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Benefit to help fund veteran's trip to Vietnam Memorial
by diane vance /gate city staff writer
He's proud and patriotic. He's sad, scared, mad and bitter. Staff Sgt. Wilbur “Lee” Quinn, 58, of Montrose is looking death in the face and he's not ready to go.
Since the 1960s, Quinn has been ready to go when his country called. He served in Vietnam as a young man. In 2003, at the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom, he went into Baghdad with his unit at age 54. He volunteered for the first Gulf War, Desert Storm, in 1991 but wasn't asked to go.
Now with squamous cell cancer, Quinn has one last place he wants to go. He wants to visit the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington, D.C. before he dies.
His wife, Debbie, his youngest son, Randy, a grandson, Johndale, and other family members are planning a car trip in mid-April to Washington, D.C. to allow Quinn to view the “wall.”
With a week's notice, his sister-in-law Vicky Abston is putting together a fund-raising benefit to help the family pay for the trip.
After six surgeries since August when he underwent circumcision for skin cancer, Quinn returned home Friday, only able to walk a little. He's received treatment at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Iowa City and has completed two weeks of radiation. He faces chemotherapy when he returns from D.C.
“When I was first diagnosed about a year ago, I was given one, or two to five years to live,” he said. “After the last biopsy (of his lungs) I have three to five months.”
Skin cancer has a high cure rate if it is treated early, but neglect can allow the cancer to spread, causing disability or death. Squamous cell cancer is malignant, involving cancerous changes to the cells of the middle portion of the epidermal skin layer. It is more aggressive than basal cell cancer. It is more likely than basal cell cancer to spread (metastasize) to other locations, including internal organs.
Quinn's diagnosis from 2003 to 2006 was that he had a fungus.
“I joined the army in January, 1967,” said Quinn. “I was out of high school and can't really say what motivated me to join.”
He attended basic training at Fort Bliss, Texas then trained at Fort Leonardwood, Mo., to work on heavy equipment.
After serving a year in Germany and receiving more training at Fort Knox, Ky., Quinn was ready for a change.
“I requested Vietnam,” he said. “I was tired of serving in the states. There was too much emphasis on spit and polish. I was a Specialist 4 and sent to Cam Ranh Bay in the early part of 1969 to serve with an artillery unit. We were known as ‘Defenders of the DMZ.'
In October, 1969, the artillery unit was deactivated. In those days, a unit was based overseas and soldiers rotated in and out individually. Since Quinn's year was nine months over, the army sent him home because it would have taken too much paperwork to assign him to another unit.
Quinn was honorably discharged in 1973. He returned to Montrose and married Debbie, of Keokuk, in 1975.
Quinn joined the 224th in Keokuk in 1982. After seven years, he left the National Guard and in January 1989 joined C Company of the 389th reserves in Middletown.
“I'm still an ‘active' member,” he said. “I last drilled in November 2006 for my once-a-month drill. During our summer drills we went to Germany one year and El Savador one year.
“In February 2003 our unit was notified we would deploy to Iraq. We had a two-week training camp at Middletown. The first of March we were put under federal orders and sent to Fort Leonardwood. We were packed into a gym, like sardines, about 1,000 of us. We had further training.”
It was while in Fort Leonardwood that Quinn first went to the doctor with a severe skin irritation.
“I showed him my problem,” he said. “He didn't even get up from his desk, just looked at me and said it's a fungus. I was given antibiotics and told to use athletes' foot powder. Right then I think that doctor signed my death warrant.”
Quinn's unit first arrived in Saudi Arabia. In May 2003, it convoyed trucks into Iraq.
“We convoyed up to Baghdad, right through the middle of Iraq,” he said. “Our advance party went out and bulldozed some dirt, spread gravel and we laid out the camouflage and slept in platoon size tents for a month and a half. I've seen summer temperatures hit 160 degrees. We got air conditioning in November. I was happy about that.”
Quinn's skin irritation was getting worse and he saw the battalion doctor in Iraq a few times.
“He actually looked at it but said the same thing, it's a fungus,” said Quinn. “There was no way they were going to ship me out of there to get tested.”
