Tom Owen doesn’t have side effects
from being exposed to the defoliant commonly called Agent Orange during
his time in Vietnam, but he is fighting for the thousands of families
affected by the toxic chemical.
Owen
will travel to Washington, D.C., next Wednesday and has a full schedule
of meetings planned with members of the Senate and House, talking about
the health effects caused by exposure to toxins and lobbying for the
passing of House Resolution 1769 and Senate Bill 901.
“These
bills would direct the Department of Veterans Affairs to allocate a
portion of the money spent annually on research issues for the study of
health effects caused by Agent Orange and other toxic chemicals,” Owen
said. “It’s not just the veterans, it’s the health effects of their
children and grandchildren. This stuff affects DNA.”
Owen said about $250 million is budgeted each year for research projects.
Owen
will travel with John Birch, Region 8 director of the Vietnam Veterans
of America, and they will meet Mokie Porter, communications director for
the Vietnam Veterans of America.
Owen said 183 members of Congress and 28 Senators have signed on to support the bills.
“This
is really about future generations, not so much us old guys,” Owen
said. “We don’t want our current military men and women, or their
children, affected by this stuff.”
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