Transcripts For CSPAN3 Veterans Day Ceremony At The Vietnam

National captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. Visit ncicap. Org] [captions Copyright National cable satellite corp. 2017] good afternoon, ladies good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. Im the president and ceo of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund and ill be your master of ceremonies today. The annual veterans day ceremony at the wall. I would like to recognize all of the gold star family members we have with us here today. The mothers, fathers, wives, sibli siblings, spouses, nieces, nephews and the sons and daughters in touch. Is all those that have experienced the loss of a loved one and know all too well the sacrifices that our military families make. And finally to those still waiting for the return of their loved ones listed as missing, thank you for joining us. [ applause ] id also like to take a moment to thank it wall volunteers. Theyre the folks you see in the Yellow Jackets and the yellow hats. And the staff of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund for all they do year round to honor veterans and preserve the memorial. They truly put everything they have into making experience for every single visitor at the wall as meaningful as it can be. And my last thank you today goes to our 35th Anniversary Commemoration sponsors, pbs, william murty,edy and ed ross, mr. And mrs. Fredric w. Smith, land of the free foundation, the slater foundation, u. S. A. A and wells fargo. Thank you for helping us make todays ceremony and everything weve done to mark the 35th anniversary of the wall possible. [ applause ] before we begin our program today, well pause to recognize our pows and mias. I call your attention to our pow mia chair which occupies a place of digginity and honor on our stage. Let us always remember and never forget their sacrifices. And now id like to start our program today with an invitation. Please welcome our chaplain who will lead us in the invoication. If youd please join me in prayer, heavenly father as we celebrate the 35th anniversary of this wall, let us always remember those that have served and those that are here today and those not here today. We commemorate those names on the wall and lord, we pray for those that are here today that still carry the scars from service in vietnam. We ask this in your precious and mighty name, amen. And now i would like to introduce the joint Armed Forces Color Guard from the military district of washington for our presentation of colors. Color guard, please present the colors. If you would stand, please. To zynga and National Anthem to sing the National Anthem, please welcome of the president s own United States marine band. O say, can you see by the dawns early light what so proudly we hailed at the twilights last gleaming . Whose broad stripes and bright stars through the perilous fight oer the ramparts we watched were so gallantly streaming . And the rockets red glare the bombs bursting in air gave proof through the night that our flag was still there oh, say, does that starspangled banner yet wave oer the land of the free and the home of the brave . [ applause ] please remain standing while Army Lieutenant charles leads us in the pledge of allegiance and remain standing as the color guard retires colors. Thank you. Im the judge advocate general of the arm squea on behalf of our acting secretary and our chief of staff of the army and if i may add, my father and father in law who are both Vietnam Veterans, i thnk you for being here and the privilege of leading you in the pledge of allegiance. If you place your hand over your heart and join me. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of america and to the republic for which it stands one nation under god in devisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you, sir. Please be seated. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund hosts the ceremony each year. Id like the welcome the secretary of the intearier. A former navy s. E. A. L. As a veteran he certainly understands the importance of remembering the sacrifices of those who serve through military service and were extremely pleased to have him join us for a few days ago to read names listed on the wall. Welcome, secretary zincy. [ applause ] well, happy veterans day. And all of us have a different experience about vietnam. My experience was growing up in a little town called white fish, montana and every veteran was day a parade would go by. My grandfather owned a chevrolet dealership and used to come to the curb and bring me a flag. And i remember the veterans marching by and the time the veterans would march by, the year and the war they fought. I remember the dough boys. They had their weapons shoaledered. And they marched brilliantly. Followed by the world war ii veterans. At the time there was a lot of world war ii veterans. You recall the world war ii veterans growing up . In my lifetime were always the Civic Leaders in charge of the lions club and they were the icons and the pillars of our community. And then the korean war. My step father was a marine. He fought in the korean war and they marched. And then i remember as a child looking at the Vietnam Veterans. Up fruont you always marched a little different. A war was a different war. The monument behind us is a different monument than all the other monuments in this great mall. If you can compare it monument to the world war ii monument compared to the monument behind us, it lies low on the horizon. When i was a congressman on the 50th anniversary of the war one of my greatest honors is to give pins to the veterans that served in the vietnam war and it experience