Vietnam War Glossary - Es

Eagle flight - a reaction force circling in aircraft while awaiting a target.

Echo - the letter E in the phonetic alphabet.

EM - enlisted man or men



Bibliography
Pleiku: The Dawn of Helicopter Warfare in Vietnam, by J. D. Coleman

Vietnam War Glossary - Ds

Delta - The letter D in the Army phonetic alphabet. Also Delta TEams were long-range patrol teams in 5th special forces.

Divarty - Division Artiller. The term usually means headquartrers, could also mean all of the artillery in the division

Division - The Army's major maneuver element. Ranging in strength from 18,000 to 24,000 men, depending on the type. Commanded by a two-star general.

DMZ - Demilitarized Zone/ Created by the Geneva Convention among the 17th parallel.

DTOC - Division Tactical Operations Center

Dustoff - Medical evacuation helicopter; a term used in non-1st Calvary units

Bibliography
Pleiku: The Dawn of Helicopter Warfare in Vietnam, by J. D. Coleman

Vietnam War Glossary - Cs

C-130 - Air Force Hercules transport aircraft

Caribou - Army twin-engine transport aircraft

C and C - (Command and Control) Aircraft in which a troop or unit commander circles a battle area to direct the conduct of the fight. Also called Charlie-Charlie

CG - Commanding general

Charlie - the letter C in the phonetic alphabet, also slang for Vietcong.

Chopper - helicopter

Chinook - The official name of the CH-47 tandem rotor transport helicopter. Also known as the Hook.

CIDG - Civilian Irregular Defense GRoup, indigenous populations recruited to serve with Special Forces units.

CINPAC - Commander in Chief, Pacific

Claymore - Antipersonnel mine that spews out 700 steel balls in a 60-degree arc, lethal up to 50 meters

COMUSMACV - Commander, US Military Assistance Command, Vietnam

Company - the basic building block unit for all non-artillery and noncalvary units in the Army - the smallest unit in which the commissioned leader is a commander.

CP - Command Post

CS Grenade - tear gas grenade

CTZ - Corps Tactical Zone, numbered I through IV north to south. The zones were administrative as well as tactical and the ARVN used of the term "corps" caused the American forces to invent euphamisms for a corps-level command structure, eg Task Force Alpha.

Bibliography
Pleiku: The Dawn of Helicopter Warfare in Vietnam, by J. D. Coleman

Chained Eagle, by Everett Alvarez Jr. and Anthony S. Pitch

Chained Eagle: The true heroic story of eight-and-one-half years as a POW by the first American shot down over North Vietnam, by Everett Alvarez Jr. and Anthony S. Pitch
Donald J. Fine, 1989
308 pages. No index. 16 pages of b&w photos.

Description
Only one American pilot was held captive from Day One of the US aerial bombardment of North Vietnam until the POWS came home eight and a half years later, Lieutenant jg Everett Alvarez, Jr. Chained Eagle is the gripping narrative of his epic survival against all odds. TOld in a low-key style appropriate to its subject, it becomes the unique tale of a young newlywed's courageous struggle to stay alive, preserve his honor and maintain his sanity.

On August 5, 1964, the 26-year-old airman was catapulted off the deck of the USS Constellation in his A-4 fighter bomber as part of the first attack on targets inside of North Vietnam. After a successful run on the naval docks in Hon Gai Harbor, Alvarez turned to head back to the carrier. He never made it. HIs Skyhawk was hit by flak, it veered out of control and he was forced to eject from the crippled plane at low altitude.

How did Alvarez endure the beatings and torture that left him with permament damage to his jaw and forearm nerves; the loneliness and isolation that made him pound his cell walls and scream for human contacct, and a starvation diet that impelled him to pry open and eat live blackbirds.

Alvarez could have returned to his bride of seventh months within weeks of bailing out over the Gulf of Tonkin if he would only cooperate with his captors, trading a confession of "war crimes" and collaboration in anti-American propaganda in return for his freedom. But for nearly a decade he refused. Not even when, with his spirits at their lowest ebb, in the eighth year of his captivity, he learned that the woman he was still writing letters to had long since divorced him, remarried, and given birth to another man's child.

Who was-and is- this extraorginary man, raised in a humble home slightly larger than a log cabin, who would return home a decorated hero, garner several post graduate degrees and assume high-level posts in the government.

