The Newsletter of the PSYOP Veterans Association
(POVA)
Founded 1988
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President's Letter
I learned just this morning that there may have been a problem with our email newsletters, whereby some of our members were unable to read them because the type font was extremely small. This was the first I'd heard this from a POVA member, and I'm glad I did. Thanks to John Barrows for bringing this to my attention.
Once I began digging into this problem, I discovered that our email service somehow reduces the size of the type font substantially. Whereas I prepare the newsletter in a Verdana font at 11 pt, the copy that arrives in your inbox has been changed to a Calibri 8.5 or 9 pt. That just doesn't make any sense. Being that today is Sunday, our vendor is closed, but I will speak with them during the week. In the meantime, I have adjusted the newsletter to a size 16 Verdana font, which seems to partially resolve the readability problem. When you receive this, please let me know how it arrives and if you experience a problem with the font.
POVA continues to develop its planning efforts for our 19-23 May 2020 Biennial Reunion. As you'll see below, we have selected our HQ hotel, scheduled our Reunion Banquet, begun planning our POVA Business Meeting, and are now planning the many other activities which will keep us all engaged for the duration.
On 25 October, POVA learned of the death of POVA Member James O. Twist of the 321st Tactical PSYOP Company, in Grand Rapids, MI. James was 27 years old, a husband and father, a veteran of combat in Afghanistan, and a Trooper in the Michigan State Police. James experienced PTSD as a result of severe combat experiences in Afghanistan, and wrote of this in a blog that he authored. To tell you the truth, having read his blog posts, I can identify with so much of what he experienced.....and experiences. I believe most combat veterans can. James worked hard to help other vets connect with help for their PTSD. That just makes his sudden passing all the more difficult to address.
One of his last entries was a plea to his brother soldiers and veterans to seek help for their own PTSD, and to work with the VA's Veterans Crisis Line.
I CANNOT EMPHASIZE ENOUGH THAT YOU DO NOT HAVE TO LIVE ON AN ISLAND WITH PTSD.
Like cancer, we cannot fight it alone. I have struggled with PTSD for over 50 years and am still learning how to deal with it.
The VA Crisis Line phone number is 800-273-8255.
A Go Fund Me has been created online to raise funds to help James' wife and young children. POVA has made a donation as have several POVA members. To help his family, please visit
www.gofundme.com/f/twist
For those of you continuing to deal with PTSD, or for those who know others dealing with this miserable scourge, POVA is once again offering a very special autobiographical story by Howard Patrick, who has struggled with PTSD since his days with the 1st Cavalry Division in Viet-Nam. A Reconnaisance team leader and PSYOP/CA team member toward the end of his tour in 1969, "Pat" and I served and fought together. His book on his own experience with PTSD has been very helpful to me, and I have given copies of it to many of my friends who continue to live with it. His deeply discounted offer is very generous, and offered from a very big heart to his fellow veterans. Details are included below.
Chad Spawr
President
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Lest we Forget.......
Please remember that American men and women are deployed in many places around the world and are in constant danger. Please save a thought and prayer for our fellow deployed Psywarriors, and for all Americans deployed. They are our Brothers!
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Life Member Howard Patrick Continues to serve his fellow Veterans
Many veterans are intimately familiar with the problems associated with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). In his book,
A Never Ending Battle: How Vietnam Changed Me Forever,
Howard documents and details the tortured path he travelled to deal with the traumas he experienced as a Recon Infantryman in Viet-Nam.
Howard is not a licensed therapist or psychologist, but he is a veteran who rode this miserable beast and has learned how to manage it in his life. His book is an outstanding recitation of how PTSD actually affects the human body, mind and spirit, but more importantly, it makes clear that there is a path which can be taken to move toward help in dealing with this miserable affliction.
To help put his book in the hands of his veterans (of all wars!), Howard is making a very special offer during the month of November to make his book accessible in both Kindle Reader and print versions. Here is the offer.