of the vietnam war was different than mine. The war in vietnam came to me. I remember watching it with Walter Chronkite every nite. I remember my parents with me watching the war. With you came home, it was a different experience than what i experienced. A number of veterans that served that war always talk about coming if into either San Francisco, taking off the uniforms, throwing them in trash cans. Thats a different experience than how i experienced. When i came home with adilation, support your troops. And a lot of the reason why i received what i did in my generation is because you did not. I think as a nation we should be ashamed at how we viewed your service, your dedication. The monument behind me i think is not a tribute to victory or defeat. Its a tribute to remembrance. Weicide never run away from the history of our country. We should learn. When i served in the s. E. A. L. Team for 23 years, in 1985 most of my instructors were s. E. A. L. S. That had served in vietnam. They cut their teeth in the jungles and the rivers. I learned a lot from those fine warriors. Ive learned a lot from you. Those that have fought. Ive learned commitment, dedication, sacrifice. And i thank you. Ill tell a quick story why i say semp riify to every marine i see. As i fought with general mattis in fallujah, i can tell you i sleep better at night knowing general mattis has the military. And i tell you you know god loves us because general kellys in the white house. But when i was in fallujah i was on the front lines and i was the Deputy Commander of special forces in iraq and we were looking at what was going on in fallujah and general conway, later became the comdaunt of the marine corps and general mattis who was a First Marine Division commander, i was showing them on the front lines where we were going, where the safe hews were, where the snipers were. Kind of laying out our ord of battle and this young sergeant next to me and bear in mind im the commander, this young sergeant grabs me by my collar and nearly throws me down. Im a little red in the face. I go right up to him and he goes sir, theyre shooting at you. And for you marines, semp ri fi, thank you. But lastly i want to express how grateful i am had to be your secretary and how grateful our nation is for you magnificent Vietnam Veterans and for those family members today share in the understanding that we are a better nation for your service. With that, god bless you. [ applause ] thank you, secretary zincy and now please welcome Dianne Carlson evans, a vietnam veteran, nurse and founder of the memorial foundation. Thank you. We are grateful to be here for the 35th anniversary because it means were survivors, were here. Were together and exactly one year from today well celebrate it 25th anniversary of the Veterans Memorial which stands behind you and designed by glendau good acre. One of the women this pormemorial honors is here to share her story. The Army Nurse Core in 1957 from seal beach, california at the ripe old age of 21. She served as an operating room nurse and emergency room nurse at the ripe old age of 21. At the second Surgical Hospital and then theth 312th evacuationn 1968 and 69. Kate came home like most of us, just wanting to get on with her life. Have a family and continue with her nursing career. There were bumps in the road. However, her commitment to her fellow veterans has always been there. Kates career in nursing has spanned 30 years. Upon returning home, completed her bs in nutrition at uc berkeley. She has held the National Womens veterans chair for the past five years. Worked with legislatures and Community Members fighting for veterans rights and benefits. Kate never gave up in her fight to care for veterans. She continues to sit on the sfva Medical Center Womens Health committee and works with various education committees at the high school and College Levels to enhance the knowledge of Women Veterans. Please give kate ohare a warm welcome. [ applause ] thank you, dianne for that wonderful introduction. Its amazing to me ive been coming for years sitting out there with you all. And now im up here to tell my story. And i wanted to say that this is a special anniversary, the 35th. I was here for the 25th, the parade. This is amazing. Last month i opened up a Fortune Cookie and it said you will be traveling and coming into a fortune. Well, i travelled from california to here and heres my fortune, my brothers and sisters. Welcome home. [ applause ] i want to share just a short bit about my time as an army nurse in vietnam, my transition home and the current needs of Women Veterans who have served in the military. My military service truly began in my home because both my parents were in the Army Air Core during world war roii and mother scrambled eggs in the morning and teaching us morris code. Dit, dit, dit. I could have used that sos a few times in vietnam. My older brother, tom, was an incountry veteran in 1965 and 66. I saw his pictures come home. He was in a hospital there and i wanted to help. I was a nursing student. It was that simple. Upon graduation, i raised my right hand with three of my friends and we took the oath to support and defend the constitution of the United States against all ininenemies. I believe this. I am a constitutionalest. The war was permeating all our lives and i didnt know how much then my heart, my mind and my soul would be tested. I went to vietnam in june of 1968, the day after Robert Kennedy was assassinated. Within two hours of hitting, i was in the hospital operating room scrubbed in. After three weeks i began to wonder how i was going to make it. Working between it emergency and operating rooms i saw injuries and carnage that no