Gloria's mission successful
Posted By GREG WESTON
When we first met at her home in Kingston on a dreary spring day, Gloria Sellar was a 78-year-old grandmother recovering from cancer surgery just months after the death of her husband and soul mate of more than six decades.
In short, few would have imagined this otherwise demure widow was about to set aside her own daunting challenges to fight for thousands of desperately ill Canadian veterans and their families.
Unknown to the public on that day in 2005, Gloria had already won a huge battle, albeit with a bittersweet ending.
For almost 15 years, her soldier husband Gordon had struggled with an increasingly debilitating form of leukemia, the highly decorated Canadian brigadier-general reduced from robust to bed-ridden to his death in 2004.
Long before he died, Gloria had been showering doctors and the military with evidence that her husband's illness may have been linked to the U. S. military's spraying of deadly Agent Orange herbicide on the Gagetown, N. B., army base where he commanded the Black Watch regiment in the 1960s.
Implausible as it seems today, the Americans were invited to bomb the Canadian base with the poisonous chemical to test it for use in defoliating jungle during the Vietnam war.
By the time Gen. Sellar became ill, the U. S. government had long provided compensation to more than 10,000 Vietnam vets, accepting the link between various cancers and exposure to Agent Orange.
POISONING
But in Canada, the military spent 40 years covering up the poisoning at Gagetown and its deadly effects on soldiers stationed there.
All that changed when Gloria Sellar finally won her landmark decision in the late summer of 2004. Or so it seemed.
While Veterans Affairs had finally accepted a "causative relationship between Agent Orange exposure" and Gen. Sellar's fatal leukemia, no such consideration was extended to the thousands of other soldiers who had served under his command at Gagetown.
Despite her age and her own debilitating bouts with cancer, the amazing woman they just called Gloria spent the next three years lobbying politicians in Ottawa, and helping families in the Maritimes where many of the surviving Gagetown victims still live.
On the frequent occasions we spoke, the tireless octogenarian was always somewhere on the road helping vets, never at her home in Kingston.
"It's really not very much," she said with her hallmark modesty the last time we spoke. "I am just trying to be helpful to some wonderful people who are very sick."
She was right about that.
In the three years since we published her first interview, hundreds of former Gagetown vets have come forward with horror stories of life-long health problems sounding all too similar to those who fought in the jungles of Vietnam.
COMPENSATION
Hundreds more are already dead. Finally, on Sept. 12 of last year, Gloria was
in the front row at a packed media event near Gagetown to hear Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson announce $90 million of federal compensation to the victims of Agent Orange poisoning.
Even then, at 81, Gloria was far from finished her mission.
Over the past year, she travel wherever there were vets she could help, whether it was in making their compensation claims, or simply bringing comfort to the afflicted.
On Remembrance Day, there were no doubt hundreds of vets and their families paying a special tribute to a very special Canadian who served her country with dignity.
Gloria Sellar died suddenly last week of cancer, herself a victim of the horrible Gagetown tragedy.
She had told everyone not to worry; it was just the flu.
She was 82.
Greg Weston writes about national affairs for Sun Media.
Agent Orange Issues & Information
by J.B. Stone » 11/ 12/ 08 6:40 pm
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J.B. Stone - Posts: 47789
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 11/ 16/ 08 1:43 am
Please pick up a copy of the booklet entitled "VA Health Care Overview
Department of Veterans Affairs"
You can download it at:
http://www.va.gov/healtheligibility/lib ... eoverview/
or you can pick up one at your VA office.
This booklet on page 8 states:
Priority Group 6
Compensable 0% service-connected veterans
World War 1 veterans
Mexican Border War veterans
Veterans seeking care solely for disorders associated with:
-Exposure to herbicides while serving in Vietnam; or
-Exposure to ionizing radiation during atmospheric testing or during the occupation of Hiroshima and Nagasaki; or-Service in the Gulf War; or
-Service in a theater of combat operations during a period of war after the Gulf War or during a period of hostility after November 11, 1998; or
-Illnesses possibly related to participation in Project1 112/Project SHAD
Don't forget to get a physical and be sure to tell your doctors that you want put on your files that you were exposed to chemicals. Take your doctor files with your information on it.
http://projectshad.com/modules.php?name ... pic&t=1299
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J.B. Stone - Posts: 47789
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 11/ 26/ 08 12:23 pm
Veterans should get tested for Agent Orange
Saturday, November 08, 2008
ISABEL WOLSELEY TORREY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
http://www.syracuse.com/cny/index.ssf?/ ... xml&coll=1
Between 1962 and 1971, the U.S. military in Vietnam sprayed nearly 20 million gallons of herbicides to kill plants and remove leaves from trees that provided cover for the enemy.
"Agent Orange" - so named because of the orange stripe on its 55-gallon storage drums - was the most common chemical used during the latter half of this period. Most Vietnam servicemen didn't shy from physical contact with such defoliants.
Soon, however, some veterans became concerned their health problems were resulting from exposure to Agent Orange. One of the chemicals it contained was TCDD (dioxin), which had caused illnesses in lab animals. Now it's suspected Agent Orange is related to a number of cancers.
If, by now, you suspect my reason for writing on this subject is personal, you're right. Both my sons are Vietnam veterans.
Neither boy actually saw the orange-striped drums, nor were they involved in the spraying / applying. However, both were exposed, especially my older son, John. Between flying missions he waded through rice paddies, swamps and grass to recover other choppers that had been shot down or needed maintenance.
After their tours of duty, each was happy to have survived and to return home (the older to a wife and tiny daughter, the younger to a girl he soon married). In the busyness of finishing school, finding jobs and establishing homes, neither gave much thought to Agent Orange, more intent on putting that part of their lives behind them. (Not so with Agent Orange. This chemical resembles a stalker - taking cover, hiding, creeping, persistently pursuing until snaring its victims.)
Then, a year ago, John attended his Vietnam unit's reunion in Portland, Ore. A Veterans Affairs representative suggested the men present have an Agent Orange Registry exam.
John began recalling a puzzling series of symptoms that indicated a dramatic change from his excellent physical condition as a college-level football player before his Vietnam service.
His health issues started with a hernia operation two years after returning to the States (and five more since), prostate irregularities and neck and back problems (multiple herniated discs).
John's subsequent Agent Orange Registry exam revealed suspicious nodules on his thyroid. A month ago, VA doctors removed the entire gland (thankfully, the cancer was fully encapsulated) and are observing him for other "service-connected" ailments from Agent Orange exposure. Results may merit him a disability rating.
We've urged my younger son, Kelly, to have the exam; his respiratory problem may also be service-related.
Former exposure to the pesticides can also extend to Vietnam veterans' offspring, so there's understandable concern about my grandchildren from both sons. (However, spina bifida is the only birth defect recognized by the VA as being related to parental exposure to Agent Orange.)
Recently the VA learned Agent Orange was used in Korea, too, in the late 1960s. (The U.S. didn't do the actual applications; the Republic of Korea did.) The VA approved examinations for those who served there in 1968 or 1969.
If you're a Vietnam or Korea veteran and have not undergone this exam - more than 315,000 already have - I suggest you contact your nearest VA medical center.
Meanwhile, to those who believe in prayer, I'd deeply appreciate yours for John.
Isabel Wolseley Torrey is a Syracuse freelance writer and photojournalist whose columns appear on alternate Saturdays. Contact her at features@syracuse.com.
Saturday, November 08, 2008
ISABEL WOLSELEY TORREY CONTRIBUTING WRITER
http://www.syracuse.com/cny/index.ssf?/ ... xml&coll=1
Between 1962 and 1971, the U.S. military in Vietnam sprayed nearly 20 million gallons of herbicides to kill plants and remove leaves from trees that provided cover for the enemy.
