THE CONWAY FORD TALK LLAMA LODGE ORANGE HEART MEDAL CEREMONY at Vet Cafe Hour (1) 4/2426

Transcript

SPEAKER_11 0:01

Here comes the Liz Callaway show with Nick Summers. Making Grand Strand Morning Radio great again. Liz Callaway, Nick Summers. Picking up your wake up with news, opinion, and insight every weekday morning on Talk. 94.5 106.7. Liz and Nick are live right now and on location on Talk. 94.5 106.7.

SPEAKER_14 0:34

All right. I don't know what time it is, Nikki, but we're here and we're awake.

SPEAKER_08 0:38

6.07.

SPEAKER_14 0:39

6.07 on the Liz Callaway Show with Nick Summers. We are broadcasting live from the Conway Ford Talk Lama Lodge. Oh, my bell. I forgot my bell.

SPEAKER_08 0:48

Oh, yeah. Ding ding ding. Oh, you oh you brought oh you have your backup bell. It's good to have a backup bell. A what?

SPEAKER_14 0:55

The travel bell.

SPEAKER_08 0:57

Oh. There you go.

SPEAKER_14 0:58

Yeah, there we go. Um, so we are alive from the um Veterans Cafe and Museum on Northgate Drive. Drive. Um in Northgate Plaza, which is behind the CC's Pizza on Highway 17. All veterans for the first 50 veterans will receive breakfast. Compliments of first plumbing, first choice plumbing and services.

SPEAKER_08 1:21

That's right. That's pretty cool. Hey, we have a live studio audience. All of you say, Hey!

SPEAKER_14 1:27

See, look at that.

SPEAKER_08 1:28

That's pretty impressive.

SPEAKER_14 1:29

I this is the most people we've ever had at 6 a.m.

SPEAKER_08 1:32

Yeah, I know. Usually we just have uh oh oh one. Yeah, live studio.

SPEAKER_14 1:36

Jim Evans, where is Jim Evans? I don't know. He's usually here at 5 59. I know. I haven't seen him in a while. I'm concerned. Yes, I am concerned. Someone reach out to Jim Evans and tell him to come on down. Please. And and bring yourself. Bring a veteran that you know and love and want to have breakfast with. You're gonna meet so many people here from every branch. The museum is amazing. Nikki, give us a visual tour of what you can find here.

SPEAKER_08 2:02

Well, he's trying to break things down, and it's pretty cool. I mean, there's some NASA-related stuff, Air Force-related stuff in that corner over there. There's like a bunch of Navy stuff behind right in front of us, behind our in-studio audience. There is a great section, army and tank stuff, which I love. He has saved a spot for me in front of my tank back when I was in, so I'm gonna put that up there eventually. Uh, there's a bunch of Air Force stuff, and it's just it's really cool. And of course, all of the uh the jets hanging. The only thing I don't see, and I've I've said oh, we've got a Space Force flag. Awesome.

SPEAKER_06 2:34

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 2:35

The only thing I don't see is I don't see an F-4 Phantom hanging. Do you guys see any F-4s hanging? We need one. There needs to be an F4 Phantom. I mean, it was such a pivotal aircraft during certainly during Vietnam.

SPEAKER_14 2:46

We need those modeling guys.

SPEAKER_08 2:47

I know. Well, he gave me one, I'm not giving that up.

SPEAKER_14 2:50

Oh.

SPEAKER_08 2:52

You have F-4 right there!

unknown 2:53

Look at that.

SPEAKER_08 2:54

My dad, look at it, it says F4 Phantom veteran. My dad was uh a mechanic.

unknown 2:58

I was too.

SPEAKER_08 2:59

You were too? Outstanding.

SPEAKER_14 3:01

Wow. Look at that. Wow.

SPEAKER_08 3:06

Holy smokes. See, we got well, we gotta have you. Come on. So anyway, it's just it is really when they say cafe and museum, it really truly is both. It is so impressive. If anybody who's ever served, you're gonna look at stuff, you're gonna see the patches on the wall as you go into the kitchen, you're gonna see the different military apparatus, uh, weaponry, aircraft, vehicles, and you just uh right? I mean, right, guys and gals, when you look around, it's like, wow, I remember that. I could tell you where I saw that last. It's one of those things. It's so super impressive. And for those of you that have never served and you want to just take a look at a little history, I mean they've they've got everything from uh you know pictures with models, they've got real pictures of real, it's just super impressive. I love it.

SPEAKER_14 3:49

That is awesome. And Robin Spence just arrived. Hi, Robin. Um, hey Robin, do you think you could hop on and tell people how they qualify? Who qualifies for because we're on the air right now, and um, I don't mean to throw you on just to walk in the door.

SPEAKER_08 4:05

She just walks in and says, get to work, lady.

