BULLETIN BOARD

THIS BULLETIN BOARD IS FOR THOSE SHIPMATES, AND STAFF, THAT WANT TO POST NOTES, TO FIND OTHER SHIPMATES / MAKE COMMENTS / MAKE SUGGESTIONS ... ETC FOR ALL TO SEE. ALL NOTES ... ETC WILL BE SENT TO john@theplantingsolution.com FOR EDITING & POSTING. ITEMS WILL STAY POSTED FOR ONE YEAR.

Shipmates have been sending in new information updating their information on the Crew Roster.This is great! Also, NEW shipmates have sent their information in for inclusion on the Crew Roster and this is wonderful!!! I encourage everyone to review their information on the "Crew Roster" page and update it. I specifically would like your email. If you do not have an email, then your mailing address (snail mail).

Thanks all ... John E. Hawkins (the webguy) There is also a link www.websitetoolbox.com/tool/gb/mikepatc where shipmates have left notes from May 2004 to January 2010.

For those of you who have lost friends due to war, we have been authorized to provide a link to and we are located at the website below: http://www.virtualwall.org/linksvw.htm#smallunit


8 September 2011
Well folks, this note is in effort to explain my failure to answer my email for the past month, so it is being sent to all of the folks in my address book.
My bout with diabetes wound up taking my right leg. I am back home now being tended to like a king, and waiting for a replacement foot, which should be in approx. two and a half months, or three. I feel really lucky that these things are available, and in such a short time. I have received 793 emails on my computer since I have been away, naturally can't answer then until I can catch up, so I hope you understand, and bear with me until I can catch up.. This condition will keep me closer to the computer, so I'll catch up soon.

Thanks for the mail....

Carl Ross carlrosscb@gmail.com

Subject: Brown Water Ships

It now appears to be official that HIGBEE has been officially added to the Brown Water Navy ships list, which qualifies the crew aboard her at that time to be covered under the provisions of Agent Orange.  My son-in-law, who is the American Legion State Veterans Service Officer for the State of Nebraska has confirmed that he has received notification from DVA that Higbee has been added to the list with the following notation:  "USS Higbee (DD-806) operated on Vung Ganh Rai area of Mekong River Delta during March 1-12, 1969."  There should be no question as to our eligibility from this point forward.

 

Please spread the word on this to all of our shipmates who were on board HIGBEE at that time.  I am personally aware that several of our shipmates have disabilities which may be service connected, and which may be attributable to Agent Orange exposure.  Please keep in mind that Agent Orange exposure doesn't necessarily have to come from having the stuff sprayed on us.  It can come from contamination of the water, both in the Mekong river basin, and from the coastal waters we operated in for prolonged periods of time.

I now have a complete copy of the ship's logs for the 1969 WestPac
cruise.  From what I can discern, HIGBEE operated in inland waterways
during two different periods - March 1-12, 1969 and June 2-13, 1969.  The
logs are in hard copy, which I will be converting to a CD later this
week.  Incidentally, I also believe that the April/May gunfire support
missions we were involved in also qualify HIGBEE for Agent Orange, and I
will continue to work on that period of time.

If you, or any shipmate from that cruise needs a copy of the logs to
qualify for Agent Orange, please send me your, or their, names and
mailing addresses, and I will send a CD to them.

I am in the process of writing a letter to the Department of Veterans
Affairs, which will include the CD of the ship's logs, and asking for the
USS HIGBEE (DD-806) to be added to the "Brown water" list for Agent
Orange exposure, based upon the content of these logs.

Will keep you posted.

Please feel free to give my name and email address to any shipmate that needs information or help in filing claims, or who might have additional questions about the cruise or who might need some additional documentation to verify their claim.

 

A special thanks to Richard (Benny) Benavides for sending me information, names, dates, and documents which helped us get HIGBEE on the Brown Water list.  Bravo Zulu, Benny.

