National Vietnam War Veterans Day
March 29 is National Vietnam War Veterans Day. The Vietnam War was a long, costly armed conflict that pitted the communist regime of North Vietnam, Viet Cong and its allies in the Soviet Union, against south Vietnam and its principle ally, the United States. More than 3 million people were killed in the war. More than half were civilians. By 1969, at the peak of the U.S. involvement in the war, more than 500,000 U.S. service men were involved in the war. The dates that are used are Jan. 9, 1962 to May 7, 1975. For the United States, there were over 58,169 killed in the war. The average age of a service member was 23. The youngest killed was 16 years old and the oldest was 62. 11,456 were less than 20 years old. The average age of a man that fought in WWII was 26 years old. There was a powerful defoliant that was used by the United States, its nick name was Agent Orange. It was used to eliminate forest cover for the North Vietnamese and the Viet Cong, as well as crops that might be used by them. The U.S. program, code named Operation Ranch Hand, sprayed more than 19 million gallons of the herbicides over 4.5 million acres of land in Vietnam from 1961 to 1972. Agent Orange, which contained the chemical dioxin, was the most commonly used of the herbicide mixtures, and most effective. It was later revealed to cause serious health issues, including tumors, birth defects, rashes, psychological symptoms and cancer, among returning U.S. service members and their families as well as among the Vietnamese population. Don’t forget to fly your American flag proudly on this very important day.
Camp Lejeune Exposure Update
For years, the VFW has worked with Congress and VA to establish a streamlined disability compensation process for veterans who suffer from health conditions associated with exposure to toxic water at Camp Lejeune. This week, VA began to implement a rule which established a presumptive service connection for veterans, reservists and guardsmen exposed to contaminants in the water supply at Camp Lejeune from Aug. 1, 1953, through Dec. 31, 1987, who later developed one of the following eight diseases: adult leukemia; aplastic anemia and myelodysplastic syndromes; bladder cancer; kidney cancer; liver cancer; multiple myeloma; non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma; and Parkinson’s disease. If you are an affected veteran and would like assistance with a VA claim, contact a credited service officer to help get a claim filled. If you do not file a claim, you will not be compensated.
Hearings on Sequestration Held
The House Armed Services Subcommittees held several hearings last week on the impact sequestration and continuing resolutions have had on the military services. Army, Marine Corps and Navy officials testified on the impact budget cuts and budget instability have had on modernization and readiness. Across the board, the services testified that instability caused by continuing resolutions and budget caps are forcing the services to choose between current readiness and future modernization efforts, causing shortfalls in maintenance and other key areas. They also testified that it is inhibiting their ability to effectively plan to meet current and future threats, which results in increased risk for service members and our nation. The Air Force is set to testify on Thursday next week.
SASA hearing on Marine Corps Scandal
Last Tuesday, the Senate Armed Services Committee held a hearing on the Marine Corps’ ongoing investigation into the “Marines United” website scandal. Acting Secretary of the Navy Sean J. Stackley, Commandant of the Marine Corps General Robert B. Neller and Sergeant Major of the Marine Corps Ronald L. Green testified on steps the Marine Corps is taking to identify and punish Marines who participated on the site, which shared nude photos of female Marines and included comments that advocated the denigration, harassment and, in some cases, sexual assault of these women.
POW/MIA Update
* Maax C. Hammer, Jr., 25, of Cairo, Ill., was buried March 21 in Carbondale, Ill. Hammer, formerly in the U.S. Army Air Corps Reserve, was among a small group of American pilots training with the Flying Tigers to battle Japanese forces invading China in 1941. Hammer was killed during a training mission on Sep. 22, 1941, when his plane crashed near Toungoo, Burma, after a heavy rainstorm. * Army Air Forces 2nd Lt. John D. Mumford, 22, of St. Petersburg, Fl., will be buried March 23, in his hometown. Mumford was a P-51C “Mustang” pilot assigned to the 318th Fighter Squadron, 325th Fighter Group, 15th Air Force. On June 6, 1944, Mumford flew escort for B-17 “Flying Fortress” bombers on their mission to bomb and destroy a German occupied airfield at Galati, Romania. * Navy Fireman 1st Class Charles R. Casto was assigned to the USS Oklahoma, which was moored off Ford Island in Pearl Harbor, Hawaii, when Japanese aircraft attacked his ship on Dec. 7, 1941. Interment services are pending. * Army Cpl. Billie J. Jimerson was a member of Company C, 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry Regiment, 25th Infantry Division. In late November 1950, his unit engaged with enemy forces near Anju, North Korea. Jimerson could not be accounted for after the battle and was declared missing in action as of Nov. 28, 1950. Interment services are pending. * Army Pfc. Robert E. Mitchell was a member of Company F, 2nd Battalion, 38th Infantry Regiment, 2nd Infantry Division. On Sept 6, 1950, North Korean forces penetrated the Naktong Bulg portion of the Pusan Perimeter near Am-sin, South Korea, and engaged with Mitchell’s unit. Interment services are pending.
Till next week, praying for all service members.
– Charles Castelluccio
