Agent Orange – Podcastreporter.com

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In this episode of The Podcast Reporter show, we deliver some perspectives into the remembrance and celebrations of the National Vietnam War Veterans Day of 2023. This national day of recognition is always on the 29th of March.

And, yes, I was a part of the war, as a UPI reporter and cameraman captured a photo while we were on patrol as we were crossing a rapidly-flowing river in the mountains and jungle. And, yes, that is myself that the reporter captured on film some 52 years ago.

US troops of the 23rd (Americal) Infantry Division ford a river about 11 miles west of Chu Lai in South Vietnam (then the Republic of Vietnam, or RVN), 15th August 1971. The GIs, members of Bravo Company, 4th Battalion, 31st Infantry, are among the last U. S. combat troops still operating in the field. US B-52 aircraft bombed suspected communist troop concentrations near the demilitarized zone, on August 15th, following more shelling and ground assaults earlier on August 15th. More than 750 rounds of mortar and artillery fire have been directed at South Vietnamese outposts along the demilitarized zone August 14-15th.

In addition to my combat experiences, I was also injured by exposure to Agent Orange, and I sometimes reflect on how my condition can never be cured, but only treated (as the VA medications will only slow down the inevitable, which is that the toxin will kill me — so much so that I have been murdered or “killed” even though I am not completely dead yet, and my life in my body has not fully expired). And a t-shirt that I have tells the truth to everyone around me.

As a podcaster, I am grateful that I had a chance to live this long so far, even though my complications from AO exposure to the toxins are taking more of a toll on my health. But these seem to remind me of the Vietnam War and the experiences that I had going through my tour of duty as a combat infantryman, where I served as a machine-gunner and grenadier in the jungles, the mountains and the rice paddies.

I have told this story of my time in the war and how I dealt with some of the issues that I still carry today — especially of how I had to confront the PTSD when I returned home. This was highlighted in an interview that I did on Mack Payne’s podcast show, Vietnam Veteran News. You can go to a podcast show where I include a 45-minute interview with Mack on an earlier podcast episode #611 in this series at this URL: podcastreporter.com/?p=2236:

611- BONUS episode — Vietnam Veterans Podcast interview 2022

Now, earlier, I attended a session of the Texas legislature, where the National Day for Vietnam Veterans was declared. Also, there was a statue that was dedicated to over 3,000 Texas Vietnam Veterans who were killed in the war. That statue is now in the grounds of the Texas State Capitol, as a reminder of the sacrifices made by its citizens:

In my past podcast shows, I have contributed to the veterans of that war, as well as others in my 2 previous shows, Combat Infantryman’s Podcast show and the 82nd Airborne Division podcast (both now podfaded after 11 years).

So podcasting has allowed me to deliver homage and honor to the veterans who fought in that war and who sacrificed. As you can determine from my own experiences, not all veterans who returned without being physically maimed in combat were still affected or injured. Some of us will always carry the pangs of the war in our minds, our hearts and our decaying bodies after 52 years.

But podcasting has, for the most part, allowed me to reflect on the war and has given me a chance to obtain a bit of closure on the memories and the nightmares from that time in history where the veterans were shunned by a large group of an ungrateful American public upon their return home.

I have a Zippo lighter as a relic from the war, and I had it engraved with some words of wisdom that I still see today: It says “For those who have fought for it, Freedom has a taste that the protected can never know.”

So, to my fellow veterans, I deliver a salute to them as part of my gratitude and camaraderie to say “Welcome home, brother.”

Thank you for your attention — and please thank a veteran for what you are enjoying today (your life).

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In this episode of The Podcast Reporter, we discuss how your departure from podcasting and downsizing of your shows from several to just one or two may be a bit premature at the time you start to suffer from health complications due to age.

I, myself, a podcaster for the last 15 years, did feel that the world of health complications was crushing in on me and that I would have to exit from the podosphere. And so, in January of 2018, I wanted to give my listeners from the last 3 remaining podcast shows a type of eulogy that will signal my farewell (as at that time, I did feel that I was going downhill and would not recover to my previous level due to my conditions — both mental and physical, especially with the reactions to my complications resulting from exposure to Agent Orange from my experience in the Vietnam War as a combat infantryman).

So, at that time, I did present a type of eulogy to my listeners as I had just finished shutting down 5 of my then current shows. And today, I had withdrawn 15 of my shows, even though since 2018, I did add 2 more shows — and that is my situation today.

Now, besides physical health complications and aging, what other situations would force an avid podcaster to podfade his shows? Well, I know now that aging conditions that start with dementia and alzheimers (the symptoms, that is) can signify slipping into non-productive situations that may force me to podfade my shows and resign myself to treatment in the VA for PTSD, dementia and alzheimers for my injuries and wounds during my time in the service.

But at this time, I have grown much stronger since the time that I recorded my eulogy in audio for my listeners in the podosphere. And because of this, I feel that I am still going strong in the world of podcasting — and this proves that podcasting is a great way to recover from declining weakness from health and other family medical situations, even though the cause of my health situations was 50 years ago.

And so, I wanted to give you in this audio player the six-minute audio episode of this podcast series (episode 95), so that you can hear what a eulogy from podcasting would be like — and you can understand that it was premature.

So I am in recovery and still feeling strong to podcast my episodes and see that my shows are growing with great numbers of listeners and followers. In fact, I have reached a new high for listeners to another podcast show (2030podcast.com) due to the value that others have received — and from their posting not only great reviews, but also republishing episodes in a worldwide stream that has grown my audience of listeners by many thousands.

Thus, I am living proof that age is just a number, but your mental attitude and strength to continue podcasting for passion is most important to overcome both ageism and some of the mental and physical “speed bumps” with declining health.

And for this, I am grateful to my audience, my listeners, my producers and to both Adam Curry and John C Dvorak of the show No Agenda for keeping me sane through all the craziness of 2020. I also thank Sir Ryan Bemrose and Darren O’Neill of the Grumpy old Bens show — especially for promoting my podcast episodes on the noagendastream.com worldwide stream.

Thank you for your attention.