Chemical Warfare
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| World War I |
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| World War II |
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| Iraq, 1988 |
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| Syria, 2013 |
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| Vietnam, 1961-1971 |
Wednesday, September 11, 2013
U.S. used chemical warfare in Vietnam
http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20130910-OPINION-309100321
To the Editor:
Secretary
of State John Kerry recently gave an impassioned speech stating why our
country must attack Syria because of alleged use of chemical weapons by
the Assad regime that killed some 1,400 people — many were children.
Kerry has called this chemical attack a "crime
against humanity" and a "moral obscenity." Has Vietnam war veteran Kerry
forgotten about the despicable heinous crimes against humanity that the
Pentagon carried out against innocent people with Agent Orange during
the Vietnam war?
READ MORE: http://www.seacoastonline.com/articles/20130910-OPINION-309100321
COMMENTARY: The hypocrisy of the United States and the beating of war drums
http://sdgln.com/commentary/2013/09/10/hypocrisy-united-states-and-beating-war-drums
Remember Agent Orange and Operation Ranch Hand? Between January 1965 and April 1970, the U.S. military deployed 11 million to 13 million gallons of “herbicides” over 4.5 million acres in Vietnam. According the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Agent Orange contained “minute traces” of 2,3,7,8-tetracholrodibenzo-p-dioxin, more commonly known as dioxin. Studies done on laboratory animals, dioxin has been shown to be highly toxic even in minute doses; human exposure to the chemical could be associated with serious health issues such as muscular dysfunction, inflammation, birth defects, nervous system disorders and even the development of various cancers.
Allegedly the whole point of Agent Orange was aimed at the destruction of the forest and jungle cover used by the North Vietnamese troops. U.S. aircraft sprayed this mixture around roads, rivers and military bases. They also hit the non-combatant South Vietnamese peasants and ruined their crops and water sources.
READ MORE: http://sdgln.com/commentary/2013/09/10/hypocrisy-united-states-and-beating-war-drums
Remember Agent Orange and Operation Ranch Hand? Between January 1965 and April 1970, the U.S. military deployed 11 million to 13 million gallons of “herbicides” over 4.5 million acres in Vietnam. According the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Agent Orange contained “minute traces” of 2,3,7,8-tetracholrodibenzo-p-dioxin, more commonly known as dioxin. Studies done on laboratory animals, dioxin has been shown to be highly toxic even in minute doses; human exposure to the chemical could be associated with serious health issues such as muscular dysfunction, inflammation, birth defects, nervous system disorders and even the development of various cancers.
Allegedly the whole point of Agent Orange was aimed at the destruction of the forest and jungle cover used by the North Vietnamese troops. U.S. aircraft sprayed this mixture around roads, rivers and military bases. They also hit the non-combatant South Vietnamese peasants and ruined their crops and water sources.
READ MORE: http://sdgln.com/commentary/2013/09/10/hypocrisy-united-states-and-beating-war-drums
Local veterans group still fighting against Agent Orange
http://niagara-gazette.com/features/x335464779/Local-veterans-group-still-fighting-against-Agent-Orange
Niagara Gazette — Agent Orange, one of a host of highly toxic herbicides used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War has returned with a vengeance, affecting many of the three million veterans who served in the war in Southeast Asia and their families.
Called “Agent Orange” because of the orange band painted on the drums that stored it, was used to defoliate hiding places of the Viet Cong, rice paddies and fields as well as around the military bases.
“We were told it wasn’t harmful to humans,” said Jim May of North Tonawanda, who served in the Navy in Vietnam serving on a hospital ship off the coast, classified as “blue water.”
From 1962 to 1971, 11 million gallons of Agent Orange were sprayed in Vietnam, May explained. By the time the spraying stopped, Agent Orange had destroyed more than 5 million acres of land, roughly the size of New Jersey.
“Even though the government said it was safe, they were endangering our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren,” May said. “It wasn’t just the spray, but the dioxin got into the water system, used for drinking, showering and food.”
But the terrible effects of the dioxin that caused cancers, diabetes and a host of other diseases and disabilities for the veterans, went beyond the veterans.
A case in point is May’s grandson, who at nine months old was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, cancer of the eye. The baby had his eye removed and now has a prosthetic.
READ MORE: http://niagara-gazette.com/features/x335464779/Local-veterans-group-still-fighting-against-Agent-Orange
Niagara Gazette — Agent Orange, one of a host of highly toxic herbicides used by the U.S. military during the Vietnam War has returned with a vengeance, affecting many of the three million veterans who served in the war in Southeast Asia and their families.
