Blue Water Navy

In February 2008, I volunteered to work on projects for Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans’ Association. Up until that point, I had just been a regular member since the Yahoo days. My first assignment was to write a form letter for contacting congressmen and senators that could be used by membership.

After that I was told that we needed an outreach function to contact media and politicians. I made several small town contacts which I found by researching writers who had written specifically about Blue Water Navy. I also started making contacts with national media investigative news reporters and producers. The most notable was CBS News. My work with CBS would later be interrupted by member’s requests that I do a follow up with a local ABC News station in Raleigh, NC. I did go to Raleigh, NC, and had to perform a sales presentation to get considered for a news slot. As result, Harry Spencer and myself did perform interviews, provided complete copies of our service records and medical files to CBS lawyers and spent approximately three months trying to get the news broadcast aired. I was also instrumental in getting Bob Filner included in the final footage.

I created a mailer for other veteran’s service organizations asking for help for Blue Water Navy. In addition to the mailers, I made phone calls to the major ones.
I also attempted to make contact with both house and senate veterans affairs committees. I had little luck with the senate, but did make good progress with the house. It was then that I met Filner’s press secretary and started receiving Filner’s press statements which I posted after removing her phone number and contact information as a professional courtesy. I was able to meet the staff director and legal counsel for the Veterans’ Benefits section at that same time.

In May 2008, one of our members and a good friend of mine, Robert Taylor, Sr. committed suicide after hearing the results of the CVAC decision on Haas. I immediately called Armen Keteyan, chief investigative correspondent for CBS Evening News who broke the veteran suicide stories. I was unable to discuss what information we had given ABC, Raleigh, NC because of an agreement at that time.
I did manage to get Blue Water Navy invited to Filner’s legislation announcement in July of last year. John Rossie and I attended on behalf of Blue Water Navy. As you now know, that legislation was held and not presented.

In the meantime, Blue Water Board of Directors Chairman decided to have a talk with Bob Filner and arranged for our Membership Manager to contact Filner for an interview. This interview was conducted by John Rossie in a last minute change and posted to the Blue Water Navy site.

Later, John Rossie would be contacted by veteran advocates who wanted inclusion in future legislation. These are veterans of Thailand, Laos and Cambodia. Their requests were transferred to Filner by Blue Water Navy. This activity caused some Blue Water Navy members to leave the group and found another group.

During my tenure in my outreach position, I found it increasingly difficult to function with Filner’s press secretary with more than one member in contact and voiced my displeasure. This was first done by private email to those involved and then addressed to the Board of Directors Chairman.

Somewhere in my beginning months as outreach director, I created a set of rules for the forum in order to create a more professional organization. It has always been the goal of Blue Water Navy to actively seek accreditation as a veteran’s service organization recognized by the Congress. We were aware that many politicians, including Filner read our forums. In order to keep our forum functional, I have worked diligently combating attacks from spammers, and exploits. Recently we have had major changes occur that prevents this activity. I served as a major proponent for getting this increased level of protection. Some members fail to realize that for every post they make, someone is working to provide the services of this forum.

How we conduct ourselves on the forum is open for almost everyone to see. My contacts in other veteran organizations see it. These are organizations that I call on for support when we need it.

What makes it very difficult to perform my functions is the loss of professional decorum in dealing with legislators and on forum transgressions. I did ask in a nice way that these stop. I have not been backed by the Board of Directors in any way. I was told to wait for this to blow over. In all honesty, I personally do not believe this to be the best approach to handle this situation. Blue Water Navy will continue without a structured backbone because that is the way it wants to do business.

Make no mistake, I am a Blue Water Navy advocate and will continue to be one in the future. I will continue my advocates training. Like most of you, I am not in the best of health, so that becomes my major concern at the moment. I am not getting enough oxygen into my blood and have developed tremors as a result of neurology.

As you aware, I sent out a news release to try and free up our legislation. In that news release I discussed the importance of taking immediate action for legislation supporting Blue Water Navy because our numbers are dwindling. Just about every disruption that could occur or any event that could happen has taken place. We live in constant hope of overcoming these, but the job is not done until our president signs into law what we deserve.

On another note, I have filed a notice of disagreement and provided additional information to my Regional Office. I have researched what it takes to normally get a “direct exposure” claim through the system. There is a slight chance it will be accepted at the Regional Office but should it have to go through the BVA and CVAC levels, it could take as much as four years. It leaves an opening to submit additional evidence at the BVA level if you ask for a remand and BVA action.

Forum Rules of Use
Version 3 (8/30/2008)

Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Association does not discriminate based on race, religion, sex, color, sexual orientation, political beliefs, existential beliefs, or for any other reason that is a right protected by law.

In the interest of mutual and shared goals, I have agreed to initiate a new rule banning any negative comments about other veteran organizations. This is being done for the best interests of all activities we are now focused on. We wish to bring about a positive result to current veteran issues and activities we are working on. I appreciate your agreement to comply, and see that keeping our posts positive is in the best interests of all.

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READING IS ALWAYS OK!

WoW, Wally that's some disclaimer, can I say that?

Sure, I lifted that from the two largest forums on the Internet.