his eight years of captivity as a pow in north vietnam. and a marine corps veteran talks about his efforts to increase the number of veterans in elected office. ♪ host: it is saturday, november 11. looking at a live picture from the vietnam veterans memorial and washington, d.c., dedicated in 1982 and site up one of several live events we will have for you today on the c-span networks. in the first hour of "washington journal" we would like to hear from veterans about your experience in the military. how you got there and where you served, what you encountered and learned? what has life been like century experience in the military?

veterans only in the first hour come eastern time zones call 202-748-8000. mountain or pacific time zone, 202-748-8001. if you would like to post a comment at social media, @cspanwj is the twitter handle and post a comment on facebook.com/c-span. there is the front page of the "wall street journal." a simple photo, a day to honor those who served. an army sergeant of chandler arizona visiting a great at the arlington national cemetery in virginia. they point out today commemorations around the country will pay tribute to those who have served the u.s. armed forces. the front page of the "wall street journal." president trump who is overseas was in vietnam yesterday and spoke briefly about veterans, thanking them and talked about the veterans administration. --sident trump

we will get to the video of the president in a moment once we get it loaded up. facts about veterans day from ,ne of the alabama publications they talk about the fact that there are 6.7 million vietnam era veterans and 2016, 7.1 million who served in the gulf 768,000 who served in world war ii, one point 6 million who served in the korean war and 2.4 million who served in peacetime only. overall, 18.5 million people military veterans in the u.s., according to the census bureau. 9.2 million of them are the age of 65 or older. there is mike from byron,

minnesota. a veteran. good morning to you. caller: good morning. host: thank you for your service , tell us about your experience and what life has been like for you. caller: i served during the vietnam era. i was never there. i was in the navy. i started on an aircraft carrier . after that, the last cruise the ship did as it was decommissioned and scrapped. then i went to a ship that was two years old. a guided missile cruiser. we were the flagship of the sixth fleet and had a three-star admiral aboard. ride quite as nice as the carrier because it was smaller. i am glad i went in. all my brothers were in. my brother was the last one drafted in our county.

my older brother steve served in vietnam. host: what did you take from your experience in the military? what did you learn? caller: i learned quite a bit. i was in supply. i had different duties aboard the ship. serviceman and we ran the lottery, the store, barbershop. thes a barber for a while -- for a while. we had an eight chair barbershop. host: what would you say to a young person who is thinking of entering the military? what advice would you give them? caller: i would say it is well

worth it. if they served like i did. i got good schooling. i used the v.a. health care proud, which i am very about. they do well for or i go, minneapolis. the minneapolis v.a. is good with good doctors. i have had several surgeries there since i have been out. i have supposed to have another one. experience for anyone. i have a cousin who is serving now. he has three years left, he is in south korea at the present time. he has made a career of it. host: thank you for telling us your story. and the story of your family.

john is going from georgia. good morning to you, sir. caller: good morning, how are you doing? host: doing fine. tell us your story. caller: i went in the military when i was 18, 1963 and retired in 1989. i went to several places, starting off in auckland -- chlan.n -- la georgia. north carolina. north carolina to korea. korea back to oklahoma. from oklahoma, i went to saudi arabia.

from saudi arabia i came back and went to south dakota. host: how would you describe your overall experience in the military? caller: my experience was great. bit1960's, it was a little -- in the 1960's, it was more prejudice. after it while, it became good. i had a good time in the military. host: zero their caller, mike, mentioned the -- the earlier caller, mike, mentioned the v.a. and said yet it good experience, what about yourself -- said he had a good experience, what about yourself? caller: not too bad. host: thank you for calling and hearing from veterans only for the rest of the hour. now we have a piece of tape from president trump in vietnam yesterday as part of his nearly

two-week asian trip. he talked about veterans and the v.a. president trump: the veterans administration is a different place, the accountability in vietnam are very important to all of us. we will not rest until all of the 1253 missing veterans are returned home. i want to thank the government of vietnam for their assistance in our efforts. i am signing a proclamation to honor the veterans of the vietnam war. this is part of the ongoing 15 year commemoration of their sacrifice for freedom. i want to thank the brave people for being here. i got to know them for a few minutes up front and they are definitely tough, smart cookies. we like them and i think we like me to come i am not sure. -- me too, i am not sure.

host: middletown, west virginia. are you on the air? caller: my name is middleton. host: my apologies. you are from west virginia. caller: yes i am. host: vietnam war veteran, i understand. caller: i did not go to vietnam, i was during the era, was drafted in high school. i had not finished high school when i was drafted. host: what was the time like for you? describe it. knox,: when i got to fort i joined up for another year. i take the longest school i could find. i went to school for a long time. i did not have to go to vietnam because i was a radar technician , i worked on radars in germany. that was my job. germany. my time in

that is where i met my wife and where we got married. advice for any younger folks thinking about getting in. what would you tell them? caller: these days, i would not tell them to go in. host: how come? caller: because they have to go to war all the time. son, hei will go to my is 1% disabled -- 100% disabled, he was in the first gulf war and they destroyed him. because -- he was 17 years old. when he was in iraq, and all of that carnage, where they were blowing and killing people. he is 100% disabled. constantly doing this to him, that to him.

doing this experiment on him. pig toust an experiment check on to try something new for him. host: we go to bob in illinois. good morning. caller: i want to thank you and everybody who put the show on every morning for us, i watch almost every morning. i and my wife are vietnam veterans. we met 41 years ago while stationed in fort meade. both served long times in the army, she served for nine years and i served for just over nine years on active duty. i did a year and a program in the army national guard. that's in a program in the army national guard. i wasst went to vietnam,

sitting at travis air force base with two dozen or three dozen other soldiers getting ready to be shipped out. there was a last-minute change. they took us to another area of the terminal and did not tell us what had happened. sat for over 12 hours. they finally handed us an amended set of orders. i worked in many different areas in the military. trained as a heavy equipment operator. i am proud of my service to my country and so is my wife. our oldest girl served, she was a medic in army during the gulf war. the one thing i want to point out. the republicans and conservatives, even the democrats, say they are taking care of the veterans. let me tell you something, when i enlisted in the army and my wife heard the same thing, the

recruiters talked about our v.a. benefits. one of the things my recruiter went out of his way to pound home to me was free health care if i ever needed it through the v.a. i was diagnosed with arthritis in active duty. i eventually became disabled and cannot get health care because we did not have obamacare at the time. i went to the v.a. it is a long story and i know you do not have time so let me say this -- they did not own up to it. i have to pay for it. i feel it is wrong. i gave them my service. i do not expect anything more than i earned. i do not believe they are taking care of any of the veterans the way they should. host: two you and the other veterans, a short piece of video of the veterans secretary at an event earlier this week at the national press club, talking

about veterans benefits. >> the system appears to put v.a. an adversary relationship with veterans. they have to come to us and ask rather than we try to help them. lastly, the cost projections always fall short. the actual costs of these programs tend to be more than what is initially thought. we also have a very complex system of benefits, when we look where we are in now. filled with red tape and uncertainty. and difficulty in navigating. cmpcompensation and the exams are examinations to doctors using the equipment we have never heard of. they are based in rules and systems that clearly are outdated. we have a system of ratings and re-ratings where you constantly need to go back and ask for

adjustments. -- it is difficult often to distinguish service related disabilities from age-related disabilities. and we have built and systems to maximize getting more disabled. there are some parts that, if you are not above 50% service connected, you will not be able to access other benefits. host: a lot of writing this weekend about veterans. fort and.com asked -- what is killing americans veterans? this marks the opportunity to highlight important issues to military families and you are quite as the persistent as holes in medical care and associate arrived ills that affect health. they say suicide and drug overdoses are the biggest killers of veterans. according to the v.a. and the office of suicide prevention, 20 veterans commit suicide every day in the year 2014.

18% of all american adults suicides that your work committed by's -- veterans even though they are only 8.5% of the population. male veterans with a 19% higher risk for suicide compared to the general population while women veterans were 2.5 times as likely to kill themselves compared to the female civilian population and suicide rates were highest among young veterans aged 18-29. that is that fortune.com. hearing about your experiences as a veteran, bill in new york. caller: thank you for taking my call. i was with the marine corps. in beirut when the suicide bomber hit my arm compound. i was lucky that i survived. when i got out, i went to the v.a., i cannot say anything bad about the v.a. as they took great care of me. anything i needed, they took

care of me and i still go to the one in northport where they give me great care. i am surprised a lot of people have problems with the v.a. as i never had a problem with them. host: chad on the line from south carolina. good morning. caller: bill was in 1983i was in i brought the bodies back from that bombing. ronald reagan came and we escorted the widows. it was a rough moment. putting george bush for a moratorium on the caskets coming back from overseas and over. dover. i am mad at the news agencies for allowing them to go along with that, the blackout. we have freedom of the press. that was a shame. i was in for 14 years and had a

good experience with the v.a. if you do not need a lot, it is not bad. if you need a lot, sometimes they do not do a good job. i had my cataract surgery at the charleston v.a. and was very fortunate to have nothing but good things to say about them. i never used it until obamacare. then i signed up for the v.a. so i did not have to get defined. -- the fine. my doctors are great and i had cataract surgery and they did it in conjunction with the doctors at musc. it is great. i was on two different shifts i not --ospital -- they do i cannot understand why every single news agency went along. one of the things you need to do to honor veterans is see what they're going through. even when we've and into iraq, when i was a kid we watch the

vietnam war and you saw the real deal. when they went to iraq and afghanistan, they dumbed it down. we never saw one guy on a stretcher or one person with a bandage. you never saw it. why didn't every news agency -- it is a shame -- fox, cnn, nbc, cbs, i grew up with walter cronkite and vietnam. i was born in 19 623 and went in in 1981. born in 1963 and went in in 1981. in iraq, you never so what the kids are going through today. it breaks my heart. host: thank you for calling. let's hear from dean, a vietnam veteran from louisville kentucky. why did you first get into the military? 1968 and graduated in

it was a racial time. we got drafted. july of 1968 and was in vietnam in 1969. people called us baby killers when we got back. spent, i went to the v.a. when i retired from my job. is last few years, the v.a. a total disaster and i called washington, d.c. and nothing changes. [indiscernible] i make sure my nephews and nieces do not go into the

military. my country has let me down. host: thank you for calling. we took live looks at the vietnam memorial, today at 1:00 we will be live from their, featuring remarks from future defense secretary chuck hagel and the designer of the vietnam memorial. that is 1:00 at c-span3's american history tv. several events throughout today, if you get c-span3, you can watch it or look at it online. on c-span, we will be live at 11:00 this morning from arlington national cemetery where vice president mike pence will fill in for the president, doing the annual wreathlaying, the ceremony at the airflow theater. live on11:00 eastern c-span with a replay at 8:00, in case you missed it. headlines from around the

country on veterans day, the boston herald honoring all who served. the u.s. army sergeant first class and another sergeant. the chippewa herald out of wisconsin. they have one event that happened on thursday. the salute unites local veterans and their loved ones. here is the front page of the ofer out of new york, a shot students enjoying breakfast with santa clause. several photos with marine veterans giving a demonstration. unfolding the u.s. flag and kids with veterans. other front pages, greenville, south carolina has this story about a military history museum opening on veterans day. greenville, south carolina.

