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 HelloReturn to index of stories... |
Hello and Welcome. I'm Mike Nikitas from NECN, New England Cable News, guest hosting tonight on this special Veteran's Day edition of New Hampshire Outlook. |
| Preshow #1 Return to index of stories... |
In this program, The push to fully compensate retired veterans who receive both disability payments and a pension. The government may soon change a practice that has had generations of veterans fuming. |
| Preshow #2 Return to index of stories... |
And the heartbreak of a mother at war. We'll hear her story and others. Their experiences are now written and recorded in American history. |
| Intro Con Receipt Return to index of stories... |
There may be relief ahead for many veterans who feel they're getting a bad deal from the government. They're upset with a law written after the Civil War, which says that a retired veteran who receives a disability payment will find to his or her dismay that their pension is reduced by the amount of their disability check. It's something called the "veteran's disability tax" and a lot of veterans think it's wrong. But there's a move afoot that may change things. Our Phil Vaughn has the story. and the experience of two New Hampshire veterans who are directly impacted. |
| Concurrent Receipt Return to index of stories... |
Tony and Joe talking Narr 1 - Tony Woody and Joe DeBoise have spent their lives training to fight. Between them, they have more than forty years of military service. Narr 2 - Both are retired but they have one last battle to win. Tony - "We've been fighting for 17 years now to get concurrent receipt." Narr 3 - Besides being retired, Tony and Joe are disabled. Tony spent 22 years in the Navy. He was a flight engineer testing aircraft ejector seats. He also worked in this Maryland centrifuge studying the effects of G-Force on pilots. He's reminded of his job everyday. Tony - "I take a lot of medications to deal with the chronic pain in my neck and my low back. Especially when I have the arthritis, spinal arthritis attack cause then it hurts everywhere. I can never go out and be producing in the workforce at the high level that I used to, as a flight engineer of a P3 aircraft. Its just not goings to happen anymore. That's not easy to take. I actually lost a job last February, a lousy $12 and hour job that I couldn't even handle that because of the problems I'm having from the medications and the pain." Narr 4 - Joe is a Vietnam Vet. While in the Air Force he was exposed to Agent Orange, a chemical used to destroy jungle vegetation. It also causes cancer and in Joe's case neurological damage. Joe - "I remember working on the ground and the C-130s would fly over and spray. My truck would be covered with it. At the time they said it was fine but after the years here I am." Narr 5 - Like hundreds of thousands of retired, disabled veterans Joe and Tony are entitled to a military retirement pension and disability compensation from the Veterans Administration. It's referred to as concurrent receipt. The problem is there's a century old law standing in their way. Tony - "They're not allowed to earn their pension and keep it and draw VA disability compensation. I am forced to by a 114 year old law to give up every dollar of my pension that I receive in VA disability compensation." Narr 6 - Dollar for dollar, retired disabled veterans give up their pensions for disability compensation. And the more disabled the veteran is, as determined by the Veterans Administration, the more pension money is taken away. Joe - "They boosted