To many of the aging officials inside Vietnam Veterans of America (VVA), Kristofer Goldsmith represented the future.
In his four years at VVA, Goldsmith cracked open the
Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to former service members like himself with
so-called “bad paper” discharges. He also helped pass the Forever G.I. Bill,
pushed back on VA privatization efforts, and spent months down an Internet
rabbit hole investigating Russian trolls targeting those who served.
Then, this summer, as Goldsmith was wrapping up a detailed
report on racial inequities in VA healthcare, he and 12 other staffers were
abruptly laid off due to financial damage wrought by the coronavirus pandemic.
In the blink of an eye, VVA’s once-sizable and strong government affairs team
was slashed to two people. One of them is Goldsmith’s mentor, Rick Weidman, a
gruff Vietnam veteran and VVA co-founder with a sweet side.
Weidman’s list of policy accomplishments is far too long to
tick off here. But much of his energy has gone towards unfreezing veterans.
Over many hard-fought battles, he’s successfully pushed the VA to properly
recognize and treat PTSD. Weidman’s also spent years working to secure greater
health benefits for veterans exposed to Agent Orange and other chemicals dumped
over Vietnam as part of Operation Ranch Hand, a toxic mission with a cruel
motto: “only you can prevent a forest.”
Weidman’s made a difference largely because he’s unafraid to
challenge power. He sometimes forgoes his official, drawn-out VVA job title for
something more striking: “Well-Known Troublemaker for Vietnam Veterans of
America.”
At a trial over fluoride regulations this summer, EPA eschewed its own experts, hiring an outside company often deployed by corporations to deny and downplay chemicals' health impacts.
Exponent Inc. — founded in the 1960s to defend automobile
manufacturers in accident lawsuits — has since been busy questioning whether
smoking causes lung cancer, whether Agent Orange exposure leads to prostate
cancer, and whether per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances are linked to kidney
cancer.
Testifying for EPA in the U.S. District Court for the
Northern District of California, Exponent experts cast doubt on studies that
underpin federal regulation of lead and mercury, even as the agency's own
scientists — under subpoena by the plaintiffs — said new research does indeed
warrant a review of fluoride's neurotoxic effects.
That EPA would favor "rented white coats" over
federal experts underscores just how cozy President Trump's EPA has become with
industry, experts say.
"You don't hire Exponent to give you fresh eyes and an
independent view to protect public health. You hire Exponent to defend a
chemical," said David Michaels, who formerly led the Occupational Safety
and Health Administration and has written two books on what he calls the
"product defense" industry.
Percy Schmeiser is a Canadian legend.
Schmeiser is the Saskatchewan farmer who went up against
biotech giant Monsanto, battling all the way to the Supreme Court. He is
regarded as a hero to farmers and environmentalists around the world.
In the late 1990s,in Bruno, Sask., Schmeiser and Monsanto
entered into a lengthy legal battle over pesticide-resistant canola seeds.
Monsanto told Schmeiser that he couldn’t use their GMO
canola seeds without paying for a license to do so; Schmeiser never bought or
asked for Monsanto’s canola seeds, claiming some blew onto his land from
another farmer’s field.
Monsanto said pay up. Schmeiser said no. The fight was on.
The very idea of some small-town Canadian farmer in court
against Monsanto lent itself to David and Goliath comparisons, and Schmeiser’s
story got a lot of attention at the time.
It still does.
Percy, a new film directed by Clark Johnson and starring
Christopher Walken as Schmeiser, opened in theatres last Friday in major cities
across Canada. The cast of the film includes Zach Braff, Adam Beach, Christina
Ricci and Luke Kirby.
This is the sixth film about Percy Schmeiser’s legendary
fight with Monsanto.
In 1968, Leroy Foster was a master sergeant in the US Air Force, assigned to the Anderson Air Force Base in Guam, a United States island territory in the Pacific. The day after he arrived on the island, he recalled being ordered to mix “diesel fuel with Agent Orange”, then spraying “it by truck all over the base to kill the jungle overgrowth”.
A new book, Poisoning the Pacific, to be released Monday,
chronicles the US military’s decades-long contamination of indigenous lands
across the Pacific as well as the ocean itself, endangering lives and
ecosystems across the vast Pacific Ocean.
Written by British journalist Jon Mitchell, Poisoning the
Pacific is based on more than 12,000 pages of documents obtained under the US
Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) and through interviews with local residents,
military veterans and researchers.
The book argues that for decades, the US has treated its
territories in the Pacific with negligence, allowing its military to violate
indigenous rights, seize land, and damage delicate ecosystems.
US military planes parked on the tarmac of Andersen Air
Force base on the island of Guam, a US Pacific Territory.