Called “Agent Orange” because of the orange band painted on the drums that stored it, was used to defoliate hiding places of the Viet Cong, rice paddies and fields as well as around the military bases.
“We were told it wasn’t harmful to humans,” said Jim May of North Tonawanda, who served in the Navy in Vietnam serving on a hospital ship off the coast, classified as “blue water.”
From 1962 to 1971, 11 million gallons of Agent Orange were sprayed in Vietnam, May explained. By the time the spraying stopped, Agent Orange had destroyed more than 5 million acres of land, roughly the size of New Jersey.
“Even though the government said it was safe, they were endangering our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren,” May said. “It wasn’t just the spray, but the dioxin got into the water system, used for drinking, showering and food.”
But the terrible effects of the dioxin that caused cancers, diabetes and a host of other diseases and disabilities for the veterans, went beyond the veterans.
A case in point is May’s grandson, who at nine months old was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, cancer of the eye. The baby had his eye removed and now has a prosthetic.
READ MORE: http://niagara-gazette.com/features/x335464779/Local-veterans-group-still-fighting-against-Agent-Orange
A timeline of chemical warfare
http://www.kansascity.com/2013/09/07/4464771/a-timeline-of-chemical-warfare.html
Tonawanda
News — Agent Orange, one of a host of highly toxic herbicides used by
the U.S. military during the Vietnam War has returned with a vengeance,
affecting many of the three million veterans who served in the war in
Southeast Asia and their families.
Called “Agent Orange” because of the orange band painted on the drums that stored it, was used to defoliate hiding places of the Viet Cong, rice paddies and fields as well as around the military bases.
“We were told it wasn’t harmful to humans,” said Jim May of North Tonawanda, who served in the Navy in Vietnam serving on a hospital ship off the coast, classified as “blue water.”
From 1962 to 1971, 11 million gallons of Agent Orange were sprayed in Vietnam, May explained. By the time the spraying stopped, Agent Orange had destroyed more than 5 million acres of land, roughly the size of New Jersey.
“Even though the government said it was safe, they were endangering our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren,” May said. “It wasn’t just the spray, but the dioxin got into the water system, used for drinking, showering and food.”
But the terrible effects of the dioxin that caused cancers, diabetes and a host of other diseases and disabilities for the veterans, went beyond the veterans.
A case in point is May’s grandson, who at nine months old was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, cancer of the eye. The baby had his eye removed and now has a prosthetic.
- See more at: http://tonawanda-news.com/local/x312424834/Still-fighting#sthash.xTw30Cnr.dpuf
Called “Agent Orange” because of the orange band painted on the drums that stored it, was used to defoliate hiding places of the Viet Cong, rice paddies and fields as well as around the military bases.
“We were told it wasn’t harmful to humans,” said Jim May of North Tonawanda, who served in the Navy in Vietnam serving on a hospital ship off the coast, classified as “blue water.”
From 1962 to 1971, 11 million gallons of Agent Orange were sprayed in Vietnam, May explained. By the time the spraying stopped, Agent Orange had destroyed more than 5 million acres of land, roughly the size of New Jersey.
“Even though the government said it was safe, they were endangering our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren,” May said. “It wasn’t just the spray, but the dioxin got into the water system, used for drinking, showering and food.”
But the terrible effects of the dioxin that caused cancers, diabetes and a host of other diseases and disabilities for the veterans, went beyond the veterans.
A case in point is May’s grandson, who at nine months old was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, cancer of the eye. The baby had his eye removed and now has a prosthetic.
- See more at: http://tonawanda-news.com/local/x312424834/Still-fighting#sthash.xTw30Cnr.dpuf
1915: Germany introduces lethal
chemical warfare to the World War I battlefield, letting breezes carry
chlorine to opposing trenches. French adapt artillery shells to deadlier
phosgene.
1917: Germans employ first mustard gas, which blisters, blinds and burns through fabric and leather.
1918: Capt. Harry S. Truman’s field artillery unit fires poison gas against the German lines. Chemical weapons kill about 100,000 in the war, more than half Russians.
1925: Geneva Protocol prohibits use of poison gas as “justly condemned by the general opinion of the civilized world.” America signs, but U.S. Senate does not ratify until 1974.
1937: Nazi Germany discovers nerve agent tabun, follows up with sarin in 1939.
