From: jewell@mace.cc.purdue.edu (Larry Jewell)
Newsgroups: soc.veterans
Subject: 'NamVet Newsletter, Vol.5, no.7 (3/6)
Date: 29 Aug 92 23:48:17 GMT
Organization: Purdue University


     












     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 30
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991

                    Cheney vows Vietnam MIA accounting
                                13-JUL-1991
                       Submitted by: Sarge Hultgren
                       NamVet's Editorial Assistant
                      Freedom's Choice BBS - Lynn, MA
                              (617) 593-2605
     
       WASHINGTON (UPI) --  Defense Secretary Dick Cheney said Saturday 
     the  Bush  administration  will  push for return  of  any  missing 
     prisoners  of  war,   even  if  the  effort  interferes  with  re-
     establishing relations with Vietnam.
       Cheney said resolving the fate of an estimated 2,300 missing-in-
     action  servicemen  from  the  Vietnam War  remained  a  priority, 
     despite allegations the administration has slowed work in order to 
     improve U.S. - Vietnam relations.
       "It  is  absolutely incredible to me to think that any  American 
     official  would spare any effort that might lead to the  discovery 
     of  a  single American POW,"  Cheney told the National  League  of 
     Families of American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia.
       "The  idea that someone would rather not know about the fates of 
     our   POWs  and  MIAs,   because  it  might  interfere  with   our 
     relationship  with Vietnam,  is not only outlandish,  but it  goes 
     against  the attitudes of everyone I know in this government about 
     that country," Cheney said.
       In March, Army Col. Millard Peck quit as director of the Defense 
     Intelligence Agency office for POWs and MIAs,  claiming the effort 
     to find prisoners was "being manipulated by unscrupulous people in 
     government."
       Cheney did not mention Peck, but did describe the controversy as 
     an  "extra burden"  on the families of servicemen who are missing.  
     He said he regretted the extra burden.
       The  Defense  Department  has more than 150 experts  working  on 
     information about the missing servicemen, the secretary said.   In 
     1989,  the  government listed 2,383 servicemen as missing  without 
     any word on their whereabouts.
       Cheney also announced that a temporary U.S. office in Hanoi,  to 
     pursue leads on the men and women still missing,  has opened ahead 
     of  schedule,  and  its  staff  is  preparing  for  a  14th  joint 
     investigation in the field.
       "Until we see the active,  willing cooperation that only Vietnam 
     can   provide,   it  will  be  impossible  to  set  timetables  or 
     deadlines," Cheney said.
       "Ultimately,  however,   we  must  recognize  that  our  success 
     continues  to rest on the actions of the governments of Indochina. 
     If they live up to their promises, if they follow through on their 
     commitments  with  integrity  and  energy,   we  can  achieve  the 
     meaningful accounting that Americans demand."
     











     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 31
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991

                  Families given hope in snapshot of MIAs
                           By VALERIE KUKLENSKI
                                18-JUL-1991
                       Submitted by: Sarge Hultgren
                       NamVet's Editorial Assistant
                      Freedom's Choice BBS - Lynn, MA
                              (617) 593-2605
     
       LOS  ANGELES  (UPI)  --  Cathy Lundy was 10 months old when  her 
     father was reported killed in action in the Vietnam War in 1970.
       She  has no personal memories of Maj.  Albro Lynn Lundy Jr.,  an 
     Air  Force  pilot  whose plane went down in hostile  territory  of 
     northern Laos, and she, like the rest of her family,  believed she 
     would never see him again.
       But Lundy's wife, Johanna,  and their six children were given an 
     unexpected   spark  of  hope  recently  when  they  learned  of  a 
     photograph  dated  May  25,  1990,  showing three men who  may  be 
     prisoners of war in Southeast Asia.
       The  Lundys  believe  without a doubt that one of the  three  is 
     Albro Lundy Jr.
       The  Lundy  family and relatives of two other missing pilots  -- 
     Air Force Col. John Robertson and Navy Lt. Larry Stevens --  spoke 
     with the media Wednesday about the photograph, which first came to 
     their attention last November.
       They  had not intended to publicize the photograph,  fearing its 
     release  and news of the Pentagon investigation into it would pose 
     a danger to the three men if they are still in captivity.
       But  the  photograph  was  leaked  to the  press  and  shown  on 
     television  news  reports  Tuesday night,  so the  three  Southern 
     California  families  came forward Wednesday to tell  what  little 
     they could about the story.
       Cathy Lundy,  still reeling over the idea of possibly being able 
     to meet her father, said she had mixed emotions about the prospect 
     and is "optimistically cautious."
       "It  would be a real dream if I ever get married to have my  dad 
     walk me down the aisle," she said.
       They  gathered  for  a news conference in an old chapel  of  St. 
     Paul's  Catholic Church where Albro and Johanna Lundy were married 
     Dec. 22, 1956.
       "They came on Christmas Eve 1970 and told me he was missing, and 
     they  came two days later and told me he was dead,"  Johanna Lundy 
     said.
       Then,  less than two weeks ago,  her son Albro III called her at 
     her Rancho Palos Verdes home.
       "He  said,  'Are  you sitting down?   We have evidence  that  my 
     father is alive.  In fact, we have a picture,"' Johanna said.
       Johanna  said  she  is  certain the man in  the  middle  of  the 
     photograph is her husband, now 57 years old.
       "He has very distinctive brows, and I thought they couldn't have 
     gotten anyone else who looks like that," said Johanna Lundy,  once 
     again  wearing a thin gold wedding band next to her reset  diamond 
     engagement ring.
       Johanna's son Albro,  an attorney,  said he received word of the 
     photograph  several weeks ago but wanted to either disprove it  or 
     authenticate it to his own satisfaction before telling his mother.
       "I  was  told  that  he was dead and  there  was  an  eyewitness 
     statement," he said.
       Albro said his mother was "literally emotionally torn apart"  by 
     news of the major's death. He likened his parents' relationship to 
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 32
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991