me up to 100%, permanent disability which means that I lost all of my retirement." Tony tape 2 - Phil "How much have you lost? About $100,000." Joe - "$250,000 since I retired in 1987." Narr 7 - Veterans have been fighting this law since it was passed in 1891 - unsuccessfully. Tony "Every year it gets put into committee from the Congress Congressional level. They put it into committee, everybody co-sponsors it and say, "Yeah, I help the Veterans. See I co-sponsored this". And then they let it die and they don't fund it." Narr 8 - There are about a half million retired, disabled veterans in the United States. In NH, the best estimate is around 2,000. They're well organized and politically active. And it seems their concerns are starting to be heard in Washington. This week, 22 billion dollars is expected to be approved for concurrent receipt. It will provide some retired, disabled veterans with additional compensation. Jeb Bradley "Veterans who have disabilities - service related, not just combat related can receive it as long as they are 50% disabled." Tony - Phil - "Are you satisfied? "No, we're not. We're not done until every single Veteran that earned, that gets any kind of VA disability compensation and is having their pension docked for that, forfeiting their pension for that. Until we all get it. So, we have to work on the 10% to 40% people that got left out." Joe "I don't like it because it doesn't pick up everyone." Jeb Bradley "The vets with lower levels of disabilities, there'll be a commission to look into how to bring concurrent receipt to those vets. I believe future administrations will deal with it. This is long over due, it took more than 100 years." Narr 9 - Congressman Bradley says it's a matter of federal funding. 22 billion dollars, he says, is all that's available at this time. For many veterans however time is running out. Tony tape - "Imagine all the World War II veterans, how much money they've lost. It's a new era of Veteran now and we're going to defend our rights and go get them. And we'll do whatever it takes to get it. And they forget that they trained us to be the best at whatever we do and many of us are. Now its time to show them cause we have the tools to do it now. We have a lot of talent out there. People were in aviation community, we have lawyers, we have pastors, all these people are Veterans. They're all across the Nation and we're working together. We've become a political force that's not going to go away." Narr 10 - For NH Outlook, I'm Phil Vaughn. |
| Intro WWII Nurse Return to index of stories... |
Today, it is not uncommon for war veterans to be both men and women, but sixty years ago during World War 2, few women were directly involved in overseas operations. Those who were. were usually nurses. And one woman's World War 2 experience as a nurse has recently been published by her daughter. As she remembers her mother on this Veterans Day, she explained to producer Barrett Lester how she was able to uncover an almost lost chapter in her mother's life. |
| WWII Nurse Return to index of stories... |
