As always, the September/October Veteran was a beautiful issue.

The article “Hitting The Bricks” really touched me, having been a young man at the end of the Vietnam War and seeing the effort by so many to receive closure for their missing-in-action loved ones. It’s wonderfully written and reminds us of how many people are able to move on when they’re supporting such a cause, but that those who felt the loss personally cannot simply do so and refuse to lose hope or forget the sacrifice made.

Thank you for a great job to the entire staff at The Veteran.

Bill Bell
via email

I was a Huey pilot. 1970-’71, 117th AHC Warlords. I never really looked at a Huey from the outside while flying, and always wondered what it was, exactly, that kept us in the air.

Thanks for the beautiful shot of the UH1D on the last issue’s cover. It clearly displayed that extendable pole that held us up so well day in and day out.

Sitting in the front seat all day (and often at night), I never got the opportunity to see that pole.

Tom Morrissey
via email

The Pennsylvania House of Representatives is considering a bill that would give a veteran who has a disability rating property tax relief. But the bill has not come out of committee and will die on the vine because lobby groups don’t want to lose tax revenue. The bill’s sponsor is Rep. Tarah Probst.

We need all veterans from Pennsylvania to back this bill and contact their legislators to tell them it should be a law ASAP.

John Haluska
via email

I just read the “History of the POW/MIA Bracelets” article. In 1970, I got a bracelet and a “P.O.W.S. Never Have a Nice Day” sticker that I still have. The sticker is on my wife’s and my bedroom mirror now so I can be reminded about Master Sgt. Arthur Cormier, who came home in 1973.

Two Marines I served with in the war returned home last summer, Ralph Chipman and Ron Forrester. Four Marines I served with are still missing. I had a bracelet made for each of them and wear them during the months that they were lost.

Ken "Chris" Chisteson
via email

Grant Coates’s article, “History of the POW/MIA Bracelets,” was interesting and brought back a lot of memories from when I first saw one of those bracelets.

I was an Air Force dependent in high school in 1963-65 when my dad was assigned to a Mace missile squadron at Kadena AFB in Okinawa. Some of the kids at school had dads who flew F105s and F4s and regularly had TDYs to Vietnam and Thailand. Sometimes those dads didn’t come home. Someone at our high school organized a bracelet drive in 1964 to help remember those who were POWs or missing.

Our bracelets were made of copper, stamped with the pilot’s name, rank, and date they went missing. All the kids at school wore them until they either broke or started to turn green.

Steve Harmon
Olympia, Washington

In 1972 I came upon my first POW bracelet, which I wore every single day. On January 27, 1973, I gave birth, several months early, to my second child. This year she turned 50 years old. I know in my heart my POW was with me the entire time.

To this day, I always have a POW bracelet, fly the POW/MIA flag in front of my home, and have stickers on my car reminding anyone who can read to remember the POWs and MIAs.

The bracelet I have now is for William Ellis, Jr., who went missing on June 24, 1966. Ironically, I acquired his bracelet within months of the death of my husband, William Ellis.

Carol Ellis
Melbourne, Florida

I can’t praise Tom Hall enough for his column in the September/October issue. He absolutely nailed it in regard to applying for VA benefits. It took me 40 years to apply, but the VA came through for me and continues to do so.

The guidance and VA doctors, along with the support of my incredible wife and friends, has given me new meaning and life lessons.

Gary Higgins
via email

Richard Kimbler, in his letter in the September/October issue, wrote that he had “yet to read any histories of the air war in Vietnam that credit the bomber crews for their role in bringing an end to the war and the return of our POWs.”

I suggest he get a copy of Marshall L. Michel’s excellent 2001 book, The Eleven Days of Christmas: America’s Last Vietnam Battle.

The book outlines in great detail the planning, missions, tactics, and losses, and Michel paints an excellent picture of the North Vietnamese defensive tactics, including interviews with the defenders.

I was one of those Navy pilots Kimbler mentioned in his letter. I flew an A7C mission into North Vietnam on December 19, 1972. If I recall correctly, no B-52s were lost during that raid, although total losses that night were three shot down and two damaged.

I look forward to each copy of The Veteran. Keep up the good work.

Rich Clover
Mesquite, Nevada

Just a brief note to say a sincere thank you for the informative articles in the magazine.

I want to especially thank Tom Burke for his informative column, “The Debate of Who Deserves A Gold Star Designation.”

I am in total agreement with him on his position that the Gold Star Family Designation should be reserved for families whose military personnel gave the greatest sacrifice for our nation and who died in action serving our country.

Chet Fitzell
via email

So sorry to hear of the passing of MOH recipient Paul “Buddy” Bucha.

I graduated high school with Bud and he was one of the finest people I’ve ever met. Always a smile, and never a bad word about anyone. An excellent swimmer, Bud held the Missouri breaststroke record for years.

I am proud to have known Bud and to have called him my friend.

Jim McBride
via email

I served two tours with the 394th Transportation Battalion in Qui Nhon. After discharge, I returned home, and weeks later bought a ticket to Vietnam, returned to my old unit, and eventually got a job as area manager for an entertainment company.

The company trained Filipino bands and dancers and sent them to Vietnam to entertain the troops. Besides managing the villa where our bands stayed, I also booked and occasionally traveled to shows.

One day, after we had booked ten shows in Ahn Khe and Pleiku, they went on Red Alert. A fog rolled in, forecast to last three days, making chopper transport of the band impossible. I had several friends at the 527th Personnel Service Company in Qui Nhon and on a visit with the band I asked the 1st Sergeant and club manager if they could provide a truck and a driver to get us to An Khe.

They did, and the next morning we sandbagged the truck floor and left. The driver had an M14 and I had an M1. We encountered no problems on our drive, but upon arrival, MPs ordered us out of the truck and told me I was under arrest as civilians were not allowed to carry weapons in Vietnam.

They placed me in a jail bunker at the gate. Luckily, they let the truck, band, and equipment continue on to the club. I asked my volunteer driver to try to get me released, but I believe he wanted to spend more time with the dancers because no one came to my rescue for three hours.

The band did that show and the rest of the gig. The volunteer went back to Qui Nhon with a convoy two days later. If nothing else, this proves the adage, “The show must go on.”

Thomas Ras
via email

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