Letters

As a journalist and former Army Ranger with a Silver Star and three Purple Hearts, I feel qualified to applaud the “Secret Warfare” article by Paul Sutton. It is the first time I’ve read a comprehensive and detailed description of the use of defoliants in Southeast Asia.

Sutton is to be congratulated for the depth of research he was responsible for to make the piece credible and worthwhile. So many others have given the Agent Orange subject little space in their research work. Sutton has gone the extra mile.

I was sprayed repeatedly with Agent Orange and today suffer the consequences. Nerve damage has been significant, leaving me with legs that have little feeling. My feet feel like concrete blocks. However, I continue to stumble around and find time to write about a war we never should have fought.

I was the victim of consistent exposure to 2,4,D mixed with diesel as I often lay in ambush as the Air Force C-130s flew low and sprayed the area with Agent Orange. The oily mixture burned exposed skin.

Too often, I would have to remain quiet as enemy troops passed by my ambush position. I had to wait until the area was clear before I could get up and run to a water source and jump in. Often, I would rip off my uniform and swim naked, hoping to rid my skin of the burning formula.

Now, after decades in my blood stream, the mixture has damaged most of my nerve stems to the point that my legs are completely numb. I fear the exposure will eventually result in some form of cancer. The VA has awarded me 100 percent disability. I have an electric scooter provided by the VA to gain mobility, but I must monitor my legs and feet as blood clots are numerous.

Yes, many soldiers were exposed to Agent Orange without realizing the long-term effects. If one was in Vietnam during the period 1967-68 and fought in a jungle environment, exposure to Agent Orange was probable. Anyone with nerve damage should report it to the VA. Troops didn’t have to be sprayed to become affected. By passing through a jungle that was recently sprayed, residual chemicals could collect on uniforms and eventually be exposed to bare skin. 

So get tested for nerve damage. Perhaps you have a damaged nerve system and don’t know the cause. I understand the rationale for spraying the defoliant on jungle vegetation to open up the area, and I realize that it could not have been accomplished without exposing troops to the long-term effects.

Ray Funderburk
Palestine, Texas

Paul Sutton’s “Secret Warfare” was excellent. But the only reference to the Army being in Thailand was a picture of an Army M-113 (APC) with spray equipment on top. I was at the Army’s Camp Friendship March-November 1967, assigned to 29th Signal Group, 1st Signal Brigade.

The camp shared a fence line with Korat RTAFB. It was impressive that along the entire fence line perimeter nothing grew. We were not told how that came to be. We learned years later. I met an AF veteran in Fresno, Calif., who was assigned to the fire department at the air base in Korat the same time that I was there. He had diabetes type II related to Agent Orange and passed away over five years ago.  

Chuck Berberian
Clovis, California

I read Paul Sutton’s “Secret Warfare.” I was stationed at Nakon Phanom from October 1973-1974. I remember a lot of us GIs would order food from a little Thai restaurant off base. I’m sure the lettuce was locally grown. The hens ran wild that produced the meat and eggs we ate. Most likely the flour that produced the bread for our sandwiches was locally grown also. 

All these items were grown in an area that was probably sprayed with Agent Orange. How good was our water purification system over there? Most likely our water was exposed to the herbicide since the spray goes into the ground eventually through rainfall.

Linda H. Deyton
By Email 

Thank you for bringing this issue up. Without VVA we have no one to fight for us in Washington. Many of us suffer from the effects of Agent Orange; many have already lost the fight. Our congressional folks are more concerned with gaining votes for helping new veterans. I’m guessing that Congress will drag its feet until we are all gone—out of sight, out of mind.

Rick Waldo
By Email

Ronald Schroeder’s article concerning Vietnam veterans and their invisibility was right on. I, too, wondered why when we traveled it was always dark or late in the day. Relatives were slow to acknowledge my service when I returned and some never did. It has only been recently that I have displayed a RVN decal on a vehicle or wear a hat displaying my service in Nam. Then there were those I worked with who had family members in Nam.

