USARSUPTHAI ASSOCIATION

Joseph J. Wilson, Jr.



(Colorado Springs, CO)

519th Transportation Association, Thailand, Truckmaster
519th Transportation Association FB, Listmaster
USARSUPTHAI @ Yahoo Groups, Moderator

569th Transportation Company, Camp Khon Kaen 2/68 - 2/70
505th Transportation Company, Camp Vayama, Sattahip 2/70 - 7/70

Barry P. Meyer



(Madison, AL)

53rd Transportation Company, Camp Vayama, Sattahip 2/68 - 2/69

Franco (dFox) Joseph Picchionne
26 Jun 46 - 10 May 2011
Buried, Orange, CA

HHD, 44^th EN GP (CON), & 697^th EN CO (PL),
Camp Friendship, Korat & Camp Samae San, Sattahip, 68-70


WHO IS (WAS):

Francis (Franco) Picchione

likes to think

of himself

as the “Defender of the Weak”

 or more appropriately:

the timid in so much as

many veterans

give up on their claims for the most simplistic reasons.

 

IAW our judicial system and in establishing evidence in support of disability claims before the DVA, we must be selective in what is considered hearsay and statements of fact.  Franco has had a wealth of personal experiences both in uniform (over ten years) and in civilian professional practice in IT (almost 30 years.)  The areas of expertise that is explained here makes him a perfect Expert Witness for Thailand veterans during the Vietnam era.

 

In filing his last tax return for 2005, Franco filed his disability claim in a “matter of fact” manner, soliciting representation with a VSO (big mistake) and allowing everything from the initial rating denial to the Decision Review Officer conference (DRO) be handled incompetently by this VSO.  Today, he is totally disabled and filing his “TDIU” for Individual Disability has had that certified by the DVA, filed by himself, thank you.

 

The “big mango” still alludes him and his Laotian refugee wife, but he is closing in on it having shortly filed motions with the DVA Board to reconsider the preposterous Veterans Law Judge that it was my misfortune to have.  You could actually say it was a “stroke of luck” to have my appeal assign to an incompetent judge with law prejudices toward Thailand veterans, to close the loop on administrative affairs in claim adjudication within the DVA.

 

After all, if Franco is to be a good Thai veteran advocate, wouldn’t you agree that he must (first-hand) experience the same pitfalls other veterans will encounter? 

Nod “yes.”

 

Be under the same stressful conditions found in the adversary system

which hallmarks the DVA?

 

Even had every attempt to be intimidated by a bureaucracy

that has thrown their best efforts at me?

 

It ain’t working .. sorry sports fans.

 

In fact, in what of my key areas of IT experience, auditing, I have saved my clients literally hundreds of thousands of dollars and others confirm system integrity.

 

To look at my service personnel record, who would have ever guessed that this “company clerk” would have ever become a leader in IT?  Howard Hughes did, from an army company clerk…

To the misfortune of my VARO (and DRO) will come the wrath of this claimant and hopefully a few heads will role, be dumped, put out to pasture, so on and so forth.

 

 You just can’t run a ship-shape shop without the letting of some blood, bad blood.

 

You’ve got to really reform the department and not just give it mouth service.

 

To simply ignore the state of affairs, is not only cowardice, but notoriously bureaucratic.

 

“Buk” Frank, as he likes to be called, doesn’t put up with any bunk and expects the same for others.  You know, the old “do unto others” religious philosophy that has steadied his ship throughout life as a corporate consultant.

 

Trust is what is lacking in the DVA today and General Shinseki is the man to turn things around as the Department Scretary.

 

Franco can only make a small dint in a big system and helped those with similar disability issues.

 

Biography

 

Franco was born in Brockton, Mass; home of Rocky Marciano and lived on the same street west of the town Y.M.C.A., Dover Street.  He lived across Warner Avenue, a dividing line for the middle class and poor, Stacy Shoes was my neighbor.  Before that, my mother and I lived in a small tenement house behind a bigger one, sandwiched by a shoe factory and a Catholic parochial school, with a large cathedral church on Main Street.

 

After graduating from high school, he joined the army, volunteered in 1966.

 

Three (3) significant assignments provide the basis in law for lay testimony and evidence:

 

In 1967, assigned to a Replacement Detachment at Ft Hood, Texas as a Legal Clerk, you know – for those that decide not to report for duty an go A.W.O.L.

 

In Thailand, 1968 and 1969, assigned initially to the headquarters company and then a line (pipeline engineer) unit.  Both assignments gave him a wealth of opportunity at the highest level and projects all around Thailand for what later will be Phase Two in the assault on Washington for other Thailand veterans that may have been exposed to herbicide agents in Thailand.  His last assignment was with the headquarters of an engineer battalion; assisting other company clerks to reconcile their “books” or morning reports for what better reason – plans to deactivate.