PAMELA McLAUGHLIN WAS ONLY A LITTLE GIRL DURING WAR WORLD II. SHE SPENT YEARS WITHOUT HER MOTHER BECAUSE HER MOTHER WENT TO SERVE HER COUNTRY OVERSEAS AS A NURSE. SHE SIGNED UP FOR FOREIGN SERVICE. AND IN APRIL OF 1943, SHE SENT A QUICK NOTE TO HER SISTER-IN-LAW SAYING BYE FOR A WHILE. SHE DIDN'T KNOW WHERE SHE WAS GOING. SHE SAID THE NEXT LETTER YOU GET WILL BE FROM, AND SHE PUT A BIG QUESTION MARK. SHE ARRIVED IN NORTH AFRICA IN MAY OF 1943. THE FIRST WEEK MY MOTHER WAS THERE, SHE SAYS IN HER LETTERS THAT SHE WAS SLEEPING ON THE GROUND. THEY HAD TENTS EVENTUALLY, AND EVENTUALLY THEY HAD CEMENT FLOORS PUT IN THE TENTS, BUT IN THE BEGINNING, THE NURSES WORKED3RTIONS. AND YET THEY GAVE IT ALL. Reporter: SOLDIERS IN NORTH AFRICA AND ITALY DURING THAT TIME SHE WROTE HUNDREDS OF LETTERS BACK HOME TO FAMILY USING A SYSTEM CALLED V-MAIL. DURING THE WAR, SERVICEMEN AND WOMEN IS WOULD WRITE ON A PIECE OF PAPER, EIGHT BY EIGHT, A COUPLE PARAGRAPHS AND THE ARMY WOULD PHOTOGRAPH IT, SHRINK IT DOWN TO FOUR BY FIVE INCHES AND MAIL IT BACK HOME IN AN MILITARY OFFICIAL ENVELOPE. DEAR ACHARLOTTE. HERE I AM BACK ON NIGHT DUTY IN LITTLE ITALY. IT'S 2:00 A.M. I HAVE BEEN WORKING TWO WEEKS THIS TIME, SEVEN DAYS AND SEVEN DAYS WITH NO TIME OFF. IT WAS A FUNNY NIGHT WITH THUNDER AND LIGHTNING. I BOUGHT MYSELF A GOOD LUCK LOOKING ITALIAN WRIST WRACH WATCH. MY OTHER IS ABOUT TO STOP. THANKS FOR SENDING PAMY THE BIRTHDAY DOLL. I DREAMED OF BERTHA LAST NIGHT. SHE SAID I WROTE TO TAMMY AND TOLD HER I WOULD SING HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO HER IN ITALY. I HOPE THIS IS THE LAST BIRTHDAY I'M AWAY, DARN IT. I'M AFRAID SHE WILL BE ALL GROWN UP BEFORE I GET HOME. Reporter: SHE DIDN'T REALLY START TO SHARE HER INCREDIBLE EXPERIENCES WITH HER DAUGHTER UNTIL 37 YEARS LATER. I THINK PROBABLY SHE WAS JUST TOO BUSY RAISING THE CHILDREN. BUT HER MILITARY PICTURE ALWAYS SAT ON THE LIVING ROOM TABLE PERHAPS ABOUT TEN YEARS BEFORE SHE DIED, SHE TOLD ME A LITTLE BIT ABOUT THE WAR, BITS AND PIECES HERE AND THERE. MY MOTHER DIED SEPTEMBER 1989. DURING THE NEXT FEW YEARS, THE FAMILY BEGAN SENDING MEE V-MAIL AS THEY FOUND IT. I HAVE A COLLECTION OF AT LEAST 80 PIECES. UNTIL SHE ENTERED THE ARMY CORPS UNTIL SHE CAME HOME MAY OF 1944. IN 1998, I WAS CLEANING OUT MY FILE. I LOOKED AT THE V-MAIL AND I SAID I HAVE TO PUT THIS TOGETHER A PIECE OF AMERICAN HISTORY. AND I DON'T BELIEVE THAT NURSES EVER RECEIVE THE TRUE RECOGNITION THAT THEY DESERVED AND THAT WAS ONE OF THE REASONS THAT I WANTED TO PUT THE BOOK TOGETHER. Reporter: SO PAMELA WHO NOW LIVES IN SOMERVILLE, MASSACHUSETTS, BEGAN WRITING A BOOK TO CHRONICLE HER MOTHER'S WAR EXPERIENCES. IT WAS NO EASY TASK AS SHE HAS SUFFERED FROM POLIO SINCE SHE WAS 11 YEARS OLD. YET PAMELA HAS SUCCEEDED IN LIVING A ROBUST LIFE AND VIEWED WRITING HER BOOK WITH THE SAME ATTITUDE. I ALWAYS KNEW THERE WAS A BOOK IN ME. I KNEW IT. AND FOUR YEARS AGO WHEN I OPENED UP MY FILE AND FOUND THOSE LETTERS, I KNEW THIS WAS IT, AND FRIENDS ENCOURAGED ME. FRIENDS AND FAMILY. THEY SAID TO KEEP ON WRITING. Reporter: FINALLY, LAST YEAR PAMELA COMPLETED AND PUBLISHED HER BOOK, INCORPORATING 80 OF HER MOTHER'S RECOVERED V-MAILS. ENTITLED CELIA, ARMY NURSE AND MOTHER REMEMBERED. A NURSE FOR THE CENTURY. CELIA'S WORDS PROVIDE US WITH A UNIQUE PERSPECTIVE. SHE SAID HERE I AM IN NORTH AFRICA IN A TENT ON A DUSTY ROLLING HILL SIDE. IT'S VERY HOT DURING THE DAY AND COOL IN THE EVENING. WE SLEEP SIX IN A TENT ON COTS WITH NETTING COVERING OUR COTS. THE FIRST WEEK WE SLEPT ON THE GROUND. THERE ARE LOTS OF VINEYARDS AND PRETTY RED POPPIES HERE BUT THE DAMN FLIES, MOSQUITOES, LIZARDS, SNAKES, TOWEDS AND SCORPIANS ARE TOO NUMEROUS TO MENTION. THIS IS FROM 1943. SHE SAID O HER SISTER MARY, I'M IN A WRITING MOOD. MAYBE IT'S THE WILD BOAR I HAD FOR DINNER TONIGHT. Reporter: CELIA REMARRIED, HAD FIVE SONS AND CONTINUED WORKING AS A NURSE. THE SPIRIT OF HER 78-YEAR-OLD LIFE LIVES ON IN HER DAUGHTER'S BOOK. I THINK IT JUST SAYS WHAT A GREAT SPIRIT SHE HAD. SHE KNEW, AS MANY OTHERS DID IN WAR WORLD II, WHAT WE WERE UP AGAINST WITH HITLER. SHE HAD A NURSING SKILL AND SHE WANTED TO USE IT