Dragon 6 BunKer~s

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Classic War Stories!

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"Heavy Heart" Serving the country during the Vietnam era was a challenge, regardless of where one served. Some Vietvets today only consider those serving In-Country to be Vietnam Veterans. I believe those serving in direct support of the war, like the Air Force men and women in Guam, are also Vietvets. But the question, if there is a question, is what or why do Vietvets (or of any war) feel different? Notice I said, "different" and not "better."

I do not know what it was like to serve in the hell of WWII Germany, or peacetime Cold-War Germany. I do know what it is like to stand before The Wall in DC carved with 58,229 names of those men and women killed-in-action in Vietnam. I know what it is like to write a letter to a friend's family after he was--yes, blown-away. And to touch his cold granite-etched name, knowing his 19 year old body is long since dust in a nearby cemetery.

So, what does it come down too? Vietnam Veterans are more inclined to have memories of sucking chest wounds rather than barrels full of nude-women and sucking more than a thumb. And yes, horrible things did happen, I remember things like three flatbed trucks racing through Da Nang's main gate with bodies of Vietnamese in tangled piles . . . and standing post staring at the blood-trails with flies gorging for several more hours. Does that make us better, or different than non-war-vets? It just makes us what we are: Veterans of the Vietnam War, and proud of those who served with us.

[Readers: In 1968 the War was indeed raging. A peace time Army would not have accepted my brother Larry's enlistment. But in 1968, 98.6 got you in and a letter from your Congressman kept you out so they accepted Larry's enlistment, collapsed lung and all. I have on occasion wondered if an Army doctor had made a notation not to send him to a combat zone because of that. I also know that policy was not to send two brothers to Vietnam at the same time, and brother Jerry was In-Country while Larry was in Germany.] Don Poss

Larry: I sort of remember our brother Jerry calling us up for that photo and thinking that it was not fair because we were all veterans of the larger Cold War--which we won under President Reagan, by the way.

Dear Brother Larry: I just read your story on your brother Don's website, and I must respond:

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     I call you "Brother", because that's what you are, having served your time in the "Big Green". Do not feel any less a hero for not having seen combat. There is nothing heroic about having been a Vietnam COMBAT Veteran, per se. There is no heroism in survival. That's what was foremost in the minds of the vast majority of us who spent time in that vermin-infested Hellhole - simply "SURVIVE AND GET THE HELL HOME!"
      True, there were many medals for "heroism" awarded to people who saved the lives of others at the risk (and TOO many times the sacrifice) of their own , but those individuals never considered themselves Heroes. Heroism is in the eye of the beholder, or in the eye of the recipient of an extraordinary deed. All that any Medal-Winner ever did was react to a situation in the manner in which he had been trained (by people like yourself), automatically and without thought of the consequences.
      I enlisted in the US Army in September 1967. Upon experiencing the same fun things you did in boot camp, I developed the same attitude toward Volunteerism. I never "Volunteered" to go to Nam, but in a sense we ALL did - yourself included. By raising our right hands and swearing before the symbol of our country, we all volunteered to go and do anything the Government deemed necessary. Call it "The Luck of the Draw" or whatever. I'll say this: I never could understand the mentality that compels one to volunteer for Combat Duty; to actually WANT to be able to have the opportunity to kill another human being indicates to me some sort of serious basic defect in the human psyche. I suppose that I had more than my share of those experiences, but to this day I cannot muster up even the smallest shred of pride in having taken another human life.
      The pride, my friend, comes from knowing that you raised your arm to the square, took an oath, and upheld it no matter what. The pride comes from knowing that you took a chance that damned few had the guts to take. To put one's self a notch above another who "Wore the Same Dog Tags" simply because you saw combat and he did not, is WRONG. That's what we were ALL trained for. People like you trained the leaders that saw to it that I made it home alive. To those who never had to take a human life in order to save his own or that of a buddy, I say "THANK GOD - GOOD FOR YOU!" I wish to this day that I had never had the experience. Every Viet Cong, NVA, and ChiCom soldier that fought for his life in that War and lost, had someone at home whose heart was ripped out when they never came back, and that fact haunts me to this day. I SURVIVED: That is all I EVER wanted to do.
      We are ALL Brothers, who wore the same dog tags. We all took the same oath: Me, You, your brother Don, your niece's husband the Desert Storm Vet, your own brother who (unconsciously) snubbed you at the family gathering, even my own son who served in the US Navy on a supply ship in the Pacific 5 years ago in "Peacetime". I put that word in quotation marks, because I feel that there is no such thing as "Peacetime" any more. We all take the same chance along with The Oath - just some of us are UNFORTUNATE enough to find ourselves having to use our training to survive.
      God Bless you, Brother Larry Poss, and God Bless all my Fellow Americans, male AND female, who raise their arms and swear by our flag to "defend our way of life against all enemies, foreign and domestic . . . etcetera."

