Vietnam Veteran News with Mack Payne

Episode 997 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will be a continuation of its primary mission of extolling the virtues of the Vietnam Veteran Generation, one as great as any that ever heeded the call of duty from its country and one that has continued to serve despite the lack of appreciation from that country. A story about one of those veterans from Mission, Texas comes from reporter Trason Bragg of KRGV channel 5 TV of Weslaco titled: Veterans Concerned Over Fence Damage.

Luis Lopez is a native of Mission, Texas and lived there all his life except for a four year hitch he served in the Air Force. Back in the sixties he was called to serve and despite the fact he was married and had a child he proudly went off to serve the country he loved. One of those years in the Air Force took him to Vietnam. He often thanks God for his safe return home to Mission and his family.

Upon leaving the military he went home and continued to serve his country in Mission as a proud American citizen. One of the things he did there was to join the Catholic War Veterans which is officially known as the Catholic War Veterans of the United States of America. It is a national service organization of baptized Catholics that have served or are currently serving in the United States Armed Forces. Founded in 1935, the Catholic War Veterans are dedicated to serving all service members regardless and their families regardless of their religion.

Luis became an active member of the organization and he said this about what they do on a regular basis: "We help widows, we help any members that are sick, in the hospital or that are ill. We also help the churches. We give donations to the churches."

Recently something happened to the Catholic War Veterans facility there in Mission that is causing problems.

Discover what this outstanding Vietnam Veteran Luis Lopez is doing about the situation in episode 997.

Episode 996 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will cover one of the darker Vietnam War hangovers. It is not easy to pick out the worst because they are so numerous and terrible. They include such things as the scourge of PTSD, the heartbreak of Agent Orange and the loss of trust in government. Unexploded ordnance is one of the terrible hangovers that has largely not affected us here in America but is still causing havoc with the people of the former Indo-China region.

A story in The Channel News Asia website titled:6 Vietnamese killed by US war-era bomb paints a picture of the sorrowful situation. It comes from VGPNews, the government's online mouthpiece out of Hanoi. According to the government story six Vietnamese villagers, including three children, were killed Friday (Aug 18) when a United States war-era bomb exploded in Khanh Hoa province where Cam Ranh Bay and Na Trang are located.

Local police refused to comment on the accident, but it is believed to have occurred when someone was trying to dismantle a 105 mm howitzer projectile in a house in the village of Ta Luong. In addition to the deaths and injuries a home was completely destroyed.

According to government figures since the end of the Vietnam War in 1975, more than 42,000 people have been killed and over 62,100 injured by unexploded ordnance dropped by US aircraft or fired by American and South Vietnamese artillery units. Some estimate as much as half the fifteen tons of bombs dropped or fired during the conflict failed to detonate upon impact. Other reliable sources put the amount of bombs dropped at seven and a half tons but whatever the true number may be the peril they present to the citizens of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia is unacceptable.

Discover more about this situation at episode 996.

Episode 995 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature some recently passed Congressional legislation that is designed expand veterans health benefits. It seems President Trump recently signed a bill that must be good because apparently it has few fans.

An article in the Washington Examiner said this about the new law: "The legislation, which passed the House unanimously, provides funding for veterans who seek treatment from a private doctor in certain cases. It also allows the Veterans Affairs department to lease 28 new facilities around the country, in an attempt to expand access to government-provided care. That makes it a compromise in the larger debate between conservative and liberal proponents of VA reform."

The casual observer would think this was a good thing. The bill is intended to provide more health care professionals to treat veterans. Veterans have died waiting to be treated at VA facilities around the country. This bill will address  at least a part of that problem by allowing some veterans to see an doctor outside of the system, while turning parts of some private facilities over to the VA.

