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?

[Berta]

“Because the missions were illegal, they were, of course, classified as was most of what we did in Southeast Asia during the 60s.”

My daughter's MOS was classified and Top Secret. She was assured (and our former in house lawyer Alex Humphrey at hadit agreed) that the VA via JSRRC center can declassify anything needed for VA claims purposes.

You might want to contact JSRRC yourself and see what they can do.

Countless Thailand vets had succeed by reviewing and using material gathered by hadit member Kurt Priessman.

Kurt's work caused VA to issue a C & P bulletin regarding Thailand claims.

The TDY in Thailand ,if proven to have exposed you to AO would be one more way to go along with the Okinawa claim.

Don't give up!

[Yokohama Jo]

... and this is the latest: http://www.veteranstoday.com/2011/09/24/agent-orange-okinawa/

It seems like the issue is becoming bigger and bigger,

YJ

[Berta]

Yes-hopefully it is-

thanks for this current link to this info!

[michellegatz]

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.

I have a veteran that I am working with, we filled out a request that asked for a search for top secret mission or classified missions and gave the date that the veteran was on TDY, we sent it to the federal building, you can get the form from your POA.