From: jewell@mace.cc.purdue.edu (Larry Jewell)
Newsgroups: soc.veterans
Subject: 'NamVet Newsletter, Vol.5, no.7 (1/6)
Date: 29 Aug 92 23:46:22 GMT
Organization: Purdue University


     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991

     .                                  __                           .
     .    -*-  N A M   V E T  -*-  ____/  \_                         .
     .                            (      *  \                        .
     .        Managing  Editor    \    Quangtri                      .
     .        ----------------     \_/\       \_ Hue                 .
     .         G. Joseph Peck          \_Ashau    Phu Bai            .
     .                                   \_*       \_                .
     .      Editorial Assistants           \      *  )               .
     .      --------------------          _/     Danang              .
     .          Pete Farias       \|/    (            \_*Chu Lai     .
     .         Sarge Hultgren    --*--    \_    ------- \__          .
     .                            /|\       \_  I Corps    \         .
     .      Distribution Manager              \ -------     !        .
     .          ------------                 /\_____        !        .
     .          Jerry Hindle                /       !        \       .
     .                                      !       !___      \      .
     .        Section Editors               !           \/\____!     .
     .        ---------------               !                 !      .
     .  IN-TOUCH: Ray "Frenchy" Moreau     /  Dak To          !      .
     .  INCARCERATED VETS: Joyce Flory    /     *            /       .
     .  NEED-TO-KNOW: Lefty Frizzell      !                  \_      .
     .  VETERAN EMPLOYMENT: Fred Sochacki !             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  7                                 July 27, 1991

     

     ==================================================================

                      T A B L E   O F   C O N T E N T S

     
     1.  Editorials
          Faith is... ..............................................  1
          Do Veterans Have Preference in Federal Employment? .......  5
          Were YOU exposed to Agent Orange?? .......................  8

     2.  In-Touch
          In Touch... No Recognition ............................... 11
          In-Touch: What is it??? .................................. 14
          IN-TOUCH Registration/Request Form!!! .................... 17

     3.  Forgotten - again?
          Exploding the POW Cover-Up! .............................. 19
          Highlights of Minority Staff Exam of POW/MIA Policy ...... 23
          Veterans Call for Coverup Probe! ......................... 25
          US to call for Vietnam MIA Search! ....................... 27
          Snapshot Raises HOPE!!! .................................. 29
          They haven't forgotten US!!! ............................. 30
          Cheney vows Vietnam MIA accounting ....................... 31
          MIA Families given hope! ................................. 32
          MIA pix latest evidence in doubt saga .................... 34
          UPI Reports "Hanoi allows U.S. MIA search" ............... 36
          Goals of SR 82 ........................................... 38

     4.  Coins in the Fountain
          Veterans Readjustment Appointments - PL 102-16 ........... 40
          NJ Assemblyman Supports Vets' Rights Advances ............ 44

     5.  Remember Them!!!
          How looks the 'Nam vet? .................................. 46
          A visit or note once in awhile? .......................... 48

     6.  Ol' Glory n' Shiftin' Sands
          VA Benefits for Persian Gulf War Veterans ................ 49
          She Flies Ever High!!! ................................... 50

     7.  Don't drink the water!
          Areas of Agent Orange Spraying ........................... 51
          Break out the Clearasil <tm>! ............................ 54
          NPR and Agent Orange ..................................... 55
          VA OK's new round of Agent Orange Benefits ............... 59

     8.  The NamVet Chapel
          Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in Former POWs ............ 60
          The Electronic Chapel .................................... 77

     9.  Letters To The Editor
          Is Colonel Millard Peck Talking Funny? ................... 78
          Rap Group forms in a Telephone Company! .................. 80
          KOREA..... WHAT? WHO? WHEN? .............................. 82

     10.  Concentrated IVVEC/NamVet Service
          Tell It To VA Secretary Derwinski?  Samo-Samo!!! ......... 84
          Heroes Should Apply... ................................... 86
          NAM-NET in our colleges! ................................. 88
          In-Country Cassette Tape Available! ...................... 89
          Some Gave All... ......................................... 90

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



     ==================================================================
                                 Editorials
     ==================================================================

                        Faith is "Life In Action"!
                             By G. Joseph Peck
                         NamVet's Managing Editor
                        VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA
                              (413) 443-6313
     
     Gosh!   For  a while here I thought I was becoming an  "electronic 
     crustacean"  what  with the half-shell that seemed to be  building 
     around me that consisted of half-running computers and hard disks, 
     floppy  diskettes that barely flopped <grin>,  service that NEEDED 
     to  be done and bills that HAD to be paid to keep both myself  and 
     Berkshire  Veterans'  Center,  Inc./VETLink  #1 up and a  running.  
     Believe me,  *-ALL-*  I wanted was a cocoon to crawl into and hide 
     away  from the world whilst it seemed to be crashing down upon me, 
     my family and my family of veterans.
     
     Six weeks ago (when last NamVet came out), VETLink #1 was half-up, 
     half-down and we were mungin'  about with the CDC 94155-86/SEAGATE 
     ST4086  that  Bob Morris had so graciously donated to VETLink  #1.  
     No matter WHAT we did, we could not get it to run!   You folks out 
     here  in NamVetLand offered advice,  suggested various  formatting 
     programs,  TRIED  to  help.   If the computer ain't got the  basic 
     stuff, though, nothin's gonna work - and it didn't.  
     
