Lily Adams Papers, 1960-1990

Lily Adams: “In October of 1969, Adams found herself in the Vietnamese hamlet of Cu Chi in the midst of a war zone 17 miles from the Cambodian border. Assigned to the intensive care ward of the 12th Evac Hospital, Adams worked 12 hours a day, six days a week, treating wounded soldiers for severe phosphorous burns and amputations.” “As one of 10,000 military and civilian women to serve in Vietnam, she has worked as the editor of So Proudly We Hail, a national, bi-monthly newsletter devoted to women veterans, and she has been a forceful advocate for the Vietnam Women's Memorial project, an endeavor to honor contributions and sacrifices of women veterans with a statue near the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C.” “As an Asian-American woman who served in the Southeast Asian conflict, Adams has proved something of a surprise for the thousands of high school and college students to whom she has spoken over the years as a member of the Berkeley-based Vietnam Speakers Alliance. Bright, assertive, and outspoken, this 52-year-old Mill Valley resident and former Veterans Administration counselor breaks the stereotype that many youths hold of Viet vets. “ -Source Metroactive, Lily Adams Honoring the Dead and the Living by Greg Cahill “Unwilling to sit idly by, Lily was part of a cadre of veterans who founded Vietnam Veterans of America who; worked tirelessly to ensure that Vietnam Vets would get the direct services they needed to deal with effects of PTSD; sought out researchers to study the effects of Agent Orange; found ways to support women veterans; wanted answers to where our POW’s were and what happened to those missing in action.” Source: Oct. 25th, 2015 from Roberta Teller Blog about Lily Adams Over 30 years, Lily has fought to expose the effects of Agent Orange. She has also been a member of the National Board of Directors of the Vietnam Veterans of America and served as chairperson for this organization’s Special Committee on Women Veterans. Source: FF titled Adams, Lily in Box 8