Vietnam Veteran News

Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese meeting with Vienamese officials on a recent visit to that country.

Episode 2532 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about how and why Vietnam and Australia are getting closer. The featured story comes from Voice of America and is titled, Australia Seeks Closer Ties with Vietnam. It was submitted by VOA writer Phil Mercer.

According to Mercer’s story, the Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has concluded a visit to Vietnam, during which he signed a multi-million-dollar agreement to help Vietnam decarbonize its economy. Tensions with China have also been the backdrop to the visit.

It is nice to see the two former adversaries from the American Vietnam War become closer allies today. It became obvious to this Vietnam Veteran during his time in Vietnam; the Vietnamese people were hard working, smart and capable.

This is demonstrated by the fact the Vietnamese maneuvered the gullible Australian prime minister into presenting them with a  $69.3 million package to help authorities in Hanoi decarbonize Vietnam’s economy.

The Vietnamese are smart enough to realize the idea that humans can change the weather is ludicrous. They are smart enough to understand cheap energy from fossil fuels is the key to prosperity and the lifting of its people out of poverty to the middle class.

Another favorable result of the high level visit was that it was agreed to allow two new air routes linking the Australian cities of Melbourne and Brisbane to Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City respectively.

The situation with China was also discussed in the meeting. Vietnam shares Australia’s concerns about China’s moves to exert control over the South China Sea. The Vietnamese coast guard has had confrontations with Chinese vessels in waters claimed by both countries. This is helping the Australians and Vietnamese plan of establishing a Comprehensive Strategic Partnership by the end of this year.

Listen to episode 2532 and discover more about how and why Vietnam and Australia are getting closer.

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USS Maddox of the Gulf of Tonkin incident

Episode 2531 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the secrets surrounding the Gulf of Tonkin incident. The featured story comes from the South China Morning Post and is titled: America does not do accidental war if history is any guide. It was submitted by Alex Lo. He  has been a Post columnist since 2012, covering major issues affecting Hong Kong and the rest of China. A journalist for 25 years, he has worked for various publications in Hong Kong and Toronto as a news reporter and editor. He has also lectured in journalism at the University of Hong Kong.

Lo uses three historical incidents to illustrate how the U.S. uses some incidents to start wars and others to be swept under the rug. One was The USS Maine of Spanish – American War notoriety, Another was the Gulf of Tonkin affair involving the The USS Maddox. The third was the USS Liberty incident that occurred in June 1967, where 34 American sailors were killed and 171 were injured during the Six-Day War.

Being a Vietnam Veteran, your podcaster chose to examine the Maddox incident featured in the story.

According to Lo, It’s not a mechanical cause and effect where an (objectively real) accident or event leads to a violent encounter, which spirals out of control leading to escalation and then an all-out war.

In every step of the way, the leaders from all sides involved interpret or pick and choose the version(s) of events that best suit their agendas and/or policies.

Let us hope that our leaders have learned from the past and will not get us into another war that results in the creation of a black marble walled memorial with the names 50,000 Americans who gave their lives for their country in that war.

Listen to episode 2531 and discover more about the secrets surrounding the Gulf of Tonkin incident.

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Passing of the flag is presented at the Oklahoma City VA PACT Act event.

Episode 2530 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the PACT Act and what it means to all veterans. The featured story comes from the VA News and is titled: Tribal Nations receive PACT Act resources. It was submitted by Carmen Daugherty, Public Affairs Officer for the  Oklahoma City VA.

The Sergeant First Class Heath Robinson Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics Act of 2022, known as the Honoring our PACT Act of 2022, is an Act of Congress intended to significantly improve healthcare access and funding for veterans who were exposed to toxic substances during military service.

You can also call the VA at 800-698-2411 (TTY: 711). And you can file a claim for PACT Act-related disability compensation or apply for VA health care now.

According to the featured story, the Oklahoma City VA held a PACT Act event for Tribal Nations. The Oklahoma City VA is bringing health care resources to remote Tribal areas to ensure Veterans and their families in specific local communities are briefed on the PACT Act, a new law that expands VA health care and benefits for Veterans exposed to burn pits and other toxic substances.

Lin Tsoodle, a Kiowa Tribe member who attended the event stated it might be difficult for some Tribal members to ask or seek help from VA, but he has advice for those fellow Tribal members who may be skeptical: “Be open to the help that VA provides to us. Don’t be shy and don’t feel guilty to receive help. So many have sacrificed so much so that we can finally get the medical care and benefits we have earned and deserve. My father’s generation never had that chance, so don’t waste it.”