Everett Alvarez was born with a survivor's pedigree, stamped by his parents and grandparents during their own years as migrant workers in the fields, canneries, coal pits and seed warehouses of California. Grit, determination and a profound resolve became the hallmarks of his character. It is these qualities that allowed him to survive his ordeal-qualities that shine through in Chained Eagle- making it a classic of wartime literature in the Vietnam-or indeed any other-era.

Vietnam War Glossary - Bs

Battery - the basic building blog unit in the artillery. Also the smallest unit in the artillery in which the commissioned leader is considered a commander.

Birddog - O-1 aircraft, used by both the Air Force and Army as spotters.

Blivet - Rubberized, air-transportable fuel container

Blues - Rifle platoon of the 1st Squadron, 9th Calvary

Bravo - The letter B in the Army phonetic alphabet.

Bibliography
Pleiku: The Dawn of Helicopter Warfare in Vietnam, by J. D. Coleman

Time running out on US soldiers missing in Vietnam

The Straits Times (Singapore): Time running out on US soldiers missing in Vietnam

HANOI - WITH increasingly few of their families left alive and acidic soil eating into their buried remains, time is running out to find the last Americans listed as missing in action from the Vietnam War.

But for the head of a relatives' group, giving up is not an option. 'We need to act now,' said Ann Mills-Griffiths, executive director of the National League of POW/MIA Families, whose brother has been missing since September 1966 when his navy aircraft disappeared over North Vietnam.

Almost four decades after the end of US combat involvement in the South-east Asian nation, few parents of about 1,700 missing soldiers and airmen are still alive and siblings are often in their 60s.

Witnesses are also ageing, their fading physical and mental abilities limiting their ability to assist in investigations. Mrs Mills-Griffiths, 69, was in Hanoi for talks that ended at the weekend with Vietnamese officials about a 'renewed effort' to open up archival records which could provide vital clues as to what happened in some of the cases.

She was optimistic that the records would be made available, with 'very good commitment' from the Vietnamese during the talks. 'But we're running out of time,' warned Mrs Mills-Griffiths, who has made about 30 trips to Vietnam as head of the families' group.

The US and Vietnam have cooperated on investigations into missing American servicemen since 1985 - 'the bridge', she says, which led to a normalisation of diplomatic relations 10 years later

Honoring our Vietnam Veterans

WLOX 13 (South Mississippi): Honoring our Vietnam Veterans
An editorial

It's taken 38 years, but this month the men and women who fought and also died in the Vietnam War are being honored. The U.S. Senate passed a resolution that designates March 30th as "Welcome Home Vietnam Veterans Day."

58,000 Americans lost their lives in the war and the hundreds of thousands of soldiers did not receive the proper recognition when they returned home from the Vietnam War.

U.S. Senator Thad Cochran,a cosponsor of the legislation said, " The American people were torn by war in Vietnam, and the divisiveness of those times led to unfair treatment of many returning American Veterans. This resolution sets aside a day for the public to properly honor Vietnam veterans, so that the national healing process can continue and the lessons learned from that era can help today's veterans successfully readjust to civilian life after military service."

South Mississippians always have a high regard for our military members. But we can and probably should do more for our nations heroes. It is never too late to let these war heroes know that our community cares about them. On March 30th you can do just that
David Vincent

Vietnam War Glossary - As

ADC - Assistant Division Commander
AK-47 - Standard (NVA) North Vietnam Army assault rifle
Alpha - the letter A in the Army phonetic alphabet
A1E - Skyraider fighter bomber
AO - Area of Operations
ARA - Aerial rocket artillery
ARVN - Army of the Republic of Vietnam. Pronounced Arvin.
Arty - Abbreviation for artillery
AT - anti-tank

Bibliography
Pleiku: The Dawn of Helicopter Warfare in Vietnam, by J. D. Coleman

The Vietnam war remembered in pictures – review

Guardian.co.uk: The Vietnam war remembered in pictures – review

A host of photographers with first-hand experience of the Vietnam war gathered at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie in Paris (MEP) last month. We saw Nick Ut, famous for his 1972 picture of a young girl running naked towards the camera to escape a napalm attack. Christine Spengler, one of the few women to have covered the conflict, was also there. The atmosphere was emotional, almost reverent. Forty years earlier, on 10 February 1971, their friend Henri Huet, a Frenchman working for Associated Press, was shot down in a helicopter over the Ho Chi Minh trail in Laos. The exhibition at the MEP pays tribute to this gifted photographer.