     Bob, though, determined to help another veteran, talked to Vietnam 
     vet  Bil Cook  and  Tom Ruddy  of  Braxtel\Arathon  Computers  (in 
     Cheshire, CT) and worked out a "special"  deal to help us get back 
     up  and fully running:  A Maxtor 180-meg'er!   I pulled the  funds 
     from  my disability check and almost flew to Cheshire,  CT to pick 
     it  up,  bring  it home and put VETLink #1 totally  back  on-line!  
     Three  days later,  having about given up ALL hope of EVER getting 
     back on-line 'cause the hd would NOT run,  Bil Cook drove 70-miles 
     from Cheshire, CT and I drove 70 miles from Pittsfield,  MA where, 
     upon meeting-in-the-middle,  Bill gave me a replacement Maxtor AND 
     donated a new controller card.  When I got it home,  it ALL worked 
     flawlessly!!!  (Thanx again Bil!!!)  If EVER ya need someone who's 
     really,  sincerely  concerned  about  GOOD  service  and  customer 
     satisfaction,  don't  hesitate to give Bil a shout!  (He even does 
     Mail Order - and he IS a Vietnam Vet!)
     
     The hd/controller card "out of the way", we could then concentrate 
     on  getting  VETLink #1 back to where it USED to be with  all  its 
     veteran-service  orientation.   THEN we learned about Joyce -  our 
     Incarcerated Veterans Section Editor and the dragon SHE was out to 
     slay.  Ken and Joyce (and family)  have learned by now <smile>  of 
     the  SUPPORT,  CARE and CONCERN that many of our echo participants 
     continually  shoulder  concerning  a veteran and/or his  wife  and 
     family!   Joyce  will be back with us in a short-short.  For  now, 
     she's  got  a well-deserved "leave-of-absence".   Get  well  soon, 
     Joyce!
     
     Knowing that the donated AT512 was "on its way" as soon as Frenchy 
     finished  thoroughly checking it out -  and discovering that I  no 
     longer  had  ANY room left to spare in the office that we've  been 
     using,  the  decision was made to begin moving Berkshire Veterans' 
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page  1
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991

     Center/VETLink #1 to larger quarters:  the entire basement area of 
     my home!  But first,  it had to be cleaned out;  shelves had to be 
     built;  electricity had to be rerouted,  and phone lines had to be 
     run.  Eight trailer-loads to the dump later <smile>,  VETLink #1's 
     new  home  began  to take shape.   Walls were built out  of  scrap 
     material;  a door-with-frame was donated;  the NamVet computer was 
     moved,   and  the  process  of  relocating  from  up-to-downstairs 
     started.   A  few  days,  though,  and  it was discovered  that  a 
     dehumidifier was a MUST - water droplets were forming on the sides 
     of the computer!  
     
     Martin Kroll, Sr., NamVet's Agent Orange Section Editor,  was also 
     an officer in his local PC Users Group.  The group, after nearly a 
     year  of  inactivity,  decided to close its doors -  and needed  a 
     place  to  disburse  the  funds  left  in  its  treasury.   Martin 
     suggested  Berkshire  Veterans'   Center/VETLink  #1  (THANK  YOU, 
     Martin!!!)  and  soon a Cashier's check for a little over $400 was 
     on its way to us!  
     
     Jim Hildwine once told me:  "God never gives ya want ya WANT -  He 
     gives ya what ya NEED!"   BEFORE we needed it,  it was on its way! 
     Thanks  again,  Martin!   We  now  have  a  dehumidifier!   I  was 
     reimbursed for the amount I paid out for the hd purchased from Bil 
     Cook's Braxtel\Arathon Computers; and the phone bill was paid! NOW 
     all we needed to get nearly-completely ready-to-go was the donated 
     AT512 that Frenchy was working on.
     
     Jane (Frenchy's wife)  was in California visiting family;  Frenchy 
     was home alone, fighting a bout with a summer cold -  and chomping 
     at  the bit with frustration at the AT512 and the constant  parity 
     errors the DRAM chips in the machine kept giving him.   For one or 
     two  days,  everything would check FINE and then,  "Parity Error"!  
     The machine ran good for three days;  Frenchy said that as soon as 
     Jane  returned  from California he'd ship it up UPS -  and I  went 
     back to work in the basement.  THEN I got to thinking:  "Frenchy's 
     been  sick -  he's probably waiting for Jane to come back and pack 
     up  the AT for him.   It would take a lot off of HIS shoulders if, 
     somehow,  I  could  just swing by and pick  it  up.   Hmmm...   My 
     daughter (Rosa) has been asking to spend the summer with my sister 
     and brother-in-law who live at Andrews AFB.   Lemme see what I can 
     put  together to make all the things work...   And SINCE I'm going 
     to be near The Wall,  how's about I call Sarge Hultgren and see if 
     he'd  like  to go,  too?  ...  There'll be enough room in the  car 
     (station wagon) so why not invite Fred Sochacki,  NamVet's Veteran 
     Employment Section Editor, to go along,  too?   Hmmm..."   I fired 
     off  a message to Frenchy to let him know that he wouldn't have to 
     ship  the  AT512  and  that Fred,  Sarge and  I  should  be  there 
     "sometime Saturday"...
     
