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| Monday, May 13, 05:25:16am | [ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: [1] ] |
| Subject: exposure to agent orange | |
Author: carlos j. andrews [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 20:15:32 10/04/07 Thu I was stationed at DaNang with the 366 AP Sq from l966 (Dec) thru March l967 when 25 Air Police were transfered to NhaTrang to support the 14th AP SQ. While stationed at DaNang I was on guard duty at a storage facility with another airman when a spill occurred. We were told to get into the gate shack because of this incident. We contacted security control and informed them of this and a short time later a TSgt came and reassigned us on another post. Shortly there after, I stated having large bumps appear on my face. I only learned about 2 years age that it was Cloracne. I had filed a claim because it had left my face badly scared. When I went to VN I had a very good complexion. My daughter sent me a news paper from the Vicksburg Post, dated Fri, June 15, 2007, which showed that DaNang AFB had the highest level of Dioxon, the toxic chemical compound in Agent Orange. I would invite everyone that was stationed at DaNang to write for this paper or may be able to get it on the web. It said that DaNang had the highest levels of dioxin (300 to 400 times higher than internationally accepted limits). The page long articled showed young kids all crippled and deformed and "grotesque health problems". A copy of this article was sent to Washington DC with my claim. I, also, recently been diagnosed as a Diabetic. Three years ago I underwent two head and neck surgeries for cancer, chemo and radiation.If anyone needs any further info, please feel free to contact me and I will be glad to answer. |
| Subject: I'm A Walter Reed Army Brat from the 40's and 50's | |
Author: Sharon [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 12:51:29 08/24/07 Fri I've been fighting the V.A. too . My dad died in the service from some secret volenteer mission in 1950 , he served for 8 years and was exposed to radiation and other stuff as the troops were the guine pigs back then and so were some of the military dependents. I have the sickness from it and have had 17 surgeries and numorous tumors removed since age ( 7 ) plus 13 pints of blood from the army blood bank at Walter Reed . Proof ?? I got hold of all of the records they claimed burned up in a fire . I am now 60 and just like everyone else... the V.A. is no help !! I found some magnetic clay and it seemed to help but you have to be careful and make sure you take a good mineral supplement and juice . Organic Potassium gets rid of tumors ( red potatos , carrots and celery in the crock pot ) drink the broth three times or more a day . synthetic potassium can kill you... organic you can saturate every cell in your body and you cann't overdose on it . The clay bath pulls the insecticides , toxins and poisons out including lead and mercury....also all of the minerals in your body that you need ( follow the directions to the letter ) . I used LL'S Magnetic Clay , can't hurt to try and detox . |
| Subject: Malathion exposure | |
Author: K. Besecker [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 09:37:17 01/27/07 Sat I was in the scout dog program at FT Benning and with combat tracker dogs and USARV DTD in VN and obviously dipped dogs many times. Does anyone have information on successfuly filing a VA claim for exposure to malathion? |
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| Subject: AGENT ORANGE | |
Author: Gary Matlack [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 20:24:45 07/31/05 Sun I am a Veterans Service Officer with The Disabled American Veterans. I am assisting a veteran with a claim wit the VA. He has diabetis as a result of his exposure to agent orange. He was stationed at Udorn and Korat. I need a statement from anyone that has direct knowledge of agent orange being in Thailand. |
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| Subject: Agent Orange in Thailand | |
Author: Bill Griffith (Greeting Brothers In Arms) [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 08:17:17 10/19/06 Thu Like all of you, I was stationed in Utapao and NKP for 1973 - 74, I was assigned to the Chaplain's Office down from the radar site. I was diagnosed with Type II Adult Onset diabetes eight years ago, even though there is no history of diabetes in my family. In October 2005, I started to develop neuropathy in my hands, arms, neck, legs, and feet. It is extremely painful and I am now taking Percocet 10-650mgs for it. I have Carpal Tunnel syndrome as well as my balance is beginning to fail. I filed with the VA for compensation in 2004 and was denied because they said they never used AO in Thailand. I know that is a lie, because I remember looking around the parimeter and wondering why nothing ever grew out there. I don't know about you guys, but I wake up each morning in pain and cursing the people that did this to those who served this country and then turn around and lie about it. I will refile another claim, but I think they just want us to just go away. William Griffith, 15602 Henrietta Drive Accokeek, MD 20607 |
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| Subject: lost records | |
Author: w. roger cooksey [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 13:07:17 01/23/07 Tue army lost my records in 1963 when i was TDY with (seato) cant prove i was in THAILAND and vietnam i need help can anyone help, roger cooksey 1072 lee rd 268 valley alabama 334-756-7693 |
| Subject: agent orange in thailand | |
Author: LLoyd Scheeler [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 15:43:35 07/11/06 Tue I served in Thailand in 74-75 at NKP and Utapao. Served with the Communications Squadron...in the last 10 plus years I have had growths on my neck removed, large skin growths removed from my back, 1 large cyst removed near my spine under the skin,have developed sleep apnea and have been on cpap machine for 5 years now, had a liver biopsy, they say i have sirosis developing(i do not hardly drink),my legs and feet swell and am no taking water pills to relieve the pressure, tingling developed in hands, arms and feet....and more, now my hearing is going, constant ringing, developing virtigo,,,,and the va claims no agent orange effect on me....how the hell can they say this...i worked in the Comm center with a Top Secret Clearance and ebi. Saw the msgs...saw the barrels but have no picturres....downgrading instructions stop me from speaking....am 53 now...health failing slowly but steadily...ptsd...depression....and more....why won't my country help us vets...gave the best of 4 years from 18-22 for my country....money for immigrants and iraqi folks, but not us..why....can someone out there help me prove agent orange was in thailand....need photo's and statements.... claim denied 2 times now....i will never quit fighting or give up til my dying breath....i thank you all in advance for all ur help in this matter LLoyd Scheeler 17500 Hwy 15 Kimball, MN 55353 |
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| Subject: Thailand | |
Author: Friend (Agent Orange in Thailand) [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 09:25:43 10/31/06 Tue Location Dates Agents Project Description DoD Location Dates Agents Project Description DoD . Involvement ... million gallons of Herbicide Orange at sea in an operation ... conducted jointly by CWS and the ARML to investigate the use ... www1.va.gov/agentorange/docs/Report_on_DoD_Herbicides_Outside_of_Vietnam.pdf · Cached page · PDF file Congreeman Lane Evans (Indiana) Requests Information I am also requesting an assessment of the use, testing or storage of Agent Orange, Agent Blue, Agent Purple, Agent White or other herbicides which contain dioxin, including the locations, amounts and relevant dates at the following locations and any other location for which documentation exists: Pranburi and other locations in Thailand http://www.gmasw.com/ao_out.htm The U.S. Veteran Dispatch—October 31, 2006—Publisher – Ted Sampley http://www.usvetdsp.com/agentorange.htm U.S. Veteran Dispatch Staff Report November 1990 Issue It is the war that will not end. It is the war that continues to stalk and claim its victims decades after the last shots were fired. It is the war of rainbow herbicides, Agents Orange, Blue, White, Purple, Green and Pink. This never-ending legacy of the war in Vietnam has created among many veterans and their families deep feelings of mistrust of the U.S. government for its lack of honesty in studying the effects of the rainbow herbicides, particularly Agent Orange, and its conscious effort to cover up information and rig test results with which it does not agree. STUDY CANCELED On August 2, 1990, two veteran's groups filed suit in U.S. District Court in Washington, D.C., charging that federal scientists canceled an Agent Orange study mandated by Congress in 1979 because of pressure from the White House. The four year, $43 million study was canceled, according to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) in Atlanta, because it could not accurately determine which veterans were exposed to the herbicide used to destroy vegetation in Vietnam. The American Legion, Vietnam Veterans of America and other veteran's groups are charging a massive government cover-up on the issue of herbicide exposure because of the hundreds of millions of dollars in health care and disability claims that would have to be paid. The results of the scientific studies are rigged, claim many veterans, to exonerate the government which conducted the spraying and the chemical companies which produced the herbicides. Until there is a true study of the effects of Agent Orange, say the veterans - a study devoid of government interference and political considerations, the war of the rainbow herbicides will go on. Charges of a White House cover-up have been substantiated by a report from the House Government Operations Committee. That report, released August 9, 1990, charges that officials in the Reagan administration purposely "controlled and obstructed" a federal Agent Orange study in 1987 because it did not want to admit government liability in cases involving the toxic herbicides. Government and industry cover-ups on Agent Orange are nothing new, though. They have been going on since before the herbicide was introduced in the jungles of Vietnam in the early 1960s. PLANTS GIVEN CANCER Agent Orange had its genesis as a defoliant in an obscure laboratory at the University of Chicago during World War II. Working on experimental plant growth at the time, Professor E.J. Kraus, chairman of the school's botany department, discovered that he could regulate the growth of plants through the infusion of various hormones. Among the discoveries he made was that certain broadleaf vegetation could be killed by causing the plants to experience sudden, uncontrolled growth. It was similar to giving the plants cancer by introducing specific chemicals. In some instances, deterioration of the vegetation was noticed within 24-48 hours of the introduction of the chemicals. Kraus found that heavy doses of the chemical 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) could induce these growth spurts. Thinking this discovery might be of some use in the war effort, Kraus contacted the War Department. ARMY EXPERIMENTS WITH DEADLY 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. