The link to this forum needs to be circulated to as many people as possible so as to give all a chance to read and or contribute.

If the problems could be tied to some chemical or environmental issue, I could understand the Vets having health problems. But I don't understand why their children do as well.

Most of the problems are of a mental health nature 70% it appears.

I wonder if such a study was ever done of Vets from Korea, and WWII ?

I'd like to know the results.

I observe that Vietnam, was probably the closest to an 'immoral' war that we have been involved in, (though the more I read of WWI the more I look sideways at how it began).. and this might be a contributing factor(This is NOT a criticism of our soldiers) Added to this, the chilly reception on return, for those who had experienced mind blowing doses of reality which most never see. The lack of people to understand and share with would be a tough thing to deal with.

I was in Vietnam during the war, but only for a short time. My next life was as a Missionary, where I spent 8.5 yrs in Malaysia. When we finally returned in 86, one of our knowledgable deacons asked "So, how was it there in Indonesia"..... It was like.. duh.... hello..

Things happen in war, and on the mission field, which cannot be comprehended by 'normal mortals' (as we tend to view the non participants in such things) and they just give you the blank face glazed eye look if you start to explain about experiences.

Another factor I'm curious about, is if there is any correlation between the shift in values from the previous generation, which was more God conscious than the Vietnam era generation, and the "mental health/inability to deal with" problems faced by so many Vets.

When the reference to the Almighty is removed by increased secularism, and coupled with a strong feminist movement questioning male identity, it could all add up to the same problems faced by the Yir Yoront of Cape York, who died out as a result of destruction of male identity.

Ladies and gentlemen, please do not get your hopes up that you will receive a favourable response from the Minister for Vet Affairs. Clearly the government operates on the tactics of delay. Witness their reaction to the Voyager disaster, their refusal to acknowledge the causal link of agent orange to cancer in Korean and Vietnam vets and more recently the lack of action to improve compensation for widows after the 1996 Black Hawk disaster. Not to mention the heralding of the Clarke Report by the Howard government, with the result of court action against reporters who dared to leak that Howard was not going to implement the recommendations. I am a son of a Vietnam Vet, AATTV 1965/66, who lost his father to cancer in 1993. Keep reminding the government of their promise to look after veterans and vote for someone else in the SENATE in the hope that the bastards can be kept to their word.

I am a Vietnam Veteran. I have 3 children. My eldest child was conceived before my tour of Vietnam. The other two after my tour. The two conceived after my tour both have health problems. The one conceived before my tour does not.

I have heard of many similar situations. Some are described elsewhere in this forum. There are too many incidences like this for these situations to simply be coincidence. The COVVHS must go ahead in a scientific manner to establish once and for all if there is a causal link between service in Vietnam and the health of children of Vietnam Veterans.

Such a study could also provide a basis for the health review of children of Veterans from other “war like” operations.

For those partners of veterans who believe that COVVHS must continue with this study please go to the following link and consider becoming a member of the PVA. (Partners of Veterans Association) Your support will help to push the cause.

http://www.pva.org.au/index.asp

I have three children, all conceived after my return from Vietnam and all have major but differing medical conditions, my son is on a disability pension. Both my wife and I come from large families and none of the children of our siblings have any medical problems. This is a similar story to many of the guys I served with.