Vietnam Veteran News

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Kathleen “Katie” Young, NSWCDD chief engineer

Episode 2506 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the Vietnamese refugee who has done quite well in this country. The featured story comes from the Naval Sea Systems Command [THE FORCE BEHIND THE FLEET]. It was submitted by Dave Ellis, a writer for the NSWCDD Corporate Communications.

The featured story is titled, Growing up in war-torn Vietnam, leads NSWCDD chief engineer in lifelong pursuit of stability. It describes the like of Kathleen “Katie” Young. She lived with her family in Saigon. She was six years old when the communist North Vietnamese rolled into town with Soviet tanks and took over the place.

Her father served as an officer in the South Vietnamese Army. When the commies arrived, he was imprisoned for ten years. She and her family became destitute in the newly arrived communist paradise.

Finally, she and her family made it to America. They settled in Montgomery County, Maryland. Katie Young did not ask for a hand-out but offered a hand to her new home country. She hit the deck running.  She earned a degree in electrical engineering from the University of Maryland and a master’s degree from the University of Southern California. She also holds a master’s in national strategic and securities studies from the Naval War College.

Today Katie serves as chief engineer for the Strategic and Computing Systems Department and as the Conventional Prompt Strike Software lead. Her work at Dahlgren has earned her numerous awards, including the Dr. James Colvard Award and the United States Navy Meritorious Civilian Service Award.

She is happy with her new home country. Katie said about her new country,  “I feel very strongly that the U.S. plays an important role in maintaining stability across the world,” she said. “It’s a very important personal connection for me. What we do here at Dahlgren for the Department of Defense contributes to our country’s efforts.”

Listen to episode 2506 and discover more about the Vietnamese refugee who has done quite well in this country.

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Thai air for base perimeter during the Vietnam War

Episode 2505 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a look at a report about sworn statements claiming exposure to Agent Orange, Agent Purple and/or Agent Blue by US Airmen in Thailand. The information shared in this episode is a portion of the report created by the Merry Band of Retirees titled, Use of Agent Purple, Agent Orange and Agent Blue on Royal Thai Air Force Base Perimeters in Thailand during the Vietnam War.

The paper was submitted by Kenneth R. Olson and Larry Cihacek. Olson was a professor in the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois [krolson@illinois.edu]. He is a US Army Vietnam Era Veteran and professor emeritus of soil science. Cihacek is a professor at the School of Natural Resource Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota. He is US Army veteran and professor of soil science.

In this episode, the following portion of the paper that is titled, 2.2 The Historical Record Reveals Substantial Herbicide Use on Air Force Bases in Thailand will be featured. According to Olson and Cihacek, there is ample evidence of the use of toxic herbicides (Agent Orange, Blue and Purple). He cites several veteran’s accounts of those who served in Thailand during the American Vietnam War that seem to verify the use of herbicides to clear bases in Thailand during this period.

Five bases in Thailand, including Nakhon Phanom (NKP), Ubon, Korat, U-Tapao and Udorn endured sniper fire interdiction, perimeter penetration, and sapper (combat engineer) attacks.Nam Phong an eighth Royal Thai Air Force base was used by the United States Marine Corps air operations starting in 1972. The Rules of Engagement (ROE)  provided authorization and limits for the employment of herbicides throughout the Southeast Asian conflict.

Listen to episode 2505 and discover more about sworn statements claiming exposure to Agent Orange, Agent Purple and/or Agent Blue by US Airmen in Thailand.

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spraying herbicides

Episode 2504 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a look at a report about the Historical Record that reveals substantial herbicide use in Thailand. The information shared in this episode is a portion of the report created by the Merry Band of Retirees titled, Use of Agent Purple, Agent Orange and Agent Blue on Royal Thai Air Force Base Perimeters in Thailand during the Vietnam War

The paper was submitted by Kenneth R. Olson and Larry Cihacek. Olson was a professor in the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois [krolson@illinois.edu]. He is a US Army Vietnam Era Veteran and professor emeritus of soil science. Cihacek is a professor at the School of Natural Resource Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota. He is US Army veteran and professor of soil science.

In this episode, the following portion of the paper that is titled, 2.2 The Historical Record Reveals Substantial Herbicide Use on Air Force Bases in Thailand will be featured. According to Olson and Cihacek,  due to the density and high growth rate of tropical vegetation in Thailand, mowing was seen as labor intensive and ineffective, so US military personal used herbicides.  Furthermore, there are several reference reports admitting herbicide use throughout bases (on the grass yards next to barracks)in Thailand to control vegetation in Thailand’s tropical environment.