Alongside Foster’s case - after years of campaigning the
airman was ultimately compensated for his exposure on the island - Mitchell’s
book details US military operations over decades contaminating the Pacific with
toxic substances including radioactive waste, nerve agents, and dioxin-tainted
Agent Orange.
“US authorities have repeatedly tried to cover up
contamination through lies, disinformation and attacks on reporters,” Mitchell
told The Guardian. “I have experienced this pressure firsthand.”
Nine months after the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) began processing Agent Orange disability claims for Blue Water Navy veterans, more than 22,500 have been finalized, resulting in more than $640 million in payments to veterans or their surviving dependents.
Blue Water Navy veterans waited nearly 50 years to receive
disability compensation for diseases related to Agent Orange exposure until The
American Legion-backed Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019 was signed
into law on June 25. This act extends disability benefits covering medical
conditions associated with Agent Orange exposure to those who served on ships
off the coast of Vietnam — impacting an estimated 90,000 veterans.
VA’s collaboration with the National Archives and Records
Administration (NARA) has resulted in the digitization of more than 29 million
images from U.S. Navy and Coast Guard deck logs. Data — such as ship names,
dates and coordinates — is then fed to an internal, claims-related processing
system that identifies vessels that may have traveled within the offshore
waters of Vietnam. This new approach has resulted in a faster, more accurate
decision the first time a claim is reviewed.
"The team at NARA recognizes the importance of this
effort making it easier for Blue Water Navy veterans to receive the benefits
they've earned without burdening them with paperwork,” VA Secretary Robert
Wilkie said in a release. “Since Jan. 1, VA has processed thousands of claims
and encourages every veteran, dependent and surviving spouse who is eligible to
file a claim as soon as possible.”
The American Legion has long fought and advocated for the
rights of Blue Water Navy veterans and in 2016 passed Resolution No. 246 that
supported "legislation to amend title 38, United States Code, to presume
exposure to Agent Orange for any military personnel who served during the
Vietnam War on any vessel that came within 12 nautical miles of the coastlines
of Vietnam."
The number of active coronavirus cases among Veterans Affairs patients continued to slowly rise in recent days as the total number of deaths from the virus among department patients rose above 3,500 this week.
As of Tuesday evening, VA reported 3,641 active cases of the
virus, an increase of 7 percent in the last week and more than 21 percent in
the last month. The cases are spread out across 139 department medical centers
nationwide.
Active cases of the virus had dropped below 2,500 in
mid-September, but have risen slowly since then. Those totals topped 6,400 in
mid-July, when the outbreak within the VA patient population was at its peak.
VA officials have said they do not consider the active case
counts or death totals to be accurate measures of the severity of the ongoing
pandemic among their patient population. Instead, they point to hospitalization
rates among patients who test positive, which have remained steady over the
last few months.
As of Tuesday afternoon, department medical staff were
caring for 340 inpatients with complications related to coronavirus.
On Wednesday morning, the death total among the VA patient
population was 3,528. That figure is up almost 300 individuals in the last 20
days. Nationally, more than 210,000 individuals have died from complications
related to the virus.
The fatality rate among VA patients who test positive for
the illness is about 5.5 percent, well above the 3 percent rate for the rest of
the country. But VA officials have cautioned against comparing their patient
population to the rest of the country, noting the increased dangers the virus
presents to individuals who are elderly and infirm, two descriptors that
encompass most of the department’s medical cases.
On a hill near Da Nang, Vietnam, sat Camp Reasoner ― home of the Marine Corps' 3rd Reconnaissance Battalion and later 1st Reconnaissance Battalion during the Vietnam War.
The camp was named after 1st Lt. Frank Reasoner, the second
Marine to receive the Medal of Honor during the war, and was marked by a stone
that bore a hand-lettered message to the fallen Marine.
“'First Lieutenant Reasoner sacrificed his life to save one
of his wounded Marines. ‘Greater Love Hath No Man,’” the stone said, according
to the Marine Corps University.
On Monday 12 Marine veterans and members of the House of
Representatives sent a letter to Secretary of State Mike Pompeo calling on him
to begin negotiations with Vietnam to have the stone sent to the U.S. where the
1st Reconnaissance Battalion will host it on Camp Pendleton, California.
BILOXI, Miss. (WLOX) - Amy Delcambre is now a single mother of three.
Sean Delcambre was diagnosed with lymphoma in 2018. Just
over a year later, he died at age 34.
“She was just over 18 months old when Sean passed way,” Amy
said of Lucia. “Of course all the time, she says ‘I miss daddy.’ They ask about
daddy all the time, they all miss daddy.”
Their three girls are now 7, 5, and 3. They watched as their
father faded quickly under the weight of his cancer.
