Vietnam Veteran News with Mack Payne

Janna Hoehn, a good friend of this podcast, has reached a major milestone. She is an unpaid volunteer helping to find missing pictures of fallen Vietnam Veterans whose name is on the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington DC. She was encouraged by The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund eight years ago to give them a hand in finding missing photos from the Island of Maui. Not only did she find the requested images in a short period of time, she went on to find missing photos for the entire state of Hawaii. She was moved to continue seeking more missing photos in other states. She headed east in her search.

One of the states she was pursuing was Colorado. It was a tough assignment. Of the 626 Coloradans on the wall there were 281 missing pictures when she started her quest. Today she announced the job is done in Colorado. The feat was featured in a story in The La Junta Tribune-Democrat titled: Labor of love complete submitted by Dana Kwist. Janna is doing tremendous things in this mission she is pursuing.

Her work has resulted in complete sets of pictures for the states of South Dakota, Montana, Hawaii, Idaho, Oregon, Nevada, Utah, Alaska, and now Colorado. As Colorado and other states came closer and closer to finding all of theirs, she began to focus on Nebraska, then, last fall, she set out to find the 1,150 missing pictures from Texas. Texans enthusiastically embraced Janna’s campaign, where she has found about 800 in the last nine months. From there the hunt moved to Kansas and Oklahoma and now recently into Missouri.

All are encouraged to help Janna in her quest to find all of the missing pictures. The Wall of Faces exhibit that will soon be a part of the Vietnam Memorial needs help. The Education Center aims to display all pictures of those lost in the war. For more information visit The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund  website at: www.wmf.org

Contact Janna Hoehn at: [email protected] for more assistance in finding missing pictures.

In this episode, Tom Foor, another prime example of the Great Vietnam Veteran Generation will be featured. A review of his experiences related to Vietnam was published in The Sentinel of Carlisle, Pennsylvania titled: Voices of Service: Soldier returns to Vietnam after injuries submitted by Jeffrey Hawks Education Director for Army Heritage Center Foundation. The story was part of The Sentinel program that salutes local Vietnam War veterans and participants with a year-long series of stories that will be published every Saturday in History. Called “Voices of Service,” the weekly feature examines how the war shaped officers and enlisted personnel from every branch of the military in every phase of U.S. involvement in Vietnam.

Tom gives a vivid account of his Vietnam memories stretching from his entry into the Army through the happy day his parents met him at the airport in Pittsburg when he arrived home from the war. It was a little depressing to hear him tell of the three soldiers who deserted the night before they were shipping out and ran off to Canada.

In my opinion he was fortunate to be assigned to a 105mm howitzer battery in the 1st Cavalry Division. The 1st Cav was the elite, air mobile "fire brigade" of Vietnam. They seemed to be moving constantly around the country to where ever there was a need.

Tom was wounded not long after he arrived and was sent to Cam Ranh Bay for rehabilitation. One day while he was lying in his bunk he heard a familiar voice and it turned out to be none other than Jimmie Stewart who was visiting wounded soldiers in Vietnam.

Unfortunately when Tom came home he processed through San Francisco and encountered the ugliness of anti war protestors. Those low life individuals did not dim his happiness at going home or his appreciation of his time in the Army. Here is what Tom Foor has to say about his military time "I wouldn’t trade my memories in the Army for a million bucks."

In this episode we will be revisiting the disgraceful situation involving 74 brave US sailors who died on the USS Frank E. Evans during the Vietnam War. It seems the US Department of Defense is refusing to allow the names of those sailors to be added to the Vietnam Memorial Wall in Washington DC. The weak reason for this incredibly disrespectful decision is that the action that resulted in the death of the 74 sailors occurred more than 100 miles from the country of Vietnam.

 A story from New Jersey 101.5 titled: A New Jersey veteran’s sacrifice: To be forgotten no longer? by David Matthau is featured in this episode. It is related to the story highlighted in Episode 653 that told about a survivor of the terrible accident that sank the US destroyer that fateful morning off the shore of Vietnam. Del Francis, a resident of Sulphur Springs, Texas is riding a bicycle from his home in Texas to Washington DC. He plans to present his case on the steps of the Capitol to raise awareness. He has been working on getting the 74 names added to the Wall for years.

