Veterans' Tales of War & Peace
Share views about U.S. plans to do battle again with Iraq
By Elena Malykhina, Sheila McKenna and Bryan Virasami
STAFF WRITERS

November 11, 2002

Veterans know the meaning of war better than anyone.

They know its hellish fury and heart-breaking agony. They know its destruction - up close and horrifying.

But veterans also know war has its own painful glory, the understanding that their sacrifices will make the world a better place.

This Veterans Day, like most Americans, veterans have the looming war with Iraq on their minds.

Here are the thoughts of veterans who served in the Persian Gulf, Vietnam, Korean War and World War II, in their own words:

GULF WAR

Victor Dendariarena, 32, Staten Island
Service: Army, technical mechanic for the 3rd Armored Division
Now: Office manager at the Brooklyn Veteran Center in Flatbush

My main job was to decontaminate and repaint the vehicles that were used by the whole battalion. I was sent to Germany for re-detachment. There, I was listening to the radio and contacting the unit overseas in the Persian Gulf. I was disabled from duty. When I healed, I went to the Persian Gulf. In Saudi Arabia, I had to ship all the vehicles back. Our unit was dealing with the situation and George Bush's father said to retreat, instead of keeping us going and finishing the job.

For the kids now to go abroad and deal with the same situation, I don't think that's very fair. I don't like the idea of war one bit. Our youth are being very patriotic and signing up for the military, probably to get revenge for what happened Sept. 11. I hope the training now is better than it was before.

War accomplishes nothing. Two parties tear each other apart, but there are no winners. You always lose in war.

Maggie Castro, 39, Brooklyn
Service: National Guard, worked in Medical Support Group, kept count of casualties
Now: Eligibility clerk at the Veterans Health Care Center in Brooklyn

Sept. 11 opened up closed wounds that I tried to forget. A lot of people in America don't realize what happened to the veterans in all those wars. A lot of my friends are dead, who served in the Persian Gulf, because of the Agent Orange illness. I'm trying to hang in there, but there are days when I don't want to bother with the world.

The U.S. should take care of its people first and stop worrying about these other countries. With these big changes and decisions, the officials don't realize the aftermath of war. The war on Iraq is going to bring back the pain to me and other folks that have been there. It's something that should have been settled in '91.

People are scared, they don't want to send their children over to fight. The other war showed that when these young people came back, they didn't get any help. I'm afraid that might happen again.

John Chang, 54, of Tarrytown
Service: Army, medical officer, stationed at Fort Totten
Now: Lieutenant colonel serving as clinical pharmacy specialist at the VA Medical Center in Manhattan

During the Gulf War, I was stationed at the Letterman Army Medical Center in San Francisco. That was 12 years ago and I was a major at the time. My function was to take care of soldiers and their families to help them with medication and supplies. It was very rewarding. I also served in Bosnia.

We had a meeting with Lt. Gen. Hemley two weeks ago at Fort Hamilton [and] at the Pentagon to talk about where the Reserves and the National Guard are at this time with the Gulf coming back into play again. He told us to be ready and by January we'll know whether we're going to another war or not.

There are already a lot of units that are being mobilized. Our role as citizen soldiers has become more important because of what is going on in the world. I think the president is doing the right thing and the military stands behind him. Whatever decision he makes, we'll be there to support him.

VIETNAM WAR

Peter Addesso, 55, Manorville
Service: Marines, corporal, wounded after five months and left a paraplegic; awarded the Silver Star.
Now: Works for Eastern Paralyzed Veterans Association in Jackson Heights

It was during the 1968 Tet offensive in Hue city - a major battle of the war. We were up against about 15,000 North Vietnamese that had been dug into the city for a year. I was a radio operator, and after I got hit I kept on calling for support for almost an hour before I passed out.

Of the 312 Marines in my company only 16 survived.

When I saw these young kids go off to Desert Storm I actually cried. They looked like babies - like we did.

But this is a different story. Sometimes it's necessary to go to war and this is one of those times. We had our chance to fight terrorism and didn't do it and we're stuck with the same situation. It's that simple.

Michael Pergola, 55, Flushing
Service: Army, door gunner in Medevac helicopter, retrieving the bodies of dead and wounded soldiers
Now: Retired as chief of operations for the city Department of Highways

When I left Vietnam I didn't want to come home and I didn't want to be in Vietnam. And I think every Vietnam veteran feels that way because we all left a piece of ourselves in Vietnam.