1939-45: World War II belligerents stockpile mustard gas (America the most), but it’s almost never employed.
1941-45: More than 1.2 million perish in Nazi extermination camp gas chambers using Zyklon B.
1952: British invent VX nerve agent, trade formula for U.S. nuclear knowledge.
1961-67: U.S. forces spray herbicide Agent Orange over 13 percent of South Vietnam; dioxin-related birth defects among Vietnamese children soar. Its use, as well as tear gas, is called a breach of Geneva Protocol by some.
1962-73: Pentagon’s Project SHAD’s chemical and biological weapon testing is at times used on unsuspecting military personnel.
Read More: http://www.kansascity.com/2013/09/07/4464771/a-timeline-of-chemical-warfare.html#storylink=cpy1918: Capt. Harry S. Truman’s field artillery unit fires poison gas against the German lines. Chemical weapons kill about 100,000 in the war, more than half Russians.
1925: Geneva Protocol prohibits use of poison gas as “justly condemned by the general opinion of the civilized world.” America signs, but U.S. Senate does not ratify until 1974.
1937: Nazi Germany discovers nerve agent tabun, follows up with sarin in 1939.
1939-45: World War II belligerents stockpile mustard gas (America the most), but it’s almost never employed.
1941-45: More than 1.2 million perish in Nazi extermination camp gas chambers using Zyklon B.
1952: British invent VX nerve agent, trade formula for U.S. nuclear knowledge.
1961-67: U.S. forces spray herbicide Agent Orange over 13 percent of South Vietnam; dioxin-related birth defects among Vietnamese children soar. Its use, as well as tear gas, is called a breach of Geneva Protocol by some.
1962-73: Pentagon’s Project SHAD’s chemical and biological weapon testing is at times used on unsuspecting military personnel.
Tonawanda
News — Agent Orange, one of a host of highly toxic herbicides used by
the U.S. military during the Vietnam War has returned with a vengeance,
affecting many of the three million veterans who served in the war in
Southeast Asia and their families.
Called “Agent Orange” because of the orange band painted on the drums that stored it, was used to defoliate hiding places of the Viet Cong, rice paddies and fields as well as around the military bases.
“We were told it wasn’t harmful to humans,” said Jim May of North Tonawanda, who served in the Navy in Vietnam serving on a hospital ship off the coast, classified as “blue water.”
From 1962 to 1971, 11 million gallons of Agent Orange were sprayed in Vietnam, May explained. By the time the spraying stopped, Agent Orange had destroyed more than 5 million acres of land, roughly the size of New Jersey.
“Even though the government said it was safe, they were endangering our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren,” May said. “It wasn’t just the spray, but the dioxin got into the water system, used for drinking, showering and food.”
But the terrible effects of the dioxin that caused cancers, diabetes and a host of other diseases and disabilities for the veterans, went beyond the veterans.
A case in point is May’s grandson, who at nine months old was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, cancer of the eye. The baby had his eye removed and now has a prosthetic.
- See more at: http://tonawanda-news.com/local/x312424834/Still-fighting#sthash.xTw30Cnr.dpuf
Called “Agent Orange” because of the orange band painted on the drums that stored it, was used to defoliate hiding places of the Viet Cong, rice paddies and fields as well as around the military bases.
“We were told it wasn’t harmful to humans,” said Jim May of North Tonawanda, who served in the Navy in Vietnam serving on a hospital ship off the coast, classified as “blue water.”
From 1962 to 1971, 11 million gallons of Agent Orange were sprayed in Vietnam, May explained. By the time the spraying stopped, Agent Orange had destroyed more than 5 million acres of land, roughly the size of New Jersey.
“Even though the government said it was safe, they were endangering our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren,” May said. “It wasn’t just the spray, but the dioxin got into the water system, used for drinking, showering and food.”
But the terrible effects of the dioxin that caused cancers, diabetes and a host of other diseases and disabilities for the veterans, went beyond the veterans.
A case in point is May’s grandson, who at nine months old was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, cancer of the eye. The baby had his eye removed and now has a prosthetic.
- See more at: http://tonawanda-news.com/local/x312424834/Still-fighting#sthash.xTw30Cnr.dpuf
Tonawanda
News — Agent Orange, one of a host of highly toxic herbicides used by
the U.S. military during the Vietnam War has returned with a vengeance,
affecting many of the three million veterans who served in the war in
Southeast Asia and their families.
Called “Agent Orange” because of the orange band painted on the drums that stored it, was used to defoliate hiding places of the Viet Cong, rice paddies and fields as well as around the military bases.