"Agent Orange" - so named because of the orange stripe on its 55-gallon storage drums - was the most common chemical used during the latter half of this period. Most Vietnam servicemen didn't shy from physical contact with such defoliants.
Soon, however, some veterans became concerned their health problems were resulting from exposure to Agent Orange. One of the chemicals it contained was TCDD (dioxin), which had caused illnesses in lab animals. Now it's suspected Agent Orange is related to a number of cancers.
If, by now, you suspect my reason for writing on this subject is personal, you're right. Both my sons are Vietnam veterans.
Neither boy actually saw the orange-striped drums, nor were they involved in the spraying / applying. However, both were exposed, especially my older son, John. Between flying missions he waded through rice paddies, swamps and grass to recover other choppers that had been shot down or needed maintenance.
After their tours of duty, each was happy to have survived and to return home (the older to a wife and tiny daughter, the younger to a girl he soon married). In the busyness of finishing school, finding jobs and establishing homes, neither gave much thought to Agent Orange, more intent on putting that part of their lives behind them. (Not so with Agent Orange. This chemical resembles a stalker - taking cover, hiding, creeping, persistently pursuing until snaring its victims.)
Then, a year ago, John attended his Vietnam unit's reunion in Portland, Ore. A Veterans Affairs representative suggested the men present have an Agent Orange Registry exam.
John began recalling a puzzling series of symptoms that indicated a dramatic change from his excellent physical condition as a college-level football player before his Vietnam service.
His health issues started with a hernia operation two years after returning to the States (and five more since), prostate irregularities and neck and back problems (multiple herniated discs).
John's subsequent Agent Orange Registry exam revealed suspicious nodules on his thyroid. A month ago, VA doctors removed the entire gland (thankfully, the cancer was fully encapsulated) and are observing him for other "service-connected" ailments from Agent Orange exposure. Results may merit him a disability rating.
We've urged my younger son, Kelly, to have the exam; his respiratory problem may also be service-related.
Former exposure to the pesticides can also extend to Vietnam veterans' offspring, so there's understandable concern about my grandchildren from both sons. (However, spina bifida is the only birth defect recognized by the VA as being related to parental exposure to Agent Orange.)
Recently the VA learned Agent Orange was used in Korea, too, in the late 1960s. (The U.S. didn't do the actual applications; the Republic of Korea did.) The VA approved examinations for those who served there in 1968 or 1969.
If you're a Vietnam or Korea veteran and have not undergone this exam - more than 315,000 already have - I suggest you contact your nearest VA medical center.
Meanwhile, to those who believe in prayer, I'd deeply appreciate yours for John.
Isabel Wolseley Torrey is a Syracuse freelance writer and photojournalist whose columns appear on alternate Saturdays. Contact her at features@syracuse.com.
-
J.B. Stone - Posts: 47789
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 12/ 18/ 08 12:07 pm
Agent Orange, red tape victimize veterans
http://www.news-press.com/article/20081 ... 002/NEWS01
Sam Cook • scook@news-press.com • December 12, 2008
Agent Orange was discontinued in 1971, but two Lee County veterans - one who fought in Vietnam and and another who served in Korea - say it continues to disrupt their lives.
("Vietnam vets kept in the dark on Agent Orange," Dec. 7).
Despite the government admitting culpability for Agent Orange in 1984, veterans say claims were initially denied for benefits by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
South Fort Myers resident Robert Mengle says he was hit in 1968 with mortar fire in the central highlands of Vietnam.
Mengle says the blast struck the right side of his head.
Eight plastic surgeries later, Mengle says he's OK, yet effects of Agent Orange - a herbicide developed by the military to deny enemy cover by stripping trees and shrubs - still plague him and his family.
"Thirty days after I came back, I developed a rash in my groin area,'' says Mengle, 62.
He says he lived with the rash for 13 years until a dermatologist at the VA in St. Petersburg treated and cured it.
He says he filed VA claims in the 1980s and early 1990s about exposure to Agent Orange, which contained the contaminant dioxin, but was denied.
In 2002, however, he was examined by a VA doctor at a hospital in St. Petersburg.
"She felt my heart attack in 2001 was brought on by diabetes and the diabetes was brought on by exposure to Agent Orange,'' Mengle says.
He also believes Agent Orange affected his wife, Margaret, and their three children.
"In the early 1980s, my wife had two miscarriages,'' Mengle says. "All three of our children were born with dark blotches on their skin. They are 25, 28 and 30 now, but all have stomach problems like I do.''
Air Force pilot Doug Constantine says Agent Orange found its way to Korea, too.
Constantine, 64, who lives in Cape Coral, says he spent time from July 1968 to August 1969 as an air liaison officer in Camp Casey, south of the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
Constantine says he drank, cleaned food, bathed and did laundry in the local water.
"I used to watch and laugh as the Koreans used hand-held, pump-up garden sprayers along the fencing on the DMZ,'' he says. "Unbeknown to us they were using Agent Orange. The substance, of course, contaminated the water supply.''
He says the Koreans eventually owned up to the practice, and a Camp Casey U.S. soldier won a court case to become eligible for Agent Orange benefits.
Constantine approached the VA about treatment for autoimmune disease and stiffening of the spine he attributes to Agent Orange, but was turned down because he was a pilot.
"Once it was established I was working on the ground and in contact with the Korean Army Division on the DMZ, the VA relented and agreed to pick up the medical problems I have,'' he says.
Constantine says folks working for the local VA are knowledgeable and do a fantastic job.
"The problems and roadblocks are with VA at its highest levels,'' he says.
- If you suspect health problems related to Agent Orange, call the Lee County Veterans Service Office at 239-938-1100 or the VA at 800-827-1000 or visit the VA Web site at va.gov. Sam Cook's column appears Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Call 335-0384 or fax 334-0708.
http://www.news-press.com/article/20081 ... 002/NEWS01
Sam Cook • scook@news-press.com • December 12, 2008
Agent Orange was discontinued in 1971, but two Lee County veterans - one who fought in Vietnam and and another who served in Korea - say it continues to disrupt their lives.
("Vietnam vets kept in the dark on Agent Orange," Dec. 7).
Despite the government admitting culpability for Agent Orange in 1984, veterans say claims were initially denied for benefits by the Department of Veterans Affairs.
South Fort Myers resident Robert Mengle says he was hit in 1968 with mortar fire in the central highlands of Vietnam.
Mengle says the blast struck the right side of his head.
Eight plastic surgeries later, Mengle says he's OK, yet effects of Agent Orange - a herbicide developed by the military to deny enemy cover by stripping trees and shrubs - still plague him and his family.
"Thirty days after I came back, I developed a rash in my groin area,'' says Mengle, 62.
He says he lived with the rash for 13 years until a dermatologist at the VA in St. Petersburg treated and cured it.
He says he filed VA claims in the 1980s and early 1990s about exposure to Agent Orange, which contained the contaminant dioxin, but was denied.
In 2002, however, he was examined by a VA doctor at a hospital in St. Petersburg.
"She felt my heart attack in 2001 was brought on by diabetes and the diabetes was brought on by exposure to Agent Orange,'' Mengle says.
He also believes Agent Orange affected his wife, Margaret, and their three children.
"In the early 1980s, my wife had two miscarriages,'' Mengle says. "All three of our children were born with dark blotches on their skin. They are 25, 28 and 30 now, but all have stomach problems like I do.''
Air Force pilot Doug Constantine says Agent Orange found its way to Korea, too.
