hypertension Ao At Ascom Depot Korea

[aboogger]

Hello Everyone.

I’m new to the forums but not new to the problems with the VA and Agent Orange exposures associated to several health issues. I served in the Army from 1968 to 1976.

In 2001 I filed a claim for numerous health issues to include heart disease I felt was due to exposure to AO while in Korea and Viet Nam and of course I got denied, so I gave up which I’m sure the VA really appreciated. I served in Korea from 1968 to 1970 at Ascom Depot, (Camp Market) with Company B, Supply and Transportation Division. Then a couple of months after I returned back to the states, I volunteered and went to Viet Nam with assignments at Saigon, Da Nang, Phu Bi, Chu Li and Long Bihn.

When I was going through my separation physical in September 1975 while stationed at Ft. Riley, Kansas, my blood pressure then was 150/90. (I was only 26 years of age). With that blood pressure it prompted the doctors to order a 4 day blood pressure screening at Irwin Army Hospital. They took three different readings in different positions twice a day for these four days. The results showed I had high blood pressure several different times and levels not considered to be high. However, I was NOT aware of these high blood pressure readings nor was I treated for HBP. A few months ago I requested my ENTIRE military records to include ALL medical records. This is when I found the Blood Pressure Screening Report and my Separation Physical from 1975.

In 1991 at the age of 41, I under went an emergency open heart surgery whereas I had 5 bypass grafts. Since then I have suffered 8 heart attacks, lost three of the grafts and have under gone numerous Angiograms. In 1996 I had my eighth heart attack and was almost pronounced dead while having a Heart Cath (Angiogram) and the doctors told my wife to call the family in as I was not going to survive. By the Grace of GOD I’m still here. Since June of 2006 I’ve had to have several more angiograms performed and now I have 7 Stents inserted in the Left Anterior Descending Artery Graft. I have been diagnosed with Hypertension, Severe Coronary Heart Disease and Congestive Heart Failure along with having an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm and have a High Mortality Rate. I take a total of 15 different medications daily for my heart disease and high blood pressure, to include "Nitrates daily, Nitro Patch daily and Nitro Spray as needed along with all the other meds.

When the report from the IOM and the National Academy of Science linked Agent Orange to Hypertension in July 2007, I re-opened my claim for Hypertension/Heart Disease due to exposure to AO while in Korea and Viet Nam in February 2008. (Still Pending)

My civilian cardiologist documented his professional opinion in my medical files that my hypertension/heart disease was caused by a direct link to exposure to AO. I have all of my medical files pertaining to my heart condition from 1991 to present and they are all submitted in my claim along with other documents and letters. I had requested all of my records pertaining to my claim from the VA of which they finally sent me everything in my file. I did this because of all the shredding that has been reported and documented so I wanted to make sure everything I’ve submitted on my behalf was indeed in my file. Luckily I was not one that had evidence destroyed.

I want to mention that I have just recently wrote a letter to the new Secretary of Veteran Affairs pertaining to AO being stored, shipped and handled by military personnel stationed at Ascom Depot Korea.

Here’s the letter to the Secretary of VA with names and claim number marked out for private reasons:

Honorable Eric K. Shinseki

Secretary of Veterans Affairs

810 Vermont Ave.

Washington D. C. 20420

March 3, 2009

Re: Agent Orange stored at Ascom Depot, Korea

Dear Secretary Shinseki.

I’m writing to request your assistance in helping me and other veterans that served at Ascom Depot (Camp Market) Korea during 1967 to 1969 and acknowledge that Agent Orange was located at Ascom Depot as outlined below. It has been determined that Agent Orange was used in areas along the Demilitarized Zone in Korea.

However, Secretary Shinseki, while I was stationed at Ascom Depot from December 1968 to February 1970 and assigned to Company B, Supply and Transportation Division our unit was the main supply division for the Far East to include areas within Korea. My duties, along with other members of our unit, included receiving and transporting supplies to the Demilitarized Zone and other units within Korea. These supplies would be shipped to us and or picked up at Kimpo Airbase and transported back to Ascom Depot for storage and later to be shipped out to other units.