     Everything  was  "green  smoke"  here at VETLink  #1  *-UNTIL-*  I 
     received the reply back from Frenchy!   "Would not suggest putting 
     a thousand miles on your car for a computer that has failed again! 
     Best  put  it  off and I will ship as soon as its  running  fine!"  
     THEN  I got a message from Sarge that,  yes,  he COULD  come,   he 
     would  be bringing his vet-friend who's relative's name is on  The 
     Wall, and would leave Lynn,  MA at 1300 hrs Friday!   Daughter was 
     looking  forward  to having a summer  vacation;  "I"  was  looking 
     forward  to goin'  with Sarge an'  his vet-friend Ed (still  can't 
     remember  his last name!  -  but if ya call him "Puppy"  or  "Milk 
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page  2
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991

     Bone" he'll answer! <grin>) an' Fred to The Wall.   Arghhh!   I'll 
     go ANYWAY!
     
     In MY mind, it couldn't have been a better decision.  Rosa, Sarge, 
     Ed an' I left Pittsfield, MA about 1800 hrs Friday enroute to pick 
     up Fred (in Passaic,  NJ)  at/or about 2000hrs at Exit 16W off the 
     thruway.  "I" thought it was the New York thruway...  Fred and his 
     caring other, Maureen, MEANT Exit 16W on the New JERSEY turnpike.  
     
     We  waited  for nearly an hour at Exit 16 on the thruway  -  while 
     Fred and Maureen waited at Exit 16W on the turnpike!
     
     "Well... Let's go through Passaic and call him from there," I said 
     to  Sarge -  and we left Exit 16.   10pm we arrived at Exit 16W in 
     Passaic <arghh!>  and couldn't find Fred nor Maureen!   Telephoned 
     him  and left a message on his answering machine -  and decided to 
     wait  at  least another half-hour to see if we COULD touch  bases.  
     Finally,  near  midnight,  we  DID connect and finally found  Fred 
     <grin> and were on our way again!
     
     When  we got to Washington,  DC I quickly found out that I  didn't 
     KNOW how CLOSE I could be to something and NOT find it!   We drove 
     nearly an hour-an-a-half just lookin'  for my sister's and finally 
     arrived  there near 0600!  Rosa stumbled upstairs to TRY to go  to 
     sleep  (never did!);  four vets crashed on my sister's living room 
     floor and, at about 1000, left for The Wall.  
     
     "Easy  to get to from here,"  said the man in the restaurant where 
     we   ate  breakfast.    "Just  go  down  Pennsylvania  Avenue   to 
     Constitution Avenue and follow it right to The Wall!"  
     
     We  found  Pennsylvania Avenue okay -  but,  darn if  they  hadn't 
     closed Constitution Avenue for the National Soap Box Derby events!  
     No matter WHERE I looked,  I couldn't FIND the familiar Washington 
     Monument...  and  we  drove  an'   drove  an'   drove  all  'round 
     Washington, DC lookin' for The Wall!  We DID find it, though! 
     
     It was Fred's first time at The Wall.  I'm glad Sarge n'  Ed and I 
     were there for him -  and for a couple of other "first-time"  vets 
     that we met as they tried to gather up the courage to visit, touch 
     the names, rekindle the memories.  I'm really GLAD!  
     
     While  there,  we tried calling Frenchy and Jim Hildwine.   Missed 
     'em  both -  but left messages on their answering machines <grin>.  
     (No... I *-DIDN'T-* say my name was Lefty Frizzell! <smile>>  Then 
     we called David Valley (new to the echo, and with OPM)  and waited 
     for him to come-on-down! <No... NOT "let's make a deal!">  He told 
     the  two  of us a bit about his work and pledged his help to  what 
     we're ALL trying to do with IVVEC and NamVet.  (David -  Know your 
     father  is going in for Open Heart Surgery.   Hope he has a speedy 
     recovery and that all things work out well for him and your entire 
     family!)
     
     To  make a long story a little shorter <with ME?   NEVER happen!>, 
     we  FINALLY  got out of Washington, DC (where I also  learned  how 
     MANY times and from how MANY different directions one can find The 
     Wall) and all of us made it back home safe an' sound.   Doin'  the 
     best  I  can  with  what  I  got  <grin>,  I  went  back  to  work 
     building/moving  the NEW Berkshire Veterans'  Center/VETLink  #1's 
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page  3
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991

     new  quarters.   The AT arrived a few days later -  along with the 
     somewhat-distressing   news   that  the  network   cards   weren't 
     functional  (Any of you folk out there into  Networking/Networking 
     Cards  that  might be able to help us?)   This editorial is  being 
     written from the new headquarters of Berkshire Veterans'  Center - 
     with VETLink #1 soon to join us!
     
     Yeah...  I  guess  there's been a LOT of action here since last  I 
     wrote ya <grin> - ACTION that's shown ME so much,  much MORE about 
     the UNITY in our veteran commUNITY;  so much,  much MORE about the 
     need  for  all  of  us to support one another and  BE  there  when 
     needed,  and  so much,  much *-MUCH-*  to disprove my own personal 
     belief  that I've been building an "electronic cocoon"  for myself 
     that excluded more than it included!  
     