The pictures soon started people talking. The photographers all said much the same thing: no war made such an impression on their life and career as Vietnam. For one thing, this conflict was by far the most deadly for their trade. A book, Requiem (edited by Horst Faas and Tim Page), counted 135 photographers killed on both sides. In a powerful picture taken in 1965, Huet captured the last moments of fellow reporter Dickey Chapelle. She lies on the ground mortally wounded. An army chaplain crouches over her saying the last rites.

Three other photographers died in the same helicopter as Huet: Keisaburo Shimamoto, a Japanese reporter working for Newsweek, the American Kent Potter, from United Press International, and a British journalist, Larry Burrows, whose colour pictures in Life magazine gained international acclaim. Ut narrowly missed taking the same ill-fated helicopter: "Henri was my best friend and we were both working for AP," he says, barely containing his emotion. "I was supposed to take that flight, but we did a swap ... He took my place, and he's the one who died."

Ut was only 15 when his elder brother, another AP operative, was killed. The family were short of money, so Ut was dispatched to fill the gap. After working in the labs for three months, he went into action.

It is hardly surprising so many reporters were killed. "The losses among photographers reflected the situation on the ground," says Richard Pyle, who was chief of the AP bureau in Saigon from 1968 to 1973. "We had complete freedom of access. Vietnam was the first and only US war with no censorship." Photographers took the same risks as combatants, who were often their contemporaries. "The difference," Ut adds, "was that I was carrying a camera, not a gun. I always refused as it could be dangerous if you were captured."

Huet's shots are uncompromising, showing embattled soldiers, some seriously wounded and near death, corpses waiting to be sent home in body bags. In his most famous picture, published on the cover of Life in 1966, a seriously wounded medic struggles to treat an injured GI.

In those days papers would still publish shocking pictures. "Providing the face of a dead man could not be identified," Pyle explains. "There were horrible pictures but they were seen as important news. We couldn't have that now, war has become a crime scene. You can't get near it." Christian Simonpietri, who worked for Gamma during the conflict, agrees. "It all changed after Vietnam," he says. "The Americans woke up to the full effect of pictures. So in subsequent wars, such as the invasion of Grenada [in 1983], press access was under strict control."

It was a time of intense emotions and equally intense friendships. "It was a fantastic time to live through," says Simonpietri. "We didn't like war but it was a challenge, stretching our limits and revealing the horrors humans are capable of." For Pyle, Vietnam was a unique experience: "The best articles, the most powerful memories, relate to Vietnam. And I met my best friends over there."

Hélène Gédouin, the curator of the exhibition and a niece of Huet, set aside a small room "for his mates". "In the letters Huet sent home from Vietnam," she says, "he talked a lot about the powerful ties between them." This section features well-known pictures taken in Vietnam by fellow photographers such as Ut, Burrows, Eddie Adams and Dana Stone: images of the suffering, death and friendship particular to Vietnam.

Henri Huet, Vietnam is at the Maison Européenne de la Photographie, Paris, until 10 April

Vietnam War photos on display (Albert Lea, MN)

Albert Lea Tribune: Vietnam War photos on display

The state of Minnesota has established March 29 of each year as a special day to honor Vietnam War veterans. As part of the local recognition program, area veterans are organizing a photo display from Freebom County Vietnam-era veterans, who were assigned to military units throughout the world in any branch of service in support of military operations between 1960 and 1975.

The displays will kick off on Sunday with a breakfast at the Albert Lea American Legion Club, 142 N. Broadway Ave., from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., hosted by the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 447. Displays will include photos taken by several veterans who served in various branches of the Armed Forces. The breakfast, open to the public, will include pancakes, eggs, sausage, potatoes, fruit, juice and coffee. Cost is $6 for adults, under 6 are free.

Local veteran organizations organizing the recognition and display events are the Freebom County Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 447, the American Legion Post 56 and the Disabled American Veterans Chapter 16.