SPEAKER_14 4:08

Well, you know, because um some people may think, oh, do I qualify? Maybe I don't qualify. But Robin is here and we met you at the very first time we did this. This is our fourth one, and we made it an annual event, and we were just so moved by how you uh conduct the ceremonies, and of course, the reason why we did this is because of Bobby Tiner. Absolutely. We met him and we thought, oh my goodness, we really need to when I when I understood the gravity of the Orange Heart Medal. So tell us what the Orange the mission behind the foundation and who would qualify and what they have to do when they come here.

SPEAKER_03 4:45

Okay, well we'll begin by saying the Orange Heart Metal Foundation was founded in 2018 by a Navy Vietnam veteran by the name of Ken Gamble. Um he was undergoing some treatments uh at the hospital and his roommate was calling for help and nobody would come. And so he got out of his bed and he went over and and he said, You know what what's up, brother? What do you need? And he said, I I want some water. And he said, Well I can get you some water. And he said, No, you can't. And he said, Well, yes I can. And um so went on, Ken picked up the picture and he said, No, you can't. They're measuring intake and output. And he said, So they have to be the ones to bring it to me. So Ken went out into the hallway and he he found someone to come and help his roommate, and he crawled back in that bed and the longer he lay there, the madder he got, the more disgusted he got, and the more hurt he got. And he said, you know, they're just waiting for us to be forgotten. And you know, it was already bad enough when they came home, the terrible, terrible way that they were all treated. And um he said, It's it's high time somebody did something about this, and he decided it was gonna be him. So he lay there in that bed and he started drawing and he uh did a draft of what we now know as the Orange Heart Medal. And that medal was designed to honor the Vietnam veterans that returned home who were exposed to Agent Orange Deoxin. And to date we have nineteen conditions, presumptive conditions that are approved by the VA as, you know, automatic um service connected disabilities. And so um as time goes on, he went to Washington a couple of times and he stood on the floor of Congress. He wanted to pass a bill to honor those Vietnam veterans that returned home that were exposed to deoxin as combat wounded. You know, the purple heart is awarded to those veterans that have physical wounds, physical visible wounds. And Agent Orange Deoxin can lay dormant in the veteran for decades before yes, ma'am, before anyone can realize that, you know, wait a minute, that that your diabetes or your heart disease or your cancer or your hypothyroidism, your your skin cancer, things like that were caused by the fact that you were exposed to Agent Orange Dioxin. And so um you know, Congress offered him a a grant. That's not what he wanted. He wanted a bill to honor these Vietnam veterans. They offered him uh a day and he said, Well, you know what's March twenty ninth? That's Vietnam Veterans Day. And so they said, Well, Mr. Campbell, maybe you need to go back home and rethink this, amend it, and maybe come back and see us again. Well, go home is what he did. But when he got there, he uh reached out to his state representative, uh Sabi Kumar, representative um in Tennessee, and together they drafted the legislation in the language of the state of Tennessee and they presented it in February, uh February fourth of 2019. They presented it. Um it passed both houses with unanimous support. And in 19 days' time, on February twenty-third, two thousand nineteen, Governor Bill Lee signed it into law. So Tennessee was our first state that honors the Vietnam veteran as combat wounded and honors the Orange Heart Medal.

SPEAKER_14 8:30

Now you mentioned um exposure. What does the exposure look like? I mean, how do you prove you were exposed?

SPEAKER_03 8:38

It can have all different forms. Of course, you need to go to the VA. That's that's the key. And with the way the veterans were treated when they returned home by, you know, the very government that they fought for. Um a lot of veterans still today shy away from VA because of the fear of being rejected.

SPEAKER_08 9:00

But you know the way the government and the public are treated.

SPEAKER_03 9:03

Absolutely, absolutely. Terrible it was. And so they go and you go go to the VA, get yourself established, and then take your service records with you. Let them know, hey, I was in Vietnam, I was in Laos, I was in Cambodia or Thailand, anywhere in Southeast Asia. You know, they need to go and and be t be tested because what dioxin does it is it alters the DNA in the veteran. And when that happens, it has now been scientifically proven by uh researchers in Vanderbilt University in Tennessee that the effects of the dioxin exposure can pass down to the fourth generation in male veterans and the fifth generation in female veterans. Wow. It's yeah, it's it's the that's something that we didn't know last year. Is that recent? No, ma'am. Okay, we've known that for a few years. Okay, I didn't know about the fifth generation in women. In women, that's right. And so um it's wow, it's the unwelcome gift that keeps on giving.

SPEAKER_08 10:07

So I have a question. So because I may or may not have gotten it through my father, right? Being that he served three tours in NAM, so passes to me and then passes to my daughter, it's possible. And then potentially to her daughters.