We all STILL "Wear the Same Dog Tags"!

Robert A. Galloway, RA 18814353
D Co., 19th Combat Engineer Battalion
Vietnam 1Apr68-30Mar69
SSG Ret., Idaho National Guard 1971-1989 (and Damned Proud of that, too.)

Understood -

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When I returned to my My Village of San Antonio in 1968, it didn't take too long before the village became the World. I soon fell into the grove, let my hair grow and could care less about what I had just come back from (see photo, left: pretty, ain't I). Tet was in full swing---but who cared? I was back in the world again.
For about 20 years I got away with it. No bad memories, no feeling of loss or nothing to remind me of Vietnam and then one day, there is was---a Huey flying overhead and all of a sudden I could feel the heat, smell the Smells and hear the noises of 20 years past.

      After this, it became like a virus, without warning, a sound, smell or something that someone would say would send me back into those misty memories of 20 years past.
      I needed help, but no one understood, especially since I, myself, didn't understand. This is when I ran into a friend named Jack. Jack understood. When we were together I was able to release my emotions. It didn't matter if other people around us didn't understand the sudden mood changes or the emotional outbreaks . . . Jack understood. He was always there for me, and to help me release my emotions and lull me into that deep sleep where those memories of 20 years past couldn't even sneak into.
      I could always depend on Jack to be by my side the next day and he would even take time to be with me when I called in sick to work or I decided I needed some time-off from my home life. I could always count on him to lure me into those deep restful sleeps that I craved, no matter where I was . . . Jack understood.

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      Jack was by my side for many years until he started getting between me and my family. He had also talked me into missing work too many times, and I needed money to keep Jack around. He tried to get me to ignore the pleas from my family and friends to stay away from him, but his soothing ways made me keep him around because . . . Jack understood.
      One day when Jack hadn't come to visit, I read that some Vietnam veterans were actually walking from Dallas to San Antonio and I began to track their trip as they neared San Antonio. I couldn't believe that these Viet-vets were actually getting support for their cause, The Last Patrol, and I planned to meet them before they came into San Antonio. This is when Jack came back to visit and we drove out to meet them but didn't join them because Jack wouldn't have been allowed to walk with them. I just kept driving back and forth past them, and everytime I passed I saw them carrying the American and POW flags proudly in front of the formation. I somehow envied the feeling and yearned to walk and carry those flags, but Jack talked me out of it because . . . Jack understood.
      This group of Vietvets and supporters were scheduled the next day to walk into San Antonio, straight to the Alamo, and then participate in a Veteran's Day Parade. I got the feeling that these guys were family . . . they were my brothers and I slipped away from Jack for that evening, put on my long forgotten medals and walked with my brothers to the Alamo the next day. I couldn't believe the togetherness and the instant brotherhood that hundreds of us shared that day. We walked in one of the largest Veteran's Day parades San Antonio had ever seen---and we were all WELCOMED HOME!
      Jack kept trying to come back, but the comfort I was getting from him was now coming from my "brothers" that had come together and stayed together. We had suffered in the past and now we could comfort each other in the present and share and belong together.
      Jack still comes around occasionally, but only for short visits and I know when to ask him to leave. After growing up in the barrios of San Antonio and making it through the Nam, I had always said that no one had ever kicked my ass, but now when I think about it, Jack Daniels definitely has the privilege of being the only one to have done this. It took me many years, but I finally came to the realization that I was wrong when I said . . .