“We were told it wasn’t harmful to humans,” said Jim May of North Tonawanda, who served in the Navy in Vietnam serving on a hospital ship off the coast, classified as “blue water.”
From 1962 to 1971, 11 million gallons of Agent Orange were sprayed in Vietnam, May explained. By the time the spraying stopped, Agent Orange had destroyed more than 5 million acres of land, roughly the size of New Jersey.
“Even though the government said it was safe, they were endangering our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren,” May said. “It wasn’t just the spray, but the dioxin got into the water system, used for drinking, showering and food.”
But the terrible effects of the dioxin that caused cancers, diabetes and a host of other diseases and disabilities for the veterans, went beyond the veterans.
A case in point is May’s grandson, who at nine months old was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, cancer of the eye. The baby had his eye removed and now has a prosthetic.
- See more at: http://tonawanda-news.com/local/x312424834/Still-fighting#sthash.xTw30Cnr.dpuf
Called “Agent Orange” because of the orange band painted on the drums that stored it, was used to defoliate hiding places of the Viet Cong, rice paddies and fields as well as around the military bases.
“We were told it wasn’t harmful to humans,” said Jim May of North Tonawanda, who served in the Navy in Vietnam serving on a hospital ship off the coast, classified as “blue water.”
From 1962 to 1971, 11 million gallons of Agent Orange were sprayed in Vietnam, May explained. By the time the spraying stopped, Agent Orange had destroyed more than 5 million acres of land, roughly the size of New Jersey.
“Even though the government said it was safe, they were endangering our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren,” May said. “It wasn’t just the spray, but the dioxin got into the water system, used for drinking, showering and food.”
But the terrible effects of the dioxin that caused cancers, diabetes and a host of other diseases and disabilities for the veterans, went beyond the veterans.
A case in point is May’s grandson, who at nine months old was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, cancer of the eye. The baby had his eye removed and now has a prosthetic.
- See more at: http://tonawanda-news.com/local/x312424834/Still-fighting#sthash.xTw30Cnr.dpuf
Tonawanda
News — Agent Orange, one of a host of highly toxic herbicides used by
the U.S. military during the Vietnam War has returned with a vengeance,
affecting many of the three million veterans who served in the war in
Southeast Asia and their families.
Called “Agent Orange” because of the orange band painted on the drums that stored it, was used to defoliate hiding places of the Viet Cong, rice paddies and fields as well as around the military bases.
“We were told it wasn’t harmful to humans,” said Jim May of North Tonawanda, who served in the Navy in Vietnam serving on a hospital ship off the coast, classified as “blue water.”
From 1962 to 1971, 11 million gallons of Agent Orange were sprayed in Vietnam, May explained. By the time the spraying stopped, Agent Orange had destroyed more than 5 million acres of land, roughly the size of New Jersey.
“Even though the government said it was safe, they were endangering our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren,” May said. “It wasn’t just the spray, but the dioxin got into the water system, used for drinking, showering and food.”
But the terrible effects of the dioxin that caused cancers, diabetes and a host of other diseases and disabilities for the veterans, went beyond the veterans.
A case in point is May’s grandson, who at nine months old was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, cancer of the eye. The baby had his eye removed and now has a prosthetic.
- See more at: http://tonawanda-news.com/local/x312424834/Still-fighting#sthash.xTw30Cnr.dpuf
Called “Agent Orange” because of the orange band painted on the drums that stored it, was used to defoliate hiding places of the Viet Cong, rice paddies and fields as well as around the military bases.
“We were told it wasn’t harmful to humans,” said Jim May of North Tonawanda, who served in the Navy in Vietnam serving on a hospital ship off the coast, classified as “blue water.”
From 1962 to 1971, 11 million gallons of Agent Orange were sprayed in Vietnam, May explained. By the time the spraying stopped, Agent Orange had destroyed more than 5 million acres of land, roughly the size of New Jersey.
“Even though the government said it was safe, they were endangering our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren,” May said. “It wasn’t just the spray, but the dioxin got into the water system, used for drinking, showering and food.”
But the terrible effects of the dioxin that caused cancers, diabetes and a host of other diseases and disabilities for the veterans, went beyond the veterans.
A case in point is May’s grandson, who at nine months old was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, cancer of the eye. The baby had his eye removed and now has a prosthetic.
