Salem-News.com Vietnam articles

Hero Who Served in Four Wars Laid to Rest in Washington

It was an honor to be there and to learn a little more about one of our great heroes who fought in and survived the conflicts of our nation's recent history.

(WASHOUGAL, Wash.) - I was fortunate this week to attend a ceremony in Washougal, Washington to help honor one of our heroes from the greatest generation.

I had no idea who this person was upon arriving there, and barely even remembered his name, but that changed when I learned a little more, just by looking at a display in the gathering area of the church.

Jailed Laotian Group Wanted Help From Government

Several hundred Lao people detained on their way to the capital weren’t dissidents, one man says.

(BANGKOK) - An ethnic Lao man briefly detained this month as he and several hundred others converged on the Lao capital to petition the government, says the group was planning to seek help from the authorities rather than stage a political protest, Radio Free Asia (RFA) reports.

“What have we done that is so wrong, that we had to be detained? All we were doing was asking the government for help. I want to live with dignity even if it costs my life,” the man, 47 and an illegal migrant worker in Thailand, said in an interview.

Visit From the Ghosts of Marine Corps Birthdays Past (VIDEO)

Stories from an inescapable lifetime connection to the Marines, a message from beyond, and several Marine related videos, happy 234th birthday Marine Corps!

(SALEM, Ore.) - As the U.S. Marine Corps observes and celebrates the day it was founded, in Tun Tavern, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania on November 10th 1775, I can't help but reflect on what a hard road it has been for the men and women who wear the eagle, globe and anchor for a living.

Currently embattled on numerous fronts, Marines fight the enemy in combat, then return to fight their own government for compensation. And that's not to mention the fact that the Marine Corps can eat its own for lunch.

Marines: We Celebrate November 10

A memory from the Vietnam War on the 234th anniversary of the U.S. Marine Corps.

(GUILFORD, Indiana) - The picture accompanying this story was taken in Vietnam aboard the USS Iwo Jima in late 1967. I'm on the left, holding one of the few M-14 rifles that remained in the 1st Battalion 3rd Marine Regiment (1/3) before everyone went to the M-16 rifle.

I also had a West German AGFA camera that was almost impossible to find film for in Vietnam, so this was one of those rare shots that made it home.

Oregon Developer Enters Joint Venture Agreement With Vietnamese Investment Firm

Plans call for building green/solar affordable housing in Oregon and high-end housing in Viet Nam.

(SALEM, Ore.) - In a meeting at the state capitol, Mr. Nguyen Van Kinh, President and CEO of KVN Investments, LLC, a Vietnamese firm with offices in Hanoi and California, affirmed his commitment to invest in the Oregon housing market utilizing state-of-the-art green and solar panel technology.

Baltazar “Buz” F. Ortiz, founder of Ortiz & Associates, will partner with Mr. Kinh to build Champion Village, a $25 million solar-powered pilot housing project in Sandy, Oregon, using GeoPanel™ light concrete and other green technologies.

Shinseki Decision Adds Three Presumptive Illnesses to VA List

Voices are critical, but this the news still represent progress.

(DA NANG, Vietnam) - A number of American Vietnam Veterans say they were pleased over Secretary Shinseki's recent decision to add 3 more illnesses to the growing list of "presumptive illnesses", now totaling 15.

But instead of seeing 100% positive response from veteran's and various writers that claim to be veterans and advocates, they have pointed to the downside.

New Book Chronicles Published War Stories From SE Asia

"These stories needed a wider audience for the world to know what they suffered, how most survived, and how they overcame adversity." - Marc Yablonka, author of "Distant War: Recollections of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia"

(BURBANK, Calif.) - A new book by Reporter/Author Marc Yablonka, Distant War: Recollections of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. chronicles eighteen years of Yablonka’s reportage on American involvement in Indochina, and the people affected by America’s connection to that part of the world.

The reports in this newly-edited compilation account for a time that in Yablonka's view, that left an indelible mark on American history.

Veterans-for-Change Calls Legislators to Action

Veterans advocacy group demands veterans processing to stop being swept under the rug by legislators.

(GARDEN GROVE, Calif.) - Countless veterans and widows of the almost one million claims dating back to WWII are being placed on hold so that Afghanistan and Iraq veteran’s claims can be processed more quickly.

While Veterans-for-Change relates to the difficulties, physical complaints and difficulties endured by the War on Terror Veterans, we believe it is crucial that VA Benefits claims should be processed in order of receipt regardless of when the actual service occurred...

Into the Dark: America`s Descent into a Police State

Manipulated America: Divided we Fall.

(CINCINATTI, Ohio) - Top US officials are reported to have been selling US nuclear weapons secrets around the world as part of a spy ring which includes members of Congress from both parties.

These and other accusations are broadly substantiated, but only by the American Conservative and newspapers around the world, including significant revelations about a 9/11 coverup. How can this be done in a "free country?"

Typhoons, Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Forgotten Victims, and possible links to the spread of Agent Orange

A tough week – the Philippines, Indonesia, American Samoa, Laos, Cambodia, Thailand and of course, Vietnam.

(DA NANG, Vietnam) - One thing amazes me during and after a natural disaster occurs – including those that have occurred in our own United States – has it ever occurred to anyone, or is it just me? Those that are mostly affected are those that need these disasters the least.

Not to minimize anyone on our planet, their resources, the destruction and devastation that they have experienced, but why is it that the poor, those that have been through so much, those who have to beg for a few Dong just to eat seem to be the most gravely affected? It’s been an impossible week for so many people, so many countries.