Listen to episode 2530 and discover more about the PACT Act and what it means to all veterans

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This is an undated photo of Yang Chao Noi, whose son, Tony Yang, says held the rank of commander in the Lao guerrilla forces fighting alongside the CIA during the Vietnam War. Courtesy Tony Yang

Episode 2529 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the CIA finally recognizing the Hmong People of Laos and their valued assistance they provided to the U.S. during the American Vietnam War. The featured story comes from The Sacramento Bee and is titled: They served in the CIA’s first ‘secret war’ – and are finally being recognized. It was submitted by Michael Wilner and Darrell Smith.

The Hmong were indigenous people who lived in the highlands of Laos. They hated the communist invaders of their homeland. Because of this, they willingly joined the CIA secret war in Laos.

For many years the CIA would not acknowledge that the Agency was conducting a secret war in Laos against the communist forces. The denial was a big task to hide an operation that according to David Robarge, chief historian at the CIA, over 50,000 Hmong soldiers were involved in the operation over the course of a decade. Something that large is hard to keep under wraps.

Seen here is an undated photo Jue Vang, left, holding her eldest child Cheng Yang and standing next to her husband Wa Pao Yang, who died in 2022. Wa Pao Yang served as a second lieutenant in Lao guerrilla forces fighting alongside the CIA in the “secret war” in Laos during the Vietnam War. Courtesy Mia Foster

Now, upon the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the start of the CIA, the agency is honoring the Hmong people and their contribution to the effort in the American Vietnam War to stem the tide of communism.

Wilner and Smith describe the developing situation with the Hmong by highlighting two Americans of Hmong descent.

One was Tony Yang. He escaped the hell of post American presence in Laos with his father who had been part of one of the most successful, expansive, and least-known operations in CIA history.

The other is Mia Foster. Her father, Wa Pao Yang, was a lieutenant in Lao guerrilla forces fighting alongside the CIA during the war. Both of her parents escaped Laos in 1975, after the U.S. operation had ended, trekking for two weeks through Laotian jungle convinced they had been left behind for dead..

Listen to episode 2529 and discover more about the CIA finally recognizing the Hmong People of Laos and their valued assistance they provided to the U.S. during the American Vietnam War.

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At the close of Saturday’s dedication, Valerie Seidman, her son Brian, and grandchildren unveiled a replica of the sign dedicating the bridge. Then they joined Police Sgt. Ronald Undzis in his cruiser for their first ride across the newly-dedicated bridge. Courtesy photo by OC O’Connor

Barry Seidman, 79, Maj. USAF ret.,

Episode 2528 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the bridge dedication for a brave Vietnam Veteran Barry Seidman in Bedford, Massachusetts. The featured story comes from the Bedford Citizen and is titled: Bridge Dedicated in Memory of Decorated Vietnam Veteran. It was provided by Toby Favalora. He is a Bedford High School, Class of 2024 student. Additional information was provided by Brezniak Funeral Directors of Newton, MA.

According to the story, the bridge crossing the Shawsheen River on The Great Road in Bedford was dedicated posthumously Saturday, May 27, 2023 in honor of decorated Vietnam War veteran Major Barry Seidman, a resident of Bedford for more than 40 years.

The event was held at noon at Veterans Memorial Park, a half-mile west of the bridge, and featured remarks by Congressman Seth Moulton, State Rep. Kenneth Gordon, Col. Taona Enriquez, and Seidman’s widow, Valerie.

Major Seidman became a Forward Air Controller in the Vietnam War and was awarded the Silver Star for bravery. He joined the Air Force in 1962, and during his deployments in Vietnam, he collected more than 1,400 combat hours and more than 900 combat missions. He was awarded 36 air medals.

Air Force Major Barry Allan was another tremendous representative of the great Vietnam Veteran Generation – one as great as any that ever heeded the call of duty from our country.

State Rep. Kenneth Gordon spearheaded the efforts that led to the bridge dedication and explained how nobody, not even the major’s family, truly understood the magnitude of his bravery.

All in the area are encouraged to drive across the Great Road Bridge over the Shawsheen River and remember a great American, Major Barry Allan Seidman.

