Texas Drifter Explain Vietnam Vets Pre-mature Death Rates
Marshall’s Law Townhall Dateline – One estimate suggests ninety percent (90%) of Vietnam Veterans have died, or are dying at faster rate than any previous group of American combat veterans. Texas Drifter asks, why?
Little background, Texas Drifter is not an American Armed Forces Veteran. Explaining not complaining and certainly not attempting to equate being recruited for intelligence gathering in October 1968 to infiltrate anti-war movement with any peace time or war time service in any branch of America’s military.
Two following excerpts plus comments from several friends and associates; causes me to ask first, why excessive death rates for survivors of Vietnam War. Second, what are American people doing to make lives easier for those young men and women who traded and are still trading their futures to defend Heaven’s favorite Republic?
(Excerpts) Memorandum: Accelerated Mortality Rates of Vietnam Veterans
Conclusion
There is no certain way of knowing how many Vietnam veterans have died through suicide, motor vehicle "accidents," or illnesses. The available evidence, both anecdotal and scientific, however, suggests elevated mortality rates from suicides, motor vehicle accidents, and certain cancers for Vietnam veterans. In some cases the data suggests mortality rates are "significantly elevated."
This entry was written by Brian, posted on at 6:05 am, filed under The Most Dangerous of Rogue Nations: The United States, Vietnam. Bookmark the permalink.
(Excerpts) VIETNAM VETERANS FADING AWAY AS DEATH RATE RISES
"It's scary. It seems like the 'Nam guys aren't going to be around a long time, not like their fathers."
NOTE from Larry Scott, VA Watchdog dot Org ... Be sure to watch the video using the embedded player at the bottom of the page.
And, use our search engine for more about Vietnam veterans ... here ...
http://www.yourvabenefits.org/sessearch.php?q=vietnam&op=and
-------------------------
Vietnam generation begins to fade as death rate rises for war's veterans
By Brian Albrecht
http://blog.cleveland.com/metro/2010/02/viet
nam_vets_fight_final_battl.html
Forty years ago, Ron Willoughby was death with a telescopic sight as a Marine sniper in Vietnam.
Today, mortality has Willoughby and other Vietnam veterans in its crosshairs.
The generation of an estimated 8 million military service members of the Vietnam era, 1964-1975, is fading.
The number of Vietnam veteran deaths has almost doubled since 2001 and, according Department of Veterans Affairs' projections, will hit 103,890 this year -- approaching 300 a day. That's more than five times the average daily number of U.S. combat deaths during the peak casualty year of the war in 1968.
Willoughby, now 63 and a year older than the national average age of Vietnam vets, said three members of his old unit have died in the past five years, two from cancer and one from a heart attack.
That's why the North Olmsted veteran said the unit reunions have been changed from once every two years to annual affairs.
Time is catching up, and they know it…
… Though the National Academy of Sciences, Institute of Medicine, finds only "suggestive but limited evidence" that Agent Orange can be associated with diseases, Veterans Affairs lists 15 conditions -- qualifying veterans for service-related compensation -- that might be connected by exposure to the defoliant. Among them are ischemic heart disease, prostate and respiratory cancers, chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Parkinson's and Hodgkin's disease.
Quisenberry, wounded twice during his Vietnam tour with the 173rd Airborne Brigade, wonders about the risks.
"We were in some areas of deforestation where we drank our water out of rivers and bomb craters," he said. "So far I haven't shown any symptoms, but I worry about it."
In the past three years, the number of Vietnam vets seeking treatment from the VA has gone up 25 percent nationally, about 10 percent locally, and the largest category of that treatment is for post-traumatic stress disorder, according to Dr. Edgardo Padin-Rivera, chief of psychological services at the Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center.
Vietnam veterans are reaching a point in their lives where they may be retired, losing the past support systems of family and friends, susceptible to depression and prime candidates for late-onset PTSD, Padin-Rivera said.