SPEAKER_03 10:20

Mm-hmm. Potentially, yes. Wow. This is so scary. If you have, you know, if someone comes in and they say, Well, I you you know, you have diabetes, and let's say a veteran goes in, you know, and has a severe case of diabetes, and they say, Oh, you know, that's just bad luck. Not necessarily. Let's stop and look and see where you've been, see what you were exposed to.

SPEAKER_14 10:40

I was looking at the conditions, um, and I don't know if you have it written down somewhere or know it by heart, but um some of the conditions we have here amyloidosis, bladder cancer, chronic B cell leukemias, Hodgkin's disease, multiple myeloma, which is like a cancer, um, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, prostate cancer, respiratory cancers, um, soft tissue cancer cancers. Does that include mesothelioma?

SPEAKER_03 11:10

Uh now that I I'm not sure of. Okay.

SPEAKER_14 11:12

I can't speak. Okay. Um, but also it has the birth defects in children of veterans, yes, including children of Vietnam veterans that are female, some men also, but uh most notably spina bifida. Right. I didn't actually realize that. Me either. Um so what I'm going to do is I'm gonna share this list on our talk radio Facebook page. So you can see that and um read the entire list. And you mentioned diabetes, ischemic heart disease, peripheral neuropathy, Parkinson's, prostate cancer, um and then there's a whole list of birth defects, but there's also VA presumes Lou Gehrig's disease, also known as ALS, diagnosed in all veterans who had 90 days or more continuous active military service is related to their service, although ALS is not related to Agent Orange exposure. Do you know what that means exactly?

SPEAKER_03 12:22

Well, that means that people that may have developed ALS could have experienced some type of trauma and prior to Agent Orange, prior to Agent Orange having been sprayed or you know, distributed throughout the country. Um but what I want to hit home is Liz, you ask your original question was how does a veteran qualify for the Orange Heart Medal? And that is simply by their service. If they went anywhere in Southeast Asia, like I was mentioning, Thailand, Guam, Cambodia, Vietnam, you know, some areas of Korea, uh the veteran knows where they were. They know if Agent Orange was used, and it was widely used in Vietnam. It was used to them with it, I think. They did. It was used as a chemical defoliant in order to um uh kill. Right, reveal the enemy, kill off the jungle. But what uh they failed to um reveal, I guess is the best way to put it. What they failed to reveal is uh in addition to the jungle and the foliage falling away to reveal the enemy, it was also uh the runoff w during the monsoon season, the the rain water. You know, it was washed all away because the the ground was contaminated, so it was washed into the rivers and the streams, which was the very rivers that our soldiers walked through. It was the very river that the Vietnam Vietnamese got their water from or where they washed their clothes.

SPEAKER_14 14:01

Are they uh do do we know that they're also suffering? We do know that they are also suffering. Yes. Wow. Yeah. I never thought of that. Have you ever thought of that, Nick? No. The people that are f that live there, right? There's generations of people there. There are. Wow.

SPEAKER_08 14:22

There are yeah, we tend to look at it because we're centric on ourselves, but you have to remember, yes, those people live, breathe, and their whole lives, generations. Yes.

SPEAKER_14 14:33

They stayed there.

SPEAKER_08 14:34

Ultimately exposed even more in some cases.

SPEAKER_14 14:37

That's right. Wow. Well, Robin, um, we're gonna come back with you in just a moment. We're gonna take a quick break, and then you're gonna tell us the process that a veteran can um uh receive this award today or any other day that you do it. Okay, we'll be back in a moment.

SPEAKER_11 14:51

The Liz Callaway Show with Nick Summers.

SPEAKER_07 14:54

Broadcasting live at the Veterans Cafe and Museum with Conway Ford. First choice plumbing services and the Orange Heart Metal Foundation.

SPEAKER_14 15:02

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SPEAKER_17 19:29

The Lama Lodge is now in order. Broadcasting live from the Veterans Cafe.

SPEAKER_11 19:35

It's Liz Callaway and Nick Summers right now on TOG 94.5 and 106.7 talk for the entire Grand Strand.

SPEAKER_14 19:47

All right, it is 6.26 on the Liz Callaway show. You know, I was just talking to Robin and she just called Ken Gamble. Oh wow. Who is the founder of the Orange Heart Metal Foundation? From the story she was telling us. From the story she was just telling us. And um she uh said that he would love to come on the air with us, so she's trying to ascertain him to get on our um phone here. So um, so we want to put this thing you remember the first one we did, and we had a a technological glitch, and we did it off my Facebook. Yes. And it worked fabulously.

SPEAKER_08 20:23

We actually aired the Facebook audio live on the radio station, the terrestrial radio. And of course we were doing yeah, that was that was your quick thinking.

SPEAKER_14 20:32

So and um and what did uh what did uh Ken say? Uh can we call him?

SPEAKER_03 20:37

Well we can he he said he would rather be where he can see what's gonna happen later.

