From: jewell@MACE.CC.PURDUE.EDU (Larry Jewell)
Newsgroups: soc.veterans
Subject: 'NamVet Newsletter, Vol.5, no.6, (4/7)
Date: 6 Sep 92 02:43:38 GMT


                                          2400 Baud
                                          8-N-1
     
                                -- Don  --
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 45
     Volume  5, Number  6                                 June 10, 1991

                            For Sale - CHEAP!!!
                   From The Desert Storm EchoConference
                   GeneSys Project Mail Only (1:3623/11)
     
     Date: 14 Mar 91 07:53:32                    Low Msg    :     1
     From: Sadam Hussein                         High Msg   :  1346
     To  : All                                   Total Msgs :   821
     Subj: Sale!                                 Msg Size   :   977
     
     Due to the recent "bad weather", we're having a massive scratch, 
     dent, and hail damage sale!  T-72's at below original factory 
     invoice!  A select group of BRDM's slashed to move, move, move!  
     Low mileage vehicles with the classic "white flag" accessories 
     intact!  Dealers and restorers welcome!
     
     Come on down to Sadam's Used Tanks - just three blocks from the 
     Euphrates past the second bridge - be careful in the 
     "construction" zone!  Bring your own petrol - at these prices, we 
     can't afford to fill 'em up!
     
     Open 24 hours at Baghdad-549 ... that's Baghdad-549!
     





































     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 46
     Volume  5, Number  6                                 June 10, 1991

                         Peace in the Middle East
                           By: Catherine Cerdedo
             Texas Father's for EQUAL Rights BBS - Houston, TX
                              (713) 376-4767
     
     As  a  military wife I feel my duty is to my husband and  children 
     and except (but not totally understand)  everything the army gives 
     us.  But, for the life of me, I do not understand this peace thing 
     in  the middle east.   Pres.  Bush says he would bring peace to  a 
     part  of the world that has never (and probably never  will)  know 
     peace.
     
     I don't understand were we as americans feel we won anything when, 
     we  pull out of Iraqi and leave it in total and complete chaos and 
     confusion. Saddom (sic)  is still in power and killing people.  So 
     someone tell me what we won?  Kuwaiti is a total waste.  We walked 
     out  of  there  leaving those poor people with what they  have  to 
     survive  with.  My husband called me the other day and told me  of 
     the  sorry  shape  the entire area is in.   He  himself  does  not 
     understand why we are leaving it in that sorry condition, which we 
     helped  put it in.   Someone tell me why my husband spent 7 months 
     in a hell-hole for nothing.   If someone tells me we were fighting 
     for "our" freedom one more time I will...
     
     I  think  the  US  fighting  machine as a  whole  is  a  wonderful 
     protector  and  aggressor,  but it needs to learn to clean up  its 
     room  know.   Isn't that what we teach our children?   We are  not 
     setting a good example are we!   IF you make a mess everyone helps 
     clean it up.
     
                                    CC
     



























     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 47
     Volume  5, Number  6                                 June 10, 1991

                  Gen. Powell Pushed for 5-Star Position
                         Submitted by: Dave Nelson
                   Electric Locksmith BBS - Security, CO
                              (719) 390-9249
     
     I  got  the following from the Air Force Times weekly paper  dated 
     March 18, 1991.
     
     "The  idea of promoting Gen.  Colin L.  Powell (USA)  and Gen.  H. 
     Norman  Schwarzkopf (USA)  to the five-star rank of general of the 
     Army, which was quickly gaining political ground in the House, was 
     quashed by the Senate Armed Services Committee.
     
     While  paying tribute to Powell...  and Schwarzkopf...  for  their 
     role  in the victory over Iraq,  the Senate committee has proposed 
     giving each a Congressional Gold Medal rather than a fifth star.
     
     The committee endorsed the medal idea March 5.
     
     The  action could kill efforts by other lawmakers to get  Congress 
     to  approve  a  promotion to the five-star grade  for  Powell  and 
     Schwarzkopf because the Senate Armed Services Committee would have 
     to approve any promotions to general of the Army."
     
     "It  would take an act of Congress to restore the five-star  rank. 
     It last was used in 1950, when President Truman promoted Gen. Omar 
     Bradley to general of the Army.
     
     There  have  been five other five-star  generals,  four  five-star 
     fleet admirals and one six-star general.  The six-star general and 
     commander  in chief rank was held by George Washington,  who after 
     the  Revolutionary  War  was appointed commander in chief  by  the 
     Continental Congress June 15, 1775.
     
