diabetes Camp Casey South Korea And Herbicides In 1970

[corvet]

I'm searching for advice.

Like many other veterans I am appealing a compensation benefits claim for disabilities related to herbicide exposure while serving in Korea.

The VA has confirmed my diabetes II and secondary conditions through my medical records but denied the claim due to lack of evidence for herbicide exposure. They said that Camp Casey was too far from the DMZ for me to have been exposed and that I arrived 4 ½ months after the herbicide spraying had ended.

Bottomlime is I spent almost 13 months at Camp Casey South Korea.

Arriving at the end of 1969 – herbicides were still in the ground - dioxin remains in the ground for decades.

At the time I was stationed there, Camp Casey was home for the 7^th Infantry Division and provided artillery, engineering and signal support personnel for the DMZ troops.

The 7^th Infantry Division defended the DMZ and since I was part of the signal corps I had guard duty along the DMZ when it was requested. The problem there is guard duty was out of my MOS and there weren't any notations in my personnel file.

What can I do to help myself. I don't mind doing the research I just need to know what new direction I should pursue.

Thanks.

[carl corcoran]

I served there at the same time, infantry mos, and assigned as the Driver for the Command Sergeant Major, Division H Q>  On two consecutive days, a newly imported Captain, that had used up all his deferments and  was heading to Vietnam,  angrily, formed groups in front of the HQ mess hall and had Herbicides sprayed on us, from a truck .

 He kept yelling that "You are all going to Viet Nam, so you better get used to it".

This truck regularly defoliated the creek that ran past Division H Q ( I slept next to HQ)  and the roads that led to underground munitions bunkers.  Most of the soldiers caught in this guys web were from the Color Guard and the G-sections.  This same captain was soon after shipped out for breaking and entering our quonset hut. 

As the cloud of defoilent expanded, those of us lost in the cloud, fell out of formation and sought cover in the mess hall directly behind us.  The problem was that despite an air lock,  the door was held open while a crush of men rushed to get inside.  There is no doubt in my mind that the entire mess hall was contaminated on those days..  Anyone else out there recall?

Another problem is that the use of herbicides to keep maneuver areas and roadways clear was common knowledge.  Why hasn"t the officer core stood up?  Or is there NO honor in the Corps.  I don't say that lightly, having the honor of driving, once, for Brig. Gen. Hal Moore.