Agent Orange

[BDinutah]

I'm curious to find out, how many of us here on TNet were exposed to agent orange in Vietnam and have been diagnosed by the VA as having disabling after affects? This is not a witch hunt, just curious. I was diagnosed 4 years ago and have ischemic heart disease & micro vascular disease of the heart along with multiple myeloma, plus a heart attack, stynts, and neuropathy, BUT STILL, going to Vietnam was one of the best things that has happened to me and I have no regrets of going & would do it all again if I was 30 years younger. Thanks for your input, & thanks for your service...and happy hunting!

 

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[allen_idaho]

My father-in-law was exposed during Vietnam. He does have some minor health problem but so far nothing as serious as what you are getting.

Another fun fact, Agent Orange was also used during the Korean War. And people exposed to it started having health problems long before it was being used in Vietnam. But these claims were ignored for many years.

 

[huntsman53]

My brother-in-law who retired as a E-9 MCPON after (I believe) 23 years in the Navy, served 2 1/2 or 3 tours in Vietnam. Although he told my sister that he sat behind a desk at Tan Son Nhut Air Base during his times there, we found out differently when readying to bury him. He died Jan. 24. 2001 from four types of Cancer, three of which were attributed to Agent Orange and was laid to rest in full uniform with his' medals which included 3 Bronze Stars, all three with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters each. Apparently he was Seal Trained and spent a lot of time on Black Ops and it was only just before his death that the U.S. Navy and Defense Department cleared some of his' medals as the events behind them were Top Secret.


Frank

 

[BDinutah]

Huntsman, you had a brave brother-in-law and his memory should always be honored. My brother-in-law was in country at the same time I was, he has had 3 cancers & Parkinson's disease, his oncologist has given him 30 days. I was declared cancer free just last week, and the next day I failed my nuclear stress and yesterday my cardiologist told me I need to come back in for an angiogram...I'm sure your brother-in-law would tell you he would be willing to do it all over again. I'm trying to fight off my 2nd heart attack, all from agent orange exposure, you can't ever give up, thanks for sharing, God bless you & your family.

 

[mamabear]

I wasn't, but a college classmate was. He had a wife & 4 children. & he was dying from cancer. He was exposed multiple times. Not only was he fighting for his life, but also for VA benefits. He was a special person, one in a million. Would give you the shirt off his back. This was in the eighties, when the gov'ment was denying any health concerns with agent orange, He died right before the end of the school yr.

 

[mamabear]

& I just want to say, the gov'ment may not support/believe you, but there are millions of us out here that do. Thank you for your service, & I am so sorry our country has failed you. If there are any resources available for agent orange vets, could you list them for us? perhaps the people can help.

 

[BDinutah]

If there are any resources available for agent orange vets, could you list them for us? perhaps the people can help.

Mamabear, I have no regrets or hard feelings towards the government, I volunteered, & I had 25 years that I would never change, as far as resources, the most support & help that I have received has come from DAV, they helped me get my disability rating & benefits that pays the Dr bills, if anyone was exposed during the war they need to go to the agent orange clinic at a regional VA hospital & get evaluated, take your civilian records with you that show you have related illnesses. Thanks for your concern, the good news is, I can still occasionally go out & take my X-terra on another adventure! HH

 

[birdman]

My father was exposed to extreme radiation levels in nuke testing in the early 60s. He has had cancer and many other elements due to the exposure. There is a payout he received from the dept. of Justice that is lumped with agent Orange and Radiation survivors. One time payout of 75K tax Free. It is NOT through the VA though! Must go through the Dept. Of Justice to receive the benefit.
It is kept a secret some what . One of the VA reps told him about it almost in a whisper because they were not supposed to give out the information..

 

[DeepseekerADS]

I was exposed to it several times, C130 flew over us at LZ Nutmeg, FSB Arnold Trail, and LZ Spearhead in Cambodia spraying, felt the mist as it hit me. Saw the foilage wet with it, and watched the leaves wither.

I've been lucky - no health problems related to Agent Orange. No problems whatsoever until this March when they removed half my intestines - but I don't think that's related, or haven't looked into it ...

 

[huntsman53]

While I never served in Vietnam (volunteered after getting my' Draft Notice) due to being the soul surviving son of my mom and dad and because there were 50,000 folks on the list wanting to go there or wanting to go back, I am pretty sure that I was exposed to Agent Orange in Germany (West Germany at the time). While hauling fuel and taking the back way many times to the Fuel Resupply Dump at Grafenwoehr, we drove through a section where they often dumped Agent Orange on the trees and other foliage as well did Napalm bombing runs on. I even almost got fried by Napalm when the Air Force Jet dropped the bombs right at the edge of the Tank road we were driving on. I don't think that I have had any ill effects from Agent Orange but I do have larger and longer than normal arteries to my' heart and suffered 4 minor Heart Attacks in April of 2013 due to what my' Doctor said were low oxygen even Heart Attacks (i.e. due to restricted breathing while asleep, some Platlets in my' Blood hardened and got hung in a sharp bend of an artery, starving my' heart of blood flow which bruised my' heart). I have never been to the VA but plan to do so soon due to my' back troubles which began in the U.S. Army. Do you think I should bring this up when I do go?


Frank

 

[CaptEsteban]

Huntsman ,
Sounds like you need to go ahead & " file a claim" with the VA. You can do it yourself, or get your county Veteran's Affairs Officer, or a service organization [ like American Legion, VFW, etc ] to help you. They will help you obtain service records, etc. I don't think that possible A.O. exposure in Germany will be included, but you can add it to the claim, & see what happens. ANY ailment, injury, etc. you had in service , could be affecting you now, so think over everything before sending the claim in.

 

[johnnycat]

A word of caution from experience. DO NOT file the claim by yourself!!! Find a good veteran service officer. Sorry, but some are better then others. Keep all your paperwork. Be prepared to jump through many hoops but, don't give up!! I went through the DAV and they did me good. My Agent Orange claim took 3 tries before it was accepted. Luckily,(?) I had complained about severe rash on my hands and other parts of my body before I left Vietnam. After my 4th visit to Sick Call the doctor told me he didn't want to see me again because he didn't know what was wrong!!?? Don't give up.

 

[CaptEsteban]

Huntsman ,
Sounds like you need to go ahead & " file a claim" with the VA. You can do it yourself, or get your county Veteran's Affairs Officer, or a service organization [ like American Legion, VFW, etc ] to help you. They will help you obtain service records, etc. I don't think that possible A.O. exposure in Germany will be included, but you can add it to the claim, & see what happens. ANY ailment, injury, etc. you had in service , could be affecting you now, so think over everything before sending the claim in.

I could not find any mention of AO being in Germany. The website below lists a lot of places it was used & stored, as well as other herbicides.

Agent Orange (Herbicides) Used Outside of Vietnam
http://www.publichealth.va.gov/docs/agentorange/dod_herbicides_outside_vietnam.pdf

As I suggested above , I would file a claim , anyway, to have it in my records , as well as a claim for any other ailment that you think to be service connected .