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, "The toxicity of dioxin renders it capable of killing some species of newborn mammals and fish at levels of five parts per trillion (or one ounce in six million tons). Less than two millionths of an ounce will kill a mouse. Its toxic properties are enhanced by the fact that it can pass into the body through all major routes of entry, including the skin (by direct contact), the lungs (by inhaling dust, fumes or vapors), or through the mouth. Entry through any of these routes contributes to the total body burden. Dioxin is so toxic, according to the encyclopedia, because of this: "Contained in cell membranes are protein molecules, called receptors, that normally function to move substances into the cell. Dioxin avidly binds to these receptors and, as a result, is rapidly transported into the cytoplasm and nucleus of the cell, where it causes changes in cellular procession." 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 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. The pilots who flew these missions became so proficient at their jobs that it would take only a few minutes after reaching their target areas to dump their 1,000-gallon loads before turning for home. Flying over portions of South Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia that had been sprayed, the pilots could see the effects of their work. MAKERS KNEW OF DANGER TO HUMANS Unknown to the tens of thousands of American soldiers and Vietnamese civilians who were living, eating and bathing in a virtual omnipresent mist of the rainbow herbicides, the makers of these chemicals were well aware of their long-term toxic effects, but sought to suppress the information from the government and the public, fearing negative backlash. CONCERN OVER DIOXINS KEPT QUIET Three months later, Rowe sent a memo to Ross Mulholland, a manager with Dow in Canada, informing him that dioxin "is exceptionally toxic, it has a tremendous potential for producing chloracne (a skin disorder similar to acne) and systemic injury." The U.S. government and the chemical companies presented a united front on the issue of defoliation, claiming it was militarily necessary to deprive the Viet Cong of hiding places and food sources and that it caused no adverse economic or health effects to those who came into contact with the rainbow herbicides, particularly Agent Orange. AIR FORCE KNEW OF HEALTH DANGER But, scientists involved in Operation Ranch Hand and documents uncovered recently in the National Archives present a somewhat different picture. There are strong indications that not only were military officials aware as early as 1967 of the limited effectiveness of chemical defoliation, they knew of potential long-term health risks of frequent spraying and sought to keep that information from the public by managing news reports. Dr. James Clary was an Air Force scientist in Vietnam who helped write the history of Operation Ranch Hand. Clary says the Air Force knew Agent Orange was far more hazardous to the health of humans than anyone would admit at the time. MILITARY DOWNPLAYS USE OF HERBICIDES Aware of the concern over the use of herbicides in Vietnam, particularly the use of Agent Orange, the U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV), attempted to put the proper public relations spin on information concerning Operation Ranch Hand by announcing a "revision" in its policy on the use of herbicides. MIST DRIFT One of the first defoliation efforts of Operation Ranch Hand was near a rubber plantation in January, 1962. According to an unsigned U.S. Army memorandum dated January 24, 1966, titled "Use of Herbicides in Vietnam," studies showed that within a week of spraying, the trees in the plantation "showed considerable leaf fall." "The injury to the young rubber trees occurred even though the plantation was located some 500 yards away and upwind of the target at the time of the spray delivery." The memo went on to say that "vapors of the chemical were strong enough in concentration to cause this injury to the rubber." These vapors, "appear to come from `mist drift' or from vaporization either in the atmosphere or after the spray has settled on the vegetation." The issue of "mist drift" continued to plague the defoliation program. How far would it drift? How fast? Wind speed and direction were of major concerns in answering these questions. Yet, there were other questions, many of which could not be answered. What happened in humid weather? How quickly did the chemicals diffuse in the atmosphere or were they carried into the clouds and dropped dozens of miles away? How long would the rainbow herbicides linger in the air or on the ground once they were sprayed? A November 8, 1967 memorandum from Eugene M. Locke, deputy U.S. ambassador in Saigon, once again addressed the problem of "mist drift" and "significant damage" to rubber plantations from spraying earlier in the year. According to Locke, "the herbicide damage resulted from a navigational error; some trees in another plantation had been defoliated deliberately in order to enhance the security of a U.S. military camp. The bulk of the herbicide damage must be attributed, however, to the drift of herbicide through the atmosphere. This drift occurs (a) after the spray is released from the aircraft and before it reaches the ground, and/or (b) when herbicide that has already reached the ground vaporizes during the heat of the day, is carried aloft, then moved by surface winds and eventually deposited elsewhere. "There is a lack of agreement within the Mission regarding the distances over which the two kinds of drift can occur. When properly released (as required at 150 feet above the target, with winds of no more than 10 mph blowing away from nearby plantations) herbicide spray should fall with reasonable accuracy upon its intended target. The range of drift of vaporized herbicide, however, has not been scientifically established at the present time. In recognition of this phenomenon and to minimize it, current procedures require that missions may be flown only during inversion conditions, i.e., when the temperature on the land and in the atmosphere produces downward currents of air. Estimates within the Mission of vaporized herbicide drift range from only negligible drift to distances of up to 10 kilometers and more." Ten kilometers and more. More than six miles. In essence, troops operating more than six miles from defoliation operations could find themselves, their water and their food doused with chemical agents, including dioxin-laced Agent Orange. And they wouldn't even know it. More than four months later, on March 23, 1968, Gen. A.R. Brownfield, then Army Chief of Staff, sent a message to all senior U.S. advisors in the four Corps Tactical Zones (CTZ) of Vietnam. Brownfield ordered that "helicopter spray operations will not be conducted when ground temperatures are greater that 85 (degrees) Fahrenheit and wind speed in excess of 10 mph." But the concern was not for any troops operating in the areas of spraying, as was evident in the memo, but for the rubber plantations. The message ordered that "a buffer distance of at least two (2) kilometers from active rubber plantation must be maintained." No such considerations were given for the troops operating in the area. PROJECT PINK ROSE One of the U.S. government's worst planned and executed efforts to use herbicides was a secret operation known as "Project Pink Rose." According to a recently declassified report on "Project Pink Rose," the operation had its genesis in September 1965 when the Joint Chiefs of Staff received a recommendation from the Commander in Chief Pacific "to develop a capability to destroy by fire large areas of forest and jungle growth in Southeast Asia." On March 11, 1966, a test operation known as "Hot Tip" was documented at Chu Pong mountain near Pleiku when 15 B-52s dropped incendiaries on a defoliated area. According to the declassified memo, "results were inconclusive but sufficient fire did develop to indicate that this technique might be operationally functional." What neither the government nor the chemical companies told anyone was that burning dioxins significantly increases the toxicity of the dioxins. So, not only was the government introducing cancer causing chemicals into the war, it was increasing their toxicity by burning them. Nevertheless, "Project Pink Rose" continued. In November, 1966, three free strike target areas were selected: one in War Zone D and two in War Zone C. Each target was a box seven kilometers square. The target areas were double and triple canopy jungle. The areas were heavily prepped with defoliants, the government dumping 255,000 gallons on the test sites. The three sites were bombed individually, one on January 18, 1967, another January 28, 1967 and the last on April 4, 1967. According to the memo, "the order and dates of strikes were changed to properly phase Pink Rose operations with concurrent ground operations." Which means that U.S. and Vietnamese troops were living and fighting in these test sites on which 255,000 gallons of cancer causing defoliants had been dumped. The results of "Project Pink Rose" were less than favorable. According to the memo, "The Pink Rose technique is ineffective as a means of removing the forest crown canopy." The conclusion: "Further testing of the Pink Rose technique in South Vietnam under the existing concept be terminated." DEFOLIANTS DUMPED ON PEOPLE AND INTO WATER SUPPLIES In addition to the planned dumps of herbicides, accidental and intentional dumps of defoliants over populated areas and into the water supplies was not unusual, according to government documents. A memorandum for the record dated October 31, 1967, and signed by Col. W.T. Moseley, chief of MACV's Chemical Operations Division, reported an emergency dump of herbicide far from the intended target. At approximately 1120 hours, October 29, 1967, aircraft #576 made an emergency dump of herbicide in Long Khanh Province due to failure of one engine and loss of power in the other. Approximately 1,000 gallons of herbicide WHITE were dumped from an altitude of 2,500 feet. No mention was made of wind speed or direction, but chemicals dropped from that height had the potential to drift a long way. Another memorandum for the record, this one dated January 8, 1968 and signed by Col. John Moran, chief Chemical Operations Division of MACV, also reported an emergency dump of herbicide, this time into a major river near Saigon. "At approximately 1015 hours, January 6, 1968, aircraft #633 made an emergency dump over the Dong Nai River approximately 15 kilometers east of Saigon when the aircraft experienced severe engine vibration and loss of power. Approximately 1,000 gallons of herbicide ORANGE were dumped from an altitude of 3,500 feet." CHEMICAL COMPANY EMPLOYEES DEVELOP SKIN PROBLEMS And this despite evidence at the plants producing Agent Orange that workers exposed to it suffered unusual health problems. "They