Groups and individuals from the great State of New Jersey are also working on getting the names on the Wall. They have successfully enlisted the aid of New Jersey Senator Bob Menendez to their cause. He stated “it’s always important for a grateful nation to recognize the sacrifices, particularly those that make the ultimate sacrifice, the loss of their lives, in defense of the nation, and even though for some the Vietnam war may no longer be important the memories of those who served and died need to live forever.”

The Senator pointed out that there is a precedent for this kind of change to take place. In 1983 President Reagan made an exception to the rule when he ordered the names of 68 marines who died on a flight outside of the combat zone but on their way back to Vietnam from an R&R to be added to the wall.

All who care about honoring our veterans should contact Senator Menendez of New Jersey to urge and encourage him to continue the effort do this good deed.

Swift boats played and vital in Vietnam interceding enemy shipping along the rivers, bays and coastlines of the country. Both PCF (patrol craft fast) and PBR (patrol boat river) boats were referred to as swift boats. It was a dangerous job serving on those craft whose only armor was its one quarter inch thick aluminum plating. They had to ply narrow waterways that near heavy foliage that easily hid dangerous enemy personnel.

A story in The Los Angeles Times titled: Reader Report: Swift Boat's visit to Newport stirs memories of a rough and perilous past by David C. Henley is featured in this episode. It announces that a one of them, PCF-816, is scheduled to arrive in Newport Beach on Thursday, where it will be open to visitors free of charge until Saturday afternoon at the American Legion Yacht Club at the corner of East 15th Street and Bay Avenue on the Balboa Peninsula.

The boat on exhibit will be manned by Vietnam Veterans who served on swift boats in that war and will guide visitors through the boat at the open house. All who served on swift boats in Vietnam were indeed brave sailors who deserve great praise and admiration for their service to their country.

Probably one of the most well known swift boat veteran is John Kerry who currently serves as the Secretary of State but he is definitely not the most admirable. That honor goes to Dave Roever of Fort Worth, Texas.

Dave Roever served on swift boats in Vietnam until one day when he was terribly wounded in a fire fight on the Vam Co Tay River. At the time he was given up for dead but he survived and went on to establish the Roever Foundation that has helped tens of thousands. He has helped active duty military, wounded warriors, students and but medical facilities back in Vietnam to name a few.

All swift boat veterans deserve our praise and gratitude for their service to their country under the most hazardous conditions.

Early on the morning of June 3, 1969 200 miles off the coast of Vietnam a terrible accident occurred. An Australian aircraft carrier, the HMAS Melbourne collided with the World War II class destroyer USS Frank E. Evans. 74 US sailors lost their lives that fateful night. When the Vietnam Memorial Wall went up in Washington DC in the early 1980's another tragedy for those brave American sailors killed that fateful morning. Navy officials say a deceased veteran's name cannot be added to the Wall if their death occurred more than 100 miles from the country of Vietnam.

Del Francis, 74, of Sulphur Springs, Texas was on the USS Frank E. Evans that morning. He was one of the ones fortunate enough to survive the collision. He has been trying for years to get his 74 shipmates names added to the wall to no avail. Not being one to easily give up he is trying a new tactic to get the job done. According to a story in The Sentinel Echo of London, Kentucky titled: Vietnam Memorial not complete, Texas man says submitted by Mike Moore [email protected].

He is riding a bicycle to from his home in Sulfur Springs, Texas to Washington DC. He began a 1,600-mile trek on a bicycle from his Texas home to Washington, D.C., on June 3 — on the 47th anniversary of the ship’s sinking — and will wrap up his trip in mid-August on the steps of the Capitol. His goal is simple — to raise awareness of his 74 shipmates who are not a part of the Vietnam Memorial Wall.

Del said “These men died serving their country; there ain’t no boundaries for heroes. They belong on that wall with their brothers." Listen to the case Del makes for getting the 74 names added to the Wall on the podcast.

