SK2-Stew68-70
4 posts
Aug 20, 2009
10:30 PM
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Hi Ship Mates!
A lot of years have passed since I departed Mars in May 70.
I have been fighting with the VA as are lots of other NAM vets. These Message pages have several Mars NAM vets fighting with the VA also. Blue water Navy and Air Force NAM vets all have been turned down be the VA. The judicial system so far has sided with the VA.
Help may be on the was with HR2254 Agent Orange Equity Bill, currently in committee in the House,if approved, and signed into law will make the need for all this documentation mute.
For anyone who does not understand the problem: to file a successful "exposure to Agent Orange" claim you have to prove you set foot on the ground inland Vietnam. The VA has taken a harsh interpretation on Agent Orange. Their interpretation is Agent Orange drifted in the air but drops to ground at the shore line and didn't drift out to sea.
Proving that you had "boots on the ground" is the problem. One of the main documents needed would be deck logs. Some say crossing the plain of the shore line; entering Cam Raun Bay, Da Nang, the mouth of the rivers where we anchored becomes important.
Anyone who gets a hold of the Mars Deck logs from 67-70 which shows the ship entering NAM ports and/or anchoring in Vietnam waters are essential.
If someone gets any of these pages I would love to get copies of them. Contact me at kenneth_1513@msn.com.
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SK2(Stew)Ken Stewart
Hold Capt. Cargo Hold 5
Dec 68-May 70
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BOBFIDY
43 posts
Aug 22, 2009
10:08 PM
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Ken...
As part of the MARS history that I have right now that will be in Oklahoma City during our reunion in October there is a "FAMILY GRAM" sent from Capt. A. E. Knutson dated April 30, 1971.
In the letter to families of crewmembers at that time there is a story about a "beach party" with 1/2 of the crew going to Cam Ranh Bay for a day of hot dogs, hamburgers, and soft drinks. A good time was had by all. After another line swing Mars was re-stocked in Subic and went back on line and the other 1/2 of the crew had their Cam Ranh Bay shore party.
There is at least one shipmate that this Family Gram has already helped with their VA claim.
If you think this might help you...or ANYONE else thinks it might help them...send me an e mail at hotlapsbob@hotmail.com and I will make copies to send or fax to you.
As I said above, the Mars history books will be at the reunion in Oklahoma City for and all to look at and then they will be sent to California for the reunion in 2010.
BOB SCHORFHEIDE EM2 1967/68
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SK2-Stew68-70
5 posts
Aug 23, 2009
1:53 PM
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Thanks Bob, however I left the Mars upon her return to the world in May of 70.
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SK2(Stew)Ken Stewart
Hold Capt. Cargo Hold 5
Dec 68-May 70
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jimrd3
4 posts
Aug 28, 2009
7:59 PM
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I am fighting this too. I sent photos of beach party in nam and a shipmates letter stating we were there. Awaiting if this is acceptable. Hard to tell if the party was on nams beaches as all beaches look alike. If you get other info pass it on. Jim potter RD3 1966-1968 JP460@aol.com thank you
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James Roy Emmons
7 posts
Aug 29, 2009
8:46 PM
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STEW,
Well hello after all these years and God bless. My Clam for PTSD and other related problems have once again been denied. I'll e-mail my latest response and try not to go postal on the VA ha ha best of luck and will keep you posted. Also found a lawyer that was in the Navy and has taken up my appeals
James Emmons Uss Mars 1969 to 1972
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Darryl W
1 post
Oct 25, 2009
7:35 PM
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I'm trying to get in touch with Joe L Selby. We were shipmates in 1965, 1966, and 1967. We took supplies in to shore somewhere in Vietnam using one of the on board Utility Boats. I need his testimony and any dates of this information to able to file a successful "exposure to Agent Orange" claim. I need to be able to narrow things down to a 60 day time frame, why the VA can't look at the files themselves is beyond me. This supply delivery my have been classified as top secret and would have been destroyed if it was temporary information. If anyone remembers this dilivery, please contact me... Darryl Wetzell BM3 2nd Division USS Mars 1965-1967 (dnswetzell@yahoo.com)
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jimrd3
6 posts
Feb 15, 2010
3:50 PM
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I need info on agent orange for 66-67 era. If you have info on boots on tne ground during that time I wuld appreicate that. My claim is still pending. jp460@aol.com
thank you
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Darryl W
8 posts
Mar 30, 2010
7:33 AM
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If the ship entering NAM ports and/or anchoring in Vietnam waters are proof of "boots on the ground", then we should all have it made, because we were doing this all through the Vietnam war. I have copies of the ship logs for that time, and it's all there. I was also recently denied my claim of Prostate Cancer associated with Herbicide Exposure on March 1, 2010 (Lack Of Information Required to Document the Veteran's Claim of Being in Country, or "Boots on the Ground" in Vietnam)I will appeal the decision. I do have the Ships Logs for the time period I was there, and have found a Log in that is the time I was looking for in South Vietnam’s Cape Vung Tau, Vietnam. The logs are very vague to me, no names, only the hilo crews or someone that got hurt or an officer getting transported. It does have all the anchoring and unrep information though, and the locations.