The Department of Veteran’s Affairs claims that Agent Orange was only used in certain areas in Korea. Mr. Secretary, I submit to you that Agent Orange was indeed stored, shipped and handled within the compounds of our unit at Ascom Depot.

More specifically, 55 gallon drums of Agent Orange barrels with warning placards indicating contents were toxic, hazardous and contained herbicides. These barrels had an orange stripe around them, which I knew to be Agent Orange. (We) knew the contents of these barrels were being sprayed to kill out vegetation along the Demilitarized Zone areas. These barrels were stored within the warehouse and on the grounds of Company B, Supply and Transportation Division. Our unit would then ship these barrels via convoy to units along the Demilitarized Zone and on occasion units from the Demilitarized Zone area would come to Ascom Depot to pick up barrels of Agent Orange.

There were times these barrels were punctured by the forklifts while unloading and/or loading them onto trucks to be stored and/or shipped. When these barrels were punctured the contents would leak out large amounts onto the grounds. We would then use temporary means to patch the holes in the barrels to prevent further leakage thus causing me and others to come in direct contact with this deadly herbicide. We would then use water hoses to wash the areas off where the barrels had leaked into a canal that ran along the compound of our unit thus causing the vegetation to die out.

During the time I was stationed at Ascom Depot as an E-5 (Specialist 5) I was only 20 years of age and only doing as directed by my superiors not knowing later in life Agent Orange would cause deaths and numerous health issues not only to my self but to other veterans.

After my departure from Korea in February 1970 I was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas but for only a short period. In April 1970 I volunteered and went to serve my country in Viet Nam.

I presently have a claim (Claim Number XX XXX XXX) filed for hypertension, heart disease, congestive heart failure and a abdominal aortic aneurysm as a direct cause from being exposed to Agent Orange while serving in Korea and while serving in Viet Nam. I’ve had high blood pressure since 1975 or even before while on active duty with the U. S. Army which is documented in my military medical records. I served in the Army from 1968-1971 and again from 1973 to 1976.

Mr. Secretary, I am not now nor have I ever been a member or affiliated with any Agent Orange Organizations.

I’m solely submitting this request to you as an individual to investigate the fact that Agent Orange was indeed located at Ascom Depot and not just along the borders of the Demilitarized Zone in Korea as documented by the Veteran’s Administration and the Department of the Army, U.S. Army and Joint Services Records Research Center in Alexandria, Virginia and ask that you document Agent Orange was at Ascom Depot. I would be willing to testify under oath to everything I’ve documented in this letter.

Mr. Secretary, I’m submitting a letter addressed to a (name withheld) dated February 10, 2009 from the Department of the Army, U.S. Army and Joint Services Records Research Center in Alexandria, Virginia as an enclosure. It so states they have researched “Available Historical” documentation and unable to locate any reference to the use, spraying, transporting or storage of Agent Orange at Ascom Depot. I believe the key word in this letter to ( Mr. XXXX) would be “Available” Historical documentation.

Although these barrels of Agent Orange were located at Ascom Depot it’s not that they were there for long periods of time as they would be shipped shortly or picked up after our unit received them.

I can only assume that documentation on Agent Orange at Ascom Depot did not exist or were not kept for whatever reasons is not for me to know. My testimonial to you is that Agent Orange was located at Company B, Supply and Transportation Division, Ascom Depot, Korea as noted above.

I would appreciate your utmost and immediate attention to this request.

I hereby certify that the information I have given is true and to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Sincerely,

Name withheld.

________________________________________________________________________________

_____

I have wrote “Buddy Letters” to three other Korea Vets that were stationed at Ascom Depot during the periods of 1968 to 1970 as they too suffer from illnesses associated to AO exposure to include one having cancer but they have all been denied and are appealing their claims.

With the evidence I have submitted in my claim, I should at the least be approved for a Service Connection to hypertension. I will continue to fight the VA for ypertension/Heart Disease caused by exposure to AO.

I have been on Social Security Disability since 1995 due to heart disease and other medical issues.

I have since contacted one of my US Congressman for his assistance in helping me with my claim.

So I say to those that were stationed at Ascom Depot during these periods and remember AO being stored, handled and shipped from Ascom to write letters to your Senators and to the Secretary of VA and just maybe the VA will include and acknowledge that AO was in other areas of Korea instead of certain areas along the DMZ as they so report.

