Presidents Message Page
R.. Mitch Mitchell, President
Gimlet Association 21st Infantry Regiment
21st Infantry Regiment
Gimlet Association Headquarters
PO Box 661977
Sacramento, CA 95866-1977
General E-mail Address: gimletmail21@yahoo.com
1-21 IN E-mail Address: gimletinn@aol.com
3-21 IN E-mail Address: gimletmail321@aol.com
President’s E-mail Address: gimlet B321@aol.com
President’s Message
Dear Gimlet Brothers:
Another year has come and almost gone. Now that we approach the winter holiday season I want to wish all my Gimlet Brothers the very best Christmas, and hopefully the New Year will bring a better year for all of us. Remember, if you are diabetic pay close attention to your feet, so they will be around to celebrate another Christmas.
The year 2009 has had its ups and downs, good and bad times. Sadly, the country suffered the loss of thirteen of its finest in the horrific massacre at Fort Hood; also, the Gimlet Brotherhood lost a few more Gimlet Brothers this year. Some good news is we received a bunch of new enrollment forms this year after the 1-21 and 3-21 redeployed stateside, meaning new members. Remember, if you are changing duty stations or separating from the Army request a membership packet so as to remain part of the Brotherhood forever. We now boast a membership roster of over 1,200 members with 511 active members.
This past week I had the honor of welcoming our newest and what I believe to be oldest member into the Gimlet Association. SGM John C. Carter (USA RET) was at Pearl Harbor with the 21st Infantry Regiment Gimlet when the first bombs were dropped and the first return shots were fired. He survived that attack and fought on courageously throughout WW II with the Gimlets. He then served with honor as a Gimlet fighting through the Korean War. Gimlet Carter is 94 years old, still drives his truck everyday, teaches Sunday school and farms in South Carolina. To this day he contends that the 21st Infantry Regiment Gimlet is the best damn regiment in the Army. I want to thank his nephew, Steve Hopkins, a Vietnam veteran who served with 71st Assault Helicopter Company 1970, for getting his uncle signed up.
To all those returning 1-21 IN Gimlets that participated in the block enrollment I say: Welcome Home and welcome to the brotherhood, Hooah! Earlier this year 1-21 Infantry returned from deployment and there was a change of command from LTC Diaz to LTC Molinari. The 3-21 Infantry returned from deployment in September and October suffering no KIAs. The 3-21 IN will change command 9 December 2009 from LTC DeMoss to LTC Miller. And to all the returning Gimlet Brothers I hope you all have a special Merry Christmas at home this year with family. We wish all the outgoing Gimlet Commanders the very best in future endeavors.
Many of our Gimlet Brothers are still recovering from wounds received in action let’s remember them this Christmas. Also, many are dealing with issues such TBI and PTSD. Our Gimlet Brothers from Vietnam are suffering from illnesses related to Agent Orange exposure during their time in the Army as well as PTSD.
According to the Journal of Rehabilitation Research and Development, approximately 15% of diabetics will experience a foot ulcer and of those between 14 and 24 percent will require amputation. Diabetes is the leading cause of lower-limb amputation in the United States, veterans included.
Diabetes is a progressively insidious disease that poses management challenges in any health care environment. Overtime, high blood glucose levels can damage eyes, kidneys, heart and/or nerves. The list of diabetic patients seen by Veterans Administration health care providers is growing along with the complexity of their needs. The prevalence of diabetes in the Veterans Health Administration system rose from 16.7% in fiscal year 1998 to 19.6% in fiscal year 2000 and continues to rise. As veterans age out the VA health care system is seeing more diabetic patients with long-term complications and the other comorbidities that may accompany aging.
In addition, the frequent presence of PTSD and other psychiatric disorders can complicate diabetes management. The VA has the largest PTSD program in the world, and as of 2000 PTSD and other psychiatric disorders affected a quarter of the VA patient population. Psychiatric disorders often require medications that can cause weight gain or increase insulin resistance, thereby necessitating more aggressive diabetes management. Despite this high-risk population, the VA health care system provides an exemplary model of high quality diabetes care for the nation’s veterans. I ask that all my Gimlet Brothers, especially those who served in Vietnam get tested for Type II Diabetes.
If you are a Diabetic the next time you visit your local VA health care facility ask for the Veterans Health Administration, Field Manual for Foot Health. There is some great information contained inside. You might also ask about the publication on Diabetes Foot Care Program. That publication addresses Fort Care, Keeping Feet Healthy, Peripheral Neuropathy and Inspecting Your Feet. As age overtakes us we, diabetic veterans, become more susceptible to foot problems. The best advice is preventative care rather than treating debilitating foot problems later on.
