WASHINGTON (WFLA) - Navy Vietnam Veterans marched from a
Washington, D.C. federal courthouse to the steps of VA headquarters with a
message: They were poisoned at sea.
New Port Richey veteran Mike Kvintus was among them.
"All of us veterans have taken an oath to defend the
Constitution of the United States and with that oath, we expect the country to
take care of us," the Navy veteran said.
Instead, with a stroke of a pen, the VA abandoned 90,000
Navy Vietnam veterans who did not step foot on Vietnam soil.
The VA contends unlike troops that served on the ground,
these Blue Water Navy veterans were not exposed to Agent Orange.
"It's a national disgrace as far as I'm
concerned," Mike added.
The military sprayed 20 million gallons of the toxic
herbicide Agent Orange on Vietnam.
It ran into rivers and streams. It contaminated harbors and
bays.
Ships like the American Victory, which served in Vietnam,
turned contaminated sea water into fresh water. The distillation process only
enhanced the chemicals, unknowingly poisoning crew members.
"We took water and distilled it, and actually bathed in
it, ate food cooked in it and drank it," Mike explained.
Mike served on the U.S.S. Buchanan, a destroyer that
according to deck logs, anchored in Da Nang Harbor when the military sprayed
Agent Orange.
"The plume covered that whole harbor," Mike
recalled.
The herbicide is known to cause at least 14 illnesses,
including some cancers.
Mike suffers from three of the conditions.
"No one else in my family has any of these
issues," Mike said.
A bill providing health care coverage and disability
benefits for the Blue Water Navy veterans sailed through the U.S. House of
Representatives, passing unanimously.
Republican Mike Lee of Utah holds it hostage in the Senate.
No comments:
Post a Comment