Respectance.com

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1. Comment by Michael Alcayde at 12:50 am, November 15th, 2007

   Hi, I writing to honor the father that I never really knew. He served in Vietnam from 1968-1970. He, like most never returned the same person that left. Unfortunately while he was there he was exposed to Agent Orange among the horrible killing that probably changed his mental disposition for ever. Upon his arrival home I was his first child conceived. Things did not work out with my mom and him. he had become to violent. I guess today we would call it PTS. I saw him a total of 2 to 3 times in my life. I heard in later years that he had become ill. In recent months I have had back surgery. They needed to know my father’s medical history and I hav nothing to tell them. My wife finally found him a week after I was released from the hospital. The sad thing is she found him in a news clip on the internet. He had passed a week and a half earlier. The reasoin he made the news is because he had been a veteran of Vietnam, served his country and finally determined by the VA to be suffering from side affects of Agernt Orange. Like most he was never compenasated. They played around with his paperwork for benefits until he passed. The bigger ordeal is when the Government would not pay for a complete burial unless they took him hundreds of miles away to a national cemetery. Out of 52 people in his troop he was one of 2 that came out alive. Even though he returned home in 1970 he still gave his life for our country. Only in a much more slow and agonizing way, but the war of Vietnam was generous, they did send him home with gifts. They sent just enough Agent Orange with him to affect the rest of his offspring that were born after his return. We all have a degenrative disease or some kind of neurological problem but do you think our government is going to step up o the plate and admit it and help us? No would be the answer. At least that what so many doctors have already told me. Well ny father was never burried in a national cemetery where his caretakers and loved one’s wouldn’y have been able go see him due to the ditance from his home town, but his ex wife was kind enough to borrow against her 401 to give him a minimal service. I have found out many things since he passed. I only wish I could have heard him say them before he did. I have been brought some peace of mind in knowing what I do now. I wish things would have been different between he an myself but I am still very proud of him and the time he served our country. Even if this is the last communication between he and I and I am not even sure that he will ever know, I hope he is honored for all that he did in the service.