SPEAKER_14 20:42

Oh yeah. Well, I'd love to put him on the air this morning. All right, and then what we can do is um we can then I can disconnect the phone and we can do a Facebook live for the rest of the show. Okay. So we can definitely do that. All right. But I won't be able to put him on Facebook Live and the phone at the same time. But I can if you call them on your phone. Okay, we can do that. Yeah, if we use your phone to call them, uh-huh, and I'll use my phone for Facebook Live. All right.

SPEAKER_08 21:10

Can I get my iPad involved? It's feeling lonely.

SPEAKER_14 21:13

Everybody needs a device in their hands today. Yeah, what kind of phone do you have? Uh Samsung. Oh, does this fit in a Samsung?

SPEAKER_08 21:21

Uh is it a new one?

SPEAKER_14 21:23

The yeah. Okay, it should fit.

SPEAKER_08 21:26

Yeah, they went they all went standard for some reason.

SPEAKER_14 21:28

Okay, so we'll we'll ascertain our technology. Let's see if this fits. Let's see uh it fits. So we can call him on your phone and I'll put it all on Facebook Live. All right, so we can do that at 6 30, and then we can have um we can have that on. And you can FaceTime him even so we can see his face if he wants when you're calling him. All right. And that way we can put his face on our Facebook Live. Fabulous. Um yeah, absolutely. And I I have to tell you, and I'll I'll tell it the story again when we get back on. But um Ken called me, left me this unbelievable message.

SPEAKER_08 22:11

You played that for me. It's great.

SPEAKER_14 22:13

It was like I was crying because I didn't r realize the impact we were having by doing the whole show from here. And he was just so touched and happy and grateful. And I just was, you know, so I am so excited about this that this is even gonna happen here. Um and I didn't know this was happening. And we also have another surprise guest that you're gonna be bringing on. Um, Bobby Tiner's grandson.

SPEAKER_08 22:41

Excellent.

SPEAKER_14 22:42

He's gonna be joining us along with his mom, Katie. So Bubba and Katie will be joining us later in the show, and we'll tell their story, which is unbelievable. Um, and because we were talking about how this goes down four generations in men, the impact of ancient orange and the conditions that it can cause, and five generations in women, because we carry the baby.

SPEAKER_03 23:09

Correct.

SPEAKER_14 23:10

Um, and that to me is mind-blowing. Because we have talked about four generations, but I didn't know about women. That is incredible. Um, and so have you found out I guess who's look where do people find how do people connect the dots for their condition? Like let's say they're the grandson or granddaughter of a Vietnam War veteran. How do they connect the dots on their condition to see if it's related to Agent Orange?

SPEAKER_03 23:45

Okay, first of all, we really, really, really have to hit home the fact that we we have to be more vigilant about reaching our Vietnam veterans. Because just like building a house. When you s when you build a house, you have to start with a foundation. The veteran is the foundation. And then the generation that starts the paper track. Now what if the veteran has passed on? That is that's really hard to prove. Wow. It you know, it's that's why it's so important. If we start with the veteran and we get them to open up to their families, you know, a lot of you we would really be surprised at how many families do not realize the war that their loved one was a part of. Because they don't talk about it. They don't talk about it.

SPEAKER_08 24:36

That was my dad. That's right, right until the end.

SPEAKER_03 24:38

Right. And so getting them to open up and the key in opening up is once that door's open, sit back and listen. Don't press. Allow them to speak and and uh retain what they say. And you know, the the one question that I would ask is, okay, dad, granddad, did you go to the VA? Okay, let's get them into the VA and get them established as that's where it starts. Exactly right.

SPEAKER_14 25:13

Then even if there's paperwork that proves where they were.

SPEAKER_03 25:16

Right. It doesn't matter. They still have to go to the VA to get established. Okay. And so once their care is established and their conditions can be connected to their service, then they start to receive uh disability rating percentages, which are compensable. So And what does that mean? Compensable? Compensable means that they will be paid extra amount of dollars or percentage of dollars based on the condition and the severity and the long-term effects and things like that.

SPEAKER_08 25:49

My dad went through all this just to add and he fought the VA I'm sure for the longest time. And he never went to the VA his entire life until he started getting sick, and then he was talked into you better go. Right. So I'm just saying he went through all of this and it wasn't until the end that they oh okay, yeah.

SPEAKER_03 26:04

Yeah, he he had to he had to really fight. And you and you have to have advocates. Yes. Your family needs to be there to support you. Your friends, you know, and and if there are a lot of veterans that that don't have families around them. And that's why this breakfast group, the Agent Orange Awareness Group, is so important. Or places like this. Right. And the Veterans Cafe, because we meet every Wednesday, the you know, specifically the the Orange Heart Metal Foundation. It's every Wednesday from about 8 30 in the morning until around 10. Okay. And it's open table, everybody's welcome, so please come on. It's a very friendly place where everybody knows your name. That's right. That's right. That's right.