A WLOX News investigation last year uncovered documents
showing the 403rd violated OSHA standards for exposure to the chemical during
the time Delcambre worked there. Internal memos noted the paint facility at the
403rd had been broken since 2008, and as a result, Air Reserve Technicians
spent their days blasting and painting airplane parts in an “open work bay”
with “no control of particulates.”
Air Force records confirm those particulates contained
hexavalent chromium, a cancer-causing ingredient made famous in the movie “Erin
Brokovich.”
Multiple documents called for a better decontamination
facility beginning in 2012. It took until 2018 for the unit to formally call
for a “clean room” to “reduce the spread of CrVI (Hexavalent Chromium).”
WASHINGTON — A House bill introduced Thursday would ensure that any veteran who dies from coronavirus in the care of the Department of Veterans Affairs would have service-connected disabilities noted in the cause of death to protect survivor benefits.
If an autopsy of a veteran now states the cause of death is
coronavirus instead of a service-connected disability, it has the potential to
jeopardize survivor benefits, which are typically awarded to families of
veterans who died from an injury or illness related to their military service.
The Ensuring Survivors Benefits during COVID-19 Act,
introduced by Rep. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, would require VA to account for
service-related disabilities that might have exacerbated the virus and
contributed to the death of a veteran.
“Presently, the cause of death rulings threatens benefits
veterans have earned,” Davidson, a former Army infantry officer, said in a
statement. “Congress must act to ensure that the VA accurately deals with the
cause of death while accounting for service-related injuries in order to
properly care for all surviving family members.”
Completion of the project is the culmination of more than a year of work between Veterans Affairs and
National Archives and Records
Administration officials. The move was prompted by legislation passed
in summer 2019 mandating VA award presumptive benefits status to veterans who served in
the waters off Vietnam during the war there five decades ago.
Department officials said they have awarded roughly $641
million to more than 22,524 blue water Navy veterans or survivors since the
start of this year. But advocates have estimated that as many as 90,000 Vietnam
veterans may be eligible for those payouts, and the digitized deck logs are
expected to help with that application process.
Benefits for
‘blue water’ veterans finalized after years-long fight
The move ends a years-long fight to get faster disability
benefits for up to 90,000 Navy veterans who served in Vietnam.
In a statement, VA Secretary Robert Wilkie said the move
should make it easier for veterans “to receive the benefits they’ve earned
without burdening them with paperwork.”
At issue is how the department had handled claims related to
Agent Orange exposure during the Vietnam War.
Under previous VA rules, service members who were stationed on the ground or on ships near the coast were presumed to have had exposure to the chemical defoliant and other carcinogenic herbicides. When illnesses arose later in life and they applied for disability claims, their claims were approved without requiring additional documentation.
Militaries around the world train regularly to ensure troops
stay fit for combat, but for one army at least, the drills
have become deadlier than the real deal. Between 2006 and 2020,
accidents accounted for about 32 percent, or
5,605, of military deaths in the United States Armed Forces, twice the number
killed in action. Elsewhere in the world, military training mishaps likewise
make the headlines whenever they happen.
While the toll war games exacts on soldiers is
well-documented and often well-publicised, less understood is their impact on
people who live near military bases and training grounds. Given that armed
forces continue to hold training exercises around the world, we would benefit
from a better understanding of the potential impact of these practices on the
physical and mental health on nearby populations.
My latest paper, “Military
training exercises, pollution, and their consequences for health”,
co-authored with Gustavo
Bobonis and Leonardo
Tovar, studies the effect of US Navy drills on the health of babies
born in the Puerto Rican territory of Vieques. Bombing activity there led to
short-term increases in water pollution, which has been linked to increased
frequency of miscarriages and congenital anomalies. We found that the sudden
end of bombing drills in July 2000 coincided with a 56 to 79 percent decrease
in the incidence of congenital anomalies.
Bombing and babies
For the 60 years until 2001, Vieques, a tiny island off the eastern coast of Puerto Rico, hosted a range of US Navy exercises including ship-to-shore gunfire, air-to-ground bombing by naval aircraft, and Marine amphibious landing. Military training and operations were conducted in the eastern end of Vieques, while the western end was used to store munitions. The island’s population of about 9,300 (as of 2010) live in the centre.
Belleville, MI – In its first season ever, Yankee Air Museum’s Vietnam era Huey helicopter, “Greyhound” has been flying Air Adventure rides from Willow Run Airport and the Museum since early August. Now, the venerable workhorse of the air in Vietnam is closing out the flying season with only three more dates. The Huey will fly on two Wednesdays, October 7 and October 14 as well as Saturday, October 24.
