Korea AO-new bill announced

[Berta]

Korean War veterans exposed to Agent Orange in close proximity to the DMZ and were serving in any units in the link below from Hill And Ponton law firm

are controlled by the regulations within this link:

https://www.hillandponton.com/va-presumptives-korean-veterans/

Yesterday however , a new bill has been announced by Congressman Tom Mac Arthur to extend the date to 6 months earlier than the standing April 1, 1968 date. While only 1,000 or 1,500 vets might be affected by this bill ,if it changes the AO regulations, still it will be more equitable treatment for those veterans.

I only hope they are still alive, and if they have AO presumptives, that they will file a claim.

These are the older regulations ( the units are listed in the Hill and Ponton link above)

“When the VA established 38 C.F.R. §3.307, a small section was added for the benefit of Korean veterans. Section 6 (iv) of this regulation stipulates that, in order to be presumed service-connected for the diseases listed in 38 C.F.R. §3.309, a veteran who served in Korea must have served in the following conditions:

·       During active military, naval or air service, between April 1, 1968 and August 31, 1971

AND

• In a unit that, as determined by the Department of Defense, operated in or near the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) in an areas in which herbicides were known to have been applied during that period.”

 

 

 

 

 

[Ed Ball]

We understand, by law, that the VA will only recognize those on the dates posted in their regulations, "But!" I would take it a step further and challenge the longevity of dioxin and it's life cycle in the soil.  The basis of this logic stems from the Hatfield Group Inc's Agent Orange Reports and soil, water, aquatic vegetation, fish, and breast milk samples obtained in 2004/2005, Vietnam Operation Ranch Hand missions ceased in 1972. This company was funded by the Ford Foundation to do so. We find that soil samples along the Da Nang tarmac was 365 times the acceptable global standards. Ben Hoi airfield the soil sample was 1,000 times the acceptable global standards. 

So my immediate question is "what makes the DMZ of Korea any different?" Also, you may want to research the safety precautions taken by the USAID Remediation Efforts in Da Nang "today" and ask yourselves, why are their personnel wearing protective clothing/hazmat suits? Just the safety guidelines they've undertaken to ensure a safe cleanup of the environment leaves many VA related questions about the extent of dioxin contamination on the DMZ today unanswered. That in itself would be a wonderful guideline for private medical opinions for those serving outside of the dates cited by VA.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) is the United States Government agency primarily responsible for administering civilian foreign aid. Ask yourselves, why does our government bankroll cleanup efforts of dioxin in Vietnam, but fails to support veterans who are serving, or have served on Korea's DMZ outside of the dates regulated by the VA? I fully believe there is more than enough medical evidence to prove the life cycle of herbicides within soil that will continue to debilitate men and women serving until a major cleanup is made of the Korean DMZ much like those efforts being taken in Vietnam today.

[Berta]

I completely agree with you.

Even the C 123s were found to have been contamined by dioxin, and those regulations are here.

https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/locations/residue-c123-aircraft/index.asp

I am very familiar with the Hatfield Study and certainly know John Rossie , Carol, Sue  and Cmdr.Wells, via our radio shows here and the BWN site.and the Blue Water Navy problems. I have not seen any Blue Water vets here in years.

The run offs of the tributaries in Vietnam ran into the Danang Harbor. It just makes sense.

When I was at AMU I took a science course that revealed sea birds can keep dioxins in their systems for a long time.I am a civilian but would imagine, those birds alighted and crapped all over the ship decks in Danang Harbor.

Maybe even on the sailors or their food.

And of course there is the distillation situation.

AO is not over....they are considering some new presumptives and we will know by November what they will be ( if they actually add some)

Welcome to hadit! You are speaking my lanquage.I am an AO widow.

My husband, and then I as his widow, were in the original AO settlement fund. 

[Ed Ball]

Appreciate the Welcome Aboard! Hoping to make some further contributions in the future. I've worked Rossie and John Wells, so familiar with them and numerous others. 

Just receive a call over the weekend from a family member of a Blue Water Navy veteran that won his AO claim while at anchorage in Vung Tau based on water barges, and sadly received noticed yesterday he has passed, but the key issue is the surviving spouse will be eligible for DIC benefits.

Another key factor for numerous Blue Water Navy veterans is the VA contention that no one ran their water distillation plants in the harbors of Vietnam because of the contamination. Which is not true.

We know that the USS Sanctuary (AH-17) did in fact run their water distillation system at Da Nang Harbor anchorage as noted in their 1967 Cruise Book. They took it a step further and explained how the system worked. Now of course we all know that a Public Affairs Officer relies on his/her committee to develop the Cruise Book, but the final signature will come from the Commanding Officer for official release. Making it an official document.

I have had numerous Blue Water Navy naval gunfire support and Operation Market Time shipmates setting across my desk stating they ran their plants 24/7 up and down the coast of Vietnam. As you mentioned, estuarial waters were rampant in those areas. Each time the ship anchored, the contaminated sediment from the ocean floor was taken up by evaporators into the water distillation systems and enriched 10 times as noted by IOM in their peer review of Australia's Mortality Study of 2005.

 

But we keep marching forward, and share things the VA would rather we not know.