Vietnam Veterans of America “Stanley E. Taylor” Chapter 196

Lynchburg, Virginia

Apr. 11th - Chapter monthly

meeting at 6:00 PM at the

American Legion on Greenview

Drive. Take notice of the new

starting time.

Apr. 11th - AVVA Members of

Chapter 196 at 6:00 PM at the

American Legion on Greenview

Drive.

Apr. 28, 2017 - Red, White

and Blue Dance American

Legion 7:00 PM

May 13, 2017 - Lynchburg

Music Festival - The Chapter

will need 40 volunteers to help

pour beer. Contact David

Stokes to volunteer.

May 20, 2017 - Lynch Texas

Roadhouse event. See page 5.

April 1, 2017 Vol 9. Issue 4

Inside this Edition

Upcoming Events

President’s Comments

“The LisTening PosT”

Vietnam Events Sep 1950 - Apr 1954

Sep 1950 - US Military Advisors

in Saigon - The first group of

U.S. military advisors—the U.S.

Military Assistance Advisory

Group (MAAG)—arrives in Sai-

gon.

Nov 1952 - Ike Wins - Republi-

can Dwight D. Eisenhower is

elected President of the United

States. Richard M. Nixon is

elected as his Vice President.

Feb 10, 1954 - Eisenhower

Rejects Troop Commitment -

President Eisenhower refuses to

commit American troops to the

Franco-Vietnamese War. In a

press conference he states, "I

cannot conceive of a greater

tragedy for America than to get

heavily involved now in an all-

out war in any of those regions."

Mar 13, 1954 - Dien Bien Phu

Begins - The Viet Minh launch-

es its first assault on French

forces at Dien Bien Phu. The

battle will rage for over two

months.

Apr 1954 - Eisenhower De-

bates Intervention - President

Eisenhower's administration

revisits the question of direct

intervention in the Franco-

Vietnamese War.

Apr 17, 1954 - Nixon Supports

Troop Commitment - In a

speech before the press, Vice

President Richard Nixon ex-

plains that "if to avoid further

Communist expansion in Asia

and Indochina we must take the

risk now of putting our boys in, I

think the Executive has to take

the politically unpopular deci-

sion and do it."

President’s Comments 1

March Meeting Minutes 2

AVVA Happenings 2

Update on Camp Lejeune 2

VA, DOD Study PTSD 3

Cpt. Daniel Thomas, MIA 3

NC & VA Widespread Inac-

curacies 4

Adaptive Golf Program 5

To the members and associates

of Chapter 196,

While attending the State

Council meeting last month, we

had a very interesting presenta-

tion about Hepatitis C. If you

will recall, Jerry Knowlton, our

editor, had a report about this in

one of his articles. There are

some more additional things to

add to what has already been

reported on the subject of Hep-

C:

1. One in three Vietnam vets

probably have this virus,

2. If you were in a battle and

got any blood on you from

a wounded buddy,

3. While in basic training and

you got your shots with an

air gun.

If any one of these items

happened to you, then you need

to be tested for Hep-c. If hep-C

is detected, it is 100% curable

and you only have to take one

pill for twelve weeks. That is it!

Guys, Hepatitis C can kill you if

not treated. The virus can lie

dormant within your body for

many years before it shows its’

ugly head. Also if you or anyone

you know has ever gotten a

tattoo, than you should get test-

ed too. The needles may be

sterilized, but a small of amount

of blood can get inside the nee-

dle thus contaminating the ink.

Your doctor can collect a few

drops of blood and within

minutes you will have the re-

sults.

Looks like every time we turn

around there is something else

we have to contend with be-

cause of our service in “Nam.”

Sarah McVicker, our Region

Three Director, gave us an over-

view about what is being dis-

cussed at the national that will

decide VVA’s future. This is in

the early stages and we should

be hearing more about this in

the coming issues of The Veter-

an. As more information be-

comes available, I will pass it on

to you. I don’t think anything

concrete will be presented at

the convention this year but

who knows.

This just in! Kim, one of the

organizers of the Lynchburg

Music Festival wants us to be

the non-profit again this year at

the festival on May 13. This is

our biggest fund raiser and with

weather permitting, we stand a

good chance to make a lot of

money. We will need about 40

volunteers to pull this off. So

mark your calendars and sign

up at our April meeting.

Hope to see you there and

remember, we start at 1800

hours (6:00 p.m.)

Keeping you informed,

David Stokes, President

Vol 9. Issue 4 Page 2

Photos by Life Magazine Minutes of the March 2017 Meeting

Meeting was called to or-

der promptly at 6 PM. by 1st Vice

President Freddy Plesant.

Followed with pledge of alle-

giance and draping of the POW/

MIA chair by comrade George

Kolar.

