Veteran Needs Your Help !

[rthomass]

I need help from any Veteran that served in Thailand during the Vietnam Era; Specifically Nakon Phanom RTAFB "NKP" Air Force Base, "naked Fanny" during the peiod of August 1969 to August 1970. Need Corroboration of Agent Orange use to support claim remanded by the CAVC to the Board Of Veteran Appeals "BVA".

Randall D. Thomas Sr.

rthomass@insightbb.com

Edited March 29, 2007 by rthomass

[rthomass]

Thank you Jim; it is good to hear that I am not by myself in my views and beliefs...after all asking for no sympathy I would never have had to bring a claim before the VA if I had not served my Country for twenty years with one fateful year in NKP Thailand. I never bargained for cancer which the Va cites in their own regulations to be one of the eleven cancers that can be presumed under 38 CFR 3-309(e); oh I forgot that applies only to "BOOTS ON THE GROUND IN THE REPUBLIC OF VIETNAM".

Again thank you for your comments.

Edited April 2, 2007 by rthomass

[rthomass]

Vike's point is correct-

The Thai gov is still in an uproar over the AO:

http://www.wsws.org/articles/1999/jun1999/thai-j25.shtml

I have more recent info but cant find it-

I know a vet who handsprayed AO in Thailand-

this is not corroboration- because AO is not presumptive exposure for Thailand vets.

I have pictures of vets from Nam sitting on AO barrels-

AO barrels looked a specific way-

Since AO exposure is not presumptive to Thailand you need eye witness account of how you came into contact with it in Thailand.

Did you remove it from planes, store it somewhere, put it back on planes, did any of the barrels open?Did any AO contaminate any water supply on the base or can you prove evidence of defolation near your MOS?

Did you ever use an empty AO barrel for a barbeque pit, to wash clothes in,or as a shitter?

I was around long before AO was presumptive and helped many vets try to support their AO claims.These were vets who were in the AO settlement fund.

Even if the VA denied at that time- under Nehmer and with AO presumptive illnesses they still had right to re-open and get past retro.

The specific evidence of exposure to AO in Thailand has to be proven.

Berta, Thank you for you guidance. I know that Agernt Orange in Thailand is not Presumptive ..... that is subject to change based on Haas v. Nichoson and whether or not Mr. Nichoson prevails before the United States Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit.

I again state that I had an MOS (in the Air Force AFSC) 65170 whic is a Procurement Specialist. I had an office in the Headquarters building 56th Combat Support Group. My duties encompased that of Chief Operation Branch which is a fancy title for getting all the administrative duties of my office accomplished. On occasion I assisted in site inspections of various construction projects on the Base such as ditches being dug by local Thais near our perimeter fence where I saw Agent Orange and other chemical being sprayed. I have as I said previously a long post between myself and vietnam_war_vet dated 11 Decembet 2006.

I again contend and hope the BVA takes a fresh look at the Veteran who was stationed at NKP at he sme time I was. Will it help? Have no ideal; but until the BVA assists me in this area I will never know.

Edited April 2, 2007 by rthomass

[rthomass]

Berta:this will help you understand:

Please review the post between myself and vietnam-war_vet.

Visit This Post

Edited April 2, 2007 by rthomass

[Berta]

I would raise the issue in the BVA case as well as what the vet said in prior post here-

however- the VA will still need proof positive of how your duties put you into contact with the AO.

These are critical details:

"On occasion I assisted in site inspections of various construction projects on the Base such as ditches being dug by local Thais near our perimeter fence where I saw Agent Orange and other chemical being sprayed."

Does the VA know this as you stated this here?

Can the Vietnam_war_vet give you a detailed buddy statement-same time frame and place-

Can the VA provide any rationale whatsoever that you were NOT exposed to AO-

I wonder if this approach could be used-I would add this to any response too-

In the 1990s the AO settlement Fund came out as due and payable to vets.

The single requirements were Vietnam service and total disability regardless of cause.

My husband had AO dumped on him in Ashau Valley.By B 52s I think-

they dumped it much like water is dumped on forrest fires-

the Marines in 1965-66 in Ashau were used to getting soaked with the AO.

He applied for the Settlement money and filled out the AO packet of info

and designated on the NAm Map where he had been when the AO was dropped on him.He also gave detailed account of the immediate defoliation of the jungles.

Judge Richland who handled the proceeds wrote back to him that his claim was denied.

I wrote back to Judge Richland asked him to definitively and categorically state to me that my husband would NEVER acquire a catastrophic disability from Agent Orange.

The judge wrote back that his claim had been reviewed again and the check was in the mail-

My point on this for you is this-

a veteran needs to raise every potential argument possible with the VA on claims like yours.

You could ask the VA to provide a full environmental and medical rationale that proves you were NOT exposed to AO in Thailand.

Sort of the approach I took with the AO Judge.

Your oncologist-who is giving you a letter?

I hope they follow the IMO guidelines here at hadit -otherwise the VA will reject their opinion.

The oncologist should make an emphatic medical statement that supports that the etiology of the cancer you have cannot be disassociated from the known carcinogenic that Agent Orange is.

He/she should also refer to any good medical text too-

In my case (AO death claim)Dr. Bash used Institute of Medicine,2002 Agent Orange Update and also Braunwald, a well regarded and noted medical text.

[Berta]

PS this is the only post I could find from vietnam-war-vet:

If this vet was there when you were and can give an account of AO being used in the perimeter that you inspected- this would be a valid buddy statement-

he will need to give VA his MOS at date of witnessing the use of the AO, his phone number and address, anything at all detailed as to how he was aware of AO being used in this site. But the problem I see with all that however- is that this vet seems to need a buddy statement too-

for his own proof of exposure.I sure hoped he appealed his denial but like you- this claim he has needs a detailed account of how he was exposed to the Agent Orange.

I agree that the AO regs are unfair.

But vets from Thailand, Laos, and other places that the AO was used must certainly continue to fight these claims-and appeal them continuously too.

The AO regs have changed many times and it seems to me that the more vets who can prove AO exposure in Thailand- the greater the chances that all Thailand vets will be included in the presumptive regs.

Randall, gracias for posting this.

Now, should I dare allow my hopes to be raised again. I was an USAF radio op, served at Nankom Phanom (NKP) Air Base, did Ho Chi Minh trail interdiction missions inside of Laos, developed chloracne while I was still over there....diagnosed with DMII in the mid-90s (I'm insulin-dependent now)....went through the AO Registry exam in 1990 at the Boise VAMC and was officially placed on the DVA's AO Registry in August 1990....BUT every claim that I've submitted for chloracne and DMII has been denied.....the first denial (1985) and the most recent one (2004-05), the DVA said basically the same thing....NKP and Laos didn't count....no "boots-on-ground" within the borders of Vietnam means no AO SC claims....my VSM, RVCR be damned.

I and so many others would really love to see this injustice negated. -- Michael

[rthomass]

BERTA: The post I am referring are cited below:

NKP AO SHORT VERSION POST

NKP AO LONG VERSION POST

Edited April 2, 2007 by rthomass