finally, from st. paul, minnesota, the sweet sound of remembrance. ceremony.ing at a he is a world war ii veteran. euros playing the trumpet on thursday -- 89-year-old playing the trumpet on thursday at the grave site of a veteran. ask your calls with your experiences in the military. woodbridge, virginia, marcy, good morning. why did you get into the military in the first place? caller: i was 18 years old and wanted adventure and an education. i realized that the military would be the way to go. it disappointed me. i was the first woman to -- in california.

changed -- to the combat support hospital. it was an experience. when i came in the door with my young face, they thought i was too young. they did not know what to do with me because they never had a female. i found out that the combat support field hospital and tried to go to the army hospital. c.ey said you are an ap va it was a good experience. i got to live off post at first. i was undaunted he at first. -- oddity at first. host: what would you tell younger folks, especially younger women who would like to

get into the military? caller: i think it is a good thing. it makes you grow up. it gives you a lot of benefits. i go to the washington, d c v.a. and see there is a new women's clinic which is beautiful and i see a lot of young women there. i am so proud of them. and their ability to be in the military and not be afraid. and the benefits are there for them as they treat is much better than before, when they were not so many of us. i would say it is a good thing to go into for young women. host: thank you for sharing your story. fromrom minnesota -- tim minnesota. tell us how you first got into the military and what your experience was like. 1985-19it was back in

86 when me and my brother decided to go to the military together. something we wanted to do. it was a great experience. you cannot go anywhere and experience the countries, serve the nation, serve your country with pride. it was a great experience for me. host: what made you want to do it in the first place? uncles i had previous that served in the navy and army, and air force. we wanted to keep the family by -- myh serving and son served in the marines, i served a couple doors in the persian gulf. gulf.rs in the persian

host: what do you think of today's military and its role in the world? caller: today's military is a lot different than what it was when i was in. today, there is a lot more complex going on. i feel -- conflicts going on. i feel a lot of pain when these young servicemen and women go overseas and help defend our country and end up losing their lives for what they are serving. the government should do a lot more than what they do for us. that is just my opinion. host: and what particular area should the government -- in what particular area should the government do more? caller: i got diagnosed with cancer. willovernment -- the v.a. not cover the dental because it was not service connected.

-- i did 10rving years in the military for our country and i have to fight on this all by myself with no help from the government or the military, where the -- or the v.a. host: thank you for calling and everyone who has been calling as we are hearing from veterans only for the first half hour -- for the first hour. watching the floor of the house this week, you would have seen several members -- many members of the house and senate coming to the floor to patriot the to the veterans and talking about veterans day. here is the delegate from the virgin islands, stacy plaskett on the floor. >> on behalf of my family and staff, i want to salute the veterans of the u.s. virgin islands and throughout the united states on this veterans day. the virgin islands and other territories send more men and women per capita to serve in the u.s. military than anywhere else in this nation. i would like to personally recognized task force alphonse

and groin, task force bravo on st. thomas comments a john responders. on veterans day we salute the men and women who has probably one uniform and the families who have served alongside them and confirm our sacred duty to express our enduring gratitude, and actions for their service. as part of veterans day, and the virgin islands this year we will honor female veterans in the territory, being honored as parade marshal and guess big ron the island of st. croix is major kathleen parrish and on st. thomas is sergeant first class mrs. francis -- roger frances as parade marshal and guess big on the island of st. thomas will be former military spouse monique farrell, director army sexual-harassment, so response and prevention program. mr. speaker, as we vow to leave no soldier behind on the battlefield, we vowed not to forget any veterans when they return home. host: one of many members of the

house and senate who came to the floor this week. ken from missouri. good morning to you, sir. caller: good morning. especially what i just heard. i travel the virgin islands. i was in the military 34 years. sometimes we forget about the women in those territories. that help us. one thing i do have to say. i was not in vietnam. the vietnam veterans are the ones that we have to remember. i am 100%gh the v.a., stable. i walk through the v.a., volunteering, helping. i see the hats and the men.

they are the ones -- i know the great generation is world war ii. vietname veterans from suffered greatly. not just vietnam, but their whole lives. they are still going through it. let's remember them. it was great to see vice president pence washing the wall. that is what we should do. we should do it daily. when you see the hat, thank the veteran. host: thank you for calling. bill from houston, texas. hello. caller: thank you for c-span. to all of my -- thanks to the veterans. who served this great country. i served from 1975 until 1982.

logistics. from supply to battalion. throughout my career, i have worked in the civilian world since then. yesterday, i got all the things for being a veteran, we thank you for your service. contractor with a large, corporate company. i have been a contractor for the last three years. yesterday, they thanked me for my service and i replied for a position a month ago and they would not discuss it with me. they gave it to somebody else and i have to train somebody who was not born when i started. i will remember this veterans day as a 61 euro man who has to look for a job because my

contract will not be extended. i make up a group of unemployed veterans and unemployed members of this country. i do not regret one day that i served to defend this country for those corporate personnel to make your decisions. god opens doors and closes doors. i will tell my family today that after january 5, i will be unemployed. thank you for your service to veterans. host: thank you for calling and good luck to you. david petraeus and the wall street journal from the army rights an op-ed piece, talking about veterans and says to thank them properly, cap -- help them build civilian careers, hiring adopt provenough, practices that help former

soldiers establish productive careers. is talkingbs he about but careers as veterans have been given years of their life to the defense of our country and we honor them by recognizing not just their past service but future potential. by investing in them and providing not just a job that pays the bills but a fulfilling profession. read more of the opinion piece in the "wall street journal" today. tommy from west virginia. thank you for calling. caller: i would like to thank c-span for having this. i served in the early 1970's and got out in 1974. and wasctronics thankful when the wall went up. i have a lot of friends on it. it is something you do because it is the right thing to do. and theowship camaraderie between each other is beyond words can ever

express. on this veterans day, i would like to remember my mother who served during world war ii. -- was the first navy wife navy physician assistant during world war ii and served through the entire war. she passed away in my arms last year and was 93. host: what has life been like for you since you served? caller: my life when forward. it is a that went forward. -- my life went forward. it is a great foundation. i would not recommend people going in right now. because of the criminally lunatic psycho in the white house who is no commander-in-chief. i would not want anybody to be put under his decisions. because he is a five-time draft dodger and does not deserve to be a commander-in-chief.

we have a democracy in this country with constitutional laws. he has done everything to disgrace it. and our military. we should be honored, not disgraced. host: i was tommy from west virginia. resource.org they remind us about facts in the military at changing demographics, they say the size of the active military has gone downward as the demographic makeup has changed, largely in ways that reflect trends in broader society. 1,340,000 533 active-duty troops and -- the smallest active-duty four cents 2001 according to new research data. the share of americans serving in active duty military has declined marginally to 0.4% of the population in 2050, down -- 2015, down009 from 0.5% in 2009.

a republican member of the house from pennsylvania on the floor this week talking about veterans day. >> today we salute all of those who have defended our great nation and served in uniform. we say a profound thank you for bravely offering your self and your services for the betterment of our nation. with a part of the army, navy, air force, marines, coast guard, you have served and sacrificed greatly to secure the freedom we enjoy at home. your commitment to duty and because biggest than yourself demands respect as you continue the greatest -- you are role models for young generations of americans. to the families who have sacrificed alongside of our veterans, we said thank you. you provide the love and care necessary for servicemen and servicewomen to continue their honorable work. i am on her to serve the veterans in my hometown community and montgomery county and across the nation. -- i am honored to serve the veterans in my hometown

community in monterey county and across the nation. host: brian fitzpatrick, a republican from pennsylvania. a live look at the vietnam memorial. 1982.ted back in we will be there live at 1:00 for a ceremony. james on the line from fort worth, texas. tell us about your experience with the military, starting with how and why you first got in. >> i am listed in april of 1963. -- i am listed in april of 1963 -- i enlisted in april of 1963. role, it in a combat was in a support role but that did not mean we did not face risks. the military was the greatest thing that ever happened in my life, i am 72 years old. after i got out of the military and got over the bitterness of i'veoutheast asia war,

filed for my g.i. bill and went to work for the veterans and ministries in on-campus help veterans get their paperwork filled out. and went their way through the regulations. i became a social worker. as it turned out, after the funds were cut, it eliminated half of my salary during the reagan administration and i had to go back to work in big industry to raise my children. i have three issues and i will try to be brief. the veterans in the discretion is wonderful. i have been employed and in short all my life since i got out. i tried not to burden the v.a. thati need something counts, that is where i went and this commercial assault on the veterans administration is nothing more than capitalism gone crazy. the v.a. is the best medical or any world. is draft dodger in chief sitting in the white house, i carried bodies out of the jungle that may have died because he got some doctor to

say he got a bone spur after he had been an athlete and played golf. i have no respect for the men. the third thing is, do not thank me for my service, visit a v.a. hospital as there are guys i served with two will die alone to -- who will die alone. host: thank you for calling. cindy writes on the facebook page, my husband served in the navy and i gave him a military burial and cherish the flag is in a case with a bronze label, the flag should be honored for which it stands and stephen writes that i truly believe the military spirit, hopefully without combat will be beneficial to many as discipline, self respect and respect for others, teamwork, self-reliant, professionalism, and responsibility will turn many lives around. we have roger on the line from virginia beach. thank you for calling, sir. caller: thank you, i love c-span . you are great, fantastic. unbiased.

