases around the country for combat vets who suffered from many types of PTSD. Some are of the classic flashback variety, in which the veteran actually believes he is back in Vietnam while committing a crime. But the PTSD experts have recently uncovered more subtle forms of the disorder. "These are a kind of reactment in the form of thrill-seeking and sensation-seeking - what I've called the 'action addict' or 'action junkie syndrome'," Wilson says. In these cases, veterans have performed a variety of actions," consciously or unconsciously, that really are a repetition, both psychologically of the state experienced during the trauma, and the enactment in behavior in a very complex form ," Wilson notes. For example, shortly after Chris Davis got out of the Army in 1971, he began associating with a revolutionary group, the Black Patriotic Party, in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri. "We did robberies, except we called them urban guerilla operations," Davis says. "I found out I needed the fix; I needed the adrenaline fix. So it was a natural thing for me to do." But there are other, more subtle forms of PTSD, and they have affected veterans quite unlike Davis, who was born in the inner city and grew up in and out of trouble with the police even before he joined the Army and went to Vietnam. There are many cases of men who came from solid, middle-class or even upper-middle-class backgrounds, had a good education, lived in good suburbs, went to Vietnam, and came back and led seemingly model lives. But then, something happened. There was Peter Krutschewski, for example, a former Army helicopter pilot who did two tours in Vietnam. In 1981 Krutschewski, who after coming home went on to make a fortune in the oil business, was found guilty of smuggling 57,000 pounds of marijuana into the country. He was convicted and sentenced to ten years in jail. Similarly, Robert Mason, who flew more than 1,000 helicopter missions in Vietnam and wrote about his war experiences in a critically acclaimed memoir, Chickenhawk, entered federal prison in 1983 for smuggling a boatload of marijuana into South Carolina. Both men were diagnosed as having PTSD and eventually NAM VET Newsletter Page 47 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 were paroled. Then there's the case of Larry Fine (a pseudonym), a Vietnam vet from a large Western city who, until he was convicted of stock fraud last year, had led a seemingly upright and normal life. Larry grew up on a thriving family farm, had been a straight A student in high school, and was planning on becoming a priest before he got drafted into the Army in 1967. He was a squad leader in an infantry unit, enmeshed in heavy combat for most of his 1968 tour in 'Nam, but he survived the ordeal. Soon after he came home, Larry went to college, graduated, and started his own very successful business. He became a millionaire and then went into the stock-commodities business. He had a yacht, a beautiful home, a loving wife, and two kids. Larry was arrested in 1987 for stock fraud, and nobody could figure out why he did it. While looking into his background at the request of defense attorneys, John Wilson uncovered some startling facts. It turned out that Larry and a buddy had made a pact in 'Nam that should either be killed, the survivor would write to the dead guy's family and explain what had happened. The buddy got killed, but in his grief Larry could never write the letter. "He had all this guilt he'd carried around for years about not following through," Wilson says. Then Wilson found that Larry and his wife were not getting along, primarily because Larry was acting very depressed at home. It turned out that Lary spent most of his nights crawling around the house, carrying a gun and staring out a big picture window thinking the VC were after him. "He went to work with the Brooks Brothers suit on in the daytime and he became Mr. Community Leader," Wilson says. "He came home at night and the PTSD spilled all over the place." Larry eventually was convicted of the felony stock-fraud charges. But the judge took into consideration his military experiences and his psychological evaluation, and Larry was given probation and ordered to undergo psychiatric treatment. - To be concluded in Part 3 ... Next Month - Marc Leepson, who served in Vietnam with the U.S. Army 1967-68, is a freelance writer in Woodbridge, Virginia. He is columnist and book editor for The Veteran magazine, which is published by Vietnam Veterans of America in Washington, D.C. NAM VET Newsletter Page 48 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 ================================================================== Don't drink the water! ================================================================== A History of Agent Orange From an article entitled: Competing Paradigms in the Assessment of Latent Disorders: The Case of Agent Orange Wilbur J. Scott, University of Oklahoma Input by Jim Ferguson NamVet Agent Orange Section Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 Note From Wilbur J. Scott - I am deeply indebted to Malcolm Spector for inspiration, guidance, and encouragement. I also thank Michael Sovic of the Oklahoma Agent Orange Foundation for reprints and technical comments. This paper is dedicated to the memory of my brother-in-arms, Donald Alan James, Jr. Such is war that the casualties mount long after the fighting ceases. On October 31, 1984, he took his own life in order to find peace. I first learned of Agent Orange as a veteran's issue from him. Address any correspondence to: Department of Sociology, University of Oklahoma, Norman, OK 73019. Summary: The use of the herbicide Agent Orange in Vietnam has sparked controversy and heated debate. The controversy revolves around the individuals and interest groups who advance and oppose the claim that exposure to the herbicide has caused high rates of cancer among Vietnam veterans and birth defects in their children. In this paper, I identify the protagonists, explore the claims- making activity, and review the varieties of evidence put forth in the case. The case serves as a useful vehicle for illustrating the politics of fact and certification. Nearly 220,000 Vietnam veterans have requested physical exam- inations from the Veterans Administration (VA) to confirm suspicions that their health problems are caused by exposure to the herbicide Agent Orange (VA, 1986:6). They allege that exposure to the herbicide some 10 to 20 years ago has produced health abnormalities among them and their children. The amount and type of exposure is virtually impossible to document and the symptoms in question include many conditions that are not uniquely associated with exposure to a herbicide. Further, the scientific evidence concerning the effects of exposure among humans is mixed. Exposure may have no significant long-term effects or it may contribute to the growing list of so-called latent disorders: environmentally produced, degenerative diseases in which there is a substantial time lag between exposure and consequence. These circumstances make the determination of cause and effect extremely difficult. If all Agent Orange claims were worthy of payment, compensation could reach several billion dollars. Vietnam veterans' organizations have accused the VA of negligence in investigating the claims. VA representatives have suggested that opportunistic veterans are pushing the issue to qualify undeservedly for disability ratings and compensation payments. Subsequent liti- gation includes a landmark class action suit against the Dow Chemical Company and five other manufacturers of Agent Orange and NAM VET Newsletter Page 49 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 a third party suit against the federal government filed by Dow Chemical. An out-of-court settlement which requires the manu- facturers to establish a $180 million fund for compensating veterans has produced grumbling and dissatisfaction on all sides. . . . . . . . . . . . . "ONLY WE CAN PREVENT FORESTS" Ideally suited for guerilla warfare, the dense jungles and forests of South Vietnam allowed Communist troops to fight when they had the advantage and hide when they did not. Therefore, as early as 1962, the American military toyed with the idea of defoliating combat areas by aerial spraying and purchased several specially prepared herbicides. Chemical companies mixed the ingredients according to military specifications and packaged the different herbicides in color-coded fifty-five gallon drums which gave them their names - Agents White, Blue, Purple, Pink, Green and Orange (ASCH, 1981,CSA, 1981; Lacey and Lacey, 1982). Each of the six herbicides contained compounds that were, or were suspected to be, poisonous. The U.S. Air Force assigned the spraying mission to the 309th Air Commando Squadron and designated the program, Operation Hades. It subsequently was given the more neutral designation of Operation Ranch Hand. The squadron, whose members coined the motto, "Only We Can Prevent Forests," sprayed large tracts of terrain from C-123 transport planes equipped with storage tanks and high-pressure nozzles. Other military units sprayed much smaller areas using helicopters, trucks, and backpacks to transport the herbicide. The most commonly used herbicide was Agent Orange, a 50-50 mix of 2,4-D (n-butyl-2,4-dicholorophenoxy-acetate) and 2,4,5-T (n- butyl-2,4,5-tricholorophenoxy-acetate;CSA,1981; Davis and Simpson, 1983; Galston, 1979). U.S. armed forces sprayed approximately 11 million gallons of Agent Orange between 1965 and 1971. About 90 percent of the spraying took place in jungle and forest regions to deprive enemy troops of cover; about 8 percent was devoted to destroying croplands under their control and the remaining 2 percent was used to clear U.S. base camp perimeters and communication lines. Although the U.S. Army originally developed 2,4,5-T during the Second World War for chemical and biological warfare, the military apparently considered it safe to use as a herbicide. An Army training manual used in Vietnam described Agent Orange as "relatively nontoxic" to humans and animals (Department of the Army, 1969). Further, farmers and ranchers, the forest industry, and government agencies had used phenoxy herbicides containing 2,4,5-T in the United States since the 1950s. In 1969, however, a scientific study reported the laboratory animals exposed to trace amounts of dioxin, an unintended byproduct of the manufacture of 2,4,5-T, developed cancer and had offspring with birth defects. At about the same time, Vietnamese officials received reports of birth defects and other health problems in rural areas sprayed with Agent Orange. In response to a growing public concern that dioxin might pose a significant health hazard to human health, the military in 1969 restricted the spraying program in Vietnam and then officially discontinued it in 1970. (Some units failed to receive word of the ban and continued spraying until 1971.) On the homefront, the U.S. Department of Agriculture placed restrictions on the use of 2,4,5-T in products or areas where direct human contact was likely. In 1973, Dr. Matthew Meselson of Harvard University developed a NAM VET Newsletter Page 50 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 technique for detecting dioxin at extremely low levels. His discovery allowed scientists to question a large body of research which failed to find evidence of 2,4,5-T's harmfulness. They soon concluded that dioxin was very toxic; doses of three or four parts per billion killed some laboratory animals (ACSH, 1981; CSA, 1981; Tschirley, 1986). In 1974, the National Academy of Sciences dispatched a team to Vietnam to assess the defoliation program's effects on humans and the environment. On-going military activity made it difficult to collect valid, systematic data. The team did not find enough evidence to draw conclusions about the effects on humans but recommended a study of the long-term consequences (NAS, 1974). THE LULL BEFORE THE STORM The military withdrew the last American combat troops from Vietnam in 1973 and left behind a small number of advisors. North Vietnam took Saigon in 1975, ending the American military presence. With this event, Vietnam veterans temporarily disappeared from public view. They lacked a national organization dedicated to their interests and, further, had no effective advocate in Congress. The American Legion, Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), and Disabled American Veterans (DAV), who traditionally have provided veterans with fraternal support and political clout, attracted few Vietnam veterans. These powerful organizations lobbied Congress during the 1970s for pensions and expanded health care in VA hospitals, programs benefitting older veterans comprising the bulk of their memberships. In 1978, there were only 11 Vietnam-era veterans serving in Congress; in contrast, 92 Second World War veterans - almost 20 percent of the combined House and Senate - were in Congress by 1948, two years after the end of that war (Bonior et al., 1984:136). In 1977, President Jimmy Carter appointed Max Cleland, a Vietnam veteran and triple amputee, as Director of the VA. Cleland was an outsider to the political machinery of veteran's affairs: his three predecessors were Second World War veterans and former commanders of either the American Legion or VFW. Vietnam veterans had pressing, immediate needs. Like veterans of all previous wars (Schuetz, 1980: Wector, 1980), Vietnam veterans experienced problems of readjustment upon returning home. However, there were significant differences. Unlike soldiers in the First and Second World Wars, who served for the duration of the war, most soldiers in Vietnam spent one year there then returned to civilian life. Hence, most Vietnam veterans entered and exited the combat zone individually as the war dragged on. The one-year rotation system deprived them of the primary ties which ordinarily bind combat troops (Moskos, 1976). Since the war lacked popular support, re-entry often took place in a divisive atmosphere. When the war ended, there was no triumphant return en masse, and there were no victory parades (MacPherson, 1984;54-64). Universal conscription during the Second World War also produced a veteran population drawn from the mainstream of American life, in contrast, those who served in Vietnam were drawn from "the ragged fringes of the Great American Dream" (Caputo, 1977;26). They were on the average 19 years of age (compared to an average age of 26 among Second World War soldiers), and they were poorer and less educated than the men of draft age who avoided active duty. Finally, the Vietnam War had a greater wounded-to-killed ratio than any previous war, producing a large number of traumatized and disabled veterans (Kuramoto, 1980:298). NAM VET Newsletter Page 51 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 In 1971, Senator Alan Cranston (California) introduced legis- lation to provide specialized health care and readjustment counseling for Vietnam veterans. Although the cost of the program for the recommended five-year period amounted to less than one percent of the VA budget for those years, The American Legion and the VFW opposed the legislation, fearing that it would divert funding from other programs favored by them (Bonior et al., 1984: 131-33). The Senate passed the legislation, but the House allowed it to die. Senator Cranston reintroduced the bill in 1973 and 1975, but it suffered the same fate. In 1977, Senator Cranston, by then chair of the Senate Committee on Veterans' Affairs, endorsed a House bill giving congressional veterans' committees a voice in choosing sites for VA hospitals in exchange for support in the House for readjustment counseling. The House bill failed, taking with it the proposed programs for Vietnam veterans. Attempts to make the benefits of the Vietnam GI Bill comparable to those of the Second World War GI Bill encountered the same resistance. Almost five years after the last combat unit returned from Vietnam, legislation to assist Vietnam veterans, opposed by the American Legion and VFW, had yet to clear Congress. The DAV did provide about $250,000 for a study, the Forgotten Warrior Project (Wilson, 1977). The report revealed significant problems in adjusting to civilian life among half of the veterans surveyed. However, the VA, the agency responsible for providing assistance, had conducted no survey of their special needs. This pattern of neglect set the stage for a flurry of activity by Vietnam veterans in which Agent Orange played a key role. AGENT ORANGE GETS WHITE-HOT The VA received the first claims contending illness and disability due to herbicides in 1977. By then a scattering of Vietnam veterans had collected circumstantial evidence linking their health problems to exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam (Wilcox, 1983). Among them was Air Force veteran Charlie Owens. Shortly after his retirement in 1977, he complained of stomach pain. His doctors diagnosed it as cancer. Owens attributed his cancer to the Agent Orange sprayed by his unit in Vietnam. He expressed his concern to Maude DeVictor, a counselor in Chicago's VA regional office, contending that the spray often was "so thick it looked just like Los Angeles smog" (Kurtis, 1983:43). Within a month after the diagnosis, Owens died of stomach cancer. DeVictor had not heard of Agent Orange; she asked other veterans if they recalled having been exposed to Agent Orange and requested information from the Department of Defense (DOD) about its possible harmful consequences. The DOD sent her reprints of scientific studies concluding that there was no evidence of the herbicide's harmfulness to humans. She compiled files of about two dozen veterans who reported exposure to the herbicide. DeVictor turned over the files to Bill Kurtis, a reporter for WBBM-TV, Chicago's CBS affiliate. Sensing a big story, Kurtis began work on a documentary about Agent Orange (Kurtis, 1983:42-46). He interviewed veterans