My MOS was 71H40, not 11B. It seemed you never had done enough in the minds of many. Being drafted, Uncle Sam placed me, as well as others, in a supportive MOS. Statistics show that of one hundred draft-eligible young men during the Vietnam era, only twelve were sent to Nam. Of that twelve, nine were assigned to a supporting MOS. 

I’m proud to have served. Proud to have shared experiences in Nam with my brethren from all corners of America.

Gary Ludwigs
By Email

“Honored in Obscurity” really struck home for me. I think Mr. Schroeder speaks for many thousands who feel similarly. It’s really too bad that his local paper did not think the ceremony was worthy of covering, not even a mention.

His closing paragraph nearly brought me to tears, that those of us who served in Vietnam are left in obscurity by a country that was angry at us at that time. Not our fault, I say.

Bill Nowell
Seneca, South Carolina

Just finished rereading “Honored in Obscurity.” All I can say is WOW. The article hit home on so many levels. I felt so touched by his words that I had to stop reading and recall my own return back to The World and the shame we were made to feel wearing our uniforms. I was proud to wear my winter greens with the salad on my chest, but no one cared so I put them away for thirty years. I didn’t talk about the Marines or Vietnam. Why? No one cared.

For a few years Marines in our area gathered for a kind of birthday party on November 10. Even that has fallen off. No press coverage and the number of people have thinned. It seems very few bother to care. How sad.

I’ve been to The Wall and have an etching on my fridge of my dear friend Louis Garcia. We belong to a special group because we are a handful of veterans who lived at Boys Town. Every two years we have an alumni reunion and hold a service to honor those who have served from our own special family. We have our own Wall with all the names of those who are no longer with us.

A grateful thank-you to Ronald Schroeder for a very touching article and thank you for publishing it.

Tony Cervantes
Omaha, Nebraska

What an extraordinarily well-written memoir by Ronald A. Schroeder. It parallels my postwar experience to a T. After I returned, I worked for Electronic Data Systems, which was packed with fellow veterans. But I recall very few conversations among us about the war. As the war faded into our history, even fewer mentions of it occurred particularly when new conflicts began to succeed Vietnam.

Later in life, as I began to join VVA and other veterans groups and unit (5th Div., 1/77 Armor, OCS) organizations, the war has come back into focus; so much so, I have begun my own memoir. Now about 250 pages with some photographs, I have at least that much more to go. It’s cathartic and, perhaps, at some time in the future it will be meaningful to whoever reads it. I recommend others do likewise before we all fade into history.

Bob Forman
Anacortes, Washington

Great article by Ronald Schroeder. If you lived in Illinois, I would say you were writing about me. I worked for years and most men and women never knew I was in the Army, let alone in Vietnam (1968-70). It took the Moving Wall coming to Chicago and VVA to bring me out.

Good Job. Thanks

Fred Wilhelm
Huntley, Illinois

In the November/December 2018 issue, the 221st Signal Company (Pictorial) and the South East Asia Pictorial Center (SEAPC) was characterized as a conventional combat photography unit. I served in the 221st Signal Company (Pictorial), SEAPC as a photo team leader and executive officer from January 1969 to January 1970. The 221st Signal Company and SEAPC have the distinction of being the largest and most complex photo facility the U.S. Army has ever deployed to a combat zone, also suffering the highest rate of casualties in the 1st Signal Brigade during the Vietnam War. 

Both D.A.S.P.O. and the 221st Signal Company’s mandate was to cover all Army units including combat and combat support. In addition the 221st fielded MACV teams which operated like D.A.S.P.O.’s and we all had press passes that allowed access to the transportation needed to complete our mission. 

But we were different from D.A.S.P.O. in that we operated in-country film labs and photo teams based at our seven detachments in Phu Bai, Pleiku, Da Nang, Saigon, Cam Ranh Bay, Can Tho, and Qui Nhon as well as at our HQs at Long Binh. Our responsibilities also covered camera maintenance and repair as well as a central audiovisual support center. 

