Stars and Stripes – Just days into the new congressional session, some House lawmakers are trying again to secure benefits for thousands of veterans who served on ships off the coast during the Vietnam War – an effort that failed by the time the 115th Congress ended last month. Rep. Mark Takano, D-Calif., and Rep. Phil Roe, R-Tenn., introduced bills at the start of the 116th Congress to extend benefits to “Blue Water” Navy veterans.