who were themselves sick or who had children with birth defects. He also taped interviews with researchers, including Dr. Meselson, who testified that dioxin was a suspected carcinogen and teratogen. Since the documentary would be broadcast to a local audience late at night, Kurtis sought to increase its exposure. In the week before its airing, he provided each senator and representative from Illinois with a transcript and videotape of NAM VET Newsletter Page 52 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 the documentary and, on the day before the showing, held a private viewing for reporters from local newspapers. WBBM aired the documentary, "Agent Orange: Vietnam's Deadly Fog," at 10:30 p.m. on March 23, 1978. The story attracted national attention. Hundreds of inquiries from veterans flooded into the VA office in Chicago. Representative Abner Mikva of Chicago arranged for a subsequent screening of the documentary before the House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. He invited other interested parties, including administrators from the VA, the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), and the chemical companies who manufactured Agent Orange. In one dramatic swoop, Agent Orange went from the private rumblings of a handful of veterans to the center of national attention. In April, 1978, Representative Ralph Metcalf (IL) asked the General Accounting Office (GAO), the official research arm of Congress, to elicit from DOD a review of herbicide use in Vietnam. DOD took the position that only the approximately 1,200 par- ticipants in Operation Ranch Hand were at risk but nonetheless started compiling a computerized record of the spraying missions (called the HERBS tapes). Simultaneously, the EPA announced it would revoke the registration of (and hence preclude the further domestic use of) products containing 2,4,5-T unless manufacturers could document its safety for humans. The EPA cited studies of laboratory animals and of workers exposed to dioxin in industrial settings and accidents. The agency encouraged interested parties, including the general public, to submit information concerning exposure to dioxin and health problems. Residents of Alsea, Oregon reported a curious increase in miscarriages after a nearby forest was sprayed with Silvex, a herbicide containing 2,4,5-T. The EPA ordered an epidemiological study. In 1978, the VA circulated a memorandum describing procedures for dealing with Agent Orange-related inquiries. The memorandum stated that the effects of exposure to Agent Orange were short- term and fully reversible and urged the staff to reassure worried veterans (Wilcox, 1983: appendix A). In December, 1978, the VA also organized the Steering Committee on Health Related Effects of Herbicides. The committee noted that the VA considers an injury or illness as service-connected only if it arises during military service. Since the symptoms did not occur during active duty or within a year of discharge, the committee ruled that the ailments were not service-connected. The committee also insisted on scientific evidence based on human subjects before admitting a link between exposure to Agent Orange and harmful consequences. These rulings meant that veterans could not receive medical treatment from the VA for Agent-Orange related conditions and that they could not qualify for compensation. If the CBS documentary thrust Agent Orange into the national limelight, a lawsuit initiated in 1978 kept it there. Paul Reutershan, a Vietnam veteran dying of stomach cancer, filed a claim with the VA that year contending that his exposure to Agent Orange while flying helicopters in Vietnam caused the cancer. The documentary reinforced his belief in the herbicide's harmfulness. The VA acknowledged that he had cancer but denied that it was caused by Agent Orange. Reutershan explored the possibility of legal action. Judicial relief, however, is not easy to obtain in cases like these. The doctrine of sovereign immunity and its related principle of intra- military immunity, the Feres doctrine, prohibits veterans from suing the government for damages incurred during military service NAM VET Newsletter Page 53 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 (Feres v. United States, 1950: Lacey and Lacey, 1982:153-80; Schuck, 1985:58-69). Further, congressional legislation prohibits veterans from suing the VA over disposition of a case (Phillips, 1980). Therefore, Reutershan filed a $10 million personal injury suit in New York state court, naming Dow Chemical and two other manufacturers of Agent Orange as defendants (Reutershan v. the Dow Chemical Company, 1978). Shortly before he died in December, 1978, Reutershan founded the Agent Orange Victims International (AOVI) and pledged its handful of members to carry on the suit after his death. In the fall of 1978, two other organizations devoted to the needs of Vietnam veterans emerged. Vietnam Veterans of America was founded in Washington, DC as a national organization to advocate their interests, and the 11 Vietnam-era veterans in Congress formed an official caucus, Vietnam Veterans in Congress. Fledgling organizations already in existence, such as Citizen Soldier and Vietnam Veterans Against the War, also formed task forces on Agent Orange. THE ISSUE BROADENS In January of 1979, a month after Reutershan's death, AOVI hired Victor Yannacone, an accomplished attorney in workman's compensation disputes and a passionate foe of the chemical industry, as their "legal field commander" (Schuck, 1985:44). Yannacone refiled Reutershan's complaint as a class-action suit in federal court on behalf of all Vietnam veterans and their children who may have been damaged by the herbicide (Reutershan et al. v. The Dow Chemical Company et al., 1979). The suit named all six manufacturers of Agent Orange - Dow Chemical, Hercules, Northwest Industries, Diamond Shamrock, Monsanto, and North American Phillips - as defendants. Yannacone estimated the damages at $4 billion. Recent trends in the legal system favored the Agent Orange suit (Schuck, 1986:26-34). First, a series of decisions gradually extended a manufacturer's liability to all individuals who use or are exposed to its product. Previously, the obligation to produce and market nondefective goods - the duty of care - applied only to the purchaser of a product. In addition, strict liability without fault became the standard for assessing a manufacturer's culpability whereas, in the past, the plaintiff was required to show that the manufacturer failed to exercise reasonable precaution. The courts also no longer required the plaintiff to prove that a specific defendant made the product which caused the damage so long as some reasonable method existed for allocating the damages. (1) Finally, the amounts which courts and juries awarded in compensation for damages skyrocketed. Awards in excess of one million dollars became commonplace. Agent Orange quickly proved to be no ordinary product liability case. From the moment it was filed, the Reutershan suit attracted attention and notoriety in the media. Attorneys on both sides felt that this worked in favor of the veterans. Even after the CBS documentary and its coverage, very few veterans - and even a smaller percentage of the American public - knew about Agent Orange. Press coverage of the suit developed awareness and encouraged veterans who thought that they might be afflicted to initiate claims and join the suit. It also created sympathy for the veterans and suspicion about the chemical companies. Early in 1979, Senator Charles Percy (IL) requested a second GAO inquiry into herbicide use in Vietnam. This investigation NAM VET Newsletter Page 54 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 included an initial assessment of the HERBS tapes (USGAO, 1979). The report acknowledged that the Air Force clearly had used herbicides without proper precautions. Spraying from aircraft often took place close enough to troops that wind drift may have exposed them to the herbicide, and ground troops frequently entered contaminated areas shortly after spraying. Further, it stated that troops used empty herbicide drums for constructing latrines and even home-made hibachis. The report concluded that as many as 40,000 Army, Marine, and Air Force personnel experienced significant exposure the herbicide; it also provided a listing of units whose personnel it considered officially at risk. The GAO report legitimated the concerns of worried veterans. It could no longer be argued that defoliation took place under care- fully controlled conditions in areas remote from American troops. The remaining question concerned the consequences of exposure. Agent Orange was now a point of conflict in three arenas: the VA, Congress and civilian regulatory agencies, and the courts. The VA, the nation's single largest health care system, caters primarily to 12 million veterans of the Second World War whose average age in 1979 exceeded 60 years and who have chronic ailments associated with aging. At age 65, veterans are eligible to receive all their medical care from the VA free of charge. Only 30 percent of the patients treated by the VA have service- connected disabilities and, of all medical treatment provided by the VA, only 16 percent is service-connected. In contrast, the average Vietnam veteran is 30 years younger. They receive acute treatment and physical and occupational rehabilitation from injuries associated with warfare. The largest single diagnosis in VA facilities, alcohol abuse, is an especially acute problem among Vietnam veterans with combat experience. The Agent Orange claims involve latent disorders which did not fit this profile. VA Director Cleland admitted that many in the VA simply viewed the Agent Orange claims "as a big hoax, like witchcraft" (Bonior et al., 1984:167). The politics of veterans' compensation belies the aura of administrative rationality that surrounds it. In time of war, soldiers incur risk of injury and death for which they cannot be repaid easily. Compensation and other benefits - which are funded by Congress and executed by the VA - stem from a recognition of this altruistic contribution and stand as visible symbols of collective gratitude or even guilt. Two principles serve as guidelines for compensating veterans (House Committee, 1956). First, the highest priority should go to programs which extend medical care for service-connected injuries or illnesses, ease re- entry into civilian life, and provide adjustment for career advantages lost while in the service. Second, when there is doubt about a claim, the veteran should be given the benefit of the doubt. In June 1979, the House Committee on Interstate and Foreign Commerce held the first congressional hearings on Agent Orange and its effects on Vietnam veterans (House of Representatives, 1979). Veterans with cancer or who had children with birth defects testified before the committee. In response to this hearing and the growing political presence of Vietnam veterans, Congress enacted P.L. 96-151 commissioning the VA to conduct an epidemio- logical study of veterans exposed to Agent Orange. Significantly, Congress also ratified a bill - first introduced by Senator Cranston in 1971 and defeated on five separate occasions - that established readjustment counseling for Vietnam veterans. NAM VET Newsletter Page 55 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 The VA, however, stood firm on its position of requiring scientific evidence based on human subjects. By this time, about 750 veterans had submitted claims to the VA and about 5,000 had requested physical examinations or treatment for ailments related to Agent Orange. No conclusive evidence linked Agent Orange with disease or with birth defects. Evidence consisted of personal accounts and claims made by veterans, circumstantial evidence from industrial accidents, and inconclusive scientific studies. Nonetheless, to require scientific evidence as a precondition for treatment and compensation ran contrary to the spirit of VA guide- lines and placed an extensive burden of proof upon Agent Orange claimants. In March 1979, WBBM broadcast a second documentary to update the Agent Orange story. This documentary stressed the presence of dioxin in many commonly used compounds and hence the exposure of many civilians in the United States to this toxin. Kurtis (1983) again arranged for a private showing of the documentary for members of Congress. In June, the Senate requested a long-term study of the effects of exposure to dioxin by the Department of Health, Education, and Welfare. The EPA and various industry groups and universities also had studies of dioxin under way. For years, agricultural and industry researchers had conducted research on Agent Orange's active ingredients, 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D. They knew that the ingredients killed the plants by mimicking natural plant-growth hormones. The imposters caused rapid and uncontrolled cell growth; the plants literally grew themselves to death. But the early studies by and large did not ask if the active ingredients could produce unscheduled and unnatural cell growth in animals or humans. During the early 1970s, other researchers developed an effective methodology for assessing dioxin - an unintentional by-product in Agent Orange - and, by all accounts, everyone involved soon considered dioxin to be extremely toxic to laboratory animals (for summaries, see ACSH, 1981; CSA, 1981; Davis and Simpson, 1983; Galston, 1979). In part because establishing toxicity is complicated, answers to questions about dioxin's effects on humans lacked experimental evidence and sparked debate (cf., Epstein, 1983; Tschirley, 1986). Epidemiologists trace about 25% of all cancers to humanly produced environmental and occupational exposures and the rest to voluntary consumption of foods, drugs, and stimulants, and to naturally occurring carcinogens (Katzman, 1986). While common foodstuffs such as peanut butter or well-done steak may contain NATURALLY occurring carcinogens in levels of parts per thousand, regulators try to protect the public from exposures to SYNTHETIC chemicals measured in parts per million. Exposure to dosages of dioxin as minute as parts per billion have proved toxic to some laboratory animals (ACSH, 1981; CSA, 1981; Tschirley, 1986). Humans have been exposed to dioxin in several well-documented industrial accidents or oversights. The incidents date back to the exposure in 1949 of about 250 workers in the Monsanto chemical plant in Nitro, West Virginia. The most spectacular accident occurred in Seveso, Italy in 1976, where a plant explosion exposed 37,000 people to tricholorophenol (Whiteside, 1979). In these and other incidents, the most common initial symptom was chloracne, a blistering of the skin (Taylor, 1979). The condition often subsided in a few days but in some cases lasted indefinitely. Other symptoms included nausea, dizziness, and numbing of the fingers and toes. Time-lags between initial exposure and serious disease made it difficult to establish long-term effects. For NAM VET Newsletter Page 56 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 example, follow-up studies of Swedish workers exposed during the 1950s to compounds containing dioxin revealed higher than expected incidences of lymphomas and soft-tissue sarcomas. However, time- lags of several years made it almost impossible to eliminate other potential causes of these diseases. Further, the diseases allegedly caused by dioxin may be caused by factors other than exposure to dioxin and, with the exception of chloracne, exposure to dioxin apparently does not produce one distinctive disease. Some claims of illness lacked credibility because they were not consistent with prevailing medical opinion. Medical researchers simply did not understand how dioxin worked, and some of the symptoms attributed to dioxin suggested unfamiliar disease processes. This was especially true of claims by veterans that exposure to dioxin may have produced birth defects in their children: medical science thought mothers had to be exposed to the toxin during pregnancy. (2) Even this question could not be assessed in studies of the Seveso victims. The incidence of stillborn births and birth defects was lower among women who had been exposed than for matched controls because of therapeutic abortions available by special arrangement after the incident. Amidst this confusion, several states took the initiative in addressing exposure to dioxin among veterans and civilians. New York and New Jersey instructed state commissions to hold hearings and conduct investigations. In late 1978 and early 1979, the Love Canal controversy - in which chemicals from buried metal drums leaked into the ground water in Buffalo, New York - received extensive media scrutiny in both states. Investigators discovered in 1979 that dioxin was one of the contaminants seeping from the drums. Both states also have large numbers of Vietnam veterans. By 1979, the slow and arduous task of moving the Agent Orange case to trial was under way. A Multi-District Litigation Panel assigned the case to Judge George Pratt of the Federal District Court in Uniondale, NY. From the outset, the case bogged down in a stupefying array of legal entanglement. Product liability cases ordinarily fall under state tort law; applying varied state laws in federal court would be complicated and burdensome. Nevertheless, the chemical companies argued that the product liability laws of each state in which individual plaintiffs reside should apply. The plaintiffs maintained that federal common law should govern the case in order to simplify matters. Either way a decision would be controversial. Meanwhile, the chemical companies filed third-party complaints against the government for indemnity and sought immunity as war contractors. They argued that the government had not simply pur- chased herbicides from them, but also had specified their content, supervised their production, and controlled