came out, all of them, said Brodkin. "They looked "We discovered that not only were these people getting skin disease, but they were also showing some indication of liver damage," he said. STATE DEPARTMENT EXONERATES CHEMICAL COMPANIES Part of their concern came following a November 1967 study by Yale University botany Professor Arthur Galston. Galston did some experiments with Agent Orange and other herbicides to determine whether they were dangerous to humans and animals. USE OF CHEMICALS CONTINUES IN VIETNAM While the debate over the danger of Agent Orange and dioxin heated up in scientific circles, the U.S. Air Force continued flying defoliation sorties. And the troops on the ground continued to live in the chemical mist of the rainbow herbicides. They slept with it, drank it in their water, ate it in their food and breathed it when it dropped out of the air in a fine, white pungent mist. Some of the troops in Vietnam used the empty Agent Orange drums for barbecue pits. Others stored watermelons and potatoes in them. Still others rigged the residue laden drums for showers. "They're defoliating," one of his buddies told him. Then came the mist, like clouds floating out of the back of the C-123s, soaking the men, their clothes and their food. For the next two weeks, the men of Jordan's unit suffered nausea and diarrhea. Jordan returned from Vietnam with an unusual amount of dioxin in his system. More than 15 years later, he still had 50 parts per trillion, considered abnormally high. He also had two sons born with deformed arms and hands. The spraying continued unabated in 1968, even though, according to military records, it apparently was having minimal effects on the enemy. A series of memorandums uncovered in the National Archives and now declassified indicate that defoliation killed a lot of plants, but had little real effect on military operations. ADVANTAGES VERSES DISADVANTAGES DISCUSSED As early as 1967 it had become clear that herbicide spraying was having few of the desired effects. According to an undated and unsigned USMACV memorandum, Rand Corporation studies in October 1967, concluded "that the crops destruction effort may well be counterproductive." According to the memo, "The peasant, who is the target of our long range pacification objectives, bears the brunt of the crop destruction effort and does not like it." Col. John Moran, chief of the Chemical Operations Division of MACV, wrote a memorandum dated October 3, 1968, and titled "Advantages and Disadvantages of the Use of Herbicides in Vietnam" that provides some key insights into the defoliation program. "Ecologically, according to the memorandum, "Semideciduous forests, especially in War Zone C and D, have been severely affected. The regeneration of these forests could be seriously retarded by repeated applications of herbicide." Some state that they have seen areas where the vegetation has been killed, but do not mention any infiltration problems caused by the defoliation. There are indications that US herbicide operations have had a negligible effect on NVA infiltration and combat operations." ORANGE AEROSOL DISCOVERED Meanwhile, the military continued to learn just how toxic Agent Orange could be. On October 23, 1969, an urgent message was sent from Fort Detrick, Maryland, to MACV concerning cleaning of drums containing herbicides. The message provided detailed instructions on how to clean the drums and warned that it was particularly important to clean Agent Orange drums. "Using the (Agent) Orange drums for storing petroleum products without thoroughly cleaning of them can result in creation of an orange aerosol when the contaminated petroleum products are consumed in internal combustion engines. Not only was Agent Orange being sprayed from aircraft, but it was unwittingly being sprayed out of the exhausts of trucks, jeeps and gasoline generators. "The use of herbicides was not confined to the jungles. It was widely used to suppress vegetation around the perimeters of military bases and, in many instances, the interiors of those bases. LAB TESTS ON ANIMALS CURTAIL SOME USE OF AGENT ORANGE Nevertheless, the use of Agent Orange throughout Vietnam was widespread through much of 1969. The tests revealed that as little as two parts of dioxin per trillion in the bloodstream was sufficient to cause deaths and abnormal births. And some GIs were returning home from Vietnam with 50 parts per trillion, and more, in their bloodstream. USE OF AGENT ORANGE FINALLY ENDED Despite the order, some troops continued to use Agent Orange when they ran out of the other rainbow herbicides. Finally, in early 1971, the U.S. Surgeon General prohibited the use of Agent Orange for home use because of possible harmful effects on humans and on June 30, 1971, all United States defoliation operations in Vietnam were brought to an end. VETS BEGIN DEVELOPING HEALTH PROBLEMS As soldiers who had served in Vietnam attempted to settle back into civilian life following their tours, some of them began to develop unusual health problems. There were skin and liver diseases and what seemed to be an abnormal number of cancers to soft tissue organs such as the lungs and stomach. Some veterans experienced wild mood swings, while others developed a painful skin rash known as chloracne. Many of these veterans were found to have high levels of dioxin in their blood, but scientists and the U.S. government insisted there was no link between their illnesses and Agent Orange. In the mid 1970s, there was renewed interest in dioxin and its effects on human health following an industrial accident in Seveso, Italy, in which dioxin was released into the air, causing animal deaths and human sickness. EPA BANS USE OF AGENT ORANGE IN U.S. Over the next four years, the VA examined an estimated 200,000 veterans for medical problems they claimed stemmed from Agent Orange and other herbicides used in Vietnam. But many of those examined were dissatisfied with their examinations. They claimed the exams were done poorly and often in haste by unqualified medical personnel. Many veterans also claimed that the VA seemed to have a mind set to ignore or debunk Agent Orange connected disability complaints. CLASS ACTION SUIT FILED Fed up with what they perceived as government inaction on the Agent Orange issue, veterans filed a class action lawsuit in 1982 against the chemical companies that had made Agent Orange. Among the companies named were Dow Chemical Co. of Midland, Michigan; Monsanto Co. of St. Louis, Missouri; Diamond Shamrock Corp. of Dallas, Texas; Hercules Inc. of Wilmington, Delaware; Uniroyal Inc. of Middlebury, Connecticut; Thompson Chemical Corp. of Newark, New Jersey and the T.H. Agriculture and Nutrition Co. of Kansas City, Missouri. By the early 1980s, some of the chemical companies' dirty little secrets about dioxin were beginning to leak out. TIMES BEACH Times Beach was an idyllic little community of about 2,200 residents in the rolling farmlands of eastern Missouri 20 miles southwest of St. Louis. Unknown to the residents of Times Beach, for several years in the mid 1970s, dioxin laced oil had been sprayed on the town's roads to keep down the dust. Times Beach was one of 28 eastern Missouri communities where the spraying had been done. But none of the others had the levels of dioxin contamination of Times Beach, parts of which had dioxin levels of 33,000 parts per billion, or 33,000 times more toxic than the EPA's level of acceptance. The contamination was so bad that the government decided the only way to save the town's residents from further damage from dioxin was to buy them out and move them out. AMA DOWNPLAYS DIOXIN DANGER While the government was busily buying up Times Beach and evacuating its residents, the American Medical Association was coming under attack from environmental health specialists for its stance on dioxin. STUDIES CONTRADICTORY AND CONFUSING By 1983, the results of studies of Agent Orange and dioxin exposure began to trickle in. They were, for the most part, contradictory and confusing. A series of studies conducted between 1974 and 1983 by Dr. Lennart Hardell, the so called Swedish studies, showed a link between exposure to Agent Orange and soft tissue sarcomas and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma."A lot of veterans are scared because of early news reports of physical damage, while some among any large number of people are going to have health problems such as a matter of routine natural incidence," said Dr. Barclay Shepard, director of Agent Orange Studies for the VA. "Put that together with disillusionment over the Vietnam War and anger with the government and there is little wonder that many veterans truly believe that they have in some way been hurt. LAWSUIT SETTLED - VETS WIN, BUT LOSE Then on May 7, 1984, came the news that the Agent Orange lawsuit, filed two years earlier, had been settled. Prodded by U.S. District Judge Jack B. Weinstein, attorneys for the veterans and the chemical companies reached an agreement at 4 a.m. the morning the case was to go to trial. Despite the release earlier of the results of the Operation Ranch Hand study, 1984 seemed to be a year in which the Vietnam veteran's complaints about Agent Orange and the health problems it caused were being taken seriously. In late 1984, Congress passed Public Law 98-542, designed to provide compensation for soft tissue sarcoma and required the VA to establish standards for general Agent Orange and atomic radiation compensation. But every time a veteran went to the VA seeking compensation for Agent Orange related problems, he was turned away. "Since 1984, Public Law 98-542 has been virtually ignored," said South Dakota Sen. Tom Daschle. "In spite of the intent of Congress, in spite of the efforts of everyone involved in the writing of that law, in spite of our promises to veterans at that time that at long last, after all these years, they would be given the benefit of the doubt, not one veteran in this country has been compensated for any disease other than chloracne." Agent Orange sufferers tried on several occasions to sue the government for its role in use of the herbicide, but their suits were routinely dismissed because of what has come to be known as the Feres Doctrine. In 1950, the Supreme Court ruled in a case involving the death of a military man that the government is not responsible for deaths, injuries or other losses related to military service. TEST RESULTS CONTINUE TO BE MIXED Results of Agent Orange tests continued to be mixed. The results varied greatly, depending on who was doing the testing. In December, 1985, the Air Force released the third of its Operation Ranch Hand studies. Houk's CDC team complained throughout the study that those records were too spotty to make a scientific study of the effects of Agent Orange on soldiers. In addition, the Institute of Medicine, an arm of the National Academy of Sciences, had used outside consultants to study reports of troop deployment and Agent Orange spraying to determine if they were sufficient for CDC purposes. Its conclusion: the Pentagon had the necessary records. The Institute of Medicine also was highly critical of the CDC research methods, charging that it excluded from its study the veterans