Opening Prayer was given by

Gary Witt

Officers: 2016 - 2018

David Stokes - President

Freddy Pleasant - 1st VP

Jim Purdy - 2nd VP

Gary Witt - Sec.

Jim Fischel - Treas.

Directors...

Wayne Creasy

Art Ross

George Kolar

Steve Bozeman

Bob Sherman

Otto Davis

Mike Brady

Robert Crowder

Gordon Wilkins

All officers and directors were

present except David Stokes, Jim

Purdy, Steve Bozeman, Wayne

Creasy, Gordon Wilkins, Art

Ross, & Bob Sherman.

All were excused due to City

Council meeting for Desmond

Doss memorials.

Motion Made to dispense with

the reading of last months

minutes. (Passed)

Jim Fischel gave financial report

and it was approved.

Membership Report :

VVA. 190

AVVA 31

No Outreach report.

Fran Crowder reported on Brew

Madness festival. Needed more

Volunteers.

Old Business:

Still waiting on payment from

some of the brewers. Meeting

with Kim was cancelled.

David Stokes & Jim Purdy attend-

ed the State Council meeting last

week. No report.

New Business:

Otto Davis made a motion to

donate $250 to Heritage JROTC

Brandon Dizon to assist with trip

to France. (Passed)

Gary Witt reminded everyone of

the Texas Roadhouse fundraiser

for the Adaptive Golf on Monday

March 20th. He also gave out

coupons from Blaze Pizza.

Meeting was closed at 6:30pm,

with prayer by Gary Witt.

Respectfully submitted by

Gary Witt,

VVA 196 Secretary

AVVA Happenings

The AVVA just had 2 fund

raisers this past month. One was

the Brew Madness and the other

was Corks and Cuisine. May I

personally do thank the volun-

teers that helped us for these.

Without you, these two events

would not have happened. Now

next Month, we will have our

annual Red, Whit and Blue

dance at the Legion on April 28

from 7 to 10 pm. As always, we

will need help setting up for the

event and clean up after.

Our next meeting will be April 11

at 6 PM. See you then.

Fran Crowder

Chapter Representative

Update on Camp Lejeune - Contributed by Henry Wyatt

WASHINGTON – The Department

of Veterans Affairs’ (VA) regula-

tions to establish presumptions

for the service connection of

eight diseases associated with

exposure to contaminants in the

water supply at Camp Lejeune,

North Carolina, are effective as

of today.

“Establishing these presump-

tions is a demonstration of our

commitment to care for those

who have served our nation and

have been exposed to harm as a

(Continued on page 3)

Vol 9. Issue 4 Page 3

Update on Camp Lejeune - Contributed by Henry Wyatt

Page 3

result of that service,” said Secretary of Vet-

erans Affairs, Dr. David J. Shulkin. “The Camp

Lejeune presumptions will make it easier for

those Veterans to receive the care and bene-

fits they earned.”

The presumption of service connection

applies to active-duty, reserve and National

Guard members who served at Camp Lejeu-

ne for a minimum of 30 days (cumulative)

between Aug. 1, 1953, and Dec. 31, 1987,

and are diagnosed with any of the following

conditions:

• Adult leukemia

• Aplastic anemia and other myelodys-

plastic syndromes

• Bladder cancer

• Kidney cancer

• Liver cancer

• Multiple myeloma

• Non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma

• Parkinson’s disease

The area included in this presumption is

all of Camp Lejeune and Marine Corps Air

Station New River, including satellite camps

and housing areas.

This presumption complements the

health care already provided for 15 illnesses

or conditions as part of the Honoring Ameri-

ca’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune

Families Act of 2012. The Camp Lejeune Act

requires VA to provide health care to Veter-

ans who served at Camp Lejeune, and to

reimburse family members or pay providers

for medical expenses for those who resided

there for not fewer than 30 days between

Aug. 1, 1953, and Dec. 31, 1987.

(Continued from page 2)

Researchers from the Department of Vet-

erans Affairs (VA) and Department of Defense

(DOD) recently released findings of a new

study called Prospective Post-Traumatic

Stress disorder Symptom Trajectories in Ac-

tive Duty and Separated Military Personnel,

which examines Post Traumatic Stress Disor-

der (PTSD) symptoms in Veterans, compared

with active-duty populations.

This is the first known study comparing

PTSD symptom trajectories of current service

members with those of Veterans, and is the

product of a collaborative effort from VA and

DOD researchers analyzing data from the

Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), the largest

prospective health study of military service

members.

According to VA’s National Center for

PTSD, the PTSD rate among Vietnam Veter-

ans was 30.9 percent for men and 26.9 per-

cent for women. For Gulf War Veterans, the

PTSD rate was 12.1 percent. Operation En-

during Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom

Veterans had a PTSD rate of 13.8 percent.