their application in Vietnam. Further, they noted that government regulations forbade them from selling the same mixtures in civilian markets. In November 1979, [Judge Pratt] accepted the case as a federal question and refused to accept the chemical companies motion to dismiss (in re "Agent Orange," 1979). The companies immediately filed an appeal. One other event took place in November 1979. Acting on a request by a small group of Vietnam veterans, twenty-six senators co-sponsored a bill which set aside land next to the Lincoln Memorial for a Vietnam veterans' memorial. It had been a big year for Vietnam veterans. INTO THE '80s: THE ISSUE WANES NAM VET Newsletter Page 57 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 The CBS documentaries and the lawsuit propelled Agent Orange into the limelight at a time when neither veterans nor the public knew much about it. These events became vehicles for disseminating information and heightening awareness, both about the herbicide and its potential harm to veterans and about dioxin and its potential danger to civilians. In April 1980, WBBM broadcast the third installment of its series on the issue, "Agent Orange: The view from Vietnam" (Kurtis, 1983;78-79). It verified destruction of forests and croplands and reported Vietnamese cases of cancers and birth defects which Vietnamese health officials attributed to Agent Orange. Again, Congress received a private screening of the documentary. Although the installment did not evoke the dramatic responses of its two predecessors, it did help sustain congress- ional interest in the issue. A number of congressional committees held special hearings about Agent Orange, dioxin, their effects on veterans and civilians, and the formulation of policies to deal with them (House of Representatives, 1980). In June 1980, Congress passed the bill which set aside two acres for a Vietnam veterans' memorial. Situated prominently next to the Lincoln Memorial on some of the most coveted real estate in Washington, DC, the memorial was an apt indication of how much the political power of Vietnam veterans had increased in the past two years. Although the lawsuit continued to attract inquiries from worried veterans, it suffered a major setback in November 1980. The Second Court of Appeals ruled that substantial federal interest was lacking in the Agent Orange case (In re "Agent Orange," 1980). The veterans sought a higher ruling on the appeal. Meanwhile, Judge Pratt again certified the case as a class action and denied the chemical companies motion to dismiss as war contractors. In 1981, Congress continued its response to initiatives on behalf of Vietnam veterans. That same year, however, President Ronald Reagan placed a hiring freeze on the readjustment counseling program established in 1979 and placed restrictions on other expenditures in the program. A subsequent budget message recommended getting rid of all outreach programs for Vietnam veterans, but in passing the 1979 bill, Congress specifically had exempted programs for Vietnam veterans from this kind of budget trimming. Vietnam Veterans of America and Vietnam Veterans in Congress both filed lawsuits to overturn the illegal freeze and restrictions. Congress not only overrode President Reagan's proposals, but also passed P.L. 97-72 which extended G.I. bill benefits for job training, contained a small business loan package for Vietnam veterans, and directed the VA to provide Vietnam veterans with medical care for any condition which might possibly result from exposure to Agent Orange. While the measure was under consideration, the VA lobbied vigorously against it. President Reagan expressed his disapproval of the bill on budgetary grounds before reluctantly signing it into law (Bonior et al., 1984:76-78, 152-54). In June, The Supreme Court sought the opinion of the U.S. attorney general on the question of federal interest in the Agent Orange lawsuit. After consulting with the VA and DOD, the attorney general reported no special federal interest in the case. The Supreme Court then declined to rule on the appeal, thereby allowing the decision of the appeals court to stand (in re "Agent Orange," 1981). Yannacone refiled the suit in federal court, leaving two questions yet unanswered: which state's law should apply, and which choice-of-law rules would that state's court apply? These issues were not resolved until February 1984. NAM VET Newsletter Page 58 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 Meanwhile, newspapers in St. Louis revealed that streets and stable areas in Times Beach, MO had been contaminated mistakenly with waste oil containing dioxin (Kurtis, 1983; Science News, 1983; Time, 1984). For years a local contractor had purchased waste oil from a nearby chemical plant to use in tarring dirt roads and arenas. Reports of peculiar deaths among farm animals and birds dated back to 1971, when the same contractor tarred an arena and stable areas in Moscow Mills, MO. In 1983, the EPA acted quickly and decisively. It evacuated and relocated the town's population at a cost of about $33 million; it fenced off the town and declared it a disaster area for the next 20 years. The actions of the EPA stand in sharp contrast to those of the VA. Students of formal organizations use the concept of the "lazy monopoly" to explain the inertia of some large organizations in the face of demands for change (Hirschman, 1970; Seidler, 1979). The concept is also useful in explaining the actions of the VA in the Agent Orange controversy. The lazy monopoly has control over a service or product. Its executives are slow to improve the quality of the product, change their policies, or alter the structure of the organization. They prefer instead to lose clients or personnel who criticize the organization. The absence of competition encourages recalcitrance in the lazy monopoly; it invites unsatisfied clients to renounce their membership in the organization and obtain the product or service elsewhere. By 1983, more than 100,000 veterans had requested physicals for complaints related to Agent Orange. While this would be a large number of cases for most hospital systems, the numbers were small within the VA's overall caseload. However, the inquiries repre- sented the wrong kind of patient for the medical care VA hospitals typically provide. Caring for these veterans would require a substantial cost and effort. Nevertheless, P.L. 97-72 required the VA to provide treatment for Agent Orange-related conditions. On the face of it, the VA was compliant. It began a newsletter, Agent Orange Review, to summarize current information and proce- dures for receiving treatment. It had already established a registry from which to compile a listing of veterans who inquired about the herbicide and its effects. (In 1982, the registry was found to have 89,000 names but no addresses.) However, the VA admitted no link between Agent Orange and disease, with the exception of chloracne. It defined a condition which may have been produced by Agent Orange as one that was not congenital, not a result of an injury, or did not have a specific or well- established cause (VA, 1983). Noting that the VA opposed the legislation requiring it to pro- vide health care, many veterans sought comprehensive testing and, when necessary, treatment from private physicians - services which they paid for out-of-pocket or through private health insurance. Veterans who were sick and unable to work also found that they could file claims with the Social Security Administration (SSA). Compensation by the SSA for a disabling condition did not require that the claimant prove how the condition came into being, only that it existed. This process siphoned troublesome clients away from the VA. It stemmed the influx of claims whose authenticity was debatable and whose medical profiles were not synchronized with the structure of services the VA typically provided. Ironically, the pensions and old-age health care which take up the majority of the VA budget and medical activity, and which the American Legion and VFW previously supported at the expense of programs for Vietnam veterans, provide assistance and care for NAM VET Newsletter Page 59 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 conditions which are not service-connected. As noted earlier, these organizations did not absorb significant numbers of Vietnam veterans and consequently did not serve as their advocates. In fact, they opposed legislation designed to assist Vietnam veterans. With the Agent Orange controversy, Vietnam Veterans of America emerged as a strong national organization. These develop- ments meant that the VFW and the American Legion, organizations with aging memberships, were in danger of losing an entire generation of veterans who very shortly would be a necessary source of members. It was time to adjust to changing political realities. In 1982, the VFW adopted a resolution advocating compensation for Agent Orange-related conditions. In 1983, the American Legion followed suit. Scientists continued to chip away at the problem. Researchers proposed explanations of how dioxin and similar toxic substances cause disease in laboratory animals (Matasumura, 1983) and possibly humans (Stoscheck and King, 1986). Other studies reported higher rates of soft-tissue sarcomas and lymphomas among Swedish workers exposed to dioxin in the workplace (Sterling and Arundel, 1986) and among Kansas farmers who used herbicides containing 2,4,5-T (Hoar et al., 1986) than for matched controls. Finally Ranch Hand participants (Lathrop et al., 1984) and residents of Times Beach, MO (Hoffman et al., 1986) showed physiological abnormalities not found among matched samples of unexposed persons, although the clinical significance of these abnormalities was not clear. As the Agent Orange lawsuit dragged into its fourth year, Judge Pratt resigned from the case. It was reassigned to Judge Jack Weinstein. Weinstein, who enjoyed a reputation as an innovative judge and precocious professor of law at Columbia University, quickly reconceptualized the case. Taking the initiative, he ruled one by one on the lingering legal issues and placed pressure on the lawyers to proceed directly to trial or to settle out of court. Of the two outcomes, Weinstein's preference was for settlement. Schuck (1986:143) states: "To try such a case, (Weinstein) felt, would consume an almost unthinkable amount of time..., money, talent, and social energy, and with the inevitable appeals and possible retrials, the outcome might be uncertain for many years to come.... Finally, a negotiated settlement offered the prospect of everybody obtaining something rather than one side losing everything." However, even a dynamic judge of Weinstein's caliber could not easily induce a settlement. Agent Orange had become the basis of a highly visible, emotionally charged, symbolic suit; accomplished aggressive attorneys were gearing up for the long-awaited day in court. Through a series of carefully crafted legal and tactical maneuvers, Weinstein skewed the options and incentives towards settlement. On May 7, 1984, nine years to the day after the last American troops were evacuated from Saigon and only hours before the trial was to begin, Weinstein extracted a cease-fire from the lawyers representing the two sides. The manufacturers of Agent Orange, who had already spent $100 million on legal fees in the case, agreed to establish a $180 million fund from which veterans harmed by dioxin exposure would be compensated. No payments have yet been made since aspects of the settlement are still under appeal. When compensation begins, the court estimates that the maximum payment will be $3,400 to survivors of deceased veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange and $12,800 ($1,280 per year for 10 years) to veterans exposed to the herbicide who are now 100% NAM VET Newsletter Page 60 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 disabled (Kubley et al., 1985:85-86). According to the agreement, establishing the fund did not affirm that exposure to Agent Orange caused or contributed to disease among the veterans and did not represent an admission of liability by the chemical companies (in re "Agent Orange," 1984). The terms of the settlement are (Schuck, 1985:165): (1) Defendants would pay $180 million plus interest running from May 7. (2) The settlement fund would advance moneys to pay class notice and settlement administration expenses. (3) No other distribution of settlement would be made until appeals from a final settlement order had been exhausted. (4) Defendants could obtain reverse indemnification for veteran opt-out claims upheld by state courts up to $10 million until January 1, 1999. (5) The class definition would be interpreted to include service people whose injuries had not yet been manifested. (6) Plaintiffs could retain defendants documents for one year. (7) All parties reserved all rights to sue the United States. (8) Defendants denied all liability. (9) Defendants reserved the right to reject the settlement if a "substantial" number of class members opted out. (10) Any class member who opted out would have an opportunity to opt back in. (11) Unclaimed funds would revert to the defendants after twenty-five years. (12) The settlement agreement was subject to a rule 23(e) "fairness" hearing. (13) Although after-born claimants were not included in the class and could therefore sue, the distribution plan would make special arrangements to address their needs. (14) The court would retain jurisdiction until the settlement fund was exhausted. Veterans reacted to the settlement with varying proportions of disappointment and realism. Particularly galling was the lack of answers to questions about dioxin's harmfulness or the manu- facturer's culpability. As Schuck (1986:256) observes: The veterans expected the law to provide the essential elements of simple justice ... with comprehensible narrative evidence, a clear determination of guilt or innocence, and a swift, straightforward remedy. Their lawyers knew, however, that this view of adjudication was chimerical, ... that many of the complex-technical aspects of the Agent Orange case contradicted their clients' intuitive notions of justice and even defied common sense. The intricacies (of the case) simply had no counterpart, no coherent meaning, in the veterans' experiences ... For them, the law had become mystifying, alien, and unjust. DISCUSSION . . . . . The case of Agent Orange encompasses all of these considerations and provides an ideal historical incident for examining the socio- political processes in which disease, illness, and sickness are invoked, sustained or challenged. The term "disease" refers to a disruptive biological condition, "illness" to the perception by the individual that he or she is not well, and "sickness" to the recognition by appropriate authorities that the individual indeed has a disease. Evidence of disease, illness, and sickness is assessed in three institutional domains - science, medicine, and law - each with its own decision rules for certifying them. Scientific research is guided by the null hypothesis, i.e., the proposition that the effect under investigation is NOT produced by the suspected cause. The null hypothesis here is that dioxin does not produce cancers in exposed subjects or birth defects in their NAM VET Newsletter Page 61 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 offspring. By focusing on the null hypothesis, scientific research favors type II (failing to reject a false null hypothesis) over type I (rejecting a true null hypothesis) errors (Hays, 1973). If an error is going to made, scientific investigators would rather accept a false null hypothesis than a false alternate hypothesis. Hence, it is a greater sin in scientific studies of phenoxy herbicides to conclude that dioxin harms health, when it actually does not, than to conclude that dioxin is harmless to humans when it actually is. Medical diagnoses often carry the opposite bias. Two types of error may result here also. Well persons may be diagnosed as sick, or diseased ones may be considered healthy. In general, physicians are socialized to believe that it is less of a sin to diagnose a well person as sick than to fail to detect disease in a diseased person (Scheff, 1972). Two considerations mediate this posture. One, medical knowledge retains a firm base in current scientific consensus. Physicians who act otherwise run the risk of being labelled "quacks" or of being sued. Two, the tendency to suspect harm until doubt is removed may be reversed in organizational contexts where directives endorse a particular position regarding etiology, diagnosis and/or treatment, or when diagnosing sickness may imply organizational culpability for treatment and compensation (Nathanson and Becker, 1981). Although treatment and compensation take place in separate administrative channels in the VA, the cause of an injury or disease takes on a significance in this setting beyond that usually required for diagnosis and treatment. In this situation, the patient's needs and interests may become divorced from those of the organization. Certainly it is necessary to ask, "Can the organization afford to define people who report having illnesses - and hence who may be diseased - as sick?" The legal system provides yet a third set of criteria for establishing cause and effect in personal injury cases. Rules allow for the introduction and evaluation of several kinds of evidence including, but not limited to, scientific and medical evidence (Levine and Howe, 1985). The basic principle in a civil suit is "preponderance of evidence." A verdict may be reached when the evidence simply is tipped in either direction (Kaye, 1983). The judicial regulation of hazards recognizes two relevant standards of liability: strict liability and negligence (Page, 1983). Strict liability assigns legal responsibility whether or not the defendant was careless. Hence the decision rule under strict liability is: if, in the judgement of the