During 2020-2021, VA and DoD updated thelist of locations based on new information to several locations in the U.S. and oversees, including Thailand, Korea, and Alabama. For 2 years they kept trying to tell him it was just battle fatigue. Sounds as tho EVERYTHING is denied!! Copy this link and Go to the DAV or go to VA.GOV and search for a VSO. Was it used in Germany at the same time? I served in Desert Storm and continued serving in SWA on and off for another14 years with my last mission in 2004. The burn pits too were gross also! Agent Orange was used at my location. Youll need prove you served in Vietnam (DD-214 should do it) and prove of your medical condition (doctors letters, etc). Can you help? March 3 (UPI) -- A former U.S. soldier was sentenced to 45 years in prison Friday for planning a deadly ambush on members of his military unit. His last 20 years were torture for him though he fought like a warrior. Problem is I am the sole surviver. Its AO, and also particulate matter exposure in SWA.]. Now that I am retired I have been diagnosed with asthma, sinusitis and rhinitis. Exposed to AO many times. VA will apply the provisions of court orders related to Nehmer v. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, which may result in an earlier date for entitlement to benefits for Veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam during the Vietnam War. I will write a personal note to the VA claims department so he will not be forgotten in this process. Also, Lung cancer has been a recognized Agent Orange presumptive disease for more than 20 years. Be well, Bobby. This was the only work I ever did under such conditions and now I pay a very high price, no future. Also, the investigation found less use in Thailand and the DMZ then previously reported. What about veterans who served on Johnston Island/Atoll? I was exposed to agent orange while serving in Korea on the DMZ. My brother born in 1963 died at age 54 he was a soldier, he suffered from deep depression and others nurogical problems. The representative we now have is efficient and helpful. SO I ALSO WAS AT THE FORT CHAFFEE POST GAVE THEM THOES RECORDS AND STILL HAVE NOT HEARD FROM THEM. Wes, Could go on forever, but I should stop here. I served there in 1975-76 and returned in 1988 and stayed until retirement in 1992. They said in May 2012 they declared 100% disabled with the cancer. This AO affected my circulatory system (heart), lungs (everything hits my lungs first), and other issues starting in my early 30s. Crickets.. Unfortunately we didnt learn anything with the AO exposure. Where does that leave his claim? Already showing problems, and cancer would certainly be the worst. Expletive like her should not work for the Veterans Adim.I almost called the veterans hot line I was so depressed.I want to open up my claim again.Help me please. The term agent orange has to be removed from any claim and replaced with herbicide which is a denial by our VA that the chemical was used to defoliate the perimeters of all the air basis in Thailand. They took away my health and my youth and replaced it with an endless routine of jumping through hoops to get basic healthcare needs, and now, as my body rapidly deteriorates, I will be forced to keep working until I die, which wont be soon enough. I received a letter from the VA today asking me to reach out they are liking for his next of Kin. Heart breaking, hard to think about God bless all, Im just giving up. But we all must go through gauntlets of crap from poorly trained workers, most who have no idea what TCE and Benzene is, and who used it. The calculation requires three digits but the field size only shows two digits! Im 75 and i am sick and tired of being lied too. To access the menus on this page please perform the following steps. It took 5 years before I got anything from the VA. It is sad that the govt does this. I have had my thyroid removed due to thyroid cancer and served in Vietnam Nam from 67 to 68. Problem is I am the sole surviver. VAs review supports initiation of rulemaking to address the role that particulate matter pollution plays in generating chronic respiratory conditions, which may include asthma, rhinitis and sinusitis for Veterans who served in the Southwest Asia theater of operations during the Persian Gulf War and/or after September 19, 2001, or in Afghanistan and Uzbekistan during the Persian Gulf War. My husband did 2 tours in Vietnam and we were in the process of trying to see if he qualified for disability at but he died before we got to far along. In an interview, Skinner recalled that he was an aircraft mechanic on F4 Phantom jets while serving in Thailand. Even if I never see one additional dollar in compensation, it makes my day to see them put in print that yes, Agent Orange exposure causes Hypothyroidism {Graves] Disease!!! I wish they would provide some care or help for my brother and I. Weve fought very hard through chemo and our cancer. Nam Infantry grunt. Were they ever exposed to AO? I submitted my claim in 2008 after being called to the VAMC to be placed on the registry. Died 6 years ago of AO related lung cancer. I served in Thailand at the end of the war as a crew chief on F-4s. VA and the Department of Defense (DoD) have partnered together to investigate where and when Agent Orange and other tactical herbicides were present, and to update thelist of locations online as new information becomes available. Do I need to have my VSO file a claim or does the fact that I had it when I had my Agent Orange exam suffice? I served in Vietnam 1970-71. Id be contacting your advocate asap and get your claim going! https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/conditions/index.asp. We have a wonderful VA home in Sulphur Oklahoma. I remember that I often awakened in my BOQ (the Idaho) to almost choking smells of burning garbage. My thyroid quit years ago, 3 hernia operations, and compared to many of us, Im lucky but At 75 years old, I dont know how much I have left. I also have Inclusion Body Myositis. Hey Angel, Im in the same boat Vietnam 68-69.. 