Does Sharing A Kodak Moment Work?

[Bigred122]

It's been one of those weeks. Ticker has been acting up and the thought that my claim may out live me ticks me off.So I thought I better try something different so that maybe my kid will be able to get what the system screwed me outta of. Since seeing it here and reading a couple of court cases where the Vet gave them tons of medical studies, articles and medical opinions from all over the world about their disability and to see the VA blow off the info. Example: Vet includes Einsteins Theory as evidence. The VA responds: " Although Einstein is well known for E= MC2, it is still ONLY a theory.And since the MC in his theory doesn't stand for Michael Curtis, we have to deny this theory as being evidence of your POSSIBLE disability." Even tho on their ebenefits website, they ask for such information to prove your disability association, they at the end just dismiss this information.

What I want to do is send them some copies of some pictures of me out in the field providing communications for such units as the 72nd Armour and the 32nd Calvary in South Korea. Both of these units are on the APPROVED for AO list. These pictures show us more in the weeds than these units are.lol They tear up alot of ground when they are out there playing and nothing grows there for quite sometime. These are just two of the units that our platoon has provided communications out on field manuevers. I've included a few pictures of us on the other Koreas side of the border and the 20' boat with the single beaver tail paddle we used to get to the other side of the river. They will be able to verify the pictures from their satelittes. I'm sure not to much has changed since 1972!! I've also included a picture of one of my buddies Headstone who I served with in Korea and is in the pictures with me. He passed away in 2003 of cancer. He was a Great friend and a Damn good soldier!! He re-entered the service and did 2 tours in the Persian gulf where he was presented a Bronze Star! The funny thing is, we both enlisted in the service in Oregon. Yet he is buried just 50 miles from where I live now. I was looking for my buddies I served with in Korea to get buddy letters for my claim when I found out about him. The rest of the platoon are still alive according to SSA but that is all that they would give me.I only hope that they are not dealing with all the health problems that Ron and I have dealt with. Ron and I loved what we did and was always the first to volunteer for field manuevers duty.Awwww the stories we shared. Anyway, has anyone tried telling their stories thru pictures. They show where I was, who we were with and the weeds we setup in. Duty rosters are often the type of things that come up missing.I was saving the idea of using pictures for if I got denied.But this weeks flareups has convinced me to include it now to maybe stop a denial on the claim. My AO claim is probably my weakest of my claims especially since seeing all these blowoffs by the VA with medical articles and other studies relating to Agent Orange. Hopefully these pictures will show the VA that these units could not do their jobs without us providing communications to them and Division Headquarters on what their mission was. Where they walked, we walked and etc. These pictures should show the correlation between the two units and what they were exsposed to we also was exposed to the same conditions. Veldrina, have you seen anyone use pictures as evidence??? Mike

[Chuck75]

Pictures can help a claim.

The problems can be such things as:

The veteran had taken a picture of a specific location. Substantiating evidence is needed to show that the location is actually where the veteran says it is, and the date.

Then, if the veteran is not in the picture that opens another set of problems.

An example might be a picture of a pier in Vietnam taken from a ship. Is enough of the ship in the picture to show that the ship was tied to the pier.

Is the veteran visible in the picture? (Ship's deck log entries would show the details, if they can be obtained, and the picture really becomes "that's nice".)

I fully agree with you about the lengthy times the VA takes to "adjudicate" a claim. And then, the claim is often improperly rated, causing the process to stretch out several more years.

From the VA's viewpoint, "saving money", "minimizing awards", and denying or delaying valid claims are more important than following the law. After all, "saving money" helps to justify administrators bonus program awards.

It's especially egregious when the awards often greatly exceed the average compensation paid to veterans.

I'm going to mention another Dioxin related problem as an example of the government's attempts to minimize veteran's claims and compensation.

