MCVTHF, 707 S.W. 350th Ct., Ste. #1 

"Fire in the Lake"

Ms. Jackie Hunter, the Foundation's dedicated Administrative Assistant, has organized and cataloged the more than 120 books in our Foundation's library. She will publish the list in the near future. While going through the stacks I ran across Fire in the Lake: The Vietnamese and the Americans in Vietnam by Frances FitzGerald. The book has been around for awhile - first published in 1972. And aside for the catchy title, could be prioritized well below some of the other many more recent books about the Vietnam War. Keeping in mind that FitzGerald wrote her book before the last rounds were fired and the war wound down to its catastrophic finish, and is therefore called a "contemporary history," I bit the bullet and waded into this 500 page Pulitzer and Bancroft Prize winner.

One reviewer states the book is "...partly a history of South Vietnam, partly a study of American policy there, and partly an account of what this policy has done to a people we have destroyed in order to save it from Communism." One must not confuse the word "partly" to mean a cursory treatment of these three entities. She delves deeply into the culture and ancient history of the three Vietnams. She makes the case that the cultures were so deeply ingrained that they were not to be appreciably affected let alone changed by 10 years of American military presence. And if we could not change the South Vietnamese military and government to fit the American template, we were doomed to ultimately lose the war with the methods we employed to fight it. According to Ms. FitzGerald, the American strategy created not a Vietnamese democratic society of entrepreneurs but one of destroyed villages replaced by ghetto bidonvilles populated by broken families of "refugees, shoeshine boys, pimps, and prostitutes."

The outcome was, of course, not what the American policies were designed to create. Quite the contrary. But every new wrinkle introduced by the 1,000's of Americans representing dozens of U.S. Government agencies over 20 years, though intended well, were set to fail. And, Ms. FitzGerald pulls up the deep, ingrained cultural heritage and ancient history of the Vietnamese to show how and why our "American way" was unworkable no matter that billions of dollars were thrown at the programs. In fact, the case can made that in light of the systemic, all pervasive, and at every level of the government corruption, it was that the largely untracked "easy money" that flowed into the country contributed more to the corruption than to the success of any of the dozens of programs.

Ms. FitzGerald is quite liberal and her many glowing reviews are also from the left. The Vietnam War was not "wrong" nor were the men and women who fought it and those who supported their effort. And the programs introduced into the country were not inherently flawed. Yes, some ideas were not as sound as others. Hindsight showed a number of ways things could have been done better, been more efficient, more successful. But that's not to say the lessons the Vietnam War presented should not be taught and learned. I fear that the unpopularity of the venture will keep the "Lessons Learned" in the archives. But by reading Fire in the Lake it's difficult for me to understand how the loss of more than 58,000 of our finest can be satisfactorily explained.

Ray Stewart

Possible Medical Problems Due to Your Service

TETRACHLOROETHYLENE (TEC)

Many Servicemembers use industrial solvents in regular military tasks such as cleaning, degreasing, paint stripping, and thinning oil-based paints. Too much exposure to some industrial solvents can cause short-term and long-term health effects.

Health effects of exposure to solvents

Exposure to solvents may impact your health depending on the specific chemicals, level of concentration, length of exposure, and how it enters the body.

• Inhaled vapors: These may irritate the eyes, cause drowsiness, difficulty with breathing and if severe, neurological damage
• Direct eye contact: This may cause burning and tearing and if severe, visual problems.
• Skin contact: This may cause skin dryness, irritation, rashes or chemical burns.
• Ingested: Although rare, this can cause serious illness.

Fuels (Petroleum, Oils, Lubricants)

Some Servicemembers may have been exposed to fuels, such as diesel and JP-8, used to operate vehicles in deployment settings.

Possible health effects depend on how they were exposed (skin, oral, or breathing), length of time exposed, and personal factors such as age, gender, genetic traits, and diet.

Vibration

Veterans who worked with machinery on a regular basis during military service may been exposed to:

• Hand-arm vibration from using power hand tools.
• Whole-body vibration from operating heavy equipment such as tanks, trucks, helicopters, and ships.