 

Bob

(Robert Bethel, CDR, USN (Ret))

520-578-0652 email:  bobbethelsr@juno.com

 A followup on Bob Bethel's information from the Fleet Reserve Association (FRA):

More Ships Added to VA’s Agent Orange Exposure List

FRA strongly encourages all U.S. Navy and Coast Guard Vietnam veterans to review the expanded list of vessels exposed to Agent Orange in Vietnam. The updated list, released by the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) in January 2011 and available online at www.fra.org/agentorange, is continuously revised to include vessels that operated primarily or exclusively on Vietnam’s inland waterways; ships that temporarily operated in these inland waterways or docked to the shore; and ships that operated in Vietnam’s close coastal waters for extended periods with evidence that crewmembers went ashore. If a veteran’s service aboard one of these ships can be confirmed through his military records during the time frames specified, exposure to herbicides can be presumed, thus expediting claims for VA benefits. Veterans should understand that the list is not complete and presumption of exposure will not be denied solely because a veteran’s ship is not on it.

“Thousands of Navy and Coast Guard veterans who served aboard ships during the Vietnam conflict experience health problems related to herbicide exposure, but their illnesses and disabilities are not automatically considered service-connected in the eyes of the VA,” explains Chris Slawinski, FRA’s national veterans’ service officer. “The VA restricts this type of presumptive service connection to vets who had ‘boots on the ground’ or can prove their ship operated on inland waterways. Each addition to the VA’s list of exposed vessels will make it easier for these veterans to prove exposure and will hopefully facilitate more timely determination of benefits.” FRA is working to reverse the VA’s policy that prevents “blue water” military retirees and veterans – those who served off shore in Vietnam – from claiming disability benefits for diseases related to exposure to Agent Orange. The April edition of FRA Today will highlight service members’ exposure to Agent Orange and other toxic substances.

If you or someone you know served aboard any of these vessels during the times indicated, a VA claim for exposure to an herbicide agent should be filed as soon as possible. To start a claim, contact your nearest VA Regional Office or contact Chris Slawinski at vafra@fra.org or 1-800-FRA-1924 (ext. 115).

5 May 2011

ON THE HIGBEE !!  SAILORRRS (MELLIES) FROM 1967-68  LOOKING TO REACH OUT (VIA AL GORES INTERNET) TO A GROUP OF US THAT "STAY IN TOUCH".... YOU REMEMBER, JACK HERWHE, LARRY TAYLOR, RON TURNER, MANY DIAS, TERRY SCANNELL, TOM DROZDOWSKI AND YOURS TRULY BILL DUMAS....  WE DON'T OVER KILL THE LAST 40+ YEARS BUT EXCHANGE JOKES AND THOUGHTS OF DAYS GONE BY... IF INTERESTED, billdumasre@hotmail.com  ...... NOTHING HEAVY, JUST A LITTLE FUN. !!   HOPE ALL IS WELL BOYS, "IT WAS ONLY YESTERDAY"  !!! BILL DUMAS SHB3, 1967-68  USNRRRRRRR

1 May 2011

   My name is Alan Perry and I just got off the phone with Gil Rodello and he told me about the Higbee website so I checked it out and found my name but would like to update my info.

I served from 50 years ago today!  I reported aboard (and right into 1st division) in Yokosuka on April 28, 1961.  I left the Higbee as the Leading Engineman (EN2) to return to Treasure Island for discharge on November 18, 1964.  I loved the Higbee, and when I reenlisted in February 1965 I reported aboard USS Hornet (CVS-12) only to find Rod (Gil Rodello) and another Higbee BT, J. D. Smith.  I retired in July 1981 as an ENC following tours on Higbee, Hornet, Bushnell AS-15, MinRon 11, Det 'A' in Nha Be, Vietnam, three years of recruiting in Concord, CA, the Pyro AE-24, swapped to the Sanctuary AH-17 (where we were the first USN ship to have enlisted women as crewmembers), a year of Greek language school at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, CA, followed by a two year tour in the Greek Navy at Skaramangas and Salamis with the Personnel Exchange Program, then finished up with a second recruiting tour as the R-in-C of NRS Walnut Creek, CA.  My second career was as a maintenance supervisor (fleet manager) with West Contra Costa Unified School District in Richmond, California, where I actually went to work 10 days before I'd retired from the navy, retiring from there in July 2003, the finished up with 4+years working for FEMA in a variety of positions.  I was trained at a Public Assistance Project Officer, then Community Relations Specialist, Debris Specialist, Preliminary Damage Assessment Specialist, and finally Public Assistance Coordinator.  Did a lot of traveling working 9 major "declared disasters" in four years:  Typhoon Lupit in Guam, Yap, Ulithi and Fais in 2003, Hurricanes Charlie, Francis, Ivan and Jeanne in Florida, 2004.  Flooding in N/E Arizona and the Hopi Reservation in 2005, Winter Freeze in MD 2005, Flooding in Upstate NY in 2005, Katrina in Mississippi in 2005, and California Flooding in 2006.  Now I'm retired, retired, retired... and loving it!

