He was my husband’s brother; I didn’t really know him very well until the past couple of years. I first met him around 1996 when my husband took me to MS to meet his family. Van was a Respiratory Therapist and has always worked the 11-7 shift, sleeping much of the day. So even when he moved to TN, he worked the same shift. He kept very different hours and a different lifestyle than we did. We got together once or twice a year to catch up with each other’s lives. He’d been with his partner for 25+ years, and they kept to themselves.

I knew that he had been in the Navy as a Corpsman and had done 2 tours during the Vietnam War. He mentioned he had PTSD. No details. He didn’t talk about his service, and I did not invade his privacy by questioning him. We moved out of state for several years, and during that time we learned that his partner had a stroke, was disabled, but very few details about it or her.

A U.S. Navy Hospital Corpsman in Vietnam served as an enlisted combat medic attached to U.S. Marine Corps units, performing emergency battlefield care, routine health maintenance, and triage under fire. Affectionately and respectfully called "Doc" by the Marines, roughly 10,000 to over 30,000 corpsmen deployed during the war to keep casualty survival rates at an unprecedented 98% if treated within the first hour.

When he was diagnosed with cancer in the fall of 2024, he was treated with chemotherapy and radiation. It became very clear that he was confusional and had severe chemo brain. We stepped in to help. He needed a driver to chemo, radiation, and a multitude of doctor and PT appointments. They both needed support, assistance managing the household/finances, and someone with a memory to help. That’s when we began to learn about his service and their lives.

Van had been aboard the USS White Plains in 1969. USS White Plains was tasked with moving various types of cargo to larger ships, and in August 1969, there were many black gallon barrels on the ship, each bearing orange tags with the words "Special Handling Procedures" printed on them. According to the Captain, this meant that the men who moved the material by forklift should handle it more carefully than with the usual hurried motion. He stated that in early August 1969, there was a spill when one of the barrels was grazed by a sharp instrument and began leaking a sticky, pungent, dark liquid substance. As part of damage control, the Captain had the damage control team hose the chemical down, and it spread all over the deck. Van was on deck at the time with the other Corpsmen.

The Captain stated that he was informed years later that these barrels contained Agent Orange. In fact, the USS White Plains was the primary supplier of Agent Orange from the main supply source in Subic Bay, Philippines, to multiple points along the Vietnam coast during a period deemed "Operation Market Time."

There is a slew of diseases and cancers caused by Agent Orange, including high blood pressure, diabetes, peripheral neuropathy, Parkinson’s, hypothyroidism, and heart disease. Although Van checked off many on the Veterans Administration’s list, he never applied to the VA for disability benefits. On one hand, he said that the (expletive) government didn’t care about him and would not give him anything. And other days, he thought he was not worthy of help. Any help. Even ours. My husband and I decided to help him get the VA benefits he was entitled to anyway. We jumped through all the VA hoops, filled out all of the VA paperwork, made a couple of wrong turns based on incorrect advice, and took him to various VA specialists who needed to interview him separately. He was declared 100% disabled while he had the cancer, and 80% disabled when he was cancer-free. He started receiving $2044/month disability and was eligible for $40,000 in life insurance. He was amazed and appreciative not only that he was recognized, but also of the amount of the payment.

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a mental health condition that can develop after you experience or witness a very scary or harmful event. It is typically grouped into four main symptom types: Intrusive Memories (bad dreams, flashbacks), Avoidance (staying away from places, people, or thoughts that remind you of the trauma), Negative Mood Changes (feeling numb, sad, hopeless, or disconnected from friends and family), and Reactivity (being easily startled, feeling tense, angry, or having trouble sleeping). Van was dealing with this as well as depression and his increasing physical disabilities. He had been unable to keep up with maintenance and upkeep of his life or his home.

Van beat the cancer. The disability funding from the VA made a huge difference in his outlook and his finances. He began to feel that he mattered. As a surviving Combat Veteran and through the efforts of his caring ex-wife, Van was gifted with a stunning Quilt of Valor. Depression seemed to be lifting; he smiled a lot more, and he seemed lighter, happier. But he had a profound peripheral neuropathy, and it was difficult for him to always know where his feet were.

One day in August 2025, he lost his balance and fell backward, striking his head on pavement. He died in the University of TN Medical Center ICU.

(Francis) Van Manning
National Defense Service Medal
Republic of Vietnam Campaign Medal
Vietnam Service Medal, 2 Bronze Stars

February 26, 1948 – August 23, 2025