You are encouraged to follow Del's progress and offer him encouragement as he pedals to DC.  Keep up with Del's progress on Facebook  https://www.facebook.com/Ride-For-Recognition-607802302702839/

Despite what some politicians would lead you to believe today, America was, is and will continue to be great nation. A recent event in Manteno, Illinois backed up that assertion. The event was described in a story from The Daily Journal titled: Hundreds attend Manteno vets home ceremony submitted by John Dykstra. The Illinois Veterans Home in Manteno conducted a commemoration ceremony marking the 50th anniversary of the Vietnam War last Saturday.

The estimated 500 people in attendance were able to view war memorabilia and photo slides. That was part of the effort to educate younger generations about the war. Activities at the event included military rituals, including a rifle salute, the raising and lowering of flags and music performances. At times, veterans expressed their camaraderie by shouting, "ooh rah."

Local Vietnam veteran Jim Wasser gave a rousing closing speech where he encouraged his fellow veterans to pursue benefits and the help they are entitled to. He also demanded politicians to fully fund the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Wasser was diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder decades after the war and is still fighting those demons.

Stanley Stam, the veterans home's business administrator, who also is a Vietnam veteran said: "The ceremony is part of the healing process for veterans," said Stanley Stam, the veterans home's business administrator, who also is a Vietnam veteran. "This was the parade we never got. It was a moving ceremony, and I think it gave everybody a better understanding of what we went through and why we went through it."

One of the speakers, Harry Sawyer, the assistant director of the Illinois Department of Veterans Affairs, said in his speech "You were often blamed for a war you didn't start when you should have been commended with valor."

This episode was topped off with some music that will help up appreciate being Americans.

You can contact, John Dykstra, the writer of the at [email protected]

or at 815-937-3330.

In this episode you will hear the sad story of a brave Vietnam Veteran who is dying from an Agent Orange related disease. Doctors say he has only days to live. The veteran is Ronald L. Doney who served 17  months in Vietnam. In addition to all else he brought home with him he unknowingly carried 2,3,7,8-Tetrachlorodibenzodioxin in his body. That most deadly molecule struck him with a vengeance years later in the form of small cell lung cancer. The doctors allowed him to go home and live out his final days under Hospice car.

One of his most pressing final wishes was to live long enough to have a photograph taken at the Montana Veterans Memorial in Great Falls. He realized that wish last Saturday when he along with 40 friends and relatives gathered to honor him at that memorial. The event was highlighted in a story from the Great Falls Tribune titled: Vietnam War veteran honored for service at age 71 submitted by Rich Ecke, [email protected].

The Montana Veterans Memorial, honors and recognizes all veterans of all branches of military service to the United States of America, in peace and in war regardless of state of origin. Each honored veteran's name is placed on an engraved tile that is permanently attached to the memorial.

John Rummel of Great Falls engraved Ronald a tile free gratis on short notice so it would be available for Ronald's ceremony. It was a wonderful event honoring another tremendous representative of the Great Vietnam Veteran Generation.

The Montana Veterans Memorial is located in Great Falls on the banks of the Missouri River in The Veterans Memorial Park.   If you would like to honor a veteran like Ronald Doney with a tile at Montana Veterans Memorial, please contact the Memorial at:

Montana Veterans Memorial Association http://montanaveteransmemorial.org/

PO Box 3524

Great Falls, Montana 59403

Phone: 406 454-9070

e-mail: [email protected]

The people at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund are doing a tremendous job. They do a myriad of things to honor Vietnam Veterans and the service they rendered to their country. One big project they are pursuing is finding corresponding pictures of every name on the Memorial Wall in Washington DC. Of the 58,000 plus names on the Wall, 47,000 have been secured. 11,000 more must be found to complete the project.

One person who is going above and beyond the call of duty in finding pictures is Janna Hoehn of the great State of Hawaii. She got on the band wagon and quickly found all the missing photos of Hawaii Vietnam Veterans. Then see proceeded to finding more pictures in states west of the Mississippi. She just wrapped up the state of Colorado making a total of seven states she has closed out on finding all the missing photos. She is now working on Kansas, Oklahoma and Missouri. She is to be commended on a job well done and all are encouraged to follow her example and join the search for all the missing pictures.