     Gosh!  You folk are GREAT!!!  Thanx for being here!!!
     
                              'til next month
                       Show a brother/sister veteran
                           That *-YOU-* care!!!
     
                              Ci'ao for Ni'ao
     
                                 -  Joe  -
     


































     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page  4
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991

            Do Veterans Have Preference in Federal Employment?
                             By: Fred Sochacki
                NamVet's' Veteran Employment Section Editor
                       VETLink #1.75 at Passaic, NJ
                              (413) 443-6313
     
     Veteran's  are a unique breed.  Most of us joined the military  in 
     support  of  our country and in return we expected our country  to 
     support  us in our time of need.  Well,  I'm here to tell you that 
     this is not always the case.
     
     More  and  more veterans are falling into cracks within  a  system 
     whose  very  existence  is dependant on meeting the needs  of  the 
     veteran.  I'm  sure  we  all  know the mission  of  the  Veteran's 
     Administration,  ("to  care  for  him who should  have  borne  the 
     battle,  and  for his widow and orphan")  -  that being to aid and 
     assist  the  veteran  and his dependents in obtaining any  or  all 
     benefits  to  which they are entitled in a timely manner and  with 
     respect.  But,  as  you  will see,  somewhere along the  line  the 
     Veterans Administration has lost track of this mission.
     
     Now,   keeping  in  mind  the  primary  mission  of  the  Veterans 
     Administration  let's follow the steps taken by a disabled veteran 
     who  has  spent  nearly 2 years trying to obtain  training  and/or 
     employment assistance through the Veterans Administration.
     
     Dooley,  a  disabled Vietnam veteran was given a medical discharge 
     from  the  Navy in 1978,  but not before having served  almost  10 
     years on active duty including a tour in Vietnam with the Marines.
     
     After  his  discharge,  Dooley tried getting a job in the  private 
     sector, using the skills he was taught in the military,  all to no 
     avail.  So  he decided to look for Federal Employment so he  could 
     take  advantage  of  the  10 point preference  given  to  disabled 
     veterans and would also allow him to use his military time towards 
     his  retirement.  Dooley took a test for the Post Office and a few 
     months  later was hired as a Mail Handler,  a position he held for 
     10  years  until  physical and emotional problems  caused  him  to 
     resign in 1989.
     
     After  his resignation,  Dooley again went looking for work in the 
     private  sector,  but to no avail.  All he had was the training he 
     had  gotten  in  the  military as a Payroll Clerk   and  that  was  
     outdated.
     
     It  was  at  this point Dooley decided to apply  to  the  Veterans 
     Administration  for Vocational Rehabilitation in order to get some 
     type  of  job  training  or  at least  help  in  finding  suitable 
     employment.
     
     Dooley submitted his written request for Vocational Rehabilitation 
     and  waited patiently for the VA to act on his request.  After all 
     with  a 50%  service-connected rating,  how long would he have  to 
     wait.  Well,  Dooley  waited for more than a month before he heard 
     from the VA.
     
     When  he  finally received his appointment,  he was sure that  the 
     worst was passed.  Little did he realize at the time that this was 
     to  be  the  beginning of his worst nightmare.  He was seen  by  a 
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page  5
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991

     counselor  who  went  over his application and explained  what  he 
     would  be  doing to help Dooley.  The VA Hospital was next and  an 
     appointment  with a staff psychiatrist to determine whether or not 
     he  was  able  to  get into the program and finally  back  to  his 
     counselor  who gave him a series of tests to determine his IQ  and 
     interests.
     
     After  waiting  3 months Dooley was finally called back in to  see 
     his  counselor and find out what type of training he was going  to 
     receive. This was not the case. The counselor had decided that all 
     Dooley needed was Employment Assistance so right from there he was 
     taken to meet his Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist. This being 
     Friday  afternoon Dooley's new counselor only had about 20 minutes 
     to spare,  but he was able to give him 3 job prospects to check on 
     until their next meeting.
     
     This  was Dooley's first and only meeting with his new  counselor, 
     because  a few weeks later when called to speak with him,  he  was 
     told  that he had retired and that Dooley would have to start  all 
     over again.
     
     At  this  point  Dooley decided to research  the  various  veteran 
     programs  within the Federal Service.  Not having a college degree 
     or any practical work experience made it almost impossible to find 
     work  in  the private sector.  But he did discover a law that  was 
     there to help Vietnam veterans in the same situation as himself.
     
     This law,  Public Law 101-237 (Veterans Readjustment Appointments) 
     would  allow Dooley to be hired by any Federal Agency for a period 
     of  2 years,  during which time he would receive whatever training 
     necessary  for  the job,  but at the end of the 2 year  period  he 
     would  have to meet all the qualifications of the job in order  to 
     be made permanent.  However there was just one small catch to this 
     law,  that  being no Federal Agency has to hire anyone under  this 
     law.
     