In May 2004, the 389th came back through Fort Leonardwood for outprocessing.
“They were supposed to run us through an extreme physical,” he said. “All that happened is we signed papers.”
Quinn saw a doctor once more at Fort Leonardwood but according to Quinn, the diagnosis didn't change.
“I figured it was a fungus,” he said. “I went to a family practitioner in March 2006 who said it's cancer. It needs to be taken care of right away. I balled when I heard ‘cancer.'
“I was sent to a specialist and we're back to the fungus diagnosis. I was prescribed ointment. It got worse immediately. The specialist called me back in a few months for a follow-up. Finally, he said cancer and began setting up appointments for me at the hospital. But I told him I have no insurance, and I'll need to go to the VA.”
Quinn had his first surgery, including a circumcision, Aug. 29, 2006. He attended monthly drills through November and underwent two more surgeries Dec. 13; a fourth on Jan. 24; a fifth on Feb. 28 and a sixth on March 5.
“Now they want to do another surgery, but I want to go to the Vietnam Wall,” he said. “They've removed the lymph nodes on my left side and scoped my stomach. The last time, they had to biopsy my lung and it hurts to breathe.
“I've always wanted to see the Vietnam Wall. After my unit in Vietnam was deactivated, the rest of the guys who had to stay longer were transferred to a transportation outfit. I heard they lost 25 to 30 percent shortly after that. Six months later, they about got wiped out. I'll probably recognize some names.”
He has been able to come home between surgeries at the Veteran's Hospital and has the use of a friend's motorized chair.
“The VA has treated me very well, “ he said. “I haven't heard a thing from my company commander or anyone.
“When I came home from Vietnam, I had human urine and feces thrown at me as I walked down Main Street in Keokuk,” he said. “I was called ‘baby killer.' But being ignored by the army now is a worse slap in the face. I would go again if could. Now, I feel swept under the carpet. The army will use you when they need you but drag their feet from doomsday to Hell when you need them.”
Second Lt. Norma Cabanas, C Co., 389th unit administrator, said this morning she is catching up with unit business after being absent for six months.
“Quinn is a priority,” she said. “I have a meeting with him today. I'm going to his home to help get paperwork taken care of and see what he needs.”
Since the 1960s, Quinn has been ready to go when his country called. He served in Vietnam as a young man. In 2003, at the beginning of Operation Iraqi Freedom, he went into Baghdad with his unit at age 54. He volunteered for the first Gulf War, Desert Storm, in 1991 but wasn't asked to go.
Now with squamous cell cancer, Quinn has one last place he wants to go. He wants to visit the Vietnam Veteran's Memorial in Washington, D.C. before he dies.
His wife, Debbie, his youngest son, Randy, a grandson, Johndale, and other family members are planning a car trip in mid-April to Washington, D.C. to allow Quinn to view the “wall.”
With a week's notice, his sister-in-law Vicky Abston is putting together a fund-raising benefit to help the family pay for the trip.
After six surgeries since August when he underwent circumcision for skin cancer, Quinn returned home Friday, only able to walk a little. He's received treatment at the Veteran's Administration Hospital in Iowa City and has completed two weeks of radiation. He faces chemotherapy when he returns from D.C.
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Skin cancer has a high cure rate if it is treated early, but neglect can allow the cancer to spread, causing disability or death. Squamous cell cancer is malignant, involving cancerous changes to the cells of the middle portion of the epidermal skin layer. It is more aggressive than basal cell cancer. It is more likely than basal cell cancer to spread (metastasize) to other locations, including internal organs.
Quinn's diagnosis from 2003 to 2006 was that he had a fungus.
“I joined the army in January, 1967,” said Quinn. “I was out of high school and can't really say what motivated me to join.”
He attended basic training at Fort Bliss, Texas then trained at Fort Leonardwood, Mo., to work on heavy equipment.
After serving a year in Germany and receiving more training at Fort Knox, Ky., Quinn was ready for a change.
“I requested Vietnam,” he said. “I was tired of serving in the states. There was too much emphasis on spit and polish. I was a Specialist 4 and sent to Cam Ranh Bay in the early part of 1969 to serve with an artillery unit. We were known as ‘Defenders of the DMZ.'