The Treasure Island Navy Base in San Francisco Bay (now closed) is an EPA "Superfund Site". Vietnam era sailors sent to the 7th fleet ships and various far east locations such as Japan were routinely sent to the Fire Fighting School

for "refresher training" prior to overseas travel and assignment. Training included fighting small, extremely smokey fires in confined and enclosed spaces as well as larger fires on such things as aircraft mockups. The sailors often were deliberately not given

equipment that might have filtered out such things. (Simulation of emergency conditions, don't you know.)

The fuel was a mixture of various things, including waste oils, diesel, and other liquid flammable substances. The residue from this heavily contaminated the fire school with dioxin.

Thus, tens of thousands of Vietnam Era sailors were exposed to dioxin before they ever went to Vietnam, or other locations in the far east.

It's been one of those weeks. Ticker has been acting up and the thought that my claim may out live me ticks me off.So I thought I better try something different so that maybe my kid will be able to get what the system screwed me outta of. Since seeing it here and reading a couple of court cases where the Vet gave them tons of medical studies, articles and medical opinions from all over the world about their disability and to see the VA blow off the info. Example: Vet includes Einsteins Theory as evidence. The VA responds: " Although Einstein is well known for E= MC2, it is still ONLY a theory.And since the MC in his theory doesn't stand for Michael Curtis, we have to deny this theory as being evidence of your POSSIBLE disability." Even tho on their ebenefits website, they ask for such information to prove your disability association, they at the end just dismiss this information.

What I want to do is send them some copies of some pictures of me out in the field providing communications for such units as the 72nd Armour and the 32nd Calvary in South Korea. Both of these units are on the APPROVED for AO list. These pictures show us more in the weeds than these units are.lol They tear up alot of ground when they are out there playing and nothing grows there for quite sometime. These are just two of the units that our platoon has provided communications out on field manuevers. I've included a few pictures of us on the other Koreas side of the border and the 20' boat with the single beaver tail paddle we used to get to the other side of the river. They will be able to verify the pictures from their satelittes. I'm sure not to much has changed since 1972!! I've also included a picture of one of my buddies Headstone who I served with in Korea and is in the pictures with me. He passed away in 2003 of cancer. He was a Great friend and a Damn good soldier!! He re-entered the service and did 2 tours in the Persian gulf where he was presented a Bronze Star! The funny thing is, we both enlisted in the service in Oregon. Yet he is buried just 50 miles from where I live now. I was looking for my buddies I served with in Korea to get buddy letters for my claim when I found out about him. The rest of the platoon are still alive according to SSA but that is all that they would give me.I only hope that they are not dealing with all the health problems that Ron and I have dealt with. Ron and I loved what we did and was always the first to volunteer for field manuevers duty.Awwww the stories we shared. Anyway, has anyone tried telling their stories thru pictures. They show where I was, who we were with and the weeds we setup in. Duty rosters are often the type of things that come up missing.I was saving the idea of using pictures for if I got denied.But this weeks flareups has convinced me to include it now to maybe stop a denial on the claim. My AO claim is probably my weakest of my claims especially since seeing all these blowoffs by the VA with medical articles and other studies relating to Agent Orange. Hopefully these pictures will show the VA that these units could not do their jobs without us providing communications to them and Division Headquarters on what their mission was. Where they walked, we walked and etc. These pictures should show the correlation between the two units and what they were exsposed to we also was exposed to the same conditions. Veldrina, have you seen anyone use pictures as evidence??? Mike

Edited June 14, 2011 by Chuck75

[Bigred122]

Hope you all don't mind me squeezing in here but I enjoy any and all info about AO in the ROK. Most of my time in service was in Korea, 72-76. I was with the 2nd Infantry Div. stationed at Camp Casey and Camp Howze. Both are near the DMZ. Before I ask this question, I want to say I don't have any illnesses due to AO, but, other vets I been reading has. My question is, it's been proven they used AO along the Z in what, 68 & 69, why is it then BOG isn't applied. Our Co. was a support Bat. with many excursions along the Z. It's my impression the VA is saying the Vets weren't in jeopardy after 69. But yet, in Nam, all you have to prove is Boots On Ground miles from where it was sprayed. I guess I'm not understanding their logic.