AND I THINK IT SHOWS THE LOVE OF A NATION TO DEFEND AND PROTECT IT. SHE LOVED HER FAMILY. SHE DIDN'T GIVE IT A SECOND THOUGHT. SHE KNEW I WAS BEING WELL CARED FOR AND SO I WENT TO LIVE WITH MY AUNT AND UNCLE AND SHE KNEW I WAS WELL CARED FOR AND SHE JUST WENT AND DID WHAT SHE HAD TO DO. Reporter: PAMELA NEVER HARBORED ILL WILL TOWARD HER MOTHER FOR LEAVING HER AS A YOUNG CHILD. PEOPLE HAVE SAID TO ME OVER AND OVER AGAIN, HOW COULD A MOTHER LEAVE A YOUNG CHILD? YOU LOOK AT WHAT IS HAPPENING WITH THE YOUNG WOMEN TODAY WHO ARE LEAVING NOT ONLY A YOUNG CHILD BUT SOMETIMES TWO OR THREE CHILDREN IN THEIR FAMILIES AND THEY'RE GOING ABROAD TO DEFEND OUR NATION. IT'S IMPORTANT. WE HAVE TO LIVE IN PEACE AND SECURITY AND WE MUST RETAIN OUR FREEDOMS IN THE UNITED STATES. Reporter: PAMELA UNDERSTANDS HER MOTHER'S SACRIFICE AND THE SACRIFICES MADE BY ALL WAR VETERANS. I FEEL IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE NEVER FORGET THE SACRIFICES THAT OUR SERVICEMEN MADE FOR US, AND WOMEN, DURING WAR WORLD II OR ANY OF THE OTHER WARS. THEY'RE GREAT VETERAN AND THEY CAN NEVER BE FORGOTTEN. Reporter: AND NOW, CELIA HAMMOND McLAUGHLIN WILL NEVER BE FORGOTTEN. NURSE, LOVING WIFE AND MOTHER AND WAR WORLD II SECOND LIEUTENANT U.S. ARMY NURSE CORPS. FOR NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK, I'M BARRETT LESTER. |
| Intro History Return to index of stories... |
Not all war veterans have chronicled their war experiences as diligently as Pamela McLaughlin's mother did sixty years ago. The stories of many veterans remain untold. A three-year-old national effort called The Veterans History project is underway to document these experiences. One New Hampshire World War 2 veteran has shared his story through this project and producer Barrett Lester discovered how a little music goes a long way during war. |
| Vet History Project Return to index of stories... |
IT HAS BEEN 58 YEARS SINCE HE LAST PLAYED HIS TRUMPET FOR THE BAND DURING WAR WORLD II, BUT HIS 82-YEAR-OLD FINGERS CAN STILL CREATE MUSIC MAGIC. IN 19389, RAY DECIDED TO BE A PROFESSIONAL MUSICIAN, AND THAT CHOICE PLACED HIM ON AN UNUSUAL COURSE WITH THE WAR. TWO YEARS LATER, HE WAS DRAFTED AND HE JOINED THE U.S. COAST GUARD BAND. THEIR SHOW SOLD WAR BONDS AND RAY SOON SOUGHT WAR UP FRONT. FIRST NIGHT WE LANDED IN ENGLAND. SLEEPING IN BUNKS. AND ABOUT 2:00 IN THE MORNING, WE HEARD THIS AWFUL NOISE. IT WAS ONE OF HITLER'S BUZZ BOMBS. THEY DROPPED IT NEXT DOOR TO US. WE GOT KNOCKED DOWN OFF THE BUNK. WE LANDED ON THE FLOOR. AND THEN WE GOT UP THE NEXT MORNING. THERE WAS A HOLE ABOUT 50 FOOT DOOP AND WIDE. Reporter: WHAT A STORY RAY SHARED WITH US. AND THANKS TO THE NEW HAMPSHIRE VETERANS HOME WHERE RAY NOW LIVES, A MORE DETAILED VIDEO OF RAY'S EXPERIENCES HAS RECENTLY BEEN COMPLETED. THE PILOT GETS ROUGH. USUALLY THE FIGHT STYLE, WHEN WE PLAYEDE STAR SPANGLED BANNER, BUT THIS NIGHT NO WAY. THE GUY TOOK A BOTTLE AND BINGO, HE BROKE IT ON THE TABLE AND STUCK IT IN THE GUY'S FACE. Reporter: THIS TAPE WAS CREATED FOR THE VETERANS HISTORY PROJECT, A NATIONWIDE EFFORT UNDER WAY TO PRESERVE THE STORY OF U.S. WAR VETERANS. LISA WORKS AT THE VETERANS HOME AND GOT INVOLVED IN THE PROJECT AS SOON AS SHE LEARNED OF ITS HISTORICAL SIGNIFICANCE. THE VETERANS HISTORY PROMISE IS ACTUALLY A NATIONAL PROJECT THAT WAS BEGUN THREE YEARS AGO WITH THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS, AND WHAT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS IS HOPING TO ACHIEVE IS TO ACTUALLY COLLECT THE ORAL HISTORY OF OUR VETERANS FROM ALL OF THE WARS THROUGHOUT OUR HISTORY, AND TO COLLECT THOSE IN AUDIO OR