Here are the basic "rules" to get the presumption of Agent Orange exposure if you served in Thailand during the Vietnam War: 1) Service at U-Tapao, Ubon, Nakhon Phanom (aka, NKP), Udorn, Takhli, Korat, and/or Don Muang, between February 28, 1961, and May 7, 1975. When Congress enacted these laws, it did not limit potential benefits to those veterans who served in Vietnam. Udorn was again utilized August 31, 1969 to conduct an operation in which RANCH HAND aircraft flew 28 sorties from Thailand to target Laotian crops with Agent Blue using five UC-123s during a seven-day period. The Thailand base perimeter policy was not issued until May 2010, when it was introduced in a Compensation & Pension Service Bulletin. From 1965 to 1968, 5,727 Communist insurgents in Thailand were either killed, arrested, or surrendered. Phong is determined to finish top of the podium next month. Interestingly, this was after all aerial herbicide spray missions in Vietnam had ceased. Phong's silver medal was a disappointing result for himself but was still a good sign for his coaches, who believed he would lift Vit Nam to the top podium again at the next Games. They may be used by those companies to build a profile of your interests and show you relevant advertisements on other websites. Copyright 1999-2021 Malecare, Inc | All Rights Reserved, Important Agent Orange Information for Those Who Served in Thailand. These conditions include: The addition of these conditions means that many more veterans will be eligible for VA disability benefits. The 26 July 1968 attack on Udorn RTAFB was the first overt, hostile action by either communist-inspired insurgent forces or military units of North Vietnam against United States Air Force personnel and resources located in the . This reporting directly corresponds to other Air Force archives documents from 1973 showing that the Civil Engineers had developed a standard operating procedure for the use of herbicide on Takhli to avoid misuse. However, as of the passage of the 2022 Honoring Our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics (PACT) Act on August 10, 2022, VA has officially established a Thailand presumption for veterans. you viewed to avoid repetition. VA depends on DOD to provide information regarding in-service environmental exposure for disability claims based on exposure to herbicides outside of Vietnam, Wilkie said in a statement. To reprint or license this article or any content from Military.com, please submit your request, VA Releases Updated List of Agent Orange Exposure Locations, Survivors of Vets Who Died from PACT Act Illnesses Can Reapply for Benefits, Health Care Enrollment Up 17% at VA Since Passage of Toxic Exposure Law, VA Warns Against PACT Act Fraud Targeting Veterans, Making Sure Vets Get PACT Act Benefits Is New House Veterans Affairs Chairman's Top Priority, 1st Woman to Take Top Enlisted Job at Army Special Ops, Some Private Companies Charge Hefty Fees to Help Veterans With Disability Claims, 'I Let Down the Combatant Commander': Marine Leader Regrets His Forces Weren't Available for Recent Crises, Female Commander Investigated over Alleged Sexual Assaults of Male Subordinates, Pattern of Harassment. And for the last 20 years, we always . 3.307 (a)(6)(i) defines an herbicide agent as a chemical in an herbicide used in support of the United States and allied military operations in the Republic of Vietnam . Please contact me me via email at philamdia@yahoo.com. In researching I have come across several fellow marines that I served dead from cancers and others having similar problems I am curently appling for benefits for these problems. Although the SOP is not available or remains classified, the development and enforcement of the SOP highlights the prevalence of herbicide use and the concern of misuse on Thailand bases. Once VA lifted the stay, these claims still required adjudication. We heard from VA officials about the agencys decision-making process when determining benefit eligibility forveteranswhose illnesses were caused by exposure to toxic hazards while on active duty. Postal Service. Service in Vietnam, during the Vietnam War for any length of time between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975, OR ; Service in or near the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) for any length of time between September 1, 1967 and August 31, 1971 , OR ; Service aboard a U.S. military vessel that entered the inland waterways of Vietnam, OR ; Service aboard a vessel operating not more than 12 nautical miles seaward of the demarcation line of the waters of Vietnam and Cambodia (c.f. I struggle. This information is not a substitute for legal advice. Agent Orange exposure is associated with a number of medical