     a  "fairy  tale."   "She used to race us to the door when he  came 
     home," he said.
       Albro said he has submitted a copy of the photograph to analysts 
     for testing and initial results indicate it is authentic.
       Barbara Robertson, whose husband, John, was shot down over North 
     Vietnam  on  Sept.  16,  1966,  said  she first got  word  of  the 
     photograph from Gladys Fleckenstein, Stevens' mother,  of Big Bear 
     Lake, Calif.
       Stevens, who would now be 48, was listed as missing in action in 
     Laos on Feb. 14, 1969.
       Fleckenstein sees an unmistakable resemblance between the man on 
     the right in the picture and her other son, Dennis Stevens.
       "I  have never given up hope he was alive,"  said  Fleckenstein, 
     who received notice of the photograph from a Navy officer with the 
     Defense Intelligence Agency last November.
       Fleckenstein and Roberston became acquainted nearly 10 years ago 
     through  their  work  with  the National  League  of  Families  of 
     American Prisoners and Missing in Southeast Asia,  an organization 
     to  aid  searches for missing servicemen and lend support  to  the 
     survivors.
       "Gladys and I have been working this issue for so long ... never 
     dreaming  we  would be working for her son and my  husband,"  said 
     Robertson,  a  former Seattle resident who now lives in Santa Ana, 
     Calif.
       Robertson  said  she  told only a few family members  about  the 
     photograph,  believing widespread knowledge of it could bring harm 
     to the men.
       "It  has  never  been out from under the mirror on  my  dressing 
     table under the perfume," she said,  adding she was stunned to see 
     the image on television news reports.
       Robertson,  wearing  a  POW  bracelet popularized in  the  early 
     1970s,  said  she sees the photograph as a "window of opportunity" 
     for  the  Pentagon and the State Department to  resolve  lingering 
     questions about the 2,273 Americans still listed as missing in the 
     Indochina War that ended more than 15 years ago.
       Vietnam has denied in the past it is holding any U.S. servicemen 
     against  their  will,  and officials have long said that  some  of 
     those  listed  as  missing are undoubtedly men  who  for  whatever 
     reason, went over to the other side and became deserters.
       But  Mrs.  Lundy said her husband would not desert his family or 
     his country.
       "I  know my husband is a man of absolute integrity,"  she  said, 
     gesturing  toward his Silver Star,  Distinguished Flying Cross and 
     other medals displayed at the news conference.
       "There  is absolutely no way he would stay away from me and  his 
     children," she said.
       State  Department  spokesman David Denny said the government  is 
     "actively   pursuing"   an  investigation  into  the   photograph, 
     submitting  a copy to the Vietnamese representative to the  United 
     Nations and requesting his government's urgent assistance.
       The families were asked what they would like to say to the three 
     men Wednesday.
       "We love you, Dad.  You know we love you,"  Albro Lundy III said 
     softly.
       "We're coming to get you, and we're going to spoil you," Barbara 
     Robertson added with a confident smile.
     