VIDEOTAPE FORMAT AND ARCHIVE THEM FOR FUTURE GENERATIONS. Reporter: PEOPLE FROM ALL 50 STATES ARE SENDING IN THEIR STORIES. THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS IN WASHINGTON, D.C. IS BUSY COLLECTING 200 STORIES A DAY. THE DIRECTOR OF THE VETERANS HISTORY PROJECT IS EXCITED ABOUT ITS EARLY SUCCESS. RIGHT NOW IN OUR ARCHIVES WE HAVE STORIES FROM OVER 10,000 VETERANS AND CIVILIANS, AND WE KNOW THAT WE ARE GOING TO BE GETTING THOUSANDS AND THOUSANDS MORE. Reporter: SHE BELIEVES THAT'S BECAUSE MANY OF THESE SOMETIME DIFFICULT STORIES ARE STILL WAITING TO BE TOLD. I THINK THAT VETERANS RESPOND THE WAY THEY DO BECAUSE THEY KNOW THEY'VE MADE HISTORY, AND THEY'VE LIVED HISTORY. AND THEY'VE HAD THIS VERY INTENSE AND POWERFUL EXPERIENCE. A LOT OF PEOPLE CAME BACK FROM WAR. THEY WANTED TO PUT IT BEHIND THEM. THEY WANTED TO START THEIR LIVES. AND AS THEY GET OLDER, IT REALLY STARTS TO COME UP AGAIN AS THEY REVIEW THEIR LIVES. AND I THINK THERE'S A REAL URGE WITH A LOT OF PEOPLE, TO LEAVE THAT STORY BEHIND. THERE ARE 19 MILLION WAR VETERANS LIVING IN THE NATION TODAY AND IT IS ESTIMATED THAT EVERY DAY WE LOSE 1700 OF THEM. SHE HOPES MORE PEOPLE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE STEP FORWARD TO HELP CAPTURE THESE IMPORTANT STORIES FOR THE VETERANS HISTORY PROJECT. SO I SEE FIRSTHAND THAT THESE STORIES ARE BEING LOST, AND I'VE ACTUALLY HAD A FEW RESIDENTS WHO I KNOW JUST IN GENERAL CONVERSATIONS WITH THEM HAD SOME REALLY INTERESTING STORIES THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN NICE EDITIONS TO-- NICE ADDITIONS TO THE COLLECTION AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS. BUT UNFORTUNATELY, TIME DID NOT ALLOW, AND THEIR HEALTH DECLINED TOO RAPIDLY FOR THEM TO EVEN BEEN INTERVIEWED. Reporter: BUT NOT RAY. HIS STORY IS NOW A PERMANENT PART OF THE VETERANS HISTORY PROJECT. TOOK THE BOAT FROM BOSTON TO LIVERPOOL ENGLAND, AND WE STAYED THERE FOR FOUR MONTHS. WE TRAVELED TO SECRET NAVY BASES COAST GUARD, MARINE, AIR FORCE, YOU NAME IT, WE PLAYED FOR THEM. I THINK WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT ABOUT THIS PROJECT IS THAT NO STORY IS TOO SMALL TO BE TOLD. I ENJOYED THE SERVICE VERY MUCH. I DIDN'T CARRY A GUN. I CARRIED A TRUMPET. EXCUSE ME. SO IF SOMEBODY WERE TO ATTACK ME I WOULD HIT THEM IN THE HEAD WITH MY TRUMPET. HE CONVEY THE MESSAGE THAT EVERYONE PLAYED THEIR PART, EVERYONE HAD A JOB TO DO, AND THAT NO STORY IS TOO SMALL TO BE TOLD IN THIS PROJECT. IT REALLY IS OUR COLLECTIVE HISTORY DURING WARS IN THIS COUNTRY. AND IT SHOULD BE TOLD. Reporter: RAY CONTINUES TO SHARE HIS PAST THROUGH HIS MUSIC. THAT'S THE WAY I USUALLY PRACTICE, TOO LOUD. WAKE UP THE TROOPS. Reporter: RAY'S STORY HAS BEEN ADDED TO THE DOCUMENTED LIVES OF THOUSANDS OF OTHER VETERANS. THEIR COLLECTIVE STORIES, A COLLECTION OF HISTORY FROM THE VETERANS HISTORY PROMISE. |
| Intro Welch Return to index of stories... |
Finally, for many soldiers of past wars, remembering fallen comrades is a daily exercise that is rarely shared with others. But when their stories are told, we learn about history and how events unfolded on foreign battlefields. There's a soldier from Durham who recently had the opportunity this spring to bring honor to those he fought with in Vietnam. Producer Phil Vaughn brings you his story. |
| Clark Welsh Return to index of stories... |