Jack brothers3.jpg (21783 bytes) Understood!

Jack APVNV Pat(Beanie)Camunes
D/4/31 196th Lt. Inf. Bde.
Tan Ninh 12/66-4/67, Tam Ky 4/67-12/67

Blind Bat . . .

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C-130 flareships

First Flight Up North

Load four flares

35th TCS, 6315th Operations Group, Okinawa, Naha Air Base - 1966

      Excitement gripped the pit of my stomach as I heard the pilot say, "Go ahead and depressurize, so the loads can put out the chute." We were nearing North Vietnamese air space on my first out-of-country combat mission with the C-130 flareships known as BLIND BAT. It was the spring of 1966; I had just arrived the day before at Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base for my stint as a flare-kicker/loadmaster with the flareships. Tonight I was flying with a crew from the 21st Troop Carrier Squadron, a sister unit to my own, the 35th TCS, both of which were based on Okinawa at Naha Air Base, where we were part of the 6315th Operations Group.
      For more than a year C-130 flareships had been operating up North, as well as across the fence in Laos. That very night a pair of BLIND BATS were working over Laos while we were one of two LAMPLIGHTER missions who would be working on the other side of the Anamite Range inside North Vietnamese airspace. The crew I was with on my orientation flight that night had been assigned what was probably the most dangerous place in Vietnamese skies outside of the region right around Hanoi - we were going to dropping flares and looking for trucks around the infamous Mu Gia Pass.
      It was not my first mission, or even my first one over North Vietnam for that matter. By military standards, I was already a seasoned veteran after flying numerous airlift missions in Tactical Air Command C-130Es while on TDY from my previous base at Pope, next to Fort Bragg in North Carolina. I had even been on an airplane that took a few hits as we were landing at Dong Ha the previous November, when there was nothing there but a shack for passengers waiting to board Air Vietnam. I had flown one other mission over the north since I had reported in to my new assignment at Naha. That one had been a BS bomber missions dropping leaflets as part of Project FACT SHEET, the special mission my squadron bore sole responsibility for.

      Tonight would be different. While on previous missions we had sought to elude the enemy, tonight we were looking for him and there was almost a 100% chance we were going to find him, and the chances were he was going to let us know he was there.
      I could feel the pressure in my ears as the flight engineer opened the outflow valve and allowed pressure to escape to bring the inside of the airplane up to the 10,000 feet of elevation at which we were flying. Even though there were mountains below us that reached to within a couple of thousand of feet of where we were, it was an elevation that was high enough to keep us clear of all the small arms and .50-caliber fire that the Army helicopter crews flying in South Vietnam thought was "heavy" fire. There were big guns where we were going, dozens of 37 and 57-MM antiaircraft guns, all of which could reach us at 10,000 feet, and even a few 85's, the same guns that had made the skies over Germany so deadly for my father and uncle as they flew missions in their B-24s.
      Upon the instruction from the pilot, I signaled to the rest of the crew to go ahead and open the aft cargo door slightly to extend the aluminum flare chute. As soon as the chute had been placed into the narrow opening between the raised C-130 ramp and the partially open door, one of the other loadmasters used the hand pump to pressurize the system and force the door down on the chute to hold it in place. When it was secure, one of the other guys climbed onto the door to take his place as the flare kicker while another stood by with a flare in his hand ready to put it in the chute when the pilot called for it.
      Since I was crew loadmaster with my own crew, I was on the interphone cord which is where I would be the next evening when we went up on our own. Tonight each of the eight members of my crews was on a mission in one of the four airplanes that were flying. When the pilot's words came through my headset "load four flares" I held up four fingers. The other loadmasters put four flares in the chute, then set the fuses for an 8-second delay. We were approaching the Mu Gia Pass.