- For those who prefer Kindle format, you'll be able to download from the Amazon Kindle site for $0.99. A great deal!
- If you prefer a hard copy of the book, go to Howard's website (howardpatrick.weebly.com) and click on the Buy Tab, then click on the Amazon HERE link. The hard copy cost will be $8.49 for November ONLY.
If you know any veteran who is struggling with PTSD, give a copy of Howard's book. It has helped several of us in POVA, and continues to help those veterans who have received it as a gift.
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POVA 2020 Biennial Reunion Hotel Reservation Information
Registration Fee for the 2020 Reunion will be $45.00 per person. Once Registration opens, you'll be able to register and pay your fees via our POVA website.
For those who wish to attend the Banquet dinner only, the cost will be $25.00 per person, also payable on our POVA website. For those who decide "at the last minute" to attend the banquet, you'll be able to pay at the door.
You can now begin making your hotel reservations at our Reunion HQ Hotel.
To assure that you are able to make the selection you desire, you should contact the hotel at your earliest convenience to make a reservation.
I have just made my reservation, and this process works fine. If you call when Mary is on duty, she is very friendly and helpful.
Bordeaux Convention Center at the Ramada Plaza-Baymont Inn & Suites
1707 Owens Drive, Fayetteville, NC
Reservation Phone Number (direct): 910-323-0111
Specify this Reservation Code POVA20
Here are the agreed-upon room rates (all rates PLUS taxes):
King Bed: $79.00
King Suite: 109.00
Two Double Beds: 79.00
The room-rate includes complimentary Continental breakfast.
SPECIAL NOTE: IF YOU ARE A WYNDHAM REWARDS MEMBER, MENTION IT WHEN MAKING YOUR RESERVATION. YOU MAY GET AN ADDITIONAL DISCOUNT ON YOUR ROOM RESERVATION!
As further details develop, we'll update you by newsletter, by
POVAcomm
messages, and via our website at www.usapova.org.
Stay tuned!
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More Information on our September Honorary Life Members
The September newsletter did not include proper introductions to our Honorary Life Member. These Psywarriors lived exemplary careers, leveraging their PSYOP experience and professional acumen into careers that benefit our nation to this day.
Paul Coverdell was a Midwesterner who moved to Georgia in his early years and later became interested in politics. Elected to the Georgia State Senate he was minority leader for 24 years and chairman of the Georgia republican party from '85 to '87. He was ally and long time friend of President George H.W. Bush who named him director of the Peace Corps from 1989-91. He became a U.S. Senator for Georgia in 1992. While in the Senate he championed many bills, chief among them was education savings accounts and a 1.3 billion dollar aid package to Columbia to combat drug traffickers.
General Edwin H. Burba Jr. is a retired four-star general. He graduated West Point in 1959. He served two tours in Vietnam and commanded at all levels from platoon to major command to include the U.S.A. Infantry School, the 7
th
Infantry Division and the Eighth United States Army. He served as Commander-in-Chief of the United States Army Forces Command (FORSCOM) from 1989-1993
Ronald H. Walker is an American executive. Walker served in the administration of President Richard Nixon, first at the Director of the White house Office of Presidential Advance where he was in charge of the advance team that coordinated President Nixon's groundbreaking visit to the Peoples Republic of China in February 1972. He later became Director of the National Park Service (1972-1975). He went on to become the President of the Richard Nixon Foundation and is currently the chairman of the board of the Nixon Foundation.
What did these men have in common?
A United States Senator
A four-star General
A senior Presidential administration executive
In 1964 These three men who went on to distinguished careers were working together assigned to the same unit in Okinawa . …...The United States Broadcasting and Visual Activities Pacific Command (USAB&VAPAC), a forerunner of the 4
th
PsyOp Group.
They were Psywarriors – in a unique unit with the expansive mission of providing psyop support to the Pacific Theater. Having men of this caliber in our history has helped to bring Psychological Operations to the stature it has in the Army today.
