All- thought post here anyone still following on Vietnam Unit History database from Post/Thread:
"Resource Vietnam Vet's -"The US Army in Vietnam" -"The Bud Harton Collection at the Texas Tech Virtual Vietnam Archive"-Perhaps????" at http://www.pebforum.com/threads/res...s-tech-virtual-vietnam-archive-perhaps.44432/
Former MiTT Team Leader said:
All- these files also contain, where chemicals were sprayed- such as defoliant, CS Gas, etc... and how much- that in fact may be helpful Vietnam veterans.....??????
Basically, they are a "treasure" trove of information, if one is simply wiling to look, and could very potentially "Swing" a US DVA rating decision.....??????
Hope, this assist's someone at least??????
All- sent selected files to folks in the Gulf Coast VA System/VISN-16 in particular the Gulf Coast VA OEF/OIF Representative (at website:
https://www.biloxi.va.gov/services/returning/index.asp ), in hopes they would forward to "Higher HQ" within the US DVA System- hopefully to National US DVA Level!
Being stationed abroad quite a lot, sadly on one of my tours, had a LT walk into a "old" leftover minefield, and was injured! Resultant, we were directed to, as best we could, put together an "overlay" map of were all these "minefields" were "possibly" placed and perhaps not "deactivated"!
I bring this up, as the US DVA or US Government could in fact hire "historians' to go back through these unit histories and generate a "user" friendly data base of were things like "defoliant" and CS Gas etc.. were in fact utilized to assist Vietnam and other pre-Vietnam Veterans of other conflicts....
One of the many possible reason's the US DVA, etc... would not want to do this is "perhaps" potential liability to other "governments" such as Vietnam, etc... but is that simply not the cost of going to war and doing anything short of "total victory!" For example, was in another Country, and all the taxi cabs were Mercedes Benz! I asked why, and the answer was simple- it was part of another countries "war" debt for "atrocities" etc... committed in an "unjust" war!!!!!
Also, the US Military, used- at one point in time have Unit Historians, etc... that did this kind of work! I sent in a Commander's Situation Report almost nightly- encapsulating- all we had done that day, like many of these Vietnam reports! However, they were all electronic, and are most likely "lost" forever in the "ether!"
Well just some things to think about, and hope assist's some veterans out there, whom if willing do "some-homework" with this and other data-bases like it, may get more "favorable" results on their claims.......
PS: I am not saying Vietnam was unjust nor any other US Conflict, however for those Interested might want check out "Just and Unjust Wars: A Moral Argument With Historical Illustrations (Basic Books Classics) 3rd Edition by
Michael Walzer (Author)" (at Amazon.com:
https://www.amazon.com/Just-Unjust-...coding=UTF8&psc=1&refRID=G5F4317CSY67QA3CF03B )
which was "assigned" reading at US Military Academy once upon a time....
I myself simply concur with one of former Directors US DVA who stated "its all just Disney La...d!" or too some such affect: see YouTube"Mickey Mouse Steamboat Willie 1928" courtesy YouTube Video at View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iep9EJ9H1aU
Which oddly came out mid way through
"Yangtze Patrol" from "1854-1949" IAW Wikipedia at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yangtze_Patrol