Vietnam Veteran News with Mack Payne

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You are invited to sign up for Mack Payne's free webinar where he will present the secrets of publishing a book for only $5.00. CLICK HERE to get your place at the event.

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In this podcast we have looked at many of the roles Vietnam Veterans carried out in that war. In this particular episode we are going to look at the experiences of an Army Surgeon who served as a General medical officer in the position of the battalion surgeon for the  1st Battalion, 2nd Infantry of the Big Red One in Vietnam. The story of Dr. Albert J. Maggioli is highlighted in a story found in The Buffalo News titled: For Army surgeon, Vietnam was 'like Boy Scouts until the bullets started flying' submitted by Lou Michel | News Staff Reporter.

Dr. Maggioli is another excellent representative of that great Vietnam Veteran Generation. He hails from Buffalo in the great State of New York. He grew up there, was educated there and except for a seven year hitch as an Army Surgeon spent his live there. After graduating from Niagara University and then the medical school at University at Buffalo, Maggioli completed an internship at Ireland Army Community Hospital in Fort Knox, Ky. After that, it was on to Fort Devens in Massachusetts.

He went to Vietnam in the early days of heavy American participation. He arrived in country in 1964 with the 1st Infantry Division and served about as far forward in combat as a full fledged doctor was allowed to go. He saw plenty of action and wounded personnel. Dr. Maggioli even encountered a young Dan Rather one time on a large search and destroy operation. He spoke with Rather but has no recollections of the substance of the talk.

With his close proximity to the fighting it was inevitable he would get hit with enemy fire. One night on the same operation where he encountered Dan Rather he was hit in his right hand with shrapnel from an incoming mortar round. His thumb was badly damaged with a wound that could have ended his medical career but luckily the surgeon who worked on him first was a classmate from Niagara University, and was a hand surgeon.

Dr. Maggioli left the Army in 1970 and for the last 37 years, he has been a partner at Amherst Pediatrics. Another great Vietnam Veteran.

Before we look at another story about Vietnam and the brave veterans who fought in that war, be aware of a tremendous opportunity for all Vietnam Veterans. At mackpayne.online you will find the announcement for an upcoming webinar that will show how anyone can publish a book for $5.00. It is so important for Vietnam Veterans to tell their stories so succeeding generations will know the history of that war. Maybe it will help prevent such misguided national shipwrecks in the future. This webinar will show how to publish a book with a cost of only $5.00. Don't miss it and make sure you pass the link, mackpayne.online, to anyone you make know who is contemplating writing and publishing a book.

In this episode we continue the look at a series of stories about Vietnam Veterans written by Michael Roknick, the Business Editor of The Herald in Sharon, Pennsylvania. The inspiration for the stories was the visit by the Moving Wall Memorial to Hermitage, Pennsylvania. In the two previous episodes we looked at the stories of two Vietnam Veterans interviewed by Roknick.

In addition to interviewing Vietnam Veterans, Roknick talked to Paul Chen who is in charge of The Moving Wall. He makes sure it is safely transported to many different venues around the country, it is properly erected and secured on the sites. Chen is a patriotic American who served his country in the US Navy. His work with the Moving Wall was featured in a story in The Herald titled: 'Caretaker' proud of his solemn duty.

When Chen left active duty with the Navy, he looked for ways he could continue to serve his country. When the opportunity arose to work with the wall, he wasted no time in accepting the position. He considers his work to be a great honor for him to show his love and respect for his country. He tells how many times when he is driving on the highways across the nation drivers honk their horns and salute him and his truck.

The Vietnam Moving Wall is open to the public round the clock until 8 a.m. on Monday, August 8. Visit www.sharonherald.com for a schedule of events.

The Herald newspaper of Sharon, Pennsylvania is doing a wonderful thing for Vietnam Veterans and the country. The Vietnam Moving Wall Memorial is coming to Sharon where it will be on display from Friday, August 5, 2016 straight through till 8:00 am Monday morning. Visit www.sharonherald.com for the full schedule of events.

Michael Roknick, the Herald Business Editor, is writing a series of articles featuring interviews he has conducted with Vietnam Veterans from the Mercer County area in conjunction with the Moving Wall's arrival in town. In the previous episode of this podcast Rodnick's story about Jim Cardillo, a USMC Vietnam Veteran, was featured. In this episode we will be taking a look at the second Roknick interview in the series.