     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 33
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991

              MIA photograph latest evidence in saga of doubt
                               By PAUL WEDEL
                                18-JUL-1991
                        Submitted by Sarge Hultgren
                       NamVet's Editorial Assistant
                      Freedom's Choice BBS - Lynn, MA
                              (617) 593-2605
     
       BANGKOK, Thailand (UPI) -- The grainy photograph that appears to 
     show  three  missing Americans in Indochina may hold out hope  for 
     the men's families,  but its credibility is undermined by previous 
     fraud.
       And  if  the photograph is authentic,  it could  hurt  improving 
     relations  between the United States and its former enemies in the 
     region.
       One   experienced  intelligence  analyst  in  Bangkok  said  the 
     internal  evidence in the photograph indicated it was taken in the 
     highlands  of Laos,  but another said a history of frequent  fraud 
     means a deliberate fabrication cannot be ruled out.
       "There  are just so many scams,  that all evidence is  tainted," 
     said  the analyst who requested anonymity.  "Too many people think 
     there is some way of making money out of this issues and they have 
     no  scruples  about fabricating evidence.   They turned out to  be 
     just a run-around."
       A  senior Laotian official denied the suggestion the men were in 
     his  country.   "This is another attempt by ill-intentioned people 
     to harm relations between  Laos and the United States just as they 
     are expanding, "  said Phao Bhounhaphol,  Lao Minister of External 
     Economic Relations.
       Phao  said there was little possibility that the photograph  was 
     genuine.   "This  matter (of prisoners)  was finished a long  time 
     ago.   If  we had live prisoners we would never allow  foreigners, 
     including your (American) investigators, to travel all over our
     country," he said.
       But  Phao declined to say why his government has never given  an 
     accounting of the prisoners the Lao communist forces said they had 
     captured during the war.  Unlike Vietnam,  Laos did not return any 
     U.S.  prisoners  of war after the 1973 withdrawal of the  American 
     military from Indochina and did not sign the Paris peace accords.
       The  photograph,  said to have been brought out of Cambodia last 
     year,  shows three Western men with a hand-lettered sign dated May 
     25, 1990.
       Family  members have identified the men as Air Force  Col.  John 
     Leighton  Robertson  of Seattle,  shot down over North Vietnam  on 
     Sept. 16, 1966;  Navy Lt. Larry James Stevens of Los Angeles, lost 
     in Laos on Feb. 14,  1969;   and Air Force Maj.  Albro Lynn Lundy, 
     missing in action in Laos since Dec. 24, 1970.
       The  men  are  among the 2,273 servicemen listed as  missing  in 
     Indochina.
       Al Shenkel, who said he is a retired U.S.  military intelligence 
     official  with 27 years of experience,  said the lettering on  the 
     sign, particularly a curly figure two and a nine that looks like a 
     "g," are consistent with the style of handwriting commonly used in 
     Laos.
       He  said  a fourth person is hidden by the sign  whose  fingers, 
     much  smaller than those of the Westerners,  appear to be  holding 
     the lower edge of the sign.
       "The  lettering  and the size of the fingers indicate this  sign 
     was written and is held by a Lao," Shenkel said.
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 34
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991

       If the date of the photograph is correct,  he said,  it may have 
     been taken in the mountain areas of northern Laos because the heat 
     at  that  time of year anywhere else in the country would  be  too 
     intense for the long-sleeved shirts the men are wearing.
       "A  reasonable  guess,  therefore,  is that this photograph  was 
     taken  by a Lao resistance group in the northern mountains,"  said 
     Shenkel,  who  operates  a private organization called Skyhook  II 
     that seeks information on missing Americans.
       Whatever the doubts about the photograph,  it has sparked formal 
     inquiries  by  the  U.S.  government to the governments  of  Laos, 
     Cambodia and Vietnam. U.S. officials said copies of the photograph 
     were passed on to those governments on July 12.
       A  U.S.  embassy spokeswoman in Bangkok said Kenneth  Quin,  the 
     deputy  assistant  secretary of state for East Asian  and  Pacific 
     affairs, would be visiting "various capitals on this issue."   She 
     declined to say which Indochinese countries he would visit.
       "This   appears  to  be  a  whole  new  attitude  by  the   U.S. 
     government," Shenkel said.  "For the first time the government has 
     accepted  evidence  from  private  sources  without  insisting  on 
     debunking it."
       The  United  States  has  said  progress on  MIAs  and  a  peace 
     settlement in Cambodia are the two issues that would determine the 
     pace and extent of normalization of relations and the lifting of a 
     U.S. economic embargo against Vietnam.
       Movement towards a Cambodian settlement during talks in Thailand 
     and  China in the past three weeks indicated the last obstacle  to 
     relations  was  being  removed.  Vietnam had already  allowed  the 
     establishment  of  a  U.  S.  MIA office in  Hanoi  and  broadened 
     cooperation on MIA searches.
       A  Western  diplomat who watches U.S.-Vietnamese relations  said 
     the  dramatic  re-emergence of the emotional MIA issue  could  not 
     only  strain  government-to-government relations but also  inhibit 
     private  American businesses who have been pushing for the lifting 
     of the embargo.
       "Who  wants to be seen as a greedy corporation callously  trying 
     to  do  business  with  the government  that  may  be  withholding 
     information about prisoners?" he asked.
       "If  this photograph cannot be disproved and the Vietnamese fail 
     to handle the issue convincingly,"  he said,  "the effect can only 
     be negative."
     


