Darryl Wetzell BM2 Side Cleaner/Boat Decks USS Mars 1965-1967 (dnswetzell@yahoo.com)
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Arthur
Webmaster
94 posts
Mar 30, 2010
7:55 AM
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Darryl W.
Do you have the the ships logs for the time period of 63-65 when a forklift driver punctured a bladder of agent organge on main deck mid-ships port side? If not does anyone else have this account?
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Sincerely,
Art Sweetland
Newsletter Editor/Web-Master
63-65
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SK2-Stew68-70
22 posts
Mar 30, 2010
3:40 PM
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Darryl, being in a harbor will not necessaraly prove "boots on the ground" but it cannot hurt. d'An Thoi probably will not count as it's an island off the southern end of RVN.
It is important to stress that we were in close proximity to the shore of Vietnam a lot. The VA does not approve new cases based on prior cases or court findings. One must prove each claim on its own merrit. There are several individual cases when ships being in close proximity to shore and being in DaNang harbor was designated "in country" for claims.
I believe our best bet without congressional approval of the equity act (HR2254 and S1939) is the Mars stops in Vung Tau. That is when we anchored at the mouth of or in the Saigon River near the Cat Lo base on the northern shore and where the River Squadrons YRBM was anchored. Being in the river is key.
Best of luck with your claim. Keep your fingers crossed the congress will pass the "equity act"
SKCS(SW) Kenneth W Stewart USN(ret)
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SK2(Stew)Ken Stewart
Hold Capt. Cargo Hold 5
Dec 68-May 70
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Darryl W
9 posts
Mar 30, 2010
4:24 PM
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Thanks Stew. I understand now what you are saying. I do have the Ships Logs that prove we were anchored at the mouth of or in the Saigon River near the Cat Lo base on the northern shore and where the River Squadrons YRBM was anchored. It's all there, the dates, the time, the names of the ships that we replenished with our #1 Ship, Hilos, and our Utility Boats. There is no spacific names of individuals doing certain thing. I'm working on my claim with all this. I'll give out any info anyone else needs if I have it ( December 1965 to December 1967 ) in vienam waters only is what I have. dnswetzell@yahoo.com, anyone. My logs don't show anything with the forklift accident, and it may not be logged.
Darryl W
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SK2-Stew68-70
24 posts
Jul 16, 2010
5:56 PM
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Hello you Martians. My fight with the VA continues, however it appears my 30 March posting here, where I said the island base of An Thoi probable will not count for "boots on the ground" could be profounly wrong. Back-in-the-day as my son says, the day being the early 60's the PhuQuoc Island, Republic of Vietnam was sprayed with, you guessed it, AGENT ORANGE. The town on the southern tip of that island is called, you guessed it, AN THOI. Weeeeeellllllllll
on Tuesday, 28 January 1969 the USS MARS AFS-1 had a ships party on the beach at AN THOI. The deck log for that day shows nothing going on while at anchor from 1225 "secured from flight ops" until 1752 Underway.
I have the Mars deck logs for all anchorages in the combat zone from Dec 68 to May 70. I can make copies for any and all pages you need. EMAIL me at kenneth_1513@msn.com
Submit to the VA the cruise book pages and the Army map with your claim to prove "boots on the ground". You need to spoon feed the dummies at the VA. Explain that An Thoi was then and is now Vietnam and that the Army map shows that they sprayed the south end of the island where our base at An Thoi was and the town of An Thoi is today which is where the beach party was.
I am refiling my claim and once it is approved then any Mars sailor from the crew at that time will be preapproved "boots on the ground". Wish me luck, for all of us.
This should also prove "boot on the ground" for any other ships party, any year in Vietnam along with cruise book photos, letters and the Army map.
Documentation:
1: be part of the crew that day that attended the party
2: the photos from the cruisbook are showing the party use to be on this sites articles page but have been removed by grimlens. Not to fret I have the cruisbook and those two pages scanned and will email copies to anyone needing them.
3: go to the links page of this site.
Pick the Blue Water Navy site and scroll down their home page until you get to "US Army graphic of the acknowledged Vietnam spray area" print this map.
Wishing all Martiam Blue Water NAM vets the best of everything fighting with the VA. Do you remember when the VA actually helped Vet's?
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SK2(Stew)Ken Stewart
Hold Capt. Cargo Hold 5
Dec 68-May 70
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