Agent Orange Issues and Discussions (Air Force, veterans, benefits, depot)

[JD59]

DAVIS, Calif., Aug. 6 (UPI) -- Vietnam War veterans exposed to Agent Orange have greatly increased risks of prostate cancer and of getting the most aggressive form, U.S. researchers said.

Agent Orange linked to prostate cancer - UPI.com

[ESFP]

I never saw it's use, but friends who saw Agent Orange sprayed said the leaves would fall off the trees almost instantly, and they would be soaked from the shower of this chemical. Last used in 1971, the gov't said it was perfectly safe. One friend of mine takes 30 different pills fighting the effects of this chemical. It's terrible.

[Terryj]

FYI: This is from the VFW web site:

A Increases Agent Orange Illnesses Presumptions List

WASHINGTON, October 13, 2009 — The Veterans of Foreign Wars of the U.S. is applauding Veterans Affairs Secretary Eric K. Shinseki’s decision to increase by three the number of illnesses that can now be linked to the herbicide defoliant Agent Orange, which was used extensively during the Vietnam War.

Today’s addition of hairy cell leukemia, Parkinson’s disease and ischemic heart disease raises to 15 the total number of “presumed” service-connected illnesses the VA considers linked to Agent Orange.

"This is very significant," said VFW national commander Thomas J. Tradewell Sr., a Vietnam veteran from Sussex, Wis. "Veterans who contracted one or more of the 15 associated illnesses no longer have to prove their illness was due to their service in Vietnam during the war. The VA is saying ‘We believe you,’ which will enable more veterans to receive the healthcare and benefits they earned and deserve."

If you suffer from these newly added conditions it may be worth your time to contact your VA affairs personal.

[alexei27]

I hope it continues to get easier for Vets. My step dad has been through hell in the past few years trying to get a rating for PTSD from Vietnam. He will eventually get 100%...but its taken almost 10 years (plus the time before he went to the VA for help)

[Terryj]

Originally Posted by alexei27

I hope it continues to get easier for Vets. My step dad has been through hell in the past few years trying to get a rating for PTSD from Vietnam. He will eventually get 100%...but its taken almost 10 years (plus the time before he went to the VA for help)

I know what he is going through, I went though the same ordeal, they settled my case a couple years ago.

[RETAIRFORCEMAN]

I prepared, mixed and sprayed Agent Orange herbicides on Andersen AFB Guam and off base on Air Force Bulk Fuel Storage facilities and cross island pipelines to the NAS BOOSTER PUMP STATION and down to the Air Force underground fuel tanks at the Naval Fuel Supply Depot, US Naval Base Agana Guam

[TN Tin Man]

I've been fighting the VA for over 25 years on the Agent Orange Issue... I tell every one that's in service or going in service " Keep a journal " Every major thing that's happens daily... like you cut yourself on a drum lid.. had 4 stitches.. left palm of hand.. by Doctor Major John Smith... at 09:45 Tues 11/14/2009.. went to dispensary by myself.. and what ever you do " Do Not " show this to any one!! And when it gets filled up write a date beginning ~ ending. And immediately send that home..and start a new one.. does not matter how trivial it is... write it down date ~ time ~ witness ~ rank .
You will some day need this information... Trust me!!

[RETAIRFORCEMAN]

I found out that most all disease from Agent Orange are secondary to AUTOIMMUNE DISEASE MCTD MIXED CONNECTIVE TISSUE DISEASE. Look it up as it has been hidden from veterans of the Vietnam War for a long time. Dr William Rea, Elaine Moore Lab supervisor Colorado University, the Mayo Clinic, the World Health Organization can't be all wrong. The National Institute of Medicine, Dr. Mary Burr Paxton will be bringing this disease to the forefront at the next AGENT ORANGE COMMITTEE MEETING IN 2010. There is a simply blood test to confirm your disease and your exposure to AO.

[stillkit]

Why do you think the VA has been so reluctant to admit the dangers of AO for so many years? I think it's because if they admit we were poisoned over there, they'll have to admit they poisoned the whole country of Vietnam too and paying those claims into perpetuity could bankrupt the nation.

By the way, there's a Canadian company (I forget the name), which has been doing work in Vietnam ameliorating the effects of AO for a number of years. Their studies indicate the effects of AO do not linger in the enviornment nearly as long as we used to think. In fact, they concentrate their work around old US bases where AO was either handled for application elsewhere or sprayed into the perimeter wire on a regular basis. The lingering levels of AO in rural areas isn't dangerous enough to warrant the expense of removing it.

Also, don't forget that exactly the same chemical compounds (along with others) were routinely sprayed on cotton crops from California to SC back during the 50's and 60's. The fields would be sprayed to cause the leaves to fall off, making harvesting easier.

I grew up surrounded by cotton fields and can well remember the smell of it as crop dusters zoomed around from field to field defoliating the crop. Then, after a couple of weeks, we'd all hoist our cotton sacks and spend our days going down the rows picking cotton, stirring up dust, breathing it in and generally wallowing around in AO. We never thought a thing about it. In fact, we kids would sometimes ride our bicycles to where the crop dusters were working and try to position ourselves right at the end of a row where the plane would fly over us very, very low. Of course, we sometimes got a liberal dose of defoliant, but who cared back then?

I wonder if any studies have been done across the old "cotton belt" to measure the prevalence of those diseases now identified by the VA as prima facia evidence of AO exposure?

[stillkit]

Agent Orange: U.S., Vietnam Struggle Over Dioxin Legacy - TIME