     Most of us would consider this a major setback but not Dooley.  He 
     sat  down  and wrote a letter to his Congressman,  explaining  the 
     problems  he  was having in obtaining training or  job  assistance 
     from  the Veterans Administration and asking him for assistance in 
     obtaining a VRA Appointment.
     
     This should have been the end of Dooley's problems,  but I'm sorry 
     to  say it wasn't.  After 8 months of Congressional investigations 
     and  inquiries on behalf of Dooley he is no closer to training  or 
     job assistance from the VA than he was almost 2 years ago.  As for 
     the Veterans Readjustment Act, it wasn't very helpful. Even though 
     it's  a law,  no Federal Agency has to abide by it and that is not 
     the  bottom  line.  Because there are other programs for  disabled 
     veterans  such  as noncompetitive appointments for  veterans  with 
     more than 30%  disability as with the VRA Appointment,  no federal 
     agency has to hire under this program.
     
     So where is this Veterans'  Preference we hear so much about?  And 
     how is it helping the veteran?  Dooley is still unemployed.  After 
     almost  2  years  the Veterans Administration has  contracted  the 
     outside  service of a Vocational Rehabilitation Specialist to help 
     him prepare a good resume. What does this mean to Dooley? Nothing, 
     because he still needs the training to put on his resume, but this 
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page  6
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991

     I  assume is the VA's way of getting themselves off the  hook,  by 
     saying  they are doing everything they can to help him.  So  after 
     all  this  time  Dooley  is still fighting  the  system  and  will 
     continue to fight until he gets the training or job assistance, to 
     which he is entitled, from the Veterans Administration.
     
     I  chose  to  write about Dooley and his attempts to  obtain  help 
     through  the  Veterans  Administration and the programs  that  are 
     available,  but  not utilized by federal agencies in their  hiring 
     practices,  to open the eyes of all my brothers and sisters.  Even 
     though  they  may  not be going through the  same  problems,  they 
     should be made aware of the problems facing other veterans who are 
     not  so  lucky.  To those of you who like Dooley are fighting  the 
     system, just remember that you are not alone and that the only way 
     to change the system is to fight it,  no matter how long it takes. 
     Most important of all remember that there is strength in numbers.
     
                       "Justice is Truth in Action"
     
                                -- Fred --
     






































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

                    Were YOU exposed to Agent Orange??               
                              By Jim Ferguson
              NamVet's Assistant Agent Orange Section Editor
                        VETLink #1 - Pittsfield, MA
                              (413) 443-6313
     
     I  remember  quite well when a doctor asked me that  question  two 
     years ago. I was sitting in his office at Memorial Hospital Sloan-
     Kettering  Cancer  Center  in New York.  It was the first  time  I 
     seriously contemplated the answer. Like many other vets, I usually 
     answered "No." In fact,  it seemed to me that some vets blamed all 
     their  life's  woes on Agent Orange.   An article in  my  hometown 
     paper  quoted  a boyhood friend as saying that he could no  longer 
     concentrate  after  his  exposure  to Agent  Orange,  and  it  was 
     destroying  his  social life.   I snickered as I recalled that  he 
     didn't  have  much of a social life for as long as I'd known  him. 
     (If you're reading this, Sorry, George.)   Now I had cancer and it 
     wasn't quite so funny to me.
     
     To  the  best of my knowledge,  I had never been sprayed  and  had 
     never handled Agent Orange.   But when you consider how much Agent 
     Orange  was used in Viet Nam,  and HOW it was used,  it's probably 
     difficult to really avoid exposure.  This point has been made more 
     eloquently  and  with more quantitative and technical  information 
     than I have here.  (See Martin Kroll's article in Namvet 4.11)  My 
     point  here  is  to suggest avenues of exposure you may  not  have 
     considered.
     
     I was an infantryman (up in I Corps).   I specifically recall that 
     we  worked in some PREVIOUSLY defoliated areas.   These  certainly 
     weren't  freshly defoliated.   If you've seen the type of area I'm 
     talking  about,  you probably still remember it.   It's acres  and 
     acres of three foot high grass, nothing else grows there.
     
     We made a night camp in one of these areas, sleeping on the ground 
     as  there  were  no  trees for  hammocks.   I  recall  watching  a 
     thunderstorm  roll  in late in the afternoon.   The only reason  I 
     remember  this  incident  is  because  I  was  worried  about  the  
     possibility of lightning.  We were on the highest hill in the area 
     and  except for the grass (and us)  it was bare.   I was concerned 
     about  a lightning strike to the top of the hill,  taking us  out. 
     Charlie,  the  radioman,  had his 10 foot whip antenna stuck up in 
     the air.  I told him it looked like a good lightning rod and moved 
     a ways away from him.  I do not recall the later details,  as they 
     probably  weren't  anything unusual.  I suppose I got  quite  wet, 
     sleeping on the ground with a poncho wrapped around me. Typically, 
     we  would have gotten clean clothes with a resupply,  sometime  in 
     the next three days.  Is THAT exposure?  I wish I knew.
     
     As  I thought about that night,  I also recalled an incident where 
     one guy (can picture him but can't remember his name) pretended to 
     be a "rural hayseed," chewing on a stalk of grass. I'm not certain 
     that  this happened at the same place (but I believe that it did.) 
     I  also don't remember if I joined in the game.  I very well could 
     have,  it's not something I would have thought twice about.  Could 
     one be exposed from THAT?
     