most likely to have been exposed to Agent Orange. WHITE HOUSE COVER-UP Despite information from three sources that there were adequate records available for a comprehen sive CDC study on Agent Orange, the White House and CDC sought to cover it up. First, the Institute of Medicine's study was never turned over to the White House. Then, Murray decided that as a non-scientist, he was in no position to challenge the objections of CDC's Houk and deferred to his judgement on the matter of records. Then, according to Daschle, the Pentagon came down hard on Christian for criticizing the CDC. "DOD officials altered his follow-up testimony before it was sent to the Hill, deleting his information challenging CDC's claims," said Daschle. By mid 1986, the White House had set the wheels in motion to cancel the CDC's Agent Orange study. There were other indications that the Reagan administration had no real interest in studies of Agent Orange or dioxin. In late 1986, the House Energy and Commerce Committee learned that the White House's Office of Management and Budget (OMB) was trying to stop all dioxin research, claiming that enough research had been done. Despite efforts to shut down research and cover up results of studies not favorable to the government or chemical companies, evidence continued to flow in showing a definite statistical link between cancers and exposure to Agent Orange and dioxin: -- A VA study released in 1987 showed that Marines who served in areas of Vietnam that had been heavily sprayed with Agent Orange had a 110 percent higher rate of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas. The study also showed these Marines had a 58 percent higher rate of lung cancers. STUDY CALLED A FRAUD But again, there was more information available that was never presented. The Institute of Medicine in the weeks before the CDC released its results of blood tests wrote a stinging rebuke of the CDC's tests methods. It said that none of the CDC's conclusions was supported by scientific data. The CDC refused to turn this report over to the White House. Other information began turning up that there were concerted efforts by various agencies of the government to conceal records and information about the effects of Agent Orange. Daschle learned that there were major discrepancies between a January 1984 draft of the Air Force's Operation Ranch Hand study and the February 1984 report. But these results were deleted from the final Ranch Hand Since this study was altered, Jenkins surmises, "It could be that other studies on exposed populations are similarly flawed and subject to fraud." This type fraud appears to have been perpetrated regularly in connection with Agent Orange research, yet Congress continues to rely on this flawed research when it considers legislation that would benefit the victims of Agent Orange and the other rainbow herbicides. MONTGOMERY HOLDS UP AGENT ORANGE LEGISLATION Efforts to get comprehensive Agent Orange legislation through Congress to right the wrongs of the cover-ups have been unsuccessful largely through the efforts of one man: Rep. Sonny Montgomery of Mississippi, chairman of the House Veterans Affairs Committee, who claimed to be the friend and champion of veterans in Congress - in fact had virtually single-handedly bottled up Agent Orange legislation. The CDC, meanwhile, continues to perpetrate the scientifically flawed myth that Agent Orange and dioxin posed no health threats to Vietnam veterans. BIZARRE FINDING One of the more bizarre aspects of this report from the CDC was the claim that those veterans who suffered most from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma had served on Navy ships off the coast of Vietnam. HOUSE COMMITTEE SAYS STUDY FLAWED According to the report, "The CDC study was changed from its original format so that it would have been unlikely for the soldiers who received the heaviest exposure to the herbicide to be identified. CDC accomplished this by unjustifiably discrediting the military records provided to it by the Department of Defense's Environmental Study Group (ESG)." POLITICS AND MONEY MORE IMPORTANT THAN HUMAN LIVES The rebuke of the White House and its Agent Orange Working Group (AOWG) was even more revealing of the manner in which Agent Orange studies have been manipulated by political and economic concerns, not concerns about human lives. "The original mandate to focus the White House panel on the effects of all herbicides was abruptly altered by the Reagan White House," according to the report. "By focusing the work of AOWG on Agent Orange only, the administration laid the groundwork for manipulating the study to the point of uselessness. "A possible reason that the White House chose this path is revealed in confidential documents prepared by attorneys in OMB. The White House was deeply concerned that the Federal Government would be placed in the position of paying compensation to veterans suffering diseases related to Agent Orange and, moreover, feared that providing help to Vietnam veterans would set the precedent of having the U.S. compensate civilian victims of toxic contaminant exposure, too." SOME DEFY CDC STUDY Despite the CDC's continuing recalcitrance on the issue of Agent Orange exposure, there have been other, more enlightened voices heard. Secretary of Veterans Affairs Edward Derwinski is one of them. After hearing of the CDC's latest study, he ordered the VA to pay compensation to all veterans suffering from non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a ruling which could mean as much as $23 million to the 1,600 non-Hodgkin's lymphoma sufferers or their widows and children. Derwinski also decided not to challenge a California court's finding that the VA was applying too strict a standard to determine whether Agent Orange harmed Vietnam veterans. Derwinski ordered the VA to abide by legislation passed in 1984 to give veterans the benefit of the doubt on health claims. Another of the more enlightened voices is that of retired Adm. Elmo Zumwalt Jr., who ordered certain areas of Vietnam to be sprayed with Agent Orange. Zumwalt's son, Elmo Zumwalt III, served in the Navy in Vietnam and was exposed to the herbicide. Elmo Zumwalt III died in 1988 at the age of 42 from Hodgkin's diseases and lymphoma. Adm. Zumwalt has become a crusader on the issue of Agent Orange, charging that the government "intentionally manipulated or withheld compelling information on the adverse health effects" associated with exposure to Agent Orange. "The flawed scientific studies and manipulated conclusions are not only unduly denying justice to Vietnam veterans suffering from exposure to Agent Orange," said Zumwalt. GOVERNMENT PLAYS WAITING GAME But as the government continues to drag its feet, more veterans and their children continue to suffer the effects of Agent Orange. Time is on the side of the government. The longer it waits, the longer it procrastinates, the more the problems of Agent Orange exposure is diminished by the deaths of those who suffered from exposure to it. Their names could be added to the black granite wall of the Vietnam memorial, casualties of the rainbow herbicides that followed them home from the war. RAINBOW HERBICIDES AND THEIR COMPONENTS: - Agent Orange: 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T; used between January 1965 and April 1970. - Agent Orange II (Super Orange): 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T; used in 1968 and 1969. - Agent Purple: 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T; used between January 1962 and 1964. - Agent Pink: 2,4,5-T; used between 1962 and 1964. - Agent Green: 2,4,5-T; used between 1962 and 1964. - Agent White: Picloram and 2,4-D. - Agent Blue: contained cacodylic acid (arsenic). - Dinoxol: 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T; used between 1962 and 1964. - Trinoxol: 2,4,5-T; used between 1962 and 1964. - Diquat: Used between 1962 and 1964. - Bromacil: Used between 1962 and 1964. - Tandex: Used between 1962 and 1964. - Monuron: Used between 1962 and 1964. - Diuron: Used between 1962 and 1964. - Dalapon: Used between 1962 and 1964. |
| Subject: Agent Orange Korat | |
Author: Harold (Bob) Davies (Korat 65) [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 07:19:38 10/01/06 Sun This is hoping to add some info to other postings. I was at Korat Air Base 4/65 to 4/66. I first slept in hootches at Camp Friendship (Army) for a few weeks till the base was ready. At Camp Friendship they had lizards, roaches, snakes etc. but on the air base we didn't seem to have any of these. Roaches live in anything don't they? I walked perimeter patrol and it was BARE. Never saw heavy moving equipment around the living area but it got cleared and Stayed clear at least till I left. When walking the perimeter I had to go a distance just to get cover of the vegitation. I think the Army was responsible for clearing our base at first and someone may know what was used. Some one sometime had to clear the land (make it bare in a hurry). We at first had vegitation then it was gone. I did not know at the time but was aware something was up - read on. I got off duty one morning from jungle patrol (basically for missfits) but when I got to the hootch everyone was being called out to do landscape work. The sarge. was telling us all what we had to do, trucks were bringing in some dirt, and he said we had to plant grass and trees. Being upset I said, while motioning around us and toward the fence line "WHY? - CAN'T YOU SEE NOTHING WILL GROW HERE!". At this point I grabbed a camera and started taking pictures (since lost). I have very few pictures left but do know that when I see pictures in the Vet sites, if they are bare of vegitation I look closely to see if it's Korat. Air America flew in at least once with a large group of wounded and dead people to deliver to the Army hospital at the end of the runway. on 4/24/65 a plane crashed off base and we had to guard it from curious Thai's. All 6 airmen died and the site really smelled bad. I at first thought it was bodies but since then really wonder. Official version is the plane crashed on a go-around and crashed after hitting a mountain. Anyone knows Korat didn't see a mountain and it is called Korat Plateau for a reason. I now wonder what the C-130 was carrying. Never did like the scene and even less so now. Still looking in my pictures for something solid but don't think I will find any. In my gut I know we were sprayed esp. at night. Bob Davies |
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| Subject: 7th rrfs spraying | |
Author: j ripp [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 23:37:53 02/17/06 Fri I Remember Evenings Walking Infog From Spray For Mosquitos. My Shift Seemed To End Just When The Spraying Was Done Daily. After Breathing The Stuff My Throat Tightening And Coughing I Have Shaking Hands Invoulentary Twitching In Arms And Legs. Pain In Hands Feet Back Deteriation Of Spine Lower, Also Numbness At Times In Extremities. I Just Thought This Was Old Age. Also I Lost 50 Lbs For Several Months During And After Wt Loss Had Skin Sores All Over Body. I Wonder If Malathion Is Retained In Fat Like Ddt And Pcbs. Thank You For Getting This Info Out |
