VFW has an UNMET NEEDS
program and they provide rent money, groceries, etc., to veterans
discharged within the past two years.
Also VA is
opening a phone center to take calls from all over the USA and it is
expected to be up and running the the middle of November.
Agent Orange
Report
Today in Manhattan, a federal appeals court will hear oral arguments
in lawsuits about the damage that plaintiffs say the herbicide Agent
Orange did to American veterans and to Vietnamese citizens during
the Vietnam War. This is a painful bit of unfinished business from
that tragic war, and the Second Circuit Court of Appeals should let
it go to trial.
Agent Orange, named for the stripes on the barrels that contained
it, was used to kill the vegetation that hid Viet Cong and North
Vietnamese Army units. But it was found to be contaminated with
dioxin, a highly toxic substance.
Veterans who believed they and their families had suffered from
exposure to Agent Orange sued. In 1984, seven of the chemical
companies settled for $180 million, but without accepting liability.
Some veterans not covered by the settlement filed further lawsuits,
but U.S. District Court Judge Jack Weinstein dismissed them. In
2005, Weinstein also dismissed a suit brought by Vietnamese citizens
claiming to have suffered from exposure to dioxin. He found that use
of the toxic herbicide did not violate international norms.
Whatever the technical merits of Weinstein's rulings, a dismissal
without a trial is not a suitable outcome. A full trial, with all
the scrutiny it can bring to bear on this question, would be a far
more preferable closing act to this sad story, both for the American
veterans and the Vietnamese civilians.
As the legal struggle continues, there have been bits of progress on
cleaning up the mess. Though Washington recognizes some maladies as
associated with Agent Orange and does pay some compensation, its
contribution to alleviating the problem in Vietnam had been
virtually nil until recently. Starting last year, Washington has
opened the purse a bit to begin studying how to remedy three dioxin
hot spots. And just recently, in the Iraq war supplemental spending
bill, Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.) managed to squeeze in $3 million to
be used for environmental remediation in Vietnam.
Those are long overdue steps toward cleaning up the chemical mess we
left behind.
There are a lot of Vietnam veterans that need to present a stressor
to the Veterans Administration for their PTSD claim and they do not
have a combat award and consequently they end up needing a buddy
letter, spouse testimonials, and whatever military records they can
retrieve from the Military Personnel Center to prove their case. If you
were in the Air Force or were stationed at one of the USAF bases in
Vietnam, such as Da Nang (Marines), Cam Ranh Bay, Bien Hoa (Army),
Tan Son Nhut (Army Stevedores on the River), and others during
November of 1964 to 1973 you can go to the following web site and
when it comes up read on down the article until you come to Roger P.
Fox, Air Base Defense in the Republic of Vietnam. You open that web
site and you will see a Chronology of VC/NVA attacks on the ten
primary USAF bases. You match
the base you were at with the time period you were there and it will
tell you how many rockets, mortars, or sappers attacked the base.
Use the initials for the air bases and match it up. For instance I
was at Tan Son Nhut in December 1968 to about September 1967. I
look for the time period December 1968 and look for the Tan Son Nhut
initials TSN and I see (On line 11) that Tan Son Nhut took 33
rounds, 20 aircraft were damaged, 3 KIA, 15 WIA, ARVN had 3 KIA, 4
WIA, and VC/NVA KIA 28 and 4 POW. You then write a small stressor
to attach to that print out that explains the anxiety, danger, and
sheer terror of being around when that action occurred. Now youmust have a
201 file, or Service Record Book that will place you there. A lot
of Marines have their orders placing them in Da Nang, Air Force
placing you at the Air Force Base, but you have to prove you were at
that location during that time period. Check with
your local service officer and have them assist you. Do not forget
that the burden of proof is on you and a simple "I was there does
not suffice". If you want you can call me at the Phoenix Department
of VFW office, 602-627-3318. I hope this helps you and I would
appreciate feedback to the newspaper or the State Department.
