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Vietnam Vet Jim Rothblatt

Episode 2592 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature an op-ed about what Vietnam Veteran Jim Rothblatt is doing to help us remember our Vietnam Veterans. The featured op-ed appeared in The Desert Sun and was titled; Let’s remember our Coachella Valley veterans this October. The op-ed was submitted by Jim Rothblatt of Palm Springs. He is a Vietnam veteran, a retired school counselor and a bicycling enthusiast. Email him at redleafresources@gmail.com.

In his op-ed Rothblatt related the following: “This year my calendar tells me I’m 80 years old. While it’s only a number, I can’t help but reflect on the fact that most of my “living” is in my past, but tomorrow is still an adventure.

I’ve been lucky. I grew up in an American middle-class family, got a college education, have been married for over 50 years and have two adult children and two lovely grandchildren. I was lucky enough to have a career in public education and got paid for doing my best to support young people so that they may look back someday and hopefully feel as lucky as I do.

But looking back, it is my eight months in 1967 serving as a combat medic for the Army in Vietnam that continues to flavor all the good things I have been lucky enough to experience.”

Jim Rothblatt announced that what may be my last veterans’ effort, I am working with other vets to stage a last “Stand Down” of celebration and remembrance to take place October 21 and 22 at the Desert Hot Springs Veterans of Foreign Wars Post #1534. All Vietnam-era veterans and others who care are invited.

There will be an opening ceremony Saturday, Oct. 21 at noon and a closing ceremony Oct. 22 at noon.

Listen to episode 2592 and discover more about what Vietnam Veteran Jim Rothblatt is doing to help us remember our Vietnam Veterans.

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Joseph Kittinger later served three tours in the Vietnam War and received numerous commendations, including two Silver Stars and six Distinguished Flying Cross medals. US Air Force photo.

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Joe Ronnie Hooper

Episode 2590 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about Vietnam Veteran Joe Ronnie Hooper who could only be described as a killing machine. The featured story comes from the Air Force Times and is titled: Army of one: the soldier who left Vietnam with 115 confirmed kills. It was submitted by Jon Simkins. He is a writer and editor for Military Times, and a USMC veteran.

According to Simkins, nearly 50 years after he retired from the Army, Capt. Joe Ronnie Hooper’s service record remains one of the most astonishing testaments of bravery in the service’s long history.

When the day came to hang up his uniform for the last time, the Piedmont, South Carolina, native’s awards included two Silver Stars, six Bronze Stars, eight Purple Hearts, and a slew of other accolades, including the U.S. military’s highest commendation for valor, the Medal of Honor.

Hooper earned that last award on the evening of Feb. 21, 1968, during the Battle of Hue — a bloody month-long fight that would leave thousands dead and begin to shift public perception of the war in the U.S. That day, Hooper would be credited with 22 confirmed kills.

Hooper was presented the Medal of Honor by President Richard Nixon on March 7, 1969. He would be commissioned as an officer before retiring from the military in 1974. At the time of his retirement, the Army had credited him with 115 confirmed enemy KIA.

America is very fortunate to have citizens like Joe Ronnie Hooper who are willing to serve our country in war and risk their lives to protect us from our enemies. Hooper was laid to rest at the Arlington National Cemetery.

Listen to episode 2590 and discover more about Vietnam Veteran Joe Ronnie Hooper who could only be described as a killing machine.

CLICK HERE for Joe Ronnie Hooper‘s CMH citation.

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Episode 2589 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the book about Ira Hayes that was written by a Marine Vietnam Veteran. The featured story comes from the Cherokee Phoenix and is titled: Book looks into the life, struggles of Ira Hamilton Hayes. The story was provided by Stacie Boston, a Multimedia Reporter.

According to Stacie Boston, Cherokee Nation citizen Tom Holm, an author, scholar and Marine Corps veteran of the Vietnam War worked to shed light on Hayes through his book “Ira Hayes: The Akimel O’odham Warrior, World War II, and the Price of Heroism.”

Ira Hamilton Hayes (January 12, 1923 – January 24, 1955) was an Akimel O’odham Native American and a United States Marine during World War II. Hayes was an enrolled member of the Gila River Indian Community, located in Pinal and Maricopa counties in Arizona. He enlisted in the United States Marine Corps Reserve on August 26, 1942, and, after recruit training, volunteered to become a Paramarine. He fought in the Bougainville and Iwo Jima campaigns in the Pacific War.

Holm, originally from Chelsea, Oklahoma, has been writing about Native veterans since the 1970s. He is a professor emeritus of American Indian Studies at the University of Arizona. During his career, he has worked with various tribes and even served on the State of Sequoyah commission in the early 2000s. Holm retired in 2009 after serving 30 years at ASU.

According to Holm, “on the day Hayes died he was drinking some cheap wine, which is actually low in alcohol content. And then went out on the desert and died. He actually died of hypothermia. Flat out just went out and went to sleep.”

Listen to episode 2589 and discover more about the book about Ira Hayes that was written by Tom Holm,  a Marine Vietnam Veteran.

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Vietnam Vet Anthony Meizis being laid to rest with American Legion Riders escort.