While it’s true that 221st personnel served the standard one-year deployment in country, the 221st mission, like D.A.S.P.O.’s, was to photograph and film the war in all its complexities for historical and training purposes. To that end the photographic output of the 221st and SEAPC along with D.A.S.P.O. is now archived with the National Archives and Records Administration. 

After all is said and done, the 221st Signal Company and SEAPC stand together with our D.A.S.P.O. brothers-in-arms as the last of the Celluloid Soldiers.

Don Fedynak
Astoria, New York

Nice article on combat photographers—nicknamed “shooters”—with the U.S Army Special Photographic Office. I was in country November 1971-72, working the entire time with the 221st Combat Photo Unit. Your article implied that the 221st only covered its own units. Not true. The 221st was sent anywhere in country that was active in combat. The unit had six locations throughout South Vietnam. I covered the Easter Offensive in ’72, traveling from Hue to Dong Ha while covering any and all I could. The 221st covered the war from 1967-72 for the Pentagon with most of our still and mopic going there. It was a great unit.

Donald Surgent
East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania

Just wanted to drop a note to compliment you on that fantastic article about the U.S. Army Special Photographic Unit in the November/December issue. A great read. With my own photographic background, I found it very interesting and informative. Kudos to the author, Xande Anderer.

Robert Parsons
Indianapolis, Indiana

“The Absolute Weapon” by John Prados referencing the use of nuclear weapons during the Vietnam War passes as novel material; however, it plays loosely with facts and realities in crucial matters. The reference to Eisenhower’s threat to use nuclear weapons stands out, both in Korea and Vietnam. The myth persists that Ike ended the Korean War by threatening a nuclear attack. That never happened. Although there were secret discussions in Washington concerning possible attacks to end the war, they were never made public or ever forwarded to North Korea or China. 

The death of Joseph Stalin, an unwavering supporter of the Korean War, along with Eisenhower’s threat of more aggressive conventional war, was the reason for the armistice. The political leaders of the Soviet Union were concerned with the negative, deadly effects the war posed on their ultimate goal of the spread of communism and a direct confrontation with the U.S. Stalin’s death brought a timely end to support for the war within the U.S.S.R.

Likewise, a nuclear option by the U.S. in Vietnam ran in a similar pattern. Although the military planners entertained the question much like they do today during war plans and scenarios, neither Johnson nor Nixon seriously considered the stupidity of such a thing. A few of the ranking generals unwisely spoke of it, including Westmoreland, but that door was quickly slammed shut.

Peter Van Til
By Email

Marc Leepson’s review of Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy was excellent. His taking to task of author Max Hastings regarding support troops and Agent Orange was welcome and perfect, and such comments are long overdue. I had reserved a copy of the book with my local library, but after reading Marc’s review, I canceled my reservation.

Brian Nicol
By Email

I read Marc Leepson’s review of Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy. I feel strongly that it should have run as an op-ed piece rather than as a review. Although I agree with some points that Mr. Leepson made, he obviously was too tied to his personal opinions about Max Hastings’ book to write with an objective voice. This colored his entire piece.

I have read several other reviews of the book and have not yet decided if I will read it, but I would have preferred a review by someone who could have stepped away from his personal beliefs.  

Richard Timmerman
River Falls, Wisconsin

I just want to say how much I enjoy The VVA Veteran. Always insightful and informative, such as “Secret Warfare” and “The Absolute Weapon.” Keep up the good work.

But I especially want to thank Marc Leepson for his excellent review of Max Hastings’ book Vietnam: An Epic Tragedy: 1945-1975. As a Vietnam veteran, I am still trying to understand that war. My library is full of books on that history and how we slid into that quagmire; my books discuss periods as far back as 1919 when Ho Chi Minh wrote to President Woodrow Wilson asking for help to shed the yoke of French colonialism given America’s history of anti-colonialism (no documentation that Wilson ever read his letter). So it saves me the time from reading something that is a re-hash of what is already known.