     For the first part of my tour, I spent about 25% of my time, on LZ 
     Maryann.   Our nominal schedule was 15 days out and 5 days "on the 
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page  8
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991

     hill." Maryann was our "fire base" or artillery support area. As I 
     recall,  there were two 105's,  and at least one four deuce (4.2") 
     and  at  least  one  81mm  mortar  but  not  much  else.   [To  be 
     technically  correct,  yes there was an ammo dump,  a  kitchen,  a 
     helicopter pad, and a commo hootch.   This was a SMALL place,  not 
     far from the Laotian border.]  Maryann was usually defended by one 
     infantry  company  (about  60 men)  in addition to  the  permanent 
     residents.
     
     I  remember vividly the first night I spent on Maryann.  We had an 
     alert  that night,  and I thought we were under attack.   With the 
     light of flares from the 81's and a search light mounted on a jeep 
     I  looked  out on a clear field of fire,  searching  for  targets.  
     There  were only a few dead tree trunks and that low vegetation to 
     obscure  the view.  It wasn't until those many years later that  I 
     thought  about  WHY the jungle didn't grow right up to the  barbed 
     wire perimeter.
     
     My  point here is that Maryann was simply a defoliated hill in the 
     middle of the jungle.  Again it was not freshly defoliated,  but I 
     don't know how "old" the defoliation was.   When you consider that 
     we  LIVED there,  (eat,  drink,  sleep)  with an open tank for the 
     drinking  and cooking water,  slogging through the mud during  the 
     rainy season - could we really avoid exposure?
     
     I  have  read that dioxin is not water soluble,  I'm not  sure  if 
     that's  positive  or negative.   It makes me feel somewhat  better 
     about  all the water I drank from rivers and streams (?),  but  it 
     also means that the dioxin was not simply washed away by the first 
     monsoon  season after spraying.  Perhaps the greatest  frustration 
     here  is  that  the government does not tell us  what  would  have 
     contributed to exposure.
     
     One last incident I'll note for you.   When I first got out to the 
     field (FNG) I used the water purification (iodine) tablets.  After 
     I  found  that none of the old hands did,  I stopped  using  them. 
     However, there was one other time when I used them. I was stuck in 
     an  area waiting (Weren't we always waiting for something?)  and I 
     had  no water.   There was a light rain and I had my poncho set up 
     as a rain shelter.   I loosened the strings so the poncho formed a 
     funnel  and  I  caught the rain water running off from  it  in  my 
     canteen  cup.   The water was really dirty from the poncho,  so  I 
     used  a tablet to kill the microbes.  Maybe I should have  worried 
     about the origin of the "mud" as well.
     
     These are the things I remember and KNOW about. There are probably 
     many more I haven't yet learned and may never know. So think about 
     it.  What kept the weeds from growing over the perimeter where YOU 
     were? Where did YOUR drinking water come from?
     
     If  you've read this far,  I guess you're also wondering what  the 
     upshot  of  my visit with the doctor was.   My tumor  (soft-tissue 
     sarcoma)  was  removed  Memorial  Day  weekend 1989  at  my  local 
     hospital.     Two    different    pathologists   have    different 
     identifications  for  the  exact type  of  cancer.   However,  the 
     treatment  is the same so I'm not sure it matters to  me.  They're 
     both very rare.   Of the one type there are 1,500 new cases in the 
     U.S. each year.  Of the other type only 900 new cases.  After they 
     identified and confirmed the diagnosis,  the recommended treatment 
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page  9
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991

     was  more tissue removal from the area and radiation treatment.  I 
     had  that  surgery  done at Sloan-Kettering in  July  1989.   They 
     implanted  tubes under the skin during the surgery and loaded them 
     with a radioactive implant a few days later. After seven days they 
     pulled out the implants and the tubes.
     
     I've had good 6-month checkups,  most recently in June 1991.  This 
     last  one was particularly good news as 80%  of reoccurrences  are 
     within the first two years.
     
     Is  my  tumor  connected to Agent Orange?   On  an  administrative 
     basis, there is now a presumption of service connection.   Whether 
     it was really CAUSED by Agent Orange exposure,  there doesn't seem 
     to be any way to tell.
     
     A  side  note  here.  If  you  ever find  yourself  in  a  similar 
     situation, get the best care you can within the benefits available 
     to  you.   Medical care is NOT the same everywhere.   My  neighbor 
     still wonders why I went to New York for care (a "mere" three-hour 
     drive, each way.)
     
     A FEW REASONS WHY I'M GLAD I DID:
     The  LOCAL  surgeon  had little or no experience  with  the  wider 
     excision of tissue that I needed.  At the hospital specializing in 
     cancer  treatment,  I found a surgeon who performed this operation 
     many times.
     
     The LOCAL medical oncologist (chemotherapy doctor) could only find 
     one type of chemotherapy to use on this cancer.   He recommended a 
     program  where  this chemotherapy would have been administered  by 
     IV,  requiring  a two-day hospital stay every four weeks.  I found 
     that   the   EXPERTS  from  the  cancer  center  have  not   found 
     chemotherapy effective for soft-tissue sarcomas in the trunk.  Can 
     anyone  CONCEIVE  of  going through chemotherapy on  an  inpatient 
     basis, when it isn't effective for the particular type of cancer?
     