“Knowing there are similarities in how

PTSD affects service members and Veterans

makes it easier to pinpoint which treatments

are the best to control the condition,” said Dr.

Edward Boyko, an epidemiologist and intern-

ist at the VA Puget Sound Health Care System

in Washington state, and VA’s lead research-

er on the Millennium Cohort Study.

Officials involved with the project said they

are hoping the collaboration will improve the

understanding of Veterans’ health needs,

relative to their experiences in service.

“The data that MCS researchers have

been collecting since 2001 is incredibly valu-

able for both the DOD and VA,” said Dr. Den-

nis Faix, director of the Millennium Cohort

Study and preventive medicine physician.

“Going forward, working with VA will allow

both agencies to make sure we are getting

the best information to develop a comprehen-

sive understanding of the continuum of

health in current and former service mem-

bers.”

The results of the joint VA DOD study will

appear in the Journal of Psychiatric Re-

search’s June 2017 issue. It is the first of

many joint future publications expected to

result from the collaboration between VA and

MCS.

You can learn more about the study here:

millenniumcohort.org/

VA, DOD study a major breakthrough for understanding PTSD

Capt. Daniel W. Thomas, MIA

U.S. Air Force Reserve Capt. Daniel W. Thom-

as, missing from the Vietnam War, has now

been accounted for.

On July 6, 1971, Thomas was the pilot of

an OV-10A aircraft with one other crewmem-

ber flying over central Laos in support of an

eight man Special Forces reconnaissance

team. When the aircraft arrived in the area,

the weather was bad, however it was deter-

mined that this would not affect the aircraft’s

mission. Approximately thirty minutes after

the last radio transmission from the OV-10A

aircraft the ground team heard an impact or

explosion to their northeast, but could not

determine the distance to the explosion. Ex-

tensive search efforts failed to locate the

crash site.

After multiple negative attempts to investi-

gate the crash site, in April 2014 a Vietnam-

ese witness provided a photograph of an ID

tag associated with one of the two crewmem-

bers. In August 2014, possible human re-

mains were approved for repatriation and

accessioned. DPAA analysis of aircraft wreck-

age and life support items indicated both

aircrew members were in the aircraft at the

time of impact. Additionally, through re-

search, analysis, and DNA testing, the DPAA

Laboratory identified the second crewmem-

ber, Maj. Donald Carr, in August 2015.

On April 12, 2016, the DPAA lab received

dental remains, ID tag, and other material

evidence from the Vietnamese Office for

Seeking Missing Persons. Laboratory analysis

of this evidence, as well as circumstantial

evidence were used in the identification of

his remains.

Vol 9. Issue 4 Page 4

A review of a dozen Veterans Affairs medi-

cal facilities in North Carolina and Virginia

identified widespread inaccuracies that vast-

ly understated veteran wait times for appoint-

ments last year, leading the VA inspector

general to conclude that VA scheduling data

is still unreliable and a “high-risk” area for

the agency. The miscalculations, outlined in

an inspector general report issued 2 MAR,

masked actual demand for care and preclud-

ed veterans from getting private sector treat-

ment, which they are supposed to be able to

get if they have to wait longer than a month

for a VA appointment.

The inspector general looked at primary

and mental health care appointments for

new patients and referrals for specialists and

found that overall, 36% had to wait longer

than a month for an appointment, but the VA

scheduling system said only 10% had waited

that long.

The report estimated that as many as

13,800 veterans should have been able to

get VA-sponsored care in the private sector

because of their long waits, but the VA never

added them to lists authorizing them to re-

ceive outside care under the so-called Choice

program. VA staffers entered the wrong dates

in the scheduling system in some cases and

didn’t follow up on appointment requests in a

timely way in others. In a few cases, medical

center directors or other supervisory staff

disagreed with national guidelines designed

to ensure veterans see specialists within a

time frame dictated by their referring doctor.

So they just didn’t require staff to follow

them. The inspector general also reviewed

records of veteran patients who were added

to Choice lists and managed to get appoint-

ments outside the VA. Auditors found that

82% of them waited longer than 30 days,

and on average, they waited nearly three

months.

“Choice did not reduce wait times to re-

ceive necessary medical care for many veter-

ans,” Larry Reinkemeyer, assistant inspector

general for audits, wrote in the report.

The investigation is the largest on wait-

time manipulation at the VA since 2014,

when at least 40 veterans died waiting to be

seen at the Phoenix VA while schedulers

there kept secret wait lists hiding how long

they were waiting. The inspector general has

looked at more than 100 medical centers

individually since then and found widespread

problems, but the most recent investigation

is the first to assess the reliability of wait-

time data in an entire region, the mid-Atlantic

in this case. And it identified flaws in the

scheduling system still used by VA facilities

nationwide.

