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Forget Tam Never Continued
<br /> "M kids:and m self and in "friends could-:be"dead in A reporton iu way to-a Washington D C.:file says.Har=- Wh - -
<br /> Y . ,Y ,Y; Y�should:l:wiite-someone-ir,Aon't;know iuid don't
<br /> years.What are we going to wait for the VA?We don't :=wood is "oriented,"his memory is" intact,"•and that while: ?-'asked one vet,, responding to Camacho s''-cafi for
<br /> he does show. symptoms^of post traumatic stress,disorder;'.
<br /> have the time," he said. '- � --. . vet ans'to help each other by writing letters,en masse,to
<br /> Miles gets headaches "just like someone shot an arrow :-he also has an alwholic depeadency That last tage, by om- -legis ors.
<br /> right in my eye." :r.- ,�� -- . mitting mention of-all:tbe drugs lu sfib a 'given since Iris' - use-'[hey re`in`.power, .the commission's executive
<br /> ! '"The doctors all say I'm okay„'�he continued. "It's been � t:discharge,,will provide ane,govetament with.a nifty excuse � `�dir or replied, ”And; ou don't;have_auythutg:else" to
<br /> 'nine years since Vietnam's'been over and you're starting a •-:not..to.grant;him a._service._�related disablli[y, :Harwood ` work with,-said Boston Senator`Joseph B. Walsh,-also a
<br /> =believes. -
<br /> commission now?What about the vets who in the meantime ','My
<br /> -� -��_: � com 'ssioner.
<br /> .have jumped off buildin or the cops had to-blow-them ,My service was honorable This (report)is now the only _ - ` - '---
<br /> Bs P . . .-mar on m t . . Sept.23 hearing wits the last "generai.purpcise :�hew-
<br /> y ( ) , mg on vets'problems,Ca_macho said. Coming up are.&pecial:-
<br /> away? How long dome have to wait? Another nine ears? . Y. ecord.When (went in the service I was,l8; a
<br /> I'm tired of being- called a forgotten hero. We weren't -baby, less If I hadlt(a:disorder)after gotout and ---hearin s on
<br /> g _ g Agent Orange, housing,and.emloymem:issues::
<br /> 'recognized. Even the American-.hostages got a tickertape _diM't.have it before, something caused the;disorder, so-:to.- The commission is charged with coming up.with a-needs
<br /> speak. As far as I'm concerned,I'm in front of a bunch of. _ - -
<br /> �parade.I had to pay my own way home from.San Francisco' _ assessment in June 1983 -- but:there isn't enough.time bet-
<br /> .:pohGcians,:and it's a.,bunch.of.politicians:that sent to
<br /> •immediately after being'discharged. _ `ween now and then to arrive at an accurate assessment:of
<br /> The only thing that keeps him-.from doing, away.with ;"Vietham.,I'm resigned to paying for;this havor.d,w nj t of my- :;;`.Massachusetts' ve_ts',needs, Bangert said ;• _
<br /> whimself, Miles said, is his Catholicism " " �� -"
<br /> =bfe. Nothing will bedone. I've been through the whole nine' -
<br /> "1 don't know what.this.country's coming to They.can ;-Yards. I'm not saying everything is ffie war's'fault,but I:feel " -
<br /> ',that I've wasted my 4me(with the VA and the system com-
<br /> �pass all kinds of bills,but justforget about the Vietnam vet.I. )
<br /> -hear that all the time: `hire the vet, hire the vet., Wen, it `,pletely. Sid Chase is the only.onewho'cares. He's not VA;
<br /> doesn't:seem to work,'_- _-. _ ;he's Town oftirnstable.I was deceived and told fies when I
<br /> =Veteran.Earl'LeGeyt,34, was, until'March 46 a special gigot out,",Harwood testified h " •`
<br /> police officer in" Harwich. : He believes- .he's 'been Camacho'is the commission s oniy'patd member{On•itare`
<br /> -discriminated against as a disabled veteran. In the 20 months 1:14 other Vietnam and World'War 111veterans and fourdoc-
<br /> ' he worked at that joti;'he-had `'no lossoftime from work" '-tors representing Tufu•Umvetsi[y;`Harvard,-Boston Univer- -
<br /> and, in fact, put in a lot of overtime. Harwich is nota civil . sity and the tJmversity of Massachusetts '
<br /> :.. ..
<br /> service town;and LeGeyt was still ineligible to join-the Har- The scores of veterans that went to be.seen:and-heard.by,
<br /> wich policemen's union at the time of his dismissal. But he the commission Sept.23 were bitter-over+the fact thattit took.
<br /> was dismissed because he's a disabled veteran with a back nearly_10:years.for the commission to be appointed. In.May, -
<br /> problem. The town was worried about liabilities it could in- 1981 Governor Ed,Kin a . -
<br /> cur from employing goods,"and so•are the other g appointed ins nd then only.after
<br /> . -much lobbying and-what theveteranson the commission
<br /> Cape Cod towns that won't hive him, he said. - called litickm
<br /> "It -sounds Ake _an excuse to get rid of you," said ;Po . g.^-Since then,the commission bas-travel-
<br /> "It the state m itsinformation gathering,stage.-it came to
<br /> Camacho. Cape Cod only after-local veteraus';groups asked it to.
<br /> Harwich's fear was'that LeGeyt-would someday- file a If veterans are ever:to collect.on the political deb[owed.
<br /> workman's compensation claim, and the veteran "has been -them, Camacho'said,;the muster -
<br /> .blackballed" -Sid Chase said. Without_exception, the - . Y -- Saniu.,The•.vets:in,
<br /> `veterans praised Chase,:Barnstable's-veteranC-agent, for his :- represent its•po[enaally largest suigie voting bloc"..tie
<br /> .helpfulness and understanding:Apparently,Chase is one of - "What took•10 years to getbcre�today, Carnacho said;
<br /> the few true friends df.Viet veterans on Cape Cod., -earl, in'the next four ears, become t
<br /> Veteran Robert-Harwood's story about the VA's perfunc- `�• Y significant .voting
<br /> ,tory 'physical and psychological=examinations of him, its bloc. "We're talking 80;000 to-100; vets;.30 ta6Qyeas
<br /> old the only interest-bloc vote un .':We ve rgnhs#p-
<br /> ,pigeonholing him as-an alcholic instead of someone with a t`'organize:`W1 renot",' to aq... n
<br /> ` ;eervtce-related-disorder,-:Was one example.of•the:geneial,.at- d_. -. go` >1�( g)by saymg',Favtsh
<br /> g.somebody;wvuld do;sometlurig t a. =ter u u
<br /> }_tttitude,by`xe�terans toward the federal agrncy that'asupposed
<br /> "- hClp`YKW �'s i net Y Y.f}d- N �viu'm .S
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