court, the probability that the defendant's activity caused the plaintiff's injury is greater than 50 percent, find for the plaintiff; otherwise, find for the defendant. Therefore, if a case is wrongfully decided, it is as likely to favor an undeserving plaintiff as an undeserving defendant. In the Agent Orange controversy, a small number of Vietnam veterans complained of illnesses of unknown and, ultimately disputed origin. Civilian medical authorities diagnosed cancers and other disabling or life-threatening conditions. Some veterans sought assistance from the VA to confirm suspicions that the exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam caused the diseases. This scenario seemed unlikely to VA physicians and costly to VA administrators. Hence, the inquiries had no effective representation in the institutional arena in which the illnesses of veterans are certified as sicknesses. The issue remained obscure until covered in a television documentary. The WBBM-TV NAM VET Newsletter Page 62 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 news team operated under different organizational and methodological constraints than those of VA officials. The documentary blurred the distinction between illness and sickness by portraying the veterans' stories sympathetically and by revealing the uncertainty in the medical community outside the VA about Agent Orange's safety. The documentary and the lawsuit vaulted Agent Orange into the national limelight. The lawsuit also moved the question of whether Agent Orange causes disease into an arena where standards of evidence permit circumstantial as well as scientific evidence and where the preponderance principal provides for definitive decision-making despite uncertainty. However, circumstances peculiar to this case undermined the certification of sickness as adjudicated by law. A class-action suit in a mass toxic tort case raised problems of unprecedented scope and complexity. Previous lawsuits involving latent disorders, such as the asbestos and DES cases, provided no helpful guidelines for evaluating in court the inconclusive scientific evidence and contradictory medical opinion of the Agent Orange case. In those previous court cases, authorities were able to document levels of exposure and to detect a distinctive latent disorder as a consequence of exposure. This was not possible in the case of Agent Orange. After much delay and a considerable amount of legal sparring, the two sides settled out-of-court in 1984. The controversy over Agent Orange also became a vehicle for organizing and securing other benefits for Vietnam veterans. When the VA reacted slowly and reluctantly, Vietnam veterans were angered by their inability to receive treatment for troubling and serious health problems. They interpreted the VA's hesitancy as a violation of the compensation guidelines and as part of an overall pattern of indifference to them in American society. Vietnam Veterans of America established itself as a national organization during the early stages of the controversy and remains the largest organization solely for Vietnam veterans. Congress approved legislation to help Vietnam veterans adjust to civilian life only after the Agent Orange controversy aroused Vietnam veterans and their sympathizers and sparked political activity among them. Congressional mandates also require the VA to provide medical care for veterans who claim to have been exposed to Agent Orange and to compensate veterans should definitive scientific evidence ever link Agent Orange with disease. Though the issue has waned, the controversy over Agent Orange is not over. In 1987, a study of mortality records conducted by the VA found higher rates of death due to lung cancer and non- Hodgkin's lymphomas than expected among Marine units who were exposed to Agent Orange (Boffey, 1987). The VA withheld the findings from the public for several months to assess their relevance; Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA) accused them of a cover-up. The bumper sticker, "Sprayed and Betrayed," while not selling briskly, still has a market. This article, in its entirety, is available from: New Jersey Agent Orange Commission PO Box 1717 Trenton, NJ 08607 (609) 530-8162 (No, you don't have to live in New Jersey. Write for a free information packet on Agent Orange.) NAM VET Newsletter Page 63 Volume 5, Number 10 October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xxx _ -. . - .-. - . . . . - XXXXXxxXXXXXXXXXXXx -. - .- . - . . XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-. .--. - .- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX -.- - -.- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX -. -. -. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXx .g -. -. XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX .- j. .- XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX . p .-. XXXXXXXX ]XXXXXXXXX ]XXXXXXXX .- - -. XXXXXX XXXXX XXXXXX -.- - -- XXXXXX XXXXXX XXXXXX -- - XXXXXXXXX X'`XXX XXXXXXX Y Y XXXXXXXXX XXXXX XXX XXXXXXX X X XXXXXXXX XXXXXXX XXX XXXXXX XXX XX X XXX XX XX XXXX XX XXX XX XX XX XXXX XXX]XXXXXXXXXXXX XXX[ XX XX XXX XXXXXXXXXX " I t ' s o n l y t e e n a g e a c n e ! " -Robert Nimmo- NAM VET Newsletter Page 64 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 ================================================================== The Chapel at NamVet ================================================================== NAM VET - Making Peace with Your Past by Chuck Dean Input by G. Joseph Peck NamVet's Managing Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 (Note from Joe: Because it answers a lot of the questions so many of you have asked - or wanted to ask - I have input the closing chapter of Chuck Dean's "NAM VET - Making Peace with Your Past" in its entirety. You may write for a copy of the entire book at the address at the end of this article.) "I am a Vietnam vet who is still affected by the war. I have been struggling with this problem ever since I returned from my tour in '68. When I arrived home I tried to return to normal life, but my war experiences had blocked off my emotions. "I was 20 when I got home, and the Army made no attempt to debrief or counsel me. As a result, I was discharged with many unresolved issues that I have only amplified over the years. "I held many jobs, did a lot of drugs and drank a lot to help me repress things, but things just got worse and worse. I got married to a beautiful woman, and she put up with my state for eleven years. After having a lovely daughter, things got really bad for me again. I became more and more depressed, my relationships with this beautiful person and child began to fall apart, I became a stranger to her, paranoid, isolated, suspicious and withdrawn. "My job got bad, too. I began to experience fits of rage, flashbacks and doing bizarre things. I was soon fired as being incompetent, and despite the love of my family, I deteriorated into a shambling hulk, and soon the inevitable happened - they left me. "I am increasingly suicidal at this point. I have become cynical, paranoid and depressed. I search for a way out of this, for a path to take to peace, a way to a new life. But I have almost given up. "My parents strive desperately to help me, trying to preserve what little I have left. I sought help from the Veterans Administration, and I have been handed around from one social worker to another, from one psych ward to another, from program to program, none of which has addressed itself to my problem. "Where does it all end for me? What is going to happen to this veteran's life? "I would appreciate any direction you could supply. Please stay in contact with me. What is available in my area from your ministry?" A VIETNAM VETERAN, 20 YEARS LATER The above is an actual letter received at the headquarters of Point Man International in Seattle, Washington. It is typical of the kind of correspondence from veterans that the organization receives on a daily basis, from around the world. Point Man is one of many veteran outreach groups in the United States designed to help you with your specific problems from the NAM VET Newsletter Page 65 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 war. Since I have served on the board of directors and held the position of national executive director of Point Man International, I use it as an example of how you can find peace with your past. In the last chapter (of the book - Nam Vet) you read about how Athena and I became Christians, and how God changed our lives. To many of you it may have seemed like typical religious nonsense. You are now expecting me to go off on a sermon about Jesus, heaven and being "born again." You're wrong. Instead, I invite you to contact me or one of the Point Man outpost leaders listed at the end of this chapter (Note from Joe: You'll have to get the book for the names/addresses . Address posted at the end of this article). We'd like to meet you, and we believe that through Point Man you can find freedom from your memories of 'Nam and from other PTSD symptoms. The rest of this chapter explains why you should contact us. WHAT IS POINT MAN? PMI is an international veterans-for-veterans agency operating out of its headquarters in Seattle. Point Man provides a support group setting where you can meet with other Vietnam veterans and finally let down your emotional perimeter. We also provide counseling,k emergency shelter and other services, all from 'Nam vets who have been down the same trails and understand where you are coming from. These services are provided at no charge because Point Man is a nonprofit organization. Our weekly group meetings emphasize a family atmosphere. We know that 'Nam vets will open up, or accept counseling, only from other Vietnam veterans. Our brotherhood is based on our shared trauma. You can trust us because Point Man is run solely by Vietnam veterans. We stay away from secular counseling procedures. We know how many of you have been run through the gauntlet of government programs and are fed up with the runaround they have given you. Our sessions are different. We begin each meeting by identifying ourselves, what unit we were in while in Vietnam, what year or years we were there and what we are doing now. When I mention trust it really boils down to our strategy. As brothers, we "watch each other's back" while opening up after so many years of holding the hurt inside. You have probably not been able to talk with anyone about the war for years. At a Point Man outpost meeting, you can sit down with a bunch of guys who are not going to criticize you. You can listen and watch, without being expected to say or do much of anything. In time you will feel relaxed, because you will recognize you've finally run into a group of guys who understand you and express genuine concern for you. They won't give up if you explode in rage, or cry, or walk away. They have been there, too. NO SERMONS OR APPEALS FOR MONEY Point Man is made up of Christian veterans of the Vietnam War. But we don't pound you over the head with the Bible or ask for money. Your interest in restoring your own life is what will motivate you to find freedom and victory. We will prod gently to help you open up and let go of your memories and pain. Our outpost leaders will treat you with respect, friendship and love. We rely on God and we pray for you in the process. We charge nothing for our services because we trust God to provide all our funding through gifts from people and companies NAM VET Newsletter Page 66 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 that see the importance of helping people like you. From our perspective, you have already paid the price for the war. The key to our success in helping veterans is that our primary strategy is confession. You probably immediately think of confession as telling someone, such as a jury or police officer, about the wrong you have done. This kind of confessing gets you locked up, punished and ridiculed publicly. Nobody wants that. Why tell someone something you've done when all you're going to get from it is more misery and suffering, right? But there is another way to think about confessing. In previous chapters I wrote about "stuffing" our memories, and other ways we repress or hold in our feelings of hurt, pain and despair from our experiences in Vietnam (and from returning home). The fact is that we can only hold them inside for so long before they explode, through fits of rage, violence or self-destructive behavior. Like physical wounds, psychological and emotional wounds have to be cleaned out before they can heal. And you clean these kinds of wounds by dumping, letting it out, confessing the pain, hurt, anger, sorrow, terror and remorse. A Point Man outpost meeting provides the safest environment in which to do this. You finally can talk about the horrible things you witnessed, did, or failed to stop while in Vietnam. No one will judge you, because everyone is there to find healing for himself, and to help others in the process. The security of knowing that every man in the group has probably done similar things during the war will help you be honest with yourself and others, maybe for the first time since the war. That will help you cleanse the wound. JIM, A NEW GUY IN THE GROUP In order to help you picture what to expect at a meeting, let me tell you about Jim, a Vietnam veteran who visited one of our Seattle outposts. It was a rainy Monday evening, which is common in Seattle. Our weekly veteran's group had just gotten underway, and the air was a bit electrified by the pounding monsoon-like downpour that drummed on the small office complex in the northern suburbs. Some of us were remembering the rain in the 'Nam. The outpost leader, Gene, was his usual smiling self. His teeth shone through his Paul Bunyan beard, and he was eager to get into a Bible study he had been preparing all week. The new guy, Jim, was nervously sipping his coffee. His eyes flickered from one veteran to the next, searching for a safe reference point. Not knowing what to expect, or what these guys would be like, he had come dressed in a sports coat and tie. Occasionally he reached up and loosened the tie in an attempt to fit in with the seven casually dressed men around him. Gene began the meeting by introducing himself, naming his unit in 'Nam, when he was there and how his week had gone since they had last met. The introductions proceeded around the table until it was Jim's turn to speak. "When were you in-country, Jim?" Gene asked. "I was in 'Nam from '66 to '67," Jim said. "What unit were you in?" Gene asked. "The first division up by the 'Parrot's Beak.'" Jim paused. He seemed a bit confused. Then he went on, "You know, I don't know why I'm here. I've tried every vet help group there is and I've pretty well given up on..." He broke off and began to sob into his hands. NAM VET Newsletter Page 67 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 Rich, another veteran, placed his hand on Jim's shoulder. "It's OK, brother, you're among friends and we love you, man," he said. Jim looked up and gathered himself together a bit, nodding an OK to Rich. "Sorry, sometimes it feels like I got a big pool of something that just boils up inside and then out it comes.." Mel joined the conversation. "Yeah, I know what that's like. I couldn't cry for fifteen years... I didn't even cry when my mom died. Then one time I went to an air show and an F-4 Phantom buzzed the airfield real low, you know, and I just broke and cried for about three days. That was about the time I found these guys, and, well, I know why I broke now, and I've found out that crying is a pretty healing thing." "This pool you mentioned, Jim," Gene asked, "what is it exactly? Can you describe it?" "It feels like a slow-motion movie of a bunch of newsreels all jumbled together, and it really makes me sad. But sometimes I get mad when I see them in my mind." "Are they nightmares, too?" Gene asked. "Yeah." "What do you normally do to control these 'movies'? Do you have any way to turn them off?" Jim answered immediately. "Yeah, I drink. Booze numbs me. I've spend a lot of nights sitting in my dark kitchen with a bottle of Jack Daniels. It really keeps things from boiling over, and the nightmares don't bother me at all." "What was it in 'Nam that got you the most?" Rich asked. "I don't know if I really want to talk about it, OK?" Jim responded. "That's fine," Gene said, "we can move on. But there's one thing that I've found out in this group, and that is that revealing is healing. Most of us have been down the same trails you have, we've done some pretty rotten things and had some pretty weird experiences in 'Nam. And we just want you to know that its OK to let it all hang out here, because there ain't no one going to judge you." He turned to Mel and asked, "How are you doing this week?" "I'm still sober. It's been six weeks since I went on a binge, but I can't say I haven't been tempted. Whew! It's a hard hill to hump. I do have a little good news to report, though. A couple of weeks ago I had a dream... a nightmare, I guess. I was sitting on a night perimeter in the bush. It was raining, but the air was real misty. You know how it used to get up in the highlands. Suddenly, I could smell the gooks, and I knew if I could smell them they were real close. Then a trip flare went off and out of the night three of them jumped in the hole with me and started dragging me off. "I woke up panting real hard, and I was drenched with sweat. I got up, and normally I would hit the bottle to numb my brain; I just couldn't go back to sleep for fear that that stupid dream would continue. But I did something unusual. I got down beside the bed and prayed to God that he would take every dream away from me. I asked him to just let me sleep until morning. I really felt relaxed when I did that, and I rolled back into bed and fell asleep almost immediately and didn't wake up until nine the next morning. A simple thing, but, man, it worked." "That's great." Gene said. "Sometimes all it