Posted on 06/30/2008 9:54:41 AM PDT by Right Winged American
News Release
Date: 26 June, 2008
From: website, www.BlueWaterNavy.org
Note: This article refers to proposed changes to the rules defining 'Service in Vietnam' set forth by the Department of Veterans Affairs in response to the 'Haas vs. Peake' decision in the Federal Circuit Court of Appeals.
By the implementation of changes as set forth in the Federal Register, April 16, 2008, regarding "Definition of Service in the Republic of Vietnam," for the purpose of clarifying eligibility for presumption of exposure to herbicides status, the DVA very clearly states and reiterates its stance that "38 CFR 2.307(e)(6)(iii) does not provide a presumption of herbicide exposure to a Vietnam Era veteran who never set foot on land in the Republic of Vietnam and did not service on its inland waterways." What this action accomplishes, in addition to the relationship to herbicide exposure, is a re-designation of all veterans into two clearly distinct categories: Vietnam War veterans and Vietnam Era veterans. The VA is careful to keep this distinction of Vietnam Era veterans when referring to veterans who "never set foot on land in the Republic of Vietnam."
This re-writing of history began at least 4 years ago and can be seen quite clearly in a presentation made by Dan Brown, Director of the Environmental Agents Service, in November, 2004 in the "Science for Judges" Symposium, held annually at Brooklyn Law School. In that presentation, Brown says that those veterans not covered by the Agent Orange Act of 1991 are "non-Vietnam veterans" and "non-Vietnam War veterans." These are not typographical errors on the part of the VA. They are well thought out titles developed in their new emphasis on who is covered by the Agent Orange Act and who is not. They are titles meant to separate "boots-on-the-ground veterans" (often referred to as in-country veterans) from all other Armed Forces participants in that Southeast Asian War. Read this carefully. It is the creation of a very well-defined rift, a division, within the ranks of Vietnam War veterans. It is part of a campaign to "divide and conquer" which will have immense negative impact on these veterans as well as all present and future veterans. It gives the DVA the power to segment groups of veterans for the purpose of withholding or bestowing VA benefits on selected groups from any current or future armed conflict.
All aircraft pilots who flew off aircraft carriers during the time of the Vietnam War, as stipulated by the DVA to be January 9, 1962 to May 7, 1975, are therefore Vietnam Era veterans, as they are all Blue Water Navy veterans. They are also non-Vietnam War veterans. All jet fighter pilots who may have flown in the "airspace above" the Republic of Vietnam, or above North Vietnam or any of the surrounding countries, are also exempt from herbicide coverage and therefore are titled Vietnam Era veterans. Furthermore, all US Navy pilots who were shot down over North Vietnam, who landed by parachute in North Vietnam, and were not fortunate to have landed in the Republic of Vietnam, fall under this re-written definition of Vietnam Era veterans. A pilot from an aircraft carrier who became a POW and was kept in captivity anywhere but on the soil of the Republic of Vietnam, is now officially referred to as non-Vietnam War veterans. All POWs who spent time in the prison called the Hanoi Hilton, or any other place not located in South Vietnam, receive this new title as well.
John McCain, Jim Stockdale and all others in this predicament have been re-classified by the Department of Veterans Affairs as Vietnam Era veterans. Public reference to them as Vietnam War veterans is incorrect, per the new re-written history presented by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Our Presidential Candidate should no longer refer to himself as a veteran of the Vietnam War. This title is being stripped from him by the DVA. And just imagine the embarrassment of having to remove names chiseled in the stone the Vietnam Memorial Wall.
The DVA issued a Notice of Proposed Rule Making (NPRM) on April 16, 2008 to change the "definition of Service in the Republic of Vietnam". The Public Response period on that NPRM ended June 18. A copy of that entire Federal Register Notice is here --> http://edocket.access.gpo.gov/2008/pdf/E8-8091.pdf . At this point in time, it is projected that this rule will be published and become DVA doctrine before the end of the month of July and probably be back dated to 6/19/2008 - unless some special intervention takes place.
In the Federal Register NPRM of April 16, (link given above) in the middle of the first paragraph of the section "Supplementary Information" you will find reference to "...a Vietnam Era veteran who never set foot on land...." The language is very specific of a pattern that has been showing itself over recent years. The DVA has been moving in this direction since it "illegally" removed Blue Water Navy veterans (Navy, Coast Guard, Marine and some Air Force veterans) from eligibility for receipt of service-connected VA Health Care as well as from receipt of any service-connected compensation for disabilities from the "presumptive eligibility" status for effects of dioxin, which is found in Agent Orange. The initial withdrawal of that presumptive eligibility status for a specific class of Vietnam veteran actually occurred in February, 2002. This was done despite the fact that several studies, including one by the CDC, indicated that water-born veterans had a higher incidence of dioxin-caused disease and disability by a factor in excess of 20%.
Both the latest VA NPRM on the "definition of service in the Republic of Vietnam" and a 2004 presentation of VA Director Dan Brown specifically indicate that, upon implementation of the Proposed Rule, the DVA will also be puting into play a nomenclature change of great significance.
According to the Brown presentation of 2004, only individuals who served with "boots on the ground" in South Vietnam would be referred to as "Vietnam War veterans." All others in the Vietnam War, between 1962 and 1975, would be referred to as Vietnam Era veterans or non-Vietnam War veterans.