This conversation was with Miles Karson, the district attorney for Mercer County, Pennsylvania. He spent time in the murky Phoenix Program. That was a hush-hush  operation coordinated by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency. The word is that its mission was to root out and “neutralize’’ enemy sympathizers. Not much is known about the program due to its delicate mission and the unseemly methods used in its execution.

Karson in his interview with Roknick sheds a little light on the Phoenix Program. It sounds like service in the program required the participants to become professional murderers. You can understand why Karson would be reluctant to talk about such activities, especially since he is an attorney. Maybe the statute of limitations has expired for whatever the CIA was doing in country.

If you are in the western Pennsylvania or Eastern Ohio area this weekend you are highly encouraged to visit the Vietnam Moving Wall Memorial. It will be in Hermitage on East State Street across from America’s Cemetery. You don't have to be a Vietnam Veteran. All citizens should go and pay their respects to all the brave Americans who made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

In this episode another one of those outstanding representatives of the Great Vietnam Veteran Generation will be featured. A story about USMC Vietnam Vet Jim Cardillo was recently published in The Herald of Sharon, Pennsylvania titled: Vietnam vet knows the faces that go with the names and was submitted by Michael Roknick Herald Business Editor.

But before we look at Jim Cardillo's Vietnam War experiences I want to again congratulate the winners of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast Appreciation Cash Giveaway Contest. First Prize winner was Howard Daugherty of Hamersville, Ohio, Second Prize winner was Larry Branch of Interlachen, Florida and last but not least Third Prize winner Jim Horak of Apache Junction, Arizona.

Now back to Jim Cardillo's story. He was an artilleryman and saw much close combat during his year in country. His flight into Vietnam came with a dose of reality. It was a cargo aircraft that carried material in addition to passengers. He noticed several pallets of black plastic material. Upon arrival in Vietnam he asked what the black plastic was used for and was told it was body bags. Cardillo found some of the environment challenges to be sometimes as great at the challenges of combat. He encountered temperatures of as high as 135 degrees in the shade coupled with fierce humidity.

As with the writer of this piece, he endured the Tet Offensive and years later shares the opinion of this writer about that episode of the Vietnam War. It was an all out last ditch effort by the North Vietnamese to defeat the South and their American allies that ended up being a big defeat for the North. Unfortunately, American news media depicted it as a big defeat for us.

When Jim Cardillo left Vietnam at the end of his year, he left with a heavy heart. He put it this way: “I didn’t want to leave them. I lost friends there and it made me feel like I was turning my back on my brothers. I was leaving them at a time when they needed me. That was very very difficult for me.’’

He became an architect and today he is one of the volunteer mentors with Mercer County Veterans Court. His is another member of that Great Vietnam Veteran Generation.

The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans were dealt another blow against their efforts to receive benefits for Agent Orange related diseases from the Veterans Administration. The D.C. Circuit upheld the dismissal of "blue water" Vietnam veterans' claim that the Department of Veterans Affairs wrongly refused to compensate them for injuries caused by Agent Orange exposure. Details of the action were found in a story in allgov.com titled: Court Denies Sea-Based Vietnam Vets’ Claim against VA over Agent Orange Disease Benefits submitted by Jack Bouboushian, Courthouse News Service.

D.C. Circuit Judge Thomas B. Griffith who heard the case and wrote the decision insisted that his hands were tied. Of course he is not facing any of the diseases acknowledged by the VA to be caused by exposure to Agent Orange. If he is suffering from any of the diseases it was not as a result of exposure while in service to our country during wartime.

John Wells of Slidell, Louisiana is heading up the judicial approach to helping the Blue Water veterans with more lawsuits and appeals. You the readers can help with the legislative approach to the objective by contacting your congress person and senators. Ask your senators to support Senate Bill S-681 and your Representative to support HR-969.

CLICK HERE to see Judge Griffith's opinion.

To Learn More about the Blue Water Vietnam Veterans situation see these items:

Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Association, Inc. v. Robert A. McDonald (U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia) (pdf)

For First Time in 3 Decades, VA to Launch Studies into Agent Orange Effects on Vietnam Vets (by Charles Ornstein and Terry Parris Jr., ProPublica, and Mike Hixenbaugh, Virginian-Pilot)

Politics and Cost Wrongly Influence VA Decisions on Agent Orange Vet Benefits (by Charles Ornstein, ProPublica, and Mike Hixenbaugh, The Virginian-Pilot)

New Evidence Linking Bladder Cancer to Agent Orange Gives Vietnam Vets Hope in Fight for VA Benefits (by Mike Hixenbaugh, The Virginian-Pilot, and Charles Ornstein)

One of the bitterest components of the Vietnam Legacy is that of the MIA question. For almost half a century hundreds individuals whose loved ones have been classified as missing in action have been suffering through the waiting and wondering if the remains of those so designated will ever be found. It is so important for that closure to be completed for a loved one who died for their country many years ago.