conditions, some of which are serious. From December 29, 1968, to January 2, 1969, RANCH HAND aircraft flew Agent Orange missions out of Udorn. The new law adds an estimated 420,000 to 560,000 veterans to those already eligible for care and benefits for possible exposure. Due to the concerns over the integrity of studies completed for VA, the scientific community created a unified response rebutting the reasoning behind VAs policies. These cookies dont collect information that identifies you. In the Memorandum, VA states that the 1973 CHECO Report does indicate sporadic use of non-tactical (commercial) herbicides within fenced perimeters. This statement is misleading because the CHECO Report never distinguishes between tactical and commercial herbicides useit refers only to herbicides.. (Butch) Pvt. 1116 is a dual-function statute titled:Presumptions of service connection for diseases associated with exposure to certain herbicide agents; presumption of exposure for veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam.. Keep up with all the changes and details. I was part of the mobile construction battalion 5 (mcb 5) seabees that built the rose garden. I also have many illnesses and have a claim in for Parkinson etc. Information within those records was assessed against stringent joint VA-DOD criteria for what constitutes a location where tactical herbicides were tested, used and stored, Prichard said. All of the vegetation I saw on the base was reddish brown and wilted. Daily life on Thailand bases also exposed service members to herbicide agents. They routinely use this distinction as justification for denying Thailand exposure claims. The VA offers health registry exams, health care, disability compensation and other benefits to eligible veterans affected by Agent Orange toxic exposure. The Challenge I am mow 69 and am probably .dying. Moreover, those members assigned to disperse herbicides by truck-mounted or backpack systems would certainly have been exposed. Further documentation and sworn statements contradict that claim. L still remember the smell of the spaying of defoliant while we were living in our hardback tents.I too have skin and prostate cancer and both are malignant. Although most of the Air Force bases in Thailand were seen as staging hubs for operations within Vietnam, military personnel located throughout Thailand were also subjected to hostile attacks from Communists. The Department of Veterans Affairs lists these conditions as presumptive. Is there any ruling from the VA on Nam Phong? Hence, the records suggest the movement of herbicides to and from Thailand was not exclusively associated with RANCH HAND missions and that herbicides were used throughout Thailand. If a veteran served in an area other than Vietnam, such as Thailand or Korea, but was nonetheless exposed to the same herbicide agent as used in Vietnam, then they were to be awarded the same benefits as would a Vietnam veteran for the diseases associated with such exposure. kms.) Also, they must have been used in application at test sites, in labs or greenhouses, while being transported on vehicles or ships or stored. While attempting to fix the aircraft, he was forced to kneel in the Agent Orange that covered the floor. Once Operation Ranch Hand began, around 20 million gallons of Agents Green, Pink, Purple, Blue, White, Orange,. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (MACV) Directive 525-1 (1966) highlighted the procedure for requesting aerial spray, power spray, and hand spray in Vietnam. Hi, Just found this site. Agent Orange was a weed killer sprayed on the jungles of Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War to eliminate forest cover and crops for North Vietnamese and Viet Cong troops. Moreover, the load class in the record, Y4, is the same load class that was noted in an Operation Steel Tiger mission in South Vietnam the primary goal of which was defoliation. The Rules provided authorization for, and limits on, the employment of herbicides throughout the Southeast Asian conflict. Rick, Philadelphia, PA: 1 International Plaza, Suite 550, Philadelphia, PA, 19113 The Truth About Agent Orange and Other Herbicides in Thailand During the Vietnam War, Learn About CCK's Partnership with DAV and Harvard Law School, - Learn About CCK's Partnership with DAV and Harvard Law School. 