However, the more important aspect of that book that Mr. Leepson exposes is the author’s diminution of those who served in a non-infantry role. I was a corpsman serving in the Mekong Delta on the Basac River on a small naval base with Riverine Forces and helicoptor support; as well, our base hosted a contingent of Navy SEALS. We were constantly exposed to mortar fire. I also volunteered to fly missions with Army 57th Dustoff medevac that was stationed near our base. We were constantly exposed to incoming fire both on picking up the wounded after and during a firefight as well as when flying over terrain. For those missions I received the Air Medal. I was not having “ill-judged sex” or doing “bad shit drugs.”

On a monthly basis I was doing MEDCAP missions with Army Psychological Operations being dropped into Viet Cong villages to win the “hearts and minds” of the people. It was only me and an interpreter, no armed support. I didn’t take my rifle. Flying in choppers over Vietnam was always danger filled; being in a Viet Cong village was also risky, but I felt they wouldn’t chop off the hand of the one bringing them medicines and health care. I wasn’t “just” sitting at my base eating donuts and taking hot showers.

And there is another important misdirected and misleading issue brought out by the review: Agent Orange. Clearly, the author has done a very poor job of acquiring knowledge around the effects of Agent Orange exposure. Leepson is correct to point out that you do not have to have been bathed in that chemical to suffer its ill effects. The Mekong Delta, specifically the Binh Thuy area where I was stationed, was one of the most heavily sprayed areas in the late sixties. We bathed in and drank the water, ate food cooked with the water, our clothes were washed with water from the area. When in the villages I ate and drank the water that the village chiefs always presented to me. Now I suffer a cancer that the VA has determined was due to Agent Orange. 

Thank you, Mr. Leepson, for saving us the trouble of reading nothing new and the indignity of our service “just” being support troops.

Julian Gonzalez, M.D., M.P.H.
By Email

Thank you for the article on the loss of the U.S.S. Frank E. Evans and efforts to have those lost remembered on The Wall. Please continue to push.

In 2015 the names of the twenty-one Californians killed were added to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Sacramento. I was honored to be part of the color guard for that ceremony. The Scottish American Military Society Post 1921 provides the color guard, bagpiper, and singer to the Legislature for veterans events. I am the SAMS Regional Commander for the western states.

I would also like to mention that the state of California adds names to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial of those who died since the war from documented Agent Orange-related illnesses. In 2017 fourteen names were added, but only three in 2018. To be eligible, the veteran must have entered active duty from California.

With regard to the 2015 ceremony for those killed in the U.S.S. Evans collision, I spoke with some family members later that day. I told them that in June 1969 at the time of the tragedy I was an ensign in flight training. A group of us had a discussion regarding the errors that the officer of the deck had made. Not to point fingers, but rather to acknowledge that any one of us could have made a similar rookie mistake. Apparently the OOD had lost situational awareness and not caught up with what he needed to do.

My purpose was to say that the families might be slightly comforted knowing that as a result of their losses, at least a small number of junior Naval officers recommitted to training harder, paying attention to details, and not becoming too confident in what we thought we knew. So something positive came out of this situation. The Navy, at least in aviation, is committed to learning from accidents and from near misses.

With all the training and development of junior officers that must be accomplished in a dangerous environment, it is a credit to the instructors and mentors that more accidents do not happen.

Francis B. McVey
San Jose, California

Without making or implying any opinion on the appropriateness of etching on The Wall the names of the seventy-four sailors who died on the U.S.S. Frank E. Evans, I would point out that many sailors died off of the coast of Vietnam and on the way to Vietnam from 1964 to 1972. I was on the U.S.S. Kitty Hawk (CV-63), 1968-70. We were off the coast of Vietnam for much of 1969 doing what aircraft carriers do: bombing and strafing targets in Vietnam. Carrier operations are dangerous even in peacetime. This danger is magnified in wartime where flight ops are constant for twelve hours every day. Dozens of planes are taking off, flying the mission, and landing every ninety minutes.