According to a blog post in the American Thinker website titled: Bill to expand veterans health benefits signed by Trump by Rick Moran, Despite the good intentions of the new bill, Dan Caldwell, policy director for the conservative Concerned Veterans for America and Rick Weidman, legislative director of the Vietnam Veterans of America are squaring off with differing viewpoints as to the worth and utility of the new bill. The aforementioned casual observer would wonder why would these two veterans organizations be opposed on the goodness of this bill.

Discover the reasoning behind the positions of the CVA and VVA toward the new legislation to expand veterans health benefits in episode 995.

Episode 994 of the Vietnam Veteran News podcast will take a look at the growing friendly relationship between the US and Vietnam. Helen Clark, a former prime minister of New Zealand, wrote an article titled: With an eye on China, US-Vietnam float closer together for the Asia Times. It describes in detail the current developments in the budding affiliation between the two countries.

According to Clark, here is the primary reason why the change in relations is happening. For centuries various nations in the South China Sea region have been contesting over control of the sea. A few of the reasons why include the following, first it is a gateway for a large volume of world commerce moving between East Asian and European ports of call. Whoever controls the South China Sea controls a good deal of world commerce. Another factor is the rich natural resources in the area. The fishing grounds around the Scarborough Shoal are said to be some of the richest. Control of such large seafood sources is critical for populations who like and depend on food from the sea. Another key component of the South China Sea equation is the presence of substantial natural gas and petroleum deposits.

Two groups of contested islands, the Spratlys and Paracels are at the center of the dispute where the two primary contestants, China and Vietnam are concentrating their efforts to gain and maintain control of the sea. The other regional claimants have either been bought or scared off by the heavy handed Chinese but Vietnam is standing firm. Some analysts believe the rising disputes are driving a re-calibration of Hanoi’s ‘more friends and fewer enemies’ independent foreign policy towards friendlier US relations.

As a result of the thawing of relations between the US and Vietnam. Next year for the first time since the end of the Vietnam War a US aircraft carrier will visit Vietnam.

Discover more on this development at episode 994.

Episode 993 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature the latest in Vietnam Veteran news in Arkansas. In anticipation of the soon to be aired Ken Burns documentary, The Vietnam War, the Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN) has ramped up its own Vietnam Veteran programming. Bobby Ampezzan has written an article for the Arkansas Public Media about upcoming event that will be held in conjunction with the Ken Burns' documentary.

This month and next AETN will hold screenings of the documentary all around Arkansas. In Jonesboro Saturday, Little Rock next Tuesday, and Fayetteville, Fort Smith, Jacksonville and Little Rock (again) next month. Each screening will be followed by a panel discussion consisting of Vietnam Veterans, civilians and other notables.

CLICK HERE for the list of screenings and educational events.

Along with the announcement about the AETN Vietnam War Program, it is requested that you review the list of names of Arkansans whose name is on the Memorial Wall in Washington DC and is without a photo. Any assistance in locating missing photos is sincerely requested by the VVMF.

 CLICK HERE for the list of names with missing photos.

Hot Springs Village Voice managing editor Jeff Meek is recording and producing about 10 Arkansas veteran interviews the AETN collected as part of the networks' supplemental production. His contribution to the project is highly valuable. He and wife Jean moved to Hot Springs more than a decade ago from his home state of Illinois. About twenty years ago he began a mission to capture and save the stories of World War II veterans.

As a new resident of Hot Springs, a retirement community of about 13,000 Village Voice, he began to submit 750-word excerpts of those interviews once a month to the Hot Springs Village Voice. They were well received by the residents who asked for more. That led the retired gym teacher on the path being a staff writer, then an interim managing editor and then to managing editor.

He invites Vietnam Veterans to join in his interview program.

 Meek may be reached at [email protected]

Discover more about what Arkansas AETN is doing to promote understanding about the Vietnam War and its veterans in episode 993.

The episode 992 spotlight of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will focus on the  complex puzzle of international relations with special emphasis on the current situation with North Korea and how it relates to the Vietnam War days. James A. Thomson submitted an opinion piece to the Newsweek website titled: To Pacify Kim Jong Un, How About Ending the Korean War?