Click the hyper link in the discussion of Dan Brown's paper found at http://www.bluewaternavy.org/brownpaper.htm and then find and click on the following statement, below the bulleted paragraph, which contains the name of his presentation:
"The Role of Science in Department of Veterans Affairs Disability Compensation Policies for Environmental and Occupational Illnesses and Injuries. It appears in Vol. XIII No. 2 Journal of Law & Policy (2005). "
You will be taken to a copy of Brown's paper. On Page 604 (Journal of Law and Policy) you will find his explanation for usage of this distinctive new name for two classes of veterans. This language has been carefully crafted to be in lock step with their Master Plan which has unfolded over the past six years.
It strips everyone whose feet did not touch the soil of "the Republic of Vietnam," which refers to South Vietnam, of the title of a War veteran as well as strips them of the benefits of a War veteran.
Are they next going to say that McCain was not a Prisoner of War? Because since the VA now says that he is not a veteran of the Vietnam WAR. So how can they say that he was a POW when, according to their twisted logic, he is not even the veteran of the war?
God, I detest the VA.
I don’t get it. Can you explain this out? How does a veteran become not a veteran?
Now I’m wondering if I have to give my combat action ribbon back.
Remember this sad fact. It was “W” who launched the war against veterans with the anti-veteran appointments he made.
...regarding "Definition of Service in the Republic of Vietnam," for the purpose of clarifying eligibility for presumption of exposure to herbicides status....
This headline is complete cr@p. I feel bad for the Freepers, esp. the VN vets, who fall for it. The VA is doing no such thing. And if you read the whole thing, you’ll see that.
“Sounds like this is being driven by the potential herbicide”
It sounds like the VA is trying to distinguish the potentially exposed vets from those who weren’t, but they’re making the distinction with what looks like political motives. One of the biggest errors of the GWB presidency is his failure to de-louse the bureaucracy of the Clinton vermin.
I smell the mother of all blow-backs if the VA tries this.
Yep, but he and all the others are now exempt (doesn't count). Plus all Air Force pilots and crew who were out of Thailand.
Now a 'Vietnam War Veteran' is only one who was 'in country', boots on the ground in South Vietnam. (That's all in the article.) Ergo, war hero Kerry (sarc) IS a Vietnam Vet, McCain or Adm William Stockdale (tortured the most) are not. They're just Vietnam 'Era' Vets.
Anyone who does this should be pelted with eggs wherever they go. Their houses should be found and picketed day and night, and harrassed every moment until this decision is reversed. My God what this man suffered and what an insult to the FIVE generations of his family’s military service to America.
I see that. And I thought only AP headlines were misleading ...
Judging from what Jay Rockefeller had to say recently about McQueeg’s murder of innocent civilians via fighter plane, watch for a claim that he was “an illegal combatant, not subject to the terms of the Geneva Convention.”
Say it isn’t so,
I wish I cold. But I can't.
I've been banging this drum for two years now. (Search: Blue Water Navy on this site...)
Further: McCain gets about 50k in veterans benefits. I do not know how much, if any, is due to Agent Orange exposure due to drinking TCDD contaminated evaporator water aboard the Forestall, but if this passes, he will have to return all of it, from the date he began receiving it.
I know, some of my shipmates who received it in the '90s had to do so!
And No, I'm not kidding...
All aircraft pilots who flew off aircraft carriers during the time of the Vietnam War, as stipulated by the DVA to be January 9, 1962 to May 7, 1975, are therefore Vietnam Era veterans, as they are all Blue Water Navy veterans. They are also non-Vietnam War veterans. All jet fighter pilots who may have flown in the "airspace above" the Republic of Vietnam, or above North Vietnam or any of the surrounding countries, are also exempt from herbicide coverage and therefore are titled Vietnam Era veterans. Furthermore, all US Navy pilots who were shot down over North Vietnam, who landed by parachute in North Vietnam, and were not fortunate to have landed in the Republic of Vietnam, fall under this re-written definition of Vietnam Era veterans. A pilot from an aircraft carrier who became a POW and was kept in captivity anywhere but on the soil of the Republic of Vietnam, is now officially referred to as non-Vietnam War veterans. All POWs who spent time in the prison called the Hanoi Hilton, or any other place not located in South Vietnam, receive this new title as well. John McCain, Jim Stockdale and all others in this predicament have been re-classified by the Department of Veterans Affairs as Vietnam Era veterans. Public reference to them as Vietnam War veterans is incorrect, per the new re-written history presented by the Department of Veterans Affairs. Our Presidential Candidate should no longer refer to himself as a veteran of the Vietnam War. This title is being stripped from him by the DVA. And just imagine the embarrassment of having to remove names chiseled in the stone the Vietnam Memorial Wall.
Now what exactly are we misinterpreting?
(heavy sarcasm)
Exactly. So?
If this is adopted, (and there is no reason to believe it won't, it did before!) it excludes an entire group of veterans from receiving benefits from exposure to Agent Orange depending on where they were standing, not how they were exposed. (see reports relating to AO contaminants and shipboard evaporator distillers. Pay particular attention to the reports of concentration and enhancement of the Dioxins by copper during the distilling process.
Then note the facts found by the National Academy of Science's Institute of Medicine and Center for Disease Control's reports. There are MORE Dioxin related diseases found in Navy Vietnam veterans than were found in land based services.
This can of worms is gonna blow-back. I hope I survive my Leukemia long enough to see us acknowledged.
But I probably won't.
I’ve always referred to myself as a “Viet Nam Era” Veteran because I never “served” in Viet Nam. But, in 1973 I was sitting on the tarmac in Saigon when the pilot announced the cease fire would take place at midnight that night. So, I guess that makes me a “Viet Nam” veteran. Then again, I never got off the plane so I never “set foot” in Viet Nam. I’m so confused.
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