Working-Class War, by Christian G. Appy

Working-Class War: American Combat Soldiers & Vietnam, by Christian G. Appy
The University of North Carolina Press, 1993
321 pages, plus notes, Bibliography and index, no photos
Library: 959.704 APP

Description
(The Cheyenne Library saw fit to put a sticker on half of the description of this book, so I can present only what Amazon.com has to say about it:
In his introduction, Appy (history, MIT) states, "Vietnam is not... merely a memory; it is a fundamental part of our history and, therefore, a fundamental part of what we are." What follows is an in-depth look at the "part of what we are" that is literally the living legacy of the war--the Vietnam veteran. The author has compellingly combined his experiences from interviews, participation in weekly veterans' "rap" groups, and examination of existing Vietnam-era literature to present two narratives. First, he examines the circumstances that created a fighting force in Vietnam made up predominantly of working-class young men. He then vividly presents readers with what participants of the war endured by synthesizing accounts of veterans with illustrative excerpts from novels, nonfiction works, and films concerning the war. Appy's achievement is conveying to readers insight into the war experience of Vietnam veterans. Highly recommended for all libraries.

Table of Contents
Acknowledgments
Introduction: Facing the Wal
1. Working-Class WAr
2. Life Before the Nam
3. Basic Training
4. Ominous Beginnings
5. The TErms of Battle
6. Drawing Fire and Laying WAste
7. A War for Nothing
8. What are we becoming?
9. Am I right or wrong?
Notes
Bibliography
Index

Pleiku, by J. D. Coleman

Pleiku: The Dawn of Helicopter Warfare in Vietnam, by J. D. Coleman
St. Martin's Press, 1988
278 pages plus 16 pages of b&w photos, 7 maps, Appendices, Glossary, Selected Bibliography and Ihdex
Library: 959.704 COL


Description
This book chronicles, in extraordinary detail gathered by one who was there, the Pleiku Capaign in South Vietnam in the fall of 1965, a series of battles notable for a number of "firsts."

It was the first time North Vietnamese Army Trooops, having recently taken the bold step of invading South Vietnam, engaged American forces. It was the first time that the concept of air mobility - the use of helicopters for swift and accurate troop transport-was put to the test by the 1st Air Calvary Division. And it was America's first victory in Vietnam, at a time when the architects of American involvement in the conflict could still hope for continued success.

J.D. Coleman, an award-winning journalist, was an information officer for the 1st Air Calvary and participated in the Pleiku Campaign. He not only provides a minute by minute account of the battles that stretched over those thirty-five days in 1965, but traces the history of airmobility from the Korean War forward, taking us behind the scenes as Pentagon planners and senior military personnal hammer out this new doctrine.And he offers indelible portraits of the men involved, including the colorful leader of the 1st Air Calvary, the legendary Magor General Harry W. O. Kinnard.

Impeccably researched, using documents and battle reports never before made public, Pleiku is the most complete and comprehensive book on the subject, and an invaluable contribution to our understanding of Vietnam.

Table of Coontents
Foreword by General E. C. Meyer
Preface
Acknowledgments
Prologue
1. Building the Division
2. Organization and Deployment
3. Setting the State
4. The Lure and the Ambush
5. Beginning the Search
6. Capturing the Hospital
7. The Drang River Ambush
8. The First brigade's Final Battles
9. Changing the Brigades
10. XRAY-the first day
11. XRAY - the finale
12. Agony at Albany
13. Winding it Down
14. In the Final Analysis

Epilogue
Appendix 1 - Formation of the 1st Air Calvary Division
Appendix 2 - Reproduction of a translation of an order directing the ambush of the ARVN relief column
Appendix 3 - Map of the Pleiku campaign
Appendix 4 - transcript of President Johnson's speech, presenting the Presidential Unit Citation to the 1st Calvary Division (Airmobile).
Glossary
Selected Bibliography
Index

Karl Marlantes' Vietnam War novel 'Matterhorn' may not have peaked yet

Seattle Times: Karl Marlantes' Vietnam War novel 'Matterhorn' may not have peaked yet

Last spring this column featured Karl Marlantes, the Woodinville author of "Matterhorn," a novel of the Vietnam War that took three decades to write and get published.

With most stories I get a flurry of reader response, then the public and myself move on to other things. Not this time. For most of 2010, and into 2011, I've been passing on this sort of fan mail to Marlantes' publisher:

To Karl Marlantes:

I am 76 years old, Naval Academy, former Marine aviator. In the vernacular of "Matterhorn," it is a (expletive deleted) good book.

