INTERVIEW WITH LILY ADAMS

Lily Adams shares her experiences of the Vietnam war and invites parents to email her with questions or comments.

Lily: I was an Army Nurse in Vietnam. Most of my patients in triage were 18 to 19 years old and many were mutilated from booby traps.

As the mother of a 25-year-old son I can relate to the fear and anguish of losing a child to war. Unfortunately (or fortunately), the government won't take my son because of a birth defect caused by Agent Orange.

I want to connect with the parents of troops and let them know I support them. I have done and will continue to do my best to end this "war." Many people disagree with me. They have been duped by this administration and its lies and by now some people can't tell the difference between truth and lies. Many of these people have not gone through the agony of war and its consequences. I have. That is why I choose to speak out against war.  I'll continue to protest, support our troops, and pray that they all come home safe soon.  

Susan (of Mother Speak) asks why her son left college to join the military...I think it was probably because some recruiter convinced him to do so. Recruiters are very persuasive. My recruiter told me I wouldn't go to Vietnam unless I volunteered to go there. I didn't volunteer and was blown away that my government would lie to me. I was angry my whole tour of duty there and for many years after that.  

When our troops come home from Iraq, many will be sick from the anthrax vaccine, depleted uranium, as well as a host of exotic diseases most of which our doctors don't know anything about. Our troops will be told their symptoms are �ll in their head.�As they die, they�l be told that their ailments have nothing to do with their wartime experiences. 

The Veterans Administration does not have enough money to care for our troops from the Vietnam war never mind the veterans coming home from the current wars and in need of treatment.  

The tragedies that occur after a war are never-ending: grandchildren of Vietnam vets and Persian Gulf vets may have birth defects. Believe me, having a child affected by diseases of contamination (as my child was contaminated by Agent Orange) is no picnic. 

Parents should be very vigilant for signs of Depleted Uranium contamination in their children returning from the theaters of war. But don� wait for symptoms to appear. Insist on your children having blood tests. Insist of seeing results of all testsand don� wait weeks for those tests. The military loses medical results quite easily, especially test results that show chemical contaminants in your child� system.  

Sincerely, Lily (Lee) Adams 
12th Evac Hospital 
69-70

Send your questions to Mother Speak. Lily will answer you directly and we'll post your question and answer on the web site to benefit other mothers and soldiers. You will remain anonymous.