Thank you for your time and this great forum.

I will keep you posted on the results of my letter to the Secretary of VA.

[aboogger]

Hello Everyone.

I'm new to the forums but not new to the problems with the VA and Agent Orange exposures associated to several health issues. I served in the Army from 1968 to 1976.

In 2001 I filed a claim for numerous health issues to include heart disease I felt was due to exposure to AO while in Korea and Viet Nam and of course I got denied, so I gave up which I'm sure the VA really appreciated. I served in Korea from 1968 to 1970 at Ascom Depot, (Camp Market) with Company B, Supply and Transportation Division. Then a couple of months after I returned back to the states, I volunteered and went to Viet Nam with assignments at Saigon, Da Nang, Phu Bi, Chu Li and Long Bihn.

When I was going through my separation physical in September 1975 while stationed at Ft. Riley, Kansas, my blood pressure then was 150/90. (I was only 26 years of age). With that blood pressure it prompted the doctors to order a 4 day blood pressure screening at Irwin Army Hospital. They took three different readings in different positions twice a day for these four days. The results showed I had high blood pressure several different times and levels not considered to be high. However, I was NOT aware of these high blood pressure readings nor was I treated for HBP. A few months ago I requested my ENTIRE military records to include ALL medical records. This is when I found the Blood Pressure Screening Report and my Separation Physical from 1975.

In 1991 at the age of 41, I under went an emergency open heart surgery whereas I had 5 bypass grafts. Since then I have suffered 8 heart attacks, lost three of the grafts and have under gone numerous Angiograms. In 2006 I had my eighth heart attack and was almost pronounced dead while having a Heart Cath (Angiogram) and the doctors told my wife to call the family in as I was not going to survive. By the Grace of GOD I'm still here. Since June of 2006 I've had to have several more angiograms performed and now I have 7 Stents inserted in the Left Anterior Descending Artery Graft. I have been diagnosed with Hypertension, Severe Coronary Heart Disease and Congestive Heart Failure along with having an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm and have a High Mortality Rate. I take a total of 15 different medications daily for my heart disease and high blood pressure, to include "Nitrates daily, Nitro Patch daily and Nitro Spray as needed along with all the other meds.

When the report from the IOM and the National Academy of Science linked Agent Orange to Hypertension in July 2007, I re-opened my claim for Hypertension/Heart Disease due to exposure to AO while in Korea and Viet Nam in February 2008. (Still Pending)

My civilian cardiologist documented his professional opinion in my medical files that my hypertension/heart disease was caused by a direct link to exposure to AO. I have all of my medical files pertaining to my heart condition from 1991 to present and they are all submitted in my claim along with other documents and letters. I had requested all of my records pertaining to my claim from the VA of which they finally sent me everything in my file. I did this because of all the shredding that has been reported and documented so I wanted to make sure everything I've submitted on my behalf was indeed in my file. Luckily I was not one that had evidence destroyed.

I want to mention that I have just recently wrote a letter to the new Secretary of Veteran Affairs pertaining to AO being stored, shipped and handled by military personnel stationed at Ascom Depot Korea.

Here's the letter to the Secretary of VA with names and claim number marked out for private reasons:

Honorable Eric K. Shinseki

Secretary of Veterans Affairs

810 Vermont Ave.

Washington D. C. 20420

March 3, 2009

Re: Agent Orange stored at Ascom Depot, Korea

Dear Secretary Shinseki.

I'm writing to request your assistance in helping me and other veterans that served at Ascom Depot (Camp Market) Korea during 1967 to 1969 and acknowledge that Agent Orange was located at Ascom Depot as outlined below. It has been determined that Agent Orange was used in areas along the Demilitarized Zone in Korea.

However, Secretary Shinseki, while I was stationed at Ascom Depot from December 1968 to February 1970 and assigned to Company B, Supply and Transportation Division our unit was the main supply division for the Far East to include areas within Korea. My duties, along with other members of our unit, included receiving and transporting supplies to the Demilitarized Zone and other units within Korea. These supplies would be shipped to us and or picked up at Kimpo Airbase and transported back to Ascom Depot for storage and later to be shipped out to other units.