2201 and S.1381, as both would automatically concede Agent Orange exposure for all veterans who served at military installations in Thailand during the Vietnam Era, regardless of the base, duty on the perimeter or military occupational specialty. This legislation expands benefits to veterans who served aboard ships off the coast of Vietnam. In view of the above, a mowing operation for vegetation control will be impossible. Pittsburgh, PA: 201 Penn Center Boulevard, Suite 400, Pittsburgh, PA, 15235 Prichard said locations where exposure occurred under conditions already granted presumption of exposure such as Vietnam and the Korean DMZ were not included on this list. The Nam Phong district is surrounded by Non Sa-at (in the Udon Thani province ), Kranuan, Sam Sung, Mueang Khon Kaen, Ubolratana, and Khao Suan Kwang . 196, Congress considered perimeter spraying. being employed within. Yet VAs past policy application eliminated even these veterans from receiving benefits based on their exposure to herbicide agents. Da Nang Cluster. Moreover, VAs previous position that herbicides were only used along the perimeters is contradicted by documented evidence and sworn statements. I have a VA Dr. appointment today and will try to get these matters looked at. BBC News, Da Nang, Vietnam. Years Later, Some Are Saddled With Debt. The letter addresses the scientific shortcomings and erroneous assumptions of VAs position by noting, skin absorption is a primary occupational route of exposure for dioxin-contaminated pesticides.. Veterans who served in Vietnam, the Korean demilitarized zone or other areas where Agent Orange was sprayed may be eligible. The new toxic exposure bill/Agent Orange Act ( Honoring Our PACT Act of 2022 ) broadens presumptions for Agent Orange exposure in Thailand, Cambodia, Laos, Guam, American Samoa, and Johnston Atoll! 404 of the Honoring Our PACT Act (the short name being, Fair Care for Vietnam Veterans Act) which lists two additional diseases that can be service connected. Our job was to off load air craft. That was the idea behind a campaign initiated by Mena, Arkansas veteran Bill Rhodes and his fellow veterans who served in Thailand during the Vietnam War. Finally, we invite you to contact us and we welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. If you served in Vietnam or Thailand, or in or near the Korean DMZand your child has . Agent Orange is just one of the rainbow herbicides that the United States used. The government made no distinction between these herbicides in the 1970s and 1980s either. We pulled perimeter guard and walked thru the dead foliage and barbed wire. For example, 28,000 gallons of herbicides were airlifted by two C-130s from Phu Cat Airbase in Vietnam to Udorn prior to some of the RANCH HAND missions later launched from Udorn to targets in Laos from February 2 to 7, 1969. For example, many veterans on or near aircraft or near the barrels containing herbicides were exposed to the same risks as those conducting foot patrols. Agent Orange Compensation Back Pay: Does the VA Owe You? The threats toward Air Force bases were legitimate and a serious concern for military units stationed in Thailand. By Telephone. His statement aligns with the CHECO report, which notes that heavy use of herbicides kept the growth under control in the fenced areas. Moreover, Mr. Hogstads statement correlates with a historical record showing a request dated October 11, 1967, sought six C-123 herbicide aircraft and 60 personnel to operate from [NKP] for a 15-day period.. As stated above, prior to the passage of the PACT Act, veterans could only be eligible for presumptive service connection if they served near the perimeter of specific bases. Richmond, VA: 7400 Beaufont Springs Drive, Suite 300, Richmond, VA, 23225 Permalink: https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2019/10/improving-benefits-for-veterans-exposed-to-agent-orange-during-service-in-thailand, Improving Benefits for Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange During Service in Thailand, https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2019/10/improving-benefits-for-veterans-exposed-to-agent-orange-during-service-in-thailand, Boozman Shares Service Memories of Lavaca Veteran, The Hill: American generosity has saved 25 million lives and counting. consider passing this info on to them. TDD (for hearing impaired): 1 800 827-4833. Welch,Mike Sec. arrived at Nam Phong, asked 'someone else ' (PVT, PFC, etc.) What Benefits Do I Get From Agent Orange Exposure? As a result, a conscientiously controlled program of vegetation control through the use of herbicides must be applied. Los Angeles, CA: 10880 Wilshire Blvd., Ste 1101, Los Angeles, CA 90025 After developing illnesses linked to herbicide exposure during his service in Thailand, Rhodes filed a claim with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Have Questions About Agent Orange Benefits? RANCH HAND was also not prohibited from herbicide spray missions in Thailand.

Georgia State Board Of Veterinary Medicine Phone Number, Isiah Gill Wife, Foos Funeral Home Obituaries, Distar Alphabet Chart, Articles N