one could be prepared for. Even though i bed l. A. County general hospital. I was grateful for the training i received in the army before i went over, and it helped me with my first tracheostomy to save a life. The team work of all the medics, nurses and doctors that i was able to work with was hard to beat and will be forever remembered. We were a team. We supported the first cav in americal and marine icorps in 68. Some of us were either dating, engaged or married to men who were also serving in the military. So not only were we caring for those in our hospital, we were worrying would we see our guy come in on a litter . The 312 Evacuation Hospital reserve unit came up to chulai and second surge was sent down to 3 corps to laicai and we changed our mission to support big red one. I know theres a lot of you here. In the spring of 69, the Long Range Reconnaissance patrol brought to our hospital american soldiers who had been held as p. O. W. S in cambodia. They were severely mutilated, some of their genitals cut off and they were barely alive. One of them asked me to let him die. He didnt want to go home like that. I just hugged him. My duties were never ending. My hands continued to work but my compassion was being drained. My soul was tearing and no one that wants no one that is in a war ever wants war to continue. The robot kate took over those last few months in country. It was too much. Coming home to Travis Air Force base and bussed in to oakland depot, we had protesters throw rotten vegetables on us. We were not prepared for that. I was buffered somewhat in the early 70s by being at ft. Stewart, georgia, with my husband, and i worked at a local hospital while the south vietnamese soldiers were being trained to fly helicopters, back in vietnam, they were getting ready to go over. However, the war followed me home. An unexpected thing happened to me. I started having dreams, bad dreams, blood dreams. Covered in blood because i was an operating room nurse. They started intruding into my daytime life and i called them my day mares. After being in vietnam and being so strong, i felt so weak and scared and i didnt know what to do. It broke up my marriage because i didnt want to tell my husband after being so strong that i was so scared and weak. So those memories were relegated to a subconscious and i returned to San Francisco and finished college. One night while i was working at the v. A. San francisco a patient came out of his room and up to me and he said, you were my mask angel. I recognize your blue eyes and your voice and i will never forget when you said to me, you are safe now. You will go home. It was stunning to me to meet somebody that was alive. We cry for all these names. We cry for all of these men and women that died. But to meet somebody that made it back was the beginning of our healing. The dedication in 1993 of the womens memorial was an ecstatic day for us. We women were back together and acknowledged. The effort, energy and support to get this project completed were herculean and on that veterans day dedication we were greeted by our brothers. Many had their military records and were looking for their nurses, clerks, women they worked with in intelligence or aircraft maintenance. They were looking for the American Red Cross workers who had flown into their lz. These thank yous and hugs that we got and continue to get every time we come here are so warm and so amazing to us. Dianes message and circle of healing was truly begun. The spiritual component of our healing was weaving through us and it was only the beginning of a long road home for many of us. Im grateful to the vets center because they really helped me. They gave us back our pride and honor in our service when we were feeling less than whole. During our vietnam war era 2 of the military were women because there was a cap on how many women could serve. Now theres almost 15 women that serve. Over 250,000 served during the vietnam war era, but much more than that now. What i wanted to mention because theres still many areas that need advancement. And we continue to help with that. Women experience toxic exposure related to cancers and ptsd like our fellow soldiers. The Vietnam Veterans of america and other major veteran Service Organizations have worked tirelessly to help get that toxic exposure and research act passed last year. But thats only the beginning. You need to keep on everyone so that we get the benefits and the care that we deserve after toxic exposure. Its for our children and our grandchildren now. Timely care is needed at the v. A. Health care. Obstetrics and gynecological care should be standard in all v. A. Hospitals. Its a goal but hasnt been met yet and infertility in both women and men that serve in country or serve in other areas today that have toxic exposure is something that we need more work on. V. A. Benefits meet inclusion of comparable claims for Women Veterans, and ajudication. Suicide and homeless rates for Women Veterans are really on the rise and we need to look at that and help. Military sexual trauma care is a sore point. In 2014, we had a bill passed that was supposed to help take care of that. Its not enough. And we need to say no more ever again. The forever gi bill that just passed will be greatly used by our veterans that have been delayed entry back to school for either family, Mental Health or medical reasons. The majority of us veterans, all of us, we have gone home, served in our communities, been in places of leadership and we have continued to work with ourselves and others. We need to stand and work and live together always because we are special. We are. Thank you. Im proud to be a veteran and welcome home. [ applause ] t