really takes is to give a little more than we ever have before, and giving in to God is certainly a big step for a bunch of hard-heads like us, right?" "Most of the men laughed, and the group lightened up. NAM VET Newsletter Page 68 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 "I think that's interesting that you had a dream like that, because I frequently have similar ones," Jim spoke. "But I haven't done anything about it except get drunk. I think the toughest thing for me to deal with was the kids over there. What a stupid war!" There was a long pause. "What about the kids, Jim?" Gene asked. Jim was silent for a long time. "What a waste," he exclaimed in frustration, and began to cry again. The group was quiet. In time, Jim began to talk again. "I was a medic. I was supposed to save lives, and here I was getting off on shooting people." He began to sob again. "Once in the Iron Triangle I was part of a LRRP team, and we ran into a village that had just been visited by the Viet Cong. The place was still smokin'. In the village yard there was a pile of kids' arms that they had hacked off because a Green Beret medical team had been through and inoculated the kids for cholera a few days before. The damn VC had cut their arms off to teach the village a lesson in not taking anything from the Yankees, including medicine." Jim began to cry again. "What did you do, Jim?" He was quiet again, for a long time. "I went crazy. I lost it... I started shooting every..." He broke again. "I shot a bunch of people..." He slumped forward on the table and let the tears run. A couple of the guys went over and put their hands on his shoulders, sobbing with him. Gene spoke again. "Jim, you gotta know, brother, that we're in this thing together. There's no way we can pack that kind of stuff around alone. Believe it or not, God didn't do that to you, and he really does love you. It was a terrible place to be when we were younger, and all those memories that have been stuffed inside need to be cast upon someone else's shoulders. Someone who is willing to share your load. God wants to take that rucksack off and carry it for you, brother, but you first have to be willing to give it up. He ain't going to take it if you can't give it up." Jim was still sobbing, but he replied, "This is the last stop, man. I've tried everything that I know how to do to get some peace, but it isn't coming. If I don't get it here, well, I've had it. I can't go on." "Can we pray with you? Will you pray with us?" Gene asked, gently. Jim answered, his head still bowed. "Yeah, I gotta do something. I'm ready to give it up." They prayed together as a group. This story illustrates what I mean when I say you need to confess your experience to get it out. It isn't easy. After so many years of keeping up an emotional perimeter, it's hard to let it down. But like Jim, myself and the 'Nam vets in the meeting that night, you can let it go - if you want to bad enough. Our outpost leaders will prod you, but we won't push. We'll love you as a brother and watch your back for however long it takes, because we know that you want to be free and that it is God who can give you that freedom. He gave it to me. He gave it to Bill Landreth, the man who started Point Man in 1984. And he has given it to thousands of other men and women like you. DID GOD GO AWOL IN VIETNAM? The mention of God, the Bible, or Christianity is a turn-off for many Vietnam veterans. We believe he went AWOL and turned his NAM VET Newsletter Page 69 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 back on us, or that he is very evil to have allowed what we saw and experienced there. He no longer deserves our faith. Like most recruits, many of us went overseas with deep religious impulses. We believed in God and expected him to be good, compassionate and just. We thought he would never fail us. That he would lead us to victory over an evil foe, just as he had done in all previous wars this country has fought. We expected him to preserve us in battle. But we saw things differently in Vietnam. We all went to Vietnam with some degree of faith, based on either our beliefs or on the Christian principles and morality upon which our country was founded. Many of us lost our faith because we felt we had been had by God, our country and our leaders. We felt that God was somewhere else while we had to witness and be exposed to horrible things. So we blamed him. I can remember praying like mad during incoming mortar attacks or firefights, and then getting up off the ground afterwards and saying to myself, "Well, you pulled yourself through another one." Never once did I give credit to God for having saved my life, even though I had prayed furiously during the heat of danger. And that's the point. The majority of the teenagers who went to 'Nam became spiritual casualties. After spending long months in that world of crime, prostitution, murder and humping through nearly impenetrable jungles, we began to recognize the dark side of our human nature. This awesome potential for evil terrified us (teenage soldiers) into a new rationality about life. The typical "grunt" infantryman became accustomed to living on an animal level. To believe that God loved us was difficult because of what we saw and how we had been trained. Many soldiers claim that in basic training they were taught how to be animals. "They take you down, tear you apart and put you back together again piece by piece... the way they want you to be. You are taught not to think, but to react." "You are taught to be an animal. Then you're expected to suddenly forget your training as an animal after the war. I know how to act like an animal. I don't know how to be human anymore." Our training began the process of dehumanizing us. It removed God's basic gifts to us: love and caring for others. First we lost our trust in emotions, replacing it with repressed rage (enough to enable us to kill) and with social isolationism. Trained to take life, we reentered a society whose foundation was "Thou shalt not kill." We couldn't jibe this with the senseless death and killing we had seen in Vietnam. So we stuffed our God- hate feelings along with all the other pains. And we confused nationalism with God's favor, expecting him to give us victory because we were Americans. God did not go AWOL in Vietnam. Instead, he kept you alive and brought you back for a purpose. But you won't discover that purpose until you make peace with Vietnam and with God. Point Man can help you do this. Contact one of the outposts listed on the next few pages (in the book),, or one of the other agencies. They will help you take off your rucksack of pain and return to living life as you were meant to. That is my invitation to you, personally. I believe you are now ready to make peace with your past. Callus or write to us. We want to hear from you. Contact us right away; we'll take the point. NAM VET Newsletter Page 70 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 --For a copy of Chuck Dean's book NAM VET - MAKING PEACE WITH YOUR PAST, write: Point Man International Ministries Post Office Box 440 Mountlake Terrace, Washington 98043 NAM VET Newsletter Page 71 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 I I IIIII I I 88888 ITTTI o88888888 I I o888888888888o 8888 I I 888888888888888888888888 I I 88888888888888888 8888 888 xI Ix 8888888888888888 88888888 T III T 88888888888888 888888 88 I III I 8888888888888888 88888888 xI III Ix 888 888 88888888888' T I I T 88888888 I I I I 8888 xI IIIII Ix TI IT II II II II The Quiet Place IT | TI II --|-- II XIII | IIIX oooo o II I I II o88 888) (888) II I IIII I II o88 88888888 8888) XII I II II I IIX (88 8 88 888888) XIII III III IIIX (8 8 8 88 88 88 8 888) XIIII I I IIIIX (88 8 8 8 88888888) II II I xIIIIIx I II II ( 8 88 888 88888) II I T T T I II (8888 88 8 8 8888888) II I I I I I II (8 88888 888 88 88) II I I I I I II (8888)888 88888) II I I II II I II (8) (I8I8I) 8 oo8888888o II I I I I I II IIIII X 8888888 888BII I I I I I IIXX III X XX 88 88 88 BII I TIIIIIT I IIXXX III XXXXX 888888 88BII I .... 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II I "And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age" Matthew 28:20 NAM VET Newsletter Page 72 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 ================================================================== Veterans n' Jobtalk ================================================================== VETS - Federal Veteran Employment Watchdog Veterans' Preference in Federal Employment 10/91 By Ronald W. Drach (DAV) National Employment Director 807 Maine Ave., SW - Washington, DC 20024 Input by: G. Joseph Peck NamVet's Managing Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 In the past, veterans had no place to go if they believed that veterans' preference rights -- or other special considerations for veterans which are provided for in federal employment -- had been violated. That will all soon change. In 1988, amendments to the law required the Veterans' Employment and Training Service (VETS) to accept veterans' employment preference complaints against federal agencies and to investigate those complaints. The VETS is expected to finalize instructions to its staff on how to handle those complaints in the next few months. The instructions will provide for Local Veterans' Employment Representatives (LVERs) and Directors for VETS (DVETS) to accept complaints from veterans who believe that a federal agency has failed to provide veterans' preference or other special considerations for veterans in filling positions, promotions or other employment activities. LVERs are assigned to state employment service agencies throughout the United States in every major city. DVETS are federal employees, one of which is assigned, with staff, to each state. Because the process is new, and instructions and training have not been finalized, there may be some initial difficulty in the processing of a complaint. However, complaints through this system are now being accepted by VETS. At this time, VETS cannot accept complaints against independent federal agencies such as the U.S. Postal Service and Tennessee Valley Authority. However, memorandums of understanding are being negotiated to allow complaints against these federal agencies in the future. If you are having difficulty in getting a complaint filed, contact (DAV) Associate National Employment Director Len Gilmer, who will direct you to the appropriate party to take your complaint. If you have filed a complaint, we (the Disabled American Veterans) would like a copy of the complaint and any follow-up correspondence from the agency. Please send this information to: Mr. Lennox E. Gilmer, Associate National Employment Director, Disabled American Veterans, 807 Maine Avenue, S.W., Washington, D.C. 20024. NAM VET Newsletter Page 73 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 Have You Considered ON-THE-JOB or APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING? Input by Fred Sochacki NamVet's Veteran Employment Section Editor VETLink #5 BBS - Passaic, NJ (201) 778-1879 The following information was copied from a pamphlet put out by New Jersey State Department of Education, Division of Vocational Education, Office of Veteran's Education and Training, Trenton, NJ. WHAT IS ON-THE-JOB TRAINING? On-The-Job Training (OJT) is training you receive while actually performing a job and earned wages. You may be eligible to receive GI Bill benefits while in an OJT program. OJT programs normally run from six months to two years in length. Some examples of currently approved OJT programs are: Manager, Short Order Cook, Service Technician, Warehouse Person, Shipping and Receiving Clerk and Metal Fabricator. WHAT IS APPRENTICESHIP TRAINING? Apprenticeship Training is on-the-job training coupled with related theory instruction. You receive your GI Bill benefits while working full time and earning wages. Apprenticeship programs are normally from two years to five years in length. Although program registrations with the New Jersey Department of Education and the U.S. Department of Labor are not mandatory for veterans benefits, they are recommended in order to receive a certificate of completion. Some examples of currently approved apprenticeship programs are: Carpenter, Electrician, Brick Layer, Iron Worker, Machinist, and Maintenance Mechanic. IN ADDITION TO THESE PROGRAMS, THERE ARE CURRENTLY MORE THAN 800 TRADE AREAS WHICH CAN BE APPROVED. WHEN CAN YOU APPLY FOR BENEFITS? As a general rule, veterans have ten (10) years after their separation from active service to use their GI Bill benefits. The Chapter 34 GI Bill (Vietnam Era) ended on December 31, 1989; however, some Chapter 34 veterans are now eligible for benefits under Chapter 30. Contact the Department of Veterans Affairs to determine your eligibility. HOW TO BEGIN 1. If you do not have a job, or if you are not working in the occupation you want, contact your local New Jersey State Job Service Office. The Veterans Employment Representative should be able to find an employer who can offer the kind of training you need to reach the occupational objective you select. 2. Next, have your employer contact the State Approving Agency so that the necessary steps can be taken to approve the training program. Keep in mind that not all occupations can be approved. Please contact the State Approving Agency for more information. 3. Contact the Department of Veterans Affairs to determine your eligibility and to obtain the necessary application forms. MEMBERS OF THE RESERVE/NATIONAL GUARD Effective October 1, 1990, certain members of the Reserve / National Guard may be eligible for educational assistance NAM VET Newsletter Page 74 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 allowance for participation in approved on-the-job training and/or apprenticeship training programs. Contact your Reserve/National Guard Unit to verify your eligibility for Chapter 106 benefits. WHAT IS THE AMOUNT OF THE MONTHLY CHECK? If you are eligible under Chapter 30 (entered active duty after July 1, 1985 and contributed to the Montgomery GI Bill), then your monthly allowance should be either: For those veterans whose initial obligated period of active duty was more than two years - First 6 months $187.50 Second 6 months 137.50 Remainder of training 87.50 OR For those veterans whose initial obligated period of active duty was more than two years - First 6 months $225.00 Second 6 months 165.00 Remainder of training 105.00 If an individual participated in "specific" programs, they may be eligible for additional amounts ("kickers"). If you are eligible under Chapter 32 (entered active duty between January 1, 1977 and June 30, 1985 and contributed to the Veterans Educational Assistance Program, your monthly allowance will be determined based upon your contributions. Contact the Department of Veterans Affairs for information on your specific allowance. If you were eligible under Chapter 34 (entered active duty between February 1, 1955 and December 31, 1976), you may be eligible to receive benefits under the Chapter 30 program. Contact the Department of Veterans Affairs for more specific information. If you are eligible under Chapter 35 (a surviving spouse or dependent), then your monthly allowance should be: First 6 months $294.00 Second 6 months 220.00 Third 6 months 146.00 Fourth 6 months and succeeding periods 73.00 If you are eligible under Chapter 106 (National Guard or Reserve Member), then your monthly allowance should be: First 6 months $105.00 Second 6 months 77.00 Third 6 months and succeeding periods 49.00 Contact your Reserve/National Guard Unit to verify your eligibility for Chapter 106 benefits. This entitlement is scheduled to go into effect on October 1, 1990. WHO TO CONTACT FOR ASSISTANCE: If you have any questions concerning your eligibility for benefits, contact [your nearest] Department of Veterans Affairs office. If you have questions concerning the eligibility or approval of NAM VET Newsletter Page 75 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 a specific Apprenticeship or On-The-Job Training Program, contact [your State's] Approving Agency. If you have questions concerning employment opportunities, contact the Job Service Office nearest you. NAM VET Newsletter Page 76 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 OFFICE OF PERSONNEL MANAGEMENT / FEDERAL JOB INFORMATION OFFICES Input by: Fred Sochacki NamVet's Veteran Employment Section Editor VETLink #5 BBS - Passaic, NJ (201) 778-1879 Here is a list of all of our Federal Job Information Offices. ALABAMA - Huntsville 3322 Memorial Parkway South, Building 600, Suite 341 Huntsville AL 35801-5311 Office hours: Weekdays, 9:00AM - 4:00PM (self-service) 24-hour recorded message: (205) 544-5802 ALASKA - Anchorage: Federal Building, 222 West 7th Avenue, Box 22 Anchorage AK 99513 (was 701 C Street) Office hours: Tuesday, Wednesday & Thursday, 11:00AM 24-hour recorded message: (602) 271-5821 ARIZONA - Phoenix U.S. Postal Service Building, Room 120, 522 N. Central Avenue Phoenix AZ 85004 Office hours: Weekdays, 9:00AM - 12:00 noon 24-hour recorded message: (602) 261-4736 ARKANSAS - See Oklahoma listing CALIFORNIA Los Angeles (for southern California): Linder Building, 3rd Floor 845 S. Figueroa Street Los Angeles CA 90017 Office hours: Weekdays, 9:00AM - 12:00 noon 1:00PM - 3:00PM 24-hour recorded message: (213) 894-3360 Sacramento (for northern California): 1029 J Street, 2nd Floor Sacramento CA 95814 Recorded message: (916) 551-1464 Office hours: Weekdays, 9:00AM - 12:00 noon San Diego (for San Diego area): 880 Front Street, Room 4-S-9 San Diego CA 92188 Office hours: Weekdays, 9:00AM - 12:00 noon (12:00 noon - 3:00PM self-service) 24-hour recorded message: (619) 557-6165 San Francisco (for centeral California) (located at 211 Main St, 2nd Floor, Room 235) PO Box 7405 San Francisco CA 94120 Office hours: Weekdays, 9:00AM - 12:00 noon 24-hour recorded message: (415) 974-9725 COLORADO Denver: (located at 12345 W. Alameda Pkwy., Lakewood, CO) P.O. Box 25167 Denver