Psywarrior Mike Schrauth along with Ron Walker was a member of the White House advance team that set up President Nixon’s ground breaking trip to China. After leaving the administration in April 1974, he began a career as a business executive including positions with a trade association representing drug manufacturers, in computer magazine advertising and brokering residential real estate. The past 15 years he has been with a volunteer organization (Ignatian Volunteer Corps) serving as a tutor at an elementary charter on Chicago’s West Side. He is still at it - in a place where he can make a difference.
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POVA Gateway Chapter's Busy September
Gateway Chapter President Brett Cox reported two big events involving the Chapter and the 10th PSYOP Battalion located in St. Louis. By all accounts, these were very successful events. Great work by our awesome POVA chapter in St. Louis.
- A Tactical PSYOP Team from the 307th Tactical PSYOP Company, 10th PSYOP BN, supported the ROTC/JROTC Teambuilding event at Scott Air Force Base on 28 SEP 2019. The TPT set up a static display with HUMVEE and mounted loudspeaker to help pump up the Cadets with music during the practice ACFT and to showcase the capabilities of broadcast operations to encourage the future officers to become PSYWARRIORS.
- The 10th PSYOP BN in St. Louis, MO held a long overdue Battalion Reunion on 28 SEP 2019 at the Crestwood Elks Lodge. PSYOPers from most eras of the unit’s storied history had a great opportunity to reconnect with their brothers and sisters and get to know other Soldiers from the Battalion past and present. In addition to the great comradery, an amazing display of PSYOP artifacts from Vietnam to the present were on display covering deployments and peacetime engagements both specific to the companies of the 10th PSYOP BN and other PSYOP products. Planning to make this an annual event has already started and will combine with the POVA Reunion to be held in St. Louis in 2022.
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Excellent PSYOP Career Opportunities Available Right Now
POVA has been contacted by Bob Dugan, a representative of SOSi, a contracting firm that seeks to fill PSYOP-related positions. Here is the information he provided:
“My name is Bob Dugan and I'm a Recruiter with SOSi, a mid-sized and privately held government services integrator.
We're actively looking to hire some strategic communication planners for our program in Afghanistan. I would love 15 minutes of your time to chat about it. If you're not interested yourself, I'd still be interested to chat as we're offering paid referrals for this program I could tell you more about ($3,000 for a referral if hired!). Thanks for taking the time to read my message. I hope to chat with you soon.”
Below are the job links for the PSYOP-related positions we have a need to fill.
If this is "up your alley," please click on the link(s) above.
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Little-Known PSYOP Radios used extensively during and since Viet-Nam
A feature of active PSYOP planning has been further developed and is used today, over 50 years after it was deployed effectively during the Viet-Nam War. Small, solid-state transistorized radios, tuned to preset channels that broadcast American and Allied PSYOP messages and themes, were disseminated in the thousands by air drop, "stay behinds," and floated down rivers and canals, thus enabling local villagers to listen to specialized broadcasts in support of Allied objectives.
These little radios were quite durable to withstand their often difficult delivery methods. They were usually accompanied by a small pamphlet in the local language to explain their usage. Over time, the batteries would expire or they would be damaged and unusable. Since they were quite inexpensive, however, they could be readily replaced. Similar radios with more advanced miniature technology have been used in several different engagements involving US PSYOP forces.
According to POVA Historian Herb Friedman:
Thousands of these portable propaganda radios or "peanuts" were given to the Vietnamese so that they could listen to the Allied broadcasts and know what was going on in the war. There are numerous different types in various colors. Every time the radios ran out another contract would be signed to bring in more, usually from Japan. They were handed out, dropped by aircraft, and floated up streams by Naval forces.
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Attention All Psywarriors, Active Duty, Reservist and Veterans: Archiving and Expanding our PSYOP History
You may be familiar with the Psywarrior Website at
www.psywarrior.com
. The website is an online historic record of PSYOP documenting campaigns from World War I to current operations in Afghanistan and Iraq. The website is maintained by Ed Rouse, our POVA Archivist and Herb Friedman, our POVA Historian.