SPEAKER_08 26:40

Listen, Norm. I know we need to take a break. Right, but we know what we need to do is we we talk about it every time we hear, but we need to make a mental note so we can remind everybody the day of. Hey, don't forget today's the day at the Vets Cafe. Here's what's going on. Just throw it out there as a reminder on the air every Wednesday. That'd be awesome. We need to do that.

SPEAKER_14 26:56

Just we'll just make a public service announcement. Perfect. Like a PSA. Perfect. Records.

SPEAKER_08 27:00

Let's do that.

SPEAKER_14 27:00

We'll have Robin come to the studio and write up a 30-second script inviting people to come. And we'll have to do that, I'd be honored to do that.

SPEAKER_03 27:11

That would be great to have you in.

SPEAKER_14 27:12

And we'll record you. And um that would be, I think, a great PSA we can run continuously. Let's do it. All right, let's do it. Another promo meeting on the air.

SPEAKER_08 27:24

And we don't need no stinking sales stuff, Bob.

SPEAKER_14 27:26

We need a actually we can get someone to sponsor that PSA.

SPEAKER_08 27:30

Excellent.

SPEAKER_14 27:31

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 27:31

Bob, get on that. We need you. You're back in you're back in the game.

SPEAKER_14 27:34

So that we can uh kind of funnel some money to the Orange Heart Metal Foundation through the sponsorship. Yes. Okay, let's take a break and we'll be back. Uh about we never got to my question because I asked you 12 more questions after that. How do you qualify for the metal? Have you met Liz? I know. I've been like all over the place. Uh, but we'll be back in a moment.

SPEAKER_11 27:54

Local comprehensive news headlines right now with WMBS only on talk 94.5. And in North Myrtle Beach, now on 106.7.

SPEAKER_15 28:06

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SPEAKER_11 29:13

Taking the show on the road. Now, here's Liz and Nick.

SPEAKER_14 29:26

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SPEAKER_20 32:27

This is Brett Branham, owner of Tide Law Firm. Of course, Tide Law Firm is helping you out with all of your residential and commercial real estate transaction needs. With three convenient office locations in North Myrtle Beach, Myrtle Beach, and Surfside, we're well equipped to help you with your next real estate transaction. If you've got a real estate transaction, don't worry, y'all. Call Tide Law, 843-492-0101. We look forward to helping you and seeing you at the closing table. The Liz Callaway Show with Nick Summers.

SPEAKER_13 32:59

And they said it wouldn't last six weeks.

SPEAKER_07 33:01

Well, we're having a party. HTT presents the Liz Callaway Show with Nick Summers, 17-year-Ich anniversary party, Wednesday, May 6th at 5 30 p.m. at Voodoo Brewing Company at Broadway at the beach.

SPEAKER_14 33:14

As part of this Conway Ford Talk Llama Lodge event, we are collecting beauty items and toiletries for moms at New Directions Family Shelter through Two Men in a Trucks Movers for Moms program.

SPEAKER_08 33:25

You can enjoy a happy hour buffet. And enter to win an iPad from HTC.

SPEAKER_07 33:30

Head over to our Facebook page or talkradiomb.com for all the info.

SPEAKER_08 33:34

HTC presents the Liz Callaway Show with me, Nick Summers' seven-year itch party. Mark it down on your calendars Wednesday, May 6th at 5 30 p.m. Voodoo Brewing Company, Broadway at the Beach. Oh, it's free. Keep listening weekday mornings to get on our guest list.

SPEAKER_11 33:52

So come party with us. The Liz Callaway Show with Nick Summers.

SPEAKER_14 33:57

Revive the hive. Yes, they are there to renovate, revive, rejuvenate your home. Turn your house into a home. Yeah. You know, remodeling is like the greatest investment you could be making into your home, especially when it comes to like a kitchen remodel or bathroom remodel. I know when people are looking at homes, and I've looked at a lot of homes shopping for homes. And if I see like a kitchen or a bathroom that's like tired and old and broken, I'm like, nah. Right? You kind of pass over it. So it's a great investment. And plus, if you do it now, you can be enjoying it. Now, the bathroom remodels, sometimes it's a necessity, right? You want to age in place, but that step into tub to get into the shower is a little dangerous. So you may want to go with a frameless shower glass door, or maybe you want to do a walk-in tub. They have so many different options. Go to revive the hive sc.com.

SPEAKER_07 34:57

The Liz Callaway Show with Nick Summers, live on location at the Veterans Cafe and Museum with our Orange Heart Metal. Special broadcast. Thanks to Conway Ford and First Choice Plumbing Services.

SPEAKER_14 35:12

All right. It is 6 42 on the Liz Callaway Show. And Nikki, you know what? We're late.

SPEAKER_08 35:17

Yeah, no, we're always late.