Over the past months I’ve compiled a few facts I thought I would share with the membership:
There are approximately 23.4 million American Veterans alive today. Of the over two point six million Americans who served in Vietnam only slightly over one point seven millions Vietnam Veterans were still alive as of August 1995; less than 850,000 are estimated to be alive today. That numbers mean approximately only one-third of all Americans who served in Vietnam are alive today. During the past fifteen years Vietnam Veterans experienced a mortality rate greater than most. If the statistics are correct, approximately 390 Vietnam Veterans die every day. Very depressing considering that this is the type information we are used to hearing/reading with regard to WW II (on average 1600 WW II vets die each day) and Korean War (1000 Korean War vets die each day) Veterans. The clock is ticking.
Some interesting census statistics, during the most recent federal census (2000), the number of Americans falsely claiming to have served in-country is: 13,853,277. The Department of Defense Vietnam War Service Index officially provided by The War Library originally reported that 2,709,918 American military personnel served in-country. Corrections and confirmations to this erred index resulted in the addition of an additional 358 U.S. military personnel confirmed to have served in-country but not originally listed by DOD. This means that four out of five who claimed to be Vietnam Veterans were not. This is a sad commentary on truthfulness in America. Where were those wannabes when they were needed forty plus years ago?
Vietnam Veterans suffering amputations or crippling wounds to the lower extremities were 300 percent higher than in WWII and 70 percent higher than Korea due to the use of bobby traps and mines. Gee, does that sound familiar as to what we’re hearing coming out of Iraq and Afghanistan? Multiple amputations occurred at a rate of 18.4 percent compared to 5.7 percent in WW II. Keep in mind we had better battlefield medical technology and speed to rear area hospitals during Vietnam than earlier wars, allowing more personnel to live. The speed of medical evacuation and technology increases with every new conflict.
I have pages of other facts and statistics, but the aforementioned are the ones that caught my eye in the past months. We are going to see larger numbers regarding battlefield injuries coming out of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan as these wars drag on. The statistics for amputations from IEDs and TBI wounds is huge. The big question is, will those charged with caring for our wounded warriors and their rehabilitation answer the call in timely manner. In my opinion, from what I read and observe, although much improved, our government still isn’t earning a passing grade when it comes to caring for our nation’s wounded warriors.
With ever increasing medical technology and greater speed evacuating the wounded more warriors will live to see another day. In short, more lives are being saved with today’s battle field medical technology, body armor and speed to the rear than ever before; therefore, the VA and DOD needs to be out pacing the wounded as they flow home from today’s battlefields. The VA and DOD needs to address the issue of Loss of Quality of Life with regard to wounded, compensating them for LOQL. If we as a nation are going to continue sending American men and women into harms way the government must accept responsibility for our wounded warrior’s care and rehabilitation. That includes emotional wounds and lost quality of life!
On November 2, 2009, a Veteran who was exposed to Agent Orange while stationed at Fort Gordon, Georgia in 1967 – 1969 won his battle with the VA and was awarded service connection for illnesses related to Agent Orange exposure. This is a landmark decision and victory for Veterans exposed to herbicides that contained dioxin. You can read all about this ex-soldier’s triumph over the VA on the Internet.
Other facts of interest with regard to Agent Orange exposure worldwide: fifteen different herbicides were used or tested in Vietnam and worldwide during the 60s and 70s. Super Agent Orange was used heavily in Vietnam 1968 – 69. Not only were herbicides used in Vietnam and Korea, but it has now been revealed by DOD that these chemical agents were used within CONUS and other areas worldwide. I think these new revelations need to be addressed much as the initial concerns were addressed years ago.
In the coming months and years as research continues I believe more illnesses may be linked to herbicide (Agent Orange) exposure. As of this fall VA added three more illnesses to the existing list of presumptive illnesses related to the Veteran’s exposure to Agent Orange: Parkinson’s disease, Hairy Cell Leukemia and Ischemic Heart Disease. Another point, now that Agent Orange has been found to have been used inside CONUS, Korea, Panama and other military bases worldwide the VA is suppose to process all claims for Agent Orange exposure other than Vietnam service on a case by case basis regarding these areas where Agent Orange was used.
