Agent Orange Stored And Sprayed Okinawa 1960s

[mozartplayer]

I was stationed at Kadena Air Base, Okinawa 1961-63 and at Howard Air Base, Canal Zone summer 1963. Agent Orange is believed to have been stored and sprayed during that time both Okinawa and the Canal Zone. I believe I was possibly exposed to AO both places and was diagnosed and treated for prostate cancer in 2005 and have since been diagnosed with hairy cell leukemia, both diseases the VA now considers to be associated with exposure to Agent Orange. The VA Board of Appeals in a 1998 decision approved compensation benefits for a former U.S. Marine on the basis of developing prostate cancer allegedly caused by his exposure to Agent Orange while stationed Okinawa 1961-1962. I filed a VA claim for compensation August 2009,but it is still pending. I wonder how many other veterans were exposed to Agent Orange while stationed Okinawa or Canal Zone during the early 1960s?

[Yokohama Jo]

Over the past two weeks, there have been many reports about the use of Agent Orange in Okinawa - including the alleged burial of barrels in Chatan.

Here is the latest from The Japan Times: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/nn20110813a1.html

YJ

[Berta]

Thanks A lot for this link!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

What a photo.

[Yokohama Jo]

Berta,

That's the second photograph of a barrel of Agent Orange on Okinawa.

You can see the first photograph in this April 2011 newspaper story: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/fl20110412zg.html

YJ

[Yokohama Jo]

This Youtube video gives the up date on the issue - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=px9Isg4wnRU&feature=share

There is a part 2, too.

Things are on the verge of breaking big - so be sure to keep googling agent+orange+okinawa

YJ

[Berta]

I posted this case here years ago and it still seems to be the only BVA award for AO Okinawa but maybe there have been more awards.

The details of the case and how the veteran's MOS put him into exposure shows what it takes to get this type of claim awarded:

http://www.va.gov/vetapp98/files1/9800877.txt

[mozartplayer]

I was TDY for brief periods to both Tan Son Nhut and Don Muang in Thailand in 1962 during the time I was PCS at Kadena, Okinawa 1961-1963, but TDY orders for both were missing as was TDY orders for my TDY to Howard AFB, Canal Zone late 1963. VA denied my Agent Orange claim in Fed. 2011 (prostate cancer and hairy cell leukemia), but gave me a 10% rating in April for my acute cervical osteoarthritis associated with a neck injury suffered in 1962 working on aircraft for which I was treated multiple times in Air Force hospitals and for which I had copies of Air Force medical records. I have searched all BVA decisions rendered since 1998, but have not found any related to Agent Orange exposure on Okinawa other than the decision dated 1/131/98. That ex-marine was fortunate to get approved what with DOD and the VA all disavowing Agent Orange was ever stored or used on Okinawa which most of us believe is not true. I suspect my missing TDY orders are related to the fact I was working on RF-101 reconnaissance aircraft which were flying photo-recon missions over Laos in violation of the Geneva Accord of 1954. Because the missions were illegal, they were, of course, classified as was most of what we did in Southeast Asia during the 60s. I plan to soon appeal the Feb. 2011 Agent Orange denial, knowing I have until Feb. 2012 to do so. I am grateful for the 10% rating for my cervical osteoarthritis, but am hoping to avoid surgery as I'm also trying to avoid chemotherapy for the hairy cell leukemia which was diagnosed in Marcy 2007, but other than seeing my oncologist every 3 or 4 months, I do not yet require chemotherapy. Considering it's an incurable disease, I know that I will require chemotherapy in due time. I don't expect in my lifetime to see the government admit to having used Agent Orange on Okinawa, but I will continue to research it. I was successfully treated for prostate cancer in 2005, but I'll never know if both my prostate cancer and hairy cell leukemia were associated with exposure to Agent Orange, but with both diseases being on the Presumptive list, I have to believe there's a connection, especially with having been assigned to several locations where Agent Orange was known to have been used.