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| Subject: ADDITIONAL EXPOSURE | |
Author: MIKE CRITTENDEN [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 16:40:40 09/11/02 Wed ANYONE REMEMBER THE NIGHTLY MOSQUITO FOGGING PROGRAMS? THE SMELLY CLOUDS? MALATHION. AFTER 4 YEARS AS A MILITARY WORKING DOG HANDLER I CROSS TRAINED INTO PEST CONTROL AND FOR THE NEXT 17 YEARS USED MALATHION AS A MOSQUITO FOG, RESIDUAL SPRAY ON VEGETATION FOR CATERPILLARS, APHIDS AND OTHER INSECTS. MOST KENNEL MASTERS WOULD ALSO SET UP A PROGRAM FOR THE TREATMENT OF THE ACTUAL KENNEL AND TRAINING AREAS TO CONTROL TICKS. A YEAR AT MALMSTROM AND 4 AT YOKOTA WERE THE ONLY BASES WHERE I WAS THAT IT WAS NOT USED AS A FOG. AT CLARK, WHERE I DID 2 TOURS TOTALLING 7 YEARS IN CE AND 15 MONTHS AS A DOG HANDLER IN 76-77 WE FOGGED EVERY WEEK NIGHT. DURING THE DENGUE FEVER OUTBREAK OF 1984 THE ENTIRE VALLEY WAS FOGGED USING PERSONNEL TDY FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD. THIS TYPE CHEMICAL MAY CAUSE THE CHLORESTENASE WHICH TRANSMITS MESSAGES FROM ONE NERVE TO ANOTHER TO DETERIORATE. WE WERE GIVEN LIVER FUNCTION TESTS (SGOT)EVERY 6 MONTHS DURING OUR TIME IN THE CAREER FIELD. SO THERE WERE MANY POSSIBLE EXPOSURES. |
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| Subject: Udorn Ranch Hand operations | |
Author: Alan Cote [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 20:04:53 09/08/06 Fri In 1967, the Ranch Hand phone number was in the base phone book at Udorn RTAFB in Thailand. I know because I used to have to call their Operations center when I completed work on the C-123's. That's proof positive they were there! |
| Subject: Agent Orange at Clark AB 72-73 & 77-83 | |
Author: MSgt Ret Robert Keith Thompson [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 23:29:03 07/13/05 Wed I was station at Clark AB in 72-73 & 77-83 in Security Police and Horse Patrol. In 70's used to work Supply Open storage where 100 of large green drums were stored leaking and damaged. I also worked in jungle areas around Flight and Land Fill areas. Iwas also stationed and closed Korat AB from 1975-76. I have Type II Diabetes which reguires Insulin, Sleep Apnea and Nerve damage to my stomach and severe Reflux. Please any information on Agent Orange would help with Va |
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| Subject: Herbicide Exposure 1969-1971 (AO) | |
Author: Tom Bjork [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 16:42:23 07/15/06 Sat I was at Camp Raum Chit Chia 1969-1971 but spent a few months at NKP and a special forces camp as well. I believe my main exposure came while stationed at NKP. I worked clearing the jungle for roads from NKP to different locations. I am hoping for any help in trying to win my VA claim. I have type II diabetes but since I never set foot in Viet Nam I have been denied but my claim in on appeal. I have already lost the vision in one eye and have a long road ahead of me. Thank for any help. |
| Subject: RE. THAILAND | |
Author: MARILYN OLIVER [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 10:40:14 11/25/04 Thu TO ALL THAILAND VETS, WE ARE GATHERING INFORMATION ON HEALTH ISSUES AND THE USAGE OF AGENT ORANGE IN THAILAND. I HAVE BEEN WORKING WITH A DAVID ADAMS AND SEVERAL OTHER THAILAND VETS. WE HAVE A FORM LETTER, SURVEY AND A WEBSITE, IN REGARDS TO THESE ISSUES. WE HAVE FORMED A GROUP CALLED: THAI VIETNAM VETS FOR EQUITY IN TREATMENT (TVVET) I AM COMING TO YOU TODAY, TO ASK YOU TO HELP. TO FILL OUT A SURVEY AND ALSO PASS THESE SITES ON TO OTHERS, SO THAT THE WORD, CAN GET OUT. IF YOU ARE ON OTHER SITES OR ON MESSAGE BOARDS, PLEASE POST THEM. IF YOU BELONG TO AN ORGANIZATION, PLEASE ASK TO POST IT THERE, AS WELL. THIS SITE INCLUDES A WEBSITE, FORM LETTER AND A SURVEY. THESE SURVEY'S HAVE TO BE FILLED OUT AND RETURNED TO: TVVET@COMCAST.NET http://www.vspa.com/k9/agentorange5.htm THIS IS THE WEBSITE, FORM LETTER AND SURVEY. ANY HELP YOU CAN GIVE US IN THIS ENDEAVOR, WILL BE GREATLY APPRECIATED. WE UNDERSTAND, THAT SOME VETERANS DO NOT HAVE ANY HEALTH ISSUES, AT THIS TIME. THEY WOULD STILL LIKE TO HEAR FROM YOU. YOU MAY HAVE SOME VALUABLE INFORMATION, TO HELP THOSE, WHO DO. MY HUSBAND DENNY AND I WANT TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR SERVICE TO THE COUNTRY. ALSO, TO THANK YOU FOR YOUR HELP. MARILYN OLIVER |
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| Subject: Agent orange and other chemicals | |
Author: Timothy Sturges [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 22:02:08 07/05/06 Wed Iserved at NKP 72/73 and worked at mortar pit 3 next to bomb dump right off the road that split Bravo And Charlie sectors I know and have a picture of a barrel that had a big reflective stripe in the center ring and the two outer rings were orange.I have had my case remanded back from appeals board for further developement. I also included the case that was awarde to avet who had lung cancer as he was stationed ther also.Air america flew many missions out fo NKP on gray hellis and fixed wing aircraft.I left Clark on a c141 and land in vietnam at thon sanout and had to disemark as we were under sniper attack while landing.We discharged passengers and cargo so you had to unload as your legs would"tget broken or cut off. Also in June of73 most of the heavy weapons section went on atraing mission with SF unit in the middle of the Meckong River at Loas Cambodian border to be able secure a landing site in Phenom Phen to get the civilian and embassy staff out with the 21sos fling helleis. There is no question as to herbicdal and insecticidal use all over Southeast asia.The VA personel donot know how to use common sense to rule as law requires. They believe that everything we did over there was written in ink.The testimoy of all lay people is te be used as evidence that"s why we cannot have counsel Lawyers to represent us they know would win every time. If you read the first amendment agriveas act by goverment entitels you to a redress of that act if you were hurt or was dameged by the fault og such goverment and cogresse or any other policatel subdivison couldnot take this away by any statute meaning laws passed by alegislative body. WE need agood lawyer to step up and challenge any time restraints imposed by congresse because a grieavance is what we all HAVE not a tort law. Its more rightly for us becuse WE SERVED HONARBLY. Thank You For all of YOUR WORK ONTHIS ISSUE. Timothy C. Sturges Disabled Vet from PTSD.and dibetes |
| Subject: agent orange thialand | |
Author: jimmy welch Former Sgt US ARMY [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 16:15:53 05/02/06 Tue I had a brief spell in sattahip,Thialand in Aug 1970.My hands and arms were paralized for 10-15 minutes and couldn't move,After extreme low back pain.I had laid on my bunk to rest.Utapo AFB medical personel coundn't find a reason for it.I never had any more trouble for 25 years.It started with a stroke like symtom with my right arms going numb.The rest is history tremers,Atrophy in both cellebras of the brain,extreme low back pain like in thialand,fatigue,high blood pressure,numbnessess,numbnesses in right arm and fingers,Left leg weakness and stiffness and numbness.I tried to get VA to help but said I wasn't in Vietnam when it occured.I was in vietnam a brief time in 1966-67 and was exposed to agent orange but was gave only one year to put in claim.I didn't know what AO was untill 2002.I hope this will help some more understand the neurological aspect of AO.I finally applied for Social security and recieved disability in 2004.It takes 2 years to get it after putting it in.The VA is in denial and we have to live with it untill they wake up are we die. |
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| Subject: UPDATE AND NEW INFORMATION | |
Author: MARILYN OLIVER [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 12:21:04 03/16/05 Wed UPDATE AND NEW INFORMATION!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! THIS IS TO GIVE YOU, SOME IDEA WHERE WE ARE AT. NOT ONLY WITH THE TVVET GROUP, BUT ALSO WITH SOMETHING THAT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION. THIS E-MAIL WILL BE IN PARTS. PART ONE: THE VETERANS CONFERENCE WAS HELD AS SCHEDULED. SCHEDULING PROBLEMS RESULTED IN THE CONGRESSMEN, NOT ATTENDING. THE GOOD NEWS IS DAVID, DID MAKE CONTACT WITH CONGRESSMAN EVANS OFFICE AND THEY ARE WAITING FOR HIS INFORMATION. ALSO, AS IT TURNED OUT, A PERSON REPRESENTING SOMEONE ELSE (FROM CONGRESS) WAS ATTENDING THE CONFERENCE. I CANNOT SAY WHO IT WAS, AT THIS TIME. THEY ALSO WILL BE WAITING FOR THE INFORMATION, HE HAS GATHERED. PART TWO. IT HAS COME TO MY ATTENTION, THAT TAURA KING AND HER STAFF SUE AND GINNY, ARE LOOKING FOR A SITE, TO POST THEIR EVIDENCE FOR YOUR REVIEW. THEY ARE IN THE PROCESS OF LOOKING FOR A SITE, TO POST ALL THEIR INFORMATION AND OPEN UP A MESSAGE AND ANSWER BOARD. IF YOU HAVE ANY KNOWLEDGE OF A WEBMASTER, THAT WOULD OPEN THEIR SITE TO ACCOMMODATE THIS, PLEASE CONTACT TAURA AT: tdk4vets@cwnet.com Taura is awaiting a response on a few questions she has, with regard to formatting the info, so it can be downloaded on to the web site. it has not been sent out yet but soon it will be. She is hoping that the target date, is within two weeks but this can be dependent upon, how long it will take to find a web-master to place the evidence on a site. She tells me the Web Masters are very motivated. NOW IS THE TIME, IF YOU HAVEN'T STARTED A CLAIM, TO GET ONE STARTED. FIND A GOOD VETERANS SERVICE OFFICE AND HAVE HIM FILL OUT THE PAPERWORK. YOU NEED TO GET YOUR CLAIM ON RECORD, WITH THE VA. YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO FILE AN INFORMAL CLAIM UNDER THE LAW-3.155—THIS ALLOWS YOU THE OPPORTUNITY TO ESTABLISH A DATE OF CLAIM AND IT ALSO ALLOWS YOU UP TO A YEAR IN WHICH TO SUBMIT YOUR EVIDENCE-I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND WAITING A YEAR TO SUBMIT YOUR EVIDENCE. PART THREE: FOR THOSE OF YOU, WHO HAVE ALREADY FILED AND HAVE BEEN DENIED. THIS IS FOR YOU! AS YOU KNOW TAURA KING HAS GATHERED VERY IMPORTANT INFORMATION AND HAS BEEN WORKING WITH OUR GROUP. TAURA AND HER RESEARCH TEAM, IS MADE UP OF HERSELF AND TWO OTHER VETERANS WIVES, GINNY AND SUE. THEY ARE PREPARED TO ASSIST YOU IN ANYWAY THEY CAN. KNOW THAT SUE IS CURRENTLY ON VACATION. THEY WILL NEED TO KNOW: • UNIT INFO • BRANCH OF SERVICE • DATES SERVED • LIST OF ILLNESSES • LOCATIONS YOU SERVED—ALL LOCATIONS • MOS-OCCU7PATIONAL DUTIES –SOLVENTS YOU RECALL HAVING USED. • DID YOU WITNESS ANY SPRAYING OF ANY AGENTS ON BASE? I WILL LET YOU KNOW, WHEN THE SITE IS UP AND RUNNING. FOR THE TIME BEING THOUGH, GINNY HAS ASKED THAT YOU CONTACT HER BY HER PERSONAL ADDY. dolly521@yahoo.com BLESSINGS MARILYN OLIVER--DIRECTOR OF THE TVVET VETERANS WIVES |
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| Subject: Malathion and VA Claims | |
Author: Dave Felten [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 11:37:25 08/08/03 Fri Howdy! Has anyone who is sufferring the neurological effects from Malathion Exposure, filed a Claim with the V.A.?? Has your Claim been approved?? God Bless All! Dave Felten 981st MP Co. 70-71 |
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| Subject: malathion exposure | |