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          "Drop four!"

As the words came through my headset, the guy on the door, who was also wearing a headset, let fly with the four flares he was holding in place with his feet. A few seconds later the sky behind us lit up as the four flares burst into brilliance. And just as they did, I saw brilliant white winking lights on the ground somewhere below us. I was looking out the left paratroop door at the ground. Out of the lights came cherry red balls like those fired by Roman candles. They rose slowly at first, then quickly accelerated toward us. "I want my mother!" Those are the thoughts that went through my mind as I realized for the first time in my life that someone down there was trying to kill me.
      The burst of 37MM rose to burst harmlessly in the sky about 100 feet or so above us. The pilot said they were off to our right by about the same distance, but I could have sworn they went right by my nose! It suddenly occurred to me that the next three months were going to be an exciting time.
      Now that Charlie had made his presence known, we knew what area to avoid by just the right distance to keep out of the way of his shells. A few minutes later a flight of fighters, F-4s from Da Nang, arrived on station and we sent them down after the trucks that were making their way through the narrow pass.

Blind Bat is my home page. It contains a lot of C-130 history as it involved Naha AB, Okinawa, the 6315th Operations Group/374th Troop Carrier Wing and the 315th Air Division. Some interesting C-130 missions, including the Blind Bat C-130 flare mission, are described here.

by: SAM MCGOWAN
(Copyright ? 1997)

Last wallmem.jpg (6059 bytes) year,

Congress directed the

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American Battle Monuments Commission

to add a plaque to the existing

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

-- which now includes the

Memorial Wall, two statues,

and a commemorative flagpole.

agVdrag.gif (13254 bytes) The plaque would acknowledge those who died from illnesses brought on by their time in Vietnam, such as cancers resulting from…

Agent Orange

or deaths related to

Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

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“ In memory of American Veterans

whose postwar deaths are attributed

to their Vietnam War service.''

Vietnam War In Memory Memorial Plaque Unveiled July 8, 2004

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The American Battle Monuments Commission has removed donor information from its website and posted this message:

We wish to thank those
who made generous contributions
to make this project a success ...

abm1.jpg (34749 bytes) No more contributions to the ABMC-VVM Plaque fund are being requested or accepted from private donors. Contributions received in excess of the immediate project needs have been set aside for future maintenance, according to ABMC staff member, Mr. Michael Norbury, who may be reached via email at NorburyM@abmc.gov.

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Since 2000, when Congress passed Public Law 106-214 authorizing the plaque, the

Vietnam War In Memory Memorial, Inc. has encouraged contributions to the American Battle Monuments Commission's plaque fund. We now gratefully join them in thanking all of you who helped to establish this new element of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. We look forward to greeting as many more of you as possible at 7 p.m. November 10, for the dedication to be conducted by

Vietnam Veterans of America.

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Engraved in Optima, the same typeface used on the Wall, the 2x3 gray granite In Memory Memorial Plaque is set cathedral-style into an extension of the plaza where the Three Servicemen statue stands, with views toward The Wall and the Women's Memorial.

Thursday, July 8, 2004 -- Agent Orange Quilts figured in the unveiling ceremony held July 8 by the American Battle Monuments Commission.

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Vietnam War In Memory Memorial Plaque

Unveiling Photos Online

The American Battle Monuments Commission formally unveiled the new Vietnam
War In Memory Memorial Plaque July 8 2004 at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in
Washington, DC.

The gray granite plaque added to the plaza near the Three Servicemen statue
is inscribed to acknowledge and commemorate the countless veterans dying
postwar of service-related causes including (but not limited to) the effects of Post
Traumatic Stress Syndrome and Agent Orange but whose names cannot be added
to the Wall.