     John  Pershing,  the allied commander in World War I,  was a five-
     star  general  of the armies.   The other generals were George  C. 
     Marshall,  Douglas  MacArthur,  Dwight D.  Eisenhower and Henry H. 
     "Hap" Arnold.   Arnold,  who led the Army Air Forces,  is the only 
     five-star Air Force Officer.
     
     The  five-star  fleet admirals were William D.  Leahy,  Ernest  J. 
     King, Chester W. Nimitz and William F. Halsey.
     
     Pentagon  manpower officials said a promotion to five-star rank at 
     this point would be a tribute more than a military necessity, such 
     as  that which prompted establishment of the rank during World War 
     II."
     
     "The  Congressional  Gold Medal is the highest honor Congress  can 
     bestow.  Recipients include Washington,  boxer Joe Louis,  pioneer 
     aviators Wilbur and Orville Wright,  Billionaire Howard Hughes and 
     poet Robert Frost.
     
     Although  it originated as a military award for commanders in  the 
     Revolutionary  War,  the scope was broadened through the years and 
     the  medal is now given as recognition of excellence in a  variety 
     of fields."
     
     >> Thought this would be of interest to ya'all.  Cya Dave
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 48
     Volume  5, Number  6                                 June 10, 1991

     


























































     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 49
     Volume  5, Number  6                                 June 10, 1991

       Gen Norman Schwarzkopf's address to joint meeting of Congress
                                  5/8/91
                         Input by: Lefty Frizzell
                   NamVet's Need-To-Know Section Editor
                   The Executive Washroom - Katy, Texas
                              (713) 347-2558
     
     Mr. Speaker, members of Congress, and distinguished guests, it's a 
     great day to be a soldier and it's a great day to be an American.
     
     I  want to thank you for the singular distinction of being allowed 
     to speak to a special session of the Congress of the United States 
     of  America.  Indeed,  I am awed and honored to be standing at the 
     podium  where so many notable men and women have stood before  me.  
     Unlike  them,  I don't stand here today for any great deed that  I 
     have  done.   Instead,  I stand here because I was granted by  our 
     national   leadership  the  great  privilege  of  commanding   the 
     magnificent  servicemen and women who constituted the armed forces 
     of Operation Shield and Desert Storm.
     
     And before I go any further, I must, through their representatives 
     who are here today, tell each and every one of those extraordinary 
     patriots  that  I have no idea what the future holds in store  for 
     me, but I do know one thing.
       I will never, ever, in my entire life,  receive a greater reward 
     than the inspiration that I received every single day as I watched 
     your  dedicated  performance --  your  dedicated  sacrifice,  your 
     dedicated service to your country.
     
     Since I was fortunate enough to command these great Americans, and 
     since  you are the elected representatives of the American people, 
     I  would  presume  today  to speak for our  servicemen  and  women 
     through you to the people of our great nation.
     
     And  we  were Protestants and Catholics and Jews and  Moslems  and 
     Buddhists and many other religions, fighting for a common and just 
     cause.   Because that's what your military is.   And we were black 
     and white and yellow and brown and red. 
       And  we noticed that when our blood was shed in the  desert,  it 
     didn't separate by race.  It flowed together.
     
     You see, that's what your military is.  And we fought side by side 
     with  brothers and sisters in arms who were British and French and 
     Saudi  Arabian and Egyptian and Kuwaiti and members of many  other 
     Arab and Western nations.
     
     And you know what?  We noticed the same thing when their blood was 
     shed  in  the desert.   It did not separate according to  national 
     origin.
     
     We left our homes,  our families,  and traveled thousands of miles 
     away  and fought in places with names we couldn't even  pronounce, 
     simply because you asked us to,  and therefore it became our duty, 
     because that's what your military does.
     
     We  now  proudly join the ranks of Americans who  call  themselves 
     veterans.  We're  proud  to share that title with those  who  went 
     before  us.   And we feel a particular pride in joining the  ranks 
     with  that special group who served their country in the mountains 
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 50
     Volume  5, Number  6                                 June 10, 1991

     and the jungles and the deltas of Vietnam.
     
     We  who were there,  and they served just as proudly in Vietnam as 
     we  served  in the Middle East.   And now that we've won  a  great 
     victory, we dare to ask that, just as we were willing to sacrifice 
     and fight to win the war, you'd be willing to sacrifice and search 
     to win the peace.
     
     We  want to offer our thanks.   First,  weld like to thank our God 
     for  the protection he gave us in the deserts of Kuwait and  Iraq.  
     Most  of us came home safely.   We ask him to grant a special love 
     to  all of our fallen comrades who gave their lives for the  cause 
     of freedom.  And we ask that he embrace us to his bosom,  not only 
     the  147 of us who were killed in action,  but also the 188 of  us 
     who  gave their lives before the war,  during Desert  Shield,  and 
     since the termination of Desert Storm.   They,  too,  no less than 
     our killed-in-action, died for the cause of freedom.
     