There is a story in The Courier of Cedar Falls, Iowa titled: New hope of finding C.F. pilot’s burial site submitted by Pat Kinney ([email protected]) that tells of one MIA relative how received a slight glimmer of hope in finding the remains of her father who vanished on an Air Force mission over the Kingdom of Laos in 1969.

She is Nancy Whitford Eger, daughter of U.S. Air Force Lt. Col. Lawrence William Whitford Jr. of Cedar Falls, a reconnaissance pilot, declared missing in action after a mission over Laos during the Vietnam War on Nov. 2, 1969. Out of the clear blue she received information the location of a burial site where her father's remains may be interred may be found.

It just so happens that President Barack Obama and his trusty sidekick U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, himself a Vietnam veteran of almost four months time in country are making a sojourn to Laos in September. Eger is hopeful she can enlist the aid of the dynamic duo in finding the location of her father's remains.

In addition to political concerns, there are two roadblocks that may get in the way of the lady's intentions. First the commie Laotian government still hates the US for the tons of bombs it dropped on its real estate. They are in no hurry to help find remains of persons who may have had a part in the aerial war that violently disturbed their bucolic country side. Another challenge to the lady comes from domestic political actions. The Defense POW-MIA Accounting Agency or DPAA which is tasked with helping find MIA remains is being threatened with drastic budget cuts.

We wish Ms. Eger the best in the pursuit of her father's remains. Here complete story in the podcast.

In the previous episode the story about a high school in Powhatan, Virginia interviewing veterans was featured. It was a two week summer program workshop for rising seventh, eighth and ninth graders where they learned how to conduct and produce interviews. The program was headed up by Meredith Perry, an instructional specialist history and social science in the Powhatan County Public Schools. The students in the workshop were treated to valuable professional level media training by Mason Mills, senior producer/director for Community Idea Station. A military historian, Rob Ritchie, came in for two days to give the campers a little background about the wars in which the veterans interviewees took part in.

The writer of this piece contacted Ms. Perry about the project and was informed where the finished interviews could be accessed. All the interviews were very good in both the technical aspects and in the stories told by the veterans. It was decided to share two of the veteran stories with this audience.

The first interview is with Joe Birriel, originally from Brooklyn, New York. He was an infantryman in the USMC and was awarded a Bronze Star with V for valor. He also had the relatively rare experience of being captured by the North Vietnamese. The manner in which he escaped his captives will keep you on the edge of your seat.

The second veteran interview in featured in this episode is Clyde Childress. He was a USMC helicopter gunship pilot in Vietnam. He tells his story of service to his country as a career military man. He owns a farm in Virginia where he hosts annul fireworks displays to honor all our veterans however this year he cancelled the fireworks event. Sadly his wife had recently passed away and he was in no mood to celebrate since he had just lost his beloved life mate.

Hope you enjoy their stories. CLICK HERE to access all the veteran interviews.

In this episode we are going to look a wonderful story from Powhatan, Virginia. It is about a group of high school students who participated in a Veterans Video History Camp. The story came from The Richmond Times-Dispatch and was titled: Students film veteran documentaries and submitted by Laura McFarland News Editor, [email protected]

The story first perked this writer's attention with its location which was not far from Fort lee, Virginia where I spent two enjoyable assignments back in the 60's. The story location was not far from the city of Richmond which is a history fan's treasure trove of historical markers.

The camp was headed up by Meredith Perry, an instructional specialist in history and social science. It was held at Powhatan High School , where the students learned the basics of interviewing and filming. In addition to learning the techniques of producing interviews they were given historical background on the wars in which the interviewed veterans served. Rob Ritchie, a military historian, provided two days of  instruction for the students. Mason Mills, senior producer/director for Community Idea Station provided technical instruction at the camp.

10 students participated in the camp. Each student 15 veterans, whose experiences ranged from World War II to the Iraq War and the times in between. The students  were responsible for editing their own videos and organizing presentations and video history screenings.

