kalb talk about the american presidency from ford to obama. washington journal is next. >> that was the navy's blue angels at the commencement ceremony in annapolis, maryland. c-span will be bringing you images from the war more ills -- memorials as america remembers its fallen soldiers. we begin today on the washington journal with a question for veterans and their family members. we are asking what your experience is like transitioning from military to civilian life.

what advice would you give to the next veteran or family member? our phone lines are a bit different this morning, veterans from family members from world war ii and the korean war, that number is (202) 748-8000. veterans from iraq and afghanistan, (202) 748-8002. all others can call in that (202) 748-8003. you can catch up with us on twitter or facebook. it is memorial day in washington dc and we want to hear from our viewers this morning. that question, tell us about your transition from military to civilian life. first, the numbers on veterans making that transition.

from "the washington post." about 2.4 million active and river -- and reserve members left the u.s. forces and returned to life. another one million, most of whom are post-9/11 veterans, will have made the transition from 2014 to 2019. in 2009, veterans affairs implemented the new post 9/11 g.i. bill which has resulted in more than one million veterans going back to school. in response to legislation in 2011, the pentagon of veterans affairs have helped institute a mandatory 40 hours of instructor led training to help active, reserve and guard veterans with their transition. we went to hear your stories in

the first 45 minutes. here is one story from the "times herald". this in a piece on their website about navy lieutenant jessica schafer, who after climbing the military ranks for 17 years retired from the navy. it was a forced downsizing. she was interviewed by the paper and said, the navy was my life and it was my dream. the people were my family often acting as my surrogate brothers, aunts, uncles, cousins, mothers and sisters. it was those people who kept me going all those years when i had to spend so much time with my own family. imagine having all that taken away from you. it has been interesting, quite a learning experience. she went on to say it has been

progressing slowly but surely. part of it is learning self-awareness and learning she is without the navy. i knew who i was as an aviator and what i had to do to be good at my job and how to take care of my crew. trying to figure out who jesse is as a person and a person has been the biggest challenge i've ever had to face. that is the story if you want to read more on it. we want to hear the stories of our viewers this morning. our phone lines are open. more veterans are likely to make that transition and to some because of new downsizing according to the topeka capital journal. more military members may be looking for jobs as a result of the quiet -- cuts known as

sequestration's that shrinks the army. the story noting that for riley and fort leavenworth are among the institutions that could be facing forced reductions. tell us about your experience. if you are a veteran or family member from world war ii or korea, it is (202) 748-8000 from vietnam it is (202) 748-8001, iraq and afghanistan (202) 748-8002, all others (202) 748-8003. here is a story from the front page of "the washington times." companies help veterans get good jobs. unemployment still a problem for many of those veterans.

it is leading the paper along with several stories about veterans and their transitions today. we especially want to hear from our viewers. good morning to you. caller: good morning. everything was easy for me when i came back from vietnam. i finished school and then i went into photography business with a friend of mine who i was on the ship with. we had done some catalogs and i became the staff photographer at a school in boston and it was fairly easy. when i first came back i wanted to be a photographer and i called all of them in new york city and all of the studios.

i didn't get any jobs, but a friend of mine was working up in boston. it was a fairly easy transition. host: it sounds like something you did on your own. was there a program that helped you out? caller: no, but my friend richard, he went through what was called a transition where he was being paid by the navy to work a civilian job. he did that for about four months and that translated into me going up there and him coming back down to new york and getting business doing photography. host: we want to hear the

stories of both veterans and their families this morning. dave is up next. good morning. caller: it was very hard. there were no jobs available. in the veterans did not have treatment at the time. they said that we had shellshocked and there was no treatment. now they call it posttraumatic stress, but there was no treatment for that. we just suffered from a bad time during world war ii. let me say that i saw senator isakson from georgia and congressman poll the other night

on tv and the only thing they talked about was afghanistan and vietnam and those veterans, where they never mentioned korea and world war ii. there are some of us still alive. i wish someone would answer why everything is around the iraq veterans and afghanistan and vietnam. some of the world war ii veterans are still suffering from posttraumatic stress. host: before you go, can i ask you, you said the transition was very hard and issues like poster medic stress, if you had the chance to make the decision again, would you still go into the military? caller: sure. i would go in and defend this country. the greatest country in the world.

why shouldn't i defend? host: dave from goldsboro, north carolina. we want to hear your stories. dave brought up johnny isakson the chairman of the center it -- senate veterans affairs committee. he was a guest on our "newsmakers" program. he talked about the legacy of the war, this being the 40th anniversary of the fall of saigon. here is him talking about vietnam veterans in an interview this weekend. [video clip] >> i am a product of the vietnam era. i lost some of my best friends. i remember the sacrifices our country went through. vietnam era veterans found the v.a. was the only safe haven should go to.

we own those veterans everything. the sacrificed and risked their lives. we need to make sure in the latter years of their life they are getting what they deserve. number of suicide increases is not in the iraqi and new veterans, it is in the vietnam veterans. we owed them just as much. i will see to it that they get it. host: if you want to watch that full interview with johnny isakson, republican from georgia, you can go to c-span.org. here is the front page from today's newspapers around this country. several stories about veterans and memorial ceremonies. this is the des moines register. it is hard to explain how bad it is in war, you cannot imagine it.

talking about a world war ii veteran and his story, here is the front page from the boston globe, several pictures and the headline, in remembrance. to the front page of the boston globe, the story there, taking a moment to reflect. jack king stopping by a cemetery to visit the graves of his parents who both died this year. families across the area remembering their lives in combat. we want to hear from our viewers this morning and your transition from military to civilian life. we have different lines for veterans and families of veterans. larry on our line for vietnam vets. caller: good morning. can i make a statement? host: go ahead. caller: [inaudible]

my transition was fairly easy. i applied for college while still in the military. i couldn't get a job so i what back tonight school and got another degree. i bought a mobile home. the only reason i could put my mobile home on the lot is because lots were not for sale, because i was a vietnam vet. i have nothing bad to say. host: how would you rate the job of how the government is doing in taking care of its veterans versus veterans today? caller: i think there are a lot of problems that i experienced and we had them back during the

vietnam era. now with the social media and everything, i think it is more troubling today. host: john is up next calling from illinois and the vietnam era. caller: i am from hague wish. buddy up. i am from vietnam and i joined with three other guys and we all came back and have been by the -- buddies for 55 years. use the v.a. system and the vet center system. everything that the government and nongovernmental organizations do for veterans, get on the bandwagon. but he up and stay in contact with your old teammates. hug that veteran next to you. you see a guy today and you tell

him thank you and he will tell you thank you back. for those who fight for it, freedom has a meeting you will never know. host: do you think that means those who serve in the military are more patriotic than americans who have not served or they don't understand? caller: of course not. but there is a different understanding. there is just a different understanding. we signed that contract and that doesn't make us any higher than anybody else, but what we did was just take that step forward. we are no more patriotic than the next guy but our heart bleeds a little bit harder. victims harder on days like this and veterans day. you have a great day. everybody out there have a great day. host: john in hague wish illinois.

glenn, good morning. caller: hi, jon. good morning c-span. what is the question? host: the transition from military to civilian life, of did a go -- how did it go for you? caller: three of my friends, a guy who was a second string quarterback at the university of california berkeley, and is up in canada now. he was in the coast guard and they put him on a ship to be an icebreaker. he got a fake id and two others and they took me and him down to mexico for six months and then we came back and i was in the streets for about 1.5 years and then i started to settle down a little bit.

i married a girl i was with in high school and we had a child and things were pretty good with her, but eventually it didn't work out. the divorce rate is pretty high. i came back to february 5 1968. the big one started january and they shut down all the airports and i said it is my time to go home and they are tearing up the runways. finally they got the one in saigon opened back up and i was in then walk by then. they were under attack and i was there without a rifle. they put us in a bunker and would not give us a gun. they slaughtered all of the

people in the village because they called them collaborators with the american army. host: you might be interested in sticking around for one of our later segments. we will be talking with marvin and deborah on out there book, hunting legacy am a vietnam and the american presidency from ford to obama. we will be talking about how the vietnam war has impacted the decision-making of presidents since. that is coming up in about 8:30 this morning. in terms of more stats here are some from the bureau of labor statistics on unemployment and homeless rates. the rate in general among veterans is 5.3%.

for those specifically from iraq and afghanistan it is 7.2%. the homeless rate according to 2014 numbers from the bureau of labor statistics. about 50,000 homeless veterans around the country. the washington times with the story about what different companies around this country are doing for veterans to bring them into civilian jobs. they launched a push to hire 100,000 veterans bring skills to the company and this year there committed to hiring 250,000 veterans and by 2020 any veteran utterly discharged by memorial day has a position at the company. comcast also launched an initiative last week to hire 10,000 veterans or military spouses or domestic partners by

2016. we want to hear from veterans and their family members as well. about this transition from military to civilian life. how did he go for you? what advice would you give the next veteran down the line. up next in somerville south carolina, good morning. caller: my dear daddy served in world war ii and died in 2006. when i would ask him about serving, he always said no war is a good war. host: he didn't think world war ii was a good war, was he prodded his service? caller: he served and he got his masters degree.

the fellowship that came from woodrow wilson -- who was the one who came up with the idea of giving college degrees? host: franklin roosevelt? caller: [video clip] he got his masters from that but he had friends and they were just destroyed, their hearts were destroyed from having to serve in battle and that was his statement, no war was a good war. >> the remember what it was like for you and your family when he first came back? caller: he was kind of a mess. host: what help them? or did anything? caller: not much. just life.

that's all i wanted to say was that no war is a good war. host: natalie is up next in texas. caller: i would like to acknowledge my daddy and i would like to acknowledge larry, he had a hard transition and i never to know my daddy. i don't know if he is alive today or where he is at and my uncle larry, he took his life. when my cousin was in her early 20's in front of his entire family because he went back to desert storm and when he came back, he could not handle anything. it was very hard on both of them . host: did they reach out to the

v.a. system or fellow veterans? was there a support network for them? caller: for my uncle larry, i'm sure that there were. he has children that loved him very much. and family that loves him very much. for my daddy, i don't know. i got to meet him and get to know him for a little while and then he told me that it was time for him to exit my life because the war was too hard on him. that he had loved me all his life. i don't know where he is at now.

