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John Rossie Blue Water Navy Ao

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Berta

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This show will be good- link at top of page to SVR radio- Stardust.com

Call ins toll free 1-877-213-4329 and join the chat room if you wish-

Jerrel Cook is hosting, I am co Host, and John has a BWV widow on line too to join us.

(The Smoger AO law suit has been thrown out of court-Supreme Court)

Gerson Smoger posted a beautiful letter thanking us all for the support -forget where it is posted at Watchdog I think-

BWN vets have to prove direct SC with one boot on Vietnamese soil or Brown Water inlet /tributary mil service. Haas case is over.

We also will discuss the H VAC hearing -more than likely.

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I sure have CRS syndrome

forgot-

5:30 CT and 6:30 EST at

http://www.stardustent.com/

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Haas cases have been boiling up to the top in the past 2 weeks at our RO. It has become a priority to work the cases now that the decision has become final. A little background on what they are having us do....

1. Research the C-file and determine whether or not the veteran served in Vietnam. This usually involves a request to the service department for exact dates.

2. Most of these veterans are Navy, which means that we must also ask the service department for the 201 file (personnel file) as well to determine the ship(s) that they served upon.

3. Research the ship history (which becomes part of your C-file...), and determione if the veteran is unmistakeably "bluewater".

4. If the veteran is unmistakeably "bluewater" then the file goes straight to the rating board. HOWEVER... Some of the vessels got fairly close to the mainland of Vietnam...

5. The vessels in question can be determined "brownwater".

Air Force claims under Haas are much more difficult for the veteran to prove. Flight logs and such are very few and far between.

Berta is correct... If you didn't put your foot on RVN soil or traverse the inland waterways, they are denying the claim. We are bound by the courts decision now because the Supreme Court refused the case. The decision is now final.

I have had a few vets that I have spoken to via telephone that are a little confused and irate (understandibly so). I have also talked to 2 that claim that their vessel was very, very close to the shore. One was on an amphibious attack vessel (I will assume that he will be "brownwater"), and one was on an aircraft carrier (those veterans have almost no chance of being in the "brownwater" category). The waters around Vietnam are shallow, and the number of vessels that got very, very close will be limited.

The rating decisions are dropping like flies now. I wish I could be more positive about it. I have woked several of these claims now, and the results have not been so great.

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Yes- you are so right-

I had a Brown Water vet who was 100% P & % SC for AO cancer.

The &%^$% VA proposed to reduce him saying he had not stepped one foot on Nam soil.

Long story- we went over his claim via email for weeks-I almost committed myself to go from NY to FLA to the hearing -I was that disgusted with the VA-

I helped him jog his memory- he was in brown water tributaries many times and then he recalled they had picked up 2 Vietnamese officers, brought them to the ship and then returned them.

I asked who helped the Vietnamese soldiers get into th boat- he did- I said how did you do that without stepping on the bank (I did alot of boating years ago)

Bingo! of course he had to step on the bank to help one office onto the pontoon or whatever it was called-

he got proof of that.One foot on land-Nam Yippee

He also got another piece of unique evidence-a statement from his daughter's English professor that clarified the AO regs.

More Bingo!we were cooking with gas!

The VA called him, No hearing and they did not reduce his 100% SC P & T -

WHew-his kids were just started Chap 35 edu benefits- can you imagine the stress this vet went through?

I made point last night at SVR-BWV MUST try to jog their minds to try to seek direct SC due to AO foot one land and not presumptive.

I suggested before too- even if a vet's only proof is that he got VD from a mamasan and there was some record of penicillin treatment (they do put this in SMRS sometimes)

that is direct proof that he stepped one ( and a littl more than a foot) on Vietnamese soil.

My testimony on Blue Water last year to HVAC was better than what the H VAC put into the record Wednesday-

I regret that it was never considered by H VAC at that time.

I did all I could responding to and talking to Rick Spaturo (NVLSP lawyer) for ideas at to how to succeed with Haas.

I STILL think the scientific approach as to dioxin has not been properly considered yet at all.I was taking my last AMU course - Ecology science when this all hit the fan-

I raised the Danag study 2 years ago that found Dioxin levels were over 300 times in Danang soil in 2006 then they were during the War.