Listen to episode 2528 and discover more about the bridge dedication for a brave Vietnam Veteran Barry Seidman in Bedford, Massachusetts.

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The Wall that Heals coming to town.

Episode 2527 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the Wall that Heals coming to Crivitz, Wisconsin. The featured story appeared on WBAY-TV 2; Action 2 News and was titled: “The Wall that Heals” receives escort to Crivitz, opens Wednesday. The story was presented by Samantha Cavalli. Samantha is an MMJ/Reporter, originally from Ocean Township, New Jersey.

On Veterans Day 1996, the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) unveiled a replica of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., designed to travel to communities throughout the United States. Since its dedication, The Wall That Heals has been displayed at nearly 700 communities throughout the nation, spreading the Memorial’s healing legacy to millions.

Bringing The Wall home to communities throughout our country allows the souls enshrined on the Memorial to exist once more among family and friends in the peace and comfort of familiar surroundings.

The Wall that Heals is making its second appearance at Crivitz. It arrived on Tuesday May 23, 2023 and will remain open thru Sunday. It is set up at the Crivitz-Stephenson Historical Society Museum, 204 N. Oak St.

Vietnam Veteran John Deschane visited the exhibit and said, “It’s a very emotional experience.”  He added this, “My absolute most precious memory of coming home from Vietnam was landing at Austin Straubel Airport in Green Bay, and there was this beautiful lady standing up in the deck and she gave me a great big hug, and I married her 53 years ago,”

On Tuesday afternoon, The Wall that Heals was led by a police escort and more than 250 veterans and their motorcycles, traveling from Howard to the Crivitz-Stephenson Area Museum. It made its way through Oconto, Coleman and Pound before its final stop, where it was met by a sea of red, white and blue.

All in the Crivitz area are encouraged to visit the Wall and pay their respects to the 58,281 Americans who gave their lives for their country in Vietnam.

Listen to episode 2527 and discover more about the Wall that Heals coming to Crivitz, Wisconsin.

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Roy Valdez visits the Vietnam Veterans Monument at the Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum in Yorba Linda, CA on Wednesday, March 29, 2023. Valdez’s broth-in-law was killed in Vietnam in 1970. The monument depicts a Marine running through the jungles of Vietnam in 1971-1972. (Photo by Paul Bersebach, Orange County Register/SCNG)

Episode 2526 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the Vietnam Veteran Monument that was added to the Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, California. The featured story comes from The Orange County Register and is titled: Nixon Library adds monument to Vietnam War veterans on 50th anniversary. It was submitted by Heather McRea, the City editor. She has worked for the Orange County Register for more than 15 years, starting in north Orange County and now spanning much of the county.

McRea’s story described the addition of a Vietnam Veteran Monument to the Nixon Presidential Library. The memorial was unveiled on Wednesday, March 29, 2023 which was appropriately the national Vietnam War Veterans Day. It commemorates the 50th anniversary of the last American troops withdrawing from the war – a milestone in Richard Nixon’s presidency.

The monument is a bronze statue that depicts a Marine running through the jungles of Vietnam. Though it is meant to represent all veterans of the war, a Marine was chosen as a nod to the presidential library’s proximity to Camp Pendleton and the prevalence of the Marine community in Southern California, said Joe Lopez, spokesperson for the Nixon Foundation.

Bob Bostock, a Nixon scholar and consultant to the Nixon Foundation said this: “From the time he entered office, President Nixon was committed to ending the war without jeopardizing the future of South Vietnam.”

He added this about the President, “The Nixon Doctrine – that the United States would aid countries threatened by communism but shouldn’t send troops to fight – was something the president wrote about a lot after his time in office – “that there should be no more Vietnams,” that there should be another way to help. This was a matter that was of concern to him.”

Listen to episode 2526 and discover more about the Vietnam Veteran Monument that was added to the Nixon Presidential Library in Yorba Linda, California.

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Viet Museum monument to those who fell.

Andy Pham at the Viet Museum

Andy Pham at the Viet Museum

Viet Museum

Episode 2525 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the Viet Museum at San Jose, California. This podcast episode was aired on May 29, 2023 which is Memorial Day in the U.S. That day is set aside to remember those Americans who gave their lives for their country in war times.

A good friend of this podcast, Andy Pham, suggested that on the occasion of remembrance for Americans who died for their country it would be a good thing to remember the Vietnamese how died for their country during the American Vietnam War.