Five bases in Thailand, including Nakhon Phanom (NKP), Ubon, Korat, U-Tapao and Udorn endured sniper fire interdiction, perimeter penetration, and sapper (combat engineer) attacks.Nam Phong an eighth Royal Thai Air Force base was used by the United States Marine Corps air operations starting in 1972. The Rules of Engagement (ROE)  provided authorization and limits for the employment of herbicides throughout the Southeast Asian conflict.

Listen to episode 2504 and discover more about the Historical Record that reveals substantial herbicide use in Thailand.

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Agent Orange inventory storage at Johnston Island.

Episode 2503 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a portion of a report about the findings of the Merry Band of Retirees in reference to the uses of toxic herbicides by the U.S. in Thailand during the American Vietnam War.

The portion of the report that will be featured next is titled, 2.1. Thailand’s Strong Connection to US Air Force Operation Ranch Hand Resulted in a Steady Supply of Tactical and Commercial Herbicides. It was submitted by Kenneth R. Olson and Larry Cihacek. Olson was a professor in the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois [krolson@illinois.edu]. He is a US Army Vietnam Era Veteran and professor emeritus of soil science. Cihacek is a professor at the School of Natural Resource Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota. He is US Army veteran and professor of soil science.

In this episode, the findings about the relationship with the U.S. and Thailand during the American Vietnam War is featured. It was found that throughout the Vietnam War, Ranch Hand aircraft utilized bases in Thailand.  Aircraft used for Ranch Hand, C-123s, launched from Vietnam airbases and on numerous occasions from Thailand airbases, including Udorn and Ubon, to conduct missions against targets in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Five bases in Thailand, including Nakhon Phanom (NKP), Ubon, Korat, U-Tapao and Udorn endured sniper fire interdiction, perimeter penetration, and sapper (combat engineer) attacks.Nam Phong an eighth Royal Thai Air Force base was used by the United States Marine Corps air operations starting in 1972. The Rules of Engagement (ROE)  provided authorization and limits for the employment of herbicides throughout the Southeast Asian conflict.

Listen to episode 2503 and discover more about the findings of the Merry Band of Retirees in reference to the uses of toxic herbicides by the U.S. in Thailand during the American Vietnam War.

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Thai Takhli AFB circa, the American Vietnam War

Episode 2502 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a report about the rules of engagement for use of toxic herbicides in Thailand during the American Vietnam War. This episode is a continuation of a look at the use herbicides in Thailand. This follows a series of episodes aired on this podcast that featured the Merry Band of Retirees’ report on the secret war in Laos fought by the U.S. against the communist forces in Indo-China.

The report that will be featured next is titled, Use of Agent Purple, Agent Orange and Agent Blue on Royal Thai Air Force Base Perimeters in Thailand during the Vietnam War. It was submitted by Kenneth R. Olson and Larry Cihacek. Olson was a professor in the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois [krolson@illinois.edu]. He is a US Army Vietnam Era Veteran and professor emeritus of soil science.

Cihacek is a professor at the School of Natural Resource Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota. He is US Army veteran and professor of soil science.

In this episode, section 1.2 Rules of Engagement for Thailand were Similar to Vietnam of the paper will be featured. Both Thailand and Vietnam were communist force engagement zones for deployment of US military personnel. Both countries had similar Rules of Engagement by US and Allied Forces.  Most of the Air Force bases in Thailand were staging hubs for operations within Laos (the Secret CIA War) and in Vietnam. US military personnel located throughout Thailand were also subjected to hostile attacks from Communists insurgents.

Five bases in Thailand, including Nakhon Phanom (NKP), Ubon, Korat, U-Tapao and Udorn endured sniper fire interdiction, perimeter penetration, and sapper (combat engineer) attacks.Nam Phong an eighth Royal Thai Air Force base was used by the United States Marine Corps air operations starting in 1972.

The Rules of Engagement (ROE) provided authorization and limits for the employment of herbicides throughout the Southeast Asian conflict.

Listen to episode 2502 and discover more about the rules of engagement for use of toxic herbicides in Thailand during the American Vietnam War.

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Korat RTAFB, 70th Aviation Detachment, Circa 1968

Episode 2501 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a report about the use of toxic herbicides in Thailand during the American Vietnam War. This follows a series of episodes aired on this podcast that featured the Merry Band of Retirees’ report on the secret war in Laos fought by the U.S. against the communist forces in Indo-China.

