To all Vietnam Veterans. Thank you for your service to our wonderful country. I wish you and your families well in your pursuit of a fair go.

Cheers
Kay

Thank you Kay for your kind thoughts.

Bill D

I’m a Vietnam TPI for a plethora of war related health issues. I felt like a fake because I had only been in Vietnamese Waters twice for a relatively short period. The first time was June1965, just turned 17 and being welcomed to the real world with a big hello. Hence the start of PTSD which was not diagnosed until 2002 although all the signs had been there with behavioural problems, lack of job satisfaction etc whilst in the RAN and after I resigned in 1973.
My two step – daughters have had no major health problems but did have some behavioural problems which counsellors had contributed directly to me and my overly heavy discipline.
My natural daughter, who was born in 1978, has problems with unexplained skin rashes, minor skeletal problems, her hormones, glands, hearing, eyesight and reproductive system, having miscarried on numerous occasions usually about the 9 – 14 week mark. She has been successful with 2 pregnancies, both of which were girls, aged 6 and 2. My eldest natural granddaughter (I have 5 granddaughters [3 step] and 5 step-grandsons) has skin rashes, gastrointestinal and glandular problems, behavioural and learning disabilities. The 2 year old is constantly sick with gastrointestinal and lung and chest infections. The other 8 are extremely healthy and hearty without other than minor childhood illnesses.
How did this happen? I wasn’t out in the jungle walking through herbicides.
I thought it must be something else until research released about 2 years ago, and confirmed recently by Queensland University’s National Research Centre for Environmental Toxicology, that the method HMAShips used for obtaining fresh water failed to remove contaminates, (Agent Orange) that had been washed into Vung Tau harbour from many estuaries, and in some cases, the toxicology actually increased due to the evaporative distillation process. This “fresh” water was used for drinking, cooking and bathing.
I can assure you that these findings answered quite a few questions for my family and me. I just wonder how many more of these things would come out in an in depth case study.

When i found this site and sat down to read all the entry's i found tears running down my face, i was amazed at just how many other's where out there who have had to deal with being a child of a V.V, it's sad to think our father's where egnored by the government and by most people in australia when these men first came home, they needed support and got none, we the children of these men need answer's i'm sure like myself there is alot of rate payer's/voter's out there that feel the government has let the whole V.V Generation down in a way that is UN-Australian....
Any Children wanting to make contact with other VVKids you should also make contact with this site...www.pva.org.au/images/tab1.gif
P.S Bring on the research into health now not later,Mr Howard

The children of Vietnam Vetrans went through all of the trauma of these Soldiers departure, active war and return.

They continue to manage this trauma that many of the Vietnam Vetrans still suffer today. The intensity has broken many an Australian family.

Loyalty and bravery had been inscribed in the heart of these families. Only to find that they were the mere "Fodder" to carry out the dirty work of those who had much more to lose.

The Vietnam Vetrans did not get a parade of welcome back, instead had to quietly return, ashamed by the political war that it had become.

And so did their families.

I am reading the posts from all of you and yes I understand the trauma, BUT by now the majority of the children of V V's must be in the youngest age 30. So should we now look at these people as adults and should the emphisis now shift to the present and future youth of our defence personell. I understand the dificulties you face both physical and mental. But you are looking at this with the blinkers on. See the big picture and start to listen to the young ones coming up the ranks so to speak. There parents, father, or mother who has finished there service, is still serving or is about to end there service, will undoutably have problems and so will there children. Stop wallowing in your own self missery and open up to the new ones. It has taken me many years to view other service personell as having problems but they do and they like us and you are the flag barers, so let them in and give support, not chritisum and contempt. "Because there farther did not serve in Vietnam" but they Did Serve and that is enough.......