     We  also  ask that God grant special strength to our comrades  who 
     are  still in the hospitals with wounds and injuries they received 
     during the war.   By their example we should all remember that the 
     freedoms  we  enjoy  in  this great country of ours  do  not  come 
     without  a price.   They are paid for and protected by the  lives, 
     the limbs and the blood of American servicemen and women.
     
     We  would also like to thank our commander-in-chief for his wisdom 
     and  courage and the confidence he demonstrated in us by  allowing 
     us  to fight this war in such a way that we were able to  minimize 
     our casualties.   That is the right way to fight a war.   We would 
     like to thank the Congress and former administration for giving us 
     the finest tanks,  the finest aircrafts,  the finest ships and the 
     finest military equipment in the world, without question.
     
     Without question, that is what gave us the confidence necessary to 
     attack into the teeth of our enemy with the sure knowledge that we 
     would prevail.
        And  we  would  ask that in years to come,  as  we  reduce  the 
     quantity of our armed forces, that you never forget that it is the 
     quality of the armed forces that wins wars.
     
     We  want  to say a special thanks to our comrades in  uniform  who 
     stayed behind. You backed us up so we could carry the fight to the 
     enemy.  You maintained the peace so that we could win the war.  We 
     never could have done our job if you hadn't done yours.
     
     We  also  want  to thank the families.   It's you who  endure  the 
     hardships  and the separations simply because you choose to love a 
     soldier, a sailor, an airmen, a Marine or a Coast Guardsman.   But 
     it's  your love that truly gave us strength in our darkest  hours.  
     Military families are the wind beneath our wings.
     
     Finally  and  most importantly to the great American  people,  the 
     prophets  of  doom,  the naysayers,  the protesters and the  flag-
     burners  all  said  that you wouldn't stick by  us,  but  we  knew 
     better.  We knew you'd never let us down. 
       By golly, you didn't.
     
     Since  the  first hour of Desert Shield until the last  minute  of 
     Desert  Storm,  every day in every way,  all across  America,  you 
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 51
     Volume  5, Number  6                                 June 10, 1991

     shouted  that  you were with us.   Millions of elementary  school, 
     high  school and college students.  Millions of  families,  untold 
     numbers of civic organizations, veterans' organizations, countless 
     offices, factories,  companies,  and work places,  millions of ... 
     Americans  never let us forget that we were in your hearts and you 
     were in our corner.  Because of you,  when that terrible first day 
     of  war  came,  we  knew we would not fail.   We knew we  had  the 
     strength of the American people behind us, and with that strength, 
     we  were able to get the job done,  kick the Iraqis out of Kuwait, 
     and get back home.  So for every soldier, thank you, America.  For 
     every sailor,  thank you,  America.  For every Marine,  thank you, 
     America.  For every airman, thank you, America.
       For every Coast Guardsman, thank you, America.   From all of us, 
     who proudly served in the Middle East in your armed forces,  thank 
     you, to the great people of the United States of America.
     
                              -End of Speech-
     
     I  think  that  about says it all...  it's a great time to  be  an 
     American.
     
                                   Lefty
     




































     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 52
     Volume  5, Number  6                                 June 10, 1991

                                 In Memory
                          Input by: Charlie Revie
                    Desert Dolphin BBS - Las Cruces, NM
                              (505) 523-2811
     
     Question has been asked how many? and who?  I copied the following 
     from the AUSA NEWS, Apr 91.  The list is incomplete in that it 
     contains only Army Personnel.  Believe me it was rough typing this 
     list.....
     
     The Association of the United States Army salutes our Army 
     Soldiers and our one Department of the Army Civilian Employee who 
     scarificed their lives during Operation DESERT SHIELD and 
     Operation DESERT STORM.  They are:
     
     ALABAMA
       Died   SSG Tatiana Dees, Enterprise
       KIA    CWO Robert F Godfrey, Phenix City
       KIA    PFC John W Hutto, Andalusia
       Died   SGT Arthur Jactson, Brent
       KNH    SPC Thomas R Jarrell, Alexander City
       KNH    SGT Baldwin Satchell, Courtland
     
     ARKANSAS
       KIA    SPC Steven G Mason, Paragould
       KNH    SGT Scotty L Whittenburg, Carlisle
       KIA    PFC David M Wieczorek, Gentry
     