Many photos of the ceremony are available for viewing at:
http://www.angelfire.com/oz/in_memory/

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USTRoops.gif (48258 bytes) Compensation:

What's a Military Family Worth?

aniflag.gif (17089 bytes) I think the vast differences in compensation between the victims of the September 11th casualty, and those who die serving the country in uniform, are profound. No one is really talking about it either because you just don't criticize anything having to do with September 11th. Well, we just can't let the numbers pass by because it says something really disturbing about the entitlement mentality of this country.

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If you lost a family member in the September 11th attack, you're going to get an average of $1,185,000. The range is a minimum guarantee of $250,000, all the way up to $4.7 million.

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If you are a surviving family member of an American soldier killed in action, the first check you get is a $6,000 direct death benefit, half of which is taxable. Next, you get $1,750 for burial costs. If you are the surviving spouse, you get$833 a monthuntil you remarry. And there's a payment of $211 per month for each child under 18. When the child hits 18, those payments come to a screeching halt.

Now Keep in mind that some people that are getting an average of $1.185 million up to $4.7 million are complaining that it's not enough. We also learned over the weekend that some of the victims from the Oklahoma City bombing have started an organization asking for the same deal that the September 11th families are getting. In addition to that, some of the families of those bombed in the embassies are now asking for compensation as well. You see where this is going, don't you?

Folks, this is part and parcel of over fifty years of entitlement politics in this country. It's just really sad. Don’t forget the UH-60s that were shot down over Iraq by a USAF jet. The American civilians on board were awarded $500,000 and when the families of the 2 Arabs on board found out they also asked for and received $500,000. The max the crewmembers were able to ask for was the $200,000 SGLIthey had paid for.

We hear these lawyers and family members of the deceased asking how the government can put a price tag on their suffering? Hell, the government has been doing that for years. Like the families of the Soldiers that died in Viet Nam, Korea, WWII, and other wars suffered less when they learned their loved ones died in some far away rice paddy.

Give us a FreAkin break.

Everyone will make a buck off of this except the GI.

You’ll never get rich, a digging a ditch,

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your in the Army salute.gif (10908 bytes) now.

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(...an Interesting perspective and hard to argue with.) Peace 0ut!

Veterans Legal and Benefits Information provided Online.

A VETERANS RESOURCES NETWORK

Ray B Davis Jr., Editor

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All items free for use and distribution.

http://www.valaw.org

This information describes federal benefits available to veterans and
their dependents as of Jan 1 2004 Changes may occur during the
year as a result of legislative or other requirements The Department
of Veterans Affairs VA World Wide Web pages are updated
throughout the year to present the most current information The VA
Web site http www va gov contains links to sections on compen
sation and pension benefits health care benefits burial and memo
rial benefits home loan guarantees and other information

Selected Reserve and National Guard Current and former mem
bers of the Selected Reserve who served on active duty establish
veteran status and may therefore be eligible for VA benefits depend
ing on the length of active military service and the character of
discharge or release In addition reservists not activated may qualify
for some VA benefits Members of the National Guard activated for
federal service during a period of war or domestic emergency may
be eligible for certain VA benefits such as VA health care compen
sation for injuries or conditions connected to that service and burial
benefits

Readjustment counseling is provided at 206 community based Vet
Centers located in all 50 states the District of Columbia Guam
Puerto Rico and the U S Virgin Islands and is designed to help
combat veterans in their readjustment to civilian life Vet Center staff
provide group individual and family counseling plus a wide range of
other services to include medical referral homeless veteran ser
vices employment services VA benefit referral and the brokering of
non VA services

Eligible veterans include those who served on active duty in a
combat theater during World War II the Korean War the Vietnam
War the Gulf War or the campaigns in Lebanon Grenada Panama
Somalia Bosnia Kosovo Afghanistan Iraq and the global War on
Terror Veterans who served in the active military during the Vietnam
Era but not in the Republic of Vietnam are also eligible provided
they requested services at a Vet Center before Jan 1 2004

The essential feature of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder is the development of characteristic symptoms following exposure to an extreme traumatic stressor involving direct personal experience of an event that involves actual or threatened death or serious injury, or other threat to one's physical integrity; or witnessing an event that involves death, injury,

Traumatic events that are experienced directly include, but are not limited to, military combat, violent personal assault (sexual assault, physical attack, robbery, mugging), being kidnapped, being taken hostage, terrorist attack, torture, incarceration as a prisoner of war or in a concentration camp, natural or manmade disasters, severe automobile accidents, or being diagnosed with a life-threatening illness.