i hope for our veterans the best . because they need to be taken care of and they need all of your work today. host: thank you for the call this morning. there is a piece by meredith ludlow today in the washington post, the headline is about care talking about the families of veterans and the story noting that absent an effective v8 system it is the families fulfilling government's responsibility to care for our veterans. noting that families need to be the front and center. goals and metrics of family centered programs should be

incorporated into v.a.'s strategic plan and monitored for performance. last year's v8 performance and accountability report contains nine pages on burial service metrics but none on family focused programs. it is the quality of care when they survive not the quality of the headstone when they die. we want to hear from our viewers this morning specifically veterans and members of their families. the transition from military to civilian life. what programs help to and what advice would you give to the next generation of veterans coming along. i want to go to sarah from lawrenceville georgia from the vietnam era. good morning. caller: my wife and i were both in the navy. i went in 19 69 and she went in 1970. we were married while we were in

the navy. using the g.i. bill, she was using it for a while while i was still in the navy and then when i got out i went to work for a defense contractor and went to school part-time for eight years until i got my degree and then to accompany selling video equipment. she became a light which and got a masters degree. host: thinking about today and the programs out there, we noted it is a time of budget cuts, you think with veterans programs

they are taken care of today? caller: i don't know specifically what it seems to me they have similar programs. they weren't quite as generous today as they were then. we didn't have to put any money into the v.a. benefits. we were just given a stipend once we got out. i think it should be a last thing that they cut. there are a lot of who served us and went to war and lost limbs and will be damaged for the rest of their lives. host: do you think the v.a. has the right leadership? caller: i think he is trying to do the right thing and is a decent guy and has experienced.

we have the right people in charge and maybe we need the right political leaders in charge who appreciate what people have done. host: what do you think about the resignation of the v.a. secretary? caller: i thought eric shinseki was a good guy, i just think he had the ability to do that job properly, for whatever reason. i recall what he did before the iraq war. i thought he was spot on and a great guy, i just don't know if he had the ability to do what needed to be done. that is such a large bureaucracy. it seems like it takes forever to get anything done. you always end up with

roadblocks and bureaucracies that will do everything to thwart any efforts. i'm not saying that make on all will have -- that mcdonnell will have an easier road but he has shown a track record of success. if anybody can, he can. if he cannot do it, i don't know what they will do. host: let's go to our lines for iraq and afghanistan. yvonne is waiting in anderson. how are you? caller: good morning. how are you. host: what was a transition like in your family? caller: it was very hard. it was very touching. it was very hard.

when they come back there just a different it was very touching. there supporting thethe v.a. can do more to support the veterans. i have to put that out there because i think a lot of people think they get a lot of help, but surely they do not. host: what would have helped? caller: -- especially transitioning from iraq, coming over here. host: more contact, one-on-one contact? an earlier caller was talking about encouraging vets to buddy up. caller: more counseling. most of them do not want to go

to counseling. they think there's nothing wrong. however, there is something going on. i think you should urge them to go counseling. they do not think it is natural. coming back from iraq reconnecting with the family is very hard. that was my experience. it was like taking in a person you do not even know. my two children had a hard time to reconnect to their father. that is what i think there should have been more of a support system out there for the whole family. host: i appreciate the call from anderson, south carolina. we want to hear from veterans and their family members and this first such been -- in this first segment of the "washington

journal." last week on capitol hill, iraq and afghanistan veterans of america ceo and founder was on capitol hill. he testified in front of the u.s. house and senate veterans affairs committee. he was talking about veterans needs. here is a bit of what he had to say. [video clip] >> 2015 will be the most important year for iraq and afghanistan veterans. the va betrayal trail left us the trade. our country seems to forget there is the war in iraq and afghanistan. we see a congress divided in washington. with an election looming it will be worse. veterans could unite you and all americans. put politics aside, listen to our community, and get to work. host: coming up in our next segment, the political director of iraq and afghanistan veterans of america bill rausch will be

here to talk about some of those issues that his boss brought up in that testimony. we show a live shot of the tomb of the unknowns this morning this memorial day, where president obama will participate in a ceremony and memorial day observance at the tomb of the unknowns. that is live at 10:30. you can watch it on c-span coming up after the "washington journal." we want to hear more from veterans and their families on the transition from military to civilian life. albany, new york, vietnam era. good morning. caller: i want to talk about my brother. he was in the saratoga service. he was in the vietnam war. when he came back, he came back a heroin addict and with agent orange. he was a marine. as soon as he hit the shore, he said there were heads blowing up an arms blowing up. when they made it into the

fields, it was so devastating -- i was younger. he used to tell the stories like they were shooting each other's. americans were shooting other americans because they were young, jeff did, forced -- drafted, forced. the do not know what to do. they were in villages and there was a lot of prostitution. when he came back. the va did not really help someone he needed help. besides when he was an addict they put him in jail. at the end, they gave him money so he could support a $400,000 habit on heroines. i see about compared with what is going on with afghanistan and it is happening again. they are coming back like addicts. they just come back sick and

crippling our men. it is time for us to fight for their freedom. i do not think obama should deserve today to do what he will do. they should give that to someone else, since he put that into shutdown. i think all soldiers should unite. could you imagine, if every soldier was told, we are the emery -- we are the enemies. and all you see, so much blood my eyes are bleeding, it is so terrible. we, the family of my brother -- my family, grandfather uncles, through generations of wars. never has a greater begin -- puerto rican been given an award. 65,000 of them were drafted and i never hear anything about them

-- host: they want to hear about family members and veterans waiting on the line for walmart to an korean war vets. iris is waiting in michigan. good morning. caller: i want to say that it takes -- they take you from civilian life and put you in syria basic training, reduce you just dump -- reduce you to nothing, put you in groups. you are separated from your family. they combat totally different. their readjustment. i do not care which war you served in. when they are done with you, they are done with the year. they do not look after year. they do not call, visit. it is like you are finished, go back.

it is up to the person to readjust to the civilian life, but they have been away from it. it is that much tougher to get back into the swing of things. you become a changed person. -- host: who are you remembering thinking about, as you talk about this experience? caller: my husband. he served during the korean. thankfully he never won overseas, but they changed him here. as soon as you get over there, your clothing, your circumstances, the way you sleep, community living. you have to take orders, salute. you did not do that before. it is a reconditioning. when they are done with you, they are done. that is it. host: do you think america

treats veterans from different eras differently? caller: i do. they are living in the present day and they're looking -- one while they get involved in the future? they forget about the people from the past. they are more or less on their own when they come home. it is a take readjustment -- big readjustment. the government is not a there for you, you have to know how to contact them. they do not, after you. they are finished. it is over. they utilized you and now it is up to you. host: iris in michigan. host:a few other headlines. the miami herald this morning flags for the following. you can see the picture there of one of the florida cemeteries, the south florida national

cemetery. the front page of the houston chronicle, a second chance for vets. a cemetery apprenticeship program aims to and homelessness. you can read that in the houston chronicle. we want to hear from as many viewers as we can. mickey is waiting from tampa, florida on the line for the vietnam era. caller: my brother was over in vietnam. if there was any help, there was no advertisement or anything to tell the families what to expect or to tell him. he had what they called a fungus, which took years for the government to say it was agent orange. they said lie in the sun, so he would be out there and -- was

not far from where we were. and the flight pattern of the helicopters. one one would go over when he was outside, he what in pale as could you like he was shot. there was no help. they reached out and said here is what you can expect, there was nothing like that. he was never the same. he suffered from depression. now he has dementia. we worry what will happen and where he will be for that. he never really talked about it. he did not want to talk about the war. they got no respect. at least today, when you see a soldier in the airport, you say thank you or put your hand on your heart or something. with vietnam, like an earlier caller, they took their uniforms off, he did not want to wear it to get a free flight because it

was such a disrespected thing. he was never quite the same. if there was hope, we did not know about it, because we would have -- host: is the va still involved in your brother's case? caller: now they are, but it took years to admit it was agent orange. even after he had a daughter who had a best the same exact "fungus" as he had on his body. there is no way it could have been anything else. but it took them a long time to get involved and say this was agent orange. he had to prove so many things. they knew his record, new when he was in vietnam, knew that they sprayed agent orange and they made him jump through hoops and never really compensated for it except for getting medical treatment through the va. host: nickey in florida.

arthur is waiting in kentucky, also from the vietnam vet error -- era. caller: good morning. i fought in vietnam from 1965 to 1966. i spent 11 months and eight days there. the tour was 13 months, so they sent me a home. i had a ride from oakland california to louisville. i got off the bus. but when i got home, i never got paid. in three days, i was working after i got home. i got me a job and to this day i never got paid. -- document everything that happens to you, that is my advice to those who fight. if you do not, they will not take care of you. host: what was the job you got

and how were you able to get one so quickly when you got home? caller: i came home on a tuesday, went looking for a job, got one out colgate in indiana packing soap. work therefore five or six years -- worked there for five or six years. then i went to the va hospital, retired from there. host: you worked at the va? what did you do? caller: i worked there, i was a housekeeping supervisor. host: what was the experience like on the v.a. side watching veterans common? caller: when i worked at the v.a. in louisville, they did all they could to take care of the veterans on what i saw. i am still associated. i go to the hospital and stop there. when i got home, i had a case of

jungle rock, which my wife gave me oatmeal bags and stuff, so i still break out, but i am good. host: arthur in louisville kentucky. i want to show our viewers the front page of the "new york times." " despite gains, women in war battle to fit in." it notes that the integration of women into the intensely male world. women made up 15% of the force during the iraq and afghanistan were compared to the persian gulf war in 1991. they saw more combat than ever before. if you want to read more of that, it is in the "new york times." we get to alan waiting in florida on the line for veterans from the world war ii and korea eras. caller: my father was a world war ii veteran. it is nice to hear this program

this morning and also see the views you have of the world war ii memorial. i was there about four weeks ago. i want to let everyone know i put a request into my congressman in memory of my father -- and in memory of my father, the flag was flown over the capital for my parents anniversary. anyone who has a emily member who is a veteran, they can put in a request and set a date for having the flag flown. 10 days later, the flag arrived at my house. that is one where you can have something tangible to remember your loved ones by. host: where you keep the flag now? caller: i will have in a special display case. i am -- my neighbors, they have several family members who have served in wars through the years and they have a wall of honors.

i plan on doing that. host: you member with the transition like -- was like for your dad when he came back? caller: i was not born then. a typical baby boomer. i remember my mother telling stories like sometimes you would have to sleep in the basement because he would wake up in the middle of the night, having a ptsd episode -- they did not call it that are then -- but it was so disturbing, my older sister would be awake because of my father's nightmares, i guess. host: do you have much contact the v.a. system or did he depend on his fellow veterans more? caller: he only recently tried to get into the v.a. system and got in for some medical care but he never got the retirement payment. it took 17 months to get it. they had all kinds of requirements.

i think the family -- one of the veterans service organization help to fill out the application. after he passed away, they sent more information. so he never got that payment. but he was getting services at the va hospital in michigan, where he lived. host: allen in florida, remembering his father. that will do it for our first 45 minutes of the "washington journal." we talk with bill rausch of the iraq and afghanistan veterans of america, he is the political director. he discusses issues surrounding veterans including via a access, employment, and mental health. with the recent 40th anniversary of the fall of saigon, we talk about the legacy of the war with authors marvin and deborah kalb.