     CALIFORNIA
       KIA    SGT David R Crumby, Jr, Long Beach
       KNH    SGT Ira L Foreman, Sacramento
       KIA    SGT Jimmy D Haws, Travers
       KIA    PFC David W Kramer, Palm Desert
       KIA    SGT Edwin B Kutz, Sunnymeade
       KIA    SPC Scott J Lindsey, Diamond Springs
       KIA    PVT Adrienne L Mitchell, Moreno Valley
       KIA    SGT Cheryl L O'Brien, Long Beach
       KNH    SPC Dale L Paulson, Sacramento
       KIA    SGT Adrian Stokes, Riversid
       KIA    WO George R Swartzendruber, San Diego
       KNH    SFC David L Tapley, Winton
     
     COLORADO
       KIA    SGT Young Dillon, Aurora
     
     CONNECTICUT
       KIA    SPC Cindy M Beaudeon, Plainfield
       KIA    SSG William T Butts, Waterford
       KNH    CWO Robert Hughes, Vernon
     
     DELAWARE
       KIA    CPL James R McCoy, Wilmington
     
     FLORIDA
       KNH    PFC Robert L Daugherty, Jr, Hollywood
       KIA    CWO Philip M Garvey, Pensacola
       KNH    SSG Raymond E Hatcher, Jr, Monticello
       Died   2LT Shannon P Kelley, Gulf Breeze
       KIA    SGT Dodge R Powell, Hollywood
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 53
     Volume  5, Number  6                                 June 10, 1991

       KNH    SSG Michael R Robson, Seminole
       KNH    MSG Eloy A Rodriquez, Key West
       KNH    1SG Henry J Sanders, Cocoa
     
     GEORGIA
       KIA    CWO Hal H Riechle, Marietta
       KNH    PFC Charles S Walker, Jonesboro
       KIA    SPC James E Worthy, Albany
     
     GUAM
       KIA    SPC Roy T Darnian, Jr, Toto
     
     IDAHO
       KIA    SGT Nels A Moller, Paul
     
     ILLINOIS
       KNH    CPT Charles W Cooper, St Charles
       KNH    SPC Gary W Crask, Cantrall
       KNH    SGM Patrick R Hurley, New Douglas
     
     INDIANA
       KNH    CWO Michael F anderson, Frankfort
       KIA    SPC James R MIll, Jr, Decatur
       KNH    PFC Mark A MIller, Cannelton
       KNH    PFC Jeffrey D REll, Vincennes
       KIA    CPL Brian K Simpson, Indianapolis
     
     IOWA
       Died   SPC Steven D Clark, Cedar Rapids
       KNH    DAC James F Neberman, DeWitt
       KIA    SPC Michael W MIlls, Jefferson
       KIA    SPC Ronald D Rennison, Dubuque
     
     KANSAS
       KIA    SPC Michael D Daniels, Fort Leavenworth
       KIA    PFC Marty R Davis, Salina
       KIA    SPC Jeffrey T Middleton, Oxford
       KIA    SFC Gary E Streeter, Manhattan
     
     KENTUCKY
       KNH    SPC Donald R Myers, Paducah
       KNH    SPC Kenven E WRight, Louisville
     
     LOUISIANA
       KNH    MAJ Earl K Stribling, Gilbert
     
     MARYLAND
       KNH    SSG Garland V Hailey, Baltimore
       KIA    SGT Ronald M Randazzo, Glen Burnie
       KIA    PFC Timothy A Shaw, Suitland
     
     MASSACHUSETTS
       KNH    SGT Paul L Burt, Hingham
       KNH    1LT Thomas J Haggerty, West Harwich
       Died   SGT Jeffrey E Mullin, Kingston
       KIA    SFC Russell G Smith, Fall River
     
     MICHIGAN
       KIA    SGT Roger P Brilinksi, Jr, Ossingeke
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 54
     Volume  5, Number  6                                 June 10, 1991

       KNH    SSG Steven Hansen, Lundington
       KIA    SPC Timothy Hill, Detroit
       KIA    PFC Aaron W Howard, Battle Creek
       KIA    SPC William E Palmer, Hillsdale
     
     MINNESOTA
       KIA    SPC Glen D Jones, Grand Rapids
       KIA    PFC Scott A Rush, Blaine
       KNH    SGT Lawrence N Welch, Chisholm
     
     MISSISSIPPI
       KNH    SSG Michael P Allen, West Point
       KNH    SSG Mike A Garrett, Laurel
       Died   SGT Tracy Hampton, Tutweiler
       Died   SGT James Wilcher, Crystal Springs
     
