PREPARED STATEMENT OF MAUREEN E. NERLI, VIETNAM CIVILIAN VOLUNTEER, BURLINGAME, CA

IT SEEMS ALL TOO EASY TO FORGET THE DEDICATED AND COURAGEOUS ROLE OF THE 10,000 AMERICAN WOMEN WHO VOLUNTEERED FOR CIVILIAN SERVICE IN VIETNAM WITH THE U.S.O., AMERICAN RED CROSS AND OTHER AGENCIES. WHY MUST OUR PART IN THE VIETNAM CONFLICT

BE REMEMBERED UNDER "MISCELLEANOUS" IN HISTORY BOOKS? WHEN THE GOING WAS TOUGH, WHEN OUR COUNTRY NEEDED US, WE FORGOT THE RISK, THE DANGER AND VOLUNTEERED FOR SERVICE. DESPITE OUR PERSONAL OPINIONS OF THE WAR, WE WERE THERE TO HELP IN ANY WAY WE COULD. THERE WAS A JOB TO DO AND WE GLADLY DID IT. MANY OF THESE WOMEN, IT MUST BE NOTED, HAD TO PAY FOR THEIR OWN AIRFARE TO VIETNAM. THE MONEY WAS TAKEN OUT OF THEIR MONTHLY PAYCHECKS. SUCH VALOR MUST NOT CONTINUE TO BE

IGNORED.

RECOGNITION FOR A SERVICE IN VIETNAM MUST BE OUR MEDAL OF HONOR. IT IS

LONG OVERDUE, GENTLEMEN, LONG OVERDUE.

ARE WE IGNORED BECAUSE WE ARE NOT CLASSIFIED AS VETERANS IN THE FEDERAL MEANING

OF THE TERM? WELL, THEN, GIVE US VETERANS STATUS AND THAT PROBLEM WILL BE SOLVED. WHY SHOULDN'T WE RECEIVE THAT STATUS, WE SERVED OUR COUNTRY DIDN'T WE?

MANY OF THE WOMEN CIVILIANS ARE TODAY SUFFERING FROM PHYSICAL AND EMOTIONAL
PROBLEMS AS A DIRECT RESULT OF THEIR EXPERIENCES IN VIETNAM, TO INCLUDE SPRAYING
OF AGENT ORANGE. WHY HAS IT TAKEN OUR GOVERNMENT SO LONG TO RECOGNIZE THIS ISSUE?
CERTAINLY IT IS NOT BECAUSE OUR RESPECTIVE AGENCIES ARE NOT PART OF THE MECHANICS
OF OUR GOVERNMENT TODAY. MANY OF YOU ARE MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE
U.S.O. AND AMERICAN RED CROSS. CERTAINLY YOU MUST BE COGNIZANT OF THE RESPECTIVE

AGENCY'S EFFORTS IN VIETNAM. WHY THEN ARE THE PERSONNEL WHO SERVED THESE AGENCIES
COMPLETELY IGNORED? WHEN WE REACH OUT FOR HELP, WE ARE TOLD WE ARE NOT VETERANS
SO LOOK ELSEWHERE FOR HELP. I FIND THAT OFFENSIVE TO THE PERSONAL DIGNITY OF EVERY
CIVILIAN WOMAN (AND MAN) WHO SERVED IN VIETNAM.

ONLY YOU CAN CHANGE THAT ACT OF DISCRIMMINATION, GENTLEMEN. YOU MUST ALSO REMEMBER THAT WHEN WE SERVED IN VIETNAM WE RECEIVED THE DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE IDENTIFICATION THAT IN ESSENCE READ:

".(SHE)....is a civilian non-combatant serving with

the Armed Forces of the United States.

designating grade, rate or rank, the DOD identification

is that of Warrant Officer-Captain, Military Service: USA."

IF, THEN, OUR SERVICE WAS OF A MILITARY NATURE, WHY MUST WE FACE DISCRIMMINATION
IN APPLYING FOR FEDERAL SERVICE POSITIONS? WE ARE NOT GIVEN POINTS FOR MILITARY
SERVICE, AND ARE PLACED ON LOW PRIORITY FOR POSITIONS MOST OF US ARE QUALIFIED
TO PERFORM. I FIND THAT OVERSIGHT INEXCUSEABLE. WE SHOULD BE GIVEN STATUS
FOR SERVICE IN VIETNAM, TOTALLY WITHOUT RESERVATION.

IN SO FAR AS THE AGENT ORANGE SITUATION, GOVERNOR DUKEMEJIAN OF CALIFORNIA
VETOED ASSEMBLY TOM HAYDEN'S BILL TO ALLOW TESTING AND MEDICAL CARE FOR
MILITARY PERSONNEL LIVING IN CALIFORNIA. IF THE MILITARY ARE EXCLUDED FROM
THIS, THEN WHAT CHANCE DO WE CIVILIAN VIETNAM VETERANS HAVE OF GETTING
TREATMENT FOR AGENT ORANGE PROBLEMS OR POST TRAUMATIC STRESS PROBLEMS. FOLLOW
THE BOUNCING BALL, GENTLEMEN, BECAUSE IT IS GOING TO BE IN YOUR COURT ANY

MINUTE.