Episode 2588 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about how the Massachusetts American Legion Riders escorted a Vietnam Veteran to his final resting place. The featured story appeared on the American Legion website and was titled: Vietnam veteran gets proper final send-off, thanks to Massachusetts Legion Riders and others.

Vietnam Veteran Anthony Meizis of Weymouth, Massachusetts served in the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War.  He came home and lived his life in Massachusetts. His life ended at the age of 80 and he left no family members to attend his burial ceremonies except for one who could not attend the event due to ill health.

The funeral home director, Cara Johnson, who was in charge of Anthony’s arrrangements reached out to the Massachusetts Department of the American Legion Riders.

The message to the Riders read as follows:

I have a Vietnam era veteran that will be buried Friday morning at MA National cemetery in Bourne and he has no family or next of kin that will be attending. I had heard of your organization, making sure that no veteran was buried alone, and I would be forever grateful if you would assist me in escorting him to Bourne for his burial and military honors especially since he loved motorcycles.

When Drew Pajak, the Department of Massachusetts Vice Commander, who also serves as the Northeast Region consultant for the National American Legion Riders Advisory Committee he took immediate action.

His first step was to share the funeral directors message on Facebook. With that things took off. There were more than 21,000 impressions and 2,300 shares. Pajak was in shock.

Getting the word out like Pajak did resulted in more than 150 American Legion Riders from multiple chapters and a total of around 300 motorcycles showing up to provide Meizis with a final send-off. Members of American Legion Riders Chapter 279 in Auburn, Mass., were the first to arrive at the funeral home that morning and served as pallbearers for the service.

Listen to episode 2588 and discover more about how the Massachusetts American Legion Riders escorted a Vietnam Veteran to his final resting place.

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Episode 2587 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about how the Australians are marking their Vietnam Veterans Day. August 18 is Vietnam Veterans day in Australia. That day was chosen because that was the day the biggest battle fought by Australian forces occurred.

To help mark the occasion, Australian politician Barnaby Joyce made a statement about Australian’s service in Vietnam. He was interviewed on Sky News. During the interview he commentated on the difficult challenges the Australian troops faced in the War.

He also commented about the results of their service in country. He believes the War burned out the communists and made them unable to continue the spread of communism in Southeast Asia.

Barnaby Thomas Gerard Joyce (born 17 April 1967) is an Australian politician who served as the 17th deputy prime minister of Australia under Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull from 2016 to 2018 and Prime Minister Scott Morrison from 2021 to 2022 as the leader of the National Party of Australia.

Joyce was born in Tamworth, New South Wales, and is a graduate of the University of New England. In 1999, he set up an accountancy practice in St George, Queensland.[4] Joyce was elected to the Australian Senate at the 2004 federal election, taking office in 2005. He became the National Party’s Senate leader in 2008.[5] At the 2013 election, he transferred to the House of Representatives, winning the rural seat of New England in New South Wales.

On 18 August, Australians commemorate Vietnam Veterans’ Day on the anniversary of the Battle of Long Tan in 1966. They  remember the sacrifices of those who died and say thank you to almost 60,000 Australians who served during the 10 years of our involvement in the Vietnam War.

Listen to episode 2587 and discover more about how the Australians are marking their Vietnam Veterans Day..

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Norm Wotherspoon, President of the Caboolture Sub-Branch of the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia, at the Burpengary memorial.

Episode 2586 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about how the Australians are honoring their Vietnam Veterans. The featured story comes from the Moreton Daily and is titled: Tribute to veterans of Vietnam War. It was written by Nick Crockford.  He has been a journalist for more than 30 years, working for weekly and major daily (morning and evening) newspapers, as well as in public relations and radio in Australia and the UK.

He has led teams covering such as the English Premier League, World Cup Finals and Olympic Games, but says community news is his first love.

Nick has lived in the Moreton Bay Region for more than 20 years and is heavily involved with two of the region’s largest football clubs.

Crockford reported that Veterans of the Vietnam War will gather and be remembered in Burpengary on Friday, August 18, 2023, Australian Vietnam Veterans Day. The event will begin with a short march and service being hosted by the Caboolture Sub-Branch of the Vietnam Veterans Association of Australia.

The march will begin at 10:45am from Remembrance House in Progress Rd before a service from 11am at the memorial in Buchanan Park. The guest speaker will be Major (Retired) Geoff Jones, who served two tours in Vietnam, the first with Charlie Company, 6 Battalion, Royal Australian Regiment, as the Company medic.

August 18 was chosen to be the day designated Australian Vietnam Veterans Day because it is the date of the one of the fiercest battles of the Vietnam War fought by Australian forces – the battle of Long Tan.

On 18 August 1966, in a rubber plantation near the village of Long Tan, Australian soldiers fought one of their fiercest battles of the war. The men of Delta Company, 6th Battalion Royal Australian Regiment, faced a force of some 2000 North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops.

The Australians prevailed in the battle.

Listen to episode 2586 and discover more about how the Australians are honoring their Vietnam Veterans.