Another activity the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund supports is the "Wall That Heals" program. It a 250-foot, half-scale replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial that is taken around the country in a 53 foot semi truck rig. It was recently announced replica would be making its first and only appearance in Chester County, Pennsylvania. The event was described in a recent post in Chadd's Ford Live titled: ‘Wall That Heals’ to make stop in Chester County. The exhibition will be available for viewing throughout the day and night from Thursday, July 28, to Monday, Aug. 1, at East Brandywine Township Community Park, 440 Dilworth Rd., Downingtown, Pa.

If you are in that area during those dates you are highly encouraged to go and see this outstanding tribute to the Americans who served in the Vietnam War.

CLICK HERE for more information about the event in Chester County, PA.

CLICK HERE for more information about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund

Vietnam Veterans came to know the country as a place of death and destruction where many fell. It was a terrible war that played havoc with Vietnam and its people. It was unfortunate that the small country got caught between the USSR and the US two giant opponents in the Cold War. The war in Vietnam was a side show sparring match that tore up the little country and its people.

The war effectively ended on April 30, 1975 two years after US forces left the country in the wake of the Paris Peace Accord agreement in 1973. That deal was made possible by President Nixon unleashing Operation Linebacker II on the North Vietnamese. They cried uncle and signed the deal. Two years later they walked in, seized South Vietnam and realized their dream since 1945 of a unified Vietnam.

In his quest to unify his country, Ho Chi Minh turned to the only choice available to him for assistance - Communist patrons, the USSR and Communist China. Even though he died in 1969 his successors persisted in running the country as a bastion of worker's paradise communism after reunification. The country promptly became a state with a failed economy. Shortage of food and medicine led to thousands dying from starvation and diseases.

Things have changed for the better in Vietnam. Today the country has a vibrant economy and things are looking up. This development is described The Huffington Post story titled: Vietnam Looks To The Future And Leaves The Past Behind submitted by William Morrow. It tells how in 1986, the General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam Le Duan died. The newly elected party secretary Nhuyen Van Linh during the 6th National Congress was the more liberal. In December 1986, the Doi Moi policy of a market-oriented economy was launched.

The rest is history. The Vietnamese economy has blossomed but the original Doi Moi policy is running out of steam and the country now has to deal with improving civil liberties to keep pace with the country's economic growth.

There are many legacies left to us from the Vietnam War. They include the distrust of our government leaders, a generation of lost hope, families devastated by the loss of loved ones, PTSD, Agent Orange illnesses and diseases to name a few. Here is another legacy that may surprise you. News of it comes from a story in the International Business Times titled: Vietnam jungle men: Incredible story of Ho Van Lang, the boy who lived in the wild for 41 years by Hannah Osborne.

Osborne tells the unlikely story of a Vietnamese army veteran how ran away from the war with what he thought was his one surviving son in 1972. His village was bombed, his house was hit and his family was killed. The father, Ho Van Thanh, ran off into the wilderness with his son Ho Van Lang to escape the horrors of war. He was unaware that another son, Ho Van Tri, had survived that bombing attack and that the war had ended.

Thanh and his son Lang lived as far away from civilization as possible to avoid contact with other humans that seemed to cause such calamity. Surprisingly the father and son lived quite well in the jungle and remained healthy and happy during their time of isolation from humanity. Their diet was highly varied, eating fruit, vegetables, honey and a variety of meats. They lived in a series of tree houses.

As time passed encounters with other people became increasingly inevitable.  Lang's brother, Tri, heard of their existence, searched them out and began visiting the pair. Thanh had difficulty accepting Tri as his son because he always believed he was killed in the bombing attack with the rest of the family. Despite that the icy reception Tri continued to visit his brother and father and as the father's health began to deteriorate he convinced the two hermits to move into a village after 41 years of isolated life in the bush.

CLICK HERE to read about this amazing survivors from Alvaro Cerezo, managing director of Docastaway.