 Anyhow, if you could update my info on the ships roster I'd really appreciate it.  I'd like to hear from any of my shipmates!

While I was an EN2 on the Higbee, I retired as an ENC.  I actually live in Martinez, CA  94553-2111, and my e-mail address is flufperryusn@aol.com

 Thanks,

Alan R. Perry, ENC, USN (Ret)

21 April 2011
Do you know of any former shipmates during my time aboard who have received benefits for Parkinson's from the VA? They turned me down initially, but now they have reopened my case for "special review", IAW nehmer v. u.s. dept of veterans affairs. We were right up to the mouth of the river for days at a time and watched B-52's, attack planes dropping all sorts of junk & planes dropping agent orange all over the place. If I could locate anyone who has received benefits already, it would help greatly. I considered putting out a search on FACEBOOK, but I don't know how. Guess I'll have to ask the Grandkids.

Would appreciate any help or response as I have to have an answer by 5-11 or they will automatically deny the review, or at least thats the way the letter reads.

Also, would anyone know how to acquire a copy of the ships log for that period of time so that I could at least give them the pertinent dates?  

Thanks, Darryl W. Snider (sm2/1 - 1964-1966)

dwsnider@hotmail.com


23 MARCH 2011

My father-in-law served on the HIGBEE from December 1968 until mid 1970.  He served in the OI division. His name is Merle Francis Gambel.  If anyone has any information about his service on the HIGBEE, please email him and me at merleandgreta@verizon.net and michael.f.hannam@gmail.com.

Thanks for  you time. Mike Hannam

12 FEBRUARY 2011
I SEE THE OLD GIRL MADE THE "TIN CAN SAILOR" (TCS) NEWSPAPER THIS WEEK. BIG ARTICLE (FULL PAGE) OF THE 806 IN LONG BEACH IN 1973... I GUESS THERE HAD BEEN A DUST-UP ON HOW THE RADIO SHACK SECURED/REPLACED AN ANTENA OFF THE PORT SIDE. I GOT OFF IN 1968 BUT I ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO MY QUARTERLY ADDITION OF THE TCS...... HOPE ALL IS WELL!!! BILL DUMAS SHB3 USNRRRRR 1967-68 billdumasre@hotmail.com


9 FEBRUARY 2011
I was on deck force from 5/64 when I came aboard until 6/65 when I put my chit in and went into the galley as an SN. I got my crow in early 66, CS3, Commissaryman 3rd. I remember most of the STG's. During the last 60 days or so in WESTPAC a lot of the sonar gang was on restriction along with myself, 60 days. My crime was getting caught by the Hong Kong vice squad (indecent exposure) on an apartment stair landing with a 40 YO Chinese woman in Wanchai on the way back to Fenwick pier. We were in Yoko and on a weekend we managed to get someone that was going on libs to take two office shitcans to the dempsy dumpsters at the end of the pier and dump them and leave them there and then go to the PO Club on base, get a bottle of whiskey and put it in one and then put the other inside on top and bring it back aboard. Then we would gather in the WA compartment and drink it. We did this at least 5 times. I think Rupe and Tapper were among them and possibly Clint too. Half the ship had to show up at restricted muster. Must have been 16 or so.

Last thing I remember is taking a long draw on a bottle of old Granddad and then waking up in my bunk back aft in the supply compartment with knots all over my head. Story goes I never recovered from the head tilt and passed out and having good shipmates, they drug me by the heels back to where my bunk was. Damn, those WTD door bases are hard. Sonar gang could stream that's for sure.

Lionel (Skip) Burns, ibenthereto@hotmail.com