Like so many of the men he served alongside, Norm Brown enlisted in the U.S. military to give back and do something meaningful. But unlike most of them, he was not an American. Brown, 83, is from Niagara Falls, Ontario, Canada.
“When we got out of high school in 1961, me and my two friends were interested in joining the Marines,” he said. “Their parents intervened, so they didn’t end up doing it, but I went over to New York and enlisted.”
When asked if he was bothered by his friends backing out or whether he had reservations about serving and sacrificing for a country other than his own, Brown said: “No, the relationship between our two countries was fantastic. To me, it was the right thing to do.”
As it turned out, when Brown arrived at boot camp at Parris Island in South Carolina, he met two other Canadian recruits. The three built a special bond before shipping out to their next destinations.
Brown went on to serve for three years, including a deployment to Vietnam. Afterward, he returned to Canada, where he married Linda, who is now his wife of 54 years.
Condition Takes a Turn for the Worse
Decades passed without issue, until 2011, when Brown was diagnosed with monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance (MGUS), a benign blood disorder that can lead to different cancers.
His doctors suggested the “watch and wait” approach. Brown completed bloodwork every six months to ensure his condition had not progressed. But in 2019, it did. A biopsy revealed Brown had a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma called Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia (WM).
Brown underwent chemotherapy and is managing his cancer today. A couple of years ago, he remembered reading about the PACT Act and discovering that WM was now considered a presumptive condition.
Brown contacted the VA to see if he could receive compensation, but he struggled to verify his service records.
“I couldn’t get them to prove I had been in Vietnam,” he said. “I have the service medals that I could have earned only there, but it didn’t seem to matter.”
Eventually, someone suggested Brown reach out to the VFW for help.
“So,” he explained, “I contacted them. Fortunate for me, I got a call back from Norm Machelor. Once he got involved, everything moved quite smoothly.”
‘I’m Not Sure I Ever Would Have Been Able to Do It on My Own’
Machelor, a VFW Accredited Service Officer, worked with the VA to confirm Brown’s service in Vietnam. He then helped Brown arrange the necessary doctor’s appointments before completing his claim.
“It had been quite frustrating trying to get all the information myself. I’m not sure I ever would have been able to do it on my own,” Brown said. “But before long, I got the letter in the mail saying that my claim was accepted, and I was going to get compensation.”
Brown’s service history as a Canadian may be unique, but he knows his experience with the VA is not. He encourages other veterans to work with a VFW Accredited Service Officer like Machelor.
“When someone tells you that you have cancer, obviously, you think the worst right away. But with the support I’ve gotten from Norm and the VFW, I feel good,” he said.
“With Norm’s great assistance, it all worked out. I’m very, very fortunate. If you have any kind of issue like mine, contact the VFW for help.”
Learn more about the VFW's National Veterans Service (NVS) program.