>> tonight on "the communicators," tj kennedy on the creation of one nationwide broadband emergency communications network for first responders. >> firstnet would provide a data

and broadband network for first responders. those who are responding to that incident who are on the scene in the future when the net is running, would have the ability to have video of things from the scene sent to incoming responders. to have pictures from the scene. important situational awareness data on where everyone is at that particular scene. not everyone would have the ability to see where the other end are staged today. a mass casualty situation you could leverage it for triage. you could think that today there is technology like it did and different wearable technologies. what if that was done for emergency medical services where they could put it on a patient and get a vital signs. not necessarily with the devices today, but think about the innovation that could happen. you would know where your patients are track their vital

signs, and track them to all hospitals and make sure there is continuity of care and you could adjust to a changing situation in a rapid fashion. >> tonight at 8:00 eastern on "the communicators" on c-span 2. >> "washington journal" continues. host: on this memorial day, we welcome bill rausch. he is the political director of iraq and afghanistan veterans of america. we appreciate you being here. we want to start with the department of veterans affairs an agency so important to your members. we, on the first year anniversary of the resignation of former v.a. secretary eric shinseki. is the v.a. on the right track? guest: we think it is. but we continue to see bad stories that have happened in the past, but as we have consistently said in front of congress and to our members, the new v-8 secretary is the right

person for the job. he is in florida, opening a new cemetery. we think he is the right man for the job. but it is a big organization and it will take time. that is why we will continue to apply pressure. host: what you like about robert mcdonald? guest: his business acumen. his experience in the private sector. that really brings something new to the agency that it has not felt for some time. he has brought in a new range of folks. we have seen people from private, public, the government really engaging and making a difference. los angeles, there was a huge lawsuit over the massive complex that was of the the v.a. facility. it had been going for years. she came in with his team and resolve about. now a good portion of that campus will house homeless veterans.

it is that type of problem solving and can-do attitude that we think is helpful. host: members of congress not really agreeing with that can-do attitude and your appreciation for robert mcdonald. john boehner took to the house floor last week to denounce the lack of progress at the v.a. in the years since since a key -- shinseki resigned. [video clip] >> instead of a new day of the v.a., the american people are still seeing more of the same. congress gave the v.a. secretary new authority to fire employees. while some 110 mva facilities cap secret lists the hide their weight times, just one person has been fired. what the hell happened to the rest of them? some got to retire with benefits some got transfers, some got paid leave, some got a slap on the wrist. all of them went on collecting

checks from taxpayers. if only the veterans administration did have as good a job as taking care of the bureaucrats as they did our veterans, we would be in a lot better shape. congress also gave the v.a. more than $16 billion to improve care and shorten waiting times. and yet, the number of patients waiting -- facing long wait is about the same. the number of patients waiting more than 90 days has doubled. at this point, the v.a. cannot even build a hospital. just about every project ends up years behind schedule and hundreds of millions, if not billions, over costs. host: bill rausch of the iava. your reaction to the statements by john boehner on the house floor last week. guest: the first thing i agree with is the cost overruns in denver are atrocious.

the the v.a. medical facility in denver, which is a large complex, is years behind schedule and millions over edge it. it is another example why the v.a. should not be in the construction business. they brought in a corps of engineers were looking to tennis that, but there is a budget battle on whether there should be a stoppage of work. in d.c., we know things can get wonky so there is a debate on whether funding should continue so they can finish the medical center or whether they should stop, which would cost the government even more. there is a debate so -- host: where does the iava come down on that, do you think the money should keep coming? guest: we think the v.a. should get out of construction. the immediate problem, there is a deal that will cost less than the original proposal to finish

what has been constructed and preserve that so we can get care to folks in denver. that is the key issue. getting care and services to veterans. host: what is the originalhost: estimate of the hospital? guest: i do not have the specific numbers, but the cost overruns have doubled if not more. host: you were a insult into the department of veterans affairs before. what do people mean when they say the culture at v.a. is hard to change? guest: we talk about this a lot. the culture in any organization is difficult to change. specifically to the v.a., if you look at these scandals -- phoenix is a good example -- the issues our culture issues. secret wait lists is horrible. no one should be doing that. that is a culture issue. individuals writing e-mails about veterans and making jokes that is eight culture issue. we talk about systems

processes, and budgets, which are critical, but culture underpins it. we focus on that a lot because we think, most of the folks in the v.a. are good. we used to say and the army, you spent 90% of your time dealing with 10% of the bad apples. i think this is the situation. host: bill rausch, a former army major who served 17 months in iraq and was assigned to the information operations task force. he is our guest the next 35 minutes or so. we want to get as many of your calls as we can. he is the political director of the iraq and afghanistan veterans of america. how long have you been there? guest: a year. host: we want to take a calls now. a special line for veterans from the iraq and afghanistan wars. that number is (202) 748-8003. otherwise, lines as usual for democrats, republicans, and independents.

val is on the line for independents. good morning. caller: how are you doing. i know you were giving those statistics about homeless veterans, john. you said about 50,000 veterans were homeless. my brother was a homeless veteran. i am glad you guys are talking about these issues today. i do not know if your guest knows this or not, but for those homeless veterans, i think it is important that they stay connected with their families. even though some of them, maybe most, have sums -- have some form of mental illness. my brother, he was dead almost two years before we even found out. we found out because my sister has been doing in a logical work on intrastate.com -- ancestry.com. she found out by looking at

other family information that my brother had been deceased. he was dead a year and a half. a former vietnam veteran. what is so sad is over the years we have tried to keep in touch. he was getting government assistance but when you contact the government, they say we cannot give out that information. i am just wondering after he died, i had to go to california to take care of his is and is and things like that -- business and things like that. none of the family knew where he was, but the government knew. he was getting government assistance. they were paying for his medications. he was actually overmedicated. but they were the only one who knew where he was all the time. host: we want to let you respond. guest: first, i am sorry to hear of your loss. your example, unfortunately, is not unique.

in terms of homelessness, and issue the iava has been an front of for many years, one thing we know with the veteran experience is we are pretty good now at understanding the complexities of how homelessness interacts with substance abuse, mental health, and other issues. getting that individual shelter is step one. if we can get that individual off the streets into a home, that is very good and will help treat other issues. it also reminds us that, in terms of homelessness or any other issue, the v.a. is one component, but the community and the family should not be passed over as critical pieces. i was in alexandria, virginia, and we have a remarkable homeless shelter i volunteer out. having a community engaged in that effort, not just live the v.a. -- this applies to transitions in any other issue

-- is the approved solution. only having the government involved and not sharing that information, as you pointed out, is not a good solution. host: we go to jamie from illinois, waiting on the line for veterans from iraq and afghanistan. caller: i have a question about the v.a.. i have been going since i retired from the marine corps in 2007. i am a member of the iava. there are things that go on at the v.a. there are outrages. the new thing is that when you need care and get your travel pay, now they require you to open a bank account. and have that money forwarded after about five days. a lot of vets cannot even forward to travel to those appointments.

they need that money. i think it is horrible. they are waiting at the hospital for someone to pick them up or for a ride, things like that. as far as i go i have been waiting for years to receive viet cong. you go through one hurdle and another. it is a hard deal to -- four years to receive va comp. you go through one hurdle and another. it is a hard deal to do. when it comes to trying to get compensation from your injuries, it will not happen. a lot of veterans are fed up with it. change needs to happen. host: bill rausch. guest: first thanks for being a member. second, any issues that any of our members or anyone else has with the v.a., wait times, etc. -- we have a dynamic portal

called the weight we carry. you can go to the weight we carry.org and put your experience are there. we share that with the v.a.. bob mcdonald wants to engage us directly. as far as travel distance is concerned, this is one of the biggest challenges. this is such a big enterprise, that rural veterans have to travel long distances to get there. that is why we supported the choice act, which is about one year old. the president signed it last july. that is designed to help folks who have to travel more than 40 miles to review medical such facility or have to wait more than 30 days. the concept is, if you have to travel over the -- over 40 miles driving distance, you can go to a private provider downtown. that is another thing that i bring to your attention that may

be helpful. host: does the v.a. need more funding or as a matter of better managing? guest: it is an interesting question. historically, the v.a. has managed to a budget rather than the needs of veterans. you mention my private sector experience earlier. i crossed the spectrum and the private sector, but knowing your customer base and serving your customer, the veteran, should be the driving horse. that is a new ship the v.a. is deciding to do. that should drive the budget. who will receive care where, when do they want it, how will they receive it. we are supporting the full budget proposal of the v.a. has put forward, which is still shy of the independent budget that several others have put forward every year.

congress is offering them 1.6 billion dollars less than that. we oppose that cut. we support the full budget. we think this is an opportunity for seeing change at the v.a.. we need members like our caller to keep us informed so we can hold them accountable. host: tweets from viewers. george munro. how about we stop giving tax cuts to billionaires and multinational corporations and use that money for vets. monti writes reduce the retirement benefits of desk warriors and use the released funds to improve the lives and health of those injured in combat. guest: i do not get too involved with the tax code in the scope of my job. as it relates to all of the different options going on this weekend, here in a few hours, we will have our chief policy

officer lay a wreath on the tomb of the unknowns. i want to take a moment and say that at iava at 12:01 p.m., we will go silent. we will take a full 60 seconds and pay honor to those who have sacrificed. i know you talked the history of memorial day, but we want to take today and bring everyone from all services, both lines, every conflict. civilians especially. to bridge the divide. go silent at 12:01 p.m. take a minute. honor those who have paid the ultimate sacrifice. i will honor several friends former soldiers. sergeant first class daniel snyder who died in august of 2006. jimmy good bits. laura walker. many others. i want to take this opportunity to join us at 12:01 eastern

today. we will be in d.c., new york, online, taking a moment of silence. host: bob is waiting in pennsylvania, line for democrats. you are on the "washington journal" with bill rausch. caller: mr. rausch, if senator are presented of scum -- if senate presented its get sick, they have a doctor nearby that they go to. they closed up walter reed because of the poor conditions. the faster is the next closest hospital. if somebody in congress gets sick white -- why can't they go to bethesda. this way they can get a taste of what it is like. or if they are and their home state, go to their nearest veterans place in be taken care

of. take a -- get a taste of what it is like. it is simple. guest: i love the concept. i think it is a great idea. not only to receive care, but so they can see what veterans are experiencing. the v.a. clinic i went to when i came back from iraq was in ohio. my high school teacher said i had to get enrolled in the v.a.. i had to go through an army of smokers -- i may have been smoking one or two myself, but it was an older facility. i had a rough experience, but i also had positive experiences. having numbers of congresses -- the new walter reed is phenomenal. i have several friends up there. having members of congress experience what we experience is a brilliant idea.