Author: Deb Fagan [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 22:53:53 02/13/04 Fri Has anyone heard of bladder cancer in relation to Malathion. My husband was recently diagnosed and was a dog handler for 8 years, 3 of which were in SEA. Any info would be appreciated. Thanks in advance. |
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| Subject: Agent Orange | |
Author: Gary Matlack [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 18:04:15 04/04/06 Tue I am A Veterans Sevice Officer with the DAV. If any one can provide information about the use or presance of agent orange at Ubon air base or other locations in thailand please E-Main me at gmatlack 4547@msn.com. This information is needed to help a fellow veteran. |
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| Subject: Agent Orange in Thailand 1965 | |
Author: Richwell Ison [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 09:52:29 10/06/04 Wed I was stationed TDY at NKP and Ubon Thailand Security Police Squadron during the secret war 1965. We landed in Viet Nam going over. I now have diabetes, sleep apnea, throaght problems. Also, I have suffered with rectal boiles. I'm now trying to find anyone who rembers where we landed in Viet Nam, before we reached our final distination in Thailand. When I was discharge, my DD-214 SHOWED NO OVERSEAS TIME,now I have a DD-215 showing a VSM, with Six months overseas time, which is about nine months short. |
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| Subject: Blood Tests | |
Author: David D.Clark [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 20:41:39 07/22/05 Fri I was a Sentry Dog Handler stationed at Utapio, Thailand from July 1968 until July 1969. There was a period of time for about three months that blood and stool samples were being taken fron dogs and handlers at frequent intervals. There was never any explaination given to any of us handlers as to why the samples were being taken. It is something that I have wondered about many times since and if there was some type of experiment being done without our knowledge. I was just wondering if anyone might know why the samples were taken or if any of the handlers at any of the other bases in S.E. Asia were being tested with their dogs as well. It just seemed strange even at the time. |
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| Subject: Malathion dips in Soc Trang | |
Author: Don Ray [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 01:05:33 12/23/02 Mon Very interesting information. I was an Army MP sentry dog handler in Vietnam in 1968 and 1969. We regularly dipped our dogs in .5% malathion and water. When our veterinarian technician shipped out, they "volunteered" me to be the new vet-tech. Of course, I regularly mixed up the dip mix and assisted each of the dog handlers when they dipped their dogs. If I remember right, I squeezed a bit of oxytetracycline into the dogs' eyes from a small tube. Since then, I've had a recurring cough, sleep apnia (spelling?), acid reflux and difficulty swallowing. I'm also now diabetic. Also, I've had an irregular heartbeat for years, but never when I've been anywhere near the physician. I'm very interested in learning more and in hearing from anybody who has nailed down verifiable information about conditions that were caused by contact with malathion. In my case, our sergeant "volunteered" me to get rid of the tall grass around our training area by putting what I'm now sure was Agent Orange into a hand-pump fire extinguisher and spraying it all over the training area. All of the grass and foliage vanished almost immediately. We spent time in the area with our dogs just about every day. Has anyone had any success getting help from the V.A.? Please send me an email message. Don Ray California |
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| Subject: Health Problems | |
Author: Stephen MacRobbie [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 14:38:29 10/28/02 Mon Don't know if it is related but in 1974, after retuning home I had what is known as Trigeminal Neurolgia, not sure on spelling. But When I heard about the nervous sytem it rang a bell in my memory. The Dr. gave me Tegratal(spelling?) and it stopped it in about a week. Then I had no trouble for ten years and BAM there it was again. This time the Dr. became very curious and stated to ask me all kindsof questions. He told me that this is something that normaly is felt by people in their seventys. But once again the Tegratal worked and NO trouble since. He also tole me that it was a seasure? in the side of my face, Man oh Man what pain. Not a good thing to have happen when driving a semi 70MPH. |
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| Subject: Udorn, Thailand Dec.69 to Dec.69 | |
Author: Dennis Knight [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 17:14:54 06/16/05 Thu I was stationed at Udorn Thailand DEc. 68 to Dec. 69. I was a dental tech. at the 432nd. hospital. I discovered your site while searching for info on AO in Thailand. I have diabetes II and several other symptoms associated with AO. And have just filed a claim with VA. The barracks I lived in (late 1969) was next to the front base perminter fence. That area was kept completely clear of foliage. The last 2 months at Udorn I started waking up in the morning with large swollen itchy patches all over my body. Doctors didn't know what was causing it, so they gave me Benedryl to make it go away each time it happened. I had to take these downers almost everyday until shortly after returning home. I had forgotten about the night foggings and I'm sure now after reading so many testimonies that the perminter next to my barracks was sprayed with AO. About Air America, I was flown to Vientienne Laos on Air America planes and was flown to and from some remote village on Air America helicopters. I'm sure my claim will go smoother due to all the hard work Taura Kings group has done. Thank you very much. |
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| Subject: Agent Orange Exposure | |
Author: Juan Camacho Jr. [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 15:34:17 09/30/05 Fri I served in Thailand(1969-71) and am sure agent orange passed through our Ammo Dump at Camp Vayama-even saw some barrels leaking we were also sprayed for mesquito control an remember how hard it was to breath afterwards-I was also stationed at Samesan an remember all those bare areas an the spraying-I have diabetis-irregular heart beat-blood pressure-an muscle enlargement-however I am told since I never served in country that I am not intitled to benefits-if there is any other vet out there who has found help pleae let me know GOD BLESS-let all work together an let the VA an the world know we to suffered the effects of war while in Thailand |
| Subject: MALATHION | |
Author: WAYNE HOGSTAD [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 17:11:19 09/25/02 Wed NKP,(NAKED FANNY) THAILAND APRIL 1967-68 56 SECURITY POLICE SQUADRON. THE LIVING AREAS WERE SPRAYED WITH MALATHION TWICE WEEKLY FOR BUGS BY A SPRAYER ON A TRUCK THAT DROVE THROUGH THE HOOTCH AREAS AT NIGHT. THIS BUG SPRAY MADE ME CHOCK AND SOMETIMES THROW UP. |
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| Subject: Malathion Exposure | |
Author: Dale Warke [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 20:33:02 10/17/02 Thu I served in the US Air Force as a Security Police Dog Handler. My first duty assignment being Clark Air Base, Republic of the Phillipines. I was as K9 handler with the Military Working Dog Section, 3rd SPS (B)flight. I was stationed there for approx.3 and 1/2 years in the 70's. I remember dipping our dogs about twice a month. We first had an old tub filled with the solution and picked our MWD up and dunked them in. Then used a laddle or canteen cup to poor the dip over the ares which were not immersed. Later a walk through dip tank(ramp&pit)was made of concrete. The handler would walk the MWD on leash to the pit and follow outside as the dog swam through.There were times many handlers had to walk into the dip tank to pull their dog through or keep them from jumping over the sides. When the dip tank was not availble, we were required to sponge the dip on the dog by hand from a bucket. This always resulted in the handlers being soaked in the solution as well as the dogs. I seem to have most of the short-time symptoms and some of the long-term symptoms. My question is, where do we go from here? |
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| Subject: Agent Orange | |
Author: Stafford Cowart [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 10:46:51 08/05/05 Fri Just F.Y.I While doing my reseach on A.O., I found not only operation Ranch Hand existed but another operation was also taking place. "Tiger Hound" operated out of Udorn and other places in Thailand. I myself am taking (14) pills a day for all the medical problems I have. I am sure that a lot of veterans know that Air America was contracted by the C.I.A. to carry out A.O spray missions. I hope this may help someone a little bit. The best of luck to all. |
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| Subject: Agent ORange/Herbicides | |
Author: Bob Little [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 18:54:29 05/15/05 Sun I am looking for information of Agent Orange use in Thailand (Utapao and Udorn)1969-1970. I have just been diagnosed with Prostate Cancer- out of 82 males in my direct family line I am the only one that has developed this- the only one to serve in SEA, and am being told it was not there. It was hard to not see the orange stipe on the barrels. I worked in the bomb dump, and had access to the flight line and surrounding area nightly. There was spraying for misquitos about every three days if I remember correctly and I was told it was Malathion. I remember spraying the bomb dump area and our loading are with something- unsure what chemical compound was used. Being a bomb tech and a few trips on EOD details there was some trips outside the fence so to speak... Where somehting had been sprayed. I need to find out what was used?? |
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| Subject: Malathion | |
Author: Tim Skelton [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 11:57:45 02/16/05 Wed I was stationed at Clark from Oct84-Oct88. Malthion was used the entire time for dipping. I worked a bomb dog there and got tagged to do plenty of dipping. I was diagnosed with femoral tremors in 1998. After doing a lot of research, I provided the VA with the documentation of my assignment to Clark, the information from this forum, and press releases by the VA concerning exposure to chemicals. I was successful with getting this documented on my records and awarded a rating. Bottomline, you have to just keep pushing and gathering information to get something done. |
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| Subject: Agent Orange and Brain Cancer | |