I've been in therapy for 12 years. I still have flashbacks and nightmares, but it's different now because I talk about it. I know how to handle them a bit better.

I'm a recovering alcoholic. Now I go to group meetings for support and I belong to the VVA and VFW.

I'm angry at the government. I'm angry every time I have to go to an appointment with the VA. It's a battle all over again. I hope that they don't treat these new troops the way they treated us. No one should have to go through that.

Ron Powers, 64, Cambria Heights
Service: Army, platoon sergeant and first sergeant after the war
Now: Counselor at the Veterans Administration center in Woodhaven

Time heals all wounds. Sure there are times I hated being in the Army, but I try not to think about them. I think about the fun times and all the people I've met and places I've been.

I think our center is one of the best there is. We counsel veterans with post-traumatic syndrome, anger management, alcohol and drug abuse, you name it. The reason we're so good at it is because we've been there.

Going to war with Iraq doesn't sit well with me. If we're going to go after the axis of evil we need to take care of North Korea before we mess around with Iraq.

Bush is putting too much emphasis on one person and I don't think he's proved his case.

KOREAN WAR

Arthur Code, 67, Brooklyn
Service: Army, infantry soldier
Now: New York State service officer, helps wounded veterans with claims

I came to Korea in 1951 . . . I stayed a year and two months in Korea because I got wounded . . .

I operated the Brownie Automatic weapons and my job was to kill the Chinese. I was a combat soldier and I have what is a CIB, Combat Infantry Badge, as well as the military order of the Purple Heart.

I went to St. Arthur's Naval Hospital and since then I have been coming to the VA. Today, I'm 100 percent disabled, 100 percent connected. The government takes care of me now.

I think the war with Iraq is necessary. . . because going there means trying to stop some of the problems that we have here. Hussein is a threat to everybody, he's a threat to me, to my family, because we're dealing with nuclear and biological weapons. He needs to be taken out . . .

Thomas Nuzzo, 72, Franklin Square
Service: Army, Private First Class
Now: Tutors Korean immigrant children in Flushing in English

I went to Korea in '53, the last year. I was in the Army and I was in the infantry, rifleman, and I served near Soyang River. The Soyang was originally part of North Korea, but as the war progressed we took part of that, so that's under the DMZ [Demilitarized zone].

Part of what I did to train the first Korean army, we used the term ROK - Republic of Korea - when we talk about Korea we always say the ROK.

I will support it [the war on Iraq]. But the only question I have in my mind is sort of theoretical and political: Of all the countries that are a problem - Iraq is a problem in terms of supporting people who support terror, blowing up planes - why are they picking on Iraq? They never said why.

They said Iraq has these types of weapons, but I still wonder why they're not putting pressure on the others. The bottom line is yes, they got to do something.

WORLD WAR II

Ruth Kempisty, 84, Maspeth
Service: Women's Army Auxiliary Corps member, sergeant, Army transportation division
Now: Maintains Frontera Park with husband since 1977, member of parks committee in Community Board 5, Maspeth, member of United Veterans and Fraternal Organizations of Maspeth.

I trained in Louisiana, where they built a Japanese internment camp. The mud was a foot deep. We had our basic training there and then went to New Jersey. It was interesting and it was hard work but there were days when you say "What am I doing here?"

I'd like to go over there [Iraq] and bomb them off the face of the earth ... After 9/11 happened we [my husband and I] said maybe we can re-enlist.... The trouble is I don't think they will really get rid of the terrorists, there are so many of them ... Illegal aliens and how many of them are terrorist, we don't know.

I think somebody has to do something about it, somebody has to take them out. They have to do something, they have to go at least and get the inspection done. They [Iraqi leaders] said they don't have anything but we all know it's not true.

John Kempisty, 82, Maspeth
Service: Army, sergeant in transportation division
Now: Volunteers at Frontera Park; member of United Veterans and Fraternal Organizations of Maspeth; retired warehouse supervisor and furniture truck driver.

It was cold as hell in Staten Island when the ships were coming in, the hospital ships ... It is one of those deals you did this and you did that ... that was your job and that's it ... we were the transporters in the ambulance and we had them in buses ... we took them to different hospitals in the area.

Why the hell should we send our young people over there? In the first war when we transported them to the hospital and I said to myself, why? They're coming out with blind eyes ... why should we send our boys out there? The troops go over and they help out and as soon as they leave, they turn back to the same thing.

Copyright © 2002, Newsday, Inc.