Iowa Vietnam vet seeking disability benefits dies before he can prove he fought in the war

By Todd Magel

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    JASPER COUNTY, Iowa (KCCI) — A Jasper County Vietnam veteran recently died after the federal government said they had no record of his service, and therefore no veteran’s benefits for him.

“It was horribly frustrating,” said Lisa Van Ryswyk.

She and her siblings lost their father Ken Van Veen after he died from stomach cancer in March. He served in Vietnam in the mid-1960s.

When the 82-year-old Marine discovered he was sick last year, he reached out to the Veterans Administration for help with a disability claim. They denied the request, saying they had no record of his service.

“His country was not recognizing what he did, and … he even made the comment, ‘I guess I was never in that hellhole after all.’ You could just see it on his face. And it was horrifying to watch that,” said Van Ryswyk.

That’s when the family began fighting back.

“It is a fight for these veterans to get these benefits,” said Alyssa Wilson.

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