SPEAKER_14 35:18

But that's okay. We got 10 minutes. So Robin Spence is here from the Orange Heart Metal Foundation, and that's what we're doing today, honoring Vietnam War veterans as part of the Conway Ford Talk Lama Lodge event. First 50 veterans will get breakfast at the Veterans Cafe and Museum as they enjoy the live broadcast. Compliments of First Choice Plumbing Services. So we love all our sponsors. They help us do warm and fuzzy things for the community. So come on down and uh witness this amazing event. Now, in just a few moments, we're gonna go Facebook Live for the rest of the show. Oh, really? Yeah. And that's gonna be my goal. So uh we did that for the very first show.

SPEAKER_08 35:58

That's right.

SPEAKER_14 35:58

And uh it was out of necessity, but you know what? People loved it, so we're gonna go ahead and do it again. Um, Robin, you said that you meet here uh around 8 30 every Wednesday uh morning, and uh we also um talked about about this Orange Heart medal. People can get that medal on Wednesday mornings.

SPEAKER_03 36:19

Yes, they can.

SPEAKER_14 36:20

Uh but today we're also doing it extra special for a Friday. So tell us the process of qualifying.

SPEAKER_03 36:28

Okay. Uh a Vietnam veteran that was in Southeast Asia or Vietnam, Guam, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, uh brownwater, Navy veterans. You know, some think that we're because they were on the water, they weren't exposed. But you know, exposure if they were decontaminating planes or loading the planes or anything else, then they were exposed as well.

SPEAKER_14 36:54

And that's Nick, um that's with your dad. He was working on the planes.

SPEAKER_08 36:58

Yeah, he did three tours, and each time he changed his uh MOS, which was really bizarre. Right. But one of the last ones was he was a m a jet mechanic and they have four phantoms.

SPEAKER_03 37:06

Right.

SPEAKER_08 37:07

Right in the heart when they would do their missions, they'd land and he would have to go and repair those things. So yes.

SPEAKER_03 37:11

Yes, he was exposed. Exactly. He was exposed.

SPEAKER_08 37:14

As he found out later. What's that?

SPEAKER_14 37:15

Oh, so he knew that he was exposed.

SPEAKER_08 37:17

This was later, yes. Okay. He got exposed with uh this is what the government admitted through the VA and everything else with his long battle. He outlived his expiration date. Right. Doctors gave him a year. Right. He lived almost three to finish this battle.

SPEAKER_20 37:30

Yeah.

SPEAKER_08 37:30

And fighting with the VA and the government, you know all about this. And they had said that yes, it was due to Agent Orange and also the asbestos, which was in the F four Phantoms in the air conditioning, because you know, when you're crawling around in those things and fixing things and in the cockpit, which is what he did uh on the F four Phantoms, he got exposed to the asbestos there. So they admitted both things. That's that's and he was yeah, he's like, I got I won that battle.

SPEAKER_03 37:54

There you go. Okay, he was very happy. So if you have any of those criteria, if you have any of the criteria, if you were um boots on the ground, if you were in Vietnam or Southeast Asia and you suffer any of the nineteen conditions, which I posted on our Facebook page. Thank you. Yeah, they are welcome to come in, apply for their orange heart medal. It's a very simple process. They fill out an application and then they are presented their orange heart medal, and these medals are presented to the veteran at no cost. We do fundraisers, we apply for grants to make sure that these veterans are honored in the proper way. Now we also honor veterans posthumously. If there is a Vietnam veteran that was in your family that has passed away due to the conditions related to Agent Orange exposure, we encourage and we welcome and we want to make sure that these surviving family members know that they're not alone. You know, it this this breakfast group is not just for the veteran, it's for the survivors as well. We have many I am, I am, and we have um we have four or five other uh surviving family members that pop in from time to time and have breakfast with us, and it's really nice to have them there.

unknown 39:11

Uh-huh.

SPEAKER_03 39:11

But if they will come in, they can see one of us. If we have on an orange heart metal foundation t-shirt, we have the applications, or we can get you to someone that has the application, fill it out once we verified your information. And and that's just a a process of checking the boxes, X, Y, and Z. You need to know the your years of service in Vietnam and your year of discharge and what condition you have that's related to it. It's very simple process. Name, address, telephone number.

SPEAKER_08 39:41

We did it the day of when you posthumously awarded one to me from my father. Yes, we did. And and it was so great because you put your arm around me and it's like it's very moving. You're just so amazing. You're so good at it. Uh it's I had to hold back a lot, that's all I'm saying.

SPEAKER_14 39:53

It's it's my honor. It's very moving for sure. It is. Um Nick, should we um call Ken Gamble after this break or at 7.05?

SPEAKER_08 40:03

You know, I think to give it more time, let's do the 705. Okay. Because we're gonna be coming up on a break and then a hard break in about five minutes.