     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 35
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991

          Hanoi allows U.S. MIA search, is willing to probe photo
                               By PAUL WEDEL
                                22-JUL-1991 
                       Submitted by: Sarge Hultgren
                       NamVet's Editorial Assistant
                      Freedom's Choice BBS - Lynn, MA
                              (617) 593-2605
     
       BANGKOK, Thailand (UPI) -- A 25-man U.S. military team conducted 
     searches  in  Vietnam for evidence of missing Americans  as  Hanoi 
     formally  agreed  to  investigate a photograph  allegedly  showing 
     missing GIs, official media reported.
       At  the  same time Sunday Vietnam demanded punishment  of  those 
     involved   in  producing  the  photo  if  it  is  shown  to  be  a 
     fabrication.
       Hanoi radio, in a broadcast Saturday night,  said the 14th joint 
     search for missing U.S.  servicemen began Saturday and is expected 
     to last until Aug. 10.
       It  said  the search is being conducted in northern and  central 
     Vietnam with 25 American experts -- one of the largest U.S.  teams 
     to participate in such efforts.
       The brief radio item did not say whether the investigation would 
     specifically  probe  the  controversial picture made  public  last 
     week.
       The radio said Vietnam has returned 452 sets of remains believed 
     to be Americans and will continue to cooperate. 
       The  Vietnam  News  Agency,  however,  said  the  government  is 
     concerned  about the mysterious photograph that made headlines  in 
     the  United  States  when  it was made public  last  week  by  the 
     American Defense Institute, a private agency that investigates the 
     fate of servicemen missing in action from the war.
       The fuzzy,  black-and-white picture shows three men holding up a 
     sign  dated May 1990.  Relatives of missing Americans say they are 
     sure  the men in the picture are their loved ones missing for more 
     than 20 years.
       Although  the  origins and authenticity of the picture  are  not 
     clear,  the  photo has sparked renewed interest in the fate of the 
     more than 2, 300 Americans missing in action from the war.
       Vietnam's  Foreign  Ministry  sent a formal letter to  the  U.S. 
     government  saying  it was prepared to cooperate with  the  United 
     States to resolve any questions raised by the photograph and asked 
     that   those   who  produced  the  picture  also  help  with   the 
     investigation, the news agency said.
       "If  they  refuse to cooperate and the investigation shows  that 
     the picture was fabricated for money-making purposes, they must be 
     punished  and condemned for deliberately prolonging the sufferings 
     of the MIA families," the letter said.
       The  letter  cited U.S.  records provided to Vietnam as  showing 
     that  two of the men identified in the photograph by relatives  -- 
     Albro Lynn Lundy and Larry James Stevens -- were killed in action.
       It  said  a joint U.S.-Vietnamese investigation showed that  the 
     third  man,  John  Leightson  Robertson,   was  blown  up  in  the 
     destruction of his F- 4 fighter-bomber.
       The  letter  said Robertson'  s co-pilot,  Hubert  F.  Buchanan, 
     survived  the  crash  and became a prisoner of war who  was  later 
     released after the signing of the Paris peace accords.
       It  said  Vietnamese specialists recovered  Robertson's  partial 
     remains  and  turned  them  over to  the  United  States.  A  U.S. 
     spokesman,   however,   said   the  remains  were  not  positively 
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 36
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991

     identified.
       "Vietnam affirms that all U.S.  prisoners of war captured during 
     the Vietnam War were turned over to the U.S.  government after the 
     Paris Agreement on Vietnam," the letter said. 
       Laos and Cambodia have also officially denied any knowledge that 
     the  men identified in the photograph are still alive and repeated 
     their insistence they hold no American prisoners.
     



















































     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 37
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991

                      Goals of Sen. R. Smith's SR#82
                       Submitted by: Marsha Ledeman
                 NamVet's Assistant MIA/POW Section Editor
                        VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA
                               (413 443-6313
     
     The  Goals  of Senator Robert Smith's S.R.82,  bill for  a  Senate 
     Select Committee on POW/MIA affairs,  as well as being a permanent 
     committee are:
     
     * To  provide a bipartisan group of Senators to exercise effective 
     Congressional oversight on the POW/MIA issue.
     