Reporter: ON APRIL 25, AT THE PENTAGON, A SOLDIER WAS HONORED. THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES HAS AWARDED THE DISTINGUISHED AS MUCH AS CROSS TO ALBERT C.WELSH FOR EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM IN ACTION AGAINST THE ENEMY ON 17 OCTOBER 1967 IN THE REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM. Reporter: LIEUTENANT COLONEL CLARK WELCH RECEIVED HIS SILVER CROSS. HE WAS RECOGNIZED FOR SAVING LIVES 36 YEARS AGO. I WAS A GOOD SOLDIER, BUT I WAS NEW. I BELIEVED THAT THE REASON I WAS IN THE UNITED STATES ARMY, THE REASON I WAS IN THE SPECIAL FORCES, THE REASON I WAS GOING TO VIETNAM WAS TO LIBERATE THE OPPRESSED PEOPLE OF SOUTH VIETNAM. CLARK ASSEMBLED AND COMMANDED DELTA COMPANY, A GROUP OF YOUNG AND LOYAL SOLDIERS. I DON'T KNOW IF WE SAID THAT THEN, BUT I'VE SAID IT AND I'M SURE I DID SAY IT AGAIN. I LOVED THEM. AND I WAS COMPETENT ENOUGH SO THEY TRUSTED ME. Reporter: HIS COMMANDER WAS COLONEL TERRY ALLEN. CLARK DIDN'T KNOW HIM WELL BUT THEY DID FIGHT TOGETHER ON A SERIES OF SUCCESSFUL BATTLES STARTING ON OCTOBER 8. THROUGH THE 16th, THINGS WERE GOING WELL. Reporter: THE PLAN WAS TO ATTACK THE NEXT DAY. HE HAD CONCERNS WITH THE ORDERS BUT ALLEN WAS INSISTENT. THE ORDER WAS GO BACK DOWN THERE AND WIPE THEM OUT. I HAD SOME RESERVATIONS ABOUT THAT. IRARGUED WITH MY BOSS. ON THE MORNING OF THE 17th, WE DID EXACTLY WHAT WE WERE ORDERED TO DO. Reporter: FOR TWO HOURS, 143 AMERICAN SOLDIERS MARCHED THEIR WAY THROUGH SUFFOCATING JUNGLE COVER. THEY WERE HEADED FOR AUNG SANG. THE LEAD COMPANY REPORTED BACK, WE SEE SEVEN. I TOLD MY GUYS THE LEAD COMPANY SEES SEVEN. THAT MEANS AT LEAST 70. CLARK WAS WRONG. THERE WERE 1700 ENEMY TROOPS WAITING FOR THEM IN AMBUSH. THEY STARTED SHOOTING AT 10:00. BY 10:15, I HAD SO MANY PEOPLE WOUNDED, THAT I COULDN'T GET MOVED. SO 10:15 TO 12 WYE WERE SHOOTING BACK AND WE WERE KILLING SOME OF THEM. WE WERE CAUSING SOME CASUALTIES. BUT IT WAS A MASSACRE. Reporter: BY NOON TIME, NEARLY HALF OF CLARK'S SOLDIERS WERE DEAD. THE REST LAY WOUNDED ON THE JUNGLE FLOOR. HE WAS SHOT ONE FIVE TIMES, ONCE THROUGH THE LUNG. I NEVER SAID I WAS GOING TO DIE EVEN THOUGH THE THIRD, FOURTH OR FIFTH TIME YOU GET HIT MAN, I CAN'T TAKE MUCH MORE OF THIS. BUT I'M NOT GOING TO DIE. Reporter: SO HE CRAWLED THE BATTLEFIELD FROM SOLDIER TO SOLDIER, HELPING THOSE THAT HE COULD. BUT EACH TIME WOULD I GO AROUND, IT WOULD BE SLOW AND SLOWER, AND THERE WOULD BE FEWER AND FEWER GUYS LEFT TO TALK TO. Reporter: COLONEL ALLEN LIVED TO WITNESS THE MISTAKE HE HAD MADE. ON THE DAY OF THE BATTLE, HE WAS WITH US. AND HE HAD THE PHONE AND HE WAS LOOKING AT A PICTURE AND I SAID TO HIM, I SAID SOMETHING, WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING LOOKING AT PICTURES? DO SOMETHING. GET ON THE RADIO. DO SOMETHINGAD HE KIND OF SLUMPED FORWARD AND THERE WAS A PICTURE OF HIS THREE LITTLE GIRLS. THEN I CRAWLED AWAY AND DIDN'T THINK ABOUT IT. THEN THE NEXT TIME I CAME OVER, I WAS CRAWLING UP TO HIM AND HE WAS SHOT AND KILLED. AND WHEN HE DIED, THEN HE FELL FORWARD, AND I LOOKED AT THE PICTURE AGAIN AND HERE'S A PICTURE OF THESE THREE PRETTY LITTLE GIRLS AND HE CRUMBLED THE PICTURE UP IN HIS HAND AS HE DIED. AND MY THOUGHTS THEN WERE, GOOD. Reporter: A FEW YEARS AGO HOWEVER, CLARK HAD THE CHANCE TO MEET THE GIRLS HE SAW ON THE BATTLEFIELD THAT MORNING. LOOKING AT THEM WAS THE INSTANT THAT MANY THINGS WASHED AWAY. I CAN'T BE ENRAGED AT THESE PRETTY THE GIRLS FATHER. THEY FELL WITH THEIR FACES TO THE FRONT. THEY SHALL NOT GROW OLD AS WE WHO ARE LEFT GROW OLD. AGE SHALL NOT WEARY THEM NOR THE YEARS CONDEMN. AT THE GOING DOWN OF THE SUN, AND IN THE MORNING, WE WILL REMEMBER THEM. AND WE WILL REMEMBER THEM. |
| Web Pointer Return to index of stories... |