The Department of Veteran's Affairs claims that Agent Orange was only used in certain areas in Korea. Mr. Secretary, I submit to you that Agent Orange was indeed stored, shipped and handled within the compounds of our unit at Ascom Depot.

More specifically, 55 gallon drums of Agent Orange barrels with warning placards indicating contents were toxic, hazardous and contained herbicides. These barrels had an orange stripe around them, which I knew to be Agent Orange. (We) knew the contents of these barrels were being sprayed to kill out vegetation along the Demilitarized Zone areas. These barrels were stored within the warehouse and on the grounds of Company B, Supply and Transportation Division. Our unit would then ship these barrels via convoy to units along the Demilitarized Zone and on occasion units from the Demilitarized Zone area would come to Ascom Depot to pick up barrels of Agent Orange.

There were times these barrels were punctured by the forklifts while unloading and/or loading them onto trucks to be stored and/or shipped. When these barrels were punctured the contents would leak out large amounts onto the grounds. We would then use temporary means to patch the holes in the barrels to prevent further leakage thus causing me and others to come in direct contact with this deadly herbicide. We would then use water hoses to wash the areas off where the barrels had leaked into a canal that ran along the compound of our unit thus causing the vegetation to die out.

During the time I was stationed at Ascom Depot as an E-5 (Specialist 5) I was only 20 years of age and only doing as directed by my superiors not knowing later in life Agent Orange would cause deaths and numerous health issues not only to my self but to other veterans.

After my departure from Korea in February 1970 I was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas but for only a short period. In April 1970 I volunteered and went to serve my country in Viet Nam.

I presently have a claim (Claim Number XX XXX XXX) filed for hypertension, heart disease, congestive heart failure and a abdominal aortic aneurysm as a direct cause from being exposed to Agent Orange while serving in Korea and while serving in Viet Nam. I've had high blood pressure since 1975 or even before while on active duty with the U. S. Army which is documented in my military medical records. I served in the Army from 1968-1971 and again from 1973 to 1976.

Mr. Secretary, I am not now nor have I ever been a member or affiliated with any Agent Orange Organizations.

I'm solely submitting this request to you as an individual to investigate the fact that Agent Orange was indeed located at Ascom Depot and not just along the borders of the Demilitarized Zone in Korea as documented by the Veteran's Administration and the Department of the Army, U.S. Army and Joint Services Records Research Center in Alexandria, Virginia and ask that you document Agent Orange was at Ascom Depot. I would be willing to testify under oath to everything I've documented in this letter.

Mr. Secretary, I'm submitting a letter addressed to a (name withheld) dated February 10, 2009 from the Department of the Army, U.S. Army and Joint Services Records Research Center in Alexandria, Virginia as an enclosure. It so states they have researched "Available Historical" documentation and unable to locate any reference to the use, spraying, transporting or storage of Agent Orange at Ascom Depot. I believe the key word in this letter to ( Mr. XXXX) would be "Available" Historical documentation.

Although these barrels of Agent Orange were located at Ascom Depot it's not that they were there for long periods of time as they would be shipped shortly or picked up after our unit received them.

I can only assume that documentation on Agent Orange at Ascom Depot did not exist or were not kept for whatever reasons is not for me to know. My testimonial to you is that Agent Orange was located at Company B, Supply and Transportation Division, Ascom Depot, Korea as noted above.

I would appreciate your utmost and immediate attention to this request.

I hereby certify that the information I have given is true and to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Sincerely,

Name withheld.

________________________________________________________________________________

_____

I have wrote "Buddy Letters" to three other Korea Vets that were stationed at Ascom Depot during the periods of 1968 to 1970 as they too suffer from illnesses associated to AO exposure to include one having cancer but they have all been denied and are appealing their claims.

With the evidence I have submitted in my claim, I should at the least be approved for a Service Connection to hypertension. I will continue to fight the VA for ypertension/Heart Disease caused by exposure to AO.

I have been on Social Security Disability since 1995 due to heart disease and other medical issues.

I have since contacted one of my US Congressman for his assistance in helping me with my claim.