SPEAKER_14 40:09

Yep. So when we come back, uh we're gonna take a break right now because when we come back, Robin's going to tell us about an upcoming event that many of you might want to partake in. So stay tuned for that. I already posted the flyer on our talk page.

SPEAKER_11 40:24

Taking the show on the road, Liz and Nick are live right now and on location on Talk 94.5-106.7.

SPEAKER_12 40:40

Mark Lynch says he's a conservative, but listen to what he actually believes. Lynch wants to legalize cocaine, eliminate the DEA, the agency standing between our families and the drug cartels, and change the law so finally convicted domestic abusers can legally buy guns. Let that sit a minute. Cocaine illegal. The DEA gone. The domestic abusers are armed. That's not a conservative agenda, that's a radical one. More dangerous drugs in our neighborhoods, fewer agencies protecting our families, violent abusers with weapons. This isn't a policy difference. This is dangerous. But don't just take our word for it. In a recent post, President Trump called Lynch a lunatic and a disaster for the Republican Party. That's why Lindsey Graham has President Trump's complete and total endorsement. Because when it matters, Lindsay gets the job done.

SPEAKER_00 41:33

I'm Lindsey Graham, candidate for U.S. Senate, and I approve this message.

SPEAKER_12 41:37

Paid for by Team Graham Inc. Thank you, Lindsay.

SPEAKER_21 41:40

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SPEAKER_09 42:11

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SPEAKER_16 42:40

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SPEAKER_19 42:48

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SPEAKER_10 43:10

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SPEAKER_11 43:42

Broadcasting, this is the Liz Callaway Show with Nick Summers on Talk 94.5.

SPEAKER_14 43:49

All right, 650 on the Liz Callaway show. If Nick Summers and here's Robin going to reach for her phone, right? Because you want to know where is that uh flyer? So I wanted to give you the flyer here. To talk about what the Orange Heart Metal Foundation is. Now what do you need the funds for?

SPEAKER_03 44:05

The funds are just like I I said in the previous segment, we have uh fundraisers which consist of motorcycle rides or jeep rallies or um like we'll go set up a tent here locally at Jam and Leather. Jamie at J Jam and Leather is awesome. He is so supportive of us. And so um and so twice a year, once in the spring, once in the fall, we have a ride. And this year, the spring ride is going to be the fifth annual Agent Orange Awareness Benefit Ride. Um, all proceeds go to the Orange Heart Medal Foundation, and it is strictly to purchase more medals to honor the Vietnam veterans. And to date, we have presented over 18,000 medals, and that's just since 2019.

SPEAKER_14 44:52

Just here or all over all over.

SPEAKER_03 44:54

All over the country. We have presented 18,000 medals. That is amazing. And so, um, and you know, it pays for the medals, and and in that it pays for the metal, the shipping, you know, the processing, things like that. Yeah. And so because we are a 501c3 public nonprofit charity, um everyone that sits on our board is a volunteer. No one in this organization receives a paycheck. We do these things because it's the right thing to do, and it's long overdue.

SPEAKER_14 45:23

Yeah.

SPEAKER_03 45:24

But we are on a time constraint to reach the veterans that are still with us.

SPEAKER_14 45:28

Okay.

SPEAKER_03 45:28

Because, you know, we're losing the veterans now uh statistically speaking at a rate of five hundred per day. Oh my gosh. And and that's that's astounding.

SPEAKER_14 45:38

It's been it's been um I uh what's the word I'm looking for? Um accelerated because of Agent Orange. Correct. Correct. We had World War II veterans too, 101, 100 and but it's not really true with Vietnam veterans.

SPEAKER_03 45:53

That is correct. That is correct. The mortality rate with the Vietnam veteran is extremely higher than in the World War II veterans. And it's not just Agent Orange. No, there were several. There's agent um agent red, agent black, agent green. You know, there's several, the rainbow of the different agents, but agent orange was the one that was the most concentrated and most widely used. So do you need to know which agent you were exposed to? Uh no, what we represent is the agent orange because that one is the one that was the strongest that was used. Um, most concentrated, most of the use of the area. Which agent you were exposed to, does it matter? No, you just need to let them know that you were exposed to deoxin. Just use that word. Okay. Was exposed to deoxin because all of those are deoxens. Okay, got it. Um, however, getting back to uh our event, uh the bike ride will take place on Saturday, June 27th. Uh, we're going to have registration and staging this year at the Beaver Bar in Merle's Inlet. Um, Liz has been so kind to offer the facilities for us to be able to do that. Kickstands are up at 11 a.m. and then we will end at Jam and Leather, uh, where he's going to do a benefit auction for us as well. And so um there will be a meal provided. It will be$20 registration per bike,$5 per rider, and that will include your meal ticket. And so we'll have door prizes and a 50-50 drawing plus the auction. So it's it's gonna be a really good day.