fromved in the air force 1979 to 1992. i hope i am representing a little bit because i was a missile guy. icbms. did not know a lot about us and that is the way it was supposed to be. i like to think the war we bring to an end as the cold war. under ronald reagan. ronald reagan did a lot -- i basically say to ramp up our ability and things like a missile experiment will -- experimental, star wars, looking into it until the soviets could not keep up. host: thank you for calling. i call from georgia. athens, georgia. what is your name? -- [indiscernible]

host: how are you doing? caller: how much do i love c-span? i truly love what you do and love the opportunity you give us. you are right, do not thank me for my service, go to the v.a. hospital as cd veterans who are dying alone. do not give up on america, you in texas. when donald trump is our president, you have to build your bread, go make your company great again. that's filled your brand, go make your cover the gradient. -- build your brand, go make your company great again. i finished it my senior year in high school and went to the u.s. army. proud. my grandmother

she struggled with my little brother at past last year. i had a complete change in my perspective of life. my second point, america still great. for the knowledge seeker. for those lost in thought with consumerism as a god, consumerism as a king, as enslavement. you can tell by the veterans memorial you are showing today, no crowd. point, the dumbing down of america has been intentional. 1968, it wasfrom directly correlated to try to disenfranchise the black people. i do not want to make this political. as a descendent of a slave and a dysfunctionality in which i was raised in, we are still suffering from dysfunctionality

and that has spread to different races and ethnicities in the american society. everybody has taken it upon themselves to be the most vile, disrespectful, the most vulgar they can be. it resonates at the top of the two j. which is the -- top of the food chain. which is the president. i said i would give donald trump a chance. problemslution to the that the viewers of c-span are looking for. i will do that later. at the end of this year or early next year. thank you for c-span. host: thank you for watching. other news this morning. roll call says the interests he has cut ties with roy moore, the fundraising committee, they have been removed from a joint fundraising committee with 202-748-8001 -- with roy moore.

this is in himself from roy moore. the first candidate will step the house with the former chief justice of the alabama supreme court, the joint fundraising committee which will allow donors to make one large campaign contribution and rather than several smaller once was set up between them and the republican national committee, and the alabama republican party in october. in the washington post, the formal judge and senate candidate roy moore does not rule out that he did in fact take teenage girls. -- date teenage girls and declined to let he may have dated teenage girls when he was in his late -- they were in their late teens and he was in his 30's but does not remember any encounters and describe the behavior as an appropriate. -- inappropriate. they said the comments came as gop leaders scrambled to limit the political damage from the

allegations to republican senators -- two republican senators withdrew their endorsement from roy moore after his interview with sean hannity last night. a third story we want to point out about this, wall street journal says gop feud flares up over roy moore and point out that the accusations of sexual misconduct against the alabama senate candidate have reignited a political battle between senate majority leader mitch mcconnell at former white house strategist steve bannon over the direction of the republican party. roy moore, backed by steve bannon, secure his party's nomination in the run-up in september against luther strange who had the support of mitch mcconnell. they say steve bannon is standing by roy moore appeared at a gop dinner on thursday night come he said the washington post as part of the opposition party, just some of the flavor involved in this particular story about why more. we will -- about roy moore. we will follow it.

trenton, north carolina, patricia. go ahead. caller: my name is for tricia and i joined the military desperate tricia and i joined the military because they did counselors. -- my name is patricia and i joined the military because they needed counselors. i developed a process of data analysis system to improve the military. i had a good experience in the military. i learned a lot about the unit factor. the military was a growth for experience -- a growth experience and i worked on my doctoral dissertation at the pentagon. a replogle of the vietnam memorial inside the

pentagon -- replica of the vietnam memorial inside the pentagon. at a special salute to john mccain as a prisoner of war. i would like to thank my fellow veterans and any soldier, any person serving in uniform. you are not alone. all veterans care about you. the country owes you a debt of gratitude. host: thank you for calling. theye pages of the hill, remind us that the house passed a bill to extend mental health care for veterans. this happened on tuesday. this would provide mental health care for veterans who would otherwise be ineligible because they received another an honorable discharge from the military. they say the passage of a measure which came by voice vote came two days after the shooting at the texas church by a gunman who had a mental illness while in the air force. he was forced out of the military after a bad conduct

discharge. they point out that under current laws, certain veterans who received an other than honorable discharge are not eligible for federal benefits like mental health care unless the v.a. determines otherwise. read more at thehill.com. kyle from akron, ohio. caller: i was listening to your other callers. i am a vietnam veteran. in 1966.d in the army toerved in vietnam from 1967 1968. host: why did you enlist? what got you interested in going into the military? going: all my friends into the service and getting drafted were worried about getting drafted. i talked to a recruiter. i enlisted to get into

engineering. i served a year in vietnam and the engineer corps. 02n support company -- engineer support company for one year in vietnamd and we had the largest , or quarry in the vietnam second-largest rock quarry in the world at that time. that we built. i would not months without fresh milk. we had powdered milk. i look back in my time in the army and enjoyed it. when i came back to the united states after serving a year in vietnam, i have 14 months left. i served my last 14 months in savannah, georgia.

trucke a five ton pickup -- truck getting fuel to helicopters. that is where they train the helicopter pilots in vietnam era. in savannah. most of them. i was discharged in 1969. i got home and got a job right off the bat because i was a veteran. i am proud to be a veteran. wallve a vietnam memorial in clinton, ohio. it is open to all veterans. in ohio. we built it for the nonveterans of ohio. it has expanded over the years. people can look it up on their ohio veterans to

in clinton, ohio and they can see the different things we have. we have a helicopter. m-60ve a and 60 tank -- tank. i am proud to be a veteran. i am 100% -- 102% disability. i got agent orange in vietnam. disease.oronary artery they put in a pacemaker and 50 later. they put stents in my heart. neuropathy inwith my leg. i had both my knees replaced because they were shot. i have problem's in my spine.

the v.a. in akron where my doctor is. i have to go 45 miles to cleveland to a v.a. hospital. the only problem i have with the v.a. hospital is that they are slow. you need faster times. they serve so many people. they only have one hospital serving northeast ohio. host: thank you for calling. i think you are finished. we have time for a few more phone calls in this segment. c-span3,history tv on looking back 50 years to the vietnam war, 48 hours of coverage today and tomorrow, including live coverage today from the national archives where three vietnam war era helicopters will be on view.

we will hear from the man who piloted them. today at 1:00 p.m. eastern from the veterans memorial in town. we will have a ceremony featuring a memorial designer and the former defense secretary chuck hagel at news reports from 1967 when president lyndon b. johnson defended the vietnam policy and the first person accounts from the vietnam war. a little taste of president johnson from back in 1967. >> we have a lot to do yet. a great many mistakes have been made. we take two steps forward and step back one. means.fect by any s good many days we get a c- -instead of an a+/ . every country i know in the area from a with what is happening

thinks it is essential that uncle sam keep her word and stay there. until we can find an honorable peace. if they have any doubts about it, ho chi minh, who reads our papers and listens to the radio and watch as our television, if he has doubts, i want to disillusion him. .e keep our commitments our people will support of the men who are there. the men who are there will bring us an honorable peace. president, navy interpreting the current public opinion polls to indicate you will be replaced next year. how does this affect the campaign in this country? >> i do not know how it will campaign a campaign in this country, whatever interpretation are annoyed might make to make them believe uncle sam, whoever it may be president, will pull out. it will be easier for them to make an inside deal with another

president, then they will make a serious misjudgment. host: president johnson from 1967. to 48 hours on c-span3's american history tv this weekend, we will be live on c-span and a couple of hours from the arlington national cemetery. the annual wreathlaying ceremony ny.the athletic i mike pence living in for -- filling in for donald trump. we have robert from austin, texas going in. thank you for waiting -- calling it. thank you for waiting. caller: i served in vietnam in 1967. i have a question that has haunted me all of these years. it is about my brother the .arine

i was not allowed to go because i have a week left. i have wondered if my brother made it back home. brothers named is james francis marelli. 1967, marines. if somebody knows, can you please let me know? home -- if it back he made it back home. host: bud calling from florida. how did you first get into the military? caller: i was doing nothing and decided i wanted to be a paratrooper. but they had a waiting list in 1949. the guy said you could join the air force right now.

i thought about it for one week and i joined the air force. i was 17 years old. re.pent 26 years the you talk about a good life, i had a good life. when i first went in, we had discipline, i was a military policeman. it was rough. i did not like it. 12 on, 12 of, seven days a week, not my cup of tea. they let me go to the motor pool and i like that but there was no room at the top. i made staff sergeant. jets, changingon engines. i met a major he became a two commander ofand the blackbird. when he was on active duty, the chief of planning and strategic

air command. i spent over 20 years in strategic air command. american people need to say thank you to the general, instigator of the nuclear war. he did not want to drop the bomb but he wanted to let the rest of the world know that we had it and we would use it, if we had to. his motto was -- these is our profession. profession.our in my time in the military, i served with the pilot of the enola gay. and a bombardier -- and the bombardier. i met a lot of heroes in my 26 years in the air force. i am not one of them.

i am a support guy. i would have done anything the military asked me to do. that is what is about. hours because of the strict discipline they made a man out of a boy. when i got out of the air force in 1975, i had no problem getting a job. i have had some really good jobs, and i will tell you right placee military is a good for a young man to go if he wants to make something out of his life. my oldest boy went to the air force academy, became a fighter pilot, flew, and i wasn't even a high school graduate. i finally got a ged. i did not know what a ged was. i had a good life.

my son had a good life. the military is outstanding. the v.a. is just as good. they do a good job. host: thank you for calling. by the way, bud talking about his job experience. there is a headline here, the u.s. department of labor blog. veterans unemployment continues to trend downward. 4.3%ss rate is now down to in 2016 according to the bureau of labour statistics. one last call from baltimore, nat. good morning to you. tell us about your experience. caller: good morning. i am 90. i was a world war ii gangplank veteran. i went in march of 1945. then ve day. by the time they taught me how to drive a tank, it was jvj day.