So I say to those that were stationed at Ascom Depot during these periods and remember AO being stored, handled and shipped from Ascom to write letters to your Senators and to the Secretary of VA and just maybe the VA will include and acknowledge that AO was in other areas of Korea instead of certain areas along the DMZ as they so report.

Thank you for your time and this great forum.

I will keep you posted on the results of my letter to the Secretary of VA.

[aboogger]

Hello Everyone.

I'm new to the forums but not new to the problems with the VA and Agent Orange exposures associated to several health issues. I served in the Army from 1968 to 1976.

In 2001 I filed a claim for numerous health issues to include heart disease I felt was due to exposure to AO while in Korea and Viet Nam and of course I got denied, so I gave up which I'm sure the VA really appreciated. I served in Korea from 1968 to 1970 at Ascom Depot, (Camp Market) with Company B, Supply and Transportation Division. Then a couple of months after I returned back to the states, I volunteered and went to Viet Nam with assignments at Saigon, Da Nang, Phu Bi, Chu Li and Long Bihn.

When I was going through my separation physical in September 1975 while stationed at Ft. Riley, Kansas, my blood pressure then was 150/90. (I was only 26 years of age). With that blood pressure it prompted the doctors to order a 4 day blood pressure screening at Irwin Army Hospital. They took three different readings in different positions twice a day for these four days. The results showed I had high blood pressure several different times and levels not considered to be high. However, I was NOT aware of these high blood pressure readings nor was I treated for HBP. A few months ago I requested my ENTIRE military records to include ALL medical records. This is when I found the Blood Pressure Screening Report and my Separation Physical from 1975.

In 1991 at the age of 41, I under went an emergency open heart surgery whereas I had 5 bypass grafts. Since then I have suffered 8 heart attacks, lost three of the grafts and have under gone numerous Angiograms. In 1996 I had my eighth heart attack and was almost pronounced dead while having a Heart Cath (Angiogram) and the doctors told my wife to call the family in as I was not going to survive. By the Grace of GOD I'm still here. Since June of 2006 I've had to have several more angiograms performed and now I have 7 Stents inserted in the Left Anterior Descending Artery Graft. I have been diagnosed with Hypertension, Severe Coronary Heart Disease and Congestive Heart Failure along with having an Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm and have a High Mortality Rate. I take a total of 15 different medications daily for my heart disease and high blood pressure, to include "Nitrates daily, Nitro Patch daily and Nitro Spray as needed along with all the other meds.

When the report from the IOM and the National Academy of Science linked Agent Orange to Hypertension in July 2007, I re-opened my claim for Hypertension/Heart Disease due to exposure to AO while in Korea and Viet Nam in February 2008. (Still Pending)

My civilian cardiologist documented his professional opinion in my medical files that my hypertension/heart disease was caused by a direct link to exposure to AO. I have all of my medical files pertaining to my heart condition from 1991 to present and they are all submitted in my claim along with other documents and letters. I had requested all of my records pertaining to my claim from the VA of which they finally sent me everything in my file. I did this because of all the shredding that has been reported and documented so I wanted to make sure everything I've submitted on my behalf was indeed in my file. Luckily I was not one that had evidence destroyed.

I want to mention that I have just recently wrote a letter to the new Secretary of Veteran Affairs pertaining to AO being stored, shipped and handled by military personnel stationed at Ascom Depot Korea.

Here's the letter to the Secretary of VA with names and claim number marked out for private reasons:

Honorable Eric K. Shinseki

Secretary of Veterans Affairs

810 Vermont Ave.

Washington D. C. 20420

March 3, 2009

Re: Agent Orange stored at Ascom Depot, Korea

Dear Secretary Shinseki.

I'm writing to request your assistance in helping me and other veterans that served at Ascom Depot (Camp Market) Korea during 1967 to 1969 and acknowledge that Agent Orange was located at Ascom Depot as outlined below. It has been determined that Agent Orange was used in areas along the Demilitarized Zone in Korea.