i commend you for bringing that up. host: janice is in florida line four democrats. caller: good morning. c-span is a gift. jacksonville considers itself to be a military town. a few years ago, on "60 minutes" i heard a statistic about the number of suicides per day that was something like 20 something per day of our veterans. i heard that statistic two or three times in the media since then. we are a military town. when i bring that up occasionally, to people who says we have such a great military awareness here, no one ever realized -- was aware of it. i feel that if the media made the public really aware of that one statistic, it would open hearts, minds, and eyes to the

needs, the desperate needs, of the veterans. all of these needs. but that one statistic, i am shocked people are not aware of it. guest: i could not agree with you more. the number is 22 veterans who died by suicide every day. that is ava number. i am glad you talked about it. iava, we have been pushing that message. this past february, we passed the -- save act, a bill designed to address mental illnesses and the suicide epidemic. it was named after clay hines, a marine and iraq and afghanistan veteran. his family were able to come to a d.c. and watch the president signed that bill into law. that was an opportunity and continues to be one as we look forward to this coming congress

to have folks come together on the left and right. 22 a day -- one a day is too many. but it is also to take a step back. many of the callers and myself included have been personally touched by suicide among family and friends. this is an epidemic across the country. we need a broader conversation. there is a shortage of medical -- mental health practitioners. the save act tried to help by recruiting mental health practitioners, but in the country, we have a shortage. we would like to have a national call to action. this is an epidemic. the number is completely -- it is not appropriate. host: when do we know when the clay contact is working? guest: we have a meeting coming up with the person who is the lead on implement --

implementation of the save act. there are a couple things. right now, there is a five year window from when you come back from combat to enroll in the v.a. that is what i used to unroll when i came back in 2007. the save act opened a 12 month window for folks to and roll if they had not done already. that is working already. folks can an role if they are outside that five year window. as far as recruitment, we have to look over the three years of the bill to see how recruitment is working. was the monetary amount offered sufficient enough? it will take time, but we think the folks at the v.a. and congress are out to do the right thing, are implementing it appropriate, timely, and are receiving feedback. the concept, as with most things now, let's try and see if it works. if it does not go back to the drawing board, but we have to at least try.

this is an issue everyone can and should get behind. host: mike is waiting from florida. you're on with bill rausch. caller: good morning, how are you guys doing. i had a few comments about the v.a. itself. i am a marine veteran of vietnam, 20 plus months. it's fine and is a band-aid medicine. not looking for anything ever -- extra. i have been dealing with the v.a. and appeals for the last five years. this typical to deny and then go through. i think they are doing the right thing. i think of congress gives them the freehand to move money

around and do what they need to do they will make changes. the big problem will be the government union. nobody wants to take them on. that is why nothing is getting done. guest: first and foremost, thank you for your service and vietnam. i want to tease out the appeals process. we think that it is broken at the v.a.. most folks do as well. so the appeals process, i am not an attorney but as a veteran applies for a benefit if the v8 returns with a decision and the veteran doesn't agree with that decision you can appeal. there are cases that are decades old. you can constantly appeal and it

is so long that when you have a case and a medical exam that is required for a decision, that exam is three years old. you have to go and get another medical exam. it feeds the beast. this is what we are recommending. this is a bill that chairman miller is a cosponsor of which would streamline the process. it would be a step in the right direction. it beats the model of the fully developed claim. they say here is a complete package, process it. we will put it all together. we will say it is good to go and

it will help the process. it is not going to fix it all in one swoop but it will get us in the right direction. i was in a meeting this past week with union officials, and this is why bob the donald's -- mcdonnell's presence is refreshing. he has been more enclosing -- inclusive than anyone in government. with congress, he is constantly having members of congress. he is going over the hill. meeting with unions. i will give you a quick example. there are specific veterans who have e-mailed bob mcdonnell. we had a member in texas who had a problem because they moved locations from one part of the

country to another and were denied access. we paying bob mcdonnell. i agree with the collar that there honorable men and are doing the best they can. host: walter, good morning. caller: good morning to you. i am a faithful c-span listener and i understand these v.a. and military issues. if it wasn't for me being a supply manager specialist, i would be a homeless veteran. one of the key issues you have to understand is that there are good individuals and civil service. they are willing to work but because of all of this

bureaucracy -- i am a paralyzed veteran. i am in a wheelchair. if i was not a supply manager specialist i would be homeless right now. i put my faith in paralyzed veterans of america. it was disturbing what it took for me to get my services. i had to teach my 14-year-old son how to write a letter to get my case reviewed. at the same time i had faith in god. i used all my military experience and training and i got through the process. from this day forward, i worked very hard helping other victims

through this process especially because of all the problems they had at atlanta. getting their claims processed. one of the big problems i'm having right now is the fact if you look at what they have in place, years ago they wanted to provide a financial disclosure. it is going back to the same process. there are veterans who do not understand how to fill out forms. the biggest thing i want you all to understand, social security. if a veteran puts in for disability and is approved and forwards that information, they look at it like, that is a different process. host: there is a lot that you

bring up in the call. i want to give him a chance to respond. guest: they have an amazing organization and you mention your son helping you with a letter. this is a good time to remind everyone when an individual comes home -- i came home from 17 months in baghdad. i didn't have a plan. i skipped my transition brief, i just wanted to get out. i wanted to run from the military. i had an amazing experience but i was dealing with some issues through dramatic experiences and other challenges. i had removed myself from the governmental system and assess and had to lean on organizations like you mentioned. the american legion, and other groups that remind us that the v.a. is one component but it

takes everyone rolling together to address these issues. there are amazing support groups out there and providers that reach out to individuals and help challenges. when we think about these individuals it is important that we look at it holistically and we cannot simply give credit or place blame on just one group, it takes a community. host: bill rauch is here, on the special line for those who served, larry is on that line. good morning. caller: good morning to you and your guest. i would like to have a solution, a lot of veterans haven't turning to backlogs and cases. one thing that congress ought to

do is to mandate that money for these adjudicators and other folks in the regional office where they can go ahead and process mccain -- clay better. if you have more workers in that area were motivated to do the work you can get the job done you do people like mr. steve miller and workers don't want to work clock out and just leave and don't do their job then you will have backlogs. and i would like to bring up secretary brown who was on c-span with susan that day that i called in. he said he was a vietnam veteran and said when he came back home they tried to spit on him.

he said the vietnam veterans never had a parade but before he died they would have a wall. if it wasn't for tyson, ms. hope and secretary brown, and c-span this new war would never have happened. host: you may want to stick around for our next segment's morning. we are being joined by marvin kaub and his daughter. we will talk about more on the vietnam war in that segment. guest: i see your point in the upcoming segment, but in the earlier segment a colored mentioned the differences between the wars and conflicts but i know that sitting here as an iraq war veteran that the outpouring of support that i

received, including at the airport to everything from thank you's and handshakes and everything else, not only is it an amazing country but thanks to vietnam veterans and those before me who were trailblazers and came back under different circumstances. i want to recognize that and say thanks. host: i want to ask you about your fellow iraq war veterans. we're seeing a lot in the news about the fall of ramadi, a city that u.s. troops died to hold. what are they saying to you as we see these images of isis raising flags over a city where american lead was spilled? guest: most of us are saddened and some are angry or disappointed. i remind you that this isn't the first time this had happened. this happened in mosul.

when we left i rock, -- iraq, we were defeating. this applies to every generation. when you raise your hand and swear to defend the constitution , you go where you are told to go and you come home when you are told to go home. but it crystallizes a point that there are still men and women dying. we have lost service members this year. it is horrible to see what is happening and is disheartening but again it is a reminder that selfless sacrifice that our men and women have always been willing to make and continue to make because of duty, honor and country. host: how many servicemembers

have died? guest: nearly 6000 or 7000 today. host: talking about the human cost of war and battle death in american conflict going back to the civil war. including world war ii where 16 million servicemembers served. in the korean war nearly 6 million servicemembers and vietnam 8.7 million servicemembers there. desert shield as well with 2.3 million servicemembers in that operation. guest: i want to and at the numbers that are not included are the families.

that is something we have not touched on, but when you talk about the 22 veterans who died by suicide each day or those who give the ultimate sacrifice in iraq and afghanistan and other wars, the families left behind are still here and still pushing through. remember them and keep them in our thoughts. host: sacramento, california is next to the right waiting on the line for independent. caller: one thing i am concerned about the v.a. and i have been tracking these issues for 30 years. the difference now, when you go back to 2000 when all of those people got tired until they held that gs 15's accountable and fire them, mr. date got to

keep his retirement pay and just went on leave. they should charge them as criminals and put them in jail. this is unacceptable in this country. and how these veterans are treated in this country is a little bit sad. i made 19 ballistic patrols on the nuclear submarine and to put up this garbage in this country our congressman, a lot of them are spineless. host: lee roy, i want to give you your chance to respond. a few on our twitter page push this question and say why not push it straight to the president and those potential candidates running for office? guest: that is a great idea. we will be holding all of that

candidates accountable. it is too tough to hire and too tough to fire. going back to the culture these the folks that have done these things, if it were happening anywhere else i have fired people for much less. host: farmington, maine is up next. jamie is on that line. good morning. caller: a couple of comments i wanted to make. regarding iraq and what is going on there now frankly we expected that this was a potential outcome well before 2003. based on analyses done in the 1990's when we initially looked at going into iraq. you try to build up an iraqi

force and you basically split a country into two and ask one part to fight for you and the other part and's up being your enemy and that is what we have now. other regions being brought into it are foreign fighters. the other issue i called about i began to be treated for depression before i left for the military and the treatment itself caused a lot of problems for me. one of the biggest problems was the divide that exists between the marine corps and the navy personnel who were actually attempting to treat the condition. i honestly think to this day that i could have recovered while in the service. but my command made it so

difficult to remain that the navy ended up deciding to separate me. even in separations, the host: you want to give you a chance to respond. we should note that you are a former army major. you want to chat about his condition? guest: a lot of these issues we talk about programs and duty but on our site specifically the command team has a critical role in every aspect of that service experience with transition, mental health down the road. host: on his point about isis and what is happening there, you are a former inspiration -- information task member. you think the united states should have seen ice issis

coming? guest: there have certainly been ups and downs over the years but al qaeda and iraq did not exist and so we invaded iraq. a q i had support and they have rebranded themselves multiple times they had support by maliki and other government. that is all politics fit. again, as it relates to my service in the service of many others, we are going to take a moment today to go silent at 12:01 p.m. to member those who have fallen and to include those folks loved who have died. it is a powerful weekend. to think about what is happening in iraq and those who have come

before. all folks of all generations who have laid down their lives for this great country. host: and other caller from iraq veterans picked kevin is calling in from indiana. good morning. caller: a simple question. i was wondering what you thought about all the commercials about our military and what that does to the youth of america and how it portrays our military and how they see it on tv, but yet, how it really is over there. host: are you talking about the commercials that the department of defense actually puts on tv? caller: yes. i've seen a few like the media wants that say world's protector. the army once promise you get out of service. are they going to far? host: i will let bill raster

respond, but what do you think? caller: i think they are. what tobacco has a warning on it. -- like tobacco has a warning on it. they should let into-year-olds know that they might have somatic stress or these life term problems that do not go away. host: got a -- go ahead. guest: i can only speak from my military experience and i had a great experience for you and i know for me that joining the military was something that has been remarkable decision in my life you i don't come from military families. -- in my life. i do not come from a military family. for me, it was an amazing experience. and the values in my hometown in my home were further instill in the army.

