National Archives records also reveal that herbicides were delivered to Takhli on April 7, 1973. Agent Orange Compensation Back Pay: Does the VA Owe You? This data may be used to help optimize our websites and make them easier for you to navigate. The report recognizes the heightened risk of attacks directed against air bases because they presented the enemy with a concentration of lucrative targets. Additionally, the report states: Thailand is going through the same type of growing pains experienced in the Republic of Vietnam (RVN), but the knowledge and experience gained in the development of air base defense in RVN permit a more rapid evolution in Thailand. Thus, similar tactics and procedures in base defense were used in both Thailand and Vietnam because the bases were facing the same threat with similar resources. Health Care and Agent Orange Registry Health Exam: 1-877-222-8387 (Ask to speak to the Environmental Health Coordinator or Patient Care Advocate) Compensation and Other Benefits: 1 800 827-1000. The convenience of email has changed the manner in which Americans communicate with their elected officials. Vietnam veterans and those who served in certain other locations (such as Thailand or the Korean Demilitarized Zone) and were exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides may be eligible for 3 kinds of benefits. The Thailand base perimeter policy was not issued until May 2010, when it was introduced in a Compensation & Pension Service Bulletin. And while the new list contains six locations in Thailand, it adds a new clarification to those locations descriptions: No herbicide was sprayed in Thailand.. Was in NamPhong 11/72 thru Sept 73, my wife has had 4 miscarriages, we had a daughter born with a form of Spina Bifida, my son has the digits of his left foot deformed and I have been diagnosed with ischemic heart disease. Learn more about us, Veterans Disability Claim With Agent Orange exposure, there are presumptions. You and your brothers should not have to fight this battle. If a veteran served in an area other than Vietnam, such as Thailand or Korea, but was nonetheless exposed to the same herbicide agent as used in Vietnam, then they were to be awarded the same benefits as would a Vietnam veteran for the diseases associated with such exposure. Herbicides were used to control vegetation in Thailands tropical environment. These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. Years Later, Some Are Saddled With Debt. Copyright 2023 Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD. All Rights Reserved. It is imperative to note that sworn statements of Airmen referenced throughout this report predate the Air Force Historical Research Agency discovering and/or releasing documents showing movement of herbicides from Vietnam to Thailand. Health Care for Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange VA offers health care benefits for Veterans who may have been exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicides during military service. 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. Disability claims from those veterans who received the VSM for Thailand service, but who did not set foot in the country of Vietnam, were placed under the Haas stay. Once VA lifted the stay, these claims still required adjudication. But the list, published Jan. 27 by the Department of Veterans Affairs, omits more than 40 locations previously noted as exposure sites by DoD in 2018 deletions that could undermine other veterans pending claims. These cookies may be set through our website by our advertising partners. I served with MAG 15 H&MS 15 in Nam Phong, Thailand Feb Sep 1973. This restriction arbitrarily disqualifies veterans who may otherwise be able to prove their exposure, regardless of their assigned duties during their time stationed in Thailand. Furthermore, the Memorandum for the Record contains erroneous and misleading statements. But one who stepped off an aircraft for 10 seconds gets boot on the ground. I was part of the mobile construction battalion 5 (mcb 5) seabees that built the rose garden. These cookies dont collect information that identifies you. National Archives records reveal that herbicides were transported from Vietnam to Takhli on April 7, 1973.
Bill seeks to expand eligibility for Agent Orange-related benefits - UPI 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. Because the spraying equipment on RANCH HAND aircraft and the barrels containing herbicides were known to leak, the risk of exposure throughout the flight lines as well as storage areas on Thailand bases was significant. I am investigating as to whether or not I may have been exposed to Agent Orange and if so what should I do. L still remember the smell of the spaying of defoliant while we were living in our hardback tents.I too have skin and prostate cancer and both are malignant. The term commercial herbicide is notably absent from Air Force archive documentation, including the 1973 CHECO report which specifically states that herbicides used in Thailand had to undergo the same embassy approval process as herbicides used in Vietnam. Rank Among Most Heavily Sprayed Provinces in Vietnam. But veterans with one of the 14 diseases listed as Agent Orange-related conditions who were exposed outside Vietnam face the burden of proving exposure. And for the last 20 years, we always . Please contact me me via email at philamdia@yahoo.com. It also does not include any places where the U.S. Department of Agriculture, academia, chemical companies or others tested or stored the chemicals if service members werent involved, nor areas where trained DoD personnel engaged in vegetation management and control in accordance with the DoD Pest Management Program. Claire Szewczyk is a Digital Content Coordinator for Hill & Ponton, PA in Florida. Postal Service. Further documentation and sworn statements contradict that claim. The Rules provided authorization for, and limits on, the employment of herbicides throughout the Southeast Asian conflict. Leaking barrels also directly exposed service members to herbicides. Furthermore, as to case summaries, reports of past results, individual lawyer biographies, news posts and other information pertaining to past and present cases, these descriptions are meant only to provide information to the public about the activities and experience of our law firm. The VA is looking at that data now to determine if changes should be made. Also, they must have been used in application at test sites, in labs or greenhouses, while being transported on vehicles or ships or stored. 