However, Secretary Shinseki, while I was stationed at Ascom Depot from December 1968 to February 1970 and assigned to Company B, Supply and Transportation Division our unit was the main supply division for the Far East to include areas within Korea. My duties, along with other members of our unit, included receiving and transporting supplies to the Demilitarized Zone and other units within Korea. These supplies would be shipped to us and or picked up at Kimpo Airbase and transported back to Ascom Depot for storage and later to be shipped out to other units.

The Department of Veteran's Affairs claims that Agent Orange was only used in certain areas in Korea. Mr. Secretary, I submit to you that Agent Orange was indeed stored, shipped and handled within the compounds of our unit at Ascom Depot.

More specifically, 55 gallon drums of Agent Orange barrels with warning placards indicating contents were toxic, hazardous and contained herbicides. These barrels had an orange stripe around them, which I knew to be Agent Orange. (We) knew the contents of these barrels were being sprayed to kill out vegetation along the Demilitarized Zone areas. These barrels were stored within the warehouse and on the grounds of Company B, Supply and Transportation Division. Our unit would then ship these barrels via convoy to units along the Demilitarized Zone and on occasion units from the Demilitarized Zone area would come to Ascom Depot to pick up barrels of Agent Orange.

There were times these barrels were punctured by the forklifts while unloading and/or loading them onto trucks to be stored and/or shipped. When these barrels were punctured the contents would leak out large amounts onto the grounds. We would then use temporary means to patch the holes in the barrels to prevent further leakage thus causing me and others to come in direct contact with this deadly herbicide. We would then use water hoses to wash the areas off where the barrels had leaked into a canal that ran along the compound of our unit thus causing the vegetation to die out.

During the time I was stationed at Ascom Depot as an E-5 (Specialist 5) I was only 20 years of age and only doing as directed by my superiors not knowing later in life Agent Orange would cause deaths and numerous health issues not only to my self but to other veterans.

After my departure from Korea in February 1970 I was stationed at Fort Hood, Texas but for only a short period. In April 1970 I volunteered and went to serve my country in Viet Nam.

I presently have a claim (Claim Number XX XXX XXX) filed for hypertension, heart disease, congestive heart failure and a abdominal aortic aneurysm as a direct cause from being exposed to Agent Orange while serving in Korea and while serving in Viet Nam. I've had high blood pressure since 1975 or even before while on active duty with the U. S. Army which is documented in my military medical records. I served in the Army from 1968-1971 and again from 1973 to 1976.

Mr. Secretary, I am not now nor have I ever been a member or affiliated with any Agent Orange Organizations.

I'm solely submitting this request to you as an individual to investigate the fact that Agent Orange was indeed located at Ascom Depot and not just along the borders of the Demilitarized Zone in Korea as documented by the Veteran's Administration and the Department of the Army, U.S. Army and Joint Services Records Research Center in Alexandria, Virginia and ask that you document Agent Orange was at Ascom Depot. I would be willing to testify under oath to everything I've documented in this letter.

Mr. Secretary, I'm submitting a letter addressed to a (name withheld) dated February 10, 2009 from the Department of the Army, U.S. Army and Joint Services Records Research Center in Alexandria, Virginia as an enclosure. It so states they have researched "Available Historical" documentation and unable to locate any reference to the use, spraying, transporting or storage of Agent Orange at Ascom Depot. I believe the key word in this letter to ( Mr. XXXX) would be "Available" Historical documentation.

Although these barrels of Agent Orange were located at Ascom Depot it's not that they were there for long periods of time as they would be shipped shortly or picked up after our unit received them.

I can only assume that documentation on Agent Orange at Ascom Depot did not exist or were not kept for whatever reasons is not for me to know. My testimonial to you is that Agent Orange was located at Company B, Supply and Transportation Division, Ascom Depot, Korea as noted above.

I would appreciate your utmost and immediate attention to this request.

I hereby certify that the information I have given is true and to the best of my knowledge and belief.

Sincerely,

Name withheld.

________________________________________________________________________________

_____

I have wrote "Buddy Letters" to three other Korea Vets that were stationed at Ascom Depot during the periods of 1968 to 1970 as they too suffer from illnesses associated to AO exposure to include one having cancer but they have all been denied and are appealing their claims.

With the evidence I have submitted in my claim, I should at the least be approved for a Service Connection to hypertension. I will continue to fight the VA for ypertension/Heart Disease caused by exposure to AO.