     At  the  cancer  center I also could have the  radiation  implant, 
     which  was  six  DAYS of isolation instead of six WEEKS  of  daily 
     visits for radiation at my local hospital.
     
     In  fact,  I  believe that if I'd been at Sloan-Kettering for  the 
     initial  surgery,  I'd have had only ONE operation (taking care of 
     the whole thing) and only ONE hospital stay.
     
     Keep  in mind that the doctors themselves say that medicine is  an 
     art, not a science.  Find yourself a Rembrandt,  not a street wise 
     kid with a spray can.
     











     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 10
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991



     ==================================================================
                                  In-Touch
     ==================================================================

                         IN TOUCH - NO RECOGNITION
                          By Ray "Frenchy" Moreau
                     NamVet's In-Touch Section Editor
          HBX Veterans Memorial Gateway VETLink #2 - Herndon, VA
                              (703) 471-8010
     
     There  was no recognition of the dirty old man coming towards  me. 
     You see them in the streets of DC, New York,  Boston,  Detroit and 
     countless   cities  throughout  this  great  land  of  ours.    No 
     difference,  I  thought,  for a small town north of San  Francisco 
     like   Vallejo.    Home   of  the  Mare  Island  Naval   Shipyard, 
     Cryptographic  Repair  School,  and  for some of us River  Rats  - 
     Mobile Riverine Force training area.
     
     As  he came closer I was just passing the familiar Napoli Pizza on 
     Tennessee  Street,  not  too far from the main shipyard  gate.   I 
     remembered  that Jane,  our three kids and I enjoyed the  pleasant 
     warmth  and  friendliness  of the Italian family  that  owned  the 
     restaurant  -  Pizzas  were just FANTASTIC!   I thought to  myself 
     "Could  they  remember  me?"  -  Almost as fast  as  the  question 
     surfaced  I answered "No!",  but I did remember as I looked at the 
     younger  face behind the counter.   Some people just don't change, 
     even if it has been nearly 23 years since our last tour.
     
     I  caught  a glimpse of the old man again as he approached  on  my 
     left.  I was heading westerly toward the Mare Island main gate and 
     he  was heading easterly.   I couldn't look away from those  steel 
     grey eyes.   Eyes that have seen much in his life time.   His body 
     was bent over - robbed of the precious youth by alcohol,  dope and 
     street living.  His grey eyes had a depth as he stared at me.   He 
     was  still knowledgeable of his surroundings.   The closer he came 
     the wider his eyes opened.
     
     No recognition.
     
     Close  on the narrow street the smell of him reached my  nostrils. 
     God what a stench!  One last look.
     
     No recognition.
     
     As  I looked at him,  a chill thought ran through my mind.  "Did I 
     know this man?"  I did have two tours at Mare Island.  It could be 
     possible that I knew him.
     
     No recognition.
     
     I quickened my step.
     
     "No..." 
     
     "Frenchy..?"   "Chief Moe?"...  a deep throaty voice emanated from 
     the bent young-old man.
     
     I  stopped  and turned slightly to my left and again  stared  into 
     those steel eyes.   His face was covered with dirt.  His beard was 
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 11
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991

     long and straggly from personal neglect.  His Black Beret, which I 
     hadn't  noticed before,  was cocked to the left.   I continued  to 
     stare... I couldn't speak.
     
     "Chief Moe!  It IS you!" he rasped.
     
     I  thought to myself as I continued to stare at him ....  "I can't 
     remember,  I  don't  WANT to remember!  This is another  dream  of 
     someone   that  has  been  left  behind  since  his  arrival   and 
     homecoming."
     
     "Chief, its Avila... Dan, Second Class Quartermaster!"
     
     My  face  went white.  Not because of a shock of seeing  a  fellow 
     shipmate,  but  my  lack of memory.   The face did have  a  slight 
     familiarity to it as my mind reeled back to the places and names. 
     
     "Avila, QM2 USN."  He was all of 19 years old in 1968.   The man I 
     was looking at could possibly be in his mid sixties.
     
     Then  it dawned on me as I thought "We remember the dead  -  those 
     58,175 brothers and sisters... but not the living!!"
     
     Danny  let  himself go.  Didn't pick his life up after  the  first 
     spittle struck him in the face.   Like a knife-stab to the heart - 
     the  pain  of remembering.   An eclipse of  pictures:  explosions, 
     fear, tears, mud, rain, heat.
     
     "Danny? God Almighty - you look like sh*t!
     
     "Geez Frenchy... ya look good.  Man ya don't even change!"
     
     I  turned full-body and opened my arms.  I couldn't hold back  the 
     tears.   The  Vietnam  Vets embrace.   The embrace that passes  an 
     energy and understanding to the less fortunate.
     
     For  what seemed like hours -  but only minutes -  we  broke.  The 
     tears in his eyes had worked a path which revealed the features on 
     a face covered with dirt.
     