Health problems associated with vibration exposure

Vibration can affect the body in various ways:

• Continuous exposure may cause serious damage to the body.
• Regular exposure to hand-arm vibration may cause Hand-Arm Vibration Syndrome. Symptoms include tingling, numbness, and pain in the fingers and hands.
• Regular exposure to whole body vibration may cause low back pain.

Noise Exposure

Veterans may have been exposed to harmful noise during military service in combat, training, and general job duties. Noise can come from gunfire, explosives, rockets, heavy weapons, jets and aircraft, and machinery.

Health problems related to noise

• High-intensity noise and vibration can cause or contribute to hearing loss and tinnitus (ringing in the ears).

Source Department of Veterans Affairs

USMC Vietnam Tankers Association

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USMC ONTOS Reunion ~ May 8 - 11, 2013, Quantico

Details: Click here for tentative agenda

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 2012 Mustang Reunion ~  September 13 - 16, 2012  Fossil Creek, Fort Worth, Texas 

Contact: Phil Ray or Jimmy Perry, 5953 Feather Wind Way, Fort Worth, TX 76135    

Loren Edward Smart - Pillager, MN

Richard "Dick" Cleal - Cortland, OH  

Dick died Friday morning August 10, 2012 at his home. He was born June 17, 1945 in Warren, the son of the late Howard Frederick and Mildred Irene Difford Cleal.

He was a 1963 graduate of Howland High School and attended Kent State University, following his service in the Marine Corps. He served four years in the United States Marine Corps in the Vietnam War, serving in Vietnam for 13 months as a sergeant Ontos crewman/tank commander. He was wounded and received the Purple Heart, the Presidential Unit Citation, the Vietnam Service and Campaign Medals and the Sharpshooter and M-14 rifle badges.

Dick retired from his consulting business, Cleal and Associates. He had also worked for the TAMPEEL environmental land lab as an instructor and driver, serving all the Trumbull county schools. He was an active member of Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Cortland.

Dick was past president of Cortland Rotary Club, most recently this past year, where he served as youth exchange chairman and received the Paul Harris Fellowship award. He was a member of the Marine Corps Vietnam Tankers Historical Foundation and  was also active with committees for the City of Cortland. Dick enjoyed military history, especially the Civil War era and vintage automobiles, including his yellow 1975 Cadillac Eldorado convertible.

Dick is survived by his wife, Carol Jean Swinehart Cleal, whom he married July 22, 1967; two sons who followed in their Dad's footsteps in the Marine Corps both serving in Operation Desert Storm, Thomas Allen (Amy) Cleal of Rio Rancho, New Mexico and Dr. Craig Duane (fiancee, Tonya Antill) Cleal of Howland; six grandchildren, Matthew Allen, Jessica Hope, Kate Abigail, Evungelena Lucia, Zane Grey and Tatiana Rose; one sister, Noralee (Frank) Bower of Cortland; two brothers, Timothy Cleal of Cortland and Gordon (RaeAnne) Cleal of North Jackson and one sister-in-law, Sharon Cleal of Cortland, One brother, William Cleal preceded him in death. 

James A. "Boo" Bugaj - Elyria, OH

Boo died suddenly Thursday, August 23, 2012. Mr. Bugaj was born April 13, 1948 in San Francisco, California and lived in Elyria for the past nine years.

He was a Corporal in the United States Marine Corps, serving as a tank driver during the Viet Nam War. A member of the American Legion, Post 12, he enjoyed model cars and Norman Rockwell memorabilia.

He is survived by his wife 19 years, Dorothy M. (nee Ford) Bugaj; three brothers; and one granddaughter.

Mr. Bugaj was preceded in death by one sister; one brother; and his parents, John and Doris (nee Spencer) Bugaj.

One of the toughest job in any organization is keeping membership information up-to-date.  

You might believe we have all your information since you are already receiving the Breech Block newsletter but, the simple facts are we do not. Even though your membership in the Historical Foundation is free when you join the USMC Vietnam Tankers Association that information is not automatically shared with the Foundation.

From time to time we send out pertinent information to those that served in the various Tank Battalions, i.e. 1st Tanks, 3rd Anti-Tanks, etc. 

You guys are great; we appreciate your support.

Semper Fidelis,

Dick Carey,

Vice President

Director Public Relations