Vietnam Veteran News with Mack Payne

Episode 1209 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will take a look at recent comments by Ken Burns, the creator of the epic documentary, The Vietnam War. He was interviewed for Variety and talked about how some things never seem to change. A story about the interview appeared in The Variety website and was titled: Ken Burns Sees the Past in the Present With ‘The Vietnam War.’ It was submitted by Addie Morfoot, a Variety contributor.

According to Morfoot in her story Ken Burns does not believe in the old adage that history repeats itself. In the story he claims: “Every event is new and unique. What doesn’t change is human nature. Human nature stays the same. Mark Twain is supposed to have said, ‘History doesn’t repeat itself, but it rhymes.’”

Here is Burn's and Lynn Novick's assessment of America today and it eerily mirrors what he found in the country fifty years ago: “When we decided to make the film 11 years ago we could not have imagined what our world would look like right now, but we definitely had the sense of how fractured our society was back then in 2007. How polarized and how the lack of civil discourse had become such a big problem. We saw a lot of the problems that we saw around us back in the Vietnam War era, and that was part of the reason for wanting to make the film.”

Listen to episode 1209 of the podcast and discover more about Ken Burns views of America and the Vietnam Veterans for Factual History. Burns is a pinko commie left leaning liberal. The VVFH helps set the record straight.

Find out more about the Vietnam Veterans for Factual History and the work they do at these sites:

Burns wiki: https://wiki.vvfh.org/

Website: http://www.SpecialForcesBooks.com

Website: https://www.Viet-Myths.net

Website: https://www.VVFH.org

VVFH Magazine: https://www.vvfhmag.org/

Indochina Series Books: https://www.vvfh.org/index.php/books/special-offer

Episode 1208 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature the story of a Vietnam Veteran who is battling with the VA for the continuance of his med supply. The story in question appeared in The Courier News of Russellville, Arkansas titled: Local veteran looking for some answers that was submitted by the Courier News Section Editor, Sean Ingram.

Something is going on that all Vietnam Veterans who are currently receiving medications from the VA should be aware of. It seems the VA, being the responsible bureaucracy they are has come to realize excessive opioid use is becoming a serious problem. Too many people are dying from opioid overdoses.

In an effort to be proactive the VA, as reported by its website: “The VHA recognizes the clinical challenges to successfully managing pain and prescribing safely for our Veterans while implementing the Opioid Safety Initiative (OSI) Directive and the Informed Consent Directive.” The VA's "National Pain Management Program office is Johnny on the spot. It convened a national task force comprised of multidisciplinary pain experts to create a tool kit to help guide the field.”

For the good of the Vietnam Veterans who are taking medications prescribed by VA doctors, action is being taken by the VA. In the words of Sean Ingram of the Courier News: "To help lower the risk of overdose and death among veterans taking opioids, the VA has taken incremental steps to lower new prescriptions, help veterans taper off existing medications, allow different centers within the VA to share data on opioid prescriptions for individual patients and be more transparent about how many opioids are being prescribed."

This new initiative by the VA has hit Vietnam Vet Ira Johnson like a ton of bricks.

Listen to episode 1208 of the podcast and discover more about what is happening to Vietnam Veteran Ira Johnson and his VA meds.

Episode 1207 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the appearance of the official Wall That Heals, a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, along with the mobile Education Center at the Parkside Complex Grounds in Brockway, Pennsylvania. The story comes from The Courier Express of Brockway, Pennsylvania that was titled: 'Wall That Heals' coming to Brockway. The story was submitted by Elaine Haskins, a reporter for the Courier Express newspaper. ([email protected])

Haskins reports that the Brockway Old-Fashioned Fourth of July Committee has succeeded in being selected as a host site for the Wall that Heals replica from June 27 starting at 4 p.m. until 2 p.m. on July 1, 2018. It was no easy task. Competition for those seeking such a selection is fierce.