     * To review and assess current U.S.  policy concerning the POW/MIA 
     issue.
     
     * To  recommend and evaluate new initiatives and/or approaches  to 
     enhance  resolution  of  the  POW/MIA  issue,  including  specific 
     legislative proposals.
     
     * To  review and assess how agencies are organized for purposes of 
     declassifying POW/MIA information from the Second World War to the 
     present.
     
     * To  consider  legislation to declassify government documents  on 
     the  POW/MIA issue dating back to World War II when release of the 
     documents  would  not  jeopardize  national  security,   including 
     sources and methods.
     
     * To  provide  a  forum for a  closer,  more  coordinated  working 
     relationship  between  the  Administration's  POW/MIA  Interagency 
     Group (IAG) and the United States Senate.
     
     * To  promote responsible efforts to increase public awareness  on 
     the POW/MIA issue.
     
     * To  review and assess the Government's criteria for  classifying 
     American service personnel as prisoner of war,  missing in action, 
     or killed in action.
     
     * To  coordinate with officials of the International Red Cross and 
     the  United  Nations  in order to review and  recommend  effective 
     frameworks  for  enforcement  of the Third Geneva  Conventions  of 
     1949.
     
     * To  review and assess the  manning,  funding,  methodology,  and 
     operations  of  the POW/MIA division of the  Defense  Intelligence 
     Agency (DIA).
     
     * To  review  and  assess the professionalism and quality  of  the 
     Division's  finished  analyses  of POW/MIA  related  intelligence, 
     including live-sighting reports.
     
     * To  examine the manning,  funding methodology and operations  of 
     the Joint Casualty Resolution Center in Bangkok, Thailand.
     
     * To  review and assess the  manning,  funding,  methodology,  and 
     operations  of the United States Central Identification Laboratory 
     in Hawaii,  which is responsible for the identification of POW/MIA 
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 38
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991

     remains.
     
     * To  review  and  assess the professionalism and quality  of  the 
     Laboratory's finished analyses of alleged U.S. MIA remains.
     
     * To  review and assess Government procedures and laws  concerning 
     POW/MIA  information  being  provided to next of kin in  a  timely 
     manner.
     
       Other sponsors of this bill include Sens:  Leo Thorsness (R-WA), 
     Jesse  Helms  (R-NC),  Charles Grassley (R-Iowa),  Harry Reid  (D-
     Nev.), Bob Graham (D-FL.), Connie Mack (R-FL),  Strom Thurmond (R-
     SC.),  Donald Riegle (D-Mich.),  Arlen Specter (R-PA.),  and Frank 
     Lautenberg (R-NJ.)
     
       Lets help get S.R. 82 passed now, we did it with HR1147,  so why 
     not go for the most??? We can do it!!!
     
               We Will Win this one!!! Get it done in 91!!!
     
                                - Marsha -
     





































     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 39
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991



     ==================================================================
                            Coins in the Fountain
     ==================================================================

          Veterans Readjustment Appointments - Public Law 102-16
                          Input by: Fred Sochacki
                NamVet's Veteran Employment Section Editor
                       VETLink #1.75 at Passaic, NJ
                              (413) 443-6313
     
     The  following  information was forwarded to me by the  Office  of 
     Personnel Management,  Newark Area Office,  Federal Building,  970 
     Broad Street, Newark, NJ 07102 and deals with Public Law 102-16.
     
                    Veterans Readjustment Appointments
             Expanded Job Opportunities in the Federal Service
     
     Public Law 102-16,  effective March 23,1991,  makes it even easier 
     for  Federal  agencies  to hire Armed Forces veterans  who  served 
     during and after the Vietnam era.
     
     The VRA (Veterans Readjustment Appointment) authority is a special 
     hiring program. Eligible veterans do not have to take examinations 
     or   compete  with  nonveteran  candidates.   VRA  appointees  are 
     initially hired for a 2-year period.  Successful completion of the 
     2-year   VRA  appointment  leads  to  a  permanent  civil  service 
     appointment.
     
     Who is eligible for a VRA appointment?
       Veterans who served more than 180 days active duty,  any part of 
     which  occurred  during  the Vietnam era(August 5,1964 to  May  7, 
     1975), and have other than a dishonorable discharge,  are eligible 
     if they have (1) a service -connected disability or (2) a campaign 
     badge (for example, the Vietnam Service Medal).
       Post-Vietnam-era  veterans,  who  entered the service after  May 
     7,1975, are eligible if they served on active duty for more than
     180 days and have other than a dishonorable discharge.
       The  180-day  service  requirement does not  apply  to  veterans 
     discharged from active duty for service-connected disability.
     