50% disability for same disabilities. He use to say they would spray agent orange below the hills he was on to control the jungle below them. I was in vietnam Quonlo for 14 months. I try to kick it by running and staying healthy but to no avail. Too late. My husband passed 10 years ago from bladder cancer as well. VA is establishing a holistic approach to determining toxic exposure presumption going forward. A few years later they said oh yeah well give you hearing aides but your not service connected. Big news from Iceland Feb. 2021 in the amount of lead in the base, NASKEF, drinking water in the late 90s. He has to apply and use a catheter twice a day, something he expects to do for the rest of his life. If you have a copy of his DD214 and / or know the unit he was in you have a starting point. They are deservedly receiving help for diseases as a result of the exposure. He has a number of health issues. As a 30 year retired United States Air Force Disabled Veteran, I have prayed for this day to come. My regret is that he was not told what could happen and suggest test to be done Secondly we need to know more about the genetic changes. ]. Now my question is, how do I file another appeal, and add these issues to my claim? My husband served three tours in Vietnam and died a horrible death seven years ago of four of the diseases named. Sometimes VA service officers are not very efficient. Benefits are not necessary at this point for us. Got out at 100% and dropped down to 10% in a year thanks to our wonderful government. 877-222-8387, TDD (Hearing Impaired) I remember those days. I have applied for agent orange compensation nearly two years ago. Every time I went to the local VA clinic for my 6 month wellness check there was supposed to be now charge for this. Signed no respect. The Veterans Agent Orange Exposure Equity Act, introduced by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Penn., and Rep. Matt Cartwright, D-Penn., would allow veterans who served in some other countries during the conflict to access benefits without providing additional evidence. Camp Lejune first 6 months of 71. Ten have them Submit another claim for you. But not to veterans in Thailand at least, not yet. Examined for Agent Orange four years ago. Iraq war vets facing similar problems with VA that Vietnam vets had to put up with.. Whats new?. Jun 2, 2021 / 06:29 PM EDT. He also suggested contacting political representatives to get them to work with you. I guess we should be happy that we survived Nam but now we are paying for it 50 plus years later..good luck! I have a number of health issues from that have been linked to those exposures, but the health problems are not yet covered even in the presumptive diseases of the water contamination. did you read the article? I remember returning home for Vietnam in 1973 only to be SPAT on by college students as if to shame those of us who served, AND remember, we were FORCED to serve if your draft number was low. I returned to the VA about a year ago after many of my friends urged me to do so. Hello Jerry Their use in Vietnam and Thailand took a heavy toll. I will never believe all the agent Orange was out of the soil and water when he was there. You can file as a widow for spousal benefits. Thank god I covered my head with my Fatigue shirt. ABF3 USS HORNET (CVS-12). I have heard that it was used in Korea DMZ area until 1972.I know agent orange was used in Vietnam until 1975, so this makes me think the military would continue use in Korea also. https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/locations/tests-storage/index.asp. Is anyone else aware of this. Will her claim be in archives with the Army I even got a claim number. Plus, he also served in Desert Storm and has his own set of problems from that :-( Good luck EVER getting the government to admit anything close to causative exposure. If you want to deal with burn pit issues the VA shouldnt limit their investigations to only SW Asia. Typically, the VA looks for evidence of duty near base perimeters or fence lines to establish herbicide exposure. More graditude from government dead than alive. I will however continue to fight until I take my last breath! Last his sight basically overnight when the inflammation hit the optic nerve. I cannot claim exposure to AO due to neither the Pentagon or Headquarters MC being allowed to tell the VA that I was actually in country and exposed. My father died already and we tried to file a claim when he did only to be denied. These men and women, and their families, have had to wait too damn long for this acknowledgement!!! We lived on McClellan from about April to August 1969, so not too long, but he served there after Vietnam. I now suffer from diabetes and heart disease. He deserves something for his suffering and death related to his exposure while in Korea! My husband and I are both 100% disabled vets and if I could increase my disability to more I would! When I got home I worked at NASA Moffitt Field and then got a job as a Pipefitter for Local 38 and worked first on an Oiler USNS TALUGA in Oakland Docks, and at the Naval Dry docks at San Francisco Triple -A 3rd street on DD, FF, Destroyers, and the USN supply ship Mars .