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2001

Letters

POWERFUL POETRY

I really enjoyed the powerful poems in David Willson’s “Aftermath” that appeared in the July/August issue. I am a 100 percent disabled veteran who spent months in various hospitals getting whole—physically, anyway. I began writing to help ease the inner conflicts I felt inside.

This magazine is a godsend and helps so many families and veterans. Thanks for all you guys do. God bless America.

Dennis Leahy
By Email

ACTIVITIES, NOT POETRY

I just read the latest issue of The Veteran and can’t believe there’s four pages of poetry. Mind you, I have nothing against poetry, but four pages? I can understand now why our chapter has sent in reports of activities to be published and had a response of “No room…yak yak yak.”

Personally, I believe members would like to hear about what’s going on in other chapters in the way of activities and fund-raisers. That is what helps us, not poetry. If I want to read poetry, I can check out a book in the library. Come on guys, get on the stick.

Walter J. Buzin
By Email

A JOB WELL DONE

I would like to express my admiration and respect for Pete Peterson, chair, and the Government Affairs staff. His report in the July/August issue was something to admire. He wrote about what has been going on at the VA for years, with a firm conviction, telling it as it is. 

In these times of so-called political correctness, his report is a fresh hope that maybe other VVA chairs will also tell it as it should be told, and stop pussy-footing so as not to step on feet that need to be stepped on.

Thanks, Pete, for a job well done.

Marcello A. Vache
Harman, West Virginia

TIMES OF TERROR AND HEROISM

Thank you for publishing “Darkness to the Blue World” and Vida Volkert for writing it. It evokes memories of times of terror, heroism, and intense fear.

I had the honor of being a speaker at the Navajo Nation and Fort Defiance on Memorial Day. The Navajo are very gracious people who honor their warriors, and I felt blessed to stand among those warriors on Memorial Day.

I later got a call from a medic who was wounded in the same fight that Van Etsitty died in on June 1, 1968. We didn’t know each other then, but we talked for about two hours. He’s a VVA member, and I will get to know him.

Ed Ryan
Riverside, California

HAWKS IN DA NANG

To back up Keith Lindgren’s letter in the July/August issue on the HAWK missile site in Da Nang, I was in the U.S. Navy Seabee MCB1 Battalion stationed at Red Beach in 1966-67. I was a Third Class Equipment Operator, and we built the HAWK missile site on top of Hill 727 by the Hai Van Pass.

We took the whole top of the mountain off to build it. It was difficult to get equipment and supplies up the hill when building it. Trucks and other equipment had to be pulled up by machines sometimes. We built it with the Seabee motto: “Can Do.”

Peter Dowd
Marshfield, Massachusetts 

ADDING TO PRAISE

What a delightful surprise to see the California Vietnam Veterans Memorial on your May/June cover. As the chair of the commission that built it, I am glad to have others become aware of it as I feel it is one of the best in the country.

I’d like to add to Paul Rogers’s excellent article by acknowledging just a few of the people who made the memorial possible. Herman Woods was the initial driving force and an active participant in meetings and fund-raisers, and B.T. Collins was a larger-than-life member of the commission and the fund-raising committee chair.

But so many others were actively involved from day one to the dedication. All of us commission members are in-country Vietnam veterans. A longtime member of VVA, I was in Long Binh in 1969-70 with the 1st Signal Bde., living at the WAC Detachment near the 24th Evac Hospital. The head of the construction committee, Don Drumheller, made sure the design pieces and all the concrete, marble, and brass was ordered, perfect, and in the right places. His right hand was Michael Kelley.

Leo Thorsness, a Medal of Honor recipient and former POW, was the vice chair. Jesse Ugalde, Greg Green, and Abel Cota all spoke on behalf of the memorial, thereby gaining donations and volunteers. The Gold Star Mothers were active also, as were so many hundreds of other volunteers (Jeri Ewen, Dave Spencer, Rick Otis, Jim Burris, and Hal Jackson, to name just a few).

I appreciated the article and pictures very much. I just needed to praise more of those who dreamed, planned, and built the California Vietnam Veterans Memorial. 

Linda J. McClenahan
By Email

WHAT 50TH ANNIVERSARY?

The Department of Defense is commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War, a.k.a. the Second Indochina War. One might question why DOD would choose 2015 as the 50th anniversary. U.S. involvement in Southeast Asia began in the mid-1940s with the financing, in large part, of France’s effort to retain Vietnam, until France was ousted in 1954.

Thousands of U.S. military and civilians served in Southeast Asia prior to 1965, and hundreds were KIA and WIA between 1961 and 1965. President Eisenhower’s chief concern was Laos. President Kennedy deployed thousands to Thailand in 1962 due to concern about Laos while quietly increasing the number of troops in Vietnam despite the accords reached in Geneva. 

Has DOD forgotten that U.S. military involvement in Southeast Asia began long before 1965 and was not restricted to Vietnam? 

Joseph P. Konzem
Weston, Massachusetts

RETURNING A POW BRACELET

Thank you for helping me in my efforts to locate an individual using Locator. After several attempts of trying to locate Lt. H.W. Willey, my efforts paid off and a bracelet inscribed with his name, service number, and hometown has been returned to the historical museum in Lewisburg, Tennessee. His full name was Hugh Wallace Willey, and he passed away in 1975. He retired out of the Army as a Colonel and was awarded the Legion of Merit. His grave is located in Lewisburg alongside his wife’s.