     How  long  are veterans eligible for VRA appointments  after  they 
     leave the service?
       Vietnam-era  veterans  qualify  for a VRA appointment  until  10 
     years after discharge or until December 31,  1993,  whichever date 
     is later.
       Post-Vietnam-era  veterans  are eligible for 10 years after  the 
     date of their last discharge or until December 17,1999,  whichever 
     date is later.
       Eligible veterans with a service-connected disability of 30%  or 
     more can be hired without time limit.
     
     Are  there  any  other  restrictions  on  eligibility  for  a  VRA 
     appointment?
       No.  Under  the  new VRA law,  all veterans described above  are 
     eligible.  (The  law  eliminated a previous requirement  that  VRA 
     appointees have fewer than 16 years of education.)
     
     What job can be filled under the VRA authority?
       Federal agencies can now use the VRA authority to fill any white 
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 40
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991

     collar  position  up through GS 11,  blue collar jobs  up  through 
     WG 11, and equivalent jobs under other Federal pay systems.
     
     How do veterans apply for VRA appointments?
       Veterans  should contact the agency personnel office where  they 
     want   to   work.   Agencies  recruit  candidates  and  make   VRA 
     appointments  directly  without getting a list of candidates  from 
     OPM.  Veterans  can  get a list of local agency personnel  offices 
     from the Veterans Representatives at the OPM offices listed on the 
     back of this sheet.
     
     Are disabled veterans entitled to special consideration?
       Agencies  must  give preference to disabled veterans over  other 
     veterans.
     
     Is training available after appointment?
       In  some cases,  agencies provide special training programs  for 
     VRA appointees.  A program could include on-the-job assignments or 
     classroom training.
     
     Can VRA appointees work part-time?
       Agencies  may  be  able to set up part-time work  schedules  for 
     individuals  who  want to attend school or handle family or  other 
     responsibilities.
     
                    U.S. Office of Personnel Management
     Area Office Veterans Representatives for Employment Inquires
     
     Alabama                           Alaska
     Lee Hockenberry                   John Busteed
     Huntsville Area Office            Anchorage Area Office
     (205) 544-5130                    (907) 271-3617
     
     Arizona                           Arkansas
     Jack Mallin                       (See Oklahoma)
     Phoenix Area Office
     (602) 640-5809                    Colorado
                                       Doris Veden
     California                        Denver Area Office
     John Andre                        (303) 969-7036
     Los Angeles Area Office
     (818) 575-6507                    Connecticut
                                       A.J. Dubois
     Susan Fong Young                  Hartford Area Office
     Sacramento Area Office            (203) 240-3607
     (916) 551-3275
                                       Delaware
     Mark Gunby                        (See Philadelphia)
     San Francisco Area Office
     (415) 744-7216                    District of Columbia
                                       Washington Area Service Ctr.
     Florida                           (202) 606-1848
     R.C. McFadyen
     Orlando Area Office               Georgia
     (407) 648-6150                    Ruth Walker
                                       Atlanta Area Office
     Hawaii                            (404) 331-4588
     Charles Tamabayashi
     Honolulu Area Office              Idaho
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 41
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991

     (808) 541-2790                    (See Washington State)
     
     Illinois                          Indiana
     Victoria Jones                    Sharon Ellet
     Chicago Area Office               Indianapolis Area Office
     (312) 353-8799                    (317) 226-6245
     
     Iowa                              Kansas
     (See Kansas City, MO)             Veria Davis
                                       Wichita Area Office
     Kentucky                          (316) 269-6797
     (See Ohio)
                                       Maine
     Louisiana                         (See New Hampshire)
     Melody Silvey
     New Orleans Area Office           Maryland
     (504) 589-2768                    Thomas Platt
                                       Baltimore Area Office
     Massachusetts                     (301) 962-3222
     Donald MacGee
     Boston Area Office                Michigan
     (617) 565-5926                    Thomas Bixler
                                       Detroit Area Office
     Minnesota                         (313) 226-2095
     Paul McMahon
     Twin Cities Area Office           Mississippi
     (612) 725-3633                    (See Alabama)
     
     Missouri                          Montana
     Richard Krueger                   (See Colorado)
     Kansas City Area Office
     (816) 426-5705                    Nebraska
                                       (See Kansas)
     Kirk Hawkins
     St. Louis Area Office             Nevada
     (314) 539-2341                    (See Sacramento, CA)
     
