Garyy

Berta, thanks of the thorough response and information. I retired in 2001 after 24 years in the Air Force so I missed Vietnam completely by a couple of years. I have many friends who were there and they are all top notch patriots and brothers. I did not deploy to the Desert either as I spent many of my military years between Korea, Japan, and Singapore. I believe I was exposed to some bad chemicals and herbicide exposure while stationed in the Islands of the Azores between 1980-1982. I have a report that shows they were burning these chemical on one side of the island, but its been so long ago it would be hard to make the connection. The official report I have from 2004 reads that, "Until 1994 it was a common solid waste disposal practice for off base an on base residents to to use the waste site and burn everything before bulldozers pushed everything n to the ocean. According to base personnel, various kinds of wastes were disposed of here including sludge from tanks, old, transformers, PCBs, solvents, paints, and asbestos." "On-site observations during the official site visit confirm this disposal practice. The surface and the oceans may have been been contaminated with the residues of materials that were burned in the past, such as heavy metals, semivoltile organic compounds, pesticides, and PCBs from transformers." This report was accomplished by a government contractor. In the end the report concludes the levels were not high enough to do damage to people...I believe that is classic Cover Your Ass (CYA) conclusion, and totally false. I am convinced that is were I was exposed and ultimately why I am now and dealing with Parkinsons. It certainly doesn't equate to Agent Orange or the burn pits in the Desert...but for me I believe that is where I was exposed, and now deal with this diagnosis. The base is on a small island that belongs to the Azores...the island is about 8 miles by 15 miles...I'm sure I am not the only person affected, but making the connection is difficult. Thanks for your time and information. Garyy

Has anyone received benefits, or known anyone who has received benefits for having Parkinson Disease without being exposed to Agent Orange or the other presumptive categories?