Author: Georgeine [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 04:54:34 05/21/05 Sat My husband just last year had a cancerous brain tumor removed. He was give a prognosis of 6 mo. to a year. We are almost at the year mark. He was stationed on a ship from 1970 and on and off through his whole 30 years in. They flew into Nam and picked up the wounded and dead. There were also Marines stationed on the ship, going into and coming back to the ship. He alwas over during the Gulf war. I have been told and read that AO can be transfered from person to person, by touching of clothes. He was also exposed to lead base paint and asbestosis. We have tried for VA bennies (100%) and got turned down. I am wondering if there is anyone else out there that has had a loved one with the brain tumors that served our country. I am trying to fight the VA, and it is a long hard battle. So if anyone else has had this issue with a brain tumor, please contact me. Maybe we can work together to fight this. He has also had a hearing loss, due to jet engines and has lumps all over his body that you can see from the surface, some are huge and others not as large. I do know that we have to get a AO phsycial. We have sent in all his Dr. reports and concerns, and they just said that brain cancer (tumors) are not on the list. Can anyone help? thank you. |
| Subject: I need help | |
Author: Stephen Pippenger [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 09:47:18 05/11/05 Wed I was stationed at Udorn 68-69 and am suffering from many of the problems agent orange is causing. I was with the 432nd SPS, K-9 and walked the flight line and the whole base and saw the agent orange in the dump area, supply area, and on the flight line waiting be be loaded. In a world of green orange kind of stands out in your mind. Am I the only one there that saw this and is suffering from its affects. We also had Air America and they did missions for the ranch hand operation. I have a letter which praises officers flying outof Udorn on ranch hand mission for there excellent service and particpation in these missions. Where did they get the orange? Did they load it while airborne? No they loaded it while on the ground at Udorn. Can anyone say and help me prove my claim reference DMII and other problems with the VA. I know they will decline my claim and say it was not there or it did not happen. Maybe the stuff caused my brain to rot. We landed in Vietnam on the way over and they managed to hide that from everyone and say no you can not prove it. And they will not help. Can anyone please help me and I will help anyone that asked. sdp69 |
| Subject: any word from VA | |
Author: Ronald Kerry Nichols [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 04:13:36 11/01/04 Mon Welcome home Vietnam Vets. Just wondering if anyone has more information on Malathion that was used in dipping our dogs in Nam. I was with the 212th MP Sentry Dog detachment in Long Than in 1969-1970. For the last several years my hands and arms have been treated for the early stages of skin cancer. Just last week at the VA I had around 18 burn off. Also four years ago I had Malonoma on my left arm. If anyone has any infomation please email me. Again Welcome Home may GOD Bless. Ron Nichols Wilkesboro, NC |
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| Subject: Malathion exposure | |
Author: vernon berger [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 20:23:29 03/26/05 Sat I was a sentry dog handler at long binh and vinh long with the 212th in 1970, We dipped our dogs every couple of weeks in malathion and the used the vats for ice to ice down beer. I am currently suffering for chronic fatigue,depression, some type skin disorder on my hands and forearms, colon polyps, and Attention Deficit Disorder. How do I approach the VA on this? |
| Subject: TVVET BULLETIN/UPDATE | |
Author: MARILYN OLIVER [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 07:27:08 02/09/05 Wed TVVET UPDATE: IT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION, THAT OUR GROUP IS MOVING, IN THE DIRECTION WE WANT IT TO GO. THIS IS TO GIVE YOU A BRIEF IDEA, ABOUT WHAT IS GOING ON AND WHERE WE ARE AT. DAVID HAS INFORMED ME, THAT HE WILL BE ATTENDING A VETERANS ORGANIZING MEETING, THE LAST WEEKEND IN FEB. THE INFORMATION HAS BEEN GATHERED AND IT IS NOW TIME TO TURN IT OVER, TO THE THOSE WHO CAN HELP. I HAVE INCLUDED, A BRIEF MESSAGE FROM DAVID. I am going to be at a Veteran's organizing meeting in Milwaukee the 25-27. I have been informed that Congressman Lane Evans, ranking member of the House Veteran's Affairs Committee, will be at the gathering. Rep. Evans is the Congressman wanting to work with us on the Agent Orange issue. He is a veteran and is very sensitive to this issue of Agent Orange and others facing veterans. As one of the organizers of this conference I have been promised time with Congressman Evans to present our case. There will also be other significant members from Capital Hill at this event and may have a shot at getting our foot in the door in the U.S. Senate. WHEN I GET FURTHER INFORMATION, I WILL PASS IT ON. BLESSINGS MARILYN OLIVER |
| Subject: Malathion | |
Author: Jack Marchetti [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 16:53:37 02/08/05 Tue Is the VA helping any of the handlers expoxed to malathion dip? I've worked at Lackland,Ft. Polk, Korea and Germany. 17 years around MWD's. Also spraying at the 7th RRFS in Non Soong Thailand in '74-'76. I've been retired since 1993. Only health problems I've get are sores on my forearms in the summer months that I guess are pre-canerous. Any old K9 handlers get up with me. |
| Subject: Malathion | |
Author: Jonathan Witmore for James Cazzell [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 13:47:02 07/06/04 Tue I'm a friend of James Cazzell and a Boy Friend of his daughter Dusti Cazzell... Both of them have been showing alot of the same problems that most of you have... Dusti and her sister and Mother were in Clark Air Base around 79 to 84 I think... He was a K-9 Trainer and he currently has alot of problems including but not only heart problems, sleep apnia, sore joints, back degeneration... His son has bad intestinal problems caused by "Ghost Infections" and his daughter has had Asthma, Back problems... Currently she is having alot of infections and illnesses as well as increased headaches... Just thought I would put in my part and hope to hear about something if anyone get's through to the VA... Jonathan "Matt" Witmore |
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| Subject: Clark Dip | |
Author: Roger Brushaber II [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 10:56:37 01/23/04 Fri Does anyone know for sure when the USAF stopped the use of Malathion in the dip? I remember utilizing dip tanks at Lackland, being thrown in when we were done with the old Patrol school there, and remember accomplishing the diping of our dogs at clark in 85 and 86. Reason I am asking is I have had problems identified as MS then they say it is not that, dont know what is causing my nero problems to include dizzy speels (I take meds to control from time to time) and loss of feeeling in my feet and hands...Just wondering as I am still on active duty, and retire this year...Thanks |
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| Subject: malathion Exposure | |
Author: Sam Damewood [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 21:33:04 10/22/02 Tue Spent 15 months at Clark 9-75/ 12-76 C-Flight, and remember that dip tank well. Couple of trips a month and a guaranteed soaking when Cory came out. Couple of times when the ticks got bad, I jumped in myself, lots of folks did. Good enough for the dog.... Remember quite a few folks going in the tank Not to much to complain about but really but every so often chest muscles and thigh muscles start twitching uncontrollably. Sometimes lasts for a day sometimes just a few minutes. |
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| Subject: Malathion | |
Author: Andy Latham [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 18:56:23 04/05/04 Mon I was one of the first dog handlers that went to Thialand in March 1968 (ubon).After reading many of the e-mails for other dog handlers,I can see many things in my life. I had a STROKE at the age of 42 in 1988,VA has not been able to find the cause as of yet,but take meds for it.At the ripe old age of 47 I became sick while in Flordia @summer Camp for the Air Guard 1993.Had to have bypass surgey 3,and have had stents since them,last in march 2003. I also have the old joint problems too.My fingers are frozen,I take Meathdon for chronic pain,14Meds in all.I may just be getting old.THANKS an old dog handler. |
| Subject: Udorn AFB | |
Author: Stephen Pippenger [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 16:37:11 03/15/04 Mon I was stationed in Udorn 68-69 and we dipped the dogs once or twice a month. They used to spray our areas all the time with the awful smelling stuff. We put the meds in the dogs eyes and flipped him over making sure he was covered and of course in the process we also got it. As of this writing I have Diabetes type 2, Migraines weekly, panic attacks, blind in right eye and going in left, one testicle is shrinking and am growing another one. They never gave us any ear protection during our time on firing line and I have 30% hearing loss. I have had ringing for over 37 years, pass out for no reason. We used to watch them load the agent orange onto the aircraft on the flight line and could smell it all over. I have sleep apnea which I use a c-pap. Stopped breathing over 100 times in 2 hours. I have had pneumonia 3 times, last time in Jan, 2004. Is there anything I can do or is it hopeless? |
| Subject: Malathion Exposure | |
Author: Bill Sadler [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 16:06:56 04/17/03 Thu I was a dog handler at Clark from 75-77. Worked about a year and a half as a shift trainer. I can remember having to put dogs in the cement dip tank behind the permanent kennels. When the dogs from Thailand came in and spread TCP to several of the other dogs they brought in a fire truck full of Malathion and had everyone take there dogs out of the kennels and then used a water cannon to drown the entire kennel complex with the stuff. WE then put our dogs back in the kennels and went about our business. Shortly after that I had a problem breathing on post in the CMS area. The shift supervisor took me to the base hospital and they gave me atropine to help with my breathing. I have had beathng problems every since. Have had pnuemonia several times since then and have asthma and reflux disease. I don't know if some of this is from the chemicals we were exposed to or if we are just getting old and falling apart. Take care and keep a cold one for me in your MSD can |
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| Subject: MALATHION EXPOSURE AND OTHERS ? | |
Author: KENNETH A VAN DUYNE [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 12:40:57 03/04/04 Thu I HAE READ ALL OF THE E-MAILSAND I DISCOVERED LIKE MOST OF YOU THAT WE ARE NOT ALONE. THE VA IS DOING NOTHING. I CONTACTED SEN BROWNBACK (KANSAS) AND SHOWED HIS OFFICE HOW TO FIND THIS SITE. THEY BECAME INTERESTED FROM ALL OF THE E-MAILS. I NOW HAVE A CLAIN WITH THE VA "EXPOSURE OF MALATHION". WILL SEE HOW/WHAT THEY WILL DO. I CONTACTED THE CDC, WHO DIRECTED ME TO GO TO "CRONIC PAIN SYNDROM". USING "GOOGLE". THERE IS ARE A LOT OF INFORMATION ON THE SITES. LOOK UP "tidalweb.com" and "guaidoc.com BOTH HAVE A CHARTS.FILL THEM AND PRESENT THEM TO YOUR DOCTOR. ALSO,WRITE DOWN YOUR SYMTOMS, IE. CAN'T STAND,SIT,BEND OVER,INSOMNIA, RINGING EARS,DIZZINESS ECT. IT'S ON THE STMPTOM CHECKLIST. IT WILL CUT A LOT OF THE BS. I GOT A APPOINTMENT WITH A REAL NEUROGOLIST (CIV), IT TOOK HIM 45 MNUTES TO (USING THE CHARTS/SYMTOMS AND PHYSICAL EVALUATION TO DETERMINE THAT, I HAVE "CRONIC PAIN SYMDROM" OR "FIBROMYALGIA". NO KNOWN CAUSE.SOMETHING TRIGGERS IT. WE ALL SEEM ALMOST TO HAVE THE SAME PROBLEMS. BEING IN THE SAME PLACE/AREAS. CHECK OUT THE SITES, CHART THE SYMDOMS,EXPLAIN TO A DOCTOR. WISH YOU ALL LUCK |