Constantine, 64, who lives in Cape Coral, says he spent time from July 1968 to August 1969 as an air liaison officer in Camp Casey, south of the Korean Demilitarized Zone.
Constantine says he drank, cleaned food, bathed and did laundry in the local water.
"I used to watch and laugh as the Koreans used hand-held, pump-up garden sprayers along the fencing on the DMZ,'' he says. "Unbeknown to us they were using Agent Orange. The substance, of course, contaminated the water supply.''
He says the Koreans eventually owned up to the practice, and a Camp Casey U.S. soldier won a court case to become eligible for Agent Orange benefits.
Constantine approached the VA about treatment for autoimmune disease and stiffening of the spine he attributes to Agent Orange, but was turned down because he was a pilot.
"Once it was established I was working on the ground and in contact with the Korean Army Division on the DMZ, the VA relented and agreed to pick up the medical problems I have,'' he says.
Constantine says folks working for the local VA are knowledgeable and do a fantastic job.
"The problems and roadblocks are with VA at its highest levels,'' he says.
- If you suspect health problems related to Agent Orange, call the Lee County Veterans Service Office at 239-938-1100 or the VA at 800-827-1000 or visit the VA Web site at va.gov. Sam Cook's column appears Wednesdays, Fridays and Sundays. Call 335-0384 or fax 334-0708.
-
J.B. Stone - Posts: 47789
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 12/ 18/ 08 12:14 pm
Veteran Bears Scars of Stateside Agent Orange
Posted: Feb 25, 2008 04:29 PM
Featured Videos
Veteran Bears Scars of Stateside Agent Orange
When it comes to deadly poisons, few are better known. The military's use of Agent Orange is one of the dark chapters of the Vietnam War.
But NewsChannel 5 investigative reporter Ben Hall has found the military used Agent Orange here in the United States -- and one veteran says he has the health problems to prove it.
Agent Orange was a toxic herbicide used by the military to thin out the jungles of Vietnam. Soldiers sprayed millions of gallons, unaware how poisonous it was.
"There was a problem and the evidence is on my back and my chest and 40 years of my life," says James Cripps, a Vietnam era veteran.
He says he was poisoned by Agent Orange, but he never served in Vietnam.
"When I got wounded I didn't know it I had no reason to suspect there would have been no way to have proved it," Cripps says.
Cripps had what seemed like a dream job as game warden at Fort Gordon in Georgia.
"This is me in 1971 when I got out of the Army you can see all the marks on my face," he says, pointing to photos of himself.
Cripps says when he left the military he had already been exposed. He believes he sprayed Agent Orange in the lakes around Fort Gordon to kill weeds.
"I was ordered to spray that herbicide," Cripps says. And pictures show signs warning people about fishing in the lakes Cripps once cared for. "I know what's in those lakes, I put it there," adds Cripps.
NewsChannel 5 Investigates has uncovered defense department documents that prove the military sprayed Agent Orange at Fort Gordon during the time Cripps was there.
Documents detail more than 30 locations in the United States where Agent Orange was tested.
The documents show helicopters sprayed at least 95 gallons of Agent Orange at Fort Gordon in 1967. Cripps says that alone should prove he was exposed.
"A lot of them cause scars sometimes they go so sore he can't wear his shirt," his wife, Sandra Cripps, says.
But he and his wife say his body offers the greatest proof. The blackheads on his back contain the poisonous residue from Agent Orange which causes acne called ‘chloracne.'
"In some persons the skin legions persist," says Dr. Dewey Dunn, an Agent Orange expert.
He says chloracne is a tell-tale sign of Agent Orange exposure. "It's just sort of a marker so its on the list and probably at the top of the list."
Dr. Dunn examined James Cripps but could not talk specifically about his case. Medical records show Dr. Dunn diagnosed Cripps with Chloracne and type-two diabetes, another sign of exposure.
Despite all the evidence, the VA will not approve James Cripps disability claim. "I'm being denied my medical care to this very day," says Cripps.
"From what I see it strictly gets down to money," says Donald Stephens, who is with the Disabled American Veterans. He's helped hundreds of veterans prepare their VA medical claims.
Ben Hall asks, "How strong is Mr. Cripps claim?"
"A ten," Stephens answers. "I would give it a ten."
He says there's plenty of help for veterans exposed in Vietnam, but he believes Cripps claim would open the floodgates for veterans exposed in the United States.
Meanwhile, James Cripps is on multiple medications and he's struggling to pay his medical bills. And now the VA is actually garnishing his Social Security checks.
"We have discussed of late, even yesterday, the thought of suicide," he confides.
After years of service, Cripps and his wife feel broken and betrayed.
"I can see why some veterans would give up," Sandra Cripps says. "It's not fair."
http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/stor ... enu374_6_8
Posted: Feb 25, 2008 04:29 PM
Featured Videos
Veteran Bears Scars of Stateside Agent Orange
When it comes to deadly poisons, few are better known. The military's use of Agent Orange is one of the dark chapters of the Vietnam War.
But NewsChannel 5 investigative reporter Ben Hall has found the military used Agent Orange here in the United States -- and one veteran says he has the health problems to prove it.
Agent Orange was a toxic herbicide used by the military to thin out the jungles of Vietnam. Soldiers sprayed millions of gallons, unaware how poisonous it was.
"There was a problem and the evidence is on my back and my chest and 40 years of my life," says James Cripps, a Vietnam era veteran.
He says he was poisoned by Agent Orange, but he never served in Vietnam.
"When I got wounded I didn't know it I had no reason to suspect there would have been no way to have proved it," Cripps says.
Cripps had what seemed like a dream job as game warden at Fort Gordon in Georgia.
"This is me in 1971 when I got out of the Army you can see all the marks on my face," he says, pointing to photos of himself.
Cripps says when he left the military he had already been exposed. He believes he sprayed Agent Orange in the lakes around Fort Gordon to kill weeds.
"I was ordered to spray that herbicide," Cripps says. And pictures show signs warning people about fishing in the lakes Cripps once cared for. "I know what's in those lakes, I put it there," adds Cripps.
NewsChannel 5 Investigates has uncovered defense department documents that prove the military sprayed Agent Orange at Fort Gordon during the time Cripps was there.
Documents detail more than 30 locations in the United States where Agent Orange was tested.
The documents show helicopters sprayed at least 95 gallons of Agent Orange at Fort Gordon in 1967. Cripps says that alone should prove he was exposed.
"A lot of them cause scars sometimes they go so sore he can't wear his shirt," his wife, Sandra Cripps, says.
But he and his wife say his body offers the greatest proof. The blackheads on his back contain the poisonous residue from Agent Orange which causes acne called ‘chloracne.'
"In some persons the skin legions persist," says Dr. Dewey Dunn, an Agent Orange expert.
He says chloracne is a tell-tale sign of Agent Orange exposure. "It's just sort of a marker so its on the list and probably at the top of the list."
Dr. Dunn examined James Cripps but could not talk specifically about his case. Medical records show Dr. Dunn diagnosed Cripps with Chloracne and type-two diabetes, another sign of exposure.
Despite all the evidence, the VA will not approve James Cripps disability claim. "I'm being denied my medical care to this very day," says Cripps.
"From what I see it strictly gets down to money," says Donald Stephens, who is with the Disabled American Veterans. He's helped hundreds of veterans prepare their VA medical claims.
Ben Hall asks, "How strong is Mr. Cripps claim?"
"A ten," Stephens answers. "I would give it a ten."
He says there's plenty of help for veterans exposed in Vietnam, but he believes Cripps claim would open the floodgates for veterans exposed in the United States.