Dioxin -a persistent organic pollutant has an accumulative long term affect-sea birds are deeply affected by dioxin storage in their fatty tissues.I bet they crapped all over the ship decks-and even on sailors-

no one was connecting the dots this way----

it is frustrating to me that I feel so much more could be done for AO BWNVs.

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"The waters around Vietnam are shallow, and the number of vessels that got very, very close will be limited."

That's what the VA would have everyone think.

Many vessels put into Vietnam ports at one time or another for various reasons.

When I was in Danang, (Different times in 1967-68) the ships I rode docked at bay side piers or pulled up to a sand ramp next to a bridge on the river. A heavy cruiser was shelling inland from the bay. Although the bay was a deep water bay, the cruiser was easily within small boat distance of land. The VA has been trying to say that tied to a pier in Vietnam is not good enough, let alone operating inshore. Since the river drains into the bay, you can assume runoff containing A.O. also went into the bay, along with untreated sewerage and who knows what else.

The governments efforts to downplay A.O. are still in force.

Haas cases have been boiling up to the top in the past 2 weeks at our RO. It has become a priority to work the cases now that the decision has become final. A little background on what they are having us do....

1. Research the C-file and determine whether or not the veteran served in Vietnam. This usually involves a request to the service department for exact dates.

2. Most of these veterans are Navy, which means that we must also ask the service department for the 201 file (personnel file) as well to determine the ship(s) that they served upon.

3. Research the ship history (which becomes part of your C-file...), and determione if the veteran is unmistakeably "bluewater".

4. If the veteran is unmistakeably "bluewater" then the file goes straight to the rating board. HOWEVER... Some of the vessels got fairly close to the mainland of Vietnam...

5. The vessels in question can be determined "brownwater".

Air Force claims under Haas are much more difficult for the veteran to prove. Flight logs and such are very few and far between.

Berta is correct... If you didn't put your foot on RVN soil or traverse the inland waterways, they are denying the claim. We are bound by the courts decision now because the Supreme Court refused the case. The decision is now final.

I have had a few vets that I have spoken to via telephone that are a little confused and irate (understandibly so). I have also talked to 2 that claim that their vessel was very, very close to the shore. One was on an amphibious attack vessel (I will assume that he will be "brownwater"), and one was on an aircraft carrier (those veterans have almost no chance of being in the "brownwater" category). The waters around Vietnam are shallow, and the number of vessels that got very, very close will be limited.

The rating decisions are dropping like flies now. I wish I could be more positive about it. I have woked several of these claims now, and the results have not been so great.

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That's what the VA would have everyone think.

Many vessels put into Vietnam ports at one time or another for various reasons.

When I was in Danang, (Different times in 1967-68) the ships I rode docked at bay side piers or pulled up to a sand ramp next to a bridge on the river. A heavy cruiser was shelling inland from the bay. Although the bay was a deep water bay, the cruiser was easily within small boat distance of land. The VA has been trying to say that tied to a pier in Vietnam is not good enough, let alone operating inshore. Since the river drains into the bay, you can assume runoff containing A.O. also went into the bay, along with untreated sewerage and who knows what else.

The governments efforts to downplay A.O. are still in force.

I am only reporting what they are allowing us to do. All of this comes from a court decision that individual RO's did not control or contribute to.

I was able to win a two battles for Navy vets today. One was a very BIG battle for a veteran that was stationed aboard aboard the USS Constellation. As of this afternoon I have drawn up a tentative diabetes (and diabetic neuropathy) exam for him at a VAMC, and Monday I find out if we will concede exposure. I am letting out no details at this point because everything is not "said and done", but I am about 99% sure that I am gonna win this for him. I can almost promise it. Believe me, there are plenty more out there who did this very same thing.

Not all of the government is downplaying A.O. exposure. There are some of us who do give a damn. I have helped a couple of members on this board who can testify to that fact. I can only do what one man can do, but it's better than what no man can do...

I DO work for the VA. I am PROUD to work for the VA. I am PROUD of the work that I do there everyday. Sure, there are a lot of negatives out there right now with us, but I can take heart that I am doing everything in my power to represent the men and women of our armed forces. I am here to help where I feel I can. I try to only post on here when I feel I have something of value to add.

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