     MISSOURI
       Died   1LT Jeffrey J Bnosky, Ft Leonard Wood
       KNH    PFC Geral A Cohen, St Louis
       KIA    SPC Steven P Farnen, Columbia
       KNH    SPC David L Heyman, Hazelwood
       KNH    CWO Richard R Lee, Independence
       KIA    SPC Phillip D Mobley, Blue Springs
       KNH    SPC Steven R Trautman, Houstonia
     
     MONTANA
       KNH    SPC Mark R Cronquist, Columbia
     
     NEW HAMPSHIRE
       KNH    SPC Wade E Hector, New Port
       KIA    WO David G Plasch, Portsmouth
       KNH    PFC Todd C Ritch, Charleston
     
     NEW JERSEY
       KNH    MAJ Marie T Rossi, Oradell
       KNH    SGT Leonard A Russ, Pleasantville
       KIA    PVT Robert D Talley, Newark
       KIA    PFC Robert C Wade, Hackensack
     
     NEW MEXICO
       KNH    SPC Adrian J Hart, Albuquerque
     
     NEW YORK
       KNH    SSG David R Ames, Schuyler
       KNH    MSG Otto F Clark, Corinth
       KIA    CPT Mario Fajardo, Flushing
       KNH    WO Kerry P Hein, Sound Beach
       KIA    SGT Pat Bouvier E Ortiz, Ridgewood
       KIA    SPC Thomas G Stone, Falconer
       KNH    SPC Peter L Swano, Jr, Salem
       Died   PVT Scott N Vigrass, Tonawanda
       KIA    SSG Harold P Witzke III, Caroga Lake
     
     NORTH CAROLINA
       Died   SGT Tommy A Blue, Springlake
       KNH    SGT Christopher J Chapman, Charlotte
       KIA    SSG Michael A Harris, Jr, Pullocksville
       KNH    PFC Kenneth J Jackson, Concord
       KIA    PFC Jerry L King, Winston-Salem
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 55
     Volume  5, Number  6                                 June 10, 1991

       Died   SGT Melvin D McDougle, Fayetteville
       KNH    SPC Bobby L McKnight, Dallas
       KIA    SPC Kenneth J Perry, Lake Waccamaw
       KNH    SPC Bobby M Ware, New Bern
     
     OHIO
       KIA    SGT Tony R Applegate, Portsmouth
       KIA    SPC Clarence A Cash, Ashland
       Died   SGT Donald Danielson, Newward
       KIA    SSG Jonathan H Kamm, Mason
       KIA    SPC Anthony W Kidd, Lima
       Died   SPC Robert A Noonan, Cincinnati
     
     OREGON
       KIA    PFC Michael C Daily, Jr, Klamath Falls
       KIA    SPC Troy M Wedgeworth, The Dallas
     
     PENNSYLVANIA
       KIA    SPC Steven E Atherton, Nurmine
       KIA    SPC John A Boliver, Monongahela
       KIA    SGT John T Boxler, Johnstown
       KNH    SPC William C Bruce, Fountain Hill
       KIA    SPC Beverly S Clark, Armagh
       KIA    MAJ Mark A Connelly, MD, Lancaster
       KIA    SGT Alan B Craver, Penn Hills
       KNH    MAJ John H Gillespie, Philadephia
       KIA    SPC Duane W Hollen, Jr, Bellwood
       KIA    SPC Frank S Keough, North Huntington
       KIA    SPC Anthony Madiosn, Monesson
       KIA    SPC Christine L Mayes, Rochester Mills
       Died   PFC Jeff Speicher, Camp Hill
       KIA    SPC Stephen J Siko, Latrobe
       KIA    SPC Frank J Walls, Hawthorne
       KIA    SPC Richard V Wolverton, Latrobe
     
     PUERTO RICO
       KNH    SGT Mario Vega Velazquez, Ponce
     
     RHODE ISLAND
       Died   1LT Tommie W Bates, Coventry
     
     TENNESSEE
       KIA    SPC Douglas L Fielder, Nashville
       KNH    1LT Daniel Graybeal, Johnson City
       Died   LTC Joe H Hancock, Springfield
       KIA    Spec James D Tatum, Athens
       KIA    PVT Roger E Valentine, Memphis
     
     TEXAS
       KIA    SPC Andy Alaniz, Corpus Christi
       KIA    SPC Tommy D Butler, Amarillo
       KIA    PFC Melford R Collins, Uhland
       KIA    SPC Luis Delgado, Laredo
       Died   SPC Gary W Mahan, Waco
       KIA    PFC James C Murray, Jr, Conroe
       KIA    SSG  Christopher H Stephens, Houston
       KIA    PFC Corey L Winkle, Lubbock
     
