My brother's name is not on the Vietnam Wall because...

[Freedomofspeech]

the plane he and 79 other young men were killed in went down
in the Philippines on their way to Vietnam.  Since they never
made it to Vietnam, they refuse to put their names on the
wall.  It has been so frustrating to me over the years because
no one will help with this.  Joe had just turned 21 and had
been married for a month.  He had already enrolled in school
to become a teacher when he got back.  I have been to the Wall
twice, and it breaks my heart not to see his name on there.

[dflprincess]

1. There are a lot of names that should be on the wall that aren't

My cousin died almost 30 years after he got home and his death was a direct result of the wounds he suffered over there. Then there are all the vets who've died because of their exposure to Agent Orange. As far as I'm concerned, they should all be added to the wall.

[Freedomofspeech]

2. Your cousin's name should definitely go on the Wall...

there was just a post about that earlier today. His family should check in to it.

[TomInTib]

3. Oh, there are numerous guys..

A lot of my guys bought it in Laos.

Not a single one is on The Wall because we weren't in Laos. Remember?

We weren't there.

Got it, Soldier?

Good.

[lazyriver]

15. Wow, your post just brought back an old memory...

one I hadn't thought about directly in at least 15 years. My father served two tours in 68 & 69 as a door gunner in a Chinook and sometimes Huey with the 1st Air Cav. Once and only once did he discuss his experiences in the war with me. I was 14 years old and was really into war movies, especially Viet Nam war movies that were coming out regularly at that time. I knew my dad served and that he never talked about it despite the constant fishing for information from his young teenage son who wanted to "know everything" about what his dad did in the war. One day I asked him if he thought the movie, Platoon, seemed accurate and realistic to him. A very strange look came across his face and he slowly shook his head.

He told me to have a seat in the living room and that he'd be right back. He went to the attic and retrieved a footlocker and some old boxes. I spent the afternoon going through all the stuff while he set up an old slide projector and was organizing photos he had taken during his service. After I got done laying out all the memorabilia and a bunch of medals (which included a silver star, a bronze star and a list of medals whose names have long since faded from memory)he started showing me slides he took during his tours. He was quite the avid photographer back then and documented most of his missions (sometimes secretly)with photos. They started out with shots of him and his buddies hanging out at bases or camps hamming it up for the camera and acting like 18-21 year-olds act.

As his slide show proceeded, more "action shots" were included. He had aerial images of Agent Orange being dropped in huge white clouds, the aftermath of the jungle after it had worked it's magic, billowing fire balls of napalm drops and many more images of the horrors of war that up until that point I had thought were cool. Then he showed me a photo taken directly out the side door of his Chinook looking at three other choppers flying alongside him. They were pretty close, flying in a tight formation on their way to drop supplies and reinforcements to grunts on the ground in a hostile area. You could see a few of the guys in the doors of the other choppers waving or flashing the peace sign to the camera. My father's eyes welled up with tears as he started quietly speaking names as if he was calling soldiers to attention. He named more than a dozen guys, maybe even more than 20 and then got really quiet. He stared at the image projected on the living room wall and he quietly cried for a minute (first and only time I've ever seen him cry). When he composed himself he went on to tell me about five minutes after he took the photo, every chopper except for his got shot out of the sky from the most intense ground fire he had ever witnessed. He said it seemed like the entire jungle was shooting up at them from every direction. His Chinook took heavy fire too killing one of his closest friends seated right behind him. The pilot took evasive action and immediately retreated back to base before they had to ditch.

The part of the story which directly relates to your post is when I made the comment to him, "I couldn't imagine what would have happened if you got shot down in Viet Nam", he answered, "Me neither, but we were flying over Laos at the time, not Viet Nam, even though we were all told that we were NEVER in Laos". He showed me a medal he received related to that mission (don't remember which one but I think it was one of the two stars). He still had a document that accompanied it and it stated the incident occurred in enemy territory in North Viet Nam. He said his buddies that died that day deserved better than to be lied about at best and forgotten at worst. The Viet Nam Vet's Memorial had been "completed" only a few years earlier and he knew there were many whose names were not nor ever would be on it.

We never got past that slide of the other choppers with the doomed smiling faces staring back at his camera even though he had loaded dozens more. We didn't have to. It was the first time in my life I ever felt like I understood my father and understood that look he sometimes got in his eyes. I suddenly realized what an incredible feat it was for him to be such a relatively well-adjusted man despite having been through such hell. I gained so much respect for him I felt very humbled in his presence and still do to this day. It was also the first time I got an ever so tiny glimpse into the cold hard reality of war. All the "Viet Nam movies" that continued to come out in the next couple of years failed to interest me any longer. I had grown up. That moment in time 21 years ago changed my views on war forever. Everyone should have to see war for what it really is. Maybe then more people would be marching in the streets trying to stop this current one.

Sorry for the long book and straying from the original topic, but your words triggered powerful memories.

[never cry wolf]

18. Quite a poignant post, thanks

It probably deserves it's own thread somewhere.

My dad was navy in WWII but never saw any action. His dad, however, was with the American Expeditionary Force in Europe in WWI, 2nd Division under Pershing and saw a lot of action. He died when I was 5 so I never really knew him but my dad said that he could never get him to talk about it.

War is hell...

[indepat]

4. Politicians always want to hide the true cost in lives, blood, guts, limbs, brains,

and treasure of post WWII wars/other ventures/incursions to make the world safe for democracy, stop the spread of godless communism, overthrow left-leaning governments, and fight the war on terra which, so far, has mostly been a war for empire, hegemony, and oil, a la Iraq.

[slampoet]

6. There's a lot of Vet's children who died from Agent Orange exposure.

In fact my Uncle just had his second grandchild and it was the second grandchild born with Agent Orange caused birth defects.

[Stinky The Clown]

5. Once they're out of uniform - under whatever circumstances - no one gives a shit anymore.

This is an age-old problem.

I agree, your bother deserves to be on the wall.

So should a whole lotta guys who were alive back then and are gone now. And have been gone ... for a a while .... and some who are still with us but who suffer - and will die - directly as a result of what happened to them some 30 or 40 odd years ago.

[Lochloosa]

7. Question? Have you walked into your local Reps office

and asked for a meeting?

I am sure of the answer, but people don't seem to understand this is the best way to get something done on the federal level.

[Name removed]

13. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Lochloosa]

17. Wonder what I missed?

:shrug:

[roguevalley]

8. My cousin Ross Paxton died of agent orange poisoning after the

war. He's not there either. I am sorry for your cousin and your family. I know how hard it is. He deserves to be there too.

[ThomWV]

9. The Walking Dead From That War Are In Ever City and Every Town Too

Living under bridges and over grates ...

[barbtries]

10. it belongs there

your brother and how many others?

[Morgana LaFey]

11. I'm sorry.

You're right, it should be there.

[Manifestor_of_Light]

12. Our neighbor's middle son died years later from Agent Orange.

Very sad.

[madeline_con]

14. Go to petitions online, make a petition, and post a link.

I'll sign, dammit! :patriot:

[Hobarticus]

16. I'm sorry; I never would have thought that it wouldn't be...

I mean, he was active duty, in-transit to his posting; there's no reason why he wouldn't be.

[faithnotgreed]

19. i want to keep this on the front page

this is a painful but needed "reminder" for this suffering that goes on and on - in so many ways touching so many lives

heres to all those who are suffering
you are not alone and the memories and feelings you hold are important

thank you for sharing something so meaningful with us