The traumatic event can be reexperienced in various ways. Commonly, the person has recurrent and intrusive recollections of the event (Criterion B1) or recurrent distressing dreams during which the event is replayed (Criterion B2). In rare instances, the person experiences dissociative states that last from few seconds to several hours, or even days, during which components of the event are relived and the person behaves as though experiencing the event at that moment (Criterion B3). Intense psychological distress (Criterion B4) or physiological reactivity (Criterion B5) often occurs when the person is exposed to triggering events that resemble or symbolize an aspect of the traumatic event

Stimuli associated with the trauma are persistently avoided. The person commonly makes deliberate efforts to avoid thoughts, feeling, or conversations about the traumatic event (Criterion C1) and to avoid activities, situations, or people who arouse recollections of it (Criterion C2). This avoidance of reminders may include amnesia for an important aspect of the traumatic event (Criterion C3). Diminished responsiveness to the external world, referred to as "psychic numbing" or "emotional anesthesia," usually begins soon after the traumatic event.

The individual has persistent symptoms of anxiety or increased arousal that were not present before the trauma. These symptoms may include difficulty falling or staying asleep that may be due to recurrent nightmares during which the traumatic event is relived (Criterion D1), hyper-vigilance (Criterion D4), and exaggerated startle response (Criterion D5). Some individuals report irritability or outbursts or anger (Criterion D2) or difficulty concentrating or completing tasks (Criterion D3).

To prevail in a PTSD-based claim, you must establish that you have undergone a traumatic event or events (called a stressor) during your military service that would support a clinical diagnosis of PTSD. Unless your military records document that you were in combat with the enemy, your claimed stressor must be documented. A combat-related military occupational specialty (MOS) or combat-related awards or decorations (e.g., Combat Infantryman’s Badge or a Purple Heart) are examples of documented combat experience. However, if your service records do not demonstrate a combat-related MOS or decorations and you assert that you had experienced combat or enemy fire or attack, the VA is required to assist you in obtaining documentation that supports your claim (including researching government records) that could place you in a documented area of attack or an isolated hostile incident.

You are entitled to one copy of your entire VA claims file (or C-file) without charge. If you have ever had any official contact with the VA that relates to a claim for benefits, your claims file should contain all of the service and post-service medical records that the VA has, as well as any correspondence to or from the VA and adjudication-related documentation.

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DRտլGrafiX

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The following dialogue concerning disabled vets (of current war) was sent to me, and thought I'd send it to for your info and prayers.

Re: INTERNAL READ ON OWN TIME - Disabled Veterans

herdgunner2.jpg (82052 bytes) Hello to all,

Our BunKer`s once wrote to David Gorman, Exec Director of DAV, and asked if he had received any response from Rumsfeld, or The Dept of Defense, to his letter asking for some relief of the restrictions keeping DAV reps from speaking to combat casualties in US medical facilities.

His reply follows -

March 16, 2004

Dear Mr. Bunker:

   This will acknowledge receipt of your e-mail concerning access to wounded veterans at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.
   I have attached a copy of my letter to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, and my follow-up letter to Col. James R. Greenwood, MSC, on this subject. I hope that this sheds light on the subject for you. We have not yet resolved this issue with the Secretary?s office. The Disabled American Veterans (DAV) believes that this lack of access to newly disabled veterans is an outrage. This would be true regardless of which political party was responsible for it. We will stand by our position.