That can be done with a look at the Viet Museum at San Jose. That is why this story is featured. The featured story comes from Clio. Clio is an educational website and mobile application that guides the public to thousands of historical and cultural sites throughout the United States along with nature trails, art walking tours, and virtual tours of museums and sites.

The Viet Museum was the over 30 year labor of love of Loc Van Vu, a former Colonel in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam. The museum focuses in three periods in the history of the Republic of Vietnam and its people: 1950-1975: The Republic of Vietnam and the War in the Name of Freedom; 1975-1996: The Boat People and the Quest for Freedom; and 1975-the present: Vietnamese Americans Today and the Building of Liberty.  Its exhibits chronicle the lives of those who witnessed the fall of their government to the communists and the over one million souls who fled, usually in boats, to seek refuge abroad.

Among the museum’s collection are uniforms, military medals, documents, historical photographs, and the Tan Phat, a replica of the trawler that delivered 32 Vietnamese to safety in Malaysia, which sits near the museum’s entrance.

Listen to episode 2525 and discover more about the Viet Museum at San Jose, California.

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Episode 2524 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about how Vietnam POWs were honored at the Nixon Presidential Library. The featured story appeared in the Orange County Register and was titled: Vietnam War POWs gather, remember at Nixon Library reunion. It was submitted by Erika I. Ritchie.

The Nixon Presidential Library & Museum in Yorba Linda is holding three days of events to celebrate the 50^th anniversary of the end of U.S. involvement in the Vietnam War.

One of the events was the hosting of a reunion of nearly 170 American prisoners of war. One of the attendees was Charlie Plumb, a retired Navy captain shot down after 74 successful missions. He said seeing many of the guys he was held within a North Vietnamese prison was an indescribable experience on Tuesday, May 23, 2023.

Plumb, who spent six years in the “Hanoi Hilton” prison made these remarks, “Seeing these guys I haven’t seen in a long time is really neat, especially when you’re in a prison cell with nothing else to do; you get to know these guys really well. It’s a bond that can’t be replicated and can’t be broken. Some of the guys saved my life, and some guys said I saved their lives.”

Nixon’s administration negotiated the release of 591 American prisoners, who returned home in February and March 1973. On May 24, 1973, the president and his wife, Pat, hosted the largest dinner in White House history – still to this date – in honor of the POWs. This week’s reunion includes a formal dinner in the library’s replica of the White House East Room that is meant to recreate that state dinner, down to the menu items and centerpieces.

The reunion started Tuesday with a parade to the Nixon Library, a flyover and tours of the galleries, including a new exhibit on the POWs’ experience.

Listen to episode 2524 and discover more about how Vietnam POWs were honored at the Nixon Presidential Library.

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Shot Down in Vietnam

Episode 2523 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a story about the CAPTURED: Shot Down in Vietnam program at the Nixon Library.

With the approach of Memorial Day of 2023 activities are being planned around the nation to honor the memory of those who died for their country in wars. The Nixon Library at Yorba Linda, California is doing its part to help America remember its fallen wartime heroes.

One of the remembrance events being held at the Library is the CAPTURED: Shot Down in Vietnam program.

According to the Library website: During the Vietnam War, hundreds of American aviators were shot down, imprisoned, tortured, and beaten in North Vietnam. They experienced the harshest conditions imaginable as Prisoners of War.

For as many as eight long years, the Vietnam POWs stayed true to their mission and survived behind bars. They communicated through codes and wraps on prison walls. They were unbelievably brave and resisted enemy propaganda. And their families knew little of their fate.

The Captured exhibition opens May 24, 2023: At the Nixon Library, relive the harrowing experience of hell in the Hanoi Hilton and gripping tales of resilience, fortitude, and faith.

See more than 75 unique artifacts from around the country, on display together for the first time. Launch from an aircraft carrier ready room into the skies. Get up close to a recreated, rat-infested prison cell. And relive the national celebration that was their homecoming, including the largest dinner in White House history.

Everett Alvarez, Jr. was the first American to be shot down over North Vietnam and he was the first detainee to be held at the Hanoi Hilton prison camp.

An excellent podcast about the pilot and his experiences will be featured in this episode.

CLICK HERE to order tickets to the CAPTURED: Shot Down in Vietnam program.

Listen to episode 2523 and discover more about the CAPTURED: Shot Down in Vietnam program at the Nixon Library.