Thomson is president emeritus of the nonprofit, nonpartisan RAND Corporation and a professor at the Pardee RAND Graduate School in Santa Monica, CA. In his piece he recounts how this country went through a similar situation with China during the Vietnam War Era.  He asks: "sound familiar? A hostile power other than the Soviet Union, led by a leader considered by many to be a madman, is developing a nuclear capability with the ultimate aim of being able to strike the U.S. with nuclear-tipped missiles."

The answer is yes. Back in the 1950s China began a nuclear weapons development program. this deeply worried President Kennedy when he assumed office in early 1961. The question of how to handle the growing peril of nuclear annihilation at the hands of the Chinese Communist were the same as they are today with the North Korea challenge.

Just as the Kennedy administration studies concluded back then it is clear today that military options are either infeasible or too risky. Even more so now considering the vulnerability of South Korea to North Korean artillery and the possibility that a U.S. war with the North could lead to a U.S. war with China. This leads to massive deterrence as the only seemingly sensible course of action.

But wait!! Thomson offers another obvious course of action that could not only eliminate the threat but correct some historical hangovers that could lead to unparalleled peace and prosperity.

Discover what his earthshaking proposal is in episode 992.

Episode 991 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the wonderful citizens of Rochester, NY who are doing remarkable things along with and for the Vietnam Veterans who reside in that great city. The story is told in a guest essay by the Hon. Patricia Marks titled: Opening a door for Vietnam veterans in The Democrat & Chronicle of Rochester, New York. It centers around the Rochester Veterans Outreach Center.

The Hon. Patricia Marks is a Monroe County Court judge and also serves as the executive director of Veterans Outreach Center located at 447 South Ave. It was established soon after the close of the Vietnam War in an old a storefront at the corner of South Ave. and Comfort St. It was run by five committed veterans conducting peer counseling, providing job search assistance and performing Agent Orange registration.

It was tough going back then. PTSD was an undiagnosed malady and Agent Orange disease connections were still in the theoretical stage which made complications from these diseases and conditions difficult to understand and discuss. On top of those challenges, America had not yet separated its negative feelings toward the war from the warriors who did their duty and served. This meant, for most people, Vietnam War veterans remained in the shadows.

Today the Rochester Veterans Outreach Center has survived to become the longest continuous veteran non-profit center in the country. It serves over 1,000 veterans and their families a year, providing them with paths to security, success and peace of mind. The path of the VOC was not always smooth and easy.

In 1981, when funding was drying up along with community support the VOC was facing closure. Something happened that brought dramatic improvements for the VOC and the entire Rochester community including its Vietnam Veterans.

Discover what that seminal event was in episode 991.

Episode 990 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will take a look at how a town in Texas is treating a special Vietnam Veteran. That special veteran is a McDonnell Douglas F-4D that flew with the famed 8th Fighter Wing "Wolf Pack" during the Vietnam War. The history behind the jet fighter and its current situation was covered in a story by Alicia Inns that was broadcast on KXAN NBC-TV of Austin, Texas titled: Bastrop community rallies to restore Vietnam War fighter jet.

The McDonnell Douglas F-4D-31-MC Phantom II 66-8768 that today sits outside the American Legion Post 533 in Bastrop was built at the McDonnell Douglas plant in St. Louis, MO in 1966. From there it went straight to Vietnam where it took part in the War and still to this day bears scars from the conflict.

After serving in Air Force units around the world it came home to the former Bergstrom AFB at Austin for its last assignment with the 924th Tactical Fighter Group. The air base closed in 1993 and the Air Force did not need F-4 66-8768 anymore. Dennis Walter, veteran and former crew chief with the 924th Tactical Fighter Group decided to take action to save this valiant war horse from the metal shredder.