   Thank you for taking the time to write to us and for your interest in the DAV.

Sincerely,

DAVID W. GORMAN
Executive Director
Washington Headquarters

And this is the text of his reply to Col. Greenwood at Walter Reed Hosp -

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February 19, 2004

Col. James R. Greenwood, MSC
Deputy Commander for Administration
Walter Reed Army Medical Center
Washington, DC 20307-5001

Dear Col. Greenwood:

   Thank you for your response to our January 2, 2004, letter to Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld concerning the inaccessibility of combat casualties returning to military hospitals in the United States.
   While we recognize your concerns, you do not attempt to resolve the problems of access by Disabled American Veterans representatives to these patients. You repeat the same flawed rational to deny accessibility. Far too much emphasis is being placed on reasons to deny accessibility than seeking a resolution that will benefit the combat casualties now being treated at your military hospital, while also compiling with the restrictions mentioned in your letter.
   The DAV simply seeks to talk to these men and women to make them aware of their rights and benefits as wounded veterans. We do not seek access to their medical records, only the patients themselves. The DAV?s highly trained and professional National Service Officers pose no more of a security risk than the representatives of the Department of Veterans Affairs. All of our National Service Officers are service-connected disabled veterans, who have served and sacrificed for our nation in previous wars.
   Title 10, United States Code, ? 2679(a) provides: ?Upon certification to the Secretary concerned by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, the Secretary concerned shall allow accredited, paid, full-time representative of the organizations named in section 5902 of title 38, United States Code, or of other organizations recognized by the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, to function on military installations under the jurisdiction of that Secretary concerned that are on land and from which persons are discharged or released from active duty.? The DAV is specifically named in Section 5902 title 38, United States Code. This mandate is clearly being ignored.
   We have served in this service role, with the blessings of the U.S. Congress, throughout the history of our organization. It is only now that restrictions have been placed on our representatives and access is denied to wounded and injured service members. The men and women being treated at your military hospital have a right to know the benefits they have earned through their sacrifice. It is our conclusion that they are not getting adequate or accurate information and representation in order to pursue their rightful benefits and compensation.
   We have offered suggestions on how patient privacy and security concerns can be satisfied, while allowing the DAV to complete its federally charted mission of service. Under the present restrictions, these combat casualties quite simply cannot ask for our services if they don?t know who we are or what services we offer. It is inconceivable to me that this present administration would deny these wounded men and women knowledge of their rights and benefits by using a cloak of obfuscation and ignorance against them.

   I would certainly be agreeable to meet with you if you feel it is necessary.

   I look forward to your prompt reply.

Sincerely,

DAVID W. GORMAN
Executive Director
Washington Headquarters

DWG:sm
c:    President George W. Bush
Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi

           We ask and urge each of you to write a letter of support for, and agreement with DAV, to Rumsfeld, Bush, or your Representatives and your Senators. The policy of isolating the casualties makes no sense to Us, except in the context of administrative paranoia.

But… paranoia of what?

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Tax-free compensation available under CRSC program

Sept. 23, 2004

The increase in applications for the Combat Related Special Compensation pay, which officials expected to take place when the benefit was expanded to include all combat or related disabilities rated as service-connected by the Department of Veterans Affairs at 10 percent or higher, has just not happened.

The CRSC staff in the Air Force Personnel Center (AFPC), thinking the lack of participation may be because many retired members have still not heard about the program or perhaps are confusing the CRSC criteria with that of Concurrent Retirement Disability Payments (CRDP), are making an all out effort to spread the word. When in doubt - apply. It may very well be the key to receiving additional tax-free money.

The CRSC Branch has processed more than 11,800 applications with an approval rate of 66 percent, but this number of applications is just a drop in the bucket compared to the number that might be eligible. That figure probably ranges between 50,000 and 100,000.

The same officials note that CRSC is awarded to active duty military retirees with 20 years or more active duty or Reservists and Air Guardsmen who have retired at age 60 and who have a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) disability which may be combat related.