In October, 1969, the artillery unit was deactivated. In those days, a unit was based overseas and soldiers rotated in and out individually. Since Quinn's year was nine months over, the army sent him home because it would have taken too much paperwork to assign him to another unit.
Quinn was honorably discharged in 1973. He returned to Montrose and married Debbie, of Keokuk, in 1975.
Quinn joined the 224th in Keokuk in 1982. After seven years, he left the National Guard and in January 1989 joined C Company of the 389th reserves in Middletown.
“I'm still an ‘active' member,” he said. “I last drilled in November 2006 for my once-a-month drill. During our summer drills we went to Germany one year and El Savador one year.
“In February 2003 our unit was notified we would deploy to Iraq. We had a two-week training camp at Middletown. The first of March we were put under federal orders and sent to Fort Leonardwood. We were packed into a gym, like sardines, about 1,000 of us. We had further training.”
It was while in Fort Leonardwood that Quinn first went to the doctor with a severe skin irritation.
“I showed him my problem,” he said. “He didn't even get up from his desk, just looked at me and said it's a fungus. I was given antibiotics and told to use athletes' foot powder. Right then I think that doctor signed my death warrant.”
Quinn's unit first arrived in Saudi Arabia. In May 2003, it convoyed trucks into Iraq.
“We convoyed up to Baghdad, right through the middle of Iraq,” he said. “Our advance party went out and bulldozed some dirt, spread gravel and we laid out the camouflage and slept in platoon size tents for a month and a half. I've seen summer temperatures hit 160 degrees. We got air conditioning in November. I was happy about that.”
Quinn's skin irritation was getting worse and he saw the battalion doctor in Iraq a few times.
“He actually looked at it but said the same thing, it's a fungus,” said Quinn. “There was no way they were going to ship me out of there to get tested.”
In May 2004, the 389th came back through Fort Leonardwood for outprocessing.
“They were supposed to run us through an extreme physical,” he said. “All that happened is we signed papers.”
Quinn saw a doctor once more at Fort Leonardwood but according to Quinn, the diagnosis didn't change.
“I figured it was a fungus,” he said. “I went to a family practitioner in March 2006 who said it's cancer. It needs to be taken care of right away. I balled when I heard ‘cancer.'
“I was sent to a specialist and we're back to the fungus diagnosis. I was prescribed ointment. It got worse immediately. The specialist called me back in a few months for a follow-up. Finally, he said cancer and began setting up appointments for me at the hospital. But I told him I have no insurance, and I'll need to go to the VA.”
Quinn had his first surgery, including a circumcision, Aug. 29, 2006. He attended monthly drills through November and underwent two more surgeries Dec. 13; a fourth on Jan. 24; a fifth on Feb. 28 and a sixth on March 5.
“Now they want to do another surgery, but I want to go to the Vietnam Wall,” he said. “They've removed the lymph nodes on my left side and scoped my stomach. The last time, they had to biopsy my lung and it hurts to breathe.
“I've always wanted to see the Vietnam Wall. After my unit in Vietnam was deactivated, the rest of the guys who had to stay longer were transferred to a transportation outfit. I heard they lost 25 to 30 percent shortly after that. Six months later, they about got wiped out. I'll probably recognize some names.”
He has been able to come home between surgeries at the Veteran's Hospital and has the use of a friend's motorized chair.
“The VA has treated me very well, “ he said. “I haven't heard a thing from my company commander or anyone.
“When I came home from Vietnam, I had human urine and feces thrown at me as I walked down Main Street in Keokuk,” he said. “I was called ‘baby killer.' But being ignored by the army now is a worse slap in the face. I would go again if could. Now, I feel swept under the carpet. The army will use you when they need you but drag their feet from doomsday to Hell when you need them.”
Second Lt. Norma Cabanas, C Co., 389th unit administrator, said this morning she is catching up with unit business after being absent for six months.
“Quinn is a priority,” she said. “I have a meeting with him today. I'm going to his home to help get paperwork taken care of and see what he needs.”
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