The replica coming to Brockway is the latest version of a series of one half scale size. This one is three quarter scale and offers visitors the ability to make name rubbings which was not previously available. The Brockway community is honored to be one of the first to host the new, larger exhibit, which is 375 feet in length and stands 7 1/2 feet high at its apex.

Susan Fremer, Brockway Fourth of July Committee organizer, said the committee needs a little assistance from the community. They are looking for individuals to escort the exhibit into town, to help work the education center and to help visitors find names on the wall. Interested individuals can get more information about the event and how to volunteer at the committee's Facebook page, “The Wall That Heals — Brockway, PA. June 28-July 1, 2018.”

All in the Brockway area are highly encouraged to attend the appearance of this solemn display that honors our veterans.

Listen to episode 1207 of the podcast and discover more about the upcoming event in Brockway, Pennsylvania where the Wall that Heals will be making an appearance.

Episode 1206 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story from Germany about a situation in Vietnam that is causing much discontent among the Vietnamese People. The story comes from The Deutsche Welle website and is titled: Vietnamese protest amid fear of Chinese investment in special economic zones.

Many Vietnam Veterans maintain a continuing interest in the country where they experienced many life changing and memorable events. The purpose of this podcast is keep everyone up to date with happening in Vietnam.

The featured story  is from Deutsche Welle, a German news agency. According to their website their mission is to act as Germany’s international broadcaster and to convey a comprehensive image of Germany, report events and developments, incorporate German and other perspectives in a journalistically independent manner. By doing so they promote understanding between cultures and peoples. They also provide access to the German language.

It was decided to feature a story about events in Vietnam through the filter of a German news organization because much of American news reporting has become tainted with an underlying hatred of President Trump by a host of disrespectful and unpatriotic news reporters that make it difficult to get objective news reporting.

The Deutsche Welle story covered the unrest in Vietnam caused by a proposal the one party communist government recently announce. It seems the proposal would allow foreign investors to lease land in special economic zones for up to 99 years. Although the proposed law does not specify who would be allowed the exercise the leases, many locals feel the Chinese would come in and lease up the country and end up controlling the country economically.

Listen to episode 1206 of the podcast and discover  more about how the Vietnamese people are standing up to their one party government showing their unhappiness with the proposed special economic zones and what the government did about the situation.

Episode 1205 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about John “Bo” Vice. He was a Vietnam Veteran assigned to the First Cavalry Division when it was one of the first division sized units to go in country and one that traveled to Vietnam in World War II era liberty ships.

The story appeared in Gordon Jackson's Our Veterans column in the Brunswick News titled: Vietnam vet served in air mobile unit. In line with the theme of the  previous episode of this podcast about Vietnam Veteran bonding, John Vice's story of service in the Vietnam War helps readers more readily understand the reason why Vietnam Veteran bonding is so strong and prevalent.

John Vice was originally from Birmingham, Alabama and went to college at the University of Virginia. In college he volunteered for the ROTC program and upon graduation became a second lieutenant in the US Army. He completed the Infantry Officers Basic Course and Jump School at Fort Benning and then was assigned to the newly reconstituted airmobile 1st Cav Division.

He was a member of the select group who traveled to Vietnam in World War II vintage liberty ships. He spent a year in Vietnam as an infantry officer conducting search and destroy missions where you never knew if your next step would be your last. He said: “It changed the way I look at people. When you lose somebody, it takes a toll.”

Listen to episode 1205 of the podcast and discover more about John Vice, a Vietnam Veteran who served with the 1st Cav Division as they led the way to Vietnam on World War II liberty ships.

The Our Veterans column appears on Tuesdays in the Brunswick News. Contact Gordon Jackson at [email protected], on Facebook or at 912-464-7655 to suggest a veteran or volunteer your story for a column.

Episode 1204 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story that describes the strong bonding that occurred with Vietnam Veterans. The featured story comes from The Cherokee Tribune & Ledger-News of Canton, Georgia and is titled Remembering Jon Stoops, saluting Vietnam vets. It was submitted by Cynthia Aukermann a N-G correspondent.