There it is.

I thought of this terse but eloquent testimony last month when Marlantes won what was for him a particularly satisfying literary prize: the Colby Award, which recognizes a debut work of fiction or nonfiction that raises the public's awareness of intelligence operations, military history or international affairs. Previous winners have included Dexter Filkins for "The Forever War," and James Bradley for "Flags of Our Fathers."

At 600 pages, "Matterhorn" (Atlantic Monthly Press/ El León Literary Arts), is the harrowing saga of what befalls a platoon of Marines, mostly teenagers led by a reservist with an Ivy League education, when they embark on a dangerous mission to sever an enemy supply line. Not easy reading.

I called Marlantes, on a swing through the Southeast on a book tour, and asked him why he thought the novel had inspired such devotion among the military, from the prize-awarders to grunts.

"I had no idea it would ring such a chord," Marlantes said.

For those who fought and protested it, Vietnam was like "being in the family with the alcoholic father — we all know that dad drinks, but we never talk about it," he said. The conflict so divided the country, it's taken 30 years for some people to revisit it. For some, the trigger was the experience of reading Marlantes' book.

There was the woman who came up to Marlantes after a signing. She wept. She said her father had been an anti-war protester, his brother a Marine in Vietnam. A third brother, also a Marine, died in the conflict. She gave each of the surviving brothers a copy of the book, and after 30 years, they started talking to one another again.

A man arrived at a signing with five copies of "Matterhorn" in his arms. "How come five books?" Marlantes asked. "He said, 'I was a Marine in Vietnam, and I served very close to the area the book describes. I've been trying to tell my wife and children for 40 years what it was like. I'm going to give them each this book, and that will tell them what it was like.' "

This sort of attention can be discomfiting — people need to talk about their pain. They'll say, "My brother died in Vietnam. Did you know him?" It's hard, he says, "but I can't not answer them."

Marlantes has won other prizes, including the Pacific Northwest Booksellers' Award and the Flaherty-Dunnan award for a first novel. One of his best experiences was at the Miami Book Festival, where he was on a panel with writer Sebastian Junger, author of a close-encounters book about Afghanistan titled "War."

He and Junger discussed the eerie parallels between Vietnam and Afghanistan: "The enemy runs across the border, and we can't follow them. We don't understand the language, the culture, the history. We're supporting a corrupt government that the people don't follow. The enemy has no rules of engagement, they can do anything they want. "

The difference: The war in Afghanistan is being fought by an all-volunteer army, which muffles political discussion and engagement.

Marlantes likes to think that those similarities are one reason for the success of "Matterhorn" — baby boomers who lived through Vietnam can see those parallels. Maybe that's part of it. And maybe, as the naval aviator so succinctly put it, it's because it's a (expletive deleted) good book.

Australia, U.S. to launch joint research project on veteran health

Xinhuanet English news: Australia, U.S. to launch joint research project on veteran health

CANBERRA, March 8 (Xinhua) -- Australia Veterans Affairs Minister Warren Snowdon said Tuesday Australia and the U.S. will launch a joint research project on the mental and physical health of veterans of recent conflicts.

Snowdon and Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard attended the launch of the Vietnam War education center in Washington, the United States on Monday.

Australia was a U.S. ally in the Vietnam War, and about 40,000 Australians had served during the conflict. More than 500 Australians lost their lives in the Vietnam War.

Snowdon said there are significant numbers of Australians who are going to be calling on the support of the Australian defense department, and when they leave the defense force, they will be clients of the Department of Veterans Affairs.

In that case, Snowdon said he wanted to ensure that Australia was providing the best possible support for veterans and the joint research project would compare the outcomes of past U.S. and Australian deployments and research similarities and differences.

He said some of the practices used in medical and research centers in Washington and New York, which treat injured or ill veterans, could also be used in Australia.

"We have every reason to believe that we are doing what we should be doing," he told the Australia Associated Press from the United States.

"But that doesn't mean we can't improve. That is why this joint research project with the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs is so important."

During his visit to the U.S., Snowdon will meet U.S. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric Shinseki and visit facilities treating injured U.S. personnel. He will also lay a wreath at the main U.S. war cemetery at Arlington.