I have been on Social Security Disability since 1995 due to heart disease and other medical issues.

I have since contacted one of my US Congressman for his assistance in helping me with my claim.

So I say to those that were stationed at Ascom Depot during these periods and remember AO being stored, handled and shipped from Ascom to write letters to your Senators and to the Secretary of VA and just maybe the VA will include and acknowledge that AO was in other areas of Korea instead of certain areas along the DMZ as they so report.

Thank you for your time and this great forum.

I will keep you posted on the results of my letter to the Secretary of VA.

[aboogger]

I wanted to make a correction on the paragraph in my original post.

I had stated "In 1996 I had my eighth heart attack and was almost pronounced dead while having a Heart Cath (Angiogram) and the doctors told my wife to call the family in as I was not going to survive"....It should have been "2006" not "1996"....

Wanted to clarify that date.

[Berta]

There was a broohaha over the AO- HBP situation-someone jumped the gun-and it was reported in the press but this is not a VA regulation-

I assume that VA has ruled out diabetes mellitus as causing your heart disease.

An independent medical opinion that shows that your inservice HBP is medically related to and the cause of your present coronary disease -if it conforms to the IMO format I have posted here under a different format-should help you attain service connection for the heart disease and anything else related to it-

AO was tested and stored at many places in the US pof A per the DOD.

Also a Thailand vet who is member here proved direct SC due to AO in Thailand.

A recent AMC award involved a vet who was proven exposed to AO in Alaska.

You dont have the basis for a presumptive AO claim-as you know-because HBP and CAD or not on the presumptive disability list-

therefore it will take strong medical evidence to associate your inservice HBP to your present coronary condition.

Anything else related to the HBP should be claimed as secondary to it.

Dont know what COngressman/woman you have-

often this is wasted effort that can tie a claim up-they cannot decide a claim -only VA can do that.

if they would consider supporting an amendment to the AO Korea regs, that sure would not be a waste of time.

Just this AM I received word of another vet who served in Korea ,has AO disability, but VA said he was there prior to AO confirmed use dates for the DMZ area.

The AO Korea regs are unfair and should be expanded.The dates as well as the 151 mile long swath south of the civilian control line does not account for AO contamination

of servicemen back at the camps who came in contact with those who were on the Civilian control lines.

[aboogger]

Thank you Berta for your response.

I have never been dignosed with DMII by the VA nor my civilian doctors.

Would I need to amend my present claim to ask for Service Connection for my HBP/Heart Disease being I did have HBP while still on active duty but I was never treated for it while in the service and WAS not aware of it until I requested my military records last year and it was then that I found the four day Blood Pressure Screening performed by a doctor while stationed at Ft. Riley, Kansas 4 months before I was discharged?.

I want my present claim for HBP/Heart Disease due to AO to stay active and upon a denial, which I"m sure I will get, I will file an appeal.

After they review all my evidence I have submitted will the VA take it upon themselves to grant me a SC for high blood pressure/Heart Disease.

The reason I wrote my Congressman wasn't so much for assistance to my claim but for other reasons pertaining to the claim but not specifically to help me get approved for HBP/CHD due to agent orange.

[jdawg]

It sure would be nice to see how you are progressing now since the VA Sec made a presumptive decision to include ischemic heart. I am so happy for you

Thank you Berta for your response.

I have never been dignosed with DMII by the VA nor my civilian doctors.

Would I need to amend my present claim to ask for Service Connection for my HBP/Heart Disease being I did have HBP while still on active duty but I was never treated for it while in the service and WAS not aware of it until I requested my military records last year and it was then that I found the four day Blood Pressure Screening performed by a doctor while stationed at Ft. Riley, Kansas 4 months before I was discharged?.

I want my present claim for HBP/Heart Disease due to AO to stay active and upon a denial, which I"m sure I will get, I will file an appeal.

After they review all my evidence I have submitted will the VA take it upon themselves to grant me a SC for high blood pressure/Heart Disease.

The reason I wrote my Congressman wasn't so much for assistance to my claim but for other reasons pertaining to the claim but not specifically to help me get approved for HBP/CHD due to agent orange.