Meanwhile, James Cripps is on multiple medications and he's struggling to pay his medical bills. And now the VA is actually garnishing his Social Security checks.
"We have discussed of late, even yesterday, the thought of suicide," he confides.
After years of service, Cripps and his wife feel broken and betrayed.
"I can see why some veterans would give up," Sandra Cripps says. "It's not fair."
http://www.newschannel5.com/Global/stor ... enu374_6_8
-
J.B. Stone - Posts: 47789
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 02/ 12/ 09 6:27 pm
Veterans urged to get tested
Illnesses caused by Agent Orange raise concerns
Bruce Brown • bbrown@theadvertiser.com • January 26, 2009
http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20 ... /901260316
That's what veterans advocate Link Savoie has been saying for years to Vietnam veterans, like himself. For years he spoke to them about getting tested for possible damage caused by use of the defoliant Agent Orange.
If you don't get tested, Savoie reasoned, you risk not knowing whether you could have symptoms of any one of 11 diseases and ailments linked to Agent Orange. And, the earlier a disease is detected, the better chances are of dealing with it.
"When you get out of the service, many are 24, 25 or 26, and you feel fine," said Savoie, who served in the Army for 22 years including tours of duty in Korea and Vietnam. "Then when they become of age, they start to notice that this hurts, and that hurts.
"They start getting things like colon cancer and other maladies in their system. Then, they start dying on us."
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, approximately 20 million gallons of herbicides were used in Vietnam between 1962 and 1971 to remove unwanted plant life and leaves which otherwise provided cover for enemy forces during the Vietnam War.
Shortly following their military service in Vietnam, some veterans reported a variety of health problems and concerns which some of them attributed to exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides.
VA offers compensation and benefits for Vietnam veterans suffering from the following 11 diseases: chloracne; Hodgkin's disease; non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; multiple myeloma; porphyria cutanea tarda; respiratory cancers (lung, bronchus, larynx and trachea); soft-tissue sarcoma; acute and subacute peripheral neuropathy; prostate cancer; diabetes mellitus (Type 2 diabetes); and cronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Testing is offered at VA hospitals in both Alexandria and Shreveport, and it takes roughly a half a day to complete blood work, EKG and X-rays and announce results.
"The Agent Orange Exam is a way for a veteran to get a good history and physical," said Dr. Ruth Angel, who coordinates the Agent Orange Registry Examination process for the Alexandria VA Medical Center. "It is a general check-up that is focused on looking to see if the veteran has any of the presumptive Agent Orange conditions.
"Recently ALS and diabetes were added as presumptive Agent Orange conditions. If a veteran previously had an Agent Orange Exam before these conditions were added and they carry either of the diagnoses, they do not have to have another Agent Orange Exam now. They need to take the documentation from their doctor showing they have on the presumptive Agent Orange diagnoses, along with documentation that they were in Vietnam, to their local parish service officer so that they can begin the Compensation and Pension claim process."
"My motivation is to have every Vietnam veteran in Louisiana take the test, especially those in south Louisiana," said Savoie.
It was Savoie's connections as an All-American State Commander of the VFW that allowed him to reach hundreds of veterans in the cause, and he helped transport many to testing once he convinced them of the need.
Many affected veterans asked the next logical question - Could my offspring be affected? That simple question, and the answer - yes - helped Savoie convince more veterans to undergo the tests.
Savoie finally heeded his own advice and was hit with sobering news.
"One day," he said, "I was taking my physical and my white blood cell count exceeded the red cells. My doctor said now was the time to get tested, and to send those results to an oncologist. In November of 2007, I was told I had CLL (cronic lymphocytic leukemia).
"It's not bad. My count is now around 15,000, and the doctors said if I can maintain that, they'll work with me. We can manage it."
CLL was the last of 11 diseases to be included in the category of ailments caused by Agent Orange. It has only been in the last two years that the list had 11 and not 10 diseases. Vigorous pursuit of the issue by Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) groups finally prevailed.
Savoie himself is now on 100 percent, non-revocable disability because of CLL. But the campaign remains vigorous.
"How did someone die of alleged Agent Orange damage if they'd never been tested?" Savoie asked. "We knew these guys were dying for a reason."
Illnesses caused by Agent Orange raise concerns
Bruce Brown • bbrown@theadvertiser.com • January 26, 2009
http://www.theadvertiser.com/article/20 ... /901260316
That's what veterans advocate Link Savoie has been saying for years to Vietnam veterans, like himself. For years he spoke to them about getting tested for possible damage caused by use of the defoliant Agent Orange.
If you don't get tested, Savoie reasoned, you risk not knowing whether you could have symptoms of any one of 11 diseases and ailments linked to Agent Orange. And, the earlier a disease is detected, the better chances are of dealing with it.
"When you get out of the service, many are 24, 25 or 26, and you feel fine," said Savoie, who served in the Army for 22 years including tours of duty in Korea and Vietnam. "Then when they become of age, they start to notice that this hurts, and that hurts.
"They start getting things like colon cancer and other maladies in their system. Then, they start dying on us."
According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, approximately 20 million gallons of herbicides were used in Vietnam between 1962 and 1971 to remove unwanted plant life and leaves which otherwise provided cover for enemy forces during the Vietnam War.
Shortly following their military service in Vietnam, some veterans reported a variety of health problems and concerns which some of them attributed to exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides.
VA offers compensation and benefits for Vietnam veterans suffering from the following 11 diseases: chloracne; Hodgkin's disease; non-Hodgkin's lymphoma; multiple myeloma; porphyria cutanea tarda; respiratory cancers (lung, bronchus, larynx and trachea); soft-tissue sarcoma; acute and subacute peripheral neuropathy; prostate cancer; diabetes mellitus (Type 2 diabetes); and cronic lymphocytic leukemia.
Testing is offered at VA hospitals in both Alexandria and Shreveport, and it takes roughly a half a day to complete blood work, EKG and X-rays and announce results.
"The Agent Orange Exam is a way for a veteran to get a good history and physical," said Dr. Ruth Angel, who coordinates the Agent Orange Registry Examination process for the Alexandria VA Medical Center. "It is a general check-up that is focused on looking to see if the veteran has any of the presumptive Agent Orange conditions.
"Recently ALS and diabetes were added as presumptive Agent Orange conditions. If a veteran previously had an Agent Orange Exam before these conditions were added and they carry either of the diagnoses, they do not have to have another Agent Orange Exam now. They need to take the documentation from their doctor showing they have on the presumptive Agent Orange diagnoses, along with documentation that they were in Vietnam, to their local parish service officer so that they can begin the Compensation and Pension claim process."
"My motivation is to have every Vietnam veteran in Louisiana take the test, especially those in south Louisiana," said Savoie.
It was Savoie's connections as an All-American State Commander of the VFW that allowed him to reach hundreds of veterans in the cause, and he helped transport many to testing once he convinced them of the need.
Many affected veterans asked the next logical question - Could my offspring be affected? That simple question, and the answer - yes - helped Savoie convince more veterans to undergo the tests.
Savoie finally heeded his own advice and was hit with sobering news.
"One day," he said, "I was taking my physical and my white blood cell count exceeded the red cells. My doctor said now was the time to get tested, and to send those results to an oncologist. In November of 2007, I was told I had CLL (cronic lymphocytic leukemia).
"It's not bad. My count is now around 15,000, and the doctors said if I can maintain that, they'll work with me. We can manage it."
CLL was the last of 11 diseases to be included in the category of ailments caused by Agent Orange. It has only been in the last two years that the list had 11 and not 10 diseases. Vigorous pursuit of the issue by Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW) groups finally prevailed.
