M1/M2 Carbines in Ken Burns "Vietnam" on PBS

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Originally Posted by DaveHH

when he was still alive

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SLA Marshall.... aka Gen Slam !

IIRC, without having the time to look it up right now, I believe Hack died from the results of Agent Blue. Went to Mexico for an alternative/experimental medical treatment. IDK, but may have been Kidneys or Gall bladder. Died..... early 2000's ?

D Hackworth started out as a young teenage post WwII in the Merchant Marines.
I remember Dan Rather trying to pin him down about whether or not he was (insert better term here)allowed, entitled or qualified for the Ranger Tab... memory foggy here.
Either way I'll always remember his "Out Guerrilla the Guerrilla Fighters " using their tactics against them.

After he left Vietnam, when they went after his old unit for possible War Crimes, I can remember the newspaper that dug in on that. It was the Toledo Blade. I can remember because a good friend and team mates' Father was one of the Editors. I'll guess saying late 60's at that time. Editors (one that I knew) was last named Brinson. Who quit his job over the potential hanging of Hack. Brinson moved on to the Detroit News or Free press (Don't remember which).

IMO.... An American Hero whose Tiger Force tactics could have changed that war if it wasn't for the political climate.
Remember him challenging the Navy Admiral over the (?) service ribbons? That Navy Admiral committed suicide before being questioned by the reporter Hackworth.

Where's the movie about him?

CH-P777

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Originally Posted by imarangemaster

My draft number was 322, but I enlisted in the Army at 22 (1974), even though my brother had threaten to shoot me if I enlisted - he did not want me going over. By 74 the threat had worn off, though and I went in anyway, even though I was married and had a one kid and another on the way.

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Why was your brother upset, enlisting in 1974 was a safe bet. We got out of Vietnam in April 1973.

A few additional thoughts about those years... When I went in the service at the end of 1967 the anti-war stuff was just beginning to heat up (and the small school I had been going to still hadn't seen any dope at all - in northwest Alabama...). Most that I knew were reasonably patriotic, although more than a few with no idea of what military service might entail were simply scared enough of the thought of war that they stayed in school... All of that would change. I didn't get to Vietnam until 1971 and by then, where I was, Phu Bai and points north, things were just falling apart. In fact when I left the place I was in one of the first groups that had to undergo urinalysis to get out of VietNam... True story, they took 200 of us to a locked down compound and made us pee in a bottle in small groups under the watchful eyes of MP's... The idea was to identify those with serious heroin problems and get them some treatment before out-processing them.... Not exactly a tale of wartime heroism. Some of the guys in line with me were shaking so badly you wouldn't need a **** test to tell they were in withdrawal...

I was an Army brat, born in an Army hospital in Germany, just a few years after the big war... Mother Canadian, Dad a young Army officer, I grew up on one base or another around the world so I was definitely favorably inclined towards the service. The things I saw over in country pretty much cured me of that...

Years later when my dad passed away my mom was assigned a young assistance officer to help her with all the paperwork involved. We were a bit surprised to learn that non-Hodgkins lymphoma (the proximate cause of his passing at age 78) was considered service connected for anyone that served in VietNam... something about agent orange was the speculation although the only connection was simply a much higher death rate from that disease for anyone who'd been in-country...

I urge every veteran who had feet on ground or traveled from certain vessels back and forth from ship to land to go check in with the VA. There are many diseases that they are now relating to agent orange. Some you may not have considered. High blood pressure, prostate cancer, and 12 others. Age is of no comcern to start receiving compensation and treatment. Perscriptions can also be covered. There can be other benefits as well. Some places, (Home Depot for one) give a 10% discount if you have a VA card.

At a minium, hearing is a 10% disability, who doesn't have that from all the firing we did.

We have earned whatever they are willing to give. If you have any of these and get compensation, then later pass because of one of them, your wife will get about 50% of your compensation for the rest of her life. Don't get confused with all the paperwork. Most places have a County Verteran's service office. Run by ex military people that will actually do and file the paperwork for you electronically. It goes through a lot quicker when they do it, and they know all the T's to cross and I's to dot.

And you might be surprised at the amounts related to each percentage. It can be sizable and make a big difference in your living. Oh yeah, it's tax free too.

10%....=$133.57 a month
50%....=$919.64 a month
100%..=$3078.11 a month wowza!!!!

Below I've attached the sites showing the issues related that they will cover, and the compesation tables.

Go in, get checked, and on the agent orange registry. No reason for not or waiting.



Veterans' Diseases Associated with Agent Orange - Public Health

Veterans Compensation Benefits Rate Tables - Effective 12/1/16 - Compensation

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Originally Posted by JimF4M1s

hearing is a 10% disability,

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I got 5% without even putting in for it...(Canada)

Hmmm... I have a rare Leukemia (one that is commonly from agent orange exposure) that VA is already treating me for since 2011. My Oncologist assumed I had been in country, and was surprised when I said I wasn't. I was, however, stationed at Oakland Army Base at the piers, and at times handle or guarded sensitive items that came back. we drove a V100 Armor car around (I was an MP) that we offloaded from a boat, and it was covered with sticky stuff. He thinks I may have had exposure. Several of my vet friends tell me to file a claim, but I did not want to feel like a poseur!

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Originally Posted by JimF4M1s

Why was your brother upset, enlisting in 1974 was a safe bet. We got out of Vietnam in April 1973.

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I enlisted in the MPs, who were still active in country until the fall in 1975. Only front line combat troops had been withdrawn. In fact at the MP School at Ft. Gordon, they came around offering bonuses for MPs to volunteer for SE Asia, Vietnam specifically (though they weren't broadcasting it). My wife who was there, living off post with our daughter, put an end to any thoughts I had about it. My brother thought I was making an end run around him.,

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Originally Posted by imarangemaster

at the MP School at Ft. Gordon

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Is that in GA ?

I ask because I've spent a few hours looking after wondering where testing and storage may have been done.
This link shows the US testing the 'Agents' since back in 1944. I see testing was, among other places, done at Ft. Gordon, GA. in 66-67.
Haven't found where it was stored.

https://www.publichealth.va.gov/docs...de_vietnam.pdf

Then came upon this about the planes used to spray it.
Along with : Herbicides were also used by the U.S. military to defoliate military facilities in the U.S. and in other countries as far back as the 1950s.

Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange - Compensation

Millions of more gallons used than stated by DOD.
If these planes were contaminated... what about any returning equipment?

Charlie-Painter777

Really, that's interesting....We spent some time in the boonies at Gordon doing out tactical and convoy training, including some icky swamp water.

In C130s, CV2, Hueys and occasionally in C123s. Those were the Agent Orange aircraft. You would climb in the back of these aircraft and they were usually a wreck inside. No wheel covers, so you'd be enjoying a smooth takeoff and suddenly a 6' tall filthy dirty wheel would rise up still doing 150mph throwing crap all over the inside where the people were. Literally a spinning 300lb chunk of rubber within a foot of you. If they had done some agent orange, you were now sitting in it.

I have peripheral neuropathy, my legs and feet have no feeling from the shin down, I have had it for 15 years. Doctors think that it is diabetes until they check the pulse and it is wonderful in the feet and legs. It is the number one complaint of VN vets and unless you claimed it withing 6 months of discharge, tough titty. I was 23 years old at that time and so tough titty. I had no high blood pressure when I was drafted and I had it when I got out. There was a lot of really bad stuff going on over there, fevers, parasites.....I can't imagine what Jim was exposed to down in the filthy delta of the Mekong .