"I'm spending out of pocket . Figure 1.1 lists (and Figure 1.2 illustrates) the chemical composition of each of the herbicide agents as well as the time period in which they were used in Vietnam. Please contact me me via email at philamdia@yahoo.com. The Rules provided authorization for, and limits on, the employment of herbicides throughout the Southeast Asian conflict. . These cookies allow the website to remember choices you make to give you better functionality and personal features. He, too, stated that the barrels often leaked. VA depends on DOD to provide information regarding in-service environmental exposure for disability claims based on exposure to herbicides outside of Vietnam, Wilkie said in a statement. The legal team at Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD has done extensive research on the use of herbicides in Thailand during the Vietnam War. These cookies may be set through our website by our advertising partners. Jeanne Stellman, an Agent Orange expert at Columbia Universitys Mailman School of Public Health, and Fred Berman, the director of the Oregon Health and Science Universitys CROET Toxicology Information Center, along with 14 other doctors, toxicologists, and environmental scientists, signed a letter in November 2012 that refutes VAs boots on the ground approach to Agent Orange exposure. From start to finish. Joe, By June 1973, the unit was waiting for more herbicides. Agent Orange exposure can cause several serious illnesses, as well as birth defects in the children of veterans who were exposed to the chemical. By continuing to use our website, you agree to these updates. Worked in Toll-free Helpline: 1 800 749-8487 Press 3. Chicago, IL: 332 S. Michigan Avenue, Floors 8 and 9, Chicago, IL 60604 The Department of Veterans Affairs has released an updated list of locations outside Vietnam where tactical herbicides such as Agent Orange were used, tested or stored by the military. These cookies are essential so that you can move around the website and use its features. Agent Orange was an herbicide that the United States military used during the Vietnam War. VAs distinction between tactical and commercial herbicides is therefore misguided, arbitrary, and contrary to law. To reprint or license this article or any content from Military.com, please submit your request, VA Releases Updated List of Agent Orange Exposure Locations, Survivors of Vets Who Died from PACT Act Illnesses Can Reapply for Benefits, Health Care Enrollment Up 17% at VA Since Passage of Toxic Exposure Law, VA Warns Against PACT Act Fraud Targeting Veterans, Making Sure Vets Get PACT Act Benefits Is New House Veterans Affairs Chairman's Top Priority, 1st Woman to Take Top Enlisted Job at Army Special Ops, Some Private Companies Charge Hefty Fees to Help Veterans With Disability Claims, 'I Let Down the Combatant Commander': Marine Leader Regrets His Forces Weren't Available for Recent Crises, Female Commander Investigated over Alleged Sexual Assaults of Male Subordinates, Pattern of Harassment. In researching I have come across several fellow marines that I served dead from cancers and others having similar problems I am curently appling for benefits for these problems. The new toxic exposure bill/Agent Orange Act ( Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022 ) broadens presumptions for Agent Orange exposure in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Guam, American Samoa, and Johnston Atoll! I was in Nam Phong with Army Special Forces from January 1972 through May 1972. So, when a stack of orange envelopes arrived in my Washington, D.C. office in mid-September it caught my attention. Before Congress granted the presumption of exposure, government records showed that determining the level of exposure was impossible. Following the passing of the 2021 National Defense Authorization Act, there are now three new conditions on the Agent Orange presumptive list. Seattle, WA: 506 2nd Ave,Suite 1400,Seattle, WA 98104. I was part of the mobile construction battalion 5 (mcb 5) seabees that built the rose garden. Provinces. In October 2020, the VA denied Xenia resident and Thailand veteran Paul Skinner compensation for what Skinner believed was Agent Orange exposure, with the VA informing Skinner in a letter: "Your personnel records still fail to show that during your duties you were exposed to Agent Orange or tactical herbicides while performing daily duty In Command Sergeant Major (Ret.) The legal framework of the Vietnam presumptions, The military used the same herbicides in Thailand that were used in Vietnam, The Rules of Engagement for Vietnam and Thailand were similar, Thailands strong connection to Operation RANCH HAND demonstrates that its bases received a steady supply of herbicides, The historical record reveals substantial herbicide use on bases in Thailand, The Air Force developed a standard for herbicide use on Thailand bases, VA should presume exposure to herbicide agents for all Thailand veterans, Thailand veterans were exposed to the same agents as Vietnam veterans, In Thailand cases, VA faces the same challenges of determining exposure details as with Vietnam veterans, VAs illusory distinction between commercial and tactical herbicides is unlawful and arbitrary, PACT Act establishes presumptive service connection for Thailand veterans, 2022 Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act, CCK Court Wins: Agent Orange & Gulf War Illness. Ill let you know how it goes. When Congress enacted this law, it stated that the term herbicide agent means a chemical in an herbicide used in support of the United States and allied military operations in the Republic of Vietnam during the period beginning on January 9, 1962 and ending on May 7, 1975. 