I found the bracelet while walking close to my home one afternoon and tried to locate the owner, whom I assumed had lost it while visiting the “world’s longest yard sale.” During the same period of time several tornadoes had torn through the southern part of the United States. After several years and countless efforts, I gave up. That was until I thought of The Veteran and gave it a try.

My efforts paid off, and even though the individual who last claimed ownership has not been found, the bracelet is now home in Lewisburg with the understanding that if the individual comes forth and claims it, it will be surrendered to him or her.

Ernest W. Turner
Signal Mountain, Tennessee

SERVICE RECOGNITION

I served four years in the Army Security Agency, including a stint at the 8th Radio Research Field Station in Phu Bai from May 1969-70. I was awarded the Bronze Star for my service. 

Some forty-four years later I opted to change my Texas license plate to one that noted my Bronze Star award, and I personalized it with “PHUBAI.” It did not take long before I began seeing some responses to my new plate. Two were very memorable: I was heading to my daughter’s house when a young lady, probably in her twenties, pulled up beside me at a stop light, rolled down her window, and said, “Thank you for your service.”

Another time, a man on a Harley slowly drove past on the driver’s side and gave me a salute. Naturally these events had a deep impact on me. As Vietnam veterans we have struggled for some manner of acceptance of our service.

John M. Raiden
Fort Worth, Texas

HONOR BOUND

As a new VVA life member of Harrisonburg, Virginia, Chapter 1061, I am requesting that each chapter obtain the book Honor Bound: American Prisoners of War in Southeast Asia, 1961-1973 by Stewart I. Rochester and Frederick T. Kiley. It is one of the most compelling and important testaments to the courage, faith, and will of our POWs.

I would like to suggest that each chapter president allocate the cost of each book. The book could be donated to local libraries, schools, universities, or other appropriate locations. The book could also be loaned to chapter members.

Layton E. Payne
Broadway, Virginia

HELP OUR VETERANS

Without our veterans and those who made the ultimate sacrifice, where would America be today? It’s anyone’s guess; however, we certainly wouldn’t have the freedom and liberty we enjoy. We have ownership, jobs, health care, cars, any number of opportunities. We fought for freedom over a few centuries. There are those who would take away what we have as Americans. We continue to maintain an armed force to protect our borders so we can continue to enjoy what we have.

Our men and women in uniform stand ready and willing to face those who would take away our freedom. Many of those who survived the battles of years past and present came home broken and in need of help as was promised. Where does this help come from? It comes from Veterans Affairs, a government agency. But in view of scandalous indiscretions, many veterans are simply tossed aside in a hurry-up-and-wait situation. Many die just waiting for help.

What is wrong with this picture? Improprieties and interpretations of who gets what and for what: “Oh, just let them wait, maybe they will die.” Is this how our veterans should be treated?

The American people need to stand up and be counted. Urge your members of Congress to do what is right for our veterans.

John J. Bury
Media, Pennsylvania

FAULTLESS INTEL

John W. Smith’s letter, “Throwing Them Aside,” was fine aside from one small error: The “false war” was not due to “faulty intel.” Neither action we took against Iraq was. The first action against Iraq was due to Saddam Hussein being suckered by lying politicians into invading Kuwait. This doesn’t make Saddam a good guy, just a vicious sucker.

In the second action against Iraq Colin Powell went before the U.N. and lied his ass off knowing that all the so-called “intel” he presented had been falsified. He knowingly had us at war with Iraq for reasons other than the imaginary WMD. His own head of intel went on national television and admitted that he had told Powell months before that there were no WMD in Iraq.

We knew Afghanistan should have been the target from the get-go, but we chose  to destabilize the entire region by hitting a stable regime to whom we gave all the WMD they ever had. We put Saddam in power, armed and supported him, and when we had no further use for him we destroyed him and the entire country for “political” reasons—not faulty intel.

If we’re going to analyze intel, we need to put all preconceived notions and personal beliefs aside and analyze all the raw data we have, or we’re going to come out holding the short end of the stick.

August Steiner-Zehender
Morenci, Michigan

FLOWER POWER

I read “Leaving on a Jet Plane” in the May/June issue. I guess we all have stories and prefer the good ones. In February 1968 my buddy Denny and I were leaving Phu Cat AB for Cam Ranh Bay. Our friend at AFRTS played “California Dreamin’ ” for us.

We arrived in Seattle and had to transfer to get to L.A. I was in uniform, and a flower child walked up to me and pinned a flower to my shirt. I said, “Oh, thank you.”

She responded, “That will be fifteen dollars.”

I responded, “I don’t think so,” and gave it back to her.

Her boyfriend ran up to me, calling me “baby killer,” etc. I broke his jaw. The girl jumped on my back, beating me. I flipped her over. Two Army MPs watched the whole thing. I thought they would lock me up. The sergeant gave me a thumbs up and said, “Go home, soldier.”

True story.

Edward J. Barrett
Peoria, Arizona

Far From Woodstock, 1969 What? Forty-five years ago today I was in Cambodia when a Huey landed at the fire base loaded with cases of Budweiser. The crew planned on trading the beer for souvenirs. Above the “Thawp! Twawp!” of the rotors, a door gunner shouted, “There’s a big rock festival at Woodstock, New York, and half a million people are there!”??A grizzled sergeant replied, “Good for them. I hope we don’t get overrun tonight.” Shortly after the Huey took off—with AK-47s, vases, and who knows what—I took this photo. —Mark Jury