- See more at: http://tonawanda-news.com/local/x312424834/Still-fighting#sthash.xTw30Cnr.dpuf
Tonawanda
News — Agent Orange, one of a host of highly toxic herbicides used by
the U.S. military during the Vietnam War has returned with a vengeance,
affecting many of the three million veterans who served in the war in
Southeast Asia and their families.
Called “Agent Orange” because of the orange band painted on the drums that stored it, was used to defoliate hiding places of the Viet Cong, rice paddies and fields as well as around the military bases.
“We were told it wasn’t harmful to humans,” said Jim May of North Tonawanda, who served in the Navy in Vietnam serving on a hospital ship off the coast, classified as “blue water.”
From 1962 to 1971, 11 million gallons of Agent Orange were sprayed in Vietnam, May explained. By the time the spraying stopped, Agent Orange had destroyed more than 5 million acres of land, roughly the size of New Jersey.
“Even though the government said it was safe, they were endangering our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren,” May said. “It wasn’t just the spray, but the dioxin got into the water system, used for drinking, showering and food.”
But the terrible effects of the dioxin that caused cancers, diabetes and a host of other diseases and disabilities for the veterans, went beyond the veterans.
A case in point is May’s grandson, who at nine months old was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, cancer of the eye. The baby had his eye removed and now has a prosthetic.
- See more at: http://tonawanda-news.com/local/x312424834/Still-fighting#sthash.xTw30Cnr.dpuf
Called “Agent Orange” because of the orange band painted on the drums that stored it, was used to defoliate hiding places of the Viet Cong, rice paddies and fields as well as around the military bases.
“We were told it wasn’t harmful to humans,” said Jim May of North Tonawanda, who served in the Navy in Vietnam serving on a hospital ship off the coast, classified as “blue water.”
From 1962 to 1971, 11 million gallons of Agent Orange were sprayed in Vietnam, May explained. By the time the spraying stopped, Agent Orange had destroyed more than 5 million acres of land, roughly the size of New Jersey.
“Even though the government said it was safe, they were endangering our lives and the lives of our children and grandchildren,” May said. “It wasn’t just the spray, but the dioxin got into the water system, used for drinking, showering and food.”
But the terrible effects of the dioxin that caused cancers, diabetes and a host of other diseases and disabilities for the veterans, went beyond the veterans.
A case in point is May’s grandson, who at nine months old was diagnosed with retinoblastoma, cancer of the eye. The baby had his eye removed and now has a prosthetic.
- See more at: http://tonawanda-news.com/local/x312424834/Still-fighting#sthash.xTw30Cnr.dpuf
Friday, September 6, 2013
FINAL RULE: Disease Associated With Exposure to Certain Herbicide Agents: Peripheral Neuropathy
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-09-06/html/2013-21674.htm
DEPARTMENT OF VETERANS AFFAIRS
38 CFR Part 3
RIN 2900-AO32
Disease Associated With Exposure to Certain Herbicide Agents:
Peripheral Neuropathy
AGENCY: Department of Veterans Affairs.
ACTION: Final rule.
SUMMARY: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) adopts as a final rule
its proposal to amend its adjudication regulations by clarifying and
expanding the terminology regarding presumptive service connection for
acute and subacute peripheral neuropathy associated with exposure to
certain herbicide agents. This amendment implements a decision by the
Secretary of Veterans Affairs based on findings from the National
Academy of Sciences (NAS) Institute of Medicine report, Veterans and
Agent Orange: Update 2010. It also amends VA's regulation governing
retroactive awards for certain diseases associated with herbicide
exposure as required by court orders in the class action litigation of
Nehmer v. U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs.
DATES: Effective Date: This rule is effective September 6, 2013.
Applicability Date: This final rule shall apply to claims received
by VA on or after September 6, 2013 and to claims pending before VA on
that date. Additionally, VA will apply this rule in readjudicating
certain previously denied claims as required by court orders in Nehmer
v. Department of Veterans Affairs.
READ THE ENTIRE FINAL RULE: http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/FR-2013-09-06/html/2013-21674.htm
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Orange Crush – Part II, An Advocates View
Part II of our veterans’ exposure to herbicides during the
Vietnam War
ARMY EXPERIMENTS WITH DEFOLIANTS
The Army continued to experiment with 2,4-D during the 1950s
and late in the decade found a potent combination of chemicals which quickly
found its way into the Army's chemical arsenal. Army scientists found that by
mixing 2,4-D and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T) and spraying it on
plants, there would be an almost immediate negative effect on the foliage. What
they didn't realize, or chose to ignore, was that 2,4,5-T contained dioxin, a
useless by-product of herbicide production. It would be twenty more years until
concern was raised about dioxin, a chemical the Environmental Protection Agency
(EPA) would later call "one of the most perplexing and potentially
dangerous" known to man. After minimal experimentation in 1961, a variety
of chemical agents was shipped to Vietnam to aid in anti-guerilla
efforts. The chemicals were to be used to destroy food sources and eliminate
foliage that concealed enemy troop movements.