Savoie himself is now on 100 percent, non-revocable disability because of CLL. But the campaign remains vigorous.
"How did someone die of alleged Agent Orange damage if they'd never been tested?" Savoie asked. "We knew these guys were dying for a reason."
-
J.B. Stone - Posts: 47789
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 03/ 10/ 09 12:27 pm
Ottawa's last mission for Agent Orange
In our view: If conscience won't prompt action, maybe a movie will
http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/opin ... cle/597810
The story has all the makings of a Hollywood blockbuster: poisonings; disease and death; international implications; government denials and cash payments.
The story of Agent Orange spraying at CFB Gagetown is, in fact, about to become a documentary movie, which will bring the saga to a wider audience and hopefully put added pressure on the federal government to take responsibility for its actions.
While the Agent Orange Association of Canada says more than 3.3 million litres of chemicals were sprayed on CFB Gagetown between 1956-84, the only federal government acknowledgment of responsibility is rather twisted.
Ottawa will only admit to allowing American military personnel to use the base to spray Agent Orange from 1966-67. The U.S. needed a place to test the chemical defoliant for future use in Vietnam's jungles while fighting there, and we kindly let them use our base for that purpose.
As a result of that limited acknowledgement, any payment for harm done has been to soldiers on the base, and people living within five kilometres of the base, during that time.
The payment issue has been a huge thorn in the side of the Stephen Harper government since it announced a one-time ex gratia payment of $20,000 for those affected, or their surviving primary caregiver. That payment comes with no acknowledgement of responsibility and no apologies.
But wait. The Harper government promised, just before it was elected in early 2006, that it would "stand up for full and fair compensation to persons exposed to defoliant spraying during the period from 1956 to 1984," and it would "... disclose all information concerning the spraying to veterans and civilians."
That most definitely has not happened. In fact, the greatest insult in this whole drama, besides the refusal of the government to admit anything, is the niggling detail of date of death.
Feb. 6, 2006 is the determining day - the day on which the Harper government was sworn in. If you were affected by Agent Orange spraying during that window of 1966-67 and you died before that date, you lose. If you died on or after that date, your widow gets the paltry sum of $20,000 to compensate for all the pain and suffering, indignity and betrayal.
Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson says they had to start somewhere, so they picked that date. That is the sorriest example of arbitrary government decision-making in recent history, but it's more than that.
It is a further insult and punishment to an already ignored segment of the population that did nothing more than be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
A massive letter writing campaign by the many widows affected has made many aware of the issue, but it has not changed the government's mind.
We can only hope this movie, which has hopes of being screened at the internationally acclaimed Toronto Film Festival, will change a few minds in cabinet. Sadly, if that happens, it probably won't be because it's the right thing to do. It will be the enormous international outrage that does it.
Still, we can hope our government will finally do what every kindergarten-age child is expected to do - take responsibility for their actions.
In our view: If conscience won't prompt action, maybe a movie will
http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/opin ... cle/597810
The story has all the makings of a Hollywood blockbuster: poisonings; disease and death; international implications; government denials and cash payments.
The story of Agent Orange spraying at CFB Gagetown is, in fact, about to become a documentary movie, which will bring the saga to a wider audience and hopefully put added pressure on the federal government to take responsibility for its actions.
While the Agent Orange Association of Canada says more than 3.3 million litres of chemicals were sprayed on CFB Gagetown between 1956-84, the only federal government acknowledgment of responsibility is rather twisted.
Ottawa will only admit to allowing American military personnel to use the base to spray Agent Orange from 1966-67. The U.S. needed a place to test the chemical defoliant for future use in Vietnam's jungles while fighting there, and we kindly let them use our base for that purpose.
As a result of that limited acknowledgement, any payment for harm done has been to soldiers on the base, and people living within five kilometres of the base, during that time.
The payment issue has been a huge thorn in the side of the Stephen Harper government since it announced a one-time ex gratia payment of $20,000 for those affected, or their surviving primary caregiver. That payment comes with no acknowledgement of responsibility and no apologies.
But wait. The Harper government promised, just before it was elected in early 2006, that it would "stand up for full and fair compensation to persons exposed to defoliant spraying during the period from 1956 to 1984," and it would "... disclose all information concerning the spraying to veterans and civilians."
That most definitely has not happened. In fact, the greatest insult in this whole drama, besides the refusal of the government to admit anything, is the niggling detail of date of death.
Feb. 6, 2006 is the determining day - the day on which the Harper government was sworn in. If you were affected by Agent Orange spraying during that window of 1966-67 and you died before that date, you lose. If you died on or after that date, your widow gets the paltry sum of $20,000 to compensate for all the pain and suffering, indignity and betrayal.
Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson says they had to start somewhere, so they picked that date. That is the sorriest example of arbitrary government decision-making in recent history, but it's more than that.
It is a further insult and punishment to an already ignored segment of the population that did nothing more than be in the wrong place at the wrong time.
A massive letter writing campaign by the many widows affected has made many aware of the issue, but it has not changed the government's mind.
We can only hope this movie, which has hopes of being screened at the internationally acclaimed Toronto Film Festival, will change a few minds in cabinet. Sadly, if that happens, it probably won't be because it's the right thing to do. It will be the enormous international outrage that does it.
Still, we can hope our government will finally do what every kindergarten-age child is expected to do - take responsibility for their actions.
-
J.B. Stone - Posts: 47789
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 03/ 20/ 09 11:02 am
NO TELLING HOW MANY ATTEMPTS OBAMA WILL MAKE TO SCREW THE VETERANS....!!!
Insurance Change for Veterans Is Scrapped
By ROBERT PEAR
Published: March 18, 2009
WASHINGTON — Under withering criticism from veterans and Congress, President Obama on Wednesday abandoned a proposal that would have required veterans to use their private health insurance to pay for the treatment of combat-related injuries.
David K. Rehbein, national commander of the American Legion, said the president had indicated at a meeting on Monday that he “intended to move forward” with the proposal, which could have saved the government more than $500 million a year.
But on Wednesday, the White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs, said Mr. Obama had scrapped the idea.
“The president has instructed that its consideration be dropped,” Mr. Gibbs said.
The press secretary said Mr. Obama had heeded the concerns of veterans’ organizations that feared the proposal could make it more difficult for some of their members to obtain care.
In a recent letter to the president, the American Legion and 10 other veterans organizations denounced the proposal as “a total abrogation of our government’s moral and legal responsibility” to treat service-connected injuries and illnesses.
Lawmakers of both parties said the proposal would have made it more difficult for some veterans to get affordable private health insurance for themselves and their families.
“Pushing combat injuries onto personal insurance plans could make service to our nation a pre-existing condition,” which could be used to justify the denial of private coverage, said Representative Roy Blunt, Republican of Missouri.
Mr. Obama has repeatedly called health insurance for all Americans one of his priorities.
Veterans groups thanked the president on Wednesday.
Jay Agg, a spokesman for Amvets, said: “We are very pleased the administration dropped this proposal. It flew in the face of the government’s covenant to care for all service-connected needs of our veterans.”
Glen M. Gardner Jr., national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said Mr. Obama had told veterans on Monday that he would listen to their concerns. “The president kept to his word and made the right decision,” Mr. Gardner said.
Senior members of Congress had threatened to kill the proposal if Mr. Obama pushed it.
The chairmen of the House and Senate Committees on Veterans Affairs, Senator Daniel K. Akaka, Democrat of Hawaii, and Representative Bob Filner, Democrat of California, had publicly opposed the proposal.