alaska intil 1947 in an army air corps support group. i wanted to comment. the awfully disappointed attitude of so many people. we have a president now who is returning us to our former glory. all they have to do is read how well he is doing with the foreign governments. he is where he is. the only other thing i would like to comment on is the change in the v.a. they called me for six months asking me what i was going to go back to school

and when i got married i got a call asking if i wanted to buy a house. morelized there are a lot chelated under v.a. -- accumulated under v.a. rolls now, but some of the bureaucracy has developed is being put down by our current president. i say more power to him and let's have some support. host: nat calling from baltimore maryland. thanks to everyone who called for this first hour. the entire program will be themed regarding veterans day and the military. we have plenty more time for your calls. we will take a short break and then we will talk about female veterans. specifically the fact they are the fastest growing demographic of homeless veterans in the west according to the v.a. we will talk with someone who is

trying to do someone about that. of is jaspen boothe, founder final salute. we will talk with everett alvarez, the first pilot downed in the vietnam war. >> ♪ >> 50 years ago the united states was a war in vietnam. american history tv on c-span3 looks back with 48 hours of coverage. starting today at 8:00 a.m. eastern, live from the national archives, among the backdrop of helicopters, we speak with veterans who flew them. then we are taking your phone calls and tweets live with historians about the war in 1967.

at 1:00 p.m., from the vietnam veterans memorial, a ceremony featuring remarks by former defense secretary chuck hagel in the designer mya lin. america, in real 19677 cbs news the enough report. >> whether it is the tactics, the fighting conditions or the terrain, it seems clear the american military offensive along the dmz has bogged down, like the marines in the mud. >> we will tour the national archives exhibit a member in vietnam, at 8:00, the 1967 president johnson vietnam war press conference. president johnson: we made our statement of what we would do if we had communist aggression and that part of the world in 1954. we said we would stand with those people in the face of common dangers.

and the time came only had to put up or shut up. we put up. >> watch the vietnam war, 50 years later, this weekend on american history tv on c-span3. washington journal continues. host: our guest is jaspen boothe , founder and president of an organization called final salute. final salute. the topic this morning is female veterans homelessness. guest: thank you for the opportunity. host: i wanted to talk about the specific figure your organization put out. this is regarding homeless women's veterans in the west on any given day. there are 55,000 homeless women veterans. tell us about them. ,ho are they, where are they how did they find themselves homeless? guest: homelessness among women veterans has become a national issue.

some of the root causes are unemployment, domestic violence, combat related illness, injuries or wounds, and eligibility or lack of eligibility for benefits. the root issue is the lack of resources for when you are needing one. it is really the biggest problem they are facing. host: tell us about the work of your organization. what is your mission, your goal? how do you go about your business? guest: our mission is to provide homeless women veterans with safe housing. we have a transitional home in alexandria, virginia that we support for up to two years. because ofen women the lack of resources available in the own neighborhoods. we also try to prevent homelessness through emergency financial assistance. tother it is bridge loans

get you through a tough time or help with utility bills, etc. we are funded by the grace of god most times. we apply for grants. we have several corporate sponsors that help us annually. cci has been a big help. we started a competition which has been really helpful for us. it is really people who see the need and come to our aid. right now we participate in a documentary called "serve like a girl." what is also about that is all the proceeds from the soundtrack will go to final salute. these are artists like linda perry, christina aguilera, pink, and pat benatar even did a song. it is great to see we are getting this recognition and people are coming to the aid of women who served.

host: we have a lot to talk about with jaspen boothe, founder and president of final salute. two phone lines in this segment. we want to hear from female veterans in particular. your number is (202) 748-8000. everyone else, (202) 748-8001. how about your story, jaspen boothe? you are a former homeless person. tell us your story and what your circumstances were like. guest: sure. in 2005, i was lieutenant in the army reserves. shortly after arriving in new orleans i was notified i would be deployed to iraq. i never made it because of significant events. i lost everything in hurricane katrina in 2005 and received a cancer diagnosis that september, which left me homeless and jobless. my cancer is in remission, i was 2-14, discharged the

next day and out on the streets. when i went to the v.a. i was told there was no supportive housing services for women veterans the children. i was a single mother. they couch surf. 70% of the homeless veteran population are single mothers. i know a lot of people look at homelessness as a guy on the street, but there are a lot of us that are homeless because we're trying to keep our family together. that was my situation. that just let me know about the lack of resources through my individual experience, bush later spurred me to create final salute -- which later spurred me to create final salute. host: printable masters degree in human resource management and leadership from webster university. now runs his organization called final salute.

what was the specific moment that you said i have got to do this? guest: i am born and raised in chicago. one day i was watching the oprah show and she had a homeless woman veteran on her show that was living out of her car. she was a combat veteran. this is several years after my situation happened. i said it have to have improved since then. i went online and tried to find available resources. i could not find anything specifically for housing for homeless veterans and their children. i said this is my next mission. i will dedicate the next phase of my life to that. host: the first call for our guest is annie from fairfax, california. caller: good morning. i work in the mental health field. i actually have a bipolar illness myself. i wondered if the guest could address the mental health angle of this crisis. thank you.

guest: thank you for being open about that. i also have been very open about my battle with major depressive disorder. yes, it does play a factor. when we look at causality among homelessness, unemployment is one of those things. it's a major factor. if you are not mentally strong, you are not employable, which will perpetuate. you continue along the path. in addition to looking at housing veterans and getting them in the homes, we have to look at ensuring their physical and mental well-being are taken care of. thank you. host: some of the demographics of homeless veterans, following up on the last call. 11% of the homeless adult population are veterans. 51% of individual homeless veterans have disabilities. 50% have serious mental illness according to the national coalition of homeless veterans. 70% have substance abuse problems. years of age or

older. guest: that tells me we still have a long way to go. care fromental health the department of veterans affairs. i know we have a long way to go. they are doing great in some areas. i think some areas definitely need improvement. there are things we can also do as average, everyday americans to fill some of those gaps in the services that are not provided as we need them. host: barbara from virginia, good morning. caller: good morning. dutynt 12 years on active in the navy. service was a number of years ago, i never spent any time in a war zone. my question basically is the percentage of female veterans

that were in situations like that, how does that compare number wise with male veterans and what is being done to ensure female veterans are not left homeless and in the streets? there iswill say that this big thing about women serving in combat. when you go into iraq and afghanistan, every service member is a combat service member. once we come back to our country and we need services, regardless of our job board mos is, we need to have equal support regardless of gender. i think some people look at maybe if you did not serve in a combat, you should not have ptsd

or some of the things our male counterparts face. the biggest issue is a ra -- is the raising a stereotype. i have a friend who was a double-amputee who lost both of her legs to an ied in iraq. there are male and female nets. across the board -- male and female amputees. you can also get mental health issues. i did not deploy. my springs from cancer treatment and related issues. need to get away from saying, if you deploy, x well happen. host: what are some of the other stories you hear from homeless women veterans as you go about your work? guest: i hear some say they have tried to go into shelters but the shelters for the women with

children, they could only take a certain number of children. they could only take a certain age of children. gotdren of a certain gender to a certain age and could not next and the shelter -- could not mix in the shelter. some women say i just ate in a domestic violence situation just to keep me and my children together. that should never be an option for someone who served our country. everyone should have a safe space. you should not have lose her children because you are trying to survive. host: is this relegated to one or several particular parts of the country? or is the problem of homeless fema veterans spread all over the country -- homeless female veterans spread over the country? guest: you have states like california, georgia, the d.c. metro area, we have a huge number of female veterans.

across the nation, it is a national epidemic that we still have not got a handle on. host: patty had much conversation with the administration, the v.a., the white house, congress? have gone to many listening sessions and went to many panels that they have had. one thing i get back all the time is the lack of supportive services for women veterans is because of our unwillingness to identify as a veteran. do you know how many women veterans are? i have identified the population for you. we know how many of us have theed the boots -- worn boots and how many still stand. you don't have the same stipulation on haiow male

veterans are treated. we should have a better handle on how we are treating veterans equally and not trying to shift the blame to what we are not doing. host: let's hear from lori in maryland for jaspen boothe. hello. good morning. caller: good morning. i served from 1974 to 1980 as a nurse. my problem is in the state of maryland there isn't any place for women in the nursing home setting for long-term care. i just recently got here at perry point an opening for a few women, but that is the setting we are fighting for women with disabilities in this state. they have to go through brutality in the collect to be able to be placed someplace where they are safe. they are usually thrown in the nursing homes and subjected to

abuse. i fought the v.a. system for over a year and a half to get my spouse placed into the baltimore v.a. where i felt she could be safe. is egregious. ofen's services in the state maryland are almost negligible. anything to do with homeless, but it has to do with the treatment of women vets in the state of maryland. host: let's hear from jaspen boothe. guest: i don't think you should have to hit rock bottom in order to get supportive services. i have noticed through my advocacy some veterans who need that temporary support can't get it until they are actually homeless. i don't think we should be placing anyone into that state of despair. you mentioned earlier 70% of the

homeless demographic have substance abuse problems. you have to think if they have substance abuse problems before they were homeless? actually getting homeless driving to alcohol and drug abuse? are we causing more problems by waiting too long? the solution to homelessness isn't more homes, it is less homeless veterans. we have studied the root causes substantially. we should be able to get ahead of it at this point. host: pat from kentucky. caller: good morning. i served in world war ii. i have five brothers in and my dad was in. i decided to join and get the were over with. -- i washat i told s trying to say i served in

washington, d.c. we were out for a sunday stroll and i saw limiting the having -- limousine come down the avenue. theirls with me had hats in their belt. low in the hold it stopped right in front of us, within spitting distance. the back window went down and it was roosevelt. he said, good morning, girls. i'm so proud of you. i was the one with the mouth and i told him we were proud of him. he looked at me and asked why i had joined the service. isaid i have five brothers n. one was a prisoner of war and i felt like i had to do something to get the war over with. he said i bet you will do it. i said with your help, sir, we will. that was a real interesting

phase of my years in the coast guard. host: a question for our guest? are you still there? guest: yes. host: i wanted to see if he had a question for our guest and the worker organization is doing? guest: well, i have always been alert of people that had been in the military over the years. i was born right after world war i. wars.r to end all i had many friends in the military. my husband was in the marines. he stayed in the corps for 23 years. host: pat, i think we lost to.