that was leadership, personal service, integrity, courage. those things defined who i am and frankly wife veterans are great folks to higher. as far as commercials are concerned, people should watch c-span more often to get a better experience of what it was like. host: one question for you. we are one year past the 40th anniversary of the fall of saigon. what has america went from its treatment of vietnam veterans? guest: i think what america has learned from that treatment is that you can separate the war from the warrior. i know many folks who opposed the war in iraq and afghanistan who welcome me home with open arms and love me and hugged me and thanked me for my service while simultaneously not supporting the war. i just want to mention that i think the vietnam veterans especially is the direct reasons

for my experience now. i have friends from my hometown like bill young, who son i went to high school with, who told me about how he was treated. their activity and their presence and leadership in the country -- bob wallace is a good example. they have been trailblazers to make sure that will never happen again. they have a critical and i want to thank all vietnam veterans and all veterans especially. the vietnam generation has made it possible for me to come home and my transition has been great as a result. host: it is i.org if you want to check it out online. i appreciate your time on this memorial day. up next with the recent 40th anniversary of the fall of saigon, we will talk about the legacy of the vietnam war with marvin and deborah kalb. we will open up our phones

for who you are remembering on this memorial day. we will be right back. ♪ >> the summer, book tv will cover book festivals from around the country and top nonfiction authors and books. this weekend, we alive at book expo america in new york city as the book industry showcases their upcoming books. at the beginning of june, we alive from the chicago tribune

printers row lit fest with cool it's a prize-winning author lawrence wright. watch out for the roosevelt reading festival. in the middle of july, we alive from the harlem book fair with alternative this -- author interviews. at the beginning of september, we alive from the nation's capital for the national book festival, celebrating its 15th year. those are some of the events of summer book festivals celebrating this year on book tv. >> tonight on "the communicators," tj kennedy on the creation of one nationwide broadband emergency communications network for first responders. >> first met would be able to provide a data and broadband network for first responders. police officer's, firefighters, emergency medical technician who are responding to that incident and are on the scene of that

incident in the future when the network is up and running would have the ability to have video of things from the scene sent to incoming responders and to have pictures from the scene. to be able to have important situational data on where everybody is on that particular scene. today, not everybody would have the ability to see where the other ambulances are staged to come in and pick up additional patients. in a mass casualty situation you would be able to leverage a triage. today, there's technology like fit bits in different wearable technology that you see in the fitness world. what is that was done for emergency medical services or they could actually plays that on a patient and get vital signs as an example? not necessarily with devices today, but think of the innovation that can happen. you think where the patients are and you will track their vital signs and send them to hospitals and track them there. you hand them off and there's continuity of care. that would change in a rapid fashion. >> tonight at 8:00 eastern on

"the communicators" on c-span2. announcer: "washington journal" continues. host: you are looking at a live shot of arlington national cemetery at the tomb of the unknowns where the ceremony will begin theirre. starting at 10:30 a.m., you can watch that live on c-span. in the meantime, we are joined by marvin and deborah kalb. they are authors of "haunting legacy: vietnam and the american presidency from four to obama." about a month removed from the 40th anniversary of the fall of saigon, professor cobkalb, how is that anniversary remembered in the united states? guest: i think it was richard nixon who says it was the most misremembered war in american history. on the president's mind at that time was that this was the first

war that the united states lost. it is great history. the united states of america fought many many times. but only once have we without doubt lost a war. and so it leaves a huge impact upon the american people on the u.s. government, of presidents who have to send troops off to fight in other wars. so when the president finds time and time again, is this the right thing to do or are we getting into another vietnam? another vietnam means another quagmire, another mess that we are not going to be able to get out of. when we think about world war ii, for example, it was in so many ways a horrible war, but the president of the united states said unconditional surrender. and the enemy did just that. but in the vietnam war, what lyndon johnson called a raggedy

ass little forthright country beat the united states. now how could that possibly be? that is what we had in mind with the legacy. how does that happen and what does that have on other presidents? host: you write in the book that vietnam seem to have a seat in the oval office, playing a critical role in many presidential decisions. the loss of vietnam has profoundly changed how president decide questions of war and peace and how to interact with congress, the public, and the world. deborah kalb, how are you seeing that lazily playing right now and the decisions -- that legacy playing right now in the decisions in the battle against iraq and isis? guest: i think that vietnam has always been on the minds of each president and president obama is no exception, although he is really the first president who

is only a child during the war and what it ended also. he tried to make a point that he was not a part of that generation of the 1960's. he was the new generation when he was running in 2008. and yet those issues still follow him. with any president, they are really looking at the issues of sending troops into battle. in the case of iraq, iraq has become what was referred to in article recently that actually said "the republicans vietnam." for republican candidates now they are all dealing with that. george w. bush was the president who sent the troops into iraq in the first place. obama is the one who then took it over and managed it. it is still an issue for this new campaign that is starting up now for the presidential race of 2016. you have presidential candidates all trying to position themselves.

jeb bush, in particular, the brother of george w. bush, is having to decide whether to distance himself or how much to distance himself and having trouble figuring out what he should really be saying about that he says he does not want to really be disloyal to his brother, yet he does not want to be saddled with all that. it continues to be an issue because the iraq war is supposedly ended but there is still issues going on there. it is creating its own legacy at this point that may end up similar to the vietnam war. host: it reminds me in your book that in vietnam it was over who lost china. there was an article out earlier this week on who lost iraq being the headline of that piece. guest: speaking of debbie's point, every president enters office with the weight of history. now that history could be positive or could be negative.

if you are thinking about sending troops to fight and you are at president, you have to be thinking about vietnam. it hangs over and haunts literally every white house. every white house has to have in mind if we send troops, is is going to be another vietnam? can we count on a victory or are we going to end up with another defeat? if it is a defeat, politically that is death. you are going to lose. it is very interesting. in the book, we point out time and again that if you are running for presidency and you are actually in vietnam and excellence served there, you're going to lose. if you had nothing to do with vietnam, you end up winning. that is a remarkable thing. up to that point, every american president who would win would always have behind him the

feeling that if i was in the service, i did a good thing i protect my country, the american people are going to reward me and hold the mentally -- ultimately reelect me. but if you walk around with the legacy of vietnam that hangs like a heavy coat, it doesn't get you votes. host: in the segment, our lines are different. we have a special line for vietnam veterans. it is to a 2-748-8003. --202-748-8003. otherwise, it is our standard lines for democrats republicans, and independents. deborah kalb, how why does defeat linger so much longer than victory? why do prisons look -- presidents look at world war ii and see that we can do this? why does defeat linger so much

longer? guest: i think the other wars linger as well, but in a different way though. the legacy of world war ii continues. people refer to the victory as world war ii and still different it is still something the country looks to fit the greatest generation looks back to that generation as something that we put up on a pedestal almost as something to look back on and really revere. host: but the decision-making in the of awful -- oval office? guest: with the anonguest: with vietnam and the first the feet, the country was not seen on par with our country as terms of a global power. when you think about the impact that the terms of foreign-policy decision-making and the politics of it, as my father mentioned, it was something that tended to

be viewed as a negative in every possible way. it was not seen as a political winning situation. it was not seen as something to emulate. it was seen as something to avoid. the subsequent presidents look that it and said, ok, we do not want to do that. you see images of lyndon johnson poring over a table and looking at possible places to bob. his involvement was to that extent of choosing the targets. i think other presidents after that do not want to be seen that way. we do not want to be viewed as that. johnson ended up not running for office again in large part because of the way things were going and the adopted i think that was something they wanted to avoid. host: you mentioned images that linger. tonight on american history tv we will be showing the abc news special report from may 26 1975. abc news was reporting on events that had taken place in the weeks following the fall of saigon. here is a short clip from that

reported. [video clip] >> we delayed the start of "the tonight show starring johnny carson" to bring you the following nbc news special report. >> at 12:00 noon on april 30, a north vietnamese tank brought down the palace of saigon. the communist soldier ran the enemy flag across the lot. to this day, the communist one. it is not a celebration. saigon had argue surrendered. -- already surrendered. [gunfire] host: professor kalb, how long are those images going to linger? guest: so long as we have a great country, we are to think

all the time about this moments when we weren't great and will ask questions about why. why did we lose this war? there is a segment in here where ronald reagan is asked a question by a wonderful reporter. he says no more vietnam's. she is asking, what you mean by that? what do you mean by that? he says, i was the one who never believed that we should of gone in. this is reagan saying this. i have always believed that if you do not get involved in a land war in asia -- that was the feeling that everybody had before we went into vietnam. don't get involved in a land war in asia. and reagan says, but the troops were sent in. once they were set in, you have to make a commitment to the men that you are asking to fight that you are giving them every resource to win this thing and

to then get home as soon as possible. in other words, reagan was saying something that is now at the heart of the american dilemma with respect to iraq and afghanistan. if you go into a war, go into the war to win it. do not assume that war is a plaything. that you can get in and apple and put 2000 here and 3000 there. that gave birth to the colon powell doctrine. if you're going to go to war, go in big-time and win it. otherwise do not go in at all. that is what is on the president's mind right now. do you send in 3000 troops to iraq? 20,000? will that do it? do you need another hundred thousand? if you get in there, when you get sucked into another vietnam? i think these are fundamental questions that for every president as long as we are

around will have to face. host: we have a caller waiting in ohio on a line for independents. caller: i'm a vietnam veteran. i see disenchantment with these guys from iraq and afghanistan. it is sort of similar to what we had. my question is this and i find it very troubling. i cannot get an answer. they always say to ask your representative and get a hold of this person or that person. from the american legion that i'm america, i cannot get -- i'm a member of, i cannot get an answer. it is fair troubling. it brings back a lot of old feelings that i get in a lot of veterans have to. on the homeland security bill, one of those two, i looked on the internet that there are certain categories of individuals that are possibly

categorized as possible domestic terrorist. in general, the word veterans of peers. you hear thank you for your service from the president all the way down to the common everyday citizen. i find this very troubling. i try to live my life and obey the law and struggle through what struggles i have and will never leave. but i have to learn and have learned to deal with these everyday things. can you give me an answer as to why veterans were put on that list? host: marvin or deborah kalb, do you know the list that he is referring to? guest: i do not. i'm sorry. i would imagine and i'm guessing that veterans are put on the list now for the very reason that you have veterans honored at baseball games. since the vietnam war, at the time of the vietnam war, and immediately thereafter veterans were largely ignored. it was a horrible moment in the life of any soldier who lays

down his life who comes home and the people really ignore him. since 9/11, it has been the other side. it has flipped way over. and now people are saying thank you, sir, as the caller said. hank you for your service. and veterans wonder, is this true? do they really mean it? is this a routine kind of thing? i'm not a veteran of the vietnam war. i covered it. i'm not a veteran of the war. at that particular time, i can imagine the soldiers coming back men who had -- then who had gone through a horrible experience, finding the american people disconnected, not really interested and in any way so pathetic. -- sympathetic. this is a very major issue right now. .6% of the american people are in the service. 99.4% are not.

