It does indeed rate a Navair Ping. Thaks for the heads up.
Click on pic for past Navair pings.
Post or FReepmail me if you wish to be enlisted in or discharged from the Navair Pinglist.
This is a medium to low volume pinglist.
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.
“Adm William Stockdale”
Have you read his book?
Nothing a good strong rope and a can of graphite grease wouldn’t cure when applied correctly to certain persons in leadership positions. mThis is a Chicken **** act where’s the so called adults at in DC?
bump
GW Bush is once again looking out for the troops.
Think, people. I'm sure you can figure this out. If you're on an aircraft carrier 100 miles off the coast or in a fighter at 30,000 feet, how much exposure to herbicide do you want to be presumed?
This is a clarification of a necessary but obscure regulation and anyone who wants to go to war over it has way too much time on their hands. Or an ax to grind.
Ah, yes. The 'reasonable' man and his interpretations.
Where to begin...
Did you read the information about the Institute of Medicine's study of 25,000 Vietnam Veterans of ALL services over 30 years which found a much higher incidence in the U.S. Navy of cancers and illnesses 'presumed' to be caused by exposure to contaminates of Agent Orange than in the Army or Marines?
Did you read the Royal Australian Navy's report of the concentration and enhancement of the toxicity of the Dioxins by the shipboard salt water distillers?
Have you ANY idea how much fresh water the 4 LARGE steam turbines on an Essex class Aircraft Carrier requires? Or the amount of fresh water required by the 2 steam-powered aircraft catapults on board, running Alpha Strikes? Look it up. You wouldn't believe me. And that's an old WWII Carrier! (Any Oil King's here? Am I right?)
What ever gave you the idea that Carriers, Reefer Ships, Oilers, or Ammunition Ships operated 100 miles off shore on Yankee or Dixie Stations?
What about the DDG's on the Gun Line? Did you think they fired 5 inch rounds from 100 miles out?
What about the Spad's (A-3 SkyRaiders) that flew shotgun on the Ranch Hand AO Spray planes? Or the A-4's dropping Mk. 84 Snake-eyes? I guarantee you they weren't dropped from 30,000 feet; more like 300. (Any Scooter Naval Aviators here? Care to confirm?)
Do you know how many AO planes were shot up by ground fire and had to dump their load out at sea so they could make it back to land? Ever hear of the AO plane called 'Patches'? (Any Wing-Wipers here who could comment?)
I would be stunned by the massive ignorance of all things Navy you display, except for the fact that civilians of your incurious mindset are running the DVA that is doing everything it can to Delay and Deny 'till the Veteran Dies.
NOW do you understand why 18 veterans commit suicide daily!?! And why the DVA desperately tries to gloss over it? If we don't have PTSD when we muster out, we will from dealing with the DVA.
Feh!
Words fail me.
Bump to print for my Vietnam Vets Group.
Slinger, does this rate a Nav-Air ping?
What a bunch of crap! The VA can designate who is eligible for Agent Orange benefits without saying those who aren’t eligible for Agent Orange benefits didn’t serve in the Vietnam War. They ought to hear about this — a lot!
“Yes, my roommate is dead thanks to the VA hospital system.”
Um.....ok.
darn, I’ve read it a couple times and it still sends the same message. When I went to the web site, there’s a lot more to back this up. I guess if you’re on their payroll, the VA must not be half-bad. You just need to re-read it very slowly. I don’t see the cr@p - other than what’s being dished out by the VA.
It does indeed rate a Navair Ping. Thaks for the heads up.
Click on pic for past Navair pings.
Post or FReepmail me if you wish to be enlisted in or discharged from the Navair Pinglist.
This is a medium to low volume pinglist.
Thanks for the ping Mag.
I sent links of this out to quite a few other VN Vets.
bttt
If it’s just “boots on the ground” and on a vessel in the “inland waters” — then what about “in the air on an ordered flight that supports the boots on the ground?”
Besides, he certainly had his boots on the ground when he was captured while serving in the military. Doesn’t being a POW count for something, or is this just an attempt by John Kerry to besmirch John McCain?
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.