Harvard Brings Back ROTC

Bostonist: Harvard Brings Back ROTC
Four decades after banning the Reserve Officer Training Corps (ROTC) over the Vietnam War, Harvard University will recognize the Navy ROTC program and welcome it back to campus today after a ceremony at Loeb House with Secretary Ray Mabus. The ROTC is back after the military's "don't ask don't tell" policy that banned gays and lesbians from serving openly was repealed.

Harvard president Drew Faust explained the importance of ROTC. "Our renewed relationship affirms the vital role that the members of our armed forces play in serving the nation and securing our freedoms, while also affirming inclusion and opportunity as powerful American ideals," she said.

Once DADT is fully repealed this summer, Harvard will name an ROTC director and alot campus space to the program. The school will begin paying MIT for Harvard's involvement with MIT's program. Harvard is in talks to bring Army and Air Force ROTC programs back to campus as well.

However, a visible ROTC program on campus may not happen right away. The Navy plans to keep Harvard's 20 ROTC students enrolled in the existing MIT ROTC consortium along with Tufts students. It's cheaper to run a joint ROTC. Harvard engineering professor Kit Parker wants the school to aggressively pursue bringing a sprate ROTC to Harvard. "We have to sell Harvard to the military," said Parker. "There might be some hard feelings in the Department of Defense and frankly, I don’t blame them."

Victoria Migdal is president of the Harvard ROTC Association and welcomes the change. She said:

“This is a great first step for reestablishing a relationship with the military and putting the past behind us. We can increase our presence on campus and let students know that the military is an option for them.’’

Vietnam-era bracelets worn by sisters serve as magnet for odds-defying tales

TCPalm: Vietnam-era bracelets worn by sisters serve as magnet for odds-defying tales

I wanted to see Renee Piazza's reaction when she read the e-mails, so I hand-delivered them to her.

She reacted just as I had hoped.

She softly gasped, and then her jaw dropped.

"I'm getting goose pimples," she said as we stood in the lobby of her business, On Site Window Tinting.

The e-mails were from Indian River County residents Pat Lavins (who wrote on behalf of her husband, Dick) and Bob Brewer. Each wrote in response to Thursday's column about a POW/MIA bracelet that had been in Piazza's jewelry box for about 30 years.

The name on her Vietnam War-era bracelet: Capt. Vincent Scungio. He was declared missing in action on Nov. 4, 1966.

Dick Lavins, 73, served in the Air Force with Scungio and knew him well. For two years in the 1950s, they played together in the Air Force band. Scungio was a trumpet player, and Lavins played saxophone and clarinet.

"He was the greatest guy in the world," Lavins said. "He would do anything for you."

What are the odds, eh?

In Thursday's column, I also mentioned that Piazza's sister, Cindy Bryant, wore a POW/MIA bracelet for about 10 years. Like her sister, she kept it all these years — the name on it is Cmdr. David Cooley. He was declared missing in action on April 22, 1968.

"WOW," Brewer wrote in an e-mail. "Dave 'Spade' Cooley and I were good friends when we served in the same Navy photo reconnaissance squadron in 1962-63. We flew together regularly on training missions throughout the Western Pacific for the better part of a year."

Brewer, 74, added: "Please pass on my heartfelt appreciation for her honoring the memory of David Cooley."

Done.

Can you believe it? Two odds-defying coincidences from the same column.

Well, we're not done.

The following morning, Bill Mills, 62, who served in the Marine Corps, contacted me with his connection to the POW/MIA bracelet.

Like the stories of Lavin and Brewer, the one by Mills — who served in Vietnam for parts of 1969 and '70 — left me shaking my head.

"When I returned (to the United States), I went through San Diego," he wrote in an e-mail. "As I was going through the airport, a lady gave me a (POW/MIA) bracelet.

"After all these years, I lost almost everything to do with Vietnam, but I kept this bracelet. After reading Mrs. Piazza's story, I went into my safe and put out the bracelet with the name on it of Lt. Col. Robert Brinckmann and went on the computer to do some research.

"This is where it gets interesting. Lt. Col. Robert Brinckmann was missing in action Nov. 4, 1966 — and he was the pilot of the plane that (Capt. Vincent Scungio) was in."

Mills, who is a lifelong Vero Beach resident, e-mailed me a photo of his bracelet.

Simply incredible. Not only that he kept the bracelet, but there would be a connection to something he read in his local newspaper more than 40 years later.