38 U.S.C. Diese Region ist Siedlungsgebiet von vielen ethnischen Minderheiten, wobei die Stadt Sa Pa am Fue des Phan-xi-png die meisten Touristen anzieht. Leakage from empty herbicide barrels was also noted because it was difficult to drain the last two or three gallons. I have pictures of Thais using elephants to remove foliage that was dead from spraying and cleared from our base. This storage is often necessary for basic functionality of the web site or the storage may be used for the purposes of marketing, analytics, and personalization of the web site such as storing your preferences. His claim was denied because the location he served in is not recognized as having been treated with herbicides. Agent Orange Registry health exam: The Agent Orange Registry is a program administered by the VA since 1978. These days, there are fewer and fewer letters delivered to the Capitol by the U.S. VA should afford the same presumption of exposure to Thailand veterans that it affords to Vietnam veterans because the same herbicides agents were used in Thailand. Thailand was a staging area for aircraft missions over Vietnam, and many veterans who assisted with these missions received the Vietnam Service Medal (VSM) for their support of the war effort. Yet, VA has used this Memorandum and the so-called distinction between commercial and tactical herbicides to deny thousands of herbicide-related disability claims by Vietnam-era Thailand veterans. Ive heard that Agent Orange wasnt used there and Ive heard that it was. . These attacks resulted in both U.S. and enemy causalities. It was the closest . What Benefits Do I Get From Agent Orange Exposure? He also noted in his sworn statement that the barrels were leaking all the time and the herbicide got all over his uniform and hands. In the Memorandum, VA states that the 1973 CHECO Report does indicate sporadic use of non-tactical (commercial) herbicides within fenced perimeters. This statement is misleading because the CHECO Report never distinguishes between tactical and commercial herbicides useit refers only to herbicides.. To learn more about current Agent Orange presumptions for Thailand, please visit CCKs PACT Act breakdown. This is HUGE NEWS for thousands of Vietnam vets who were stationed outside of Vietnam but were still toxic-exposed to Agent Orange. She was a former US Airforce civilian employee, who worked at Hill Air Force Base, in Layton, UT as a flight testing administrator. Agent Orange is an herbicide that was used to defoliate the thick jungle in Vietnam and elsewhere in Southeast Asia, such as the Korean Demilitarized Zone. They are not intended as a guarantee that we will obtain the same or similar results in every case we undertake. Historical reports establish that a squadron in 1971 began spraying chemical herbicides on the troublesome plants. In 1972, the leadership at U-Tapao sought to expand use of herbicides in clearing 100 feet from the perimeter fence and invoking an aggressive program on vegetation control. Together, the Airmans statement and historical reports demonstrate consistent use of herbicides in which the Air Force utilized internal equipment to accomplish defoliation. Aircraft mechanic George Collins testified in a sworn statement that he worked on a RANCH HAND aircraft after it made an emergency landing in U-Tapao. According to Prichard, locations were selected or deleted based on criteria including the existence of an official record, to include government reports, forms, unit histories, shipping logs, contracts, scientific reports or photographs. . In Dr. Alvin Youngs working paper draft of suggested criteria for determining levels of herbicide exposure, he noted that groups exposed to associated dioxin contaminant were personnel assigned to support functions, to include: Personnel that sprayed herbicides using helicopters or ground application equipment; personnel that may have delivered the herbicide to the unit performing the defoliation missions; aircraft mechanics who were specialized and occasionally provided support to RANCH HAND aircrafts. The Memorandum was an attachment to FL 09-20 which was aimed at assisting Regional Offices in completing the adjudication of the stayed Haas-related claims. This legislation expands benefits to veterans who served aboard ships off the coast of Vietnam. Patricia Kime is a senior writer covering military and veterans health care, medicine and personnel issues. The location must have been a DoD installation, land under control of DoD or a non-DoD location where service members were present during testing, application, transportation or storage. It is also another indicator that herbicide use was prevalent and supports statements from Airmen regarding the use of herbicides throughout Thailand. widows, dependent children and dependent parents, Agent Orange Babies: The Effects of Agent Orange on Veterans Offspring, Benefits Every Veteran Needs to Know About (including 100 VA Disability Benefits) - 2023 Edition. Chemical Corps described these products as expandable supply items to be available to all users, meaning they were meant for use by facility engineers as an herbicide for grounds keeping (i.e., brush and weed control).. I am mow 69 and am probably .dying. Army Special Ops Command welcomes first female command sergeant major. Is there any ruling from the VA on Nam Phong? In its original conception, the Memorandum for the Record was never intended to apply to all Thailand exposure claims. Mr. Chancellor reported, [c]hemicals were stored in containers with orange stripes and we mixed the chemical with diesel fuel and loaded the mixture into a large tank mounted trailer that was pulled by an air compressor truck to spray the materials. This coincides with an historical document dated December 1968 that provided an update on NKPs fence and perimeter security and stated grubbing [removal of trees and shrups] is complete for the southeast corner of the base and west perimeter, and approximately 50% complete for the north perimeter. Hence, evidence suggests that airmen conducting construction around the perimeter were exposed to herbicides.
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