thank you for your point. jaspen boothe, what would you say to that world war ii veteran? guest: i would thank her for her service. it was a woman like her who answered the call early on that me and my sisters were able to serve today. i thank you for the response you gave us at that time. it was a family tradition for you. i am also married to a marine, in my oldest serves in the air force. for a lot of us it does become a family tradition. i do appreciate you from one woman veteran to another. host: cornelius from louisiana. caller: thank you, c-span for what you are doing for veterans. i want to thank you and your family for what you are doing for this female vets. i was a village every police officer. they are tougher than some mail

ale mp's. i hope you have on your website a physical address and a phone number. i don't have a computer. of one of these kind of vets they don't have much, but i would like to contribute to your organization. thank you so much and god bless you. happy and blessed veterans day to you. host: tell us two things. guest: i was a soldier for 17 years in the army. i started out in listed as a truck driver. then i commissioned as an officer and became a human resources officer, which was the bulk of my military career. i thank you for your service. all the information is on our website. i have thoroughly enjoyed being a soldier. we joke and make fun of each other, but i said the army is the best branch. host: what is the first step for

veteran whooman might be finding herself homeless or thinks she might find yourself homeless? what is the first step they should be taking? a woman that was a contact organization, go directly online and we have a system where you can apply online. 2-14 eye tellsr dd about your circumstance. nonprofits can't operate unless they are funded. usually we have the funding, we can get to them within 72 hours which is critical when they are trying to prevent them from being evicted. 211.olso know there is a rg, the national resource directory for veterans looking for local resources. has as a resource center -- a resource center and a hotline for veterans who are in need of

mental support as well. host: onto amy from northport, alabama. good morning. caller: good morning. i have just retired from the u.s. army. i was in for over. 20 plus years -- over 20 plus years. it was a requirement together transitional services. might transitional services were very detailed. my question is before a service member and their military -- ends their military career, how can we identify with those homeless veterans may be? that way we can have more programs in place or provide help before they retire or before they leave the service. guest: thank you. i went through that process as well. i know what you are going to the transition process a lot of focus is on making sure you have

your resume translated to civilian fields. i was never asked if i had anywhere to go or anything like that. i think we put a lot of that responsibility on the military, but for me it is not the military's job to teach me how to be a civilian and return to civilian life. it is their responsibility to teach me how to be a soldier. i think we need to find some type of bridge between dod where they allow for a longer transitional period where they can properly assess your needs and if you may face homelessness based on any mental, physical disabilities or challenges you have. that was something i did not go through, what you think could be a big help. the military cannot take soldiers out of the ranks for a long period of time because we still have a mission. there should be a process by which they are still on active duty but allowed six months to a

year transition process to properly assess and make sure they don't fall into that homelessness. host: you have access to loans for some homeless veterans. with that includes college loans? talk to us about folks who might be able to take that. guest: they are more like grants to help women fleeing domestic violence situations. if they can't afford to give the first and last months rent, we can provide that. for people trying to prevent being evicted, we help them that way. sometimes life just happens. you don't plan to get divorced and have to separate from your family. you don't plan for a domestic violence situation. you don't plan to be unemployed. we help when life happens because those things don't discriminate against you because you are a veteran.

i think there are emergency resources that are vital to prevent you from becoming homeless. host: what else should people know about your organization and services it offers? how they can take part by making a contribution? we have been around almost eight years now. we supported over 3600 women veterans. we have been able to raise $3 million, but we still the support. they need is only increasing. it is not declining. steadily takes $25 a day to support a homeless woman veteran, get her child in our transitional home. that includes food, clothing, supportive resources and financial education and counseling, have to apply for v.a. benefits. is a well-rounded approach to health and get back on their feet. host: robert from kentucky four jaspen boothe -- for jaspen boothe.

caller: how are you doing today? i have come up with a little plan for this homeless stuff. when these veterans -- we can set of buildings across each state that could donate money to the homeless veterans. that way money would be coming in for the homeless veterans and women and men. i think that would really work. that money could go to that lady on tv and god bless her. i love her to death and thank her for her service. she is just a great lady. host: final thoughts? guest: i believe homelessness has to start at the community level. i think any approaches are great approaches that will lessen but we have to deal with. human resources are available in local communities. talk to your local representative and politicians to see what they can do and

start some grassroots efforts in your own backyard. host: jaspen boothe, fatter and president of final salute. org. is theinc. website. thank you for all the information you did. we have about 90 minutes left. coming up next, our conversation with a former u.s. navy commander, everett alvarez, the first pilot shot down in vietnam. we will take calls later for rye barcott. 1982, the vietnam veterans memorial is dedicated. deputy administrator for the v.a. at the time spoke at the opening. [video] >> they years have passed since this country and its involvement

in southeast asia, have been marred by the mood of the nation. many americans today still have a difficult time dealing with that war. with its affect on our society and with the legacy of those of us sent to fight it. but no one can debate the service and sacrifice of those who fell while serving. it is unfortunate the circumstance under which the more than 2 million veterans who returned from vietnam did not lend itself to the type of welcome given to the veterans of other wars, or even to those of us who were prisoners in vietnam. overdue, withng

this parade today and especially with this dedication, america is saying welcome home. [applause] here in this great city with the nation's affairs are conducted and the buildings, new and old they give us a sense of history and of our destiny, washington, also a city of monuments, landmarks, stone statues, testified to the deeds and ask of those who have shaped the nation we have become. memorial isveterans unique. vastly different from the monuments of independence,

emancipation that blanket, it will be a memorial visible for all time to come to those who have made and implement our nation's laws and for those who come to the city to see the symbols of our national strength. that then doubt vietnam veterans memorial will be in internal -- eternal conscience of the the nation. it will tell of the also responsibility we have as members of a free and dedicated society. man 35 years that later, everett alvarez. vietnam war veteran and the longest held prisoner of war in north vietnam. happy to happy with us, good morning. guest: good morning.

happy veterans day. host: take us back to that day in 1982, that ceremony you spoke at. what was that moment like for you and wanted me to have a vietnam veterans memorial? guest: it was a very momentous occasion. the individuals that had worked on that project for years. it was controversial at times. finally saw the completion of the wall in 1982. huge -- a vietnam veterans in canada washington. i was totally surprised. i had the fortune of being the deputy of the v.a. at the time. i was able to say a few words. it is something i will never forget. are theeally remember thousands of vietnam veterans that came in and their families and just wanted to be there.

and when they had the chance to go up in touch the wall, touch the names, something i will never forget. host: let's put the phone numbers on the bottom of our screen. one life for vietnam veterans only. (202) 748-8000. (202) 748-8001 for all others. pilot,st was a u.s. navy the first american aviator shot dead over vietnam and the longest held prisoner of war in north vietnam for about 8.5 years. take us back to that day in 1964. what happened and what was it like for you? guest: august 5, 1964 is the day i was shot down. it was the first strike into north vietnam. i was involved the night before with the controversial torpedo attacks on two destroyers. i was the one that came down with the flares and lit up the sky.

that remains controversial to this day. the next day i was in the first strike. there were two airplanes that were shot down. fortunately i survived by a miracle and made it out of my aircraft. i was immediately picked up and there began the long journey. i was the first one into the prison and hanoi, that was later named the hanoi hilton. i was the first to undergo many of the indoctrination programs. i was involved in the 52 pows marched through the streets in 1966. i was interviewed and interrogated by the cubans when they first came into the amount and took over one of the pow camps. -- a longt of experience with something i would not recommend to anybody.

it was something that we as a group had to learn to survive and to stick together. we had a covert communication system. we had a good military organization. we were able to maintain covert conditions. that can't commander's rules do not permit us to have a do it call a regular p.o.w. structure. for many years it was very tough. conditions were extremely bad. and of course the punishments, the tortures for propaganda purposes. from 1965 to 1968, things were really bad. then gradually they started to improve. we saw some light when the paris peace talks began in 1968.

then after months -- we got our news filtering in their propaganda. whencame dismayed again they talked about the roundtable or the square table. we finally learned in 1969 president nick's and had a -- president nixon had a plan. it seems to make sense to us. we knew it would take a while longer. it took three more years. raid to try to free the pows that were there. the conditions gradually improving. madeyou progress was being in the negotiations. when they finally came to be, nixon started the bombing in 1972.

really put the pressure on them. i was in the hanoi hilton when they came over in december of 1972. that was a real experience. 1972,y after christmas, things became quiet. we knew nixon was not going to give up until the north vietnamese came to terms. of month later we were on our way home. host: what did that experience mean for you moving forward with the rest of your life? what should an experience like yours mean to the rest of us? guest: and experience like the ones i had, that we had -- there are a lot of lessons. a lot of them really bring a lot of meaning to your life. in sort of wakes you up in terms of what it is, what to accomplish. back tot was to come continue my career, raise a family.

things that were basically important and really get back if i could. i was fortunate. i came back. i was not totally disabled. i was not mentally incapacitated. i was able to go forward. the result of a lot of prayers. i am very thankful for that. given that opportunity i think giving back to the country we served in our military career and continue to do that. we are fortunate to be here in this country. host: our guest is the son of mexican immigrants, everett alvarez. retired from the navy in 1980 after reaching the rank of commander. we have a lot of folks that want to talk to you by phone, but we will talk more with you about the rest of your life and your experience. let's go to pat in pennsylvania.

you are on with everett alvarez, the longest held prisoner of war in vietnam. caller: good morning. mr. alvarez, thank you for your service. at the beginning of the iraq invasion i was shocked to learn how little material support our soldiers had. i found a site called any soldier.com or you can find people to contact to send supplies. i did and all the people i worked with joined me. that was wonderful. one guy was in vietnam and had developed cancer. it took many years for them to admit the cancer was associated with agent orange. finally it was. he was given benefits for that. i am wondering about our soldiers of today who are being exposed to her rent this -- orinda's --horrendous

conditions. i wonder about their fate from developing illness and his experience with that. thank you for your service again . guest: thank you. speaking about the effects of um, i was working on the time about the agent orange issues back in 1980's. in conjunction with the department of defense, the v.a. did a lot of research at the various facilities and universities around the country. they have come up with a substantial report study on that. in addition to that with the effects of agent orange at the time, especially for vietnam were being addressed, there was always the effort to take and get medical care to the veterans who felt they were impacted and suffering from the effects of agent orange.

today i understand there are a lot of presumptions that would give the veterans that feel the effects and are debilitated by exposure to agent orange to receive medical benefits and monetary benefits as well. compensation for that. i think we have come a long way. unfortunately it takes a while. a lot of this has to be approved by congress and -- when i was there at the v.a. we tried and tried. i'm sure the people who are there today, not only at the department of defense are working hard to try to get the veterans the attention that they deserve. host: michael in portland, oregon. good morning.