they go about their lives. but their lives depend on the work of that .6%. they make it possible for us to have the liberty that we have and enjoy. and if they feel that they are being ignored certainly would be the last one in the world to say that i don't understand that. host: if you recognize that voice that you are hearing. martinvin, had a 30 year career working for nbc news. never cop working for the good that new service that could -- marvin kalb had a 30 year career working for nbc news. never cop work for the good that new service. peter on the line for democrats and a in new jersey. caller: i remembered you and i respect you and your brother. i want to say something.

you are the only one who has touched on this. i got out of the service at that time and a couple years later i believe -- richard nixon came on the air, on television, and said , this is the whole point. he said, i will not preside over a defeat. i knew at that second that he took this personal, like he was to blame. for years after, that war went on and people died for nothing because he took it personal. now comes along george w. bush. he took it -- saddam personal. he was going to kill his father and he went to war because he took it personal. i think this is disgusting that these people -- what you goes that have or whatever. they get us into these wars.

and that's an important point that he said he would not preside over the defeat. that went on for years for no reason. guest: the interesting point that is being raised here -- nations go to war largely because they have interests that have to be protected. it isn't a matter of a president not liking another president. for example, right now president obama is known not to like president putin. but that is not the reason that you have an argument with russia. because two men who are temporally and office have an argument. united states of america is going to be there a lot longer than obama. what this color is raising is a fundamentally -- caller is raising is a fundamentally important point. the individual approach to war if you are president.

and the president understanding the interest of the united states with respect to the war. satisfying those interests in a way that leads to victory. that is what, i think, most presidents would like to have, if they can pull it off. host: deborah kalb, a question for you yet twitter. this is vietnam -- who says vietnam was a loss? doesn't that depend on how you define victory? guest: this often comes up for people who served in vietnam not always, but often it does. i think it is a valid question. it depends on what you define victory. i think people can argue that the reason the war cannot continue was because congress pulled the funding. we could've have one had a continued. it is hard to know what would've happened if the funding had continued.

i think that we are saying in the book that it was like a defeat. at was -- that was how was perceived. that was how the president subsequently proceeded. as a result, i think that i see the caller's point. people to find out that way. i respect the position of people who would say that i do not define it that way. but i think in the book we are. host: let us bring in some vietnam veterans. we have special lines for them. charles is a vietnam veteran from louisiana. good morning. you're on with marvin and deborah kalb. caller: good morning and thank you for taking my call. i served in vietnam from 1971-1972. i retired after 40 years and nine months of service in the united states army. i was in vietnam for 19.

for my 30th birthday, i was shipped to the persian gulf. for my 50th birthday, i was a volunteer of operation iraqi freedom. mr. kalb, i take issue with your statement and others who say that we lost vietnam. that's what you are alluding to just a few minutes ago on how you are defining loss. as an american soldier, we won every major engagement against the vietcong. the political will as you alluded to earlier cost tremendous backlash at home and to the soldiers. we are warriors. our job is to put such overwhelming force on the enemy that his friends and his friends friends would think twice about attacking united states and its allies. when we were not allowed to bomb the harbor in those places that were unrestricted, we give them

years to build up. when they overran the south vietnamese troops -- because i was there, we trained the south vietnamese troops. once they saw a helicopter come, we were down in the vietcong delta to join from march to south. the ho chi minh trail in both water and land. as a vietnam veteran, i would gladly do it all over again because we went there with honor to support to hold on the communist aggression and a nation that wanted to experience democratic freedom. host: thank you for the call. marvin kalb. guest: i think it is a tricky question. -- a terrific question. we live in a country where the military does the work, but the decisions are made at the white

house, and by civilians. that is simply the structure. it has been that way from the very beginning. i think what the german is saying -- gentleman is saying is that if let loose, the u.s. military could have won the war. absolutely, and i totally agree. at the time, it was the decision of both democratic presidents like lyndon johnson and republican presidents like richard nixon and gerald ford that our national interests were not being served by continuation of that war. could we have unleashed more bombing of north vietnam? absolutely. what the more bombing have resulted in an american victory? that is the big question. when richard nixon unleashed ferocious bombing of north vietnam in december 1972, it

did lead to the paris peace accords of january 1973. however, we could have had those results that we got in january one .5 years before, if the president had decided to accept those terms. the people who go out to fight have every reason to object that the decision coming down -- but they know that they salute and they do the job. they were not allowed to do the job as they saw it. at the same time, the president was deciding on a different course. we do follow the president. host: let's go back to that line for vietnam veterans, james is waiting in michigan. good morning. caller: good morning. marvin kalb, an honor to speak

to you. i'm all enough to remember when you were in active reporter. i retired from the air force in 1994. there is so much controversy for medical care for veterans. i'm wondering if you are willing to throw your weight into an idea that i have, which is when people and list or get commission and the military, why not give them try care? i have had that since i retired. when active duty is deployed they are cared for by the military, as far as their medical care. when they are home, why not put them in try care? that money would come out of the v.a. perhaps, the v.a. could be scaled down or eliminated. is that process or something you would be willing to investigate? guest: i tell you, i would be

willing to investigate it. you know, i used to be a journalist but i am not any longer. it is not for me to go into that as a reporter. if i understand the point that was being raise, would a soldier, having finished his service or her service, on that soldier not be in a position to receive full medical care? is that the full point? if that is the major point, i was under the impression that they are able to get full medical care now. if i am mistaken on that, please correct me. my sense is that you are able to do that. i think you're raising a more complicated question which i'm not grasping. host: deborah kalb, do you want to talk about how vietnam has influenced the spending decisions when it comes to the v.a.? especially in a time of budget cuts and sequestration now. guest: i think in this

particular time, i do not know the vietnam is the primary concern when it comes to the budget of the v.a. with sequestration. i think those concerns came out of more recent issues that came up, coming out of the past 10 years or so with economic troubles, and different partisan issues going on in congress today. i do not know the vietnam is directly a part of those decisions. i think in terms of how veterans are treated in general, which is something we are all thinking about on memorial day, you can look back and see a shift in terms of the attention paid to them, as my father was talking about earlier. when veterans came back from vietnam, they were not treated very well at all. you do see a shift since

september 11 especially. you think of the veterans coming back today. all of the attention paid in various ways, and yet, you still have a lot of issues going on with the v.a. and how they are treated. i do not know that the funding decisions now are tied to much to the legacy of vietnam. host: let's head to california where steve is waiting on the line for independent spirit good morning. caller: good morning. i'm very happy to speak with you this morning. my question -- i have memories of the vietnam war from my preschool days until it ended. i was unable to be enlisted at the time. what about the ability of the u.n., even now, in the present days on the president's

enactment of using such a body to enable peace? and to avoid conflicts that are not reported well. as i remember of my military service. that is my question. guest: it is a wonderful question. i wish it were asked time and time again. the relationship that everything we go through in the nation these days relates to, on one side the grit of conflict, and on the other side, the feeling that we ought to spend more time and effort in pursuit of a peaceful resolution of the problem, rather than immediately retreat into a feeling that since we are the strongest nation on earth with our weapons, we will be able to get our way. this gets back to -- for me

this is the central heart of the book and our problems -- it does not work that way. it's and we have not been proven to work that way. you can be the strongest nation on earth, and still not get your way. one of the things that infuriated lyndon johnson about vietnam, and i mentioned this before -- he would refer to what was a raggedy ass fourth rate country. we talked about the vietnamese as these little people in black pajamas. in other words, we did not have any respect for them, and not respect the power of nationalism as a driving force in vietnam. we have to understand that now as a driving force in other parts of the world as well. we cannot continue to think through a narrow u.s. perspective. we entered the vietnam war -- we know that now -- largely in

ignorance of what was going on. host: has the united states underestimated religious extremism? islamic extremism, in particular. guest: absolutely. we are trying to catch up with that ignorance too. the way that we catch up -- again, i have a feeling, i do not have know enough about this but i have a feeling that we lean on the military to cobbler something that cannot be achieved with a gun. i do not know, by the way. i do not want people to think that i have an answer. i don't. i do know that the problem is out there, and it has to be addressed in a very serious way. are we addressing it congress? are we addressing of their? i do not think so. i do not hear any of these long deliberations, such as we had -- i remember 1966, senator fulbright had hearings about

china, about vietnam. he tried to have, with legislative seminars, and introduction course to the american people on these countries. we did not know that much. what do we know today truly about iraq? about syria? about afghanistan? about you ran? -- about iran? we know what we hear on the radio and see on the television. do we read books or listen to people who really do know? host: do you think the members of congress have to come in with opinions already formed. that there is no time for them given to learn about these topics, or change their opinion on a topic, if they do learn something. guest: not to me. i is the home run question. the answer to me is that they do not come in with deep knowledge of a subject. they come in with politically acceptable slogans.

right now, for example, i read a story yesterday that many republicans running for the presidency right now are being pushed in the primary season toward a more extremist view that many of them do not have. they feel they have to adopt it. -- adopt, raapt, rather. what i'm trying to explain is whether it is democrat or republican, we live in extremely public a world, and we have to give ourselves more time to understand things, rather than just deal with slogans. host: the book is "haunting legacy, vietnam and the american presidency from ford to obama." we are with the co-authors of that book, marvin and deborah kalb. henry is waiting in virginia. good morning. caller: good morning.

