Blue Water Navy Veterans And Drinking Water

[68mustang]

Found this on the web about the possibility that potable water used by U.S. Navy warships during the Vietnam War could have been contaminated with Agent Orange. I believe the testimony took place during 2008.

68mustang

http://democrats.veterans.house.gov/hearings/Testimony.aspx?TID=72838&Newsid=571&Name=%20Reserve%20Officers%20Association%20%20of%20the%20United%20States

[Berta]

I am a member of Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Assoc. ( I am widow and not a vet and my husband was AO but not Blue Water) and have been following the BWN plight for years.

There is much more recent testimony at the H VAC regarding this issue from John Rossie and also Commander Wells.

While the distillation process did not distill any AO residue, this issue has been again disregarded in the recent IOM report on Blue Water Navy.I posted the immediate info IOM released on Blue Water Navy veterans and the full report will follow when IOM releases it.It is in the AO forum here.

John Rossie (President of BWN) , Carol Olzenanki (BWN widow )Sue Belanger,A notable NY advocate, John Wells ( attorney as well as BWN vet) and a few others have been VERY instrumental in keeping BWN issues in the forefront.

The ships list will potentially grow as vets come forward with proof of how their ship was contaminated with AO. As the ships list stands however -one must look over the list carefully and see why some ships are on it and others might never be.

If I have time I will post the testimony links.

BWN vets have superb advocates on their side.

But in my opinion the BWN issue is like the SHAD issue,in one respect. There needs to be a data base of commonality as to what AO presumptives are prevalent in BWN vets whose ships did not have access to Brown Water or did not dock on the shore of Vietnam.

The Danang Harbor info and other documents at BWN (bluewaternavy.org)are excellent as so is the testimony at the H VAC from JR and Wells.

There is also reference in the new VA OIG report I believe -which I have not read in full yet as to this issue and how claims are not being handled properly regarding BWN vets.

Years ago I was chastised here for suggesting that the plumes of AO went across the Seventh Fleet.I was not far fetched on that at all =as I found out when I joined BWVVVA.

I also believe sea birds (who can store dioxon in their fatty tissues) exposed sailors to AO by crapping on the decks of ships far from the shores of Vietnam.

After I finished my degree in 2007 with 2 environmental science courses, I learned more about dioxin and presented that info in some way to JR or John Wells or both (I forget)at the time.

I hear from Carol Olzanecki (BWN member) every week and she is aggressively on this issue all the time with John Wells and JR.

Would you be interested in contacting BWN and doing some research that the advocates might have overlooked??

After I succeed in my AO claim I hope I can focus more on research for BWN vets.

It would be great if some of them are still alive when the VA finally recognizes their exposure to AO in Blue Water of the Pacific..

The enemy of all Vietnam vets who served on land or at sea and in some cases air- during the war -

is TIME.

Edited May 22, 2011 by Berta

[Berta]

Here it is:

http://democrats.veterans.house.gov/hearings/hearing.aspx?NewsID=571

[68mustang]

I am a member of Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Assoc. ( I am widow and not a vet and my husband was AO but not Blue Water) and have been following the BWN plight for years.

There is much more recent testimony at the H VAC regarding this issue from John Rossie and also Commander Wells.

While the distillation process did not distill any AO residue, this issue has been again disregarded in the recent IOM report on Blue Water Navy.I posted the immediate info IOM released on Blue Water Navy veterans and the full report will follow when IOM releases it.It is in the AO forum here.

John Rossie (President of BWN) , Carol Olzenanki (BWN widow )Sue Belanger,A notable NY advocate, John Wells ( attorney as well as BWN vet) and a few others have been VERY instrumental in keeping BWN issues in the forefront.

The ships list will potentially grow as vets come forward with proof of how their ship was contaminated with AO. As the ships list stands however -one must look over the list carefully and see why some ships are on it and others might never be.

If I have time I will post the testimony links.

BWN vets have superb advocates on their side.

But in my opinion the BWN issue is like the SHAD issue,in one respect. There needs to be a data base of commonality as to what AO presumptives are prevalent in BWN vets whose ships did not have access to Brown Water or did not dock on the shore of Vietnam.

The Danang Harbor info and other documents at BWN (bluewaternavy.org)are excellent as so is the testimony at the H VAC from JR and Wells.

There is also reference in the new VA OIG report I believe -which I have not read in full yet as to this issue and how claims are not being handled properly regarding BWN vets.

Years ago I was chastised here for suggesting that the plumes of AO went across the Seventh Fleet.I was not far fetched on that at all =as I found out when I joined BWVVVA.

I also believe sea birds (who can store dioxon in their fatty tissues) exposed sailors to AO by crapping on the decks of ships far from the shores of Vietnam.

After I finished my degree in 2007 with 2 environmental science courses, I learned more about dioxin and presented that info in some way to JR or John Wells or both (I forget)at the time.

I hear from Carol Olzanecki (BWN member) every week and she is aggressively on this issue all the time with John Wells and JR.

Would you be interested in contacting BWN and doing some research that the advocates might have overlooked??

After I succeed in my AO claim I hope I can focus more on research for BWN vets.

It would be great if some of them are still alive when the VA finally recognizes their exposure to AO in Blue Water of the Pacific..

The enemy of all Vietnam vets who served on land or at sea and in some cases air- during the war -

is TIME.

Thank you Berta for the info. I served on a ship in 1967 that had recently returned from Vietnam Keppler (DD 765) and I have checked the listings of ships in Vietnam. I know that the ship was in Operation Sea Dragon in 1967, but I have yet to see it listed. I have seen other ships that were there at the same time listed. The Keppler took a direct hit to one of its gun mounts so it must have been near the shoreline.

As for being chastised about the plumes of Agent Orange. It is ironic that our government can accept that pollution can happen to creeks and rivers and that pollution can travel all the way to open seas. Yet cannot accept that Agent Orange could have gotten in the open seas in Vietnam through water runoff from land and by rivers into which Agent Orange was sprayed. Thank again for the info.

68mustang