VIETNAM MEMORIAL - Hearing of Veteran s Administration officials with Vietnam Veterans, most angry about delays in approving Agent Orange compensation
VIETNAM MEMORIAL - Hearing of Veteran s Administration officials with Vietnam Veterans, most angry about delays in approving Agent Orange compensation
"Vietnam Memorial" A documentary honoring America's Vietnam War Veterans, recorded at ceremonies for the opening of the Vietnam Memorial Wall in 1983; the brunt of the story told by the veterans themselves. Originally shot on film.
VIETNAM MEMORIAL - Hearing of Veteran s Administration officials with Vietnam Veterans, most angry about delays in approving Agent Orange compensation
Traveling shot of the Capitol Building. High angle TLS people entering rotunda in Capitol Building. Some of these people are in wheelchairs.
VIETNAM MEMORIAL - Hearing of Veteran s Administration officials with Vietnam Veterans, most angry about delays in approving Agent Orange compensation
A hearing of V.A. (Veteran s Administration) officials with Vietnam Veterans, most angry about delays in approving Agent Orange compensation, held in Congressional hearings room in the Capitol Building. Panning shot inside hearings room. Doctor from the Veteran s Administration (VA) addressing a group of Vietnam Veterans, I came here to listen, not to talk. And I just want to tell you that I ve heard you, I ve heard you loud and clear. I don t get up to offer any excuses. It s quite obvious in many areas whatever we ve done, it s not been nearly enough. And I would only plead with you to not lose faith in your health care system. It s yours, you know. When all of this is over, and we do find the answers, and your needs are taken care of, you re still going to need that system. I too am very proud that I am a Vietnam Veteran. And I too have been exposed to Agent Orange. Again I say, I ve heard you, I ve heard you loud and clear. We re going to keep trying.
VIETNAM MEMORIAL - Hearing of Veteran s Administration officials with Vietnam Veterans, most angry about delays in approving Agent Orange compensation
A hearing of V.A. (Veteran s Administration) officials with Vietnam Veterans, most angry about delays in approving Agent Orange compensation, held in Congressional hearings room in the Capitol Building. Official from the Veteran s Administration (VA), It going to be a long time before the medical, or scientific evidence is all in. When I say a long time, I don t mean 15 years. The Ranch Hand study which is ongoing will be completed in the next calendar year. The question of birth defects resulting from exposure to Agent Orange, that question will answered next year by the Center for Disease Control study. So there is scientific evidence coming in. The larger research effort demanded by public law 96-151 looking at ground troops will take a little longer, but should be completed in the next 3 to 4 years, so that should add some additional light.
VIETNAM MEMORIAL - Hearing of Veteran s Administration officials with Vietnam Veterans, most angry about delays in approving Agent Orange compensation
A hearing of V.A. (Veteran s Administration) officials with Vietnam Veterans, most angry about delays in approving Agent Orange compensation, held in Congressional hearings room in the Capitol Building. Vietnam veteran in the audience standing, saying "Many of my brothers have died, while you sat up there and play political bullshit I hope you understand that". Vets clap loudly. As every person gets older, they die. And the fact is that you will sit there in the VA and you will wait until most of us are dead to respond. So my answer to you is, don t worry about your theory, don t worry about your research. Put it on the line now. Put the money where your mouth is. And when the research comes in, we ll deal with it then.
VIETNAM MEMORIAL - Hearing of Veteran s Administration officials with Vietnam Veterans, most angry about delays in approving Agent Orange compensation
A hearing of V.A. (Veteran s Administration) officials with Vietnam Veterans, most angry about delays in approving Agent Orange compensation, held in Congressional hearings room in the Capitol Building. Angry Vietnam Veteran saying, Let s get down to one thing. Yeah, I can speak as loud as you want me to. Let s get down to one thing, the thing is I ve had effects look here I sweat under one arm of my body. If I stop sweating, it s very bad for me. Let s stop the bs about this and bureaucratic garbage. How long can I wait? Effects started on me in 1967 and they ve gotten worse. Gentlemen, we can t wait, 20, 30, 40 years. You put yourself in my place, I ve got two boys. I want to watch them grow up. I want to provide for them. You guys have got to get off the pot and do something. I don t want to come un-glued. I don t want to hurt nobody. But Gentlemen, something s got to happen or every Vietnam Veteran, I guarantee it, at that memorial will join together and it will be the worst uprising this nation ever had. And you don t want it. Because as this Gentleman over here said, you guys taught us, you taught us good. We did a hell of a job. You don t want us up against you. We want to help you. The things that are happening to me, and every other Agent Orange man, didn t happen to him before he went to Vietnam. What are you going to do? Are you going to supplement us or what? Somebody have a comment? VA Official, I would just say that Congress will be addressing this next year, first priority. I think everyone would agree, it s long overdue. There s no sense of this country preparing for the next war without cleaning up after the last one. This is certainly something that s got to be done immediately.
VIETNAM MEMORIAL - Hearing of Veteran s Administration officials with Vietnam Veterans, most angry about delays in approving Agent Orange compensation
A hearing of V.A. (Veteran s Administration) officials with Vietnam Veterans, most angry about delays in approving Agent Orange compensation, held in Congressional hearings room in the Capitol Building. Angry Vietnam Veteran saying, This past April my wife gave birth to a child with multiple birth defects. He was almost pronounced a Downs Syndrome child. I can go into all the problems that he has, primarily the liver, the heart, brain shunts, you name it, the child had it. He lived for four and a half months in an intensive care hospital here in Washington. My medical bills are well over $150,000. Thank God, I ve got good medical coverage and they ve been able to take care of most of it. How many other Vietnam Veterans across this country have got the same problem that I have and are now producing children with nominal birth defects. And what has the VA done for us? So far they haven t done a damn thing for me. I want to know what in the hell is going to be done about it. Next year is not going to help the mental state my wife is in right now fearful of having further children. What are we supposed to do? What s the government going to do to help us?
VIETNAM MEMORIAL - Hearing of Veteran s Administration officials with Vietnam Veterans, most angry about delays in approving Agent Orange compensation
A hearing of V.A. (Veteran s Administration) officials with Vietnam Veterans, most angry about delays in approving Agent Orange compensation, held in Congressional hearings room in the Capitol Building. Official from the Veteran s Administration (VA), If there is a legitimate problem in this area, again, the legislative approach has to be taken. The VA must be funded for this kind of care. It does not presently exist. And it doesn t again, mean that we re not concerned. It means that there are limits as to what kinds of care we can provide. Angry Vietnam Veteran saying, But something s got to be done, right. I can t see any reason why you can t produce for me tomorrow and send it to Minnesota, I ll be back there in two days, a letter by you or anyone else, a letter requesting that type of legislation and let s see whether we can do that or not. Would you be willing to do that? Ok, I know there s a program out saying take it easy and all that treat these guys good and don t blow any shit their way, but that s a joke. The thing is you re going to have to figure out how to do it a little bit better. And if you can t do it better, when are you going to get the balls to do it better? We had balls to go over there and go in again. When are you going to get the balls to go help us now? Veterans cheer.
VIETNAM MEMORIAL - Hearing of Veteran s Administration officials with Vietnam Veterans, most angry about delays in approving Agent Orange compensation
Over shots of Vietnam Veterans gathered to listen to Veteran s Administration officials, Vietnam Veteran saying, The government looks at it like this, like we re trying to rip them off, okay. They think we re all a bunch of bleeding hearts and we want money from them. What they re saying is Well tough luck fellas. If you die that s too bad. If you re miserable the rest of your lives, that s the breaks. We don t have the money to fix it.