     New Hampshire                     New Jersey
     Gloria Dunn                       Don Hodge
     Portsmouth Area Office            Newark Area Office
     (603) 433-0744                    (201) 645-2376
     
     New Mexico                        North Carolina
     Rosa Benavidez                    A. Clayborne
     Albuquerque Area Office           Raleigh Area Office
     (505) 766-1099                    (919) 790-2817
     
     New York                          North Dakota
     Walter Cashin                     (See Minnesota)
     New York Area Office
     (212) 264-0442                    Ohio
                                       John McConnell
     Larry Burkett                     Dayton Area Office
     Syracuse Area Office              (513) 225-2529
     (315) 423-5650
                                       Oregon
     Oklahoma                          (See Washington State)
     Dan Henderson
     Oklahoma City Area Office         Puerto Rico
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 42
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991

     (405) 231-4613                    Vivien Fernandez
                                       San Juan Area Office
     Pennsylvania                      (809) 766-5620
     John Glooch
     Harrisburg Field Office           Rhode Island
     (717) 782-4546                    (See Connecticut)
     
     Gene Hyden                        South Carolina
     Philadelphia Area Office          (See North Carolina)
     (215) 597-7670
                                       South Dakota
     George Horn                       (See Minnesota)
     Pittsburgh Area Office
     (412) 644-4355                    Texas
                                       Frank McLemore
     Tennessee                         Dallas Area Office
     Ralph Bunten                      (214) 767-9133
     Memphis Area Office
     (901) 544-3958                    Jose Borrero
                                       San Antonio Area Office
     Utah                              (512) 229-6613
     (See Colorado)
                                       Virgin Islands
     Vermont                           (See Puerto Rico)
     (See New Hampshire)
                                       Washington (State)
     Virginia                          Robert Coleman
     Valerie DeMeis                    Seattle Area Office
     Norfolk Area Office               (206) 553-4691
     (804) 441-3362
                                       Wisconsin
     West Virginia                     (See Illinois)
     (See Ohio)
     
     Wyoming
     (See Colorado)
     





           "Never insult an alligator
                      until you've crossed the river!"

                              -- Cordell Hull --













     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 43
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991

               NJ Assemblyman Supports Vets' Rights Advances
                             By: Fred Sochacki
                NamVet's Veteran Employment Section Editor
                       VETLink #1.75 at Passaic, NJ
                              (413) 443-6313
     
                                   NEWS
                                   from
                          THE ASSEMBLY DEMOCRATS
     FOR RELEASE
     June 20,1991
     
     GILL BILL TO PROMPT ENFORCEMENT OF VETS' RIGHTS ADVANCES
     (TRENTON)--A   review  of  hiring  and  promotion  procedures  for 
     veterans   employed   in  the  civil  service  will  occur   under 
     legislation  approved today by the Assembly Veterans and  Military 
     Affairs Committee.
        The  bill  is  sponsored  by  Assemblyman  Louis  J.  Gill  (D-
     Passaic/Bergen)   who   said  he  introduced  it  in  response  to 
     complaints by veterans that hiring and promotion rights awarded to 
     them are not being enforced.
        "In gratitude for their great service to our country,  statutes 
     currently  on  the  books  offer  veterans  hiring  and  promotion 
     privileges within the state's civil service," said Gill.
        "We  need  to determine if and to what extent these  privileges 
     are  being  ignored  before  any concrete steps can  be  taken  to 
     rectify any problems that might exist."
        The  measure (A-4199)  creates a five-member "Veterans'  Hiring 
     and Promotion Review Commission to be appointed by the Governor.
        He said the commission will have six months to submit a written 
     report  to  the  Governor and  Legislature.  The  Commission  will 
     dissolve upon submission of the report.
        "When we pinpoint any implementation problems that might exist, 
     the  proper administrative or legislative action will be taken  to 
     ensure the rights of our veteran are enforced."
        The  measure  now  moves to the full  Assembly  for  additional 
     consideration.
     
                            ASSEMBLY, No. 4199
                            STATE OF NEW JERSEY
                        INTRODUCED DECEMBER 3,1990
                            By Assemblyman GILL
     
     AN ACT creating the "Veterans' Hiring and Promotion Review
          Commission."
     