| Subject: Parkinson's Disease and Malathion Exposure | |
Author: Craig Ohlson [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 16:03:28 09/06/03 Sat I was a dog handler at Binh Thuy 66/67 and Tuy Hoa 68/69. While I don't remember exactly how often we dipped the dogs, it was pretty regular. I had a particularly large and aggresive dog (Rebel 801X) at Tuy Hoa and remember spending more time in the dip tank than he did. I was diagnosed with Type II Diabetes in 1992 and was successful in a VA Claim when that was recognized by them a couple of years ago. Four years ago I was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease and have been fighting that with the VA, I had a partial victory when they recognized that Parkinson's can be exacerbated by stress, ie PTSD. I am still pursuing my Parkinson's Claim and will add the Malathion as a cause. If anyone needs info on how I have approached this with the VA drop me a note. Also any Malthion information you have as it concerns dog/dog handler exposure would be appreciated. I would also like to hear from anyone with Parkinson's or similar problems. |
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| Subject: Malathion | |
Author: Ron Kerry Nichols [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 17:10:12 12/19/03 Fri I have just been reading about Malathion. I was with the 212th MP Sentry Dog, in Long Binh, and Long Thang 69-70. I recall the dippings, our brave dogs that didn't want to be dipped. I recall getting the liquid on my legs and hands where the dog shook it off. I am suffering from PTSD, high blood pressure, head aches and have just been diagnoised with a deteriating Arthris in my back. I lost my sence of smell in Vietnam my sinus give me a lot of trouble, I cough a lot and have brochitis a least 4 times a year. Is the VA taking claims on Malathion? If anyone knows please email me. Welcome home Vietnam MP Dog Handler Ron Nichols Wilkesboro, NC |
| Subject: Malation Exposure | |
Author: Ruben C. Bedwell,Jr. [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 10:18:44 11/18/03 Tue Here's an update on my "old age" ailments.Within the last two years my vision has become blurred; I have twitching muscles in my left arm. At times it gets bad enough that I have to grab it with my right hand to stop it.I was diagnosed with diabetes. My heartbeat is definitly slow and I am having blood pressure problems. Back in 94' I had a triple by-pass heart surgery. And for the first time in my life I had to go see a Neurologist for headaches.After reading all of these other testimonies I am definitly seeing a connection. Thank you for making this information available. Ruben Bedwell |
| Subject: Malathion Exposure | |
Author: Jim Dages [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 16:49:28 11/17/03 Mon I served in the PI for two years, 77 and 78 and dipped dogs twice a week. I first noticed tumors in about 1994 and diagnosed with testicle cancer in about 95. Since then it has been a cartoon of physical problems. I would be very interested in hearing from others who have been diagnosed with testicle cancer after serving in the PI or Nam. |
| Subject: Malathion Clark !967 to 1969 | |
Author: Roger Bennett [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 17:31:14 10/18/03 Sat I was stationed at Clark from July 67 to Jan. 69 as A k-9 handler I have most all the same problems that Roger Marion have plus I am a Diabetic.Since I never went to Viet Nam the VA WILL NOT do any test for malathion.we dipped our dogs about every two weeks and Clark was the supply base for Nam, who knows what was in the warehouses.Ihavehad the DAV file a claim for me.Our problems go back farther that the 70's.I have had contact with only person iwas stationed with and He has not had any problems so far. |
| Subject: Malathion | |
Author: Terry Mosier [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 21:05:15 01/25/03 Sat I served with the 212th in Long Binh & Vinh Long in 67-68. I was a sentry dog handler and I remember the dipping and the strong smell of it. I have suffered from chronic fatigue, muscle spasms, and painful muscle cramps for the last 15-20 years. Doctors have been unable to determine the origns. A doctor determined that it was fibromyalgia since they could not determine another origin. I am beggining to wonder and am going to contact the VA and pursue testing. |
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| Subject: Exposure | |
Author: Marc Hodgdon (Hodge) [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 08:52:09 08/28/03 Thu I remember the dip tanks well at Clark...Not only did we dip the dogs regularly but we also threw each other into the tanks for promotions, DEROS and also for other reasons...In retrospect it was really stupid but we were young...At the time who thought about a chemical that could kill ticks and other insects might actually harm us...I also have reflux disease and my voice grows hoarse easily... I also hope I'm ok but I guess time will tell... Marc Hodgdon (Hodge) Web Master www.clarkairbasek9.com |
| Subject: Bien Hoa Dip Tanks | |
Author: Fred Terrell [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 12:23:01 05/27/03 Tue I was in the sentry dog section July '68 - July '69, and dipping was standard operating procedure. I've had several chronic health problems since nam. Anyone know if it was malathion that we used in the tanks? |
| Subject: Malathion | |
Author: Bob Mount [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 21:22:34 05/08/03 Thu I was a handler with the 981st in Cam Ranh Bay from Feb 70 to Feb 71. I remember the dip tanks well. I too have experienced the same symptoms, ie sleep apnia, constant clearing of the throat, dysphagia, numbness in hands, muscle twitching, fatigue, muscle pain that comes and goes. I've been putting it down to getting older, but it seems that it might not be the case. Vietnam will always be with us in one way or another. |
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| Subject: Malithion | |
Author: Dean Murch [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 05:35:34 02/23/03 Sun Interesting reading. I was stationed at Tan Son Nhut and again in Udorn from 72-74. Plenty of spraying in both locations. I accidentally got soaked behind a spray truck at the NCO club in Udorn and couldn't breath for days after. Funny thing that I now have muscle pain and mobility issues in my joints. I also have sleeping problems and swallowing difficulties. Could this be the same thing? I seem to be getting worse by the week. What's next to come? The problems started showing up about 8-10 years ago. Doctors think I'm fine. I realize I haven't the exposure you guys mention but the same sysmtoms are there. |
| Subject: I have cml a type of leukemia | |
Author: william j. morris [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 17:23:38 11/13/02 Wed I was a handler with the 212th and 981st 67-68. I have for the past 30 sum years have had many didferent health problems. One of my main cocerns is with my leukemia. I would like to hear from anyone who has had leukemia and worked with dogs or were exp[osed to Hazardous materials. |
| Subject: Malathion | |
Author: Roger Marion [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 12:41:17 08/30/02 Fri I was a dog handler with the 212 sentry dog company in Vietnam in 70-71. To procted the dogs from various parasites they were dipped in a malathion solution approximately every four weeks, I assisted in dipping most of the dogs in the company. During this time I began to have breathing problems(could not get enough air), dizziness, nausea and constant tickling in my throat. I seemed to be clearing my throat all the time. I also experienced regular chest infections. I went to the 24th evucation hospital in Vietnam and all they told me was I had a infection. This went on after I left Vietnam. I went to my family doctors over the years, it was always the same, you have allergy, sinus and chest infections. I was perscribed everything under the sun, nothing worked. Recently I went to a new family doctor and explained all of my difficulties through the years, he told me to have a upper GI test run. I went to the VA hospital in Memphis, I had the test, and afterwards the doctor sat down with me to talk about the results. She said that I have Dysphagia, a swallowing difficulty. She told me there were two types, mine was dysphagia of the larynx. She also told me that my particular dysphagia was neuromotor related. She set up a consultation with her dysphagia team to talk about my dysphagia. I did meet with her team of nurses and doctors, and finally our talk shifted to the cause. I discussed with them everything I could think of that would help them. When I mentioned malathion exposure they sat up in their chairs. After our discussion on malathion and my exposure they told me that malathion could have caused my particular problem, especally with all the symptoms I have had since Vietnam. They also told me there was really nothing they could do to help my dysphagia. Finally I had my answer after even if it was not a good one. Roger Marion |
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| Subject: Malathion | |
Author: Dan Byrd [ Edit | View ] |
Date Posted: 19:33:03 09/09/02 Mon I was with the first load of Army Sentry Dogs which was to become the 212th MP Co. In 1965/66 We dipped the dogs on a regular basis, and don't remember what that was? I have no idea what was used to dip the dogs in, it could have been Marathon? I can remember we use to clean the Dip Tank out on Thursdays, and would fill it with water and take baths in it! We also use to put our weekend beer in the tank and fill it with ice and then Friday nights we would drink the beer! I have within the last 3 years started to experience more of the problems that I have had for about 20 years or more. I was thinking it was just me getting old! Clearing my throat, having "My Flapper Valve" not work all the time! Swelling, Constance drainage, Sore Throat, Chocking a lot on just drainage because the Flapper Valve didn't close right. I have also developed Asthma(not sure of spelling) over the last few years! But I think I have had it for a long time! I have had shortness of breath, which could have been the Asthma? Since I got out of the Army in 1967. Do any of you have any idea what was used to dip the dogs in 65/66 when I was in Vietnam. I don't want to sound like I am crying wolf here! Because I don't have any idea what was used to dip the dogs when I was in Vietnam, but reading your page sure has me thinking a lot, because I have a LOT of the same problems!!! |
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