LAKE COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) – A little-known U.S. Army manual may be key
to veterans fighting for Agent Orange benefits with the Department of
Veterans Affairs.
The field manual for the Tactical Employment of Herbicides warns
there should be a 500-meter buffer zone between Agent Orange and
anything that is not to be damaged.
That flies in the face of how the V.A. makes its decisions about who
is eligible for benefits and who isn’t, like Air Force veteran John
McKenney of Umatilla, Florida.
In 1969-70, Mr. McKenney was stationed in Thailand at the Ubon Royal
Air Force base to support the Vietnam war. His job was an Aero-Medical
specialist.
“When planes crashed, we had to go out to the site collect the body
parts and photograph,” Mr. McKenney said. There were plenty of crashes
sites to document, as well as a 1970 battle scene following an attack
on the base by North Vietnamese soldiers.
There were plenty of crashes sites to document, as well as a 1970
battle scene following an attack on the base by North Vietnamese
soldiers.
“They were after the planes that were bombing North Vietnam and the
Ho Chi Minh trail,” Mr. McKenney noted. “January 13th, the base got
attacked and I had to go out and pick up the body parts.”
The Air Force sprayed Agent Orange around the perimeter of Ubon to
eliminate enemy cover. The herbicide is linked to several cancers and
diseases.
The V.A. requires Thailand veterans to prove their jobs required they
work on base perimeters, in order to qualify for Agent Orange
benefits. But Army field manual blows holes in that logic.
It points out when spraying Agent Orange, “A 500-meter buffer
distance should be maintained to avoid damage to desirable vegetation
near the target.”
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