CO 80225 NAM VET Newsletter Page 77 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 303-969-7050 Office hours: Weekdays, 9:00AM - 3:45PM (self-service) Personal assistance available 12:00 noon - 3:45PM For job information (24 hrs. a day) in the following States dial: Colorado: 303-969-7050 Montana: 303-969-7052 North Dakota: see Minnesota listing South Dakota: see Minnesota listing Utah: 303-969-7053 Wyoming: 303-969-7054 To request forms 24-hours a day, call 303-969-7055 CONNECTICUT - Hartford Federal Building, Room 613 450 Main St - Hartford CT 06103 (203) 240-3263 Office hours: Monday - Thursday, 9:00AM - 2:00PM 24-hour recorded message: (203) 722-2320 DELAWARE - See Philadelphia, Pennsylvania listing DISTRICT OF COLUMBIA Metro Area: 1900 E Street, N.W. Room 1416 Washington DC 20415 Office hours: Weekdays, 8:30AM - 2:30PM Recorded message weekdays 8:30AM - 3:30PM (202) 653-8468 FLORIDA - Orlando Commodore Building, Suite 150, 3444 McCrory Place Orlando FL 32803-3701 Office hours: Weekdays, 9:00AM - 4:00PM (self-service) 24-hour recorded message: (407) 648-6148 GEORGIA - Atlanta Richard B. Russell Federal Bldg., Room 960 75 Spring Street S.W. - Atlanta GA 30303 Office hours: Weekdays, 9:00AM - 4:00PM (self-service) 24-hour recorded message: (404) 331-4315 Data BBS: 404-730-2370 GUAM - Agana Pacific News Building, Room 902 238 O'Hara Street - Agana GUAM 96910 Office hours: Weekdays, 9:30AM - 12:00 noon 24-hour recorded message: (671) 472-7451 HAWAII - Honolulu (and other Hawaiian Islands and overseas): Federal Building, Room 5316 300 Ala Moana Boulevard - Honolulu HI 96850 Office hours: Weekdays, 9:00AM - 12:00 noon 24-hour recorded message: Oahu (808) 541-2791 Other Hawaiian Islands & Overseas (808) 541-2784 IDAHO - See Washington State listing ILLINOIS - Chicago NAM VET Newsletter Page 78 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 175 W. Jackson Boulevard, Room 530 - Chicago IL 60604 Office hours: Weekdays, 8:00AM - 4:30PM (self-service) Telephone service: weekdays, 9:00AM - 12:00 noon (312) 353-6192 Recorded msg after telephone hours: (312) 353-6192 INDIANA - Indianapolis Minton-Capehart Federal Building 575 N. Pennsylvania - Indianapolis IN 46204 Office hours:Weekdays,9:00AM-1:00PM (317)269-7161 Recorded msg after telephone hours: (317) 269-7161 IOWA - Des Moines: See Missouri listing (816) 426-7757 KANSAS - Wichita One-Twenty Building, Room 101 120 S. Market Street - Wichita KS 67202 Office hours: Weekdays, 9:00AM - 12:00 noon Recorded msg:Weekdays,9:00AM-3:00PM(316)269-6794 In Johnson, Leavenworth and Wyandotte Counties dial (816) 426-5702 KENTUCKY - See Ohio Listing LOUISIANA - New Orleans 1515 Poydras St, Suite 608 - New Orleans LA 70112 (504) 589-2764 Office hours: Weekdays, 10:00AM - 12:00 noon 12:30PM - 2:30PM Recorded msg after office hours: (504) 589-2764 MAINE - See New Hampshire listing MARYLAND - Baltimore Garmatz Federal Building 101 W. Lombard St - Baltimore MD 21201 Recorded message: (301) 962-3822 Office hours: Weekdays, 9:00AM - 4:00PM DC AREA - See District of Columbia Listing MASSACHUSETTS - Boston Thomas P. O'Neill Federal Bldg 10 Causeway St - Boston MA 02222-1031 (617) 223-2571 Office hours: Monday - Thursday, 9:00AM - 1:00PM 24-hour recorded message: (617) 565-5900 For Barnstable, Berkshire, Bristol, Dukes, Franklin, Hampden, Hampshire, and Nantucket Counties, see Connecticut Listing. MICHIGAN - Detroit 477 Michigan Ave, Room 565 - Detroit MI 48226 Office hours: Weekdays, 8:00AM - 4:00PM (self-service) Tel service Weekdays 12:00 noon - 4:00pm (313)226-6950 Recorded message after telephone hours: (313)226-6950 Data BBS: 313-226-4423 MINNESOTA - Twin Cities Federal Building - Ft. Snelling, Twin Cities MN 55111 NAM VET Newsletter Page 79 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 Office hours: Weekdays, 9:00AM - 12:00 noon Tel service: Weekdays, 12:30PM - 3:30PM(612) 725-4430 MISSISSIPPI - Jackson See Alabama listing MISSOURI Kansas City (for western Missouri): Federal Building, Room 134 601 E. 12th Street Kansas City MO 64106 Office hrs: Monday, Wednesday & Friday, 8:00AM-11:00AM Recorded message: (816) 374-5702 St. Louis (for eastern Missouri) Old Post Office, Room 400 815 Olive Street St. Louis MO 63101 Office hrs: Monday, Wednesday & Friday, 8:00AM-11:00AM Recorded message: (314) 539-2285 MONTANA - See Colorado listing NEBRASKA - Omaha - See Kansas listing NEVADA - See Sacramento, California listing NEW HAMPSHIRE - Portsmouth Thomas J. McIntyre Federal Building, Room 104 80 Daniel St - Portsmouth NH 03801-3879 (603) 431-7115 Office hrs: Monday - Thursday, 9:00AM - 2:00PM 24-hour recorded message: (603) 431-7115 NEW JERSEY - Newark Peter W. Rodino Jr. Federal Building 970 Broad Street - Newark NJ 07102 Office hours: Weekdays, 9:30AM - 4:30PM Recorded msg: Weekdays, 8:30AM - 5:00PM (201) 645-3673 In Camden, dial (215) 597-7440 Data BBS 201-645-3887 For Camden County, see Philadelphia PA Listing NEW MEXICO - Albuquerque Federal Building 421 Gold Avenue SW - Albuquerque NM 87102 Office hrs: Monday - Thursday, 8:00AM - 12:00 noon 24-hour recorded message: (505) 766-5583 In Dona Ana,Otero and El Paso Counties for recorded message dial (505) 766-1893 NEW YORK New York City (for New York City and Nassau, Suffolk, Westchester Putnam, Rockland, Dutchess, and Orange counties): Jacob K. Javits Federal Building 26 Federal Plaza New York NY 10278 Office hours: Weekdays, 8:30AM - 4:00PM Recorded msg:Weekdays, 7:30AM-4:00PM,(212) 264-0422 NAM VET Newsletter Page 80 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 Syracuse (all other New York State locations) James N. Hanley Federal Building 100 S. Clinton Street Syracuse NY 13260 (315) 423-5660 Office hours: Weekdays, 9:00AM - 3:00PM NORTH CAROLINA - Raleigh (located at 4505 Falls of the Neuse Road, Suite 445) PO Box 25069 - Raleigh NC 27611-5069 Office hrs: Weekdays, 9:00AM - 4:00PM (self-service) 24-hour recorded message: (919) 856-4361 NORTH DAKOTA - See Minnesota listing OHIO - Dayton Federal Bldg, 200 W 2nd St - Dayton OH 45402 Office hrs: Mon, Tues, Thurs & Fri 10:00AM - 2:00PM Tel service: Weekdays, 8:00AM-11:00AM (513) 225-2720 Recorded message after telephone hours (513) 225-2720 for Van Wert, Auglaize, Hardin, Marion, Crawford, Richland, Ashland, Wayne, Stark, Carroll, Columbiana, Counties and all counties North of these, see the Michigan Listing. OKLAHOMA - Oklahoma City 200 N.W. Fifth St, Room 205 - Oklahoma City OK 73102 Office hrs: Monday - Thursday 10:00AM - 12:00 noon 1:00PM - 3:00PM 24-hour recorded message: (405) 231-4948 no walk-in service OREGON - Portland Federal Bldg Rm 376 1220 SW Third St Portland OR 97204 Office hrs: Weekdays, 12:00 noon - 3:00PM 24-hour recorded message: (503) 221-3141 PENNSYLVANIA - Harrisburg (for centeral Pennsylvania) (located at 228 Walnut Street) Federal Bldg - Rm 168, PO Box 761 Harrisburg PA 17108 (717) 782-4494 Office hrs: Monday, Tuesday, Thursday & Friday, 8:00AM - 12:00 noon Philadelphia (for eastern Pennsylvania): Wm. J. Green Jr. Federal Bldg., Room 1416 600 Arch Street - Philadelphia PA 19106 (215) 597-7440 Office hrs: Weekdays, 9:30AM - 3:30PM Pittsburgh (for western Pennsylvania): Federal Building - Room 119, 1000 Liberty Ave Pittsburgh PA 15222 Recorded message: (412) 644-2755 Office hrs: Weekdays, 9:00AM - 4:00PM PUERTO RICO - San Juan Federico Degetau Federal Bldg. Carlos E. Chardon Street - Hato Rey, P.R. 00918 Office hrs:Monday,Wednesday &Friday,8:30AM-12:00noon Recorded msg:Weekdays,7:30AM-4:00PM,(809) 766-5242 NAM VET Newsletter Page 81 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 RHODE ISLAND - See Connecticut listing SOUTH CAROLINA - See North Carolina listing SOUTH DAKOTA - See Minnesota listing TENNESSEE - Memphis 200 Jefferson Ave, Suite 1312 Memphis TN 38103-2335 Office hrs: Weekdays, 9:00AM - 4:00PM (self-service) 24-hour recorded message: (901) 521-3956 TEXAS - Dallas (for north Texas) Room 6B12, 1100 Commerce Street - Dallas TX 75242 Office hrs: Weekdays, 10:00AM - 12:00 noon 1:00PM - 3:00PM 24-hour recorded message: (214) 767-8035 no walk-in servive Data BBS: 214-767-0565 (FOR FEDERAL EMPLOYEES) Houston phone recording only 24-hr recorded msg:(713)226-2375 no walk-in service San Antonio (for south Texas) 8610 Broadway, Room 305 - San Antonio TX 78217 (was 643 E. Durango Boulevard 78206) 24-hour recorded message: (512) 229-6611 or 6600 no walk-in service UTAH - See Colorado listing VERMONT - See New Hampshire listing VIRGINIA - Norfolk Federal Bldg Rm 220 200 Granby St Norfolk VA 23510-1886 Office hrs: Weekdays, 9:00AM - 4:00PM (self-service) 24-hour recorded message: (804) 441-3355 For Arlington, Fairfax, Prince William, King George, Stafford, and Loudoun Counties and the cities of Alexandria, Falls Church, and Fairfax, see the District of Columbia Listing DC area - See District of Columbia listing WASHINGTON - Seattle Federal Bldg - 915 Second Avenue - Seattle WA 98174 Office hrs: Weekdays, 9:00AM - 12:00noon(self-service) 12:00 noon - 3:30PM 24-hour recorded message: (206) 442-4365 WEST VIRGINIA - Charleston - See Ohio listing WISCONSIN - See the Minnesota listing For Dane, Grant, Green, Iowa, Jefferson, Kenosha, Lafayette, Milwaukee, Racine, Rock, Walworth, and Waukesha Counties, see the Illinois Listing. or dial (312) 353-6189 for job information. WYOMING - See Colorado listing NAM VET Newsletter Page 82 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 VETERANS EDUCATION AND EMPLOYMENT PROGRAMS AMENDMENTS Input by: Fred Sochacki NamVets' Veteran Employment Section Editor VETLink #5 - Passaic, NJ (201) 778-1879 PUBLIC LAW 102-16 102d CONGRESS AN ACT To amend title 38, United States Code, with respect to veterans education and employment programs, 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. EXTENSION. Section 2011(2)(B) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking out "1991" and inserting in lieu thereof "1994". SEC.2. EDUCATIONAL AND VOCATIONAL COUNSELING. (a) In General-Chapter 36 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end of subchapter II the following new section: "S 1797A. EDUCATIONAL AND VOCATIONAL COUNSELING "(a) The Secretary shall make available to an individual described in subsection (b) of this section, upon such individual's request, counseling services, including such educational and vocational counseling and guidance, testing, and other assistance as the Secretary determines necessary to aid the individual in selecting- "(1) an educational or training objective and an educational institution or training establishment appropriate for the attainment of such objective; or "(2) an employment objective that would be likely to provide such individual with satisfactory employment opportunities in the light of the individual's personal circumstances. "(b) For the purpose of this section, the term 'individual' means an individual who - "(1) is eligible for educational assistance under chapter 30, 31, or 32 of this title or chapter 106 or 107 of title 10: "(2) was discharged or released from active duty under conditions other than dishonorable if not more than one year has elapsed since the date of such last discharge or release from active duty; or "(3) is serving on active duty in any State with the Armed Forces and is within 180 days of the estimated date of such individual's discharge or release from active duty under conditions other than dishonorable, including those who are making a determination of whether to continue as members of the Armed Forces. "(c) In any case in which the Secretary has rated the individual as being incompetent, the counseling services described in subsection (a) of this section shall be required to be provided to the individual before the selection of a program of education or training. "(d) At such intervals as the Secretary determines necessary, NAM VET Newsletter Page 83 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 the Secretary shall make available information concerning the need for general education and for trained personnel in the various crafts, trades, and professions. Facilities of other Federal agencies collecting such information shall be utilized to the extent the Secretary determines practicable. "(e) The Secretary shall take appropriate steps (including individual notification where feasible) to acquaint all individuals described in subsection (b) of this section with the availability and advantages of counseling services under this section.". (b) CONFORMING AMENDMENTS - (1) Chapter 34 of such title is amended - (A) by striking out section 1663; and (B) in the table of sections of such chapter, by striking out "1663 Educational and vocational counseling.". (2) Sections 1434(a)(1) and 164(a)(1) of such title are amended by striking out "1663,". (3) Section 1797(a) of such title is amended by inserting "under section 1797A of this title or to an individual" after "individual". (4) The table of sections of chapter 36 of such title is amended by adding the following new item at the end of the items for subchapter II: "1797A. Educational and vocational counseling.". SEC. 3. VOCATIONAL REHABILITATION. (a) REHABILITATION UNDER CHAPTER 31. - Section 150(1)(B) of Title 38, United States Code, is amended by striking out "for a service-connected disability" and all that follows through "determines" and inserting in lieu thereof "or receiving outpatient medical care, services, or treatment for a service-connected disability pending discharge from the active military, naval, or air service, and the Secretary determines that (i) the hospital (or other medical facility) providing the hospitalization, care, services, or treatment either is doing so under contract or agreement with the Secretary concerned or is under the jurisdiction of the Secretary of Veterans Affairs or the Secretary concerned, and (ii) the person is suffering from a disability which". (b) HANDLING FEES.-(1) Section 1504(a)(7) of such title is amended- (A) by inserting "(A)" before "Vocational"; (B) by redesignating clauses (A) and (B) as clauses (i) and (ii); (C) by striking out "and licensing" and inserting in lieu thereof "handling charges, licensing"; and (D) by adding at the end the following new subparagraph: "(B) Payment for the services and assistance provided under subparagraph shall be made from funds available for the payment of readjustment benefits.". (2) The amendments made by this subsection shall apply only to payments made on or after the date of the enactment of this Act. (c) AMOUNT OF ALLOWANCE.- Section 1508(c)(2) of such title is NAM VET Newsletter Page 84 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 amended by inserting ", State, or local government" after "Federal". SEC. 4. EXTENSION OF THE PERIOD PRECEDING AUTOMATIC DISENROLLMENT UNDER CHAPTER 32. Section 1632(b)(1) of title 38, United States Code, is amended by inserting before the comma "and at the end of one year thereafter has not filed a claim for utilizing such entitlement". SEC. 5. REPEAL OF CERTAIN REPORTING REQUIREMENTS. (a) In GENERAL-Section 1642 and paragraph (3) of section 1798(e) of title 38, United States Code, are repealed. (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT.-The table of sections for chapter 32 of such title is amended by striking out the item for section 1642. SEC. 6. PROVISIONS FOR CERTAIN INDIVIDUALS TO ELIMINATE AN OVERPAYMENT BY PERFORMING WORK-STUDY SERVICES. (a) In GENERAL - Section 1685 of title 38, United States Code, is amended by adding at the end the following new subsection: "(e)(1) Subject to paragraph (2) of this subsection, the Secretary may, notwithstanding any other provision of law, enter into an agreement with an individual under this section, or a modification of such an agreement, whereby the individual agrees to perform services of the kind described in clauses (A) through (E) of subsection (a)(1) of this section and agrees that the Secretary shall, in lieu of paying the work-study allowance payable for such services, as provided in subsection (a) of this section, deduct the amount of the allowance from the amount which the individual has been determined to be indebted to the United States by virtue of such individual's participation in a benefits program under this chapter, chapter 30, 31, 32, 35, or 36 (other than an education loan under subchapter III) of this title, or chapter 106 of title 10 (other than an indebtedness arising from a refund penalty imposed under section 2135 of such title). "(2)(A) Subject to subparagraph (B) of this paragraph, the provisions of this section (other than those provisions which are determined by the Secretary to be inapplicable to an agreement under this subsection) shall apply to any agreement authorized under paragraph (1) of this subsection. "(B) For the purposes of this subsection, the Secretary may - "(i) waive, in whole or in part, the limitations in in subsection (a) of this section concerning the number of hours and periods during which services can be performed by the individual and the provisions of subsection (b) of this section requiring the individual's pursuit of a program of rehabilitation, education, or training; "(ii) in accordance with such terms and conditions as may be specified in the agreement under this subsection, waive or defer charging interest and administrative costs pursuant to section 3115 of NAM VET Newsletter Page 85 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 this title on the indebtedness to be satisfied by performance of the agreement; and "(iii) notwithstanding the indebtedness offset provisions of section 3114 of this title, waive or defer until the termination of an agreement under this subsection the deduction of all or any portion of the amount of indebtedness covered by the agreement from future payments to the individual as described in section 3114 of this title. "(3)(A) Subject to provisions of subparagraphs (B) and (C) of this paragraph, an agreement authorized under this subsection shall terminate in accordance with the provisions of this section and the terms and conditions of the agreement which are consistent with this subsection. "(B) In no event shall an agreement under this subsection continue in force after the total amount of the individual's indebtedness described in paragraph (1) of this subsection has been recouped, waived, or otherwise liquidated. "(C) Notwithstanding the provisions of subparagraphs (A) and (B) of this paragraph, if the Secretary finds that an individual was without fault and was allowed to perform services described in the agreement after its termination, the Secretary shall as reasonable compensation therefor, pay the individual at the applicable hourly minimum wage rate for such services as the Secretary determines were satisfactorily performed. "(4) The Secretary shall promulgate regulations to carry out this subsection.". (b) CONFORMING AND TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.