     Danny had a bath,  cleaned up,  some fresh clothes,  some dinner - 
     with  no booze.  I just didn't feel right in supporting the  habit 
     which eventually would kill him.  But I did realize that Danny was 
     just  living  the past and probably death was a peaceful  solution 
     for  him.   I gave Danny some phone numbers to the Veterans Office 
     in Benecia.
     
     The  world  will never know the pain that each and  every  veteran 
     suffers every day of his or her life.  But for sure,  there is one 
     above  us  who  is looking out for us.   His hand  is  on  Danny's 
     shoulder.  I will keep in touch with Danny. I have an address of a 
     friend in Vallejo.  I am hoping that Danny can lift himself up.  I 
     did  tell  him that the contract that we have with the  Navy  will 
     bring me back to Mare Island approximately four more trips.
     
     This  I needed to share with my fellow veterans.   Some of use are 
     not all that fortunate to escape and bury behind us the trials and 
     tribulations  that the Vietnam Veteran and Korean War Veteran have 
     suffered.  I  am content to look to the heavens and say "Thank you 
     
     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 12
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991

     for  giving  me some of your strength,  but give Danny and  others 
     that  energy  of  life".   Christ died on the cross  for  us.  His 
     strength  and love of mankind has only one direction for Danny and 
     many like him.  We have served our time in hell!!!!
     
     In-Touch  bring us closer.  It provides us with a common bond with 
     those  who have given the ultimate sacrifice.  It also provides  a 
     means  by  which we can look into each others eyes and  share  the 
     experience of life as we know it this day.  Don't make the mistake 
     that I did.  We can be successful but we can forget those who have 
     not.
     
     I have hurt,  I have cried and I have bellowed to damn our country 
     for what they did.   But,  I can also forgive -  not forget -  and 
     continue  my  life because those who love me told me  I  could.  I 
     believed  them  and it worked.   I hope and pray it will work  for 
     Danny.
     
                               -- Frenchy --
     
     >> NOTE FROM JOE: I  spoke  with  a saddened Frenchy  about  Danny 
     shortly before press time.  The cleanup, fresh clothes,  step into 
     a  honor-filled life seems to be a door which Danny could not step 
     through  right  now.   He  hadn't shown up at any  of  the  places 
     Frenchy had referred him to.  
       Frenchy  and  you  and  I and many  others  HAVE  persisted  and 
     continued  in  OUR efforts to better ourselves,  climb  above  the 
     position that Life and Circumstance seemed to hold for us.  
       I have a hope that Danny will be back - his "cleaned-up, freshly 
     clothed  and nourished"  look no longer an abrupt change from  his 
     normal existence but, instead, his "Uniform of the Day!"  Doors to 
     bright  rooms MUST open slowly -  else the brilliance would  blind 
     the visitor!
       With  veterans  like Frenchy and the good in you and I,  we  can 
     continue being In-Touch... 
        ... remembering all the while:
      
                   "Together Then - Together Now!"
     









     "You cannot push anyone up the ladder
            unless he is willing to climb himself."

                            - Andrew Carnegie -







     NAM VET Newsletter                                         Page 13
     Volume  5, Number  7                                 July 27, 1991

                         In-Touch.  What is it ???
     
                       Input by: Ray "Frenchy" Moreau
                      NAM VETs IN-TOUCH Section Editor
                     Herndon Byte eXchange - Herndon, VA
                               (703) 471-8010
     =================================================================
     
     |+++++++++++++++++++++++++ IN TOUCH ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++|
     |  There are some 43 million people in the United States whose  |
     |  lives were directly and irrevocably touched by the Vietnam   |
     |  War.                                                         |
     |                                                               |
     |  Almost four million people served in Vietnam -- the longest, |
     |  and perhaps most difficult, war in our history.  More than a |
     |  quarter of a million were seriously wounded. 58,175 are dead |
     |  or missing.                                                  |
     |                                                               |
     |  Each of those who returned recognizes the true cost of war.  |
     |  But so too do the families and friends, wives and lovers of  |
     |  those listed on the Wall.  They too paid a tremendous price, |
     |  not always recognized... many still do.                      |
     |                                                               |
     |  Though twenty years have passed, it seems that is the period |
     |  people have needed to get the distance necessary to begin to |
     |  address the unresolved, deeply personal issues that have     |
     |  been haunting them since the war.  Perhaps that is a measure |
     |  of the pain.                                                 |
     |                                                               |
     |  But, the "healing of a nation" that was intended by the      |
     |  building of the Memorial, has begun.                         |
     |                                                               |
     |  In the office of the Friends of the Vietnam Veterans         |
     |  Memorial, we hear them on the other end of the phone on      |
     |  any given day, and far into the night, they call from all    |
     |  corners of the country.                                      |
     |                                                               |
     |  "If only I could find out..."                                |
     |  "I need to find his family so I can keep my promise..."      |
     |  "I just want to talk to someone who was with him... "        |
     |  "Please, can you help...?"                                   |
     |                                                               |
     |  At the Wall, we find them every day. Veterans who have not   |
     |  spoken of their experiences even to their most intimate      |
     |  family members are now beginning, tentatively, to seek a     |
     |  responsive ear.                                              |
     |                                                               |
     |  Brothers and sisters, parents and even wives who were simply |
     |  never allowed full expression of their grief because of the  |
-- 
#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.   #