The report that will be featured next is titled, Use of Agent Purple, Agent Orange and Agent Blue on Royal Thai Air Force Base Perimeters in Thailand during the Vietnam War. It was submitted by Kenneth R. Olson and Larry Cihacek. Olson was a professor in the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois [krolson@illinois.edu]. He is a US Army Vietnam Era Veteran and professor emeritus of soil science.

Cihacek is a professor at the School of Natural Resource Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota. He is US Army veteran and professor of soil science.

In this episode, the introduction of the peer-reviewed paper will be featured. The abstract reported: Seven Royal Thai Air Force bases in Thailand were used by the United States Air Force (USAF) during the Vietnam War as staging hubs for operations in Laos and Cambodia.

Five bases in Thailand, including Nakhon Phanom (NKP), Ubon, Korat, U-Tapao and Udorn endured sniper fire interdiction, perimeter penetration, and sapper (combat engineer) attacks.Nam Phong an eighth Royal Thai Air Force base was used by the United States Marine Corps air operations starting in 1972.

US Military personnel stationed throughout Thailand were also attacked by Communists insurgents.  Two herbicides, Agent Purple and Agent Orange containing 2, 4, 5-T contaminated with dioxin (TCDD – 2,3,7,8 tetrachlorodibenzodioxin)and a third herbicide, the arsenic-based Agent Blue, were routinely received at these Thailand airbases in support of air missions and to keep airbases and perimeter fences clear of vegetation.

Listen to episode 2501 and discover more about the use of toxic herbicides in Thailand during the American Vietnam War.

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Andy Pham at the Viet Museum

Episode 2500 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature an explanation of why April 30 is the darkest day of the year for the Vietnamese Diaspora in America.

On January 27, 1973 The Paris Peace Accords were signed. The purpose of that document was to end the American War in Vietnam. It included such provisions as:

• The withdrawal of all U.S. and allied forces within sixty days.
• The return of prisoners of war parallel to the above.
• The clearing of mines from North Vietnamese ports by the U.S.
• The reunification of Vietnam through peaceful means without coercion or annexation by either party, and without foreign interference.
• The withdrawal of foreign troops from Laos and Cambodia.

The document did not live up to its expectations. A mere two years later on April 30, 2023, the murderous North Vietnamese communists disregarded the intent of the Paris Peace Accords by militarily invading South Vietnam and forever crushing the hopes or the South Vietnamese people of living in a free country.

To the day, the one million Vietnamese Diaspora who live in this country refer to the month of April as Black April because that is the month their lives were ripped apart and they had to leave their home country or face death and privation.

In 1976, Vietnamese refugee Vũ Văn Lộc founded the Immigration Resettlement and Cultural Center (IRCC) to provide educational and social services to the thousands of Vietnamese refugees coming to northern California. In 1990, he began to formally seek support to create a museum dedicated to the experiences of the Vietnamese community.

On March 14, 2006, the IRCC officially entered into an agreement with the City of San Jose and History Park San Jose, to establish the museum. The museum was established became known as The Việt Museum (Viện Bảo Tàng Việt Nam), also known as the Museum of the Boat People.

Listen to episode 2500 and discover more about why April 30 is the darkest day of the year for the Vietnamese Diaspora in America.

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Lynn Pierson (left) and Jim Moulton reunited recently, 57 years after spending a year together in Vietnam serving as medics.
Provided

U.S. Army medics Jim Moulton (left) and Lynn Pierson developed a supportive friendship while serving a tour in Vietnam.
Provided

Episode 2499 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about two Vietnam Vets who met-up fifty years later. The featured story comes from The Olean Times Herald and is titled, Shinglehouse man reunites with fellow Vietnam veteran. It was submitted by Natalie Kennedy. [nkennedy@tiogapublishing.com]

The purpose of featuring this story is to illustrate to Vietnam Veterans how rewarding it can be to get back in touch with fellow Vietnam Vets. Whenever a person experiences a year in the American Vietnam War, they have a tendency to become forever bonded with those who shared those experiences.

In the featured story, the experiences of two Vietnam Vets are presented. Jim Moulton and Victor “Lynn” Pierson served together as Army medics in Vietnam.