Walter, a resident of Bastrop, approached the American Legion Post 533 in Bastrop about the possibility of it becoming the new home for the special Vietnam Veteran. The Post accepted the offer and in 1996 Walter towed the airplane down Highway 71 to its new home.

For more than twenty years the F-4 has sat next to the American Legion hall reminding its citizens of the service all Vietnam Veterans rendered to their country. Unfortunately the ravages of time and weather have caused the special Vietnam Veteran to show its age.

The community has decided to restore the aircraft to its former impressive appearance. They put Herman Fabela, an aircraft mechanic in charge of the task. It is estimated the job will require an investment of $20,000.

Donations are requested and can be made at the First National Bank of Bastrop in the “Special F-4 Account.” The bank's phone number is 512-321-2561.

For more information see episode 990.

Episode 989 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature the opinions of Vietnam Veteran, John Medlin, about the Vietnam War documentary created by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. Medlin's viewpoints were published in The Santa Monica Daily Press in a piece titled: Your Column Here: Ken Burns “The Vietnam War.”  He attended a forty-eight minute introductory premier of Ken Burns’ documentary at the Ace Hotel Theater in downtown Los Angeles. The theater’s 1,600 seats were about 95% full. After the showing, there was a 30-45 minute discussion with a panel of six persons including Burns and Novick and Merrill McPeak, retired 4-star General and former Air Force Chief of Staff.

General McPeak stated that he felt "Burns’ documentary will become the defining history of the Vietnam War because today’s highly visual society rarely reads books, that its excellent craftsmanship will make it the accepted History of the War."

Medlin begged to differ with the general' opinion. He had hoped there would be a balanced showing including the bravery and sacrifices made by the South Vietnamese people, especially their military. Of the 48 minutes preview, approximately thirty-five percent was devoted to the bravery and sacrifices of the Viet Cong and North Vietnamese, thirty percent to the U.S. military and anti-war protests, and the balance to the plight and destruction of Vietnamese society.

After watching the 48 minute preview Medlin is hopeful the entire 18-hour series will be more balanced than the preview. As a result of his work in civil affairs with the South Vietnamese people and military in I Corps he strongly feels the whole story must be told. Also he feels that the testimony of the tens of thousands of "boat people" who by the tens of thousands risked their lives to flee Viet Nam after the Communist takeover in 1975 demand a balanced account of the war.

Get more about this difficult issue in episode 989.

Episode 988 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will continue the discussion about lessons learned in Vietnam. It is important to do this because anytime something happens in our history that results in 58,315 American names being added to a memorial wall in Washington, DC, we must never forget the lessons learned and make every effort to insure we don't make the same mistakes in the future.

Matthew Wride is a business consultant and guest writer for The Entrepreneur website. He recently provided an article to that website titled: The Vietnam War Is History But Teaches a Lesson Every Leader Must Still Learn. In the article he made some lessons learned conclusions about the Vietnam War from a business consultant's view point that make a lot of good sense.

He maintains: "It now appears, that we might be ready to face Vietnam’s pain, and, more importantly, examine the lessons to be learned from this uncomfortable episode in American history. He notes one of the labor pangs indicating the coming of the new national willingness to openly and candidly discuss the Vietnam chapter of our history is something coming to us from PBS. Namely, it is an 18-hour documentary that will showcase this tumultuous period in vivid HD. It is expected to be a highly monumental and memorable look at the conflict due to the reputations of the acclaimed filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick who created the epic work that was more than 10 years in the making.

Wride's conclusions about the Vietnam lessons learned were shaped by ideas he discovered in such books as Dereliction of Duty: Johnson, McNamara, the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and the Lies that Led to Vietnam by Lieutenant General H.R. McMaster A Bright Shining Lie: John Paul Vann and America in Vietnam, by Neil Sheehan and 1776 (2005) by David McCullough.

Discover Wride's conclusions about the biggest mistakes that were committed by our leaders in Vietnam on episode 988.