Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Attn Vietnam Vets

The senate passed the ndaa today which added bladder cancer, hypertension, and some thyroid issues to the agent orange presumption list. If you were exposed to agent orange and have these diseases you are entitled to service connected disability. Get your claim in now if you have not already done so.

I’ve buried more than a couple of close friends from cancer related to their heavy and repeated exposure to AO. It’s heartbreaking to watch men that already dealt with 100 lifetimes worth of death and destruction have to fight that war all over again.

Well, duh.

Well, I was just diagnosed with hypothyroid and kidney issues, and have been on hypertension meds for years. So I hit the trifecta, maybe.

I just buried one of my best friends from high school. Of all the complications he was having, and his constant exposure to Agent Orange, none qualified him for the extra care that it required. He did get a higher level of care because of a purple heart, but it p*ssed me off the way they would just ignore all his symptoms. As a college student, he was sixth in the nation in the national swimming championships, but weighed just a 115 pounds when he died. (Rant off)

And yet people are lining up to get a vaccine funded by uncle sam.............

I know a lot of guys that are or should be eligible for any of the Agent Orange claims, including myself. Mostly Air Force guys that were in Viet Nam crewing their C-130-s that happened to haul Agent Orange at times. We were there for up to a month or so at a time TDY being exposed , but can't claim anything because we can't prove "boots on the ground". I personally was in Viet Nam for at least several weeks every month for 33 months. I have had no health problems, except PTSD that I get medicine for (anti-depressant), but I know others that are dying and are fighting the Govt. trying to prove that they were ever there.
So, I wonder if the new things added to the list of Agent Orange causes will be accessible or available.
Most of us guys didn't hang on to travel orders etc and of course had no reason to, or so we thought.

I do hope that the new attention to Agent Orange will help those that need medical help. Myself included. I think the way the Govt. works, it's too late for us old guys to get any compensation (monetary).

Just my thoughts,
Ken

Husband of close friend of my wife told me as a Marine he never stepped foot on Vietnam soil but was onboard a ship in Vietnam waters his entire tour there. Curious if this change AO benefits will include him and other Marines like him?:

VA approves claims for more than 22,500 Blue Water Navy veterans

That's a good deal for the Blue Water Viet Nam veterans. It is much easier for them to claim it due to being aboard a ship and on a roster. I am glad that they became eligible and payments were made so fast. It does seem that they could clean up their act and take care of the Air Force ground crews that spent most of their 13, 15, or 18 month tours in Viet Nam. I know that all of the C-130's in Viet Nam were there on TDY's or temporary duty from their home bases in the US, Japan, Taiwan, Okinawa, & the Philippines. I don't know if the Caribou's or the C-123's were temporary or permanent.
We have people on the forum that can answer those questions.
Maybe I should have claimed my PTSD, but I didn't want to go through all of the grilling and nit picking the so-called boards did verifying your claim. ---And then denying it!
I have cured myself of some of my ailments (mental).over the years, but I still shudder at the thought of being enclosed in the dark.in tents and especially the Lewis and Clark Caverns!

I will quit whining now. There are many guys that need the help way more than I do . And I have you guys of the forum to vent to!

Ken

It is depressing to find how many Nam Vets have suffered due to this. I have a friend up north who was Nam BDQ , training Vietnamese rangers. He is now going through a second series of cancer treatments for stage IV lung cancer(he has never smoked). He was operated on for throat cancer several years ago. His AO claim with the VA has been irritating to say the least. He is still hiking in his woods everyday and hunting, with a feeding tube on! That's hardcore!

C-123's and Caribous were permanent squadrons, I served with both. Best Regards. Jerry

Thanks Jerry, it was you I was referring to for that info!

Ken