 

This concluded his first enlistment in the army, and during a short (almost) eight month break, attended Control Data Institute as a civilian in Burlington, Mass.  As things would have it, and as reported in USAF CHECO Project Reports for the SEA era, Control Data programmers were contracted to automate the Airlift Management System for he U.S. Air Force, in 1966; four years earlier and too late for me to be assigned to sunny Vietnam.

 

Returning to active duty in August 1970, Franco moved from Miami, Florida to Ft Lewis, Washington to be assigned as an E-5 to the U.S. Army Replacement Station at the Army Personnel Center where he performed all sorts of E-5 duties including shift assistance team leader.   And, the only “barking” that he ever did was to “permanent party” giving in transit personnel heading for Vietnam a rough time .. “do unto others.”

 

At the “Repo Depot,” we processed between 300 and 500 troops a day; providing orientation and billeting awaiting their orders for SEA and transportation to McChord AFB, next store.

 

We had a few young recruits destined for Thailand, and placed in common billeting with those for Vietnam.  I tried to assure them that even though their neighbors are destine for Vietnam, they will continue to Thailand either the same day of arrival in Vietnam, or billeted for transportation the following day, or two.  Finance calls such stops AD or AT for “authorized delay” or “awaiting transportation.”

 

You can look at an early MATS Pacific Routes map and see how, logistically and strategically, flight routes from CONUS closed the Pacific route loops at Clark Air Base in the Philippines, and the went to SEA via Vietnam and then to Thailand.  MATS was the air force command responsible for this type of non-combat (as opposed to tactical) transportation from the beginning of the war in 1961 through 1965 when MAC (command) took over. 

 

Now, all this is explained more thoroughly in other papers Franco has written for your education and general background regarding “presumptive service connection” and exposure to herbicide agents (presumptively by law) for service in Vietnam.  No, not “service service” in Vietnam in the traditional sense, but “service for the basis of such disability claims, ie, 3.313.”

 

On the last page of this introduction is a summary of Franco’s experiences and education to help serve his fellow Thai veterans to establish the necessary evidence with their claims at their regional offices or the Board.

 

Hopefully, Franco will be able to speak before a Congressional Oversight Committee in the House of Representatives shortly that will smooth the way for other Thai veteran claims.

 

 

 Francis Joseph Picchione

Regular Army (11/66 - 5/77)  Promotions:  E-5 10/68 and E-6  2-73 (Nixon freeze)

USARPAC Honor Guard (8/73 - 9/74)  Squad Leader

Relevant Military Assignments:

Legal Clerk, Ft Hood (4/67-12/67)  E-3 and E-4

Company Clerk, USARSUPTHAI (1/68 – 1/70)  E-4 and E-5

Asst Team Leader, Ft Lewis (8/70 – 6/72)  E-5

Military Training +

Clerk School (1967) Ft Leonard Wood

NCO Academy (1971) Ft Lewis 6^th Army

+ Selected for Artillery OCS and D.O.R. after six weeks

Formal College Studies

Control Data Institute, Burlington, Mass  Certificate in Programming (1970)

University of Puget Sound, University of Hawaii and Chaminade College of Honolulu

For a Bachelor’s Degree in Business (BGS) in 1976

University of Southern California (Hickam AFB Education Center)

Graduate studies in (M.S.) Systems Management, 12 units, 4.0 gpa

Civilian Professional Career

Founded a consulting IT business, several small businesses including a Thai restaurant

IT Auditor (Data Processing Rare Birds  1981 - 2002)

Shop Las Vegas (Internet Marketing 2002-2006)

Major IT Applications:  Financial and Accounting

Illustrations:

Hawaii Medical Service Association (A/R Team)

Continental Airlines * (Corporate G/L; Flight Profitability)

McDonnell Douglas (Manufacturing Order Entry w/Accounting)

Self-employed @ Aerospace Industry

B.E.T. (A/P Overpayment System)

Major Contributions:

American Honda Motor (7 years onsite to present from 1985)

Toyota Motor Sales (Field Service Training Credentials Inventory, 4  years)

Y.M.C.A. of Metropolitan Los Angeles (1981-2002; CP/M, DOS, Windows 2000)

* instructed the entire commercial programming staff on IBM HIPO Design

based on advanced training received at H.M.S.A. in Hawaii

Also, in my spare time, provided pro-bono paralegal assistance in Superior Court of Orange County, California to both battered husbands and wives @ “Buk” Frank.

This tribute was to a man who was passionate about battling the VA for veterans recognition of Agent Orange exposure.

Many have referred to, few have known or claimed to understand, he was better known as "Franco".

Frank Marsh
(Chesapeake, VA)


TLC Brotherhood
TLCB FB

35th Medical Hospital, Korat 64 - 65

Larry M. Shedd
(Texas, Thailand)




70th Avn Det

70th Avn Det, Korat RTAFB 68 - 70