Here are some facts from the Agent Orange Registry, August 2008, about Agent Orange exams. As of June 2008 only 454,069 Veterans have availed themselves for an initial exam with 52,115 Veterans having received follow-up exams for a total of 506,184 Agent Orange exams to date. If you haven’t availed yourself to an Agent Orange exam and registered with the Agent Orange Review set a goal to accomplish that task next year.
The Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims found that VA did not have a good reason to exclude Blue Water Navy veterans from the Agent Orange presumptions. VA disagreed with that finding and appealed to the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal District. On May 8, 2008, the United States Appeals Court ruled in VA’s favor and reversed the decision of the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims.
The representatives for the veteran who appealed VA’s decision have filed a motion for reconsideration in the federal circuit that is pending. Processing of Blue Water Navy cases will remain stayed until the court renders its decision.
Vietnam veterans exposed to the defoliant Agent Orange are twice as likely to contract prostate cancer as unexposed veterans, according to a study of 13,000 Northern California veterans conducted by University of California at Davis researchers. Worse, the cancer will likely be an aggressive, more deadly version that strikes earlier and spreads more readily to other organs.
A study, published in the September 15, 2008 edition of the journal on Cancer, is the largest to date of Vietnam veterans dealing with prostate cancer, said Dr. Karim Chamie, the study’s lead author and resident physician at the UC Davis Department of Urology and the Northern California VA health care system.
The Agent Orange cases buttress a trend doctors and scientists have noticed with other synthetic chemicals: Brief exposure early in life – or even before birth – can predispose the body to disease decades later. But even more importantly, exposed veterans had more than three times the rate of metastasized cancer – which means it spread to their bones and lymph nodes and is often lethal – and a two-fold increase in high scores ranking the tumors’ malignancy. They also were diagnosed with cancer at the average age of 59.7 years, compared with 62.2 years for veterans not exposed to Agent Orange.
On 25 September 2008 Department of Veterans Affairs announced that all veterans with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or Lou Gehrig’s disease, will receive full disability, lifetime health and death benefits. This is a move that effectively acknowledges a general link between the medical condition and military service. According to DVA, all veterans with ALS will qualify for disability benefits, regardless of when or where they served.
Cholangiocarcinoma, cancer of the bile duct of the liver is rare in the United States, but very prevalent in Vietnam and Korea as well as surrounding countries. The cancer does not manifest until the ages of 60 to 70 years old; therefore, we are seeing more Vietnam veterans presenting with this disease and dying from it. If you spent time in Southeast Asia and are having gastrointestinal issues for no apparent reason or know someone who is suffering tell them to get to their doctor or local VA for diagnosis and treatment. It may save a life.
I will try to get some of the past articles I’ve written on relevant veteran topics posted on the website as soon as possible. I urge all Gimlets to click on the Legislation and VA Benefits section of the website. This link holds a wealth of information with regard to benefits, legislation and Tricare. Also, take a moment to sign the guestbook.
If you haven’t yet visited the Gimlet website do so: http://321gimlet.homestead.com/Home.html
As the Gimlet Association continues to expand one area the association is exploring is the possibility of forming battalion or regional chapters. Many members have expressed an interest in forming their own chapters. Let us know what you think of the idea. The association is always looking for visionary ideas and help from members who want to contribute their time, and remember the association runs on donations only for financial support.
We are losing e-mail contact with some members, so if you read or receive this message please pass it along to all Gimlets in your address book or know personally.
For our active duty Gimlets, please remember wherever you go in the future you will always be a Gimlet, in the military or returning to civilian life.
Again, I want to wish all my Gimlet Brothers and their families a happy holiday season.
Bore Brother Bore!
R. Mitch Mitchell, President
Gimlet Association 21st Infantry
PS: Gimlet Joe Soboul passed along the following information:
Aid and Attendance
Please pass this along to all veterans, families of veterans or individuals with veterans in their family.
"Aid and Attendance" is an underutilized special monthly pension benefit offered by the Veterans Administration for veterans and surviving spouses who require in-home care or live in nursing homes.
To qualify, a veteran (includes the surviving spouse) must have served at least 90 days of active military service, one day of which is during a period of war, and must be discharged under conditions other than dishonorable..
The veteran's benefit is $18,234 annually (paid monthly) and an increase to $21,615 if a veteran has a dependent.
The surviving spouse alone is $11,715 annually.
For more information, call 1-800-827-1000
Visit http://www.va.gov/ (type "Aid and Attendance" in the search block), or contact your local VA office.
Apply on-line at http://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp/main.asp
PSS: Here is a good link to articles on Agent Orange: http://www.chicagotribune.com/health/agentorange/