RAINBOW HERBICIDES
The various chemicals were labeled by color-coded stripes on
the barrels, an arsenal of herbicides known by the colors of the rainbow,
including Agent Blue (which contained arsenic), Agent White, Agent Purple, and
the lethal combination of 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T - Agent Orange.
On January 13,
1962, three U.S. Air Force C-123s left Tan Son Nhut airfield to begin Operation
Hades (later called Operation Ranch Hand), the defoliation of portions of South Vietnam's
heavily forested countryside in which Viet Cong guerrillas could easily hide.
By September, 1962, the spraying program had intensified, despite an early lack
of success, as U.S.
officials targeted the Ca Mau Peninsula, a scene of heavy communist activity.
Ranch Hand aircraft sprayed more than 9,000 acres of mangrove forests there,
defoliating approximately 95 percent of the targeted area. That mission was
deemed a success and full approval was given for continuation of Operation
Ranch Hand as the U.S.
stepped up its involvement in Vietnam.
SIX TO TWENTY-FIVE TIMES STRONGER THAN RECOMMENDED
Over the next nine
years, an estimated 12 million gallons of Agent Orange were sprayed throughout Vietnam. The U.S. military command in Vietnam
insisted publicly the defoliation program was militarily successful and had
little adverse impact on the economy of the villagers who came into contact
with it.
Although the
herbicides were widely used in the United States, they usually were
heavily diluted with water or oil. In Vietnam, military applications were
sprayed at the rate of three gallons per acre and contained approximately 12
pounds of 2,4-D and 13.8 pounds of 2,3,5-T.
The military sprayed herbicides in Vietnam six to 25 times the rate
suggested by the manufacturer.
In 1962, 15,000
gallons of herbicide were sprayed throughout Vietnam. The following year that
amount nearly quadrupled, as 59,000 gallons of chemicals were poured into the
forests and streams. The amounts increased significantly after that: 175,000
gallons in 1964, 621,000 gallons in 1965 and 2.28 million gallons in 1966.
Paul Sutton
Veteran Advocate
Tuesday, September 3, 2013
Upcoming Town Hall Meetings
http://www.vva.org/Committees/AgentOrange/TownHall.htm
Agent Orange Town Hall Meeting
September 14, 2013 - 2:00 PM
Erie Community College, North Campus
Kittinger Hall - Room 100
Williamsville, NY
Agent Orange Town Hall Meeting
September 19, 2013 6:30 PM
Location: American Legion 8
300 Avenue M NW
Winterhaven, Florida
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Agent Orange meeting planned in East Liverpool
Agent Orange Town Hall forum - Chester County, PA
For More Information: http://www.vva.org/Committees/AgentOrange/TownHall.htm
Agent Orange Town Hall Meeting
September 14, 2013 - 2:00 PM
Erie Community College, North Campus
Kittinger Hall - Room 100
Williamsville, NY
Agent Orange Town Hall Meeting
September 19, 2013 6:30 PM
Location: American Legion 8
300 Avenue M NW
Winterhaven, Florida
Tuesday, August 20, 2013
Agent Orange meeting planned in East Liverpool
Agent Orange Town Hall forum - Chester County, PA
For More Information: http://www.vva.org/Committees/AgentOrange/TownHall.htm
Dear Editor of The Laredo Morning Times: ...
Dear Editor:
In a suit filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., two veteran’s organizations have filed suit against the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Eric Shinseki, for failing to provide benefits to Vietnam War veterans who served aboard ship off the coast of Vietnam.
Over 100,000 of Blue Water veterans were exposed to Agent Orange through their drinking water while providing gunfire support, air support and logistic support in the territorial seas off the coast of Vietnam.
The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Association (BWNVVA), a nonprofit corporation chartered to advance the cause of the Blue Water Navy veterans, along with Military-Veterans Advocacy (MVA) another nonprofit that advocated for veterans, filed the suit charging that the secretary ignored scientific evidence, which showed the presence of Agent Orange in the waters off shore.