guest: good morning. host: michael, you are on the air. caller: i just wanted to know if this man, mr. alvarez, knew another pilot, a fighter pilot. that is basically what i want to ask. whoou do a paul spear flew a crusader. host: what was a last name again? paul. h. spear. he has probably died now, but i worked underneath him. i was his steward. i'm wondering if he knew the man . the flew a crusader. guest: the name does not ring a bell.

i might have run into that name in the past, but at this point in time i don't recollect that name. host: i want to show a brief clip of the conversation we haven't senator john mccain, who was -- conversation we had with senator john mccain, who was shot down and was held as a prisoner of war. he sat down and talked about his experience. [video] senator john mccain: it's a long story but i was barely able to get back to the surface. of our stove them jumped in -- a bunch of them jumped in. i'm sure there is a picture of them pulling me out of the lake. you can see my arm is broken up high. was they pulled me out, they were not happy to see me. i just finished bombing the place.

they got pretty rough. and hurte my shoulder my knee again. look, i don't blame them. we were in a war. but at theike it, when you are in a war and you are captured by the have, you can't expect to tea. they pulled me out of the lake, hoping on a truck, beat me up a little or a lot and then went to the now famous hanoi hilton prison. which was just a short drive away. a five minute drive away. then it is a long story about how they found out who my father was and decided to give me treatment and two wonderful

americans, who thought they moved me in to die. they nursed me back to health. after they saw me in better health, they fully into solitary confinement. look, i don't hold a grudge against the north vietnamese. i don't like them. there are some i would never want to see again. at the same time i was part of a conflict. i thought they were some of the meanest people i had ever met in my life and i never want to see him again -- see them again. host: do you know senator mccain? guest: i know him very well. he's an example of the closeness, camaraderie and dependence we had on each other. he was severely injured and depended on those two individuals to take care of him. i can cite countless examples of

the same thing happening to others who were badly injured. it was because of the care and the feeding and the cleaning of john. he was unable to do anything for himself. this is the love that was shown with each other. to this day we pows remain a tight group. host: i don't blame them, we were in a war. having gone through what you went through, how you are to a point like our you don't blame them? guest: you have to realize the vietnamese people at the time lived in a tyrannical regime. they do with a are told. basically they were told to treat as badly. they would. then they would be told the treatise nicely and they would. i share the same feelings. i blame the system they were living under and hopefully things are evolving different me today.

again, i don't blame them. we used to have a saying. someday we will go home. these poor people have to stay here. that goes to show how fortunate we are to live in this system and the country over have the basic freedoms delineated in our constitution, which is what we were fighting to defend and give other people the same opportunity. to live under the freedom we have here. host: john from illinois. good morning to you. caller: good morning. everett, i saw you in 1982 at the dedication. i got survivors blessing. i talked three grammar school buddies and adjoining the marine corps. we were in nam a 1970.

harvey, they got a got the medal of honor. my wife's first cousin was on a hilltop with a fellow named kenny case in the gut the medal of honor. i have survivors blessing. i have read many books from you guys, the pows and the medal of honor winners for inspiration in my life. gratitude.rlier to do speak to the resilience you guys have shown through the years. i made it. might have it written, grease board. i'm 67 years old and retired. i feel like a million dollars. the v.a. press treated me like a king. speak to the resilience the end of veterans have that were shown the rest of america.

host: thank you. guest: belated happy birthday to birthday andorps all of my marine corps buddies. with regard to the resilience that we showed, we could never give up hope. as a result we knew we had to depend on each other for survival. we had to keep each other going day after day. wave after wave of purges would come by the camp commander in the guards when they would force us to do things against our will. resist, basic thing, to resist their efforts because what they wanted us to do once against our basic principles as american military people. resist andthat you you get to a point where you say

i have to resist. you give a little bit to get them to back off. sure enough, weeks later or a month later here they come again. yet atticus of physical punishment -- you have to undergo some physical punishment. it was all in defense of what you really believe. you, your integrity. it enabled us to go through. it was not easy and i don't know if i could have done it by myself. i have to depend on the support of my fellow pows over there. it was something we learned that we carry through for the rest of our lives. we all faced challenges. and the ability to look forward and overcome these challenges. always do the best we can. we did do the best we could well we were there. i have found over time that this

attitude, this approach, this positive way of looking at things and looking at life is key. it is essential and having a successful life. i think that was another lesson that came out of that experience. it was a constant challenge. it was tough. but we made it. as john talked about earlier, it was something we find was beneficial. it is deep-rooted and our belief now. -- in our belief now. you can look at life and face any challenges. i have been fortunate to be able to achieve quite a bit. looking back, i will be 80 .

i have been very fortunate. host: our guest is been awarded the silver star, two legions of merit, two bronze stars and two purple hearts. than 80 lone sailor award. everett alvarez is the longest of prisoner of war in vietnam. educated at santa clara university, of masters degree. and also a law degree from george washington university. you wound up moving into the business world and developed a very successful business. from the time he came home to the time you started that successful business, how did it all come about? guest: i happened to be at the right place at the right time. one of my classmates was leon panetta. i have known leon for many years. basically, i came home and from vietnam governor reagan and

later president reagan, i got to know his staff people and was invited to join the administration when he was elected resident -- president. i was deputy of the peace corps for a year and a half and then went over to the v.a. issues at the v.a. or agent orange and others. as a numbero serve two at the v.a. i really enjoyed that work. when i left the administration, i formed my own consulting business. the federal government contracting business. i have had one success after another. it was not easy. it was a lot of hard work but you get used to it. i learned that as a kid. you will never get anywhere unless you work hard. guest: with from betty in massachusetts. thank you for waiting. caller: how are you?

good morning, mr. alvarez. first of all i would like to thank you from the bottom of my heart for serving our country. i can't even imagine what you went through over there. you said you have a birthday coming up? i would like to wish you a happy birthday. you look wonderful for your age. i have a friend, a dear friend of mine that went through the v.a. hospital. he has very bad respiratory issues from the asian orange. he is dwindling away. it is horrible. i can't even imagine you, senator mccain. you guys are my heroes. with the you say the draft dodgers? donald j. trump saying you are not heroes. that sickens me to my stomach. you are the bravest man to me. you are such a hero. that's all i wanted to say.

guest: thank you. i don't consider myself a hero. i served with heroes, others that did things that were unbelievable. i was just doing my job. along with a lot of others. somethinggard it was where we found ourselves in a situation as pows and we just had to do what we had to do to live through it and survive. this is a free country. one of the things we fought to preserve is the freedom of speech and freedom of having an opinion. a lot of individuals speak their piece. they don't always agree with us. you don't always agree with them. with regard to vietnam, it was a controversial -- it

still is. it will be believe until our generation dies out, much like the civil war. and our particular case we made it. president nixon brought us home. a lot of us feel very indebted to him. we are just fortunate to be able to be here and have the opportunities and the successes we have experienced ourselves. host: let's go to robert and st. louis. you are on with everett alvarez. --ler: to better alvarez commander alvarez, i am a vietnam veteran. followu and john mccain the order you were given, one

,hing i learned in vietnam nobody knows when they will have their name on an artillery shell. way.ut yourself in harm's what really makes me cry this who are willing -- andfor our country you have a president who makes fun of them. beneficiary. thank you for your service.

guest: many of the veterans whether they were drafted went over and served honorably and are proud of their service, came back and carried on with the rest of their lives. the vietnam experience of coming home, we came home and were given a heroes reception. it was overwhelming. what about those poor kids? 21 kids who can, didn't have it. many of them can home in caskets and their names are on the wall over here. they served honorably and they gave it their all. in a way it wasn't fair. i have always felt that we should have known better. today, there is a theme.

don't blame the war on the warrior. so many of the decisions and the way that war was carried out was political. we saw it four years. our pilots, we were going up against them but we could not go near the bases. were shot downat by surface to air missiles that we could not touch the missile sites. and suppliesent being unloaded by the ships and we couldn't go -- it was a crazy 1969,'sit wasn't until 1968 that a try to make sense. caller: good morning. i want to appreciate everett's service to our country.

i am a vietnam widow, 47 years. i had my first hearing in march of this year. the only benefit i get is my purple heart license tags. i still don't know what's going to happen. orangerd about the agent , i don't know what will happen to my case, but i have been i was left for four -- with four dollars, all professional women. i am still fighting for something for myself. i was so glad that i was able to year, froming this day one they told me i had to prove to the government that my

vietnams death was service connected. i have not gotten nothing yet but i have not given up. --rescient ofst: that is an example dealing with a large yurok receipt -- a large bureaucracy. i also think it is important to point out the sacrifices of the families. here she is, with no left with children. so many examples of how they have to struggle with the after effects of losing their loved one like that. my hat goes off to the families and especially to the young veterans, who are remembering

the service. especially the gold star family who lost. i also want to acknowledge those individuals on a day like today. host: one viewer at twitter wants to know, as a veteran as it colored your perspective on war in general? guest: nobody that i note likes war. june -- joined a new there was a risk, it was involved inut i was the very first axis into vietnam and the escalation of the activities in vietnam at that time. i found myself in the middle watching the war around me. nobody likes war.

warseople who have fought are the ones who know what it is like. it has not changed my thinking on it at all. colorado.from caller: good morning. and 77. i was off the coast of korea -- vietnam in the navy, i want to , isay that i read your book .lso from that era i wanted to tell him i appreciated his service and his courage before -- trying to get into the navy and aviation and afterwards, it is fantastic. thank you very much. host: final thought?

day, our this veterans hats go off to our individuals who go and volunteer and in the case of vietnam who were drafted, but really the ones who are off serving today are the -- and the ones who served in the past, the sacrifices they made, the thanksgivings, the christmas, long periods away from their families, they give up a lot. it is all because of the strong believe of service to our country and in the defense of the freedoms that we have here and trying to expand those freedom to other peoples who are in other nations around the world. to salute those individuals, the youngsters. they are a tremendous group.

the veterans, thank you for your sacrifice. buddies, ie corps get belated happy birthday. >> here's a look at one of the books you wrote, called "chained ego." it has been a pleasure to have you here. will take another time out and turn to the issue of veterans and public office. our next guest will be rye barcott. we will be right back with your calls.