     UTAH
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 56
     Volume  5, Number  6                                 June 10, 1991

       KNH    SGT Jeffrey A Rolins, Bountiful
     
     VIRGINIA
       Died   PVT Hans C Avey, Falls Church
       KIA    SGT Jason C Carr, Halifax
       KIA    SGT Kenneth B Gentry, Ringgold
       KNH    SSG Donald Morgan, Ford
       KIA    1LT Jerry Plunk, Vinton
       KIA    1LT Donaldson P Tillar, Jr, Miller School
       KIA    CPT Johathan M Williams, Portsmouth
       KIA    MAJ Thomas C M Zeugner, Petersburg
     
     WASHINGTON
       KIA    SGT Lee A Belas, Port Orchard
       KIA    PFC Ardon B Cooper, Seattle
       KIA    SGT David O Douthit, Tacoma
       Died   PFC Dustin C Lamoureaux, Bremerton
       KIA    WO John K Morgan, Bellevue
     
     WEST VIRGINIA
       KNH    PFC Reuben G Kirk III, Dunlow
       KIA    SPC Joseph P Bongiorni, Morgantown
     
     WISCONSIN
       Died   PFC Kevin L Calloway, Arpin
       KIA    SGT Brian P Scott, Park Falls
       KIA    SGT William A Strehlow, Kenosha
     
     HOME OF RECORD NOT AVAILABLE
       KIA    CPL Stanley W Bartusiak
       KIA    CPL Rolando A Delagneau
       KIA    PVT Michael L Fitz
       Died   SPC Jimmy W James
     
     
       KIA    Killed In Action -- Operation DESERT STORM
       KNH    Killed, Non-Hostile -- Operation DESERT STORM
       Died   Died -- Operation DESERT SHIELD
     
          "Go now, rest in peace, you have done your task well."
     
                              -- Charlie  --
     
















     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 57
     Volume  5, Number  6                                 June 10, 1991

     .                                                               .
     .           For Information on our Saudi Soldiers:              .
     .                                                               .
     .             ARMY:         1-703-614-0730                      .
     .                           1-800-626-1440                      .
     .                           1-800-642-9254                      .
     .             NAVY:         1-800-732-1206                      .
     .                           1-800-255-3808                      .
     .                           1-202-746-5915                      .
     .             MARINES:      1-800-523-2694                      .
     .             AIR FORCE:    1-800-253-9276                      .
     .             COAST GUARD:  1-800-283-8724                      .
     .                                                               .
     .            Support Groups:                                    .
     .             National Guard Families: 1-800-356-2794           .
     .             Army Reserve Units:      1-800-874-8451           .
     .                                                               .
     .                                                               .
     .                                     xxxxx  XXXXxxxxx,         .
     .                          xx''xxxxxxX     XX   xX    XXx       .
     .xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxXX   x              xX'  x''  XXXx    .
     .                          x   x                 xX  xXX   Xx   .
     .                           'x'                     X      XXxx .
     .                                                       xxx    X.
     .                                                     xX        .
     .                                                   xX          .
     .     VIETNAM           x x x                     xX            .
     .     VETERANS       x xX   X x                  X      IRAQ    .
     .                  X   X   X   X x              <     VETERANS  .
     .                 X   X   X   X   X              Xx             .
     .       xxxxxxxxxX   X   X   X   x                 Xxx          .
     .     XXX''      /__X__ XX__X___xXX                  xXxxxxx    .
     .  xXXX                            'Xxxxx             xX    Xxx .
     .XX             WE SUPPORT YOU           XxxxxxxxxxxxX         X.
     .X     BROTHERS AND SISTERS IN SERVICE                          .
     .                                                               .
     .                                                               .
     .                  "We are with you                             .
     .                     Wherever you may be                       .
     .                   We are sailing                              .
     .                     With you on every sea                     .
     .                   We are standing                             .
     .                     With you on desert sand                   .
     .                   We're your country                          .
     .                     Together we stand!"                       .
     .                                                               .
     .                                                               .
     .                    The Staff of NamVet                        .
     .                                                               .
     .                    and participants in                        .
     .                                                               .
     .       The International Vietnam Veterans EchoConference       .
     .                                                               .
     