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. VAs regulation38 C.F.R. Leakage from empty herbicide barrels was also noted because it was difficult to drain the last two or three gallons. Disabled Veterans Sign up for a Career Change. We pulled perimeter guard and walked thru the dead foliage and barbed wire. The 6/11/15 News Argus has a article stating that 2 democratic senators want to know why the VA is delaying the disability bennifits to the 1200-2000 reservist who served 1972 1982 flying and working on the 123s and are coming down with the AO symptoms. Not sure what your veteran health care benefits are? Marine served rosegarden may 1972 allen boyden iams sick. But Ryan Gallucci, director of National Veterans Service for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said the new list does not live up to the guidance and recommendations of the GAO report., We have a lot of questions two specific locations that GAO identified arent included on DoDs new list and certain ones that seemingly had verified spraying on the old list are now off the list, Gallucci said. By using this information, you understand that there is no attorney-client relationship created by you reading or using the information contained on this website or in this newsletter, article, or blog. Click here to sign up. Service in Vietnam, during the Vietnam War for any length of time between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975, OR ; Service in or near the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) for any length of time between September 1, 1967 and August 31, 1971 , OR ; Service aboard a U.S. military vessel that entered the inland waterways of Vietnam, OR ; Service aboard a vessel operating not more than 12 nautical miles seaward of the demarcation line of the waters of Vietnam and Cambodia (c.f. A recently declassified Department of Defense report written in 1973 titled, "Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report: Base Defense in Thailand 1968-1972," contains evidence that there was significant use of the herbicide Agent Orange along the fence-line perimeters of military bases in Thailand to remove foliage that provided cover for enemy forces. Hence, the records suggest the movement of herbicides to and from Thailand was not exclusively associated with RANCH HAND missions and that herbicides were used throughout Thailand. These cookies do not store any personal information. Phong's silver medal was a disappointing result for himself but was still a good sign for his coaches, who believed he would lift Vit Nam to the top podium again at the next Games. Although these missions were classified, they demonstrate the robust relationship between U.S. military in Thailand and Operation RANCH HAND. Command Sergeant Major Kenneth Witkin stated that grounds personnel informed him they were using Agent Orange when he observed them spraying around barracks. Their dependents and survivors also may be eligible for benefits. Watch below for our full discussion into the latest update of the Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022. This is a huge win for any Vietnam War or any other veteran suffering from agent orange exposure related symptoms. Furthermore, there are several reference reports admitting herbicide use throughout bases in Thailand. Population in 2009 (millions) Percentage of Province Sprayed During 1960s. Congress must enact H.R. yet assertive representation for our clients.
She has also spent several years working with the Department of Veterans Affairs audiology programs in Salt Lake City, UT and Pocatello, ID. BBC News, Da Nang, Vietnam. Exposure to herbicides in a location other than Vietnam or the DMZ, such as by loading, transporting, or storing them while serving in the U.S. Armed Forces. As stated above, prior to the passage of the PACT Act, veterans could only be eligible for presumptive service connection if they served near the perimeter of specific bases. Herbicides were also used to kill crops to diminish the enemys food supply. The institute of Medicine which does studies for the VA found the aircraft after 20 to 300 years still contained enough residue to get exposure from A O. Copyright 2023 Hill & Ponton, P.A.. All Rights Reserved. Several documents demonstrate that Agents Orange and Blue were present in Thailand. Da Nang is one of Vietnam's major ports, a city rich in history. The directive empowered the Commander U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (COMUSMAV), and the U.S. This suggests that the defoliant improvement projects occurred after the herbicide testing (1964-1965). This matches documentation indicating herbicide use at and after that time. Keep up with all the changes and details. *Exceptions: osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposis sarcoma, and mesothelioma. Kenneth Witkins statement, he attested to observing Agent Orange being sprayed around the barracks at Udorn in 1970-1971.
Maps of Heavily Sprayed Areas and Dioxin Hot Spots What did VA Cover Up in Thailand Agent Orange Data Release? . As noted in a 1986 report to the White House, only two percent of military records were preserved in the National Archives, and herbicide records were not regarded as a priority for retention. Nam Phong Thailand. In such a strict application, VA arbitrarily ignored its own policy of conceding herbicide exposure for veterans who served near the perimeter. Agent Orange was a weed killer sprayed on the jungles of Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War to eliminate forest cover and crops for North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops. Cleveland, OH: 600 Superior Ave. East, Fifth Third Building, Suite 1300, Cleveland, OH, 44114 . Camp Lejeune Lawsuit. The use of herbicides on NKP was noted in the 1973 CHECO report and in a soldiers sworn statement. Agent Orange is just one of the rainbow herbicides that the United States used. These veterans have been left behind by the current limitations on the presumption of toxic exposure to Agent Orange. For veterans like Rhodes who served in Nam Phong, Thailand, this is a policy they are calling on Congress to change. In December 2019, DOD published its updated list of locations where Agent Orange and other herbicides were tested, used, or stored outside of Vietnam. These cookies are essential so that you can move around the website and use its features. This CHECO report addresses the development of USAF base defense in Thailand from the initial attack on Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base RTAFB through 30 June 1972. Agent Orange is an herbicide that was used by the United States during the Vietnam War. . VA has constructed an arbitrary distinction between tactical and commercial herbicides. These range from priority health care to VA loan reductions. Ive heard that Agent Orange wasnt used there and Ive heard that it was. Annual training was conducted on Takhli from March 17 to 21, 1969, and July 13 to 16, 1970, with representatives from all Thailand bases. In turn, this supports veterans statements regarding the use of herbicide to clear bases in Thailand during this period.