The Greyhound once flew in Vietnam as part of the 240th
Assault Helicopter Company. When the 240th AHC formed, the members had to
select their unit symbol and call sign for identification. They decided on
“Greyhounds” because of their speed and dependability, just like the bus
company, Greyhound Lines, Inc. During the War, the company supplied the 240th
AHC with the famed running dog logo decals for the airships. The 240th Air Assault
Helicopter Company even adopted a similar slogan, “Go Greyhound – and Leave the
Flying to Us.”
Air Adventure rides on the UH-1 Huey Greyhound flights take
off every 15 minutes beginning at 4:00PM on October 7 (from Willow Run, Hangar
1) and Wednesday, October 14 (from Yankee Air Museum). On Saturday, October 24,
flights begin at 10:00AM from Hangar 1. An Air Adventure ride is a 10-minute
experience and costs $99.00. To order Air Adventures visit www.yankeeairmuseum.org and
click on “Fly With Us.” Additional flight times may be added as customer demand
warrants.
WASHINGTON — The Department of Veterans Affairs has denied about 78% of disability claims related to toxic exposure, as thousands of veterans seek care from the agency for illnesses that they believe were caused by serving overseas near burn pits, an agency official said Wednesday.
Between 2007 and 2020, VA approved disability claims related
to burn-pit exposure for 2,828 veterans out of 12,582, according to Laurine
Carson, deputy executive director of policy and procedures for VA.
The gap in veterans who are approved for benefits drew the
ire of lawmakers who argued the VA should give presumptive care for veterans,
saying the agency does not have clear guidelines for who gets burn-pit
compensation.
“Many people are saying this is the Agent Orange of the
post-9/11 generation,” Rep. Elaine Luria, D-Va., chairwoman of the House
Committee on Veterans’ Affairs subpanel on disability assistance and memorial
affairs, said Wednesday during a hearing on the matter.
“We are now seeing young veterans in their 20s or 30s
suddenly debilitated by cancers they would not reasonably contract unless they
were heavy smokers or deep into old age,” Luria said. “We may not have all the
answers on burn-pit exposure, if ever. What we do know is that it’s making
people very sick. I can’t tell these people to sit down to wait another 10
years because quite frankly, some of them might not have another 10 years.”
Fort Riley is contacting owners of properties located near Marshall Army Airfield to ask permission to test the quality of drinking water in wells on those properties, to determine if the wells may have been impacted due to Army operations.
Vietnam's Ministry of National Defense launched a dioxin cleanup project Friday to treat 35,000 cubic meters of contaminated soil at A So Airport in Thua Thien-Hue Province.
The project, expected to cost VND70 billion ($3 million), is
scheduled to take around two years to complete.
In 350,000 cubic meters of soil that needs treatment, around
6,600 cubic meters contain dioxin levels of over 200 parts per trillion,
considered "very serious," Quan Doi Nhan Dan (People's
Army) Newspaper reported.
During the Vietnam War, the American military used A So
Valley in A Luoi District as a field airport. This was also a place to store
toxic chemicals and a transit station for the U.S. Air Force to spray Agent
Orange containing the dangerous chemical contaminant dioxin across the region.
Thua Thien-Hue was one of the most heavily affected places
by dioxin in Vietnam. The central province is home to nearly 16,000 people
exposed to Agent Orange.
Vietnam still has 28 dioxin hotspots, including airports
formerly used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War.
The government hopes to complete the task of decontaminating
the country’s soil by 2030.
The Department of Veterans Affairs will be investigated by a watchdog agency following allegations from VA staff that racism and discrimination are widespread at the department.
In August, one of the largest unions representing federal
employees, including hundreds of thousands of VA workers, released the results
of a nationwide survey that showed 78% of VA staff reported that racism is a
"moderate" to "serious" problem at the department.
More than half -- 55% -- said they witnessed racial
discrimination against veterans while at work.
The survey conducted by the American Federation of
Government Employees included responses from about 1,500 VA workers and showed
that 76% of employees who responded said they "experienced racially
charged actions" while working at the department. AFGE says it represents
about 270,000 of VA's more than 400,000 employees.
Following the release of those survey results, Sens.
Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, and Brian Schatz, D-Hawaii, on Thursday
asked that the Government Accountability Office investigate the "culture,
policies and practices" of VA to "determine the extent to which
systemic racism" affects workers and veterans.
GAO accepted the request to investigate the department and
said it will likely begin in about six months, GAO Congressional Relations
Managing Director Orice Williams Brown wrote in a letter to the senators.
"VA does not tolerate harassment or discrimination in
any form," Press Secretary Christina Noel said in a statement Thursday.
"The senators’ request to GAO is nothing more than a shameful attempt to
besmirch the reputations of hundreds of thousands of dedicated career
government employees at VA."
