Charles Brimeyer

TH: How would you describe the welcome you personally experienced when you came back from Vietnam?
CB: My mother had to tell me because I didn't remember it all. I mean, I'm in Vietnam one day and I come home and I landed in the United States the same day - because of the international dateline - and at midnight a landed at the Dubuque Regional Airport and my whole family was out there. I didn't even remember they were there. My time, when I came home, was not like a lot of them. I mean, we went through the airport in Los Angeles at night and we were in and out. When we got there, we had enough time to grab our bags and get on the plane and come. It was fast for me. I did not have what other veterans experienced, because when I got home, I had family here and they were, at midnight, out greeting me at the airport. Then I had to go back to Fort Bliss, Texas, for six months because my time wasn't up yet. So that gave the Army six more months to see if I'd sign up again.

TH: And you didn't.
CB: No, no, no, no, no. They needed demolition specialists back in Vietnam and I didn't really want to go back again. Once was more than enough for me.

TH: How long was your tour in Vietnam?
CB: The actually length of tour of 11 months and 28 days. Because the 28 days aboard ship counted as in-country, because we were outside the continental United States, so that counted. For that 28 days, they even gave us combat pay. It was only because the Marines were on the other part of the ship.

TH: Where are we in terms of veterans' benefits as it related to Agent Orange? I know there was quite a period of time where there was some denial from the government that Agent Orange was a factor.
CB: We have some recognition. By the way we are with that, diabetes, the Australians have that service-connected a couple of years before our government would acknowledge it. So where are we with the government? Slow, at best. I mean, Agent Orange though, they added diabetes mellitus type II, adult-onset diabetes. There is a list of soft tissue sarcomas now. They've included lung cancer in there. I mean, out of all the disabilities, 90 percent of them are cancers. Prostrate cancer. They're accepting that as presumptive if you served one day in Vietnam since 1962, I believe, until '75. What they're doing and what the VA in Des Moines is doing, if a Vietnam veteran who has in-country service has diabetes, they have been very quick in coming with a determination and service connection for that. What veterans need to know is the diabetes is only one part of that claim. Diabetes causes peripheral neuropathy in both the arms, feet, hands and legs. Can cause high blood pressure, arterial sclerotic heart disease. Eye problems. Keep trying to think of all the things. ED, erectile dysfunction. And the veterans aren't knowing that they can file for these conditions that are directly attributed to their service- connected condition. Money is never going to make it any better. They are still going to have these conditions. But if they got them and we get them service connected and they have this money coming in, their life is easier that they don't have to worry about where my next meal is coming from. They can then deal with the illnesses.

TH: Do all other counties have an office just like yours?
CB: No. Some counties do not; some counties have three commissioners. Sometimes the commissioners feel that there are not enough veterans in the county to support an office. Sometimes it's monetary.

TH: If someone is unsure what's available, they can call here and you'll help them out. You don't have to live in Dubuque County to at least get some advice and counsel from your office.
CB: Correct. We'll not turn a veteran away. If the only thing we can do is get them the application, signed up for health care and they're from another county, we will still do that. It's the filing of the claims for the compensation or pension that I can't take care of. Dubuque County pays me. The veterans in Dubuque County are who I've been charged to assist in county relief.

TH: Why does it matter when a veteran enrolls?
CB: If the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, which once a year, he has to determine who's eligible for health care and who isn't, he could at any time open the health care up for those Priority 8s that can't be seen and have a window that says, "OK, during this time frame, any veterans that were denied benefits to can apply." All they do is call up and say, "I want to be seen." They're in the system. They have never kicked anybody out that's in the system since this started.

TH: What line of work was your father in?
CB: My father worked at Farley and Loetscher. He worked there during the war, actually, until about, oh, I'd be guessing, I think about '53, he had to quit. But he worked the big rip saw down there for years and years.

TH: What do you do when you do have a chance to get away? What hobbies or spare time activities do you get involved in?
CB: There is spare time?

TH: Well, I thought somebody must have some.
CB: I do woodworking. I go in my basement in workshop and do scroll sawing. Of course, you know I have probably 100 different scroll saw patterns half cut out.

TH: Have you ever finished a project?
CB: Oh, yeah. Right before Christmas every year I finish something. I like making sawdust. My dad used to do it and I think that's where I got it from. But that's what I do. I like going on short trips with my wife and things like that. Actually, just spending quiet time with my wife at home is really important to me.

TH: How did you meet your wife, Pat?
CB: A mutual friend of ours was renewing their vows. I had not known her. I went with a friend of mine here who knew the mutual friend. We went up to the wedding. Pat was reading at the church. I saw her and I said, "Oh, nice." Don't be putting that in there. But we met at the reception and a while after that, I called her up and we just went out together. She was from Cedar Rapids at that time. I met her right before I applied and got this job.

TH: And this a second marriage for you both?
CB: Yeah, this is the second marriage for me. This would make it her second marriage. Pat is also a Vietnam vet. She served with the Special Services in Vietnam. She ran an enlisted man's club with the 101st Airborn in Tet of '68.

TH: There aren't too many women Vietnam vets, are there?
CB: I don't know if they really know how many there really are anymore. I mean, they didn't have any idea how many women served in Vietnam to begin with. She worked for the Department of Defense at that time. TH: As we wrap up, is the military still a good experience for a young man or young woman today? Would you recommend it to your grandchildren?
CB: I believe the military is a good experience today. Would I recommend it to my grandchildren? I would recommend to my grandchildren that they do, if they wanted to go in, that would be their determination to go in because they have an all-volunteer military. But I would support whatever decision they made. But I would not tell them that they should go in or not. If they want to serve, I would support them wholeheartedly.