Vietnam veterans

The D-Day invasion during World War Two took place eighty years today. We remember those who fought and died during observances like Veterans Day and Memorial Day. But, there are some former members of the military who feel they’re forgotten. Despite outreach by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, more and more women veterans are experiencing homelessness. The VA says female vets with no place to live increased twenty four percent from 2020 to 2023.

Carl Grant, a Vietnam veteran with dementia, drove off from his Georgia home intending to shop for groceries. He became disoriented and wound up in Birmingham, Alabama. There, Grant twice tried to get into houses he thought were his. Police were called.

It was twenty years ago this month that the Monsanto chemical company settled a lawsuit with residents of Anniston. Illnesses ranging from cancer to birth defects were blamed on a group of chemicals called PCB’s. But, this isn’t the only example of Alabama residents allegedly being made sick by big industry. Another group all have something in common. They all served in Vietnam. We begin our story with a man APR listeners met last week.

Washington is giving military veterans in Alabama, and nationwide, more time to apply for extra healthcare benefits under the so-called PACT Act. The measure, signed by President Joe Biden one year ago, provides the opportunity of expanded benefits for Vets whose health was harmed by exposure to toxins ranging from burn pits to Agent Orange used during the Vietnam War.

A woman in Hawaii is working to put a face with the name of every fallen serviceman on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall, and she is searching for photos…