Aukermann's story is about the life and death of Union City, Georgia native Jonathan L. Stoops. After he graduated from the Union City Community High School in 1966 he joined the US Marines and was sent to Vietnam. On June 5, 1968, he was killed in a helicopter crash.

To mark the fiftieth anniversary of his passing VFW Post 6449 in Fairburn held a ceremony in his honor. In a testament to the strong lifelong  bonding that occurred among Vietnam Veterans, two of his former mortar platoon members attended the event. One was John Holguin who traveled from New Mexico another, Fred Owen, who made the trip all the way from Canada.

Holguin reminisced about Stoops and remembered that he was a quiet, mellow and thoughtful person who stayed out of trouble as opposed to his friends, Holguin and   Fred Owen, who weren’t so serious and were often in trouble. 

As this story verifies, Vietnam Veterans have a tendency to more readily bond together for longer periods of time because of the extraordinary challenges they faced in the Vietnam War and the undeclared war of emotions they fought against an ungrateful nation when they came home.

He explained, “We three were so different culturally -  me from New Mexico, Fred from Canada and Jon from the Midwest. But we formed a common bond, and it’s lasted a lifetime.”

Listen to episode 1204 of the podcast and discover more about how fallen Vietnam Veteran Jon Stoops was appreciated by his fellow Vietnam Veterans.

Episode 1203 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the Laotian Hmong people that must be told. The story that appeared in The Asia Times titled: America’s ‘Secret War’ in Laos finally put to proper rest that was submitted by John McBeth will lay it all out for the podcast.

McBeth in his story describes the experience of the hill people of Northeastern Laos known as the Hmong. They were an integral part of the US led effort to stem the tide of communism in Indo-China. You don't hear much about the Hmong because their participation in the fight was hidden in CIA's secret war in Laos.

As the US become more involved in the Indo-China War where the communists led by North Vietnam were trying to take over. The US Congress would not agree to sending US forces into the neighboring countries of South Vietnam.

Consequently the CIA was released to conduct a "secret war" in Laos. They found that the farmers of Northeastern Laos were ready, willing and able to join the secret army and fight the hated communists. For years they served very well in the war. Not only did they perform magnificently in battle, they provided invaluable intelligence about the traffic on the Ho Chi Minh Trail with truck-counting teams and they saved many downed American flyers.

A heavy price was paid by the Hmong during the war. 2,482 Hmong were killed and 10,000 wounded. Another 240 Hmong prisoners of war were released in 1973, leaving 755 still listed as missing in action.

Finally this country is beginning to acknowledge the service of the Hmong in the Indo-China War. Newly enacted Lao Hmong Veterans’ Service Recognition Act allows Hmong soldiers to be buried in US Department of Veterans Affairs administered cemeteries.

Listen to episode 1203 of the podcast and discover more about the story of the Laotian Hmong people and their contributions to this country in war and peace.

Podcast 1202 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will pay homage to the C-130 Hercules four-engine turboprop military transport aircraft made by Lockheed. Since 1954 it has been a workhorse for the American Military. The aircraft was originally designed as a troop, medevac and cargo transport aircraft and has served the nation very well. The C-130 and blossomed out into 40 variants and is being used in 60 other nations across the globe.

Jack Dragoni, the Veterans News and Views writer for the Southeast Missourian of Cape Girardeau, Missouri submitted a piece about the C-130 which covered its history and many uses it has served in its long period of service. His piece is featured in the podcast.

Julie Kohl submitted a story to The Only in Arkansas website titled: The Last Herk Out of Vietnam that is also featured in this podcast episode. Kohl tells the amazing story of the last C-130 to come out of Vietnam in 1975. The perilous story about the escape is full of excitement and bravery on the part of a heroic Vietnamese pilot and his crew.