Marine Vietnam vet Jim Minnery, 66, of Elyria, said counseling has helped him cope with PTSD -- the modern term for the "shell shock" diagnosis his grandfather got after serving in World War I.
"I'm doing pretty good now," he said. "It helped that I quit drinking 23 years ago. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't be here."
Willoughby, the Marine sniper, said one member of his unit is a recovering alcoholic who once said "he wasn't drinking to get drunk. He was drinking to go to sleep because of all of this stuff."
Willoughby revisited the ghosts of his own past with a return trip to some of his old battlefields in 2008.
"I guess to remember and forget at the same time," he said. "I wanted to go back to see what it was, because that was a time when we thought we were going to die."
Now they know they are.
The prospect of death has lent a new urgency to life for some Vietnam veterans…
…Vietnam veterans like Bob Stockhausen, 62, of Lakewood, cite another legacy.
"Our generation was the one that figured out you can oppose the war but support the troops," he said. "Even though our welcome home was 15 years late, we're out on the front line welcoming home the troops from Iraq and Afghanistan."
That community support of the troops nowadays will prove invaluable in treating returning veterans with PTSD, said Dr. Padin-Rivera of the VA.
"The atmosphere of acceptance around veterans is very different from what it was back in the '70s, and this has made a tremendous difference beyond anything we could do as professionals," he said.
Some Vietnam vets believe their legacy in the lessons of that war has yet to be learned…
Texas Drifter asks, if above information does not cause reader to ask why excessive death rates? Then maybe history might judge you the reader as not being worthy of sacrifices made by some of Heaven’s favorite warriors.
Why has American Vietnam Veterans survivor scandal not shamed Americans into action? Reader now knows their next home work assignment. Texas Drifter will start reader off with five possible explanations.
1. Democrat Party can use limited public assets to buy votes from larger welfare interest groups than veterans who honorably defended their America.
2. Democrat Party allies with selfish promiscuous love first never defend America principles are adults with personalities of two year old children who do not care about any veterans’ health care.
3. America’s mainstream news media despises and hates anyone associated with America’s Armed Forces, they lie when they deny;
4. Too many corporate officers and not enough warrior officers and generals in America’s Armed Forces.
5. Conservative patriots have not been aware of mortality rates of Vietnam War surviving veterans;
6. Reader can add their own explanations from this point on …
Closing thoughts, are some conservatives especially Moderate Republicans starting to act like Obama and his allies? What is difference between not calling Islamic Fascist suicide bombers – terrorists, or calling 911 a man made disaster; And conservatives not calling Obama, his Administration, and worshipers: Communists, Leninists, Fascists, Racists, America last crowd, and many words that will not be included as this is a family format writing exercise?
Reason for asking question, one can not dispassionately defeat their enemy until one can look their enemies eye to eye, and without emotion say you are my enemy. Conservatives for "ratings" radio and talk show hosts, who soften their criticism of Obama with politically correct omissions, are not likely to be loyal dependable allies when America’s current events evolve from bad too much worse.
Denying brutal reality does not make reality better. Consider many of Obama’s Democrat Party allies, supporters and worshipers would not criticize Obama even if he constantly sexually abused children every day at noon on Main Street, USA.
Precedent, Democrat Party never criticized Clinton for sexually torturing women while Governor and President. Democrat Party loyalty is consistent not matter how vile or purely evil their President’s sins.
Someone needs to explain to conservative celebrities especially Moderate Republicans (really closet Democrats); golly gee Texas Drifter will say it. Trying to defend America from both domestic and foreign enemies, by not hurting America’s enemies’ feelings by not being politically incorrect is worse than fool’s gold. The proper description is coward’s iron pyrite.
Only thing worse than not have courage to exercise Heaven’s First Amendment right of free speech; is speaking truth then apologizing for speaking truth. Final question, how can Iraq and Afghanistan veterans surviving their honorable tours of duty trust Obama and Democrat Party not to betray them, when precedent for betrayal has been set by abandoning Vietnam War Veteran survivors?
