‘He suffered for his whole adult life’ – Meredith man’s name to be added to Vietnam ‘In Memory’ memorial

MEREDITH — Bill and Linda Finno spent many years nearly meeting each other. They both worked for the IRS, and they both studied at Northern Essex Community College, but it wasn’t until they were both assigned to the night shift at New England Telephone Company that their paths finally crossed.

“We should have met years go, but we didn’t meet until ‘78,” said Linda. She said Bill was a fun-loving, big-hearted guy, and within a few years she would be his wife.

But, shortly before their wedding, Bill came down with a splitting headache, one that lasted far longer than usual. It was his first migraine, and the first of many afflictions that she blames on his two tours with the U.S. Navy during the Vietnam War.

“He just suffered a lot for his whole adult life, it was hard,” she said. Finno was plagued by the migraines and then various cancers, but it was diabetes that finally killed him. He died on Aug. 3, 2011, while he was alone at their Meredith home. He was 66.

“He should still be here with me,” Linda said. On either side of Bill’s family, only he and one cousin were diagnosed with diabetes. That cousin also served in Vietnam.

While many who served in the Vietnam War were drafted, Bill enlisted. He was a proud American, Linda said, and came from a tradition of military service. He served two tours on the USS Chevalier, from 1965 to 1968.

Bill and Linda had two boys together, Kurt and Derek, who grew up knowing that they had to be quiet “when Dad was sick,” Linda said. But when he was feeling well, Bill was a boisterous, playful dad who loved to laugh and make others laugh, and who made sure the house was decorated for every holiday, especially Christmas.

His frequent illnesses kept him from keeping a job, which pushed Linda into the role of breadwinner for the family. Bill didn’t want to burden his family, and so he took care of all the housework and cooking.

“He was always there for all of us,” she said. “It was a 50-50 (partnership) for sure.”

He felt the same sense of caring for fellow veterans, she said. Bill actively encouraged every veteran he met, especially those who served in Vietnam, to be tested for exposure to Agent Orange. At his funeral, she was approached by several who said they received care and benefits because of Bill’s advice.

So, when she learned about the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund’s In Memory program, she filled out the paperwork to have Bill’s name included. Her application was approved, and Bill’s name will be officially read, along with 343 other inductees.

The In Memory program was started in 1999 to honor Vietnam veterans who died as a result of their service subsequent to their discharge. To date, more than 3,200 veterans have been added to the In Memory program.

Finno will be one of three New Hampshire men added this year. His name will be joined by those of Army veterans Herbert Albert Perron, of Raymond, and David Joseph Saucier, of Dover.

“I am so proud to have been his wife but miss him every day of my life,” said Linda.

Bill’s ailments and his disability were recognized by the Veterans Administration as caused by exposure to Agent Orange, a defoliant used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War. But the VA only recognizes a specific list of diseases and cancers caused by the chemical; veterans suffering from other illnesses they suspect are caused by Agent Orange must petition the VA for benefits.

Linda sees this as an example of the country failing to treat its veterans fairly.

“They never do, just like they didn’t treat the World War II vets fairly until all of them were gone – but now they’re doing the same thing with the Vietnam vets.”

‘It’s a real thing’

Mark Sullivan, post adjutant of American Legion Post in Meredith, served the U.S. Army from 1970 to 1972, including time in Vietnam.

Was he exposed to Agent Orange?

“I would have to say yes, just about anybody in country was exposed to it,” he said.

Sullivan, 68, who said he is otherwise “as healthy as an ox,” has had more than a dozen different cysts removed and biopsied, and he’s scheduled to have a couple more removed from his back.

He can’t be certain what causes the cysts. One thing is clear, though, many of the veterans he knows of his generation, people who served in Vietnam or serviced the aircraft that dropped Agent Orange, are experiencing health problems. And many are far worse off than he is.

“We have a lot of people who are suffering from Agent Orange. It’s coming out more and more,” Sullivan said. “It’s a real thing that they’re just starting to recognize… It’s a real tender subject that the government is dancing around.”

For Sullivan, people like Finno should be honored in the same way that America recognizes those who fell on the battlefield. They’re Americans who sustained injury as a result of their military duty, and that injury later killed them.

“There’s no doubt about that. They’re related to the war somehow,” said Sullivan. “They should get purple hearts and the whole thing, it goes back to the Agent Orange.”