In the last few hours of the existence of South Vietnam, terrified military members and civilians were desperate to get out of the country before the murderous North Vietnamese took over.

As the end of the country was rapidly approaching, Desperate crowds stormed the Tan Son Nhut Air Base hoping to find an aircraft to fly out of the country. Instead of a functioning airport they found a war zone. All the aircraft on the flight line were burning except for one remaining flyable C-130, tail #56-0518. 452 passengers crammed into the aircraft designed to carry a maximum of 92 people.

The brave Vietnamese decided to give it a try and take off  loaded with 10,000lbs more than its maximum takeoff weight.

Listen to episode 1202 and discover more about the magnificent C-130 aircraft that served so well in the Vietnam War and what eventually happened to C-130 number 56-0518.

Episode 1201 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story in The Southeast Missourian titled: Canadian Vietnam Veterans that was submitted by Jack Dragoni. As the title implies it is about the phenomenon of Canadians volunteering to serve in the American military to fight in the Vietnam War.

When people think back on the Vietnam War times and Canada. Most will think about the so called high principled Americans who went north of the border to avoid serving in the War. It is estimated 60,000 Americans shirked their duty to their country and ran off to Canada. It is the opinion of this podcast that with a few exceptions those shirkers were motivated primarily by cowardice. They did not have the guts to face the challenges of the Vietnam War.

Some of them stayed in Canada forever and others took advantage of Jimmie Carter's pardon of all draft dodgers on his second day in office, January 21, 1977 and came home with their tails between their legs.

What most are unaware of is that while the 60,000 draft dodgers were escaping north to Canada, 30,000 Canadians were passing them headed in the other direction. They were headed south to join up with the US military to fight in Vietnam. They believed communism presented a threat to democratic nations and they were determined to do their part to stop the threat. 139 Canadians gave their lives to that effort on Vietnam. Their names are recorded on the Canadian Vietnam Veterans Wall, a traveling wall that its home-base in Winnipeg, Manitoba.

One of those Canadian natives, Peter C. Lemon, was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor for his actions on April 1, 1970, while serving in Tây Ninh Province with the 1st Cav Division.

All those Canadians who served in Vietnam should be remembered and appreciated.

Listen to episode 1201 of the podcast and discover more about the Canadians who came south and joined the US military to fight in Vietnam.

Episode 1200 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a discussion of the VA Mission Act recently signed into law by President Trump. The discussion of the new law is centered around a relevant story that appeared in The Herald-Whig Of Quincy, Illinois titled: New law could aid veterans' health care. It was submitted by Steve Eighinger of the Herald-Whig.

The VA Mission Act is designed to help veterans obtain access to necessary health care outside the confines of the government controlled VA health system. The law tells the VA (for what that's good for) to bring together a several existing private-care programs, including the Choice program.

In addition the law sets up a commission to recommend which VA facilities are worth repairing, where new ones should be built, and which ones should be closed and care provided in the private sector instead.

At the White House signing event Trump made the following comments about the new law: "What a beautiful word that is — choice — and freedom to our amazing veterans. All during the campaign I'd go out and say, 'why can't they just go see a doctor instead of standing in line for weeks and weeks and weeks?' Now they can go see a doctor."

Out in the heartland at Quincy, Illinois the attitude toward the new law is generally positive among area veterans although they do harbor a little skepticism toward VA health care improvements caused by previous failures of the bureaucracy.

Eighinger cited a report by CNN that critics fear the new law will lead to privatizing the VA's health care system, and that it could effectively bleed the department dry.

CNN also reported that more than a dozen federal unions expressed their strong opposition to the law while nearly 40 major veterans groups including the Concerned Veterans for America supported passage of the law because they felt it would be a step in the right direction of achieving timely and seamless health care for veterans.

Listen to episode 1200 and discover more about how the people feel toward the new VA Mission Act signed into law by President Trump at the White House on Wednesday, June 6, 2018.