Attorney John Wells, who brought the suit, is a retired Navy Commander and served as chief engineer on three Navy ships.
“I am very familiar with the naval operations at the time and the distillation equipment that enriched the dioxin.” Wells said.
“We have taken this evidence to two separate committees of the Institute of Medicine, and they agree that the distillation process would have co-distilled and enriched the dioxin.”
John Paul Rossie, a retired Information Technology expert, served in the Navy off the coast of Vietnam. Rossie has served the BWNVVA since its inception as executive director.
He said, “Sea service personnel operating in the war zone were given a straight shot of Agent Orange into their drinking water.”
Rossie continued, “Now they are dying and leaving their families without the VA compensation that they earned.”
Prior to 2002, the Blue Water Navy veterans were granted the presumption of exposure.
This was rescinded based on a 1997 VA General Counsel. Australia, an American ally in Vietnam, has granted benefits to their naval personnel since 2003.
The Blue Water Navy veterans won a restoration in benefits from the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in 2006.
That was set aside by the United States Court for the Federal Circuit in 2008.
Wells noted, “We are not attacking the lack of rulemaking as was the case in the previous suit, but we are showing that the Secretary’s decision was arbitrary and capricious, unsupported by substantial evidence and in violation of existing law.”
What the VA either did not know or intentionally ignored is the 1958 Convention on the Territorial Seas and the Contiguous Zone, which the United States has signed and ratified, includes bays and harbors as inland waterways.
“We are heartened by the bi-partisan support of this bill,” Rossie said, “but despite the support, it is still stalled in Committee.
So while we are continuing to gather support in Congress, we felt the need to also move forward in court.
Our people are dropping like flies and we need to try any avenue we can to obtain these benefits.”
Sincerely,
Susan Belanger
In a suit filed in federal court in Washington, D.C., two veteran’s organizations have filed suit against the Secretary of Veterans Affairs, Eric Shinseki, for failing to provide benefits to Vietnam War veterans who served aboard ship off the coast of Vietnam.
Over 100,000 of Blue Water veterans were exposed to Agent Orange through their drinking water while providing gunfire support, air support and logistic support in the territorial seas off the coast of Vietnam.
The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Association (BWNVVA), a nonprofit corporation chartered to advance the cause of the Blue Water Navy veterans, along with Military-Veterans Advocacy (MVA) another nonprofit that advocated for veterans, filed the suit charging that the secretary ignored scientific evidence, which showed the presence of Agent Orange in the waters off shore.
Attorney John Wells, who brought the suit, is a retired Navy Commander and served as chief engineer on three Navy ships.
“I am very familiar with the naval operations at the time and the distillation equipment that enriched the dioxin.” Wells said.
“We have taken this evidence to two separate committees of the Institute of Medicine, and they agree that the distillation process would have co-distilled and enriched the dioxin.”
John Paul Rossie, a retired Information Technology expert, served in the Navy off the coast of Vietnam. Rossie has served the BWNVVA since its inception as executive director.
He said, “Sea service personnel operating in the war zone were given a straight shot of Agent Orange into their drinking water.”
Rossie continued, “Now they are dying and leaving their families without the VA compensation that they earned.”
Prior to 2002, the Blue Water Navy veterans were granted the presumption of exposure.
This was rescinded based on a 1997 VA General Counsel. Australia, an American ally in Vietnam, has granted benefits to their naval personnel since 2003.
The Blue Water Navy veterans won a restoration in benefits from the Court of Appeals for Veterans Claims in 2006.
That was set aside by the United States Court for the Federal Circuit in 2008.
Wells noted, “We are not attacking the lack of rulemaking as was the case in the previous suit, but we are showing that the Secretary’s decision was arbitrary and capricious, unsupported by substantial evidence and in violation of existing law.”
What the VA either did not know or intentionally ignored is the 1958 Convention on the Territorial Seas and the Contiguous Zone, which the United States has signed and ratified, includes bays and harbors as inland waterways.
“We are heartened by the bi-partisan support of this bill,” Rossie said, “but despite the support, it is still stalled in Committee.
So while we are continuing to gather support in Congress, we felt the need to also move forward in court.
Our people are dropping like flies and we need to try any avenue we can to obtain these benefits.”
Sincerely,
Susan Belanger
Resources for Brown and Blue Water Veterans Who Need Help Proving Their Ship Was Exposed to Agent Orange
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?shva=1#inbox/140e5335dc207c55
.
