My Perspective
Thom Stoddert
FACT: Agent Orange was a smelly, oily, water based chemical. It was sprayed just like a crop duster over a field. The plane or helicopter flew low (under 500 feet) and slow and the chemical was quickly dissolved in the ground just like in a Kansas farm. In other words the ones I saw operated just like a crop duster on any farm.
These are actual stories told to me when I worked at the VA and my response:
"I was exposed to A/O when it leaked in the submarine that we were transporting the barrels in.”
How did they find the room for the barrels in a sub anyway?
"My C-141 flew under the 'bird' that was spraying it; right through the mist.”
The air turbulence would have caused a crash, the pilot of the C-141 would have been grounded- I don't think so.
"My aircraft carrier was engulfed by the spray while sailing 15 miles off shore.”
The aircraft spraying it must have missed theground by more than fifteen miles.
"I have developed an Agent Orange skin condition from sexual contact with men who returned from Viet Nam.”
These were later diagnosed to be ordinary STDs.
My favorite: The VA examiner asks the veteran, "Did you ever eat food contaminated by Agent Orange?" For some reason the answer is always, "Yes I did.” But let's see if my memory serves me right. I ate food out in the field; it came out of a little green can. I ate food on the firebases; it came out of large green can. I ate food in the mess halls; it usually came out of a metal can under a metal roof. I never sat under the aerial spraying enjoying my beans and franks, nor did I flavor them with some local Vietnamese dirt. I think I missed something, cause I was no different than the them.
The VA, the Air Force, The Institute of National Health, and others have extensively researched the effects of exposure to this herbicide. As a result there is a list of cancers and diseases that will receive service connection automatically if the evidence shows that you were in Viet Nam or another area where it was known to have been sprayed.
The lists are easy to come by. They are posted on the VA websites as well as most veteran sites. In the case of Diabetes, two out three research projects found a slightly higher occurrence of diabetes in Viet Nam veterans than non-Nam vets. So the VA decided to err on the side of safety and add diabetes to the presumptive list of Agent Orange medical conditions even though the evidence was inconclusive.
To gain service connection for an A/O related condition the evidence must document that you were most likely exposed to herbicides while in the service and you now have one of the medical conditions listed. Because veterans never lie or exaggerate the VA must, I repeat, must have evidence to indicate that you were exposed to herbicides. Usually evidence of duty in Viet Nam is sufficient as shown by:
1. Military paperwork.
2 Medical documentation.
3. Pictures that are clearly of Viet Nam with the veteran in it.
4. Letters with a Viet Nam APO or certain FPOs.
5. Lay statement from former NCOICs or officers.
For the Korean Vets the military has supplied the list of units and the times herbicide was sprayed along the DMZ in Korea and this list continues to grow. If your military records document that you were with a listed unit when it was along the DMZ when it was sprayed and you have a recognized A/O illness, you should receive service connection for the condition and any secondary issues.
The VA also knows that some vets may have been on a "hey you roster" some sergeant had and you got detailed to drive up to somewhere along the DMZ to deliver some warm chow. You were not listed on any of the recognized units the VA has been given, but the "unofficial evidence" can work for you also.
Maybe the most important concept to understand related to Agent Orange or any other hazardous material is that an exposure in and of itself is not something that can be service connected by the VA. Exposure is not- I repeat- is not a medical condition. The medical illness or disease caused by that exposure is service connectable by the VA. As an example: we are all exposed to the sun. It doesn't mean anything unless that exposure results in a cancer or sunburn. Same thing with Agent Orange. Unless there is evidence of a probable or actual exposure and there is a medical condition that credible evidence links to that exposure, there is no valid claim.
Seriously; stay focused and be real. The VA is not trying to deny you anything you deserve, just have the evidence. Read everything the VA sends you again and again carefully, and then do what they ask. They will give you the requirements and the information that your claim will need in order to be given a favorable decision. Don't bullsh_t the VA; this also becomes a permanent part of your VA record.
