LONG AGO FRIEND

Jerry,

For years my husband, Frank Flavell (CSM, ret), has spoken of how much he admired you and your actions in Viet Nam. Frank passed away last month after a 2 ½ year battle with Myelodysplastic Syndrome, a blood disease, as a result of his 20+ years working on missiles, high intensity radars, and exposure to agent orange. He has battled VA for the same 2 ½ years trying to document service in VN and the DMZ in Korea, neither of which ever showed up in his orders. He was always TDY – the infamous 179-day invisible forays to undisclosed locations. VA has informed me that if we can find anyone who will verify that he served with Frank in either location, they’ll accept that as documentation.

Frank was the short, Irish, opinionated guy with a distinctive laugh that echoed through the halls of Ft. Knox during his final military assignment and as a civilian training developer. I’m also a retired training developer, accustomed to dealing the Army bureaucracy, and I’m determined to try to tie up the loose ends and get his VA compensation straightened out. He simply didn’t have the energy to fight that battle and wouldn’t let me help while he was alive.

If you can be of any help in verifying Frank’s service, I’d be grateful.

I am almost positive that I remember Frank when I ran into him in Bien
Hoa in early 69. I had come to escort a chaplain out of the country
for a less than honorable situation and remember telling Frank and a
couple of guys about what the chaplain had done. It was his laugh that
I remember. Do you have any dates, names or anything from Vietnam.


I have absolutely nothing from that period. I'm his second wife (for 21
years). Frank was married to Janet at that time; his daughter, Jan Marie,
said yesterday that she remembers you from Germany but she was almost sure
that you and her dad had known each other before. Frank had told me that he
never had orders to Nam; he was stationed at Bliss when the Army did a "hey,
you" and sent soldiers to fill vacant slots. He talked of riding through the
jungle in a duster with Sad Song Blue blaring from the radio. He rarely
talked about the war, although he did mention being the ranking survivor
when his platoon was ambushed and being dubbed captain so he could call in
fire support to get the 3 remaining soldiers to safety. He was probably a
PSG at the time. The only names I remember hearing are Tom Gallagher,
Skipper Adams, John House and Otto B. Smith. I know the last two are
deceased. I suspect most of them are from later years, not Nam.

The VA rep says he doesn't need details, just a brief statement with an
approximate date that places Frank in Nam. I think you'd qualify as a
"credible source!"

Frank's laugh was his ID. And he got the last laugh at his Celebration of
Life service at our church. After friends told their favorite Frank stories,
we ended the service with everyone singing Frank's favorite song - We All
Live in a Yellow Submarine. For 2 solid weeks on vacation with our 3
granddaughters (ages 6,7,8) we'd sung that song every time we got in the
car. Special memories!

Bev

Bev., let me think and talk a little to my buddies. One of the names you mentioned is Chief Smith, I think. He has departed this life for the next but it puts Frank in our AO (area of operations) at about that time. I think. I am going to put in the mail the memoir I wrote about my experince in Nam. What makes it pretty unique I think is that much of it is a composit of many of my buddies. When I talk of some, they really are several. And, it might be a stretch but not to me, my experience is Frank's experience and to familiarize yourself with it might be helpful.

I affirm you for doing this. It is surely a way to homor Frank. I understand VA quite well. Administratively, they are often a mess. And, I understand that. They are trying to do a lot and we cn never forget, they are s beauracracy.

Now, once having established your claim, then what does that do. You surely deserve it. Airborne.