Rememberence Day, Vietnam War Veterans Day, March 29th

[Ernst]

Vietnam War Veterans Day is a time to pay tribute to the brave men and women who served during the Vietnam war and to remember the sacrifices they made for their country. It is also a time to reflect on the lessons learned from the Vietnam War and to honor the veterans of all wars, past and present.

On March 29th, we remember the soldiers who fought and died in Vietnam, as well as those who returned home and continue to carry the physical and emotional scars of war.

We also remember the families of these veterans and the sacrifices they made while their loved ones were away.

Vietnam War Veterans Day is a time to say "Thank You" to all Vietnam era veterans for their service and to honor their sacrifices.

It is a day to remember the past and to pay respect to those who have served their country with bravery and dignity. So, let us all take a moment to remember and honor the sacrifices of Vietnam veterans on March 29th and fly our American flag proudly.

 

[OHRockman]

Welcome Home to all our OUTSTANDING Vietnam Veterans..We will never forget you....

 

[Ernst]

If any of you are Vietnam Era Veterans and have not received a commermorative lapel pin, below is the information concerning eligibility and how you can get one. There are many events around the country planned on March 29th and you can search the event map for one in your area. Most will have the pins available during the event.

Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pin​

"A Lasting Memento of the Nation's Thanks!"
The Commemoration is providing Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pins to Commemorative Partners for dignified public presentations to U.S. military veterans, living at home or abroad, who served during the Vietnam War period as a lasting memento of the Nation's thanks.
Living U.S. veterans who served on active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces at any time during the period of November 1, 1955 to May 15, 1975, regardless of location, are eligible to receive one lapel pin.
We make no distinction between veterans who served in-country, in-theater, or who were stationed elsewhere during the Vietnam War period. All were called to serve, none could self-determine where they were stationed, and all were seen in the same way by a country that could not separate the war from the warrior, as we do today.
In order to receive a lapel pin, please follow the steps below:

1. Locate upcoming commemorative events by visiting our events map. Enter your zip code to locate the nearest events. The blue pins represent future events. Click on a pin for event details, including contact information. If there are no blue pins in your area, check back frequently, as new events are added every week.
2. Another option to receive a lapel pin is by visiting the Commemorative Partner Map. Please contact a partner in your area to find out when the next event will be or if they have lapel pins on hand to present to you.
3. Vietnam veterans who cannot attend an event can receive a Vietnam Veteran Lapel Pin by providing us a current mailing address here.

 

[old mossy]

Ernst, I got my pin right from my local VA clinic a few years ago.

 

[Ernst]

 

[meanstreak]

I don't know how I missed this...

A salute to those veterans.

 

[TheRude1]

God bless those that made it home and those that didn't.

 

[CitizenPatriot]

I try to honor ALL the veterans I meet and know, including my USAF bride that has put up so much from me over our almost four decades together.... she's the "brains" of our outfit.

That said, I'd like to bring your attention to an issue that requires action - vets (such as me) that served on Okinawa. For decades, the DoD and VA have lied and denied any use or storage of herbicides on the island of Okinawa. Despite the volume of witness accounts and investigative reporting, only a small number of vets have been compensated for their exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides for all their maladies (which are legion).

Reporter Jon Mitchell (link) writes for the Japan Times and has written a great book called "Poisoning the Pacific" and produced a documentary on the subject available on YooToob (link). It's a long video, but a real eye-opener. The book and video inspired me to create a sticker just for us :

For any vets that were stationed on "The Rock," I highly recommend you check out the video and Jon's great work.

 

[Ernst]

CP, this is the latest info on updated locations that I've seen. The second reference has spreadsheet of locations impacted. But this is obviously dated (from 2020). Neither the government nor the VA have stepped up to this issue and many Vietnam Era vets, whether they actually served in Vietnam itself or not, are still suffering and without any support. The Vietnam Era veterans were the most forgotten and ill treated of all the war vets in history. People should read the history of Operation Ranch Hand if they are not familiar with Agent Orange and the Vietnam War.

Good luck in your quest.