       BE IT ENACTED by the Senate and General Assembly of the 
     State of New Jersey:
       1.  The  Legislature  finds  and  declares  that  recent  public 
     revelation  have  brought to light the possibility of  hiring  and 
     promotion practices by State agencies regarding veterans which may 
     be  in violation of State law.  The legislature further finds  and 
     declares  that  these revelations concern the possible  denial  of 
     veterans'  rights  for individuals entitled to career  advancement 
     and the promotion of individuals not entitled to such advancement.
       2.  There is created the "Veterans'  Hiring and Promotion Review 
     Commission."  The commission shall consist of five public members, 
     not more than three from the same political party, to be appointed 
     by  the  Governor.  Vacancies in the membership of the  commission 
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 44
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991

     shall  be  filled in the same manner as the original  appointments 
     were  made.  The  members  of the commission shall  serve  without 
     compensation but shall, within the limits of funds appropriated or 
     otherwise  made  available to the commission,  be  reimbursed  for 
     expenses actually incurred in the performance of their duties.
       3.  The  commission shall organize as soon as may be practicable 
     after  the appointment of its members and shall select a  chairman 
     and  a vice chairman from among its members and a  secretary,  who 
     need not be a member of the commission.
       4. It shall be the duty of the commission to review the policies 
     and practices of any State department,  division,  bureau,  board, 
     commission  or agency with regards to the hiring and promotion  of 
     veterans.
       5.  The  commission shall be entitled to call to its  assistance 
     and  avail  itself of the services of the employees of any  State, 
     county  or municipal department,  bureau,  board,  commission,  or 
     agency  as  it may require and as may be available to it for  this 
     purpose,  and  to employ stenographic and clerical assistants,  or 
     consultants,  and incur traveling and other miscellaneous expenses 
     as it may deem necessary in order to perform its duties and as may 
     be  within  the  limits of funds appropriated  or  otherwise  made 
     available to it for these purposes.
       6. The commission may hold public hearings and shall, within six 
     months  after  its first meeting,  submit a written report to  the 
     Governor  and the Legislature,  together with any  recommendations 
     for legislative or administrative action if deems appropriate.
       7.  This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire upon 
     the submission by the commission of its report.
     
                                 STATEMENT
        This bill creates a five-member "Veterans' Hiring and Promotion 
     Review  Commission"  to be appointed by the Governor.  It shall be 
     the duty of the commission to review the policies and practices of 
     any  State department,  bureau,  board,  commission or agency with 
     regards  to the hiring and promotion of veterans.  The  commission 
     shall, within six months after its first meeting, submit a written 
     report  to  the  Governor  and  the  Legislature,   together  with 
     recommendations for legislative or administrative action.
       This act shall take effect immediately and shall expire upon
     the submission by the commission of its report.
     
                                 VETERANS
     Creates the "Veterans' Hiring and Promotion Review Commission."
     
                              Semper Fidelis!
     
                                 - Fred -
     











     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 45
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991



     ==================================================================
                              Remember Them!!!
     ==================================================================

                      How looks the Vietnam Veteran?
                               By: Wes Keith
                 Vietnam Veterans for Christ - Searcy, ARK
                           Input by: Joyce Flory
               NamVet's Incarcerated Veterans Section Editor
                    Desert Dolphin BBS - Las Cruces, NM
                              (505) 523-2811
     
     (Joyce's note: The following information was sent to me by Wes 
     Keith, head of Vietnam Veterans for Christ, an organization out of 
     Searcy, Ark.)
     
      "Was the character of my valor less intense than those at 
         Lexington?
       Was the pain of my wounds any less severe than those at 
         Normandy?
       And was my loneliness any less sorrowful than those at Inchon?"
     
       Then why am I forgotten amongst those remembered as "heroes?"
     
                                 VETERANS
        Some are very old, others are yet young,
            We're all the same part, we speak the same tongue.
        The elders called doughboys went "over there",
            The youngest went to "Nam", it was our share.
        Some fought mustard gas, the trenches were hell,
            Others fought Krauts 'n Japs, in Europe 'n Guadalcanal.
        Some fought the enemy over, on and under the sea,
            They did their best for us, you 'n me.
        There's those who flew B-17's and Phantoms,
            Many lives were saved by young pilots, the bantams.
        A place called Korea, where in the heck's that,
            Lots of 'em died, for places not flat.
        Fight the commies in Asia, "let's not wait",
            Let's stop 'em here, not at our front gate.
        Whether Europe, Pacific, Korea or S.E. Asia,
            Young men left home, for duty to America.
        We all know some, who never came back,
-- 
#Larry W. Jewell (ex-USN)     WWII-L Listowner    jewell@mace.cc.purdue.edu # 
#"Sunday's horoscope is noteworthy because of its strange, sudden and wholly#
#unpredictable and inexplicable occurrences, affecting all phases of life." #
#--"Your Horoscope," L.A. Evening Herald Express, Saturday, Dec. 6, 1941.   #