>> sunday night on afterwords i had a platform and if this is my 15 minutes i am here today and not speaking on behalf of the fbi or any intelligence the and not speaking on behalf of anyone a .uddy . -- of anybody but myself i hope and pray i am speaking on behalf of the millions of muslim americans and the 1.7 across the globe. feel comfortable and stand up and say that is not the religion, that is what is being warped by al qaeda. agent talks about his

experience fighting domestic terrorism in america with his book "american radical." former fbi agent, at ninenday night eastern on c-span two book tv. which to support the constitution. now they have returned to a country ripped apart bipartisanship. partisan dysfunction is at record high. our country needs a new generation of leaders. leaders who sacrifice for each other. supports his new generation of veterans who run

for office and pledge to work together to get things done regardless of their party, republicans, democrats, independents. playing fieldthe for veterans who don't have deep pockets for special access. they are patriots. they pledge to live these values, integrity, civility, courage. these don't have expirations. they are lifelong commitments. they are answering the call to serve again, join us at"with h onor". rye barcott. our thank you for joining us. you attained the rank of captain . organization, with honor,

what's it all about? mr. barcott: this was founded by veterans, to elect the next generations of veterans to congress. we don't think it's a cool incidents that congress is so dysfunctional but their level of representation is at an all-time low in the united states, 19%. it wasn't long ago it was over half the members in the u.s. served in uniform as veterans. we think there is a connection between the level of polarization and dysfunction and the amount of veterans in office. total members of congress were veterans 102, the house as 82 and the senate has 20. why is it important to have veterans in congress? thebarcott: the first is focus on service and being able

to work together and get things done. are support veterans across 100 next over next -- generation veterans, some whose -- we are focused on character. these veterans have worked together and know what it means to take until challenges. of them are nonpartisan. there was an article that came out yesterday about to veterans daschle,ed, lugar and what they look that was the amount of bipartisanship between veterans and non-veterans. veterans have been able to work together. the can battle it out on floor but still have the decency to talk to each other afterwards and get things done. .e are focused on character on our website we have a pledge,

it's based on three values. integrity, civility, and courage. that includes the courage to work across the aisle and do tangible things like cosponsor a piece of legislation and meet with someone from the other side for once a month and form a caucus. fixneed a coalition to something as challenging as congress. let's put the phone numbers on the bottom of the screen. we look forward to your calling in and asking questions and making comments to the guest. honor.org is the website. take us back with your experience of being a veteran. mr. barcott: i served with some

of those shown men and women, i served in iraq. should be what service was all about. the quality and caliber of the people that i worked with. we would be on a mission one day where we were involved in fighting and combat, and the next day be involved with trying to set up a city council in a place like solutia. unite you. i never asked what the party was of the person that was standing next to me. we were focused on accomplishing things that were larger than ourselves. , is thatem right now the cost to run for election is ridiculous. it has gone by five times over the last 20 years. -- this bars the entry too many young and woman.

is we'rere doing bringing strategic national resources to help these candidates win, and in many cases when in the primaries which is a very important place. a lot of them need to get their start and those kind of resources can move the needle. host: how are you funded and how do you find the people? the exciting news is there are over a hundred next generation veterans, men and women who served after 9/11. we mapped out the district. in the next couple of months we do due diligence is based on character and competitiveness. we are selecting the top 25-35 of these candidates and raising resources from americans that care about this and realize that right now where congress is dysfunctional.

in those resources will be spent in some strategic national -- be we have apple -- admiral michael , a great robert gates group of next generations, some fanvance, educating character and the importance of families and ethics in our schools. americans thatf are united around this common cause. we need to put principles before politics. and get things done.

we have lots of calls coming in. only co-founder, you're also an mba from harvard. --st call from shreve for report, louisiana. caller: thank you for c-span. that -- i'm 25 years old. not many people my age understand how great the military can be. example, they do 3-dthis stuff, test fiberglass, protect knowledge he -- the technology these days.

they don't know how great the military can be. the internet has changed everything. it is a great situation it really is. it's veryt: interesting where we are in .merica these days area i saw a statistic about congress that there's no trust in congress, 12% approval rating. this is why an organization like ours is important. party solutions alone will not solve the problem. we need people who can work together and get things done. a single individual alone will not be able to fix a place like congress, you need to be able to build a critical mass. there are over 100 next-generation veterans running

across united states. mr. barcott: what things would you like to get done in congress? mr. barcott: our pledge focuses , integrity, civility and courage. including the kurds to work across the aisle and talk to each other. onhave an interesting video our website that looks at the way that congress people voted across party lines 50 years. 50 years ago there was stuff that got done that matter to real americans. people were voting across party lines. almost -- now you have almost none of that. gridlock, it was -- it is a hot mess. if you have a coalition, it doesn't need to be that large in terms of numbers. 40 members on both sides that

are focused on putting the country first and putting principles before politics, that is a step in the right direction and it is what we need. host: are there specific issues that unite veterans? mr. barcott: this is common our real focus is on character and not specific policies. that is important in order to bring this group together and unite us. host: james in minnesota, good morning. caller: rochester, michigan. no worries. great guest and great opportunity. you answered my question regarding the funding. once you get these veterans elected to congress how do you --p them in the spirit of

how do you keep them from falling into a caucus, really focusing on getting reelected? our vision for the organization which is also on our website is focused on 2018.ss and the house in the house may be the most difficult of all government bodies. our longer term vision for the supporttion is to next-generation veterans who are running across the united states including in state and local elections, to be a broader organization for the united states. in order to keep people accountable, that's why we have a pledge. some people might say we have heard about pledges before. is they are very

specific concrete actions that the members agree to take. a lot of the next generation veterans, they not only believe them but are part of them and part of their dna. one of the actions issue return money if it will take your integrity. you don't lie or attack an opponent in an and. these can be measured and health accountable. they will be able to support incumbents once they are in office and i think that will be part of it, do you live up to what you say you are going to do. host: madison, mississippi. go ahead. caller: i am a retired military, blasted to travel to four corners of the world. bem coming to the -- to

i'm going to testify on how to deal with north korea. then, ias president retired from the core this year to do the work and i know what is going on in russia and the middle east at this time. i never could get to the right people because they had so much politics lining up against them. i am willing to testify sometime in the future. i am a veteran. we can do much more. i agree with you. thank you for your service. a don't think it is coincidence that the representation in congress is at a record low, 19% of congress and yet dysfunction is at an

all-time high. the good news about veterans is regarding -- regardless of your party affiliation you know how to work together and get things done. i appreciate you mentioning the north korea situation. members, former secretary of state george shultz , also a world war ii beretta. host: what kind of skill sets to veterans have that lead to successful service in congress? the proven ability to serve and put service above self. super important these days. the ability to work together on tough problems and often under duress. i remember a 22-year-old that i served with a couple in the marine corps.

grew up in a hard situation, found his way into the marine corps and iraq was leading a squad of 10 worries into battle and was awarded the silver star. he was leading at 22 years old. work what it means to together in situations that matter. that's what we need more of in congress. in alabama. caller: my question is what do bergdahl about bowe receiving $300,000 for walking off of his post and seven guys were killed rescuing him. no telling how may people he had gotten him killed because of information he gave to the telepath and they are paying him three her thousand dollars. i just don't understand our government anymore. i don't have a

specific opinion on that case. obviously it is a serious case. we're not saying every veteran is a part of the solution either. there are over 100 next-generation veterans who will run for office and we are selecting the top 25 or 35. host: how would you connect that group of 25 or 32 the money? mr. barcott: the way the organization works is we are a super pac, that means we are and can runy campaign expenditures for the candidates that we support. -- we have the ability to participate in primary elections. a lot of these folks are not affluent. in order to even have credibility a politician has to raise a few hundred thousand dollars. affluent.

circles, they can't even get their start. we are going to fix that by getting these strategic resources in and helping these young men and women. host: do they come with the knowledge of the many issues they face on the kill or do you have to remember is he? mr. barcott: we work with some great partners that are focused on education and recruiting of veterans. that quality of candidate needs to start with character. and that'swe screen why our pledge focuses on integrity, credibility and current. when you have that is a bedrock you can build on it. a lot of the candidates are not focused on the issue. and that's a good thing.

they are not particularly went to special interest, if that are of and achieve things from their. caller: good morning. i have experience when i was in and my -- was in a joint chief of death of the pentagon. i lived in liberty, alex andrea and serving in the air force, the marines and the army joint didn'tof staff, some all have anything else to do and that was nothing else. what do you think? mr. barcott: thanks for that comment. just mentioning admiral the so-called, reince me of my father who was a vietnam veteran . advisoryund one of our

isk members of this armor -- admiral michael mullen. there is a desire to find solutions in america. we have been able to see the andh -- both former leaders next-generation veterans who are coming together to unite around this vision. host: on to bob in michigan. caller: good morning. one thing i want to mention is behind you10% because we need more veterans to get into office and. don't let anybody by you often are you in here pocket. and they talk about its area.

that's how you get it. you will gain experience once you get there. i am behind him 100 or so. cds. in the fighting even where i live i am taking about running for office here in the township the next time they have an election. you get people in there and they want to state were ever and after two terms they should be out the door, no retirement. bob, what does what would a veteran ring to congress that is not there now? caller: he can bring a lot of experience that he has learned over the years and make basic change. host: what office do you want to

run for? caller: the township supervisor next time they have an election. mr. barcott: thanks for your service. founded withy we is because there are so many veterans in particular that are hungry to serve again but high barriers to entry. the average cost of a congressional race is 2 million-$3 million. an incredible barrier to entry. we need strategic national resources in order to get these veterans into office who can help unite us and make this country -- put it on the right

course. host: daniel from north carolina. caller: let me predicate what i will say here was this. i in no way equates mine service with combat veterans. -- inborn in 19 turkey's 1936. i served in the air force through 55-59. /i had a small part in the development of two weapons systems that ours will currently in the arsenal of the armed forces, the air to air side winder guided missile and the antitank dotted missile. i am proud of my service but i would like to ricky lies knows or in war veterans, that they

did serve and they did their part in the armed forces effort. thank you. host: final thought on that caller and on your organization and your work in the future as well. mr. barcott: we are with honor.org, check us out. we are delighted to be here and delighted to have launched nationally here on veterans day. is founder of this organization and we appreciate your time. we will take one time out and do some open phones. your thoughts on veterans day. will continue to from you for this next 25 minute.