“Our budget cannot be balanced on the backs of our nation’s combat-wounded heroes,” Mr. Filner said.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, announced the president’s decision Wednesday afternoon at a meeting with veterans groups. Leaders of the organizations had pressed their concerns a few hours earlier in a meeting at the White House with Rahm Emanuel, the president’s chief of staff.
Eric Shinseki, the secretary of veterans affairs, said Mr. Obama was requesting $113 billion for the department in 2010, an increase of 16 percent over this year’s amount. The budget includes money to treat 419,000 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, up 15 percent from this year and 61 percent from 2008.
Having dropped the idea of billing private insurers for the treatment of service-connected conditions, administration officials have told veterans groups that they want to find another way to save a similar amount of money.
One way is to collect payments from private insurers who are already responsible for some care provided to veterans for needs unrelated to their military service.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/us/po ... 1&emc=eta1
Insurance Change for Veterans Is Scrapped
By ROBERT PEAR
Published: March 18, 2009
WASHINGTON — Under withering criticism from veterans and Congress, President Obama on Wednesday abandoned a proposal that would have required veterans to use their private health insurance to pay for the treatment of combat-related injuries.
David K. Rehbein, national commander of the American Legion, said the president had indicated at a meeting on Monday that he “intended to move forward” with the proposal, which could have saved the government more than $500 million a year.
But on Wednesday, the White House press secretary, Robert Gibbs, said Mr. Obama had scrapped the idea.
“The president has instructed that its consideration be dropped,” Mr. Gibbs said.
The press secretary said Mr. Obama had heeded the concerns of veterans’ organizations that feared the proposal could make it more difficult for some of their members to obtain care.
In a recent letter to the president, the American Legion and 10 other veterans organizations denounced the proposal as “a total abrogation of our government’s moral and legal responsibility” to treat service-connected injuries and illnesses.
Lawmakers of both parties said the proposal would have made it more difficult for some veterans to get affordable private health insurance for themselves and their families.
“Pushing combat injuries onto personal insurance plans could make service to our nation a pre-existing condition,” which could be used to justify the denial of private coverage, said Representative Roy Blunt, Republican of Missouri.
Mr. Obama has repeatedly called health insurance for all Americans one of his priorities.
Veterans groups thanked the president on Wednesday.
Jay Agg, a spokesman for Amvets, said: “We are very pleased the administration dropped this proposal. It flew in the face of the government’s covenant to care for all service-connected needs of our veterans.”
Glen M. Gardner Jr., national commander of the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said Mr. Obama had told veterans on Monday that he would listen to their concerns. “The president kept to his word and made the right decision,” Mr. Gardner said.
Senior members of Congress had threatened to kill the proposal if Mr. Obama pushed it.
The chairmen of the House and Senate Committees on Veterans Affairs, Senator Daniel K. Akaka, Democrat of Hawaii, and Representative Bob Filner, Democrat of California, had publicly opposed the proposal.
“Our budget cannot be balanced on the backs of our nation’s combat-wounded heroes,” Mr. Filner said.
Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, announced the president’s decision Wednesday afternoon at a meeting with veterans groups. Leaders of the organizations had pressed their concerns a few hours earlier in a meeting at the White House with Rahm Emanuel, the president’s chief of staff.
Eric Shinseki, the secretary of veterans affairs, said Mr. Obama was requesting $113 billion for the department in 2010, an increase of 16 percent over this year’s amount. The budget includes money to treat 419,000 veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, up 15 percent from this year and 61 percent from 2008.
Having dropped the idea of billing private insurers for the treatment of service-connected conditions, administration officials have told veterans groups that they want to find another way to save a similar amount of money.
One way is to collect payments from private insurers who are already responsible for some care provided to veterans for needs unrelated to their military service.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/19/us/po ... 1&emc=eta1
-
J.B. Stone - Posts: 47789
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 04/ 04/ 09 1:00 am
Soldiers' widows won't abandon fight
Published Thursday April 2nd, 2009
http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/city ... cle/623007
Widows denied Agent Orange compensation by the federal government say they aren't giving up their battle despite the passing of the deadline for filing applications for compensation
About 15 members of Military Widows on a Warpath and a handful of supporters demonstrated at the main gate to Canadian Forces Base Gagetown on Wednesday. Another half dozen waved signs at motorists at the Gateway Drive traffic circle.
Signs, some borrowing the slogan "Yes We Can" from U.S. President Barrack Obama's campaign, illustrated the determination of the women to force the federal government to drop a cut-off date that excludes them from $20,000 compensation payments.
Widows can only get compensation if their husbands died on or after Feb. 6, 2006, the day Prime Minister Stephen Harper took office.
Warpath founder Bette Hudson's husband died of lung cancer in January 2004.
Veteran Affairs Minister Greg Thompson has been inflexible, she said, and told them the cut-off date will not change as long as he is minister.
The policy affects 80 widows in New Brunswick and a possible 20,000 across Canada.
The Canadian military was testing Agent Orange, used in the Vietnam War, and other herbicides for the U.S. military in the 1960s.
Compensation is being paid to members of the military and civilians who worked on the base from June 1 to Sept. 30, 1966, and June 1 to Sept. 30, 1967, and are sick with a disease believed to be related to exposure to Agent Orange. People living within five kilometres of the base are also eligible.
Hudson said when the widows are gone, their children will take up the fight. Some widows' daughters were among the demonstrators.
Susan Weatherbee, whose military dad died in May 2000, was standing in for her mother, who is in a nursing home.
"I am carrying on on her behalf," said Weatherbee.
Thompson said the date won't change in part because there's missing evidence for many of the cases.
"Previous governments have refused to deal with this because it is too complicated," said Thompson in a phone interview from Ottawa.
His government took it on and did the best it could with something that dates back 40 years.
"I'm pretty proud of what we've done," said the MP.
As of Wednesday, 3,200 applications were received and 2,200 were approved. There are still more to be processed and more might come in before the end of the day, said Thompson.
Published Thursday April 2nd, 2009
http://dailygleaner.canadaeast.com/city ... cle/623007
Widows denied Agent Orange compensation by the federal government say they aren't giving up their battle despite the passing of the deadline for filing applications for compensation
About 15 members of Military Widows on a Warpath and a handful of supporters demonstrated at the main gate to Canadian Forces Base Gagetown on Wednesday. Another half dozen waved signs at motorists at the Gateway Drive traffic circle.
Signs, some borrowing the slogan "Yes We Can" from U.S. President Barrack Obama's campaign, illustrated the determination of the women to force the federal government to drop a cut-off date that excludes them from $20,000 compensation payments.
Widows can only get compensation if their husbands died on or after Feb. 6, 2006, the day Prime Minister Stephen Harper took office.
Warpath founder Bette Hudson's husband died of lung cancer in January 2004.
Veteran Affairs Minister Greg Thompson has been inflexible, she said, and told them the cut-off date will not change as long as he is minister.
The policy affects 80 widows in New Brunswick and a possible 20,000 across Canada.
The Canadian military was testing Agent Orange, used in the Vietnam War, and other herbicides for the U.S. military in the 1960s.
Compensation is being paid to members of the military and civilians who worked on the base from June 1 to Sept. 30, 1966, and June 1 to Sept. 30, 1967, and are sick with a disease believed to be related to exposure to Agent Orange. People living within five kilometres of the base are also eligible.
Hudson said when the widows are gone, their children will take up the fight. Some widows' daughters were among the demonstrators.
Susan Weatherbee, whose military dad died in May 2000, was standing in for her mother, who is in a nursing home.
"I am carrying on on her behalf," said Weatherbee.
Thompson said the date won't change in part because there's missing evidence for many of the cases.
