There's been a lot of talk about veterans and little recognition that this
country no longer has the draft. The people who sign up cannot be said to
be a "citizen's army" like could have been said in past wars. The US, least
we forget, today has a professional army.
For those of you who observe the military. What type of difference does
this make in today's army? In the future of the military?
best, Don Monkerud
>It was significant that the Veterans Administration waited until the
>leadup to the Gulf War to recognize that complaints made by vets who had
>been dosed with Agent Orange were legitimate. It certainly was a factor
>in cutting short the life of a Marine medic and beautiful human being,
>Jack McCloskey, whom Joe and I both knew, who was one of the founders of
>the VVAW chapter in San Francisco.
>
>Now, predictably, the Administration is in the same type of denial
>concerning Gulf War Syndrome. It will probably take another intervention
>to get to concede on that one.
>
>Jeff Blankfort
>
>Joe McDonald wrote:
>
>> The struggle for compensation for Agent Orange poisoning goes on. Civilians
>> are now in an uproar about dioxin as a "known carcinogen" but i submit
>> excerpts just received from a Vietnam Veteran friend just to remind the
>> list of what we did to our own in Vietnam and that these individuals, their
>> children and even their grandchildren get little attention for their
>> problems from any sector of the country. How do we interpret that? Do they
>> deserve what they got? i dont think so. The following words at from the
>> present not the past:
>>
>> > "Well, I think the Congressional Hearing went well but boy was it sad.
>> > There were five of us Vietnam Vet women testifying. I tried to not cry
>> > but I didn't make it....talking about my children's illnesses was just
>> > too painful. We did address our grandchildren's problems too, as they
>> > seem to be affected by Agent Orange as well."
>>
>> > "Very sad to see the results from Agent Orange. One woman there has two
>> > out of four children...with cancer. Another woman is in a wheelchair
>> > and has lung damage......sisters with hip and knee replacements,
>> > MS....very, very sad."
>>
>> cheers, country joe mcdonald
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