     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 58
     Volume  5, Number  6                                 June 10, 1991



     ==================================================================
                          Just across the river...
     ==================================================================

                         "IS THERE HOPE FOR LAOS?"
                     Michael A. Harris  -  RVN '68-69
                    SeaEast Exchange BBS - Kirkland, WA
                              (206) 822-4615
     
     For those of you who don't know, Point Man International (PMI)  is 
     a Vets for Vets outreach.   It was initiated in 1984 and has grown 
     yearly  ever  since.   One facet of PMI is sending teams  over  to 
     Southeast  Asia to help those cultures affected by the war in Viet 
     Nam.   PMI  supplies  Tactical Teams to work in  conjunction  with 
     World Aid Inc.,  a medical relief agency whose president is a Viet 
     Nam veteran.   I have been privileged to participate in all of the 
     first Tactical Teams to Asia.  This article will update you on our 
     work in eastern Laos.
     
     As I stood in the filthy alley, my nostrils filled with the stench 
     of raw sewage, my mind drifted as I watched the small-  framed men 
     separate their booty.  Brass in one pile, iron in another.  An old 
     gunny sack had just belched out a myriad of metal objects gathered 
     throughout  the  surrounding  jungles.  Ancient  looking  clothing 
     irons,  solid  brass icons,  and lots of shrapnel from two decades 
     past caught my eyes.  Casings from 155's and 105's, 40's and 20's, 
     Ak's and M-16's,  and cartridges I'd never seen before.   Shrapnel 
     was abundant in all shapes and sizes.  It brought back memories of 
     my  buddies  who had been unfortunate enough to be in the path  of 
     similar  merciless fragments of metal during my tour in Viet  Nam.  
     I  thought of how close I had come to death.   How fresh it  still 
     was in my mind.
     
     As I glanced up at the merchandisers,  I thought of the Vietnamese 
     Marines  that  we had so often transported through the rivers  and 
     canals of the Mekong Delta in South Viet Nam.  These men before me 
     must  have suffered much during the war.   Some still wore partial 
     military  clothing.   Now  under communist rule,  they make  their 
     living off of the fragments of war.  What used to cost billions of 
     dollars to make,  was being sold for a minuscule amount of Laotian 
     "kip".
     
     We  were right on the Vietnamese border near the heralded Khe Sanh 
     battleground.    So  many  of  the  men  I  was  looking  at  were 
     Vietnamese.   Where  had  they been during the siege of Khe  Sanh? 
     They  probably  wondered about me also.   Just then  Al  hollered, 
     "Let's go Mike!"  I didn't want to.  I wanted to stay and find out 
     more  about  these men.   I wanted to see what else was  in  those 
     other gunny sacks.   This was part of my youth.   But I knew I had 
     to go.
     
     World  Aid  Inc.  had  signed  a contract  with  the  Lao  Peoples 
     Democratic  Republic  (PDR)  during  the  summer  of  1990.   This 
     contract  allows  them to work throughout Savannakhet Province  in 
     Central  Laos.   Their  purpose  is to bring medical  aid  to  the 
     underprivileged.   This is done by upgrading district and regional 
     hospitals  as  well  as village  clinics.   Teams  from  different 
     organizations participate.
     
     
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     Volume  5, Number  6                                 June 10, 1991

     I was able to be there in January 90 when initial discussions took 
     place with the Lao Minister of Health.   What happened was nothing 
     short of a miracle!  Great doors were opened for access to the Lao 
     people.   As  we  surveyed the conditions that first time,  I  was 
     appalled by the horrendous decay of the medical facilities.   What 
     medical  equipment  that was present was archaic and  in  terrible 
     shape.   One  drugstore in the U.S.  probably holds more  medicine 
     than  most of their hospitals.   It is truly sad!   We hardly ever 
     hear anything here in the U.S. about the condition of Laos.
     
     I  led  PMI's Tactical Team #2 over in November of 90.   We  broke 
     ground  for  a  long  work by  treating  several  hundred  village 
     children  with  oral polio and an initial DPT  shot.   Many  other 
     maladies  were treated also.   We took over hundreds of pounds  of 
     medicines and tools.  Part of the team began refurbishing one wing 
     of  a hospital in Sepone (Tchepone)  which is about 20 kilo's from 
     the Vietnamese border.   We came away exhausted but gratified that 
     we were able to begin laying a foundation for the future.
     
     Tactical Team #3 arrived in Savannakhet, Laos in late Feb. 91.  We 
     spent the night there recuperating from the 20 hour plane trip and 
     the 12 hour bus ride.   We still had a rugged 5 hour truck ride to 
     Sepone to endure the following day.   This would be our last night 
     of conveniences for nine days.  The new team members did not fully 
     understand the luxuries they would be leaving behind.
     
     This was my wife Connie's first trip out of the U.S. At this point 
     she  was  still excited.   Bob Taylor,  World Aid's  founder,  had 
     brought  his Thai wife Toi along for her first trip also.   I  was 
     happy  that  Connie had female companionship.   They  laughed  and 
     joked, not realizing the adverse conditions that lie ahead.   When 
     it  was all over,  I would be proud of both of them.   They  would 
     perform well.
     