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Episode 2585 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the situation brewing amongst Australian Vietnam Veterans. The featured story comes from the Australian ABC News and is titled: RSL NSW president Ray James apologises to Vietnam War veterans for post-war treatment. The story was submitted by Monty Jacka. He is a journalist in the ABC Riverina newsroom at Wagga Wagga, NSW.

According to Jacka’s story, it seems Ray James, the president of the New South Wales Returned and Services League (RSL) is issuing a formal apology to veterans who were criticized and shunned by the organization upon their return from the Vietnam War.

He continued: Ray James, also a Vietnam War veteran, said some sub-branches or clubs initially rejected soldiers who fought in the conflict due to the belief they didn’t fight in “a real war”.

According to James, 4,800 Vietnam veterans have signed up to the RSL in NSW, but more than 8,000 are still not members. “We’ve got to move on and move forward from what happened,”

Vietnam Vet Des Davie was greeted by abuse from anti-war protesters and the media when he returned from the War. Today he serves as the president of the Vietnam Veterans South West NSW sub-branch said RSL sub-branches were “stand-offish” towards those who had fought, which caused many veterans to feel isolated. “That was just the last thing that veterans needed when they came back from a war zone.”

Raymond Smith is a forty year veteran of the Australian Army. He currently runs a support group for veterans in Wagga Wagga.

Mr Smith partially blamed the RSL for the civilian reaction, as it didn’t defend or support those who returned from the conflict.

He said many veterans will not accept the apology, which he described as a “political stunt”. He added this; “A lot of people … in this country, and especially in NSW, will turn their back and say that it doesn’t mean a thing.”

Listen to episode 2585 and discover more about the situation brewing amongst Australian Vietnam Veterans.

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Episode 2584 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the Texas Tech University Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive Day of Giving. The featured story comes from the Texas Tech University and the Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive.

For more than 30 years, the Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive has been collecting oral stories from those who participated in and were affected by both sides of the war in Vietnam including soldiers, family members and civilian volunteers. These interviews give researchers a firsthand look into the thoughts and experiences of those who lived during the Vietnam War era and allows veterans’ family members to listen to these moving stories in their loved one’s own recorded words.

The Virtual Vietnam Archive is the one of the most heavily used resources for the study of the Vietnam War in the world, used by researchers in over 160 different countries and searched over 68 million times since its creation. Gifts will be providing access to vital resources for an eager audience of researchers, students, veterans, and others interested in studying these materials and the Vietnam War.

On August 15 & 16, the Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive invites you to rally together with us for 1,923 minutes (signifying the founding year of our university) to support our Oral History Project.

This is a time-sensitive project. Our nation is losing more and more Vietnam veterans every day and we want to interview as many as possible before it’s too late and they are gone from us forever.

All Vietnam Veterans are encouraged to make financial donations and oral donations to this project.

Contact the Vietnam Archive at vnca@ttu.edu or call them  at 833-862-2688.

CLICK HERE to make a donation to the Texas Tech University Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive

Listen to episode 2584 and discover more about the Texas Tech University Vietnam Center & Sam Johnson Vietnam Archive Day of Giving.

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Vietnam Veteran Lee p. McCory of Browdstown and his wife, Jill McCory, look at the Wall That Heals on Thursday morning at the Jackson County Fairgrounds in Brownstown. [Zack Spicer/The Tribune]

Episode 2583 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the appearance of the Wall that Heals at Brownstown, Indiana. The featured story appeared on The Tribune of Seymour, Indiana and was titled: Vietnam Veterans Memorial traveling replica on display through Sunday. It was submitted by Zach Spicer [zspicer@tribtown.com or 812-523-7080].

The Wall that Heals began an appearance at Brownstown on Thursday, August 10, 2023. Vietnam Vet Lee P. McCory of Brownstown visited the Wall and said: “It just irritated me to see young people that weren’t drafted that needed to get into the service, but no, they desert and go to Canada and live in Canada until the war is over.”

The ceremony was opened by Vietnam veteran Gary Dyer. He opened with a prayer, declaring the area of the replica wall holy ground. He said “It’s not just a field, but I declare it today to be holy ground and those that come upon it in reverence know that wall is stained with the tears of many today.”

Dyer added this: “It’s all about the heroes on the wall. Some of us got medals, some of us get a lot of recognition, but those guys paid the price so I could stand here today and talk about that. I’ve got a lot of good friends on that wall through the Tet Offensive. If you survived ‘68, you survived something.” He said he survived by the grace of God.

Seymour Mayor Matt Nicholson, declared Thursday The Wall That Heals Day. He said The Wall That Heals was unveiled on Veterans Day, Nov. 11, 1996, by the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund, designed to travel throughout the United States to allow people to experience the monument in the peace and comfort of their own communities.

They can do name rubbings on the wall, experience the mobile education center and see items that have been left behind at the wall over the years and a replica of the In Memory plaque.

The program closed with proclamations from Jackson County Commissioner Matt Reedy, declaring Thursday a day of honor to recognize local and nationwide Vietnam veterans, and Seymour Mayor Matt Nicholson.

Listen to episode 2583 and discover more about the appearance of the Wall that Heals at Brownstown, Indiana.