i was in vietnam in 1969 and 1970. when i had issues with ptsd, i was really messed up on the first combat but it was no such thing to the v.a. -- they kicked it to the curb. i also had issues with brushes skin rashes. they did not do anything. now, they do give you a little benefit. my issue is that back then, when we first came back from be a non-, after being shot at and watching all this murder and stuff in vietnam, there was no treatment for us. i think they think that us

vietnam veterans are old now and they want us to go off somewhere and die. host: do you want to jump in? guest: the caller raises an excellent point. i think that ptsd is something that has become more widely understood in recent years unfortunately, during the time that the caller and others were coming back from vietnam, it was not understood and treated. today, i think there's a lot more understanding of it and what it can do to people, and the treatment that people need. people who serve in the military, and deal with other conditions ray survivors, and others, also suffer from ptsd. today, there are a lot more services for people. at that point, 40 has a 45 years

ago, there was not the understanding. host: let's stay on the line for vietnam veterans. joe is waiting in your. good morning to you. caller: good morning. i cannot understand how you can win a war. you know, our friends go -- our troops go over there, and it is like racism. america's number one, korea is number two. you know. vietnamese are number three. american blacks, number six. north vietnamese, number 10. vviet cong, number 10. the war in iraq is a sham. you know. host: help me out with a question. caller: you know -- our troops

are not trained properly. you know. when they go to war its -- you cannot win a war without winning the people over. how do we do that properly? guest: i think that is a terrific question again. winning over the people is an issue that has been with us -- i remember from the oldest time in the cold war when there was a contest between the united states and the soviet union. how are we going to win over the people of vietnam. the whole idea was that we would win their minds, and thereby their allegiance, and they would therefore be with the united states and not go communist. we have thoroughly tried that in many different countries. i think that joe has a point here. it is not simply going in to win a war. it is going in, in some way or another, to achieve an end

result that is satisfactory to the interest of the united states. that is why you go to war. to think that you go to war without any knowledge of a country, or what is that drives these people, is very full hearty, and we could end up losing other woars as well if we do not use our brains here. host: another passage from the book. in afghanistan, are we still at that point? guest: this president has tried to get out of afghanistan. what he has found is that you can desire from a political view in the united states that is the best course for the united

states to get out of there, but, you get out, and you leave behind an enemy -- the taliban -- which is still there, still seeking somehow or another to overthrow the existing government to set up its own form of an islamic state. you know, i think about this, and i feel sorry for the president. these issues are monumental, and complicated. there is no easy thing. if the president of the united states today word to say to the american people -- get on camera, and say ims sending 250,000 american troops to afghanistan because we have had enough of the taliban, and we will wipe them out. what with the american people say? i have a feeling they would save no, they have had enough. likewise, if you were to say, we

will send 250,000 troops to iraq. we couldn't do it once before, let's see if we can do it now. as we go into another presidential campaign, the politics of the nation will drive everybody on both sides to say, wow, terrific idea. it is not different idea. you have to think through these things. i keep going back -- forgive me -- the legacy of vietnam hangs over every presidential decision about going in or staying out. host: sharif is waiting in michigan. line for democrats. good morning. caller: good morning. i have two questions. one. would we have won world war ii without the use of the atom bomb? number two before the

governments getting involved in afghanistan -- host: help me out with the second question. caller: do the vietnam ghosts adequately harm our government before deciding to get involved in afghanistan and iraq? guest: i will start with the second question. it is a very thoughtful question. it is something that i think a lot of people have giving consideration to. in the book, we do talk about that. george w. bush came in sort of wanting to do things differently from the way bill clinton had done them. bill clinton had been very cautious about boots on the ground. he had not wanted to do that. air war was ok, but not ground troops. he did ir1 kosovo, but not putting ground troops and in. then of course, september 11 happened.

i think the combination of wanting to do things differently, and the fact that the u.s. had been attacked, and the attack had come from a base in afghanistan, that played a big role. if you think about iraq, you could see possibly that he was trying to continue something that his father had started with the gop gopher with iraq. -- with the gulf war with iraq. i think ghost were haunting the -- ghosts were haunting the bush presidency, but maybe in a different way. bush headed to respond in a more muscular way to get in there and show the world what america was all about. maybe i will let you answer the first question. guest: i think world war ii was going in such a way that the

u.s. victory was inevitable. the use of the atomic bomb shorten the war and made it directly obvious to the japanese that the war cannot continue and they would not win. sensible heads looking at the devastation of hiroshima and not as agasaki said, let's get out. host: that comes up in your book, about pakistan and reactions from russia to vietnam. what russia was doing in afghanistan in 1980. guest: it is very interesting. for several years, we have not heard about uses of atomic power. president putin of russia has said in the last six-eight months, has started to talk about a funny way of the use of

atomic power, as if he is threatening the rest of the world -- not necessarily with the use of atomic power, but with the statement because russia does have tremendous atomic power. host: sort of a reminder. guest: a reminder, and also building up his ego. however, the minute that you begin to talk about atomic power, you are one step in the direction of using it. it is terrifying. i think that a number of people today applaud the president's effort to try to get iran not to have a nuclear bomb. there is a lot of argument about that, and very good argument but there is a large issue that sits above it all. if iiran were to get a

weapon, almost certainly, saudi arabia would follow very quickly, and then all of the middle east would suddenly be atomized. that is not good. we have to find a way around it and out of it. host: frank has been waiting in norman, oklahoma. good morning. caller: thank you. just a quick comment. i'm a retired air force veteran, retired in 2005. growing up with my dad, he is a vietnam veteran who served to towards -- two tours in vietnam. he always told me, never to touch him and wake him up. i always had to call his name. he always told me, not to touch him. he never talked much about his experiences, but one day out of the blue, he talked about his experience and about what

happened to him during his time there. he always kept himself quiet and one day let it out. i was wondering if the author has any comments on the life experiences of those who have served. on the colin powell doctrine, he has used the vietnam legacy as a basic ideology for not going into the war, but go again with all forces necessary to win the war. if that wasn't the case, then i think bush gave him the authorization to do that. i think we were successful with the overwhelming force, but that is a particular strategy that has not been used in subsequent encounters with afghanistan, is or isis. i was wondering, if we used that kind of approach that we used in world war ii, could we win the

war because of the media coverage? host: i want to give our panel a chance to take it out. deborah kalb? guest: that is a very important question. the powell doctrine was definitely a result of the war. colin powell served two wars -- two tours in vietnam. george w. bush authorized that and said, fine, we will give you what you need to get it done. we talk a lot in the book about how that was a successful use of u.s. military power, and it accomplish what it was supposed to call bush -- supposed to college. the other aspect of the powell doctrine was an exit strategy which they had. they administration, the bush

and mr. asian, decided no, we will end it -- the bush administration, decided no, we will end it. it led to part two with george w. bush. we write in the book that it was successful and the right decision for them. host: marvin kalb just one or two minutes left, by what you to address the immediate question about the caller brings up. if there was a war like world war ii, with the media and the public allow a war to be prosecuted like world war ii was with overwhelming force. guest: i would like to answer that with a 50 minute lecture, by note we did not have the time. we live now in a totally different environment. there has been a revolution of

communications. the way that we communicate with one another is radically different from the way we communicated during world war ii. during world war ii, the press was on board. the press follow the line of the government because it more or less agreed with the government. we needed to knock off the nazis and finish the japanese imperialism. the press is not an adventurous s organization. it does not seek to not be consistent more or less with what the american people want. at this point, we are in a time where, frankly, i do not even understand what changes are taking place. they are all over, it is the internet world, and it is all different. host: marvin deborah kalb co-authors of the book,

"haunting legacy: vietnam and the american presidency from ford to obama." we will be right back to open the phones up. we are asking who are you remembering on this memorial day? you can start calling it now. we will be right back. >> the new congressional directory is a handy guide to the 114 congress, with color photos of every senate and house member plus bio and contact information. also, district maps, a fold up map of capitol hill, and a look at congressional committees, the present cabinet, and state governors. order your copy today. it is $13.95 through the c-span

store. >> this summer, booktv will cover book festivals from around the country. those are a few of the events this summer on c-span 2's booktv. >> "washington journal" continues. host: you're looking live shot

of the tomb of the unknown at the arlington national cemetery. the events taking place there starting at 11:00 a.m. you can see it live on c-span. president obama will be there. again, 11:00 is the start time if you want to watch that. in the meantime, half an hour left on "washington journal." we are asking our viewers, who are you remembering on this memorial day. democrats, (202) 748-8000. republicans, (202) 748-8001. independents, (202) 745-8002. the phone lines are open now as we show you some headlines from this memorial day 2015. here is " the miami herald," with a picture from the cemetery. from "houston chronicle," a

story on helping veterans get work. the front page of "the boston globe," simply taking a moment to reflect. one more page for you. "the chicago tribune," simply, in remembrance. we are asking, who are you remembering on this memorial day? we will start with dan calling from new jersey, line for republicans. good morning. caller: i am remembering richard nixon. let me set up the scene for you. the ho chi minh trail involves all of these supplies from the north vietnamese coming to the south vietnamese jungle. south vietnam was defenseless

against the supply line on the ho chi minh trail. every bullet came from russia. it was a 30 mile train trip to hanoi. we had no way of knowing where the supplies for. president johnson had set up a situation so that we would never hit the harbor. our men were used as bait. 70% of all men in vietnam, the soldiers were used as bait. host: that with dan, remembering the vietnam war. we are asking you who you are remembering. we will go to thad, waiting

in colorado. caller: good morning. host: go ahead. caller: i am remembering my dad he is a vietnam vet, a sergeant in the army, attached to several different regiments of units. he did not talk about it a whole lot. he talked about it a little bit to me. i am remembering my dad. he passed away in 2006. he had come down with a pancreatic tumor. the v.a. with its infinite wisdom decided to treat him for diabetes and outlook for anything else. thank you, v.a., for killing my dad. host: james is up next from fort washington line four democrats. caller: good morning. i'm remembering my friend from memphis, tennessee.

he was in the country about 16 days before he got killed. the other person that i'm remembering is martin luther king, who was killed while i was in vietnam. after that, the war for me, and a lot of black soldiers, was never the same. well, i will just let it go at that. let me say this. i was stationed here in washington, d.c. -- at fort myer virginia -- and even before it went to vietnam, i would have to go to the arlington cemetery. i was aware of how many funerals that they were having the after day. you know, how may people were getting killed. in addition to that, i worked in the branch of the army were all the death reports came back. i knew that a lot of guys were

getting killed in vietnam. it was so bad that they stopped putting the numbers, and put light, moderate, and heavy rather than tell you the amount of people that died any particular day. let me get off because i would like other people to call in. thank you. host: we appreciate the call this morning. we are asking in this last segment, who are you remembering on this memorial day? our folder open -- phones are open. certainly, members of congress remembering memorial day. the house republican weekly talked about how honoring the troops and some debates in washington having to deal with veterans. here is chairman max on worry -- mac thornberry of texas in this

weekly republican address. [video clip] >> the world today is full of tor turmoil. isis poses a great and direct threat to our security and our way of life. no one knows how to solve the problems of the world, but one thing we do know for sure -- the world is a safer, better place when the united states is militarily strong. a week in america invites greater danger. the constitution and dow's congress with specific responsibilities to help provide for the common defense. for 53 straight years, congress is a both parties have passed and presence of both parties have signed into law a defense authorization act which helps to build the military strength that we need. the house passed this year's bill last week.

it gives the fighters a raise and make sure that we get the best benefit for the taxpayers dollars. the senate will review its bill next week. the president has threatened to veto the defense bill. look, we will always have are differences, but it is wrong for anyone to play politics with defense. the world is too dangerous, and the men and women who serve are too precious for that. host: that was a bit from the weekly republican address. it is memorial day here in washington. we are showing you images from around washington, d.c. this is of course from just across the river at arlington cemetery. you can see the tomb of the unknown ceremony.