WE WOMEN CIVILIAN VIETNAM VETERANS, WHO SERVED WITH THE U.S.O., AMERICAN RED CROSS
AND U.S. ARMY SPECIAL SERVICES, ARE YOUR CONSTITUENTS. WE PUT YOU IN OFFICE. IF
YOU FAIL TO HEAR OUR CRY NOW, DON'T EXPECT US TO DO THE SAME FOR YOU AGAIN. EVEN
THOUGH WE MAY BE A SMALL MINORITY, DON'T UNDERESTIMATE OUR POWER. REMEMBER,
IT TAKES A FEW TO INFLUENCE THE MANY. ALWAYS HAS AND ALWAYS WILL BE TRUE.

37-524 0-84-31

GRANTED THERE IS A LONG ROAD TO TRAVEL ON THIS ISSUE.

ATTENTION MUST BE PAID TO

THROUGHOUT AMERICAN

OUR NEEDS. IGNORING THE PROBLEM WILL NOT MAKE IT GO AWAY.
HISTORY WOMEN HAVE SERVED IN QUIET ISOLATION. BUT THE TIDE IS CHANGING. YOU ARE
DEALING WITH A NEW GENERATION OF WOMEN, WOMEN WHO FIND IT NECESSARY TO SPEAK UP
AND OUT AND WITH OBVIOUS RESULTS. THE VOICE OF WOMANKIND IS EMBARKING ON A NEW
ERA. TIMES ARE CHANGING. WE MUST BE RECOGNIZED AND IT IS UP TO US TO FORM AN
ALLIANCE WITH YOU TO MAKE THAT CHANGE POSSIBLE.

THANK YOU.

Maureen Herli

MAUREEN E. NERLI 2460 Poppy Drive

Burlingame, CA 94010

(415) 347-2007

SERVED AS ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF THE TAN SON NHUT U.S.O IN VIETNAM
SERVED AS ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR OF THE UTAPAO U.S.O. IN THAILAND
SERVED AS DIRECTOR OF U.S. ARMY SPECIAL SERVICE CLUBS IN KOREA
SERVED AS DIRECTOR OF U.S. ARMY SPECIAL SERVICE CLUB AT FORT ORD,
CALIFORNIA

ILLIAM S. COHEN

MAINE

United States Senate

WASHINGTON, D.C. 20510

April 11, 1984

The Honorable Alan K. Simpson
Chairman

Committee on Veterans Affairs
SR-414

Washington, D.C. 20510

Dear Al:

I am writing to thank you and the entire Committee membership for providing Senator Mitchell and myself with an opportunity to use today's legislative hearing on Veterans Health Care to focus on the concerns that rural veterans in Maine have about the availability of authorized Veterans Administration (VA) health-care services.

On March 29, in preparation for today's hearing, Senator Mitchell wrote to Harry Walters and outlined several questions that we would like to have answered by the VA regarding this issue. It is my hope that the Veterans Administration will address these questions in its testimony today so that Senator Mitchell and I may proceed with our plans to offer legislation that will begin to address Maine veterans' concerns during the Committee markup of a health bill on May 2.

The legislation that we are proposing would accomplish two things. As Senator Mitchell's bill S.523 would do, our bill would provide for an experimental rural health-care program for eligible veterans in Aroostook County in northern Maine.

In this regard, I am pleased to see that the Administration's Fiscal Year 1985 VA budget includes $105,000 to determine the costeffectiveness of providing health care for rural veterans in several rural health centers in Maine. This project has received initial approval from both the VA medical center at Togus, Maine and the VA in Washington and it is our intention to see that Aroostook County veterans can participate in that or some other experimental program this year.

Our bill will also require the VA to develop statistics that would allow the Committee to determine the true extent of the problem that the VA has in providing adaquate health-care services to eligible veterans who live in other rural areas of the country.

During hearings on S.523 last July, Senator Mitchell amply demonstrated that eligible rural veterans in Maine use VA health-care services much less frequently than do veterans who live short distances from Togus. In Maine, statistics indicate that when rural

The Honorable Alan K. Simpson
April 11, 1984

Page two

veterans finally do come to the VA for medical assistance their problems are usually more severe than are those of other veterans. The result of this inequitable situation seems to be extended stays at Togus, with higher costs for the VA health-care system.

Because the VA has been unable to provide comparable statistics for rural veterans in other areas of the country, Senator Mitchell and I believe that it is time for the VA to develop those statistics. We also believe that it is time for the VA to focus upon cost-effective health-care alternatives for rural veterans in Maine and in other portions of the country.

The establishment of an experimental health-care project in northern Maine this year would be an important first step in this process.

Again, thank you for your assistance in allowing me to explore these important alternatives with the Committee and with the VA. With warm regards, I am

WSC/jhk

Sincerely,

William S. Cohen
United States Senator