     Since I had been to Sepone before, I knew what the work team faced 
     at  the hospital.   Our previous team had painted the entire  wing 
     inside, installed lighting, and done other miscellaneous projects.  
     This  time  we  would begin screening in the wing  for  protection 
     against mosquito's.  Eastern Laos has a 90% malaria rate.  Because 
     the  people  are  so  poor,  they have  no  medicine  or  physical 
     protection.   It  is estimated that over 50%  of the children  are 
     dying from preventable diseases.  Malaria is the #1 killer.  While 
     we worked on the screening, a nine month old baby died of malaria.  
     She  was brought in too late to be saved.   On the brighter  side, 
     however,  a 10 year old survived due to the medicines we had taken 
     in with us.  It hurts to see them die!
     
     There is no electricity in Sepone except a generator that runs for 
     3 hours in the evening.   We took cordless tools but our batteries 
     ran down quickly.  So we ended up ripping 1/4"  plywood lengthwise 
     with a dull hand saw for two days.  The high humidity did not help 
     matters.  Then we snipped all of the tips off of our nails so they 
     would  penetrate the mortar but not hit the brick interior.   When 
     doing  things  so  primitively,  you appreciate  the  people  more 
     keenly.  They just do not have the quality of life that we do.
     
     As we worked the children were always present.  Emut, Evao,  Egao, 
     Thig, etc.   Us men are called "Lung"  for uncle.   So it's always 
     Lung Mike, Lung Al, Lung Lee, etc.  We get along just fine without 
     
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     Volume  5, Number  6                                 June 10, 1991

     knowing each others language.  Balloons, jacks, and marbles helped 
     with diplomacy.  With their joyful support, we completely screened 
     in  the wing and framed in two large entry ways to receive  screen 
     doors.  We know this will save lives in the future!
     
     While  we  worked on the hospital the rest of the team  went  from 
     village  to village treating the people.   They treated over 1,200 
     and visited 16 villages.   Most of the villages are situated on or 
     around the old Ho Chi Minh Trail.  Years later exploding ordinance 
     still kills and maims as they try to salvage the scrap.
     
     As  the days passed by the medical team became more weary.  Connie 
     soon  stopped eating the local food and chowed down on the  freeze 
     dried rations that we had taken.  She almost had a heat stroke one 
     day.   The evening "solar"  showers were comforting to her after a 
     day  of riding in the vehicle and tolerating crowds of  villagers.  
     Toi  assisted  with a minor operation and  fainted,  skinning  her 
     cheek  and  knee.   It was obvious that they were tiring  quickly.  
     Nine days is about the limit.
     
     One  evening  they returned to Sepone grieved by the condition  of 
     the  children  in one Bru village.   They had lost almost  all  of 
     their  crops  due to flooding and the little ones  were  suffering 
     badly.   Our  hearts  were  touched and we pooled  our  money  and 
     purchased  400 kilo's of rice for them.   The next day was Sunday. 
     After  praying for this village,  we journeyed back out there  and 
     delivered the rice.   They didn't jump up and down for joy.   They 
     humbly  received it with gratitude.   It was a special moment  for 
     all of us!
     
     My  heart is over there with those people as I sit here and  write 
     this.  Gjoseph asked me to let you know how this trip came out. To 
     me,  it  seems a bit redundant,  but I hope it touches your  heart 
     too.  There is so much to do but we must be satisfied with what is 
     being  done.   Before the summer of 90,  no one had been where  we 
     have been recently in a long while.   We CAN make a difference and 
     already  have.   Everything we do is voluntary.   Everyone  raises 
     their  own  finances.   We gather medical equipment  and  supplies 
     wherever we can.  We lug them over there by the ton in trunks.  It 
     is   a  sacrifice,   but  lives  are  beginning  to  be  affected.  
     Friendships are being cultivated.  Trust is abounding.
     
     Connie  and  I went to see "Dances with  Wolves"  last  night.   I 
     watched  as the story line showed how the Sioux were driven off of 
     the land that they had cherished for centuries.   I watched as the 
     Cavalry  Lieutenant  left behind the horrors of war,  choosing  to 
     head out to the frontier post.  I thought of Post Traumatic Stress 
     and  how  many  of us headed for some sort of  frontier  somewhere 
     because of what we had experienced.   As the Lieutenant befriended 
     the Sioux, and they him, I saw a parallel with the Lao peoples.  A 
     parallel  with  how  my  heart feels  towards  them.   A  frontier