Va Finally Addresses Edgewood Arsenal

[Testvet]

Well all, I finally received a letter from the VARO after three years of processing my claim, where they mentioned my heart problems being related to chemical weapons and drug experiments conducted on me while on active duty in 1974 while at Edgewood Arsenal in the human experimentation program. They ignored it after I wrote Senator Graham, Congressman Wilson and President Bush, but in Sepetember I wrote Senator Craig head of the senate VA committee and explained my situation to him, they sent a letter to the VA, Renee Szybala made a mistake and sent me and him a letter stating that "yes, you volunteered for the "medical test" program on 10 July 1974 but you got sick before the tests started and were sent home according to your records at Columbia VARO" I sent him a thank you letter for finally getting them to address the issue of the chemical weapons and drug tests after ignoring it for three years, but my records in Columbia show I volunteered in May 1974 at Fort Lewis, I arrived at Edgewood on 25 June 1974, I was classified as a level A test subject for use with pyschochemicals, I did get sick on 3 July and was admitted to Aberdeen Proving Grounds Hospital until 10 July when I was discharged back to Edgewood where I remained until the 60 day TDY period ended and I left Edgewood on 22 August 1974 back to Fort Lewis. I also have the EPA reports that show the soil and water at Edgewood is contaminated with napalm toxins, mustard agents and sarin, and it shows where the EPA ordered the Army to cap the psots water wells in 1977 and they had to start piping water in from out of the Baltimore area. The report also states that Edgewood area will be hazardous to human life for decades to come. It is one of the most toxic super fund sites they have. They pulled my claim file back from the BVA to deal with this. I wonder wha they try to pull next. Persistence and letters help.

[Guest Berta]

You sure are right about that-

there is a lot to be said for being persistent-

but it adds to the stress of it all----seems like you have some good info there Mike-

it is really odd how they are trying to say you got sick before these tests began-

at least they are being to acknowledge what you went through.

[Stretch]

Mike,

They pulled my claims back from the BVA also, to deal with these same chemical test. My back was smashed in 1969 while on board ship. All of these years there were total denials for all claims. I have a neuro appointment, in December, to explain the back correction that they are going to make. They are going to try and fix the nerves that have been pinched for 36 years.

The VA even sent me to PT (Physical Therapy). This PT has helped, with the back problem, for the first time. Berta, is right about the price of being persistence though. I had my first heart attack last Friday. The VAMC gave me a little bottle of nitro. This is sure a wake-up call.

I don't understand this treatment or change of mind in the VA. I do know that the middle of DEC 2005, is the last date to file for these toxic chemical exposure claims in reference to Project112/SHAD and Edgewood. I have told my PC's (Plane Captains) crew members, and they have already filed. All have heart disease. One PC has six heart stints. I thought I was different, but I am now in the same boat with them again.

The last time the news came out with the Project112/SHAD test (Toxic Chemical Exposures) was on 911. I couldn't believe that they were finally were coming out with the information. It was over-shadowed, in the news, by the Twin Towers. I hope there are no major problems, in our country, in the middle of Dec 2005.

I worked 40 years, in pain, as did my crew members. Looks like we are falling apart at the same time. One PC, who was on the both cruises has diebetes. He refuses to think that anything happened to him or that there is a relationship to service, because the gov would have told him so -right-. So many do not even know about the Test.

Edited November 26, 2005 by Stretch

[Testvet]

Stretch the Shad 112 tests are a complete different program the edgewood arsenal tests were from 1955 thru 1975 and involved LSD, Peyote PCP, mustard agents, sarin, and about 240 other different chemical weapons and drugs. Shad 112 was done without your knowledge we were used in experiments with no oversite and no control, they had german scientists doing the tests on us that were trained at Dachau and other fine German institutions from 1935 thru 1945, a totally different program.

[Stretch]

Mike,

Look at Deseret DTC Test 69-10 and 69-12. Only the dissemination methods were different. These test say the dissemination methods were unknown. The tests also says that the ships involved were unknown. The Sarin, VX, Soman, and Tabun were out of Edgewood Maryland. The Nazi's were working for the same organization in both land and sea base test. There were no controls in either set of human experiments. Ships rooms were like metal cells that were filled with Toxic Chemicals. Sound familiar.

Edited November 26, 2005 by Stretch

[Testvet]

stretch, I am not saying the substances were different, but the men at Edgewood all basically knew what we were volunteering for, they never told us specifics, but we knew we were there for a 60 day human experimentation program. The SHAD vets were not told anything, they just happened to be on ships that were ordered into a certain area then sprayed or gassed. Totally unaware of anything that was happening to them, they did not discover there use as guinea pigs until decades later, we knew we were guinea pigs at Edgewood and we signed statements to that effect all 7120 of us. They used about 250 different substances on us over the 20 year test period from 1955 thru 1975, they may be similar in nature, but they were not the same circumstances. At least the government is acknowledging the SHAD vets, they are still ignoring the Edgewood test vets.

[Stretch]

Mike,

I knew that we were being sprayed, because a chief had told me while I was being exposed. I knew how we were being sprayed. I became extremely ill as per SMR (noted about 10 different times), because of an over dose of these chemicals. These different sickbay calls do not even include the few months of records that were removed from my service medical records. We were sprayed on several occasions. I did not sign an agreement, nor am I sworn to secrecy. I don't believe that any person who signed or didn't sign, was told or wasn't told of actual possibilities of health risk, knew the full implications of these test. I think we know now what the results are. I will give you a brief description of my illness's and see if they don't come close.

My conditions:

PTSD (I have my own theory about this.) Mine was physical assault

L4-L5 L5-S1 vertebrae are degenerated on the left side pinching off the nerves in lower extremities.

COPD/Asthma/ILD

Nasal and Throat problems

Headaches

Heart condition

Sound familiar. It could just be a coincidence. Out of the Six men, of my crew that I polled, 100% have heart disease. None of us really knew what it was all about. I still do not know what it was all about. We just did our jobs.