Although CRSC specifically addresses "combat-related" disabilities, retirees who developed disabilities from other than actual combat may be eligible. Disabilities due to exposure to Agent Orange, combat training, simulated war exercises, parachuting and munitions demolition, along with all other types of hazardous service, are all examples that may be compensated.

Officials point out that eligible retirees may also receive individual Unemployment (IU) payments and increased CRSC adjusted for dependents which were not provided in the original provision.

Veterans receiving VA compensation, even those already receiving CRDP, should send in all documentation which addresses how the disability came about and let the CRSC staff determine if the disabilities qualify for the program. Retired members may not receive CRDP and CRSC concurrently but because CRSC is non taxable, it may be more beneficial. Those eligible for both can determine on an annual basis which is best since what is best in the beginning may not be later as CRDP is phased in over a 10-year period.

Send documents to Disability Division (CRSC) 550 C Street West, Suite 6, Randolph AFB, TX 78150-4708.

Appropriate supporting documentation includes, but is not limited to the following:

* Department of Defense Form 214, Certificate of Release from Active Duty.
* Air Force Form 356, Findings and Recommended Disposition of USAF Physical
Evaluation Board.
* Retirement orders.
* Purple Heart citation and orders.
* Any documentation indicating combat-related findings.
* Assignment or temporary duty orders.
* Medical records.

* Any VA disability rating decisions made within the last year.

For more information, retirees should call the CRSC Branch at (210) 565-1600 or call the AFPC Contact Center, toll free at

1 (866) 229-7074. Information and applications are available at base military personnel flights or online at https://www.dmdc.osd.mil/crsc/

Air Force applicants can print and send the application and any supporting documentation to the address listed above. Contact the Air Force CRSC website at: www.afpc.randolph.af.mil/disability/CRSC/CRSCnew.htm

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Any0ne Out there Still Airborne ? Send us Y0ur stories~

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Who Your Friends Are

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A story is told about a soldier who was finally coming home after having fought in Vietnam. He called his parents from San Francisco. "Mom and Dad, I'm coming home, but I've a favor to ask. I have a friend I'd like to bring home with me." "Sure," they replied, "we'd love to meet him."

"There's something you should know” the son continued, "he was hurt pretty badly in the fighting. He stepped on a land mine and lost an arm and a leg. He has nowhere else to go, and I want him to come live with us."

"I'm sorry to hear that, son. Maybe we can help him find somewhere to live." "No, Mom and Dad, I want him to live with us." "Son," said the father, "you don't know what you're asking. Someone with such a handicap would be a terrible burden on us. We have our own lives to live, and we can't let something like this interfere with our lives. I think you should just come home and forget about this guy. He'll find a way to live on his own."

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At that point, the son hung up the phone. The parents heard nothing more from him. A few days later, however, they received a call from the San Francisco police. Their son had died after falling from a building, they were told. The police believed it was suicide. The grief-stricken parents flew to San Francisco and were taken to the city morgue to identify the body of their son. They recognized him, but to their horror they also discovered something they didn't know, their son had only one arm and one leg.

The parents in this story are like many. We find it easy to love those who are good-looking or fun to have around, but we don't like people who inconvenience us or make us feel uncomfortable. We would rather stay away from people who aren't as healthy, beautiful, or smart as we are.

Thankfully, there's someone who won't treat us that way. Someone who loves us with an unconditional love that welcomes us into the forever family, regardless of how messed up we are.

Tonight, before you tuck yourself in for the night, say a little prayer that God will give you the strength you need to accept people as they are, and to help us all be more understanding of those who are different from us.

There's a miracle called Friendship That dwells in the heart . You don't know how it happens Or when it gets started, But you know the special lift It always brings And you realize that …

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most precious gift.

NC.jpg (1914 bytes) “Friends,” are a very rare jewel, indeed. They make you smile and encourage you to succeed… They lend an ear, they share a word of praise, and they always want to open their hearts to us. Show your friends how much you Care?