- (1) Section 1685(a)(2) of such title is amended by inserting "and subsection (e) of this section" after "subsection". (2) Section 1685(b) of such title is amended by inserting before "utilize" in the first sentence", subject to the provisions of subsection (e) of this section.". (3) Section 3114(a) of such title is amended by inserting before the comma "and section 1685(e) of this title". (4) Section 3115(a) of such title is amended by striking out "section 3102" and inserting in lieu thereof "sections 1685(e) and 3102". SEC.7. EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE FOR FLIGHT TRAINING. (a) POST-VIETNAM ERA VETERANS' EDUCATIONAL ASSISTANCE. Section 1641 of title 38, United States Code, is amended - (1) by redesignating subsection (b) as subsection (c);and (2) by inserting after subsection (a) the following new subsection: "(b)(1) The Secretary may approve the pursuit of flight training (in addition to a course of flight training that may be approved under section 1673(b) of this title) by an individual entitled to basic education assistance under this chapter if - "(A) such training is generally accepted as necessary for the attainment of a recognized vocational objective in the field of aviation; "(B) the individual possesses a valid pilot's NAM VET Newsletter Page 86 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 license and meets the medical requirements necessary for a commercial pilot's license; and "(C) the flight school courses meet Federal Aviation Administration standards for such courses and are approved by the Federal Aviation Administration and the State approving agency. "(2) This subsection shall not apply to a course of flight training that commences on or after October 1, 1994.". (b) BENEFIT AMOUNT AND ENTITLEMENT CHARGE - Section 1631 of such title is amended - (1) in subsection (a)(2), by inserting "subsection (f) of this section and" after "provided in"; and (2) by adding at the end the following new subsection: "(f)(1) Subject to subsection (a)(1) of this section, each individual who is pursuing a program of education consisting exclusively of flight training approved as meeting the requirements of section 1641(b) of this title shall be paid educational assistance under this chapter in the amount equal to 60 percent of the established charges for tuition and fees (other than tuition and fees charged for or attributable to solo flying hours) which similarly circumstanced nonveterans enrolled in the same flight course are required to pay. "(2) No payment may be paid under this chapter to an individual for any month during which such individual is pursuing a program of education consisting of flight training until the Secretary has received from that individual and the institution providing such training a certification of the flight training received by the individual during that month and the tuition and other fees charged for that training. "(3) The entitlement of an eligible veteran pursuing a program of education described in paragraph (1) of this subsection shall be charged at the rate of one month for each amount of educational assistance paid which is equal to the monthly benefit otherwise payable to such veteran (computed on the basis of the formula provided in subsection (a)(2) of this section.". (c) EFFECTIVE DATE - The amendments made by this section shall take effect on April 1, 1991. SEC.8. COMMITTEE ON VETERANS' EMPLOYMENT. (a) In GENERAL-Section 2010 of title 38,United States Code, is amended to read as follows: "S 2010. ADVISORY COMMITTEE ON VETERANS EMPLOYMENT AND TRAINING "(a)(1) There is hereby established within the Department of Labor an advisory committee to be known as the Advisory Committee on Veterans Employment and Training. "(2) The advisory committee shall - "(A) assess the employment and training needs of veterans; NAM VET Newsletter Page 87 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 "(B) determine the extent to which the programs and activities of the Department of Labor are meeting such needs; and "(C) carry out such other activities that are necessary to make the reports and recommendations referred to in subsection (f) of this section. "(b) The Secretary of Labor shall, on a regular basis, consult with and seek the advice of the advisory committee with respect to the matters referred to in subsection (a)(2) of this section. "(c)(1) The Secretary of Labor shall, within 90 days after the date of the enactment of this section, appoint at least 12, but no more than 18, individuals to serve as members of the advisory committee consisting of - "(A) representatives nominated by veterans' organizations that are chartered by Federal law and have a national employment program; and "(B) not more than 6 individuals who are recognized authorities in the fields of business, employment, training,rehabilitation, or labor and who are not employees of the Department of Labor. "(2) A vacancy in the advisory committee shall be filled in the manner in which the original appointment was made. "(d) The following, or their representatives, shall be ex officio, nonvoting members of the advisory committee: "(1) The Secretary of Veterans Affairs. "(2) The Secretary of Defense. "(3) The Secretary of Health and Human Services. "(4) The Secretary of Education. "(5) The Director of the Office of Personnel Management. "(6) The Assistant Secretary of Labor for Veterans Employment and Training. "(7) The Assistant Secretary of Labor for Employment and Training. "(8) The Chairman of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. "(9) The Administrator of the Small Business Administration. "(10) The Postmaster General. "(11) The Director of the United States Employment Service. "(12) Representatives of- "(A) other Federal departments and agencies requesting a representative on the advisory committee; and "(B) nationally based organizations with a significant involvement in veterans employment and training programs, as determined necessary and appropriate by the Secretary of Labor. "(e)(1) The advisory committee shall meet at least quarterly. "(2) The Secretary of Labor shall appoint the chairman of the advisory committee who shall serve in that position for no more than 2 consecutive years. "(3)(A) Members of the advisory committee shall serve without compensation. "(B) Members of the advisory committee shall be allowed reasonable and necessary travel expenses, including per diem in lieu of subsistence, at rates authorized for persons serving intermittently in the Government service in accordance with the provisions of NAM VET Newsletter Page 88 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 subchapter I of chapter 57 of title 5, United States Code, while away from their homes or regular places of business in the performance of the responsibilities of the Board. "(4) The Secretary of Labor shall provide staff and administrative support to the advisory committee through the Veterans Employment and Training Service. "(f)(1) Not later than July 1 of each year, the advisory committee shall submit to the Secretary of Labor a report on the employment and training needs of veterans. Each such report shall contain - "(A) an assessment of the employment and training needs of veterans; "(B) an evaluation of the extent to which the programs and activities of the Department of Labor are meeting such needs; and "(C) any recommendations for legislation, administrative action, and other action that the advisory committee considers appropriate. "(2) In addition to the annual reports made under paragraph (1), the advisory committee may make recommendations to the Secretary of Labor with respect to the employment and training needs of veterans at such times and in such manner as the advisory committee determines appropriate. "(g) Within 60 days after receiving each annual report referred to in subsection (f)(1), the Secretary of Labor shall transmit to Congress a copy of this report together with any comments concerning the report that the Secretary considers appropriate. "(h) The advisory committee shall continue until terminated by law.". (b) CLERICAL AMENDMENT. - The table of sections for chapter 41 of such title is amended by striking out the item for section 2010 and inserting in lieu thereof the following: "2010. Advisory Committee on Veterans Employment and Training.". SEC.9. VETERANS READJUSTMENT APPOINTMENTS. (a) POLICY. - Section 2014(a)(1) of title 38, United States Code, is amended- (1) by striking out "It is the policy of the United States" and inserting in lieu thereof the following: "The United States has an obligation to assist veterans of the Armed Forces in readjusting to civilian life since veterans, by virtue of their military service, have lost opportunities to pursue education and training oriented toward civilian careers. The Federal Government is also continuously concerned with building an effective work force, and veterans constitute a major recruiting source. It is, therefore, the policy of the United States"; and (2) by striking out "certain veterans of the Vietnam era" and all that follows through the period and inserting in lieu thereof "disabled veterans and certain veterans of the Vietnam era and of the post-Vietnam era who are qualified for such employment and advancement.". (b) IMPLEMENTATION. - (1) Section 2014(b)(1) of such title is amended - NAM VET Newsletter Page 89 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 (A) in clause (A), by striking out "up to" and all that follows through the semicolon and inserting in lieu thereof "up to and including the level GS-11 or its equivalent;"; (B) by striking out clauses (B) and (C) and inserting in lieu thereof the following: "(B) a veteran shall be eligible for such an appointment without regard to the number of years of education completed by such veteran; "(C) a veteran who is entitled to disability compensation under the laws administered by the Department of Veterans Affairs or whose discharge or release from active duty was for a disability incurred or aggravated in line of duty shall be given a preference for such an appointment over other veterans; "(D) a veteran receiving such an appointment shall- "(i) in the case of a veteran with less than 15 years of education, receive training or education; and "(ii) upon successful completion of the prescribed probationary period, acquire a competitive status; and"; (C) by striking out clauses (E) and (F); and (D) by redesignating clause (D) as clause (E) and by striking out "; and" at the end of such clause and inserting in lieu thereof a period. (2) Section 2014(b) of such title is amended by striking out subparagraph (B) of paragraph (2) and all that follows through paragraph (4) and inserting in lieu thereof the following: "(B) veterans who first became a member of the Armed Forces or first entered on active duty as a member of the Armed Forces after May 7, 1975, and were discharged or released from active duty under conditions other than dishonorable. "(3)(A) Except as provided in subparagraph (C) of this paragraph a veteran of the Vietnam era may receive an appointment under this section only during the period ending - "(i) 10 years after the date of the veteran's last discharge or release from active duty; or "(ii) December 31, 1993, whichever is later. "(B) Except as provided in subparagraph (C) of this paragraph, a veteran described in paragraph (2)(B) of this subsection may receive such an appointment only within the 10-year period following the later of - "(i) the date of the veteran's last discharge or release from active duty; or "(ii) December 18,1989. "(C) The limitations of subparagraph (A) and (B) of this paragraph shall not apply to a veteran who has a service-connected disability rated at 30 percent or more. "(D) For the purposes of clause (i) of subparagraphs (A) and (B) of this paragraph, the last discharge or release from active duty shall not include any discharge or release from active duty of less than NAM VET Newsletter Page 90 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 ninety days of continuous service unless the individual involved is discharged or released for a service-connected disability, for a medical condition which preexisted such service and which the Secretary determines is not service connected, for hardship, or as a result of a reduction in force described in section 1411(a)(1)(A)(ii)(III) of this title or of an involuntary separation described in section 1418A(a)(1).". (c) CLERICAL AMENDMENTS.- (1) The title heading for chapter 42 of such title is amended by striking out "DISABLED AND VIETNAM ERA". (2) The item for such chapter in the table of chapters is amended by striking out "Disabled and Vietnam Era". (d) EFFECTIVE DATE-The amendments made by this Act shall apply only to appointments made after the date of the enactment of this Act. SEC.10. TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS. (a) TITLE 38 TECHNICAL AMENDMENTS.-Title 38, United States Code, is amended as follows: (1) Section 1411(a)(3) is amended - (A) by redesignating clause (C) as clause (D); and (B) by striking out clauses (A) and (B) and inserting in lieu thereof the following: "(A) continues on active duty; "(B) is discharged from active duty with an honorable discharge; "(C) is released after service on active duty characterized by the Secretary concerned as honorable service and is placed on the retired list, is transferred to the Fleet Reserve or Fleet Marine Corps Reserve, or is placed on the temporary disability retired list; or". (2) Section 1418(b)(4) is amended - (A) by striking out the comma after "service" and inserting in lieu thereof "(i)"; and (B) by inserting ", or (ii) has successfully completed the equivalent of 12 semester hours in a program of education leading to a standard college degree" before the semicolon. (3) Section 1432(f)(3) is amended by striking out "or (c)" and inserting in lieu thereof "(c), or (d)(1)". (4) Section 1433(b) is amended by striking out "section 902 of the Department of Defense Authorization Act, 1981 (10 U.S.C. 2141 note)," and inserting in lieu thereof "chapter 109 of title 10". (5) Section 1685(a)(1) is amended - (A) by redesignating clauses (1) through (5) as clauses (A) through (E), respectively; and (B) in clause (E), as so redesignated, by inserting ", Coast Guard, or National Guard" after "Department of Defense". (6) Sections 1732(c)(3), 1732(e), and 1733(a)(1) are amended by striking out "Secretary of Veterans Affairs" and inserting in lieu thereof "Secretary". (7) Section 1774(a)(1)(A) is amended by striking out "chapters 106 and 107" and inserting in lieu thereof "chapter 106". NAM VET Newsletter Page 91 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 (8) Section 2004 is amended - (A) in subsection (a)(1), by striking out "assignment" each place it appears in the material preceding subparagraph (A) and inserting in lieu thereof "appointment"; (B) in subsection (a)(1)(C), by striking out "assign- ment" and inserting in lieu thereof "appointment"; (C) in subsection (a)(4), by striking out "assigning" and inserting in lieu thereof "appointment"; and (D) by striking out subsection (d). (9) Section 3013(a) is amended by inserting "or chapter 106 of title 10" after "of this title". (b) TITLE 10 TECHNICAL AMENDMENT.