"Previous governments have refused to deal with this because it is too complicated," said Thompson in a phone interview from Ottawa.
His government took it on and did the best it could with something that dates back 40 years.
"I'm pretty proud of what we've done," said the MP.
As of Wednesday, 3,200 applications were received and 2,200 were approved. There are still more to be processed and more might come in before the end of the day, said Thompson.
-
J.B. Stone - Posts: 47789
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 04/ 04/ 09 1:05 am
PEOPLE DO CARE:
The Invisible Ones: Homeless Combat Veterans
http://www.visionmagazine.com/archives/ ... eless.html
by Patty Mooney
How many times have you passed up a sleeping figure underneath a blanket or tarp on the darkened streets of your city? Have you ever considered that this could be one of our war heroes?
This question entered my consciousness in the summer of 2007. As partners of a video production company called Crystal Pyramid Productions, my husband, Mark Schulze, and I received a call from the Veterans Administration to document the 20th Annual Stand Down in San Diego, CA.
“Stand Down,” we wondered. “What’s that?” We learned that in military parlance, a stand down is when a soldier steps away from combat operations and experiences a momentary rest and relaxation prior to heading back into the fray. Its definition has been extended to name an event which addresses the plight of homeless veterans on the streets of America.
The San Diego Stand Down sustains homeless veterans for three days with hot meals, cots, showers, shaves and haircuts, plus a change of clothing. The veterans can receive medical, dental and holistic treatments, as well as counseling and legal advice from caring volunteers—all in one location. They enjoy camaraderie with fellow veterans and best of all, they don’t have to worry about the “combat” that takes place daily out on the streets.
Robert Van Keuren and Dr. Jon Nachison are the two Vietnam veterans who founded this event. Van Keuren explains in his Stand Down Manual that “Stand Down is a belief in the triumph of the human spirit over extraordinary odds. It grows out of a conviction that the overwhelming number of homeless veterans is unacceptable, and that the veteran community itself must respond. Stand Down is designed to transform the despair and immobility of homelessness into the momentum necessary to get into recovery, resolve legal issues, seek employment, access health services and benefits, reconnect with the community and get off the streets—a very tall order for a three-day event.”
These men opened our eyes to the harsh reality that we have far more homeless veterans sleeping on our streets than most Americans know about. Homeless vets make up about 25 percent, and probably more, of the total homeless population. Dr. Nachison said that the figure of 200,000 across the nation is “the statistic now bandied about,” but he thought it was much too conservative a figure, since homeless veterans are difficult to count. He emphasized that he and Van Keuren had devised Stand Down because they “wanted to send a message to the nation that to have 25 percent of the homeless [as] veterans was a national disgrace.”
Veterans Village of San Diego (VVSD) has been producing Stand Down for 21 years. Al Pavich, CEO Emeritus of VVSD and a former Naval Commander who served three deployments in Vietnam, explained that “combat really changes a person. Sometimes our soldiers have a very hard time reentering society, and they end up on the streets. VVSD is working to catch them before they become completely dysfunctional. Stand Down is only a three-day event. These people need more time in a program like what we have going at VVSD, and that’s going to take more funding. We’re building a new addition at our facility, so we’ll soon have 250 beds, but that’s still a drop in the bucket compared to how many vets we have out there who are ready to make a change and commit to that change.”
Several of the homeless veterans related what life was like for them on the streets. One couple, whom we will call Rose and Edward, stand out in my mind. They had both served in the military and were married for about a year. Rose was shy about speaking to us, but Edward related several jolting stories. For example, one night they awoke with a burning sensation and realized that someone had lit their blanket on fire. Another time, they were both awakened by someone kicking them as they were sleeping. And it was typical for passersby to shout at them, “Get a job, you bums!”
“That really hurts our feelings,” said Rose. “We want to find work. And we served our country. Shouldn’t that count for something?”
It occurred to me that after the three days of relative “luxury” at Stand Down, 715 participants would have to go right back to the streets. On our way home from the shoot, I cried for these men and women who had served their country, many of whom now suffer with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and now seemed to be invisible to most Americans. Some of them, according to Pavich, were war heroes who had earned Gold Stars, Purple Hearts and Awards of Valor.
The question was: What could we do to help them?
Mark responded, “Well, we could do what we do best—and that’s video. We could make a documentary about this issue.”
And so we did. For the next year, we videotaped interviews and events focusing on this national tragedy, and we called it The Invisible Ones: Homeless Combat Veterans. We approached California Congressman Bob Filner, Chair of the Veterans Committee, and Congresswoman Susan Davis, Chair of the Military Personnel Committee. We spoke to Gary Becks, Director of Rescue Task Force, and Brigadier General Bob Cardenas, who had tested the Flying Wing back in the 1940s. We also spoke to several homeless veterans in an attempt to understand their situation. How do these veterans become homeless? What is it like to be homeless? What are people doing to assist homeless veterans?
We found out that most of the veterans on the streets have emerged from the Vietnam and Gulf War eras, although it is not unusual to see vets from the Korean War and even World War II. Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are now trickling onto the streets. Phil Landis, current CEO of VVSD, believes that the trickle will soon become a flood if we don’t put more energy into solving this problem.
“To have our war heroes sleeping out there on the streets—it’s unconscionable,” said Dave “The Water Man” Ross, a San Diegan in his 70s and a Korean War veteran who has been passing water out to the homeless out of his own social security check for over four years. We interviewed The Water Man onsite in an inner city neighborhood in San Diego. The backdrop consisted of homeless people with shopping carts who were camped out on tarps, blankets and newspapers in front of a fenced-in dirt lot.
“Did you know that there is not one water fountain or porta-potty in a 40-block radius?” he asked. “These people are invisible.”
I remembered growing up as a teen in Detroit, and then as a young woman in San Francisco. I had passed plenty of hulking figures and outstretched arms, not really understanding how they had arrived there, what I could do to be of assistance, or why it was even necessary for me to try and help. The scales fell from my eyes, so to speak, and I was ready to show my fellow Americans what is happening on the streets of our nation.
Mark and I decided to donate copies of The Invisible Ones to citizens and concerned organizations that will show the film and help raise funds to assist homeless veterans. If possible, we only request $4 to help us with shipping.
We attended the 2008 Stand Down and delivered a DVD of our documentary to Chaplain Darcy Pavich, Stand Down Coordinator. Her eyes glistened with tears as she said, “Do you know how many video crews have come and gone over the last 20 years, promising to send us their pieces? You are the first who did what you said you would do. You walk the walk.”
Homeless veterans are sleeping on our streets tonight, and we all have to help them. We Americans, who value our freedoms, who realize what sacrifices our service members have made, and who truly wish to help, can make a difference—starting right now.
Find out more about The Invisible Ones at www.theinvisibleones.org or call 619.644.3000. Patty Mooney and Mark Schulze are partners of an award-winning San Diego video production company, Crystal Pyramid Productions, which has served broadcast and corporate clients since 1981. Visit www.crystalpyramid.com for more information.
The Invisible Ones: Homeless Combat Veterans
http://www.visionmagazine.com/archives/ ... eless.html
by Patty Mooney
How many times have you passed up a sleeping figure underneath a blanket or tarp on the darkened streets of your city? Have you ever considered that this could be one of our war heroes?
This question entered my consciousness in the summer of 2007. As partners of a video production company called Crystal Pyramid Productions, my husband, Mark Schulze, and I received a call from the Veterans Administration to document the 20th Annual Stand Down in San Diego, CA.