That's it for this special Veterans Day edition. Thanks for joining us. For more information on our program and links to our guests and interviews, connect with us on-line at nhptv.org. Join our online discussion and tell us what's on your mind. |
| Goodnight Return to index of stories... |
We'll see you next time. Thanks for watching. |
| founders Return to index of stories... |
Thanks to our founding sponsors who have provided major funding for the production of New Hampshire Outlook: New Hampshire Charitable Foundation Public Service of New Hampshire Stratford Foundation |
| key: War / Veterans Return to index of stories... |
NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK Air Date/Time: 11/11/03 22:00 HOST: Mike Nikitas Length: 26:46 minutes In this edition of New Hampshire Outlook, NHPTV's nightly news magazine, the push to fully compensate retired veterans who receive both disability payments and a pension. The government may soon change a practice that has had generations of veterans fuming. And the heartbreak of a mother at war. We'll hear her story and others. Their experiences are now written and recorded in American history. There may be relief ahead for many veterans who feel they're getting a bad deal from the government. They're upset with a law written after the Civil War, which says that a retired veteran who receives a disability payment will find to his or her dismay that their pension is reduced by the amount of their disability check. It's something called the "veteran's disability tax" and a lot of veterans think it's wrong. But there's a move afoot that may change things.Our Phil Vaughn has the story. and the experience of two New Hampshire veterans who are directly impacted. Today, it is not uncommon for war veterans to be both men and women, but sixty years ago during World War 2, few women were directly involved in overseas operations. Those that were. were usually nurses. And one woman's World War 2 experience as a nurse has recently been published by her daughter. As she remembers her mother on this Veterans Day, she explained to producer Barrett Lester how she was able to uncover an almost lost chapter in her mother's life. Not all war veterans have chronicled their war experiences as diligently as Pamela McLaughlin's mother did sixty years ago. The stories of many veterans remain untold. A three-year-old national effort called The Veterans History project is underway to document these experiences. One New Hampshire World War 2 veteran has shared his story through this project and producer Barrett Lester discovered how a little music goes a long way during war. Finally, for many soldiers of past wars, remembering fallen comrades is a daily exercise that is rarely shared with others. But when their stories are told, we learn about history and how events unfolded on foreign battlefields. There's a soldier from Durham who recently had the opportunity this spring to bring honor to those he fought with in Vietnam. Producer Phil Vaughn brings you his story. PRODUCER/REPORTER: Phil Vaughn NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: CPO Tony Woody\U.S. Navy, Retired, Master Sgt. Joe DeBoise\U.S. Air Force, Retired, Rep. Jeb Bradley\R NH-1st District, Veterans' Affairs Committee, Pamela McLaughlin\Published Mother's WW2 Letters, Raymond Michaud\World War 2 Veteran, Lisa-Marie Mulkern\New Hampshire Veterans Home, Ellen McCulloch-Lovell\Director, Veterans History Project, Clark Welch\Army Lt. Col. Retired |
| key: History Return to index of stories... |
