IS IT COMMON KNOWLEDGE MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF AGENT ORANGE SPRAYED ON EGLIN AFB?

[KCAC]

I had searched and downloaded many old files working on my Thai AO claim and just got around to reading this old report.  I had not seen it mentioned previously than Eglin was a test site from 1962 to 1970 and Massive (their term) amounts of tactical herbicides aerial sprayed there including much Orange.  Attached is a very informative multiple 21 page PDF report.  On page PDF page 15 is this statement.  Since it was thought to be safe enough to drink (per a 1968 US Scientific report to the Military). I doubt any precautions were taken for base personnel as they did not take precautions when spraying  on any Military bases at the time. I see Dr Orange (Alvin Young) mentioned here as so often on any report over the past 40 years, taking his usual paid stance that Vets were not harmed by these dioxins.  I read this is that they only tested a square mile sprayed, long after the fact. Not that they only sprayed one square mile.  I think it highly likely they test sprayed far more than a square mile, if they were aerial testing.  In the Bricker report, they tested spraying at various altitudes, some much high than the 150 ft or so that later became the norm in Vietnam.  Again, this is pasted from PDF page 15 of the attached report.

"ECOLOGICAL STUDIES ON A HERBICIDE-EQUIPMENT TEST AREA (TA C-52A) EGLIN AFB RESERVATION, FLORIDA, FINAL REPORT: JANUARY 1967 TO NOVEMBEr 1973
The Air Force Systems Command studied the ecological consequences of repetitive applications of massive quantities of herbicides from 1962 to 1970. The Command studied approximately one square mile at the Eglin Air Force Base Reservat on in Florida. During this period, 346,117, pounds of herbicides (including 160,948 pounds of 2,4,5-T) were spread on the test area because of aerial spray equipment testing programs. The January 1974 report was authored by Capt. Alvin L. Young, Ph.D; Associate Professor of Life Sciences, United States Air Force Academy"

 

AO SPRAYED IN FLORIDA EARLY REPORT IMP.pdf

 

[KCAC]

Thanks Again Berta,

A HUGE negative for Thai Vets imo, is the latest CRS on AO and history of Vet issues does Not Mention Thai Vets at all, plenty of say on Navy Blue water, but as usual Thai Vets ignored.  CRS's (appropriate name) or Congressional Report Summary are the detailed briefs congress uses to understand/ work on the various bills.  This was written Nov 2014, well after the VA half ass acknowledged Thai Exposure.  It is 25 pages and I could not find the word Thailand in it.  Even though on page 11 is a topic of areas sprayed outside of Vietnam.  It is likely one big reason congress is so out of touch on Thai Vets and AO..

https://fas.org/sgp/crs/misc/R43790.pdf

Edited February 12, 2017 by KCAC
correction

[MikeHunt]

My understanding of the Royal Thai issue was primarily massive use of commercial herbicides.

JSRRC then says the irrelevant: tactical herbicides were only used early in the war. (Openly contradicting the presumptive dates in place for Royal Thai)

The problem you Royal Thai Vets have is there's no one-stop center for you- One person goes to one Legion office, another goes to the DAV- and so on. If there were a Royal Thai association it would be easy to get buddy statements, collect what worked to get connection, and useful documents  (Like KCAC's Photo)

[MikeHunt]

On 2/10/2017 at 10:33 AM, KCAC said:

I read this is that they only tested a square mile sprayed, long after the fact. Not that they only sprayed one square mile.  I think it highly likely they test sprayed far more than a square mile,

".. During this period, 346,117, pounds of herbicides (including 160,948 pounds of 2,4,5-T) .."

I think that would be a safe assumption! If they applied that much on just one square mile, it would be deep enough to moor ships!

[KCAC]

Here are my thoughts on it.  In Vietnam, it was not banned for use outside the bases.  So, the base perimeter could be cleared outside of the fence line with AO type Herbicides to have the clear fire zone and see any attackers prior to them getting to the fence.  In Thailand, AO was banned outside of the fence line, so they had to set up those clear fire zone perimeters inside of the bases.  Since the commanders were being told by the top scientists in the late 60's AO was safe enough to drink, there was no concern for the base personnel and they used it freely. I think it is as likely as not that Thai Vets were exposed as much if not more than In Country Vietnam Vets.   General John Murray, in his very important and detailed 362 page report (attached) to the Reagan White AO committee in 1986 (PDF page 20) said:

 Exposure (Continued);
3. Perimeter Sprays; Potentially the most damaging areas were not where the Infantryman patrolled and fought but rather back at the fire bases, airfields, depots and fixed installations. Here the perimeters were routinely sprayed by "decon trucks", low flying helicopter and Buffalo Turbine apparatus designed as neighborhood foggers. Backpack sprayers were also used in abundance. Closeness to the soil, rotorblade downdraft, less wind drift, caused more penetration. Troops were particularly interested in the spray as a matter of survival and not, as veterans, the opposite - a toxic route to unintended or long distance illness. They saw the spray as life-enhancing, not as life debilitating. If any place was religiously and abundantly sprayed with intensity and effort, then it was here, at the fixed installations. Defoliation was rather satisfying where it happens, near, within, and beyond barbed wire. Sprayed areas exposed creeping sappers, helped in establishing mine fields and offered open fields of fire. Roads and river lines of communications were sprayed by this perimeter type spray operation, as well as by Ranch Hand.
 

AO VERY IMP 86 REPORT TO THE PRESIDENT.pdf