The camp results were phenomenal. The students felt the experience was highly valuable because they not only learned interviewing skills but they were able to put them to use in a meaningful project.

The camp leader, Meredith Perry, said this about the effort: "I was pleased with how the entire camp went, but I was most impressed with how the students used what they learned in the beginning of the first week when they were interacting with the veterans during the interviews.

They were dressed professionally. They treated the veterans with respect and admiration. It was phenomenal from the first Monday, when they came not having done formal interviews, to Thursday stepping back and watching the kids not only with the camera work they had to do but with the interviews. The veterans were very impressed with the kids.”

Australia was a loyal and effective ally for the USA in Vietnam. The Australians who fought in that war faced many of the same challenges as those faced by American Vietnam Veterans. They encountered fierce enemies and defeated them under very difficult circumstances. When they came home to Australia they faced indifference and in some cases hostility from their fellow citizens.

Attitudes down under began to change favorably for the Aussie Vietnam Vets in 1987.  That year the first welcome home parades began to take place to honor the service of the country's veterans. Ever since World War I Australians have willingly taken up arms to protect freedom and justice taking up peace keeping duties in places many have never heard of.

A story in The Herald Sun of Melbourne, Australia titled: Long Tan forged a bond that will never be broken submitted by Catherine McGregor makes a very accurate statement on the present status of  Australian Vietnam Veterans. She maintains one of the greatest attributes of the "Aussie Digger" is the way they have treated their mates in the years after the war.

She also feels the Battle at Long Tan and how the Aussies conducted themselves in that action bonds all the veterans together. On August 18, 1966, Delta Company of the 6th Battalion of the Royal Australian Regiment clashed in the Long Tan rubber plantation with a massive force of NVA soldiers and Vietcong guerillas. It is estimated D Company, which numbered less than 120 soldiers that day, faced about 2000 enemy. The brave Australians prevailed with the help of decisive artillery fire support provided by the gunners from 1 Field Regiment Royal Australian Artillery who delivered 3,000 high explosive projectiles on the attacking enemy forces.

A folk song titled "I Was Only Nineteen" written by John Schumann in 1983 became an unofficial anthem for Australia’s Vietnam veterans. It tells a haunting story of what it was like to fight in Vietnam. The song is provided for you to hear in this episode.

In this episode we announce an event being conducted in Greenville, New Your this weekend July 29-31 by The Northeast USA Vietnam Veterans Reunion Association. The membership will be hosting the17th annual reunion to honor the veterans who died or disappeared during the Vietnam War. The reunion was featured in a story from The Daily Mail of Catskill, New York titled: A celebration of the warriors submitted by Daniel Zuckerman Columbia-Greene Media. The Daily Mail was originally The Catskill Packet which began publication in 1792.

In the past this popular event was attended by veterans from as far away as Florida, Georgia and Louisiana. Its purpose is to honor the veterans who died or disappeared during the Vietnam War. The Master of Ceremonies for the reunion will be Tim Broder Sr. He is a Vietnam War veteran who served with the US Navy SeaBees.

Broder informs us that this 17th annual reunion will be recognizing the 45th anniversary of Operation Lam Son 719. That was a large scale operation in 1971 that involved many US military personnel. Your correspondent was a participant in that operation from start to finish. The purpose of  Operation Lam Son 719 was to sever the Ho Chi Minh Trail in order to cut off supplies to the opposition forces operating in South Vietnam. American forces were barred from invading the "neutral" country of Laos because of the ruckus caused by our incursion into Cambodia the previous year. US forces were allowed to support the hapless South Vietnamese forces who were conducting the invasion.

Other features of the reunion are a potluck dinner Friday night followed by live music entertainment headlined by Angelo D’Aleo, formally of Dion and the Belmonts. In addition to Broder, James V. Yermas, Department Commander for the New York State American Legion will be the keynote speaker. Jim Toone, who is a representative for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C. will be in attendance searching for missing photos of fallen veterans whose name is on the Memorial Wall in DC.

The reunion will be held at 5143 Route 81 around a mile west of the intersection of Route 32 and the traffic light in Greenville. All Veterans are welcome, along with their families and friends. At the conclusion of the Memorial Ceremony, all of the Vietnam Veterans in attendance will pose for a “class” photo.

CLICK HERE  for more information about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and there Education Center missing photo campaign.