If you have a Navy or
Coast Guard Vet who need help with an Agent Orange claim be sure to
check the official Agent Orange ship list at http://www.publichealth.va.
What if the ship is NOT on the official Agent Orange Ship List?
You
have to find proof the ship was in brown water. Once you find it,
submit it to ship list webpage above so they can verify the evidence and
update the list.
Many ships also have an association. Just google the ship’s name and look for an association. For example, the USS Fred Barry is at http://www.fredtberry.org/.
Sometimes other crew members have posted a copy of pages from their
ship’s deck logs onto their association site. Check with the
association’s historian, if they have one. These ships’ associations
are a valuable resource. Also, you might suggest to your veteran that
he or she attend their ship’s association national convention to meet
up with fellow shipmates- conventions are a great place to get buddy
statements.
Another
way to find deck logs is at the National Archives. That can be a time
consuming process. Last resort: have the veteran hire a professional
researcher. SEE: http://www.archives.gov/
Higher cancer risk for Vietnam vets
http://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/271381/higher-cancer-risk-vietnam-vets
New Zealand Vietnam war veterans, some of whom were exposed to Agent Orange defoliant, have double the rate of chronic lymphatic leukemia compared to the general population, an Otago University study has found.
The study, by the university's Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, looked at the medical records of many of the nearly 3400 New Zealanders who served in Vietnam from 1962 to 1971.
The cohort study, which looked at the records of 2752 men between 1988 to 2008, is the first to look at New Zealand Vietnam veterans to assess the long-term health effects of serving in a combat zone.
The researchers found while 407 veterans died over the study period, the overall death rate from all causes was 15 per cent lower than the general population.
They also found mortality from cancer was not significantly lower or higher however than the general population.
However, lead author Dr David McBride said the study showed a doubling of the risk of mortality from cancers of the head and neck, as well as an increase in oral cancers of the pharynx and larynx.
"Lung cancer contributed the greatest burden of deaths in both New Zealand and Australian veterans,'' he said.
The study noted veterans deployed in the Nui Dat area of Phuoc Tuy province experienced a toxic environment because of the widespread use Agent Orange, which contained the carcinogen dioxin. However, the study did not have specific data on herbicide exposure of individual soldiers.
Dr. McBride said the findings were not at odds with evidence needed for compensation from Veterans Affairs New Zealand for ill-health caused by service in the Vietnam War.
He said the pattern of lower overall mortality was known as the 'healthy soldier effect' which was related to the fact the soldiers would have been selected for health and fitness.
Further work was still needed, including the selection of a non-deployed comparison group to reduce the 'healthy soldier effect'.
The study, funded by the War Pensions Medical Research Trust Fund, is due to appear shortly in the international journal BMJ Open.
New Zealand Vietnam war veterans, some of whom were exposed to Agent Orange defoliant, have double the rate of chronic lymphatic leukemia compared to the general population, an Otago University study has found.
The study, by the university's Department of Preventive and Social Medicine, looked at the medical records of many of the nearly 3400 New Zealanders who served in Vietnam from 1962 to 1971.
The cohort study, which looked at the records of 2752 men between 1988 to 2008, is the first to look at New Zealand Vietnam veterans to assess the long-term health effects of serving in a combat zone.
The researchers found while 407 veterans died over the study period, the overall death rate from all causes was 15 per cent lower than the general population.
They also found mortality from cancer was not significantly lower or higher however than the general population.
However, lead author Dr David McBride said the study showed a doubling of the risk of mortality from cancers of the head and neck, as well as an increase in oral cancers of the pharynx and larynx.
"Lung cancer contributed the greatest burden of deaths in both New Zealand and Australian veterans,'' he said.
The study noted veterans deployed in the Nui Dat area of Phuoc Tuy province experienced a toxic environment because of the widespread use Agent Orange, which contained the carcinogen dioxin. However, the study did not have specific data on herbicide exposure of individual soldiers.
Dr. McBride said the findings were not at odds with evidence needed for compensation from Veterans Affairs New Zealand for ill-health caused by service in the Vietnam War.
He said the pattern of lower overall mortality was known as the 'healthy soldier effect' which was related to the fact the soldiers would have been selected for health and fitness.
Further work was still needed, including the selection of a non-deployed comparison group to reduce the 'healthy soldier effect'.
The study, funded by the War Pensions Medical Research Trust Fund, is due to appear shortly in the international journal BMJ Open.
Monday, September 2, 2013
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