we will be back in with more of your thoughts. ago the united states was at war in vietnam and this veterans day weekend american history tv looks back with 48 hours of coverage. sunday at 4 p.m. eastern on real america, but 1957 the non-war special report. weather, the terrain, it seems clear that the american along the dmz has bought down, like the marines in the mud. at six on american artifacts, we will to the national archives

exhibit remembering vietnam and that 8:00 the presidency, the 1957 lyndon johnson press conference. >> what we would do if we had communist aggression in that part of the world in 1954. we said we would stand with those people in the face of common danger. the time came when we had to put up or shut up. we put up and we were there. vietnam war 50 years later, this weekend on american history tv on c-span three. i am the program director of the miami book fair. miamies place in downtown . representinguthors every genre, everything you can think of we are representing. the miami book fair live from

miami-dade college, said with a in sunday, november 18 and 19 on c-span two. >> washington journal continues. host: more of your thoughts on this veterans day. we have 20 minutes or so. at 11:00 eastern time vice president mike pence will be at arlington national cemetery. he's depths in for the president for the annual wreathlaying at arlington. , 11:00ill be a ceremony eastern time right here with a repeat at 8 p.m. eastern time. american history television, c-span3 all weekend will be focusing only vietnam war 50 years later. a lot of material for you to watch beginning with the event at the national archives at 11:30. if it now veterans memorial at 1:00 featuring chuck

hagel and the designer of the vietnam veterans memorial. lots of activity in material on american history tv, every weekend on c-span three. .harles, from maryland what are your thoughts on this veterans day? from 1978am a veteran -1992 out of norfolk, virginia. i recognize this is a historic day for all veterans. ,ack in the day when i served there was a good command .tructure there was an operations objective and a purpose for what we did. it was a job. by howlittle dismayed

they cover veterans today, glamorizing it. situationa difficult in this world today. we are let into places and do things that i am -- objectionable to. flag, in my day when i served in the military, it was a job. we didn't ask for thanks, we were looking for kudos or anything like that. now i think the service members isutation in america countered because of the manipulation because of what politics are going on in the world. i never liked is going into israel. i am sorry -- going into your

rack iraq. host: roger from florida. welcome. caller: i was impressed with your guests. the organization he is launching , his aims and objectives seem very laudable. emphasizing getting things done as though simply getting things done for the sake of getting things done was a worthy objective it i don't agree. i think we need to step back and take a deep rough and consider the consequences of things we want to get done and whether they will be truly beneficial, and try to do less but of higher quality. i would say that to anybody and politics. veteran, but am

profoundly grateful to the guys who put their lives on the line and kept us safe for all these years. earlier there was something else that someone said about president trump that i found obnoxious, but that was a long way back in the program. i see no reason to use an opportunity like this to throw bricks at the president. best hehe is doing the can under difficult circumstances and deserves credit. feel that congress is dysfunctional, is almost to the point of being disgusting. i wish your guest the very best of luck. thank you. as you can imagine, president trump continuing to make news about his asian true. the front page of the washington post. they are waiting for a group photo.

the white house said the would not have a formal meeting at the summit but leave the possibility open. headline,other post donald trump said vietnam is a great miracle. he said he is praising vietnam in brief remarks before the state dinner calling the nation one of the great miracles of the world. the u.s. and vietnam have come along way in reference to the vietnam war. there is nothing more impressive than the success of the country. rice, shrimpteamed rolls and fried egg and seafood soup. trump is scheduled for talks with vietnamese leaders before

heading to the philippines. come we will have coverage over the weekend here on c-span. mark from north port, florida. caller: i am 65. i was right in the middle where i did not have to go to vietnam but many of my friends did and if you did not come back. andnt to thank all veterans service people, thank you for doing everything you have done to allow me to have 65 years of freedom. host: thank you for calling. mark miller from jacksonville florida. get soment, i

emotional when people say thank you for your service. when they find a i'm a veteran, then they say other things like other times they say -- my prayers and thoughts are with and anybody who knows anybody about prayers and thoughts knows they don't go anywhere without works. it cuts to my heart to hear people say that to me sometimes. i just have to turn away sometimes and say thank you for your service. when they allocate taxes, or vote, when they say , if you really think me why is it that i can't get teeth that i got knocked out.

waits it that i have to 6-8 months to get a brace that could have me walking and probably working if i wanted to. i do honor veterans and the one i admire is william to come see sherman. it's so hurtful for people to say thank you for your service. man who hady an old lived through the early part of the 20's and he said, thank you and a net goal won't get you a cup of coffee. florida.nge park i want somebody to

represent us disabled veterans. we have to fight for what is in our medical records. i wish someone would stand up for us, because we are not the ones writing in our medical records but everything is there they keep fighting us on our disability. give us what we earn and deserve. what has been your broader experience with the v.a.? caller: hurry up and wait. they fight you every step of the way, especially the doctors. host: thank you for calling. we have another 10-15 minutes on your calls and thoughts on

veterans day. found david shelton the veteran secretary calls for an advisory board on veterans benefit programs. he called for a new approach for dealing with the vast array of compensation programs, while stressing that he is not looking to cut benefits. it would bring clarity to what we are trying to do for veterans and how we can do that in the best way. he said earlier at the press club. he said that this is not about taking away benefits from veterans. it is about making benefits work better for veterans and transforming the v.a. to do better for generations for future veterans. from georgia.

caller: good morning. thank you for your service. i will forever say that because that is honorable, you served, you gave your life just like i did in 1979. i'm still fighting for my entitlements. you,t to say a word to learn the law, title 38. get in your books and read. a veteran service organization, that's fine. if you have an attorney, i want you to get in those books and learn your entitlements. if your service connected, if you served and you were injured under the law, you are entitled to those benefits based on the

law. to my son who is in the navy, and my daughter that just left saudi arabia, hello, she is in the air force and stationed at langley. to every veteran, thank you for service. if you have entitlements, for keep fighting. host: thank you for calling. the new york post has this headline, usn so -- south korea start drills in a show against the north. u.s. and southhe korea today starting these joint naval exercises that will involve three u.s. aircraft carriers in what officials describe as a clear warning to north korea. it began in the watcher's off of south korea's eastern coast.

the battle groups of the uss ronald reagan, the theodore roosevelt and the nimitz will successfully enter the exercise area for the drills that run until tuesday. that's in the new york post this morning on this veterans day. cap from the state of michigan. goal of the with honor organization is in did laudable. i am afraid i have a lot of skepticism about it. -- theu have both party heads of both parties telling their membership that they are not to say anything, do anything, or vote in any way that will make the other party look good, that they will be punished if they do, that they

will lose their committee chairmanships, committees, they won't give money from their parties for reelection purposes. you hear every day of members that have come in and good people with good reasons for getting elected and coming into congress. down orpressure to out else sit back and do nothing for four years is just too great. host: thank you. greg from manchester township in new jersey. caller: good morning. i am a blue water navy veteran from 1968-72. sea. on the uss coral orangelling about agent

rights being denied. i think it is a shame that the congress, v.a., and the public don't realize that our rights have been taken away. be awarded the vietnam service -- middlethat middle doesn't mean anything. hr299 orngress to pass secretary give us our rights back. host: thank you for calling. reminder about some of our live programming at 11:00 eastern time. will go to arlington national cemetery where vice president pence will lay the wreath and the annual ceremony at the amphitheater. that is live at 11:00.

american history tv, 50 years later, we are looking back to the vietnam war. this is a brief preview of what .s happening on c-span3 >> more than 50,000 persons took part and march on the pentagon to protest the war. a leader of that demonstration was cheery group and jerry groopman. we asked him. lyndon johnson is a common murderer and should be arrested for murder. the peace movement should have , the vietnamese woman whose child was shot with napalm. the peas movement has to go into the streets and use that tactic

of this russian. the american people are drunk with apathy. in a situation with germany in the 40's. governor wallace speaking in ohio gave his views on the limitations of dissent. overseas used against the american servicemen and those whose the and call in the name of academic freedom are giving around support and are abating the enemy in moscow. if i were the president the first thing i would do is have my attorney general directs some of these bearded professors making these speeches and send them off to the penitentiary could -- because they are traitors. about consent,g

throughout the country on this dissent about our being in vietnam because you love our country, and maybe you don't think we should be there. many of the congress feel the same way. the difference between honest dissent and treason adding eight and comfort to the enemy. later today on american history television. we will be live from the national archives at 11:30 eastern. man whohear from the piloted helicopters. we will take your calls about americannd at 1:00 history tv is live from the .merican veterans memorial in the designer of the vietnam memorial. all of that is on c-span3, american history tv. gus, go ahead. caller: i served four years of

active duty in the air force from 1956-1960 and two years in the reserves. training, later technical school in mississippi. one year in iceland which was an unpleasant experience. after that i was stationed in california for two years. i am disappointed that no cold war metal out -- was awarded to the people during the cold war. how about these people who served aticeland, who the air force base. no recognition was given to them in the form of overseas duty. the cold war metal was approved by the house, but rejected by senate because it was too expensive.

instead of a certificate of recognition was awarded to people who served during the 1945war through september through 1991 signed by the secretary of defense. to giveg should be done recognition to those people who served overseas during the cold war and also the cold war metal. how much does it cost, a couple of sense to even get a ribbon. for those people who served and lousy places. sea duty.tic ocean, i don't know why it wasn't done. a certificate of recognition is on yellow paper. i have one. i worked in the marine knowuarters, i happen to

all the types of discharges. that a dishonorable discharge is written on yellow paper, the same thing as the certificate of recognition is typed on yellow paper. i wish there would be some kind of recognition in the form of a metal. a medal. a ribbon with overseas duty was out toout that came late, after my service. 2000 andut in something. after my time. thank you for calling. one more call. the arizona republic today a day to celebrate those who served. the nation cost to remember all

of those who have served of the nearly 21 million veterans across u.s., 522,000 plus live in arizona. thatrth-central florida star bad, thank you for my freedom is the headline, a photo of some veterans with some students, retired marine corporal saluting with students at the marion county veterans program in the oh call a star star. -- ocala , flew 365 missions as a navy pilot or the -- during the vietnam war or the last call, from ohio. good morning. caller: good morning. i would like to think our veterans and get in on the discussion this morning.

i would like to thank the veterans in my family, i dad who is deceased now. he was a marine medic in world war ii. my son who served on a submarine. son, who served in some core for the united states. my brother, who retired from the air force. my nephew who is still in the air force who will retire from their bank, and my other nephew in the united states army. i go every memorial day and i stand with the veterans on memorial day and i receive a flag from them every year. i put that flag on the back of my motorcycle and each year, i turn that flag in to the american legion and they give me another one to fly. i keep it on the back of my motorcycle to let the vets know that i still support them