VA Secretary David Shulkin, whom the

Senate confirmed unanimously a month ago,

was undersecretary for health at the time of

the audit, which stretched from April 2016 to

last month. He said the agency has already

taken action to improve wait times for the

Choice program, and he disputed the find-

ings about inaccurate wait times because he

disagrees with the way the inspector general

calculated them, according to his response

included with the report. “I cannot concur

with some of the conclusions in this report

nor use them for management decisions,”

Shulkin wrote. He said they are also based

on outdated rules for scheduling appoint-

ments. Shulkin issued new rules in July..

Understating wait times. But the inspec-

tor general said that even after taking those

rules into account, schedulers entered dates

that understated how long veterans were

waiting in nearly 60% of appointments.

“Thus even if we calculate wait times

using VHA’s updated policy, which was not in

effect during the scope of our audit, there

were still significant inaccuracies,” Rein-

kemeyer wrote.

“VA data reliability continues to be a high-

risk are,” he said, adding that the findings

are consistent with others by the Government

Accountability Office as recently as last

month.

His office reviewed a sampling of more

than 1,400 appointment records from the

last quarter of 2015 and found veterans

waited an average of 27 days for primary

care appointments — the VA scheduling sys-

tem said the average was only eight days. For

mental health, the inspector general found

the average wait was 26 days, but the VA

system showed 6 days. And for referrals to

specialists, the audit found veterans waited

an average of 36 days, while the VA system

said the wait was 10 days.

The inspector general tracked the time

between appointment requests and the actu-

al appointments. The VA system, on the other

hand, tracks the time between dates that

veterans say they want to be seen or when a

doctor says they should be seen and their

actual appointments. For example, if a veter-

an asks for an appointment in two weeks or if

a doctor says come back in two weeks, the

wait time clock starts in two weeks instead of

at the time of the request.

“VHA believes it is very important to re-

spect veterans’ preferences for when they

want to be seen,” Shulkin wrote in his re-

sponse to the report.

But depending on schedulers to enter the

right dates can lead to inaccurate results. For

example:

The inspector general found a new vet-

eran patient asked in August 2015

for a primary care appointment and

didn’t get one until nearly two

months later, but the VA system

showed zero wait time because the

scheduler entered the appointment

date as the preferred date.

In another case, a veteran seeking a

mental health appointment in July

2015 couldn’t get one until the end

of September that year. Four days

before the appointment, the VA

canceled it along with others that

day. A scheduler rebooked it two

months later in November 2015

and entered that date as the one

preferred by the veteran. The sys-

tem showed zero wait time even

though the wait was actually four

months.

Republican Rep. Richard Hudson of North

Carolina, home to nine of the 12 medical

facilities audited, said the resulting report

“shines a light on a systemic, bureaucratic

problem at the VA.”

“It is an absolute fiasco and our veterans

deserve better,” he said in a statement 3

MAR.

“I am alarmed and outraged that employ-

ees weren’t following proper reporting proto-

col, preventing veterans from accessing time-

ly, quality care through the Choice Pro-

gram.” [Source: USA TODAY | Donovan

Slack ]

NC & VA Widespread Inaccuracies

VA Secretary David Shulkin

Vol 9. Issue 4 Page 5

Vietnam Veterans of

America—Chapter 196

Lynchburg , Virginia Vietnam Veterans of America

Chapter 196

439 Westview Circle

Lynchburg, VA 24504.

Give This to a Fellow Vietnam Veteran...

www.vva.org

www.vva-vasc.org

The Vietnam Veterans of America associa-

tion is a "home of our own" - a community of

fellowship with people who share your expe-

riences, needs, and hopes for the future.

Agent Orange is still with us and our num-

bers are dwindling, probably at a much fast-

er rate then we would like it. That makes it

even more important for Vietnam Veterans

to have a viable and strong organization to

represent us in Washington

Membership is open to U.S. armed force

veterans who served on active duty (for oth-

er than training purposes) in the Republic of

Vietnam between Feb.. 28, 1961 and May 7,

1975, or in any duty location between Aug.

5, 1964 and May 7, 1975.

To have a fellow Vietnam Veteran join, either

cut out the application and give it to the Vet

or better yet, give your copy of our newsletter

to him or her. Don’t forget that a copy of

their DD-214 with their membership applica-

tion is required.

Families, friends, supporters, and veterans

of other eras can join the Associates of Vi-

etnam Veterans of America and receive the

same benefits, including a subscription to

The VVA Veteran.