NEW HAMPSHIRE OUTLOOK Air Date/Time: 11/11/03 22:00 HOST: Mike Nikitas Length: 26:46 minutes In this edition of New Hampshire Outlook, NHPTV's nightly news magazine, the push to fully compensate retired veterans who receive both disability payments and a pension. The government may soon change a practice that has had generations of veterans fuming. And the heartbreak of a mother at war. We'll hear her story and others. Their experiences are now written and recorded in American history. There may be relief ahead for many veterans who feel they're getting a bad deal from the government. They're upset with a law written after the Civil War, which says that a retired veteran who receives a disability payment will find to his or her dismay that their pension is reduced by the amount of their disability check. It's something called the "veteran's disability tax" and a lot of veterans think it's wrong. But there's a move afoot that may change things.Our Phil Vaughn has the story. and the experience of two New Hampshire veterans who are directly impacted. Today, it is not uncommon for war veterans to be both men and women, but sixty years ago during World War 2, few women were directly involved in overseas operations. Those that were. were usually nurses. And one woman's World War 2 experience as a nurse has recently been published by her daughter. As she remembers her mother on this Veterans Day, she explained to producer Barrett Lester how she was able to uncover an almost lost chapter in her mother's life. Not all war veterans have chronicled their war experiences as diligently as Pamela McLaughlin's mother did sixty years ago. The stories of many veterans remain untold. A three-year-old national effort called The Veterans History project is underway to document these experiences. One New Hampshire World War 2 veteran has shared his story through this project and producer Barrett Lester discovered how a little music goes a long way during war. Finally, for many soldiers of past wars, remembering fallen comrades is a daily exercise that is rarely shared with others. But when their stories are told, we learn about history and how events unfolded on foreign battlefields. There's a soldier from Durham who recently had the opportunity this spring to bring honor to those he fought with in Vietnam. Producer Phil Vaughn brings you his story. PRODUCER/REPORTER: Phil Vaughn NAME OF PARTICIPANTS: CPO Tony Woody\U.S. Navy, Retired, Master Sgt. Joe DeBoise\U.S. Air Force, Retired, Rep. Jeb Bradley\R NH-1st District, Veterans' Affairs Committee, Pamela McLaughlin\Published Mother's WW2 Letters, Raymond Michaud\World War 2 Veteran, Lisa-Marie Mulkern\New Hampshire Veterans Home, Ellen McCulloch-Lovell\Director, Veterans History Project, Clark Welch\Army Lt. Col. Retired |
| Tag Clark Welch Return to index of stories... |
Welsh retired and is living in Colorado after spending years training new soldiers around the world. An Army spokesman tell us he is being considered for the Congressional Medal of Honor. |
| Tonight 10:00 Return to index of stories... |
Tonight on New Hampshire Outlook. Join us tonight at 10:00 only on New Hampshire Outlook. |
| WEB PROMO Return to index of stories... |
Tonight on New Hampshire Outlook. . Tonight at 10pm on New Hampshire Public Television. |
| website Return to index of stories... |
For information on our program, and links to our guests and interviews, visit our web site at nhptv.org. You can see and hear streaming video of our broadcasts. We want to know what's on your mind. Join our discussion forum and tell us what you're thinking. If you have a story idea or comment on our program, click the feedback button. Or, call us at 800-639-2721. |
| Tomorrow Return to index of stories... |
On the next New Hampshire Outlook - |