- Section 2136(b) of title 10, United States Code, is amended by striking out "1434(b),", "1663,", and "1780(g),". APPROVED MARCH 22, 1991. LEGISLATIVE HISTORY - H.R. 180: CONGRESSIONAL RECORD, Vol. 137 (1991): Feb. 5, considered and passed House. Mar. 7, considered and passed Senate. NAM VET Newsletter Page 92 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 ================================================================== Shiftin' Sands ================================================================== DESERT STORM HERO WINS A WAR AT HOME By Don Hannula - Times Editorial Columnist The Seattle Times - 10/9/91 Input by Marsha Ledeman NamVet MIA/POW Section Editor VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 It was a picture that said more than a thousand words: Army Staff Sgt. Daniel J. Stamaris Jr., wounded Desert Storm hero - propped up on a gurney, wearing a maroon beret and snapping a proud salute. It appeared on front pages across the nation. The photo of Stamaris, who grew up in Lynnwood, was a symbol of American resolve in the Persian Gulf War. Thousands of flag-waving well-wishers cheered and a brass band played "God Bless America" that day last March when Stamaris and 20 others returned from captivity in Iraq to Andrews Air Force Base in Maryland. Defense Secretary Dick Cheney told them: "Your country is opening its arms to greet you." How quickly we forget. LESS THAN SEVEN MONTHS LATER: Stamaris was battling the military bureaucracy to stay on active duty in the Army. Yesterday he won a war at home that he should never have had to fight. Stamaris suffered a broken leg and internal injuries when his Blackhawk helicopter was shot down during a search-and-rescue mission. He was attempting to rescue grounded Air Force Capt. William F. Andrews. Initially, Stamaris' family had been told he was killed in the helicopter crash near the Iraqi border. Now stationed at Fort Rucker in Alabama, Stamaris is taking physical therapy to mend a broken ankle, leg and pelvis. He has a rod in his upper left leg and a bolt in his pelvis. "I probably will have some problems the rest of my life, but maybe I can get back to 90 to 95 percent health," he said. "Right now, I'm down to using one crutch." The Department of the Army's Physical Disability Agency was evaluating Stamaris' medical condition to determine whether he should be temporarily retired for one year or allowed to continue on active duty. Stamaris, 31, a graduate of Lynnwood High School, had been working in Boise, Idaho, when he entered the Army. Lynnwood is his home. His father, Daniel, and stepmother Delores, live there. So he turned to John Miller, his 1st. District congressman, for help. "I do not want temporary retirement," Stamaris wrote to Miller. "I feel that since my injuries were incurred in combat, the service should see to my recovery on active duty. Temporary retirement would result in approximately a $600 cut in my pay per month. This reduction in pay would place a severe financial burden NAM VET Newsletter Page 93 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 on my family." Miller met Stamaris at a military hospital last spring. Stamaris says he would receive 75 percent of his base pay of $1,500 a month under temporary retirement but there would be an additional loss in quarters allowance and other added pay. "We would be forced to sell our home, since we wouldn't be able to make the mortgage payments and other monthly payments on my income alone," he wrote. Stamaris' wife, Renee, who has been working part time, is expecting a child in May. While Stamaris is unable to perform duties in his military occupation, he has been making regular appearances at public functions as a Desert Storm hero. He felt he could contribute to the Army on active duty in a public-relations capacity until his therapy was completed. Miller wrote to the head of the Army Congressional Liaison Office and also to Defense Secretary Cheney: "It is difficult to believe the Army cannot find an opportunity for Mr. Stamaris' talents until he completes his recovery. "While both you and I are under tremendous pressure to contain costs, I believe reducing the pay, benefits and stature of an injured war soldier and former prisoner of war is NO place to save money." The Army responded that the matter was under review. Early yesterday afternoon, Stamaris said all he could do was hope. "Right now, no news is good news," he said. At midafternoon, the Army office called Miller's office to say Stamaris will NOT be temporarily retired. "Why would they retire a war hero who has done so much for them?" Miller said. "We're breathing a big sigh of relief," Stamaris' wife said. The Army decision is oral -- not yet in writing. It didn't go into the reasons. It didn't need to. They are obvious. Why Stamaris had to be put through this wringer is NOT..... _________________________________________________________________ Bush is very good at sending them there and then when they are lucky enough to come home, he will not help take care of them... What a travesty of justice!!! -- Marsha NAM VET Newsletter Page 94 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 ================================================================== Sister Vets ================================================================== Vietnam Women's Memorial Project, Inc. "Sister Search" Submitted by: Martha Green VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 The Vietnam Women's Memorial Project's "SISTER SEARCH" is a program designed to locate the military and civilian women who served their country during the Vietnam War. The goals of "SISTER SEARCH" are to facilitate hope and healing among women veterans; to provide a network for them; and to assist research efforts on women who served during the Vietnam War. Vietnam era women veterans are asked to provide as much information as they feel comfortable sharing. Although "Sister Search" is NOT a locator service, should an inquiry be made as to whereabouts of a person included in the "SISTER SEARCH" database, the VWMP will pass the inquiry along in writing to the individual, allowing her to decide whether she would like to respond. If the individual is deceased, the inquiry will be sent to the closest family member identified by the VWMP. All women veterans in the "SISTER SEARCH" database will periodically receive information on the Project's progress and ultimately receive an invitation to the dedication ceremonies in Washington, D.C. The Vietnam Women's Memorial Project is a non-profit, volunteer organization with the threefold purpose of: educating the public about the women who served during the Vietnam era; locating and providing a network for these women; and placing a realistic representation of a Vietnam woman veteran on the grounds of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, DC. The Project has the support of every major veterans group in America, including the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. For more information, contact: "SISTER SEARCH" Vietnam Women's Memorial Project 2001 'S' Street NW Suite #302 Washington DC 20009 NAM VET Newsletter Page 95 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 Even a small donation can make a monumental difference. Efforts are now underway to erect a monument on the grounds of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial that recognizes the role played by women veterans. The Vietnam Women's Memorial Project is conducting this drive as part of a larger effort to educate all Americans about the vital services provided by over 265,000 women, military and civilian, during the Vietnam War. O O O O O O O O O O O O O Your contribution, large or small, O O will help ensure that these women's O O sacrifices are not forgotten. O __________ O O ) O /(O) / O\ / / O \ / VIETNAM / \ / WOMEN'S /HONORING\ / MEMORIAL /\ THE \ / PROJECT / \ WOMEN \ / / \ WHO \ / / \ SERVED / (__________/ \ / \ / \ / \/ _ /_/ Yes, I want to help honor America's Women Vietnam veterans. My tax-deductible contribution is enclosed. _ /_/ Send me more information about how I can help make this dream a reality. _ /_/ I am a woman who served during the Vietnam era. NAME ____________________________________________________________ ADDRESS _________________________________________________________ CITY ______________________________________ STATE ______________ ZIP ____________________ PHONE __________________________________ Clip and mail along with your contribution to: VWMP 2001 S St., NW Suite 710 Washington, DC 20009 VIETNAM WOMEN'S MEMORIAL PROJECT A legacy of Healing and Hope NAM VET Newsletter Page 96 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 Vietnam Women's Memorial Project, Inc. 2001 'S' Street NW - Suite 302 - Washington DC 20009 (202) 328-7253 FAX: (202) 328-0063 Submitted by: Martha Green VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA (413) 443-6313 SISTER SEARCH Name:________________________Vietnam Era Name: ___________________ (If different) Address:_____________________________________ Work #: ____/_______ City:________________ State: __ Zip:________ Home #: Branch of Service or Civilian Organization: ___________________________________________ In-Country (Vietnam) Assignment #1: ___________________________________________________ Start Date: ___________________________ End Date: ________________ Assignment #2: ___________________________________________________ Start Date: ___________________________ End Date: ________________ Assignment #3: ___________________________________________________ Start Date: ___________________________ End Date: ________________ Vietnam Era (1959-1975) Assignment: ______________________________________________________ Start Date: ___________________________ End Date: ________________ The Project receives inquires from the press and researchers in search of Vietnam era women veterans who are willing to share their experiences.Your participation as a press/research/education contact is strictly optional. I authorize the Vietnam Women's Memorial Project to release my name to individuals or organizations who are seeking information on Vietnam era women veterans for press inquirries, research or educational activities. Signature ________________________________________ Date __________ I authorize the Vietnam Women's Memorial Project to release my name to the National Associate Volunteer, Regional and/or State Coordinator in my area. -------------------| FOR OFFICE USE | DATE RECEIVED: | | Signature ___________________ Date __________ TRANSFER: | | Please list the names and addresses of any ENTER: | other Vietnam era women veterans you know on | the back of this form. | COMMENTS: | -------------------| Thank you for participating in SISTER SEARCH NAM VET Newsletter Page 97 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 ================================================================== Charlie's Angels ================================================================== NamVet Distribution Survey Form NamVet's editorial staff would like to know where YOU received this copy of NamVet. Please take a few moments to complete and return this page (or a copy) to us. NAME_____________________________________________________________ ADDRESS__________________________________________________________ CITY_____________________________________________________________ STATE & ZIP______________________________________________________ Where did you obtain/read the NamVet Newsletter? ________________ _________________________________________________________________ Do you make NamVet available to others? _________________________ If YES: Individual / / Educational / / Vet Groups / / What do you find most/least helpful about NamVet?________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ What other information would you like to see in NamVet? _________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ Additional Comments _____________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________ YOUR poem, letter, article about the Vietnam Experience - whether you were in Vietnam, in the military or not - is extremely welcomed by the editorial staff of NamVet. We invite you to include one (or many) with your return of this form. Thank You for your time and help in making NamVet *-THE-* electronic newsletter by, for and about veterans and the issues that concern them! Please return replies/articles/poems/etc. to: Mrs. Joyce Flory NamVet Distribution Survey 1825 Evelyn - Las Cruces, NM 88001 -or- Berkshire Veterans' Center, Inc. PO Box 2056 - Pittsfield, MA 01201 NAM VET Newsletter Page 98 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 VIETNAM_VETS and NamVet: Where? By Charlie Revie NamVet's KOTL (Keeper of the List) Desert Dolphin BBS - Las Cruces, NM (505) 523-2811 [Note from Joe - The following is a list of where the VIETNAM_VETS echo has been known to be available for users to access and post messages. Charlie and his team of Angels (Charlies Angels) keep a constant monitor on the echo and, should a new entry be noticed, it is quickly added to the list. If you notice that the BBS where YOU access is NOT listed, please post a message in VIETNAM_VETS to let us - and other vets - know where it is being received. Thanx - Joe] AL Huntsville Gateway 205-880-7723 AZ Chandler Hog Trough! 602-899-3386 AZ Phoenix NCMC BBS 602-840-4752 AZ Phoenix Nighthawk 602-995-3321 AZ Phoenix The Ranch 602-780-9180 CA Anaheim CA Self Help Library 714-952-2110 NL* CA Azusa Azusa Pacific 818-969-9542 CA Azusa Azusa Pacific 818-969-9170 CA Benicia Byte Out of the Apple 707-747-5406 CA Benicia Byte Out of the Apple 707-747-0306 CA Benicia DCC BBS 707-746-6091 CA Burlingame SeaHunt BBS 415-344-4348 CA Castro Valley Combat Arms 510-537-1777 CA Folsom Second Opinion 916-985-4720 CA Los Angeles SoCalNet EC 213-874-9484 CA Navato Mover Mouse BBS 714-898-2644 CA Oxnard SURFBOARD BBS 805-483-1467 CA Pataluma Nauvoo West 707-763-4485 CA Sacramento Broken Rose 916-971-0589 CA Sacramento Now and Zen Opus 916-962-1952 CA Sacramento WorldView I 916-739-8386 CA San Jose 24 Hours A Day 408-448-1126 CA Twentynine Palm Desert Night RBBS 619-361-3421 CN Regina, Sask Holistic BBS 306-789-9909 CO Colorado Sprgs Coffee House 719-596-1565 CO Colorado Sprgs Electronic Locksmith 719-390-9249 CO Fountain Military Connection 719-391-9387 CT Branford Alice's Restaurant 203-488-1115 CT Branford Fernwood 203-483-0348 CT Cheshire Soapbox BBS 293-271-2249 CT Concord Online Computer Reso 415-687-0230 CT Danbury Treasure Island(E-N*) 203-791-8532 NL CT Plantsville The Pig Pen 203-628-9346 CT Plantsville The Pig Pen 203-620-0562 CT Southington DownStairs 203-621-1930 CT West Haven Ascii Neighborhood 203-934-9852 NL DE Dover DELFIRE 302-739-6757 DE New Castle De New Castle BBS 302-328-3993 FL Clarcona West Orange BBS 407-293-2724 FL Kissimmee The Program Exchange 407-870-2735 FL Orlando Digital Connection 407-896-0494 FL Orlando Freedom Line BBS 407-423-2111 NL FL Orlando Gourmet Delight 407-649-4136 GA Albany 2/121st IN-formation 912-430-4543 NAM VET Newsletter Page 99 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 GA Athens Classic City-Node #2 404-548-0130 NL GA Athens Classic City 404-548-0726 NL GA Hephzibah FORT KNOX'S BBS 404-592-6527 GA Savannah Night Owl 912-964-4266 GA Savannah Night Owl 912-964-1161 GA Savannah Night Owl 912-964-2425 GA Savannah Night Owl 912-964-1121 GA Savannah Night Owl 912-966-1167 IA Des Moines FOG-LINE 515-964-7934 IA Des Moines KARMA *VS* DOGMA 515-288-7793 ID Boise Compulink Northwest 208-375-4073 IL Chicago NETWORK Echogate 312-427-1395 IN Ft. Wayne Semper Fi 219-424-4292 LA New Orleans MUG BBS (Line 2) 504-837-8180 LA New Orleans Southern Star 504-885-5928 MA Amherst Pioneer Valley PCUG1 413-256-1037 MA Andover AEOLUS BBS 508-474-0328 MA Dalton Field St.BBS(E-N) 413-684-1938 NL MA Lynn Freedom's Choice 617-593-2605 NL MA Pepperell Region 16 Echo Coord 508-433-8452 MA Pittsfield Berkshire Estates BBS 413-499-1327 NL MA Pittsfield VETLink #1 413-443-6313 NL MD Baltimore Jim's Hooch 301-866-8613 NL MD Baltimore PainFrame BBS 301-488-7461 MD Shady Side VetLink #4 301-261-5644 NL MD Silver Spring Light Source BBS 301-439-7437 MI Spring Arbor The Toy House 517-750-2003 MO Cape Girardeau VETLink #3 314-334-6359 NL MS Vicksburg Southern Belle 601-634-1625 MS Vicksburg The Wishing Well 601-638-7056 NC Charlotte Carolina Forum 704-568-1663 704-563-5857 NC Fayetteville Federal Post 919-436-2055 NC Havelock Dragon Quest II 919-447-3321 NC Raleigh InfoSys 919-851-8460 NC Raleigh Shalom-3 919-851-3858 NH Merrimack Outer Limits 603-424-4915 NJ Garfield Quill & Inkpot BBS 201-340-1340 NJ Lyndhurst Starship ][ 201-935-1485 NJ Lyndhurst Starship ][ 201-935-7036 NJ Passaic VetLink #5 201-778-1879 NL NM Alamogordo Casa de La Luz 505-437-8267 NL NM Las Cruces Desert Dolphin 505-523-2811 NL NM Las Cruces MelMikes BBS 505-521-1527 NL NM Las Cruces NASW (E-N) 505-646-2858 NL NV Las Vegas Sports_Line 702-565-5271 NV Reno Deceiver_System 702-322-6570 NY Marlboro ACORN I 914-236-3265 NY Phoenix G A L A X I A ! 315-695-4436 NY Rochester Flower City 716-889-2016 OH Akron Buckeye Hamshack 216-867-6984 OH Cincinnati KIC-BBS 513-762-1115 OH Rocky River Nerd Nook II 216-356-1872 OH Rocky River Nerd Nook 216-356-1431 OK Lawton DarkStar 405-248-9884 OR Beaverton Chess Board 503-629-5473 OR Portland Landing Zone 503-254-6819 NL PA Bensalem Backbone Collection 215-638-8367 PA Butler Info Exchange Rbbs 412-482-4721 NAM VET Newsletter Page 100 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 1991 PA Carlisle L & T's Spitfire! BBS 717-243-0055 PA Harrisburg The Other BBS 717-657-8699 PA Johnstown The Family BBS 814-536-7617 NL TN Memphis Memphis Mail Hub 901-763-1427 TN Nashville Homestead 615-385-9421 TN Nashville Unicorn & Dragon 615-385-2260 TX Arlington DD Connection 817-261-6309 TX Corpus Christi SEABAT BBS 512-387-6638 TX Corpus Christi Ye MailRoom 512-855-7584 TX Dallas Chrysalis 214-349-9397 TX DeSoto Diamond Lil's Saloon 214-228-9173 TX Houston The Fireside 713-496-6319 TX Houston LAW=ON=LINE (down) 713-526-0719 TX Houston Leaders in Control 713-584-1821 TX Houston Texas Fathers For ER 713-376-4767 TX Houston TreeShare Genealogica 713-342-1174 TX Katy Executive Washroom 713-347-2558 NL TX Lake Travis Crystal Palace 513-335-7949 TX Missouri City Soldier's Bored 713-437-2859 TX Pasadena Pier 7 713-477-2681 TX Portland Garfield 512-643-7858 TX Rosenberg Merlin's Keep 713-342-7629 TX San Antonio Heidi Search Center 512-659-2305 TX Universal City The Ranch House 512-945-9304 VA Falls Church Grey Eagle 703-534-0177 VA Herndon HBX Veterans Memorial 703-471-8010 NL VA Herndon HBX Veterans Memorial 703-471-8563 NL VA Newport News Brokedown Palace 804-591-8537 VA Newport News OBSESSIONS 804-887-2140 VA Norfolk Apex 804-436-3125 VA Virginia Beach HandiNet B B S 804-496-3320 VA Williamsburg Rainbow's End 804-872-7171 WA Bremerton Jimby BBS 206-698-1044 NL WA Everett Mark's Point! 206-486-2415 WA Everett Silver Lake 206-338-3723 WA Everett Silver Lake Too 206-338-3168 WA Ft. Lewis Silent Sentry BBS 206-984-1048 WA Graham Last Frontier RA 206-847-8168 WA Redmond GreyHounds BBS 206-868-4402 WA Seattle Puget Sound TBBS 206-745-6340 WA Spokane Think Tank II 509-244-6446 WA Tacoma Group Medical BBS 206-581-9088 WI Milwaukee PC-Express 414-327-5300 ** Bremerton, WA British Hands Off ** Corpus Christi Corrosion by the Ocea ** Custer, SD GOTCHA! ** Phoenix, AZ Hirschfeld Law Office ** Pittsfield, MA VetPoint 707 ** Portland, OR The Empty Bed Pan ? ** ............... Any Port in the Storm ** ............... OLD Soldiers Home ** ............... Support our men ** ............... Vietnam vets, a tough ...-...-.... ====================================================== (*) KEY: E-N = No IVVEC Echo,but does have Nam_Vet newsletter NL = Carries both IVVEC and Nam_Vet newsletter NAM VET Newsletter Page 101 Volume 5, Number 10 October 24, 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 ! !__________________________________________________________! NAM VET Newsletter Page 102