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COPD / Asthma related to dirt road dust sprayed with Agents Orange and Blue in South Korea DMZ

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Dennis Urban

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While serving on the DMZ between the Koreas in 1968, we constantly traveled in open trucks, convoy style, from our camps to our positions on the barrier fence, to go to our patrol jump off places, or to go into the DMZ for GP (Guard Post) hilltop positions. Every day the dirt roads were nothing but pure dust, and we would breathe this into our lungs usually twice a day for 20 minutes or more per trip. While in country I suffered no breathing problems, as well as when I was discharged. About 12 years ago I noticed that I was short of breathe a lot, especially when I would be playing around with my grandchildren. Shortly after that, I went to a specialist doctor who determined that I had a "unknown" breathing problem, which he said was COPD/Asthma. Since then I went to a second doctor, who confirmed I indeed had a problem, complicated by Sleep Apnea during two overnight "Sleep Exams". Currently I use three (3) different inhalers, and use a CPAC Nasal Mask whenever I lay down to rest or sleep. My CPAC is set at #9, because they found during the 2nd sleep study about 2 years ago, that I have a "arrhythmia" of my heart, which goes away once I am put past #8 on my CPAC Machine. I filed a claim for Compensation based on exposure to chemicals sprayed onto the dirt roads as "Dust Control", these chemicals being Agent Orange and Agent Blue (which had Arsenic as part of it's makeup). It was denied. I filed a appeal with even more information. It was denied. I have now filed a appeal to the BVA, and am in the process of getting a even stronger support letter from my breathing doctor. and am using excerpts from a book written by two Sgts. and a Officer who actually sprayed this stuff in Korea along the DMZ and the roads going to the camps. All 3 of these men are dying from exposure to the chemicals that they sprayed while in Korea. What more can I do to bolster my case for approval? Sgt. Dennis Urban Korea DMZ 1968-69 - Imjin River Scout

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Do you fit into this criteria:

"Veterans who served in a unit in or near the Korean demilitarized zone (DMZ) anytime between April 1, 1968 and August 31, 1971 are presumed to have been exposed to herbicides. The presumption dates are September 1, 1967 to August 1, 1971, beginning January 1, 2020, in accordance with Public Law 116-23, Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019.  These Veterans do not have to show they were exposed to Agent Orange to be eligible for disability compensation for these diseases.

VA and the Department of Defense must determine that the Veteran’s unit operated in the DMZ area and the Veteran was physically there."

https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/locations/korea.asp

The link to the diseases in that article from VA did not open for me.This link will work:

https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/conditions/index.asp

Sme veterans have successfully proven that their disability, that is not a presumptive one, was caused by AO. But they had very strong independent medical opinions.

The IMO/IME list follow the criteria here in our IMO forum.

 

 

 

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Do you fit into this criteria:

"Veterans who served in a unit in or near the Korean demilitarized zone (DMZ) anytime between April 1, 1968 and August 31, 1971 are presumed to have been exposed to herbicides. The presumption dates are September 1, 1967 to August 1, 1971, beginning January 1, 2020, in accordance with Public Law 116-23, Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act of 2019.  These Veterans do not have to show they were exposed to Agent Orange to be eligible for disability compensation for these diseases.

VA and the Department of Defense must determine that the Veteran’s unit operated in the DMZ area and the Veteran was physically there."

https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/locations/korea.asp

The link to the diseases in that article from VA did not open for me.This link will work:

https://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/conditions/index.asp

Some veterans have successfully proven that their disability, that is not a presumptive one, was caused by AO. But they had very strong independent medical opinions.

The IMO/IME list follow the criteria here in our IMO forum.

 

 

 

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sorry for double post- cant delete

also:

https://www.imjinscout.org/about.html

https://www.imjinscout.org/documents.html

Were you ever involved in the brush fires?

Or any type of pit burnings? ...There might be some other cause ,due to your service ,that caused the COPD.

 

 

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Dennis Urban

I moved your post over to the Agent Orange Forum.

so it can be seen by other members  and seen more often  hopefully to better help  you with your claim.

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