you can watch that life on c-span at 11:00. we are asking our viewers, who are you remembering on this memorial day. joseph is in santa barbara california. caller: good morning. i like to thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to speak briefly. i would like to say mr. mcdonald and his staff -- i have had some problems with exposure to jp five, and i'm a two-time cancer survivor. since i picked up the phone and spoke to him, they have been on top of it. they called bonnie pearson at was los angeles hospital, and she needed me the -- she immediately called me and said if you need anything, please call. my experiences at this at barbara patient clinic have been

beautiful. i asked the doctor about my exposure to what i'm going through right now. i get boils off and on in my skin. they say it is my hygiene. host: the v.a. gets a bad rap in all these debates we are having. we're coming up on the one-year anniversary of the resignation of the former secretary. caller: mr. mcdonald, i salute him. i hope to be able to shake his hand one of these days. host: frank is up next and mchenry, illinois, line for republicans. caller: good morning. thank you for taking my call. i would just like to say that i'm watching a program and i see the vietnam plaque. i hate war. i served my time. two wars and peaceful time.

the bad thing about war is usually 19-26-year-old people are killed. men and women who have not had a chance to enjoy their full life. if i were president of the united states, i would say look, all you clowns overseas, we going home. if you mess with us, we will clear everything. host: sheila, who are you remembering this memorial day? caller: i would like to say that i am remembering my father. he was a korean and vietnam war veteran. and my brother, who died in 1977 on base in senatorial, texas. he was involved in a tank explosion. we did not find out how he died until dateline came on television, and that was their

first story. the fuel that they were using for the tanks was exploding. dateline sue the government to get them to stop using that. i would like to remember my nephew. he just died. and december. my nephew. my sister and her husband -- they were stationed on a military base. we found out after my nephew got diagnosed with cancer that the military base was infused with cancerous water. everybody was walking out of there with cancer. another nephew was born with a a problem for it. i do not understand this. i'm very angry. host: on our twitter feed, gerry

wrightson, i am remembering my dad, born in illinois farmland joint army at 17, fun germany and later in korea. you're asking who you remember on this memorial day. i want to show the front page cover story of the "christian science monitor," the ultimate glass ceiling. the first women who train are finding acceptance. that is in this week's "christian science monitor" if you want to read it. ingrid is in kentucky. caller: thank you. i appreciate that i would be asked -- to have the privileges to say what i will tell you now. my husband was a vietnam veteran.

as of today, they are still stealing my dic. all the problems created in counties and may municipalities. washington, d.c. never forgot my husband. the even put him in 1969-1970 -- you would not believe this. this will probably be a national thing. i kept undercover -- it undercover. i once the sewer rats, the ones who are doing this, against veterans. it is not always coming from d.c. very seldomly. "the washington post" has everything. then, the cooking begins. host: ingrid in elizabethtown.

this morning, we are asking our viewers the last 15 minutes, who are you remembering on this memorial day. we want to hear your thoughts. also, some news coming out of washington, where we are showing you images of various memorials throughout the city. a bomb squad safely destroyed a pres pressure cooker left sunday afternoon on the national mall. the vehicle's owner was located and arrested by capitol police. this is an ap story that was out early this morning. police lieutenant schneider told the associated press the capitol police officers spotted the unoccupied vehicle around 5:00 p.m. on sunday. further investigation revealed that a pressure cooker and in o and owner of gasoline was coming from the car. the bomb squad was called in. that is from the associated

press. that is a shot of the arlington national ceremony, -- national cemetery, the tomb of the unknown. let's go to peggy, waiting in florida, line for democrats. good morning. caller: thank you. good morning. i'm very glad that you are having the show. i want to honor my brother herman jones, who was in the vietnam war, and also might goals who were in the korean war . that would be my uncle, junior edison, and my uncle donald. i'm very grateful that you are giving this honor. i also want to say thank you to all the americans who fought in all the wars. i'm very grateful. god bless all of you. host: before you go, can i ask you, when your brother came home, or did he come home? caller: yes, he did.

host: what was that transition like for him from military to civilian life? do you remember what it was like for him? caller: it was hard. mainly because he could not get a job. the other thing, there were a lot of civil rights movements going on, and a lot of friction in the united states. the united states was undergoing a lot of problems. not just for black people, but for all of the veterans coming back from vietnam. they did not receive a nice warm welcome. they did not have a parade for them. they were not treated right. they still feel that pain to this day. that is why i really wanted to call in and say that. i recognize all the problems even from world war ii. and further back. there will always be problems like this. we cannot address everything, but as americans, we need to try to treat our

veterans better than in the past. host: i want to go to merlin, waiting in washington, line for republicans. you are on the washington -- on "the washington journal." caller: thank you for taking my call. i would like to thank our veterans who are serving, and i'm so thankful that we have the opportunity to think those who gave their all. i'm thinking of who people -- two people. the all volunteer service. our guard members have pulled so many source of duty, and so many have come back and caskets are very wounded. i would really like to thank them. the second individual that would like to remember is kind of an unusual one. it is my husband. he is 85 years old, and his name

is peter knight chrome. he wanted to serve in the military, and he was not allowed to serve because he was a polio survivor. his father, albert royal chrome sue the government on behalf of my husband to ask them to let peter serve in the military because they said that someone has to stay home and answer the phones. although peter could answer the phones. the government eventually through the case out. by the time they dealt with the world war ii was over. every year, on memorial day, my husband still weeps because he could not serve the country. there are people allowed to serve who have disabilities. i am remembering my husband

because he paved the way for that. i just really thank you for taking my call. host: thank you for the call from everett, washington. brady says on twitter, i am remembering my dad who served in world war ii. he was a pow in germany for 1.5 years. nathan is up next from doylestown pennsylvania. caller: hello. can you hear me? host: yes, go ahead. caller: what i want to say -- i want to remember all veterans, but what i will say bite the misconstrued as negative, but i think i'm being positive. i'm trying to be rooted in reality. i am tired of all the politically correct nonsense the hear from politicians. we talked with the men and women that fought and died for us.

when you look at the actual numbers from bunker hill, from concord bridge, lexington green and all the way through the war on terror, the number of men killed is maybe like 1.5 million. the number of women killed in combat is probably under 100 people. it is one hell of a glass ceiling. women serve and they have their wonderful service, and they have done wonderful things all the way back to the civil war being ambulance drivers, nurses, but the overwhelming people who take it on the chin is always men. i think we have a tendency to be politically correct. then, you look at selective

service. you walk in the post office, and i'm amazed that use you still see signs that say men must sign up for selective service. women still do not have to sign up for selective service. host: as we said, the cover story of the "christian science monitor," the toughest test, can women make as army rangers? that is the cover story. let's go to vincent, waiting in alabama, line for democrats. who are you remembering on this memorial day? caller: i'm remembering my dad. tommy lloyd. i'm also remembering most of my brothers that served in vietnam in 1969-1970.

i would just like to hear from anybody that served in vietnam in the security section. it breaks my heart the way they're talking in congress about trying to help the vets and they are too slow. i appreciate robert mcdonald and what he is doing for the vets right now. it is heartbreaking that things are too slow for the v.a.. the hearing i watched a couple of days ago, where it had a panel with a paraplegic, a blind, and the sergeant major. that was absolutely wonderful. i wish they could get all this

pass-through to help our vets. vietnam, world war ii, and korean. and the ones who are coming home now -- we need to get them taken care of fast. they need our help more now although i wish -- i was in vietnam myself -- i just wish i could be up there on these immortal days and see them all again. i would like to take something up to the world war ii while for my dad. it has been impossible for me to get up there when i wanted to. host: what would you bring for you. if you are able to make it appear? caller: i would bring a purple heart for him. host: did he earn the and world war ii? caller: yes, sir. host: vincent in alabama. we play the republican weekly address from this test weekend. here's a bit from the white

house presidential weekly address. president honoring fallen soldiers on this memorial day. [video clip] president obama: these americans give everything they had. not for glory, not even for gratitude, but for something greater than themselves. we cannot bring them back, nor can we use the pain -- ease the pain of their friends or families. what we can do, what we must do is the fill our obligations to them, just like they fulfill theirs to us. we have to honor their memory. we have to care for their families and the veterans who served with him. as a nation, we must remain worthy of their sacrifice forever committed to the country that they loved, and the freedom that they fall for and died for. thank you and have a wonderful weekend. may god bless our fallen heroes

and their families. host: some tweets for our viewers on this memorial day. astronaut buzz aldrin says, today, i salute those who gave their lives for our freedom. a cnn host writes on his twitter page respectfully, the democrats -- the official democratic twitter account -- this is not what memorial day weekend is about. he is referring to a tweet they came out from the democratic party -- happy memorial day weekend -- with a photo of the president eating ice cream. we are asking our viewers in the last few minutes who are you remembering on this memorial day. let's go to clyde, waiting in minnesota. caller: good morning.

i would like daughter my father. he was a veteran of world war i. he was born in 1899. he enlisted in 1914. his mother lie for him. he needed to be 16, and he wanted over to france -- he went over to france. i'm honoring him. he was a very very proud man. he advised me to go into the navy when i was 18, keep my mouth shut, and do what i was told. that's what i did, at least for four years. i did serve one year in vietnam. i would like to honor my father. host: michael is up next from wisconsin. good morning. caller: hello? host: are you with us? go ahead. caller: thank you john for all the you are doing here this morning. i specifically would like to thank -- or honor -- my uncle

hank who passed away earlier this year. that being said, i have like 2.5 paragraph that i'd written. into 77, i served with the marines. i joined the navy, as did my uncle hank. if you give me a few minutes, i would like to read this. host: we only have about one minute left here this morning. can you give us one of the paragraphs? caller: imb soldier, sailor marine. i served my country and honor and believe. in may have been my choice and sometimes. i took the duty in honor of those before me. i have seen so much and followed the orders given to me, sometimes knowing i did not agree. the words don't come easy, and sometimes i can't speak of it but know that i felt their touch.

i ask you to sit down and validate what i may be feeling. i am another human being. for what words may come forward, i may not have a clue. if you allow me, i may tell you. in honor of my country, i have held true, all for the glory of the red, white, and blue. i see their passing glances they are hard to take in. i have given so that there would be another day. i come back to my country not in the state that i expected to be. i may have come home, draped with the stars and states, do they spread my ashes as i wanted it to be? host: that was michael, unless caller this morning. we will see you right back here tomorrow morning at 7:00 eastern, 4:00 pacific. [captioning performed by the

national captioning institute, which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] which is responsible for its caption content and accuracy. visit ncicap.org] >> a look at some of yesterday passed holiday events. the national mall and washington d.c. come on those who fought in the wars of the united states. the site of a ceremony marking the end of world war ii.

>> observance is being held today across the country and also here in washington, d.c. the ceremony at arlington national cemetery. president obama laying a wreath at the tomb of the unknown soldier and making remarks at the empathy or adjacent to the tomb. and the 114th congress there are 100 and one veterans -- their 101 veterans serving. during the first several months of the new congress, c-span has been interviewing some of the new members