Moulton was 18 when he enlisted in 1965. He completed basic training at Fort Oliver in Baltimore, Md., before completing a 10-week medic training at Fort Sam Houston in Texas, where he met Pierson. Pierson, 20, was drafted from his home in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The two hit it off immediately, recalled Moulton, sharing an irreverent sense of humor. Pierson and I were always goofing around all the time. They both served at the 3rd Field Hospital outside of Saigon.

The friends lost touch with each other after their return to the states. Years later, Moulton attempted to find Pierson but he was met with little success at every turn. Luckily his wife Linda took the search to the internet, focusing on Cedar Rapids, Iowa, and located a Lynn Pierson. From that the connection was accomplished.

The two met, had lunch and spent several hours reminiscing and catching up. Moulton said “It was just fantastic. A friend like that, you just can’t beat. He raced motorcycles and I took up alligator wrestling, so I guess we both liked living on the edge.”

Listen to episode 2499 and discover more about the two Vietnam Vets who met-up fifty years later.

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Episode 2498 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature the summary, recommendations and acknowledgements of the Merry Band of Retirees report titled, United States Secret War in Laos: Long-Term environmental and Human Health Impacts of the Use of Chemical Weapons. The report was authored by Kenneth R. Olson, David R. Speidel and submitted to Scientific Research Publishing.

Portions of the report have been featured on the podcast in recent episodes. It was pointed out that the intricacies of Laotian affairs, and U.S. and North Vietnamese interference in them, led to a mutual policy of ignoring the other, at least in the public eye. This did not prevent the North Vietnamese from violating Lao neutrality by protecting and expanding their supply conduit with the support of their Pathet Lao allies in their war against the central Lao government. U.S. intervention came in increments in the form of a CIA-backed clandestine army in its fight with the communists and constant spraying of herbicide weapons and bombing. The CIA also provided support for the Lao government.

The primary objective of this study was to: 1) determine locations of potential dioxin TCDD and arsenic hotspots as a result the secret chemical spraying missions on the Hồ Chi Minh Trail in Laos and 2) determine environmental and human health effects from the spraying of tactical herbicides containing dioxin (TCDD) and/or arsenic.

According to Professor Olson, One of the last untold stories of the Second Indochina War in Southeast Asia was the United States secret use of the tactical herbicides, rather than ground troops, in the neutral nation of Laos. The United States has never taken full responsibility for spraying the tactical herbicides used on Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos during the Second Indochina War.

And yet, in one of the larger oddities of history, the most painful legacy of the war has become a cornerstone of reconciliation.

Listen to episode 2498 and discover more about the summary, recommendations and acknowledgements of the Merry Band of Retirees report titled, United States Secret War in Laos: Long-Term environmental and Human Health Impacts of the Use of Chemical Weapons. The report was authored by Kenneth R. Olson, David R. Speidel and submitted to Scientific Research Publishing.

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Herbicide service station somewhere in Indo-China

Episode 2497 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature portions of a scientific paper about methods utilized by the U.S. to stem the flow of men and material on the Ho Chi Minh Trail. The featured paper was submitted to the Scientific Research Publishing service by Professor Kenneth R. Olson of the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, USA and David R. Speidel of the Natural Resource Conservation Service and Foreign Agricultural Service, Benton, Missouri, USA.

The paper is titled, United States Secret War in Laos: Long-Term Environmental and Human Health Impacts of the Use of Chemical Weapons. In this episode the portions of the paper dealing with methods utilized by the U.S. to stem the flow of men and material on the Ho Chi Minh Trail will be featured [3.1. Hồ Chi Minh Trail Interdiction and Expansion (1965-1968)].

The intricacies of Laotian affairs, and U.S. and North Vietnamese interference in them, led to a mutual policy of ignoring the other, at least in the public eye. This did not prevent the North Vietnamese from violating Lao neutrality by protecting and expanding their supply conduit with the support of their Pathet Lao allies in their war against the central Lao government. U.S. intervention came in increments in the form of a CIA-backed clandestine army in its fight with the communists and constant spraying of herbicide weapons and bombing. The CIA also provided support for the Lao government.

The primary objective of this study was to: 1) determine locations of potential dioxin TCDD and arsenic hotspots as a result the secret chemical spraying missions on the Hồ Chi Minh Trail in Laos and 2) determine environmental and human health effects from the spraying of tactical herbicides containing dioxin (TCDD) and/or arsenic.

Listen to episode 2497 and discover more about methods utilized by the U.S. to stem the flow of men and material on the Ho Chi Minh Trail.