Welcome fellow TDCer!! I was at Camp Casey with the 122nd Signal Bn 1971-1972. If you were with one of the recognized units the time period now goes to Fall of 1971. Like you, we were a support unit providing the different units communication needs.

Chuck75, too bad we weren't warned of the stuff around us then. I could have taken better pictures. I've attached the pictures I sent my RO. I made sure some were of me and a good friend who passed away early at the age of 51. I sent them a picture of his head stone also. Pictures are of the 72 Armor and the 32nd Infantry. The tanks look like antiques compared to the M1A1s. The other pictures are of us and our escapades on both sides of the border.lol We had a good friend who was a Katusa soldier(Korean soldier stationed with American forces) that we took everywhere with us to get us out of sticky situations. Awww to be young and dumb again with NO FEAR. I don't know if the pictures will work or not.But they put faces to the words and descriptions of illnesses and injuries. Life is always a 50/50 shot. And if it works, it's another crack in the wall for My Brothers to go thru.And that is what matters.The more cracks the better until no more wall exist!!! Like the Korny Unit saying says" SECOND TO NONE", not about to run!! Mike

1971SOUTHKOREA.pdf

[cooter]

Bigred

I was also in the same unit with Bravo Co. I was diverted from Nam and arrived in ROK early part of 72. Was you with Alpha Co? I think that's what it said on the sign by the quonset hut. So the time period now is Fall of 71 huh. Who knows, we could have ran into each other at one time or nother.

[Bigred122]

Bigred

I was also in the same unit with Bravo Co. I was diverted from Nam and arrived in ROK early part of 72. Was you with Alpha Co? I think that's what it said on the sign by the quonset hut. So the time period now is Fall of 71 huh. Who knows, we could have ran into each other at one time or nother.

I was in Bravo Company 3rd Platoon. Do you remember the Change of Command the summer of 1972? They were suppose to use Korean nationals to do the Area Beautification of Camp Casey. They were given 7 million to do the job. Instead they used Bad Boyz like myself to spray weeds along the roadside and plant trees.( I wondered who pocketed the 7 Mil??) I don't know what we were spraying, but it worked. You were probably there when they had the BIG Riot at TDC(Tongduchon).Started with Blacks against MPs and ended up USA against the Koreans.We had way too much fun back then. It's amazing what one could trade for with a case of K rations or 5 Gallons of gas out in the field.lol We'd be on top of some far away mountain, 20 miles to the next village and once it got dark you'd see lanterns swinging their way up the mountain side. Eventually Mommasan and her lovely daughters would arrive and the Korean version of "Lets Make a Deal" would begin. Do you realize how much room there really is in a mummy bag.*wink* The rest of the company could never understand why the same 5 of us always volunteered for Field manuevers. I was sure glad I held two mos 31M20 and 31N20 (Radio relay/Carrier equipment and Tactical Circuit Controller) I had to know every method of communications to qualify as a 31N20.My Top Secret clearance was still good 10 yrs ago, when I helped a Fly boy and he treated me to a day at the Bombing range. Way cool!! Glad to see your not suffering from any of the diseases associated with Agent Orange. You must have stayed on base most of your time there. Most of those I have met who spent time out in the field are now suffering the effects if not a victim of an early demize.Take Care of yourself!! Mike

[cooter]

I was in the 3rd platoon also. I will be willing to bet we know each other! Was you in the hippy hut, the one that everyone had partitions to separate their living areas? Was you the one that had a blacklight with Jimmy Hendrix posters hanging. If you are who I think you are, you know who I am. Did you have reddish hair and a mustache?

[cooter]

We also had a katusa in our platoon named Kim

Edited June 14, 2011 by cooter