The original POW/MIA bracelets during the Vietnam War were made and distributed by a student organization called Voices In Vital America (or VIVA). Millions of bracelets were distributed, but many years have passed, too.

Piazza made contact with the son of Scungio. She plans to mail him the bracelet.

Likewise, Mills is trying to contact the daughter of Brinckmann so he can send her the bracelet.

Lavins recalled hearing about Scungio's MIA status in 1996, at a reunion of the Air Force band. He and his wife did the math and realized Scungio was only 32 when he died.

Shortly after the Air Force band played in California for Mel Torme in 1958, Scungio had some health issues involving his gums, Pat Lavins said in her e-mail.

"As a result, he 'lost his chops' and was no longer able to be a musician," she wrote. "At this point, Vince applied for OCS (Officer Candidate School) and later earned his certification as a navigator. My husband left the military and returned to his hometown, Washington, D.C., at about the time that Vince was sent off to Vietnam."

Scungio was promoted to major posthumously.

"It really is a small world, isn't it?" Brewer said.

US public call for help to Vietnamese AO victims

WOVNews.com: US public call for help to Vietnamese AO victims
Bob Edgar, a congressman at the end of the Vietnam War turned President and CEO of a US citizen lobbying group called Common Cause, said "War doesn't end when the last soldier leaves" and "It's time to take part in a humanitarian effort to help the people still suffering (from Agent Orange effects) in Vietnam".

Edgar made his comments at San Francisco State University's Commonwealth Club, which, last weekend, hosted an hour-long discussion titled "Addressing the Legacy of Agent Orange in Vietnam".

Participants to the discussion were told that Edgar had pushed legislation to help veterans impacted by Agent Orange and now, his focus is on the people of Vietnam.

He said he went to Vietnam as part of a humanitarian effort last year, and would be going again in March. The reason to keep going back to Vietnam, Edgar explained, is for people to see firsthand the beauty of a people and land struggling to recover from the devastation of war -- and perhaps take some action.

He told the crowd at the Commonwealth Club several times: "We have been waiting for."

In the same vein, "The Old Gold & Black" - Wake Forest University's newspaper - in its Feb 28 issue wrote: "It is important that the world understands the effects of this harmful chemical (Agent Orange) and unites behind the people of Vietnam. It is possible to eliminate the problems associated with Agent Orange; however, it is only possible if the global community pays attention and takes action."

In an article entitled "Agent Orange effects linger in Vietnam", "The Old Gold & Black" newspaper said: "Some 35 years later, the effects of this chemical are still evident in Vietnam, as children are born with birth defects and families are ripped apart at the seams" and that: "The war may be over, but the conversation cannot end" as "war has unintended and unpredictable consequences."

"The Vietnamese people are a resilient culture and they will fight to overcome whatever obstacles they may face. Families are uniting together in order to overcome the effects of Agent Orange. Vietnam is a country of great hope with a bright future," the paper said, stressing that if the world was willing to pay attention, the past could finally be eliminated and Vietnam could begin to move forward in the 21st century.

According to the paper, organizations such as the Ford Foundation, Common Cause, Children of Vietnam and others have acknowledged the continuing effects of Agent Orange in the communities of Vietnam.

Members of those organizations are joining Ford Foundation's Special Initiative on Agent Orange/Dioxin which aims to raise US$30 million each year over the next decade to clean contaminated Agent Orange hot spots and provide health services for families and children affected by Agent Orange.

The paper continued: "Even the United States government has pledged some US$24 million to help clean up hot spots across Vietnam. However, a handful of non-profit organizations cannot completely eliminate the hardships brought on by the actions of the United States over three decades ago."

It stressed: "If there is to be a future Vietnam that is not riddled by the effects of Agent Orange, global action is required."

In the framework of Ford's Special Initiative on Agent Orange/Dioxin, many events were held across the US in the past two weeks including a panel discussion at the University of North Carolina on Feb 16, a discussion at Wake Forest University, both in North Carolina state, and a discussion on Feb. 25 at San Francisco State University in California state, all under the theme of effects of Agent Orange in Vietnam.

At the above-said events, Charles Bailey, Director of Ford Foundation's Special Initiative on Agent Orange/Dioxin, said that helping Vietnam deal with the legacy of Agent Orange "is a humanitarian issue, and we can do something about it".