Their research, coupled with the help of PSYOP community, has provided a comprehensive history of our PSYOP campaigns but it could be better. They are constantly on the lookout for PSYOP related stories, anecdotes, product samples and on the ground photos of PSYOP in action.
You don't have to be a writer, you just need to send them an e-mail about your experiences. They will then ask questions and gather the information they need (Hmm, sounds a little like PSYOP)
. Their email addresses are listed at the bottom of this newsletter.
Ed and Herb are
especially interested
in getting more information about
PSYOP Reserve Unit deployments
as they are constantly asked why don't they write more about the Reserves. The answer is easy, you have to give them the information to get started.
So start digging through your old file cabinets, footlockers etc. and think about what stories you would like to share on the website.
If you don't share your history and experiences as a Psywarrior, who will do it? Who will learn from it? How will others benefit from your experience?
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The Long Way Home Project Documentary
A couple of years ago, POVA told our members about a video project that documented American involvement in Viet-Nam, and offered the video for sale. With an introduction by Gen-Ret. Norman Schwartkopf, it is an excellent video.
POVA Life Member Bob Martinez, a PSYOP veteran who served in Viet-Nam, was Executive Producer of "The Long Way Home Project," and he did a fine job. We hope Bob will be able to attend our 2020 Reunion in Fayetteville to meet our fellow members and perhaps "tell the story" behind the Project.
It is perhaps more pertinent today, in light of the Ken Burns "Vietnam War" special done last year on PBS. Some people liked this work by Burns, and others were not so pleased. The impression from some Nam veterans is that Burns "whitewashed" the communists and their atrocities, painted a very biased view of our South Viet-Namese allies, and then buttressed his leftist-antiwar perspective by using notable antiwar Viet-Nam veterans to "prove" his points.
"The Long Way Home Project" tells the story of the war from a different perspective, and clearly not from the same antiwar perspective that Burns and associates take. As there are always two sides to the same coin, this "Project" is the other side of the coin.
The video is available for streaming on Amazon Prime TV for $5.99 for all four episodes, and $1.99 for one episode. If you like, you can order a DVD for $19.99 on Amazon.
POVA offered these at the 2018 Biennial Reunion in Cleveland, but they sold out almost immediately. This is an excellent portrayal of a less left-nuanced Viet-Nam War.
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Some Major Anniversary and Birthday Celebrations
Let's recognize and remember some 2019 key
milestones in our PSYOP Regimental History
:
101 years ago
: first Army use of PSYOP leaflet dissemination by balloon over enemy troops in WWI.
31 years ago:
first reunion of 6th Battalion Viet-Nam PSYOP vets resulting in creation of POVA.
29 years ago:
PSYOP Association (POA) launched.
21 years ago:
the PSYOP Regiment was activated on 13 November 1998 at Ft. Bragg.
13 years ago:
PSYOP was formally activated as an official Branch in the US Army.
7 years ago:
PSYOP Regimental Association (PRA) activated.
Happy Birthday, Happy Anniversary...........let's celebrate, whatever we call it.
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**
POVA CONTACT INFORMATION **
PRESIDENT & NEWSLETTER EDITOR
FIRST VICE PRESIDENT
VICE PRESIDENT/CHAPLAIN
JOHN CHENEY
chen77jc@gmail.com
VICE PRESIDENT FINANCE
VICE PRESIDENT MEMBERSHIP
VICE PRESIDENT AT LARGE
HOWARD PATRICK on temporary leave of absence
VICE PRESIDENT MARKETING
ILYA NEMTSOV
ILYA.NEMTSOV@GMAIL.COM
GATEWAY CHAPTER PRESIDENT
PRESIDENT EMERITUS & BOARD MEMBER
POVA HISTORIAN
POVA ARCHIVIST
POVA TRUSTEES
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