New list of Agent Orange test and storage sites omits more than 40 previously identified locations

A new Pentagon list of Agent Orange test and storage sites adds new locales and facilities while deleting others.

www.militarytimes.com

VA.gov | Veterans Affairs

Apply for and manage the VA benefits and services you’ve earned as a Veteran, Servicemember, or family member—like health care, disability, education, and more.

www.publichealth.va.gov

 

[CitizenPatriot]

Ernst,

I learned of my own exposure quite by accident while perusing a FakeBook group discussion about my old squadron in Okinawa, where I found an old coworker informing the group of his ailments which now include testicular cancer... that's where I found the "Okinawa and Agent Orange" group page and the investigative works of Jon Mitchell. In a perfect world, that dude would have at least one Pulitzer Prize on his imaginary mantle.

I had already filed my disability claim with the VA, but discussed this with my primary care VA doc. She opined that my Type 2 Diabetes and high blood pressure "could have been" caused by my exposure to herbicides while there. I am working on a supplemental claim to get my rating increased from 50% with this new information and diagnosis. I'm no stranger to fighting "the system" - been doing it in one way or another for almost forty years... just hope I can live long enough to see some positive results. Those results will not come from the DoD or the VA - they must come from legislation. Okinawa must be added to the list of presumptive locations and Congress must fund compensation - no easy task. Such legislation would likely include negotiating a new SOFA (status of forces agreement) with Japan and bunch of other stuff.

I'll add one more nugget to the official "list" that even the disability attorneys had not heard about until I pointed it out to them - the DoD quietly admitted AO was stored and used on Okinawa. It was one long paragraph, buried on page 188 of the NDAA report to the Senate in 2022. I had been reading till I thought my eyes would bleed when I spotted it...

"Agent Orange Briefing

The committee notes that under Operation Red Hat, the Department of Defense (DOD) imported Agent Orange to be used as a herbicide on military bases in Okinawa. Agent Orange was stored at the bases and used on public spaces in the 1980s through 2013. There has been widespread medical evidence linking Agent Orange and multiple health conditions.

Accordingly, the committee directs the Secretary of Defense to provide a briefing to the Senate Armed Services Committee, not later than March 1, 2022, on the use and storage of herbicides on present and former military installations on the island of Okinawa. The briefing shall discuss the shipment of herbicides to Johnston Island under Operation Red Hat, the excavation of suspected herbicide containers at Marine Corps Air
Station Futenma in 1981, the Okinawa City soccer pitch in 2013, and Kadena Air Base; and other suspected locations of herbicide.
The briefing shall address any test results by the DOD and the Government of Japan showing the presence of the chemical components of herbicide—2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic acid, 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, and 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzo-p-
dioxin. The Secretary shall consult with appropriate organizations who represent veterans of Okinawa in preparing
this briefing."

I have not yet found any record of the so-called briefing to the Senate, but the admission itself is noteworthy, even if dates are skewed. AO was being sprayed as a defoliant for many years after Viet Nam and was still in use there in the early '60s and '70s. The list of testimonials compiled by Jon Mitchell is gut-wrenching and maddening when one considers all the DoD denials over the decades.

Sorry to so danged long-winded, but my generation must now carry on the battle with the Viet Nam vets that are left. It is a battle worth fighting.

CP OUT !

 

[Ernst]

CP, just adding a little bit of history for those that might not have a background on these operations. And it wasn't until around 1991 before the government even admitted to the problems.

The first U.S. combat troops didn’t arrive in Vietnam until March 1965, but by then the effort to defoliate the jungle was well under way. Agent Orange was first sprayed in August 1961. President Kennedy had authorized the use of herbicides in December 1961, and the U.S. Air Force began flying Operation Ranch Hand missions the following month.

Operation Ranch Hand (part of a larger program known as Trail Dust) was designed to defoliate areas used by the enemy as cover for ambushes, as well as to destroy enemy subsistence crops. The chemical weapons used were known as “Rainbow Herbicides” — Agent White, Agent Purple, Agent Blue, Agent Pink, Agent Green, and Agent Orange — named for the colored bands painted on their respective storage drums. Between 1962 and 1971, the U.S. sprayed an estimated 20 million gallons of these herbicides in Vietnam, eastern Laos, and parts of Cambodia, usually from helicopters or low-flying aircraft, but sometimes from backpacks, boats, and trucks.

Agent Orange alone accounted for more than half of the total volume of herbicides deployed. One of its key ingredients, dioxin, is highly toxic even in tiny quantities. Operation Ranch Hand deployed about 375 pounds of dioxin over an area about the size of Massachusetts, contaminating the entire ecosystem and exposing millions of people — on both sides of the conflict — to horrifying long-term effects, including skin diseases and cancers among those exposed, and birth defects in their children.