SPEAKER_14 47:29

I think we'll do a public service announcement for that as well when she's in.

SPEAKER_08 47:32

Absolutely.

SPEAKER_03 47:33

That would be great. Thank you so much. That'd be great.

SPEAKER_14 47:36

Do you live here? You still live in North Carolina? I still live in North Carolina. Okay, yeah. But you come here every year.

SPEAKER_03 47:41

But I'm on but I'm on the way, I'm commuting here. I will be here.

SPEAKER_14 47:45

Do you come here every Wednesday? No. Okay. I can't come every Wednesday.

SPEAKER_03 47:48

I was gonna say it's from quite the trip. I try to get here at at least twice a month. Okay.

SPEAKER_14 47:53

And so one of those days that you come, you come swing by the station around the corner.

SPEAKER_03 47:57

I'll be glad to be there. Okay, absolutely. I'll be I'm here now until next Wednesday. So you're staying here. Yeah, I'm here all week.

SPEAKER_08 48:06

Oh, we should we should have you in as a for a recap on maybe a Monday or something.

SPEAKER_14 48:10

Yeah, yeah, yeah. Maybe you can go. And then we can do your recordings. I'd be glad to we'll schedule that before you leave. All right. Sounds great. All right, so we're gonna be speaking with uh Vietnam veterans throughout the morning, and we'll be uh Robin will be presenting them, uh those who didn't already receive it. But there will be other veterans that we'll speak with, but uh the ones who have never received a medal, you will be uh able to present them with that. Yes, we will. And the the the um I guess the I want to say script, but you it's not a script, it's coming from your heart. Do you say the same thing every time? I can't. Okay. It's different every time?

SPEAKER_03 48:50

It's different every time. And you know, s the the basis of it is I can't tell you that it's different because the basis of it is the same. But when you put your hand in the hand of a Vietnam veteran and you look into their eyes, something just happens and and then the words just come out. I it it's it feels that way. It is. It it just absolutely is because there's a there's a connection there that we should be so grateful for, but we don't realize the gratitude that's coming from that veteran until they put their hand in yours and they hear welcome home, sir. Yes.

SPEAKER_14 49:32

Because they weren't and and you you see, you just it's you're getting emotional now just talking about it, and I'm getting emotional listening to you. But we feel that, and I when your eyes connect with that veteran, it's almost this unspoken moment of just like wow, like someone's finally seeing me. Finally see me.

SPEAKER_08 49:57

When you did that with me, I'm not a Vietnam veteran, but would I could feel it. Like you want to look away, the love, the appreciation, the honor. I felt all of it. And again, I was just, you know, even just now a few minutes ago, I just wanted to because you're honoring your dad. I mean, and but you helped facilitate that and you brought some stuff out of me. It's it's you're such an amazing person, you know that you are.

SPEAKER_03 50:19

It's it's my honor, thank you. Yeah. What uh tell us about your husband.

SPEAKER_08 50:23

Yes.

SPEAKER_03 50:23

Um, my husband's name was Joe. He was a career army veteran. He served 23 years and 20 days. Wow. And uh he was the picture of health um up until uh probably 2015 things started happening. Now we knew he had some heart issues and things like that, but as far as you know, being physically fit and everything else, he believed in in keeping himself fit for duty, you know, because uh his his ID card had no expiration date, you know. Um so he he always kept himself deployable, as they would say. Um such a career idea. Uh he was, he was, he was. But uh he was diagnosed in June of 2017 with liver cancer. Uh and it was advanced to the stage when they found it um that he was not a candidate for transplant. And the only thing that could be done was the radioactive isotopes. And so the he opted to go ahead and do that, and the good thing is the radioactive isotopes were uh they were targeted therapy. Um it wasn't like your regular chemo or whatever that just ravages your entire body. Um the bad thing is the radiation is so strong that it does kill things that are around it, and he didn't have enough viable tissue to survive um the disease and the treatment. And so on June 17th of 2017, he was diagnosed, and on January 3rd, 2018, he walked into heaven.

SPEAKER_14 52:06

Oh my goodness, so quick.

SPEAKER_03 52:08

It was, it was very quick.

SPEAKER_14 52:10

And so did he ever get the um orange heart medal?

SPEAKER_03 52:14

No, ma'am. He passed away in 2000. Afterwards, yes. Yes. Uh as a survivor, you're you're survivors of military veterans, um there's not there's not much supports uh out there. And you know, you think about these these military families, um, and it's sad to say, but it is the truth. The when they get a knock at the door, if they are active duty and they live on base, they they get a knock at the door and and they're saying, I we're so sorry to tell you this, but then you have 30 days to vacate, and so you got all this to deal with.

SPEAKER_14 52:53

Robin Spence, if someone wanted to get in touch with you.