Besides the dangers of carrier ops, the flight crews have the enemy trying to kill them. The first Kitty Hawk plane shot down in Vietnam was on June 6, 1964. The last one was on November 11, 1972. During that time, there were six cruises to Yankee Station off the coast of Vietnam. On those six cruises, sixty-six flyers and fifteen ship crewman died. Those flyers shot down over Vietnam clearly should have their names on The Wall. What about the fifteen crewmen who were doing their part to keep the planes flying?

All the other carriers that were part of the Vietnam War have similar stories. Do their dead get on The Wall? What about the U.S.S. Enterprise (CV-65)? In 1968, on the way to Vietnam, it stopped off of Hawaii to practice flights ops. A rocket accidently discharged creating a fire that killed twenty-eight sailors and injured hundreds. Do the twenty-eight get their names on the Wall?

Helios J. Hernandez
Riverside, California

Louise Esola lists the U.S.S. Frank E. Evans’ complement as 170 officers and enlisted, while Jane’s Fighting Ships lists that number at 274, thereby skewing her claim that one third of the crew was lost in the collision. No mention was made that the Melbourne actually cut the much smaller destroyer in half, which resulted in the rapid sinking. Further, while many of the Navy’s NGFS ships were of the newer DDG and DLG classes, the bulk of the ships deployed were essentially World War II leftovers—Gearing, Sumner, and even Fletcher class destroyers.  

This freak accident did not occur because of the age of the Evans. It was, like most collisions, due to human error. Several ships operating in the Tonkin Gulf during the war sustained hostile fire damage (U.S.S. Theodore E. Chandler) and even friendly fire (H.M.A.S. Hobart), but the admirable service or the reliability of those aged vessels can never be questioned.

Ship’s company in 1968 were all awarded the Vietnam Service Medal, as well as the campaign medal. I was never notified that they had been rescinded.  

The November/December cover was one of your best. Kudos.

Pete Steinmetz
Groveland, California

Reading about the Replica Walls in the last two issues of The VVA Veteran, I’d like to point out that Oklahoma has an 80-percent Replica Wall, dedicated November 11, 2013.

I believe it’s the first one. It’s Oklahoma’s Vietnam Memorial Wall, located at Woodring Airport in Enid.

Lawrence Payne
Enid, Oklahoma

The Oklahoma Veterans Memorial Wall was originally one of the first Traveling Walls. It was retired and permanently installed at Woodring Airport—certainly worthy of a future article.  —Editor

I would like to add Missouri’s National Veterans Memorial to the growing list of replicas. It’s located in Perryville, off I-55. It is full scale, identical to the one in our Nation’s Capital, minus the errors. I made my first trip there September 1.

Phil Williams
By Email

Hurricane Florence came through the northeast coast of South Carolina very slowly. The storm wasn’t as bad as the flood water that came a few days later. We were devastated; we had to evacuate and head for higher ground. Most of the homes in our area belonged to retirees, and most were flooded. Mold grew and the homes were a mess.

We ended up gutting our place. All our possessions had to be thrown out. We lost a tremendous amount of memories. All my Vietnam albums were destroyed, as were family albums and other memorabilia.

We are strong and we will survive.

I would like to thank VVA for reaching out and supporting families in need. We will rebuild and continue to enjoy our senior years. Staying active in VVA has been my wife’s and my passions for many years.

Terry and Sandy Steer
Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

I urge you not to give Dennis Murra the last word on the draft. His last sentence was nonsense: How does he know that Category 4s or anybody else served with distinction? Please commission an article on the abuses of the draft.

In my opinion, one of the most effective antiwar efforts was the informal alliance between middle and upper middle class parents, their doctors, and local draft boards. I can give you a list of biographies written by prominent men who gleefully wrote about how they beat the draft.

After I came back from Vietnam, I didn’t meet five men who had been there. VVA, as it has with Agent Orange, POWs, and many other important issues, should shine a light on the draft. There’s lots to see.

Mike Parr
By Email