“Stand Down,” we wondered. “What’s that?” We learned that in military parlance, a stand down is when a soldier steps away from combat operations and experiences a momentary rest and relaxation prior to heading back into the fray. Its definition has been extended to name an event which addresses the plight of homeless veterans on the streets of America.
The San Diego Stand Down sustains homeless veterans for three days with hot meals, cots, showers, shaves and haircuts, plus a change of clothing. The veterans can receive medical, dental and holistic treatments, as well as counseling and legal advice from caring volunteers—all in one location. They enjoy camaraderie with fellow veterans and best of all, they don’t have to worry about the “combat” that takes place daily out on the streets.
Robert Van Keuren and Dr. Jon Nachison are the two Vietnam veterans who founded this event. Van Keuren explains in his Stand Down Manual that “Stand Down is a belief in the triumph of the human spirit over extraordinary odds. It grows out of a conviction that the overwhelming number of homeless veterans is unacceptable, and that the veteran community itself must respond. Stand Down is designed to transform the despair and immobility of homelessness into the momentum necessary to get into recovery, resolve legal issues, seek employment, access health services and benefits, reconnect with the community and get off the streets—a very tall order for a three-day event.”
These men opened our eyes to the harsh reality that we have far more homeless veterans sleeping on our streets than most Americans know about. Homeless vets make up about 25 percent, and probably more, of the total homeless population. Dr. Nachison said that the figure of 200,000 across the nation is “the statistic now bandied about,” but he thought it was much too conservative a figure, since homeless veterans are difficult to count. He emphasized that he and Van Keuren had devised Stand Down because they “wanted to send a message to the nation that to have 25 percent of the homeless [as] veterans was a national disgrace.”
Veterans Village of San Diego (VVSD) has been producing Stand Down for 21 years. Al Pavich, CEO Emeritus of VVSD and a former Naval Commander who served three deployments in Vietnam, explained that “combat really changes a person. Sometimes our soldiers have a very hard time reentering society, and they end up on the streets. VVSD is working to catch them before they become completely dysfunctional. Stand Down is only a three-day event. These people need more time in a program like what we have going at VVSD, and that’s going to take more funding. We’re building a new addition at our facility, so we’ll soon have 250 beds, but that’s still a drop in the bucket compared to how many vets we have out there who are ready to make a change and commit to that change.”
Several of the homeless veterans related what life was like for them on the streets. One couple, whom we will call Rose and Edward, stand out in my mind. They had both served in the military and were married for about a year. Rose was shy about speaking to us, but Edward related several jolting stories. For example, one night they awoke with a burning sensation and realized that someone had lit their blanket on fire. Another time, they were both awakened by someone kicking them as they were sleeping. And it was typical for passersby to shout at them, “Get a job, you bums!”
“That really hurts our feelings,” said Rose. “We want to find work. And we served our country. Shouldn’t that count for something?”
It occurred to me that after the three days of relative “luxury” at Stand Down, 715 participants would have to go right back to the streets. On our way home from the shoot, I cried for these men and women who had served their country, many of whom now suffer with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and now seemed to be invisible to most Americans. Some of them, according to Pavich, were war heroes who had earned Gold Stars, Purple Hearts and Awards of Valor.
The question was: What could we do to help them?
Mark responded, “Well, we could do what we do best—and that’s video. We could make a documentary about this issue.”
And so we did. For the next year, we videotaped interviews and events focusing on this national tragedy, and we called it The Invisible Ones: Homeless Combat Veterans. We approached California Congressman Bob Filner, Chair of the Veterans Committee, and Congresswoman Susan Davis, Chair of the Military Personnel Committee. We spoke to Gary Becks, Director of Rescue Task Force, and Brigadier General Bob Cardenas, who had tested the Flying Wing back in the 1940s. We also spoke to several homeless veterans in an attempt to understand their situation. How do these veterans become homeless? What is it like to be homeless? What are people doing to assist homeless veterans?
We found out that most of the veterans on the streets have emerged from the Vietnam and Gulf War eras, although it is not unusual to see vets from the Korean War and even World War II. Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are now trickling onto the streets. Phil Landis, current CEO of VVSD, believes that the trickle will soon become a flood if we don’t put more energy into solving this problem.
“To have our war heroes sleeping out there on the streets—it’s unconscionable,” said Dave “The Water Man” Ross, a San Diegan in his 70s and a Korean War veteran who has been passing water out to the homeless out of his own social security check for over four years. We interviewed The Water Man onsite in an inner city neighborhood in San Diego. The backdrop consisted of homeless people with shopping carts who were camped out on tarps, blankets and newspapers in front of a fenced-in dirt lot.
“Did you know that there is not one water fountain or porta-potty in a 40-block radius?” he asked. “These people are invisible.”
I remembered growing up as a teen in Detroit, and then as a young woman in San Francisco. I had passed plenty of hulking figures and outstretched arms, not really understanding how they had arrived there, what I could do to be of assistance, or why it was even necessary for me to try and help. The scales fell from my eyes, so to speak, and I was ready to show my fellow Americans what is happening on the streets of our nation.
Mark and I decided to donate copies of The Invisible Ones to citizens and concerned organizations that will show the film and help raise funds to assist homeless veterans. If possible, we only request $4 to help us with shipping.
We attended the 2008 Stand Down and delivered a DVD of our documentary to Chaplain Darcy Pavich, Stand Down Coordinator. Her eyes glistened with tears as she said, “Do you know how many video crews have come and gone over the last 20 years, promising to send us their pieces? You are the first who did what you said you would do. You walk the walk.”
Homeless veterans are sleeping on our streets tonight, and we all have to help them. We Americans, who value our freedoms, who realize what sacrifices our service members have made, and who truly wish to help, can make a difference—starting right now.
Find out more about The Invisible Ones at www.theinvisibleones.org or call 619.644.3000. Patty Mooney and Mark Schulze are partners of an award-winning San Diego video production company, Crystal Pyramid Productions, which has served broadcast and corporate clients since 1981. Visit www.crystalpyramid.com for more information.
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J.B. Stone - Posts: 47789
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 04/ 04/ 09 1:09 am
The Invisible Ones: Homeless Combat Veterans
http://www.visionmagazine.com/archives/ ... eless.html
by Patty Mooney
How many times have you passed up a sleeping figure underneath a blanket or tarp on the darkened streets of your city? Have you ever considered that this could be one of our war heroes?
This question entered my consciousness in the summer of 2007. As partners of a video production company called Crystal Pyramid Productions, my husband, Mark Schulze, and I received a call from the Veterans Administration to document the 20th Annual Stand Down in San Diego, CA.
“Stand Down,” we wondered. “What’s that?” We learned that in military parlance, a stand down is when a soldier steps away from combat operations and experiences a momentary rest and relaxation prior to heading back into the fray. Its definition has been extended to name an event which addresses the plight of homeless veterans on the streets of America.
The San Diego Stand Down sustains homeless veterans for three days with hot meals, cots, showers, shaves and haircuts, plus a change of clothing. The veterans can receive medical, dental and holistic treatments, as well as counseling and legal advice from caring volunteers—all in one location. They enjoy camaraderie with fellow veterans and best of all, they don’t have to worry about the “combat” that takes place daily out on the streets.
Robert Van Keuren and Dr. Jon Nachison are the two Vietnam veterans who founded this event. Van Keuren explains in his Stand Down Manual that “Stand Down is a belief in the triumph of the human spirit over extraordinary odds. It grows out of a conviction that the overwhelming number of homeless veterans is unacceptable, and that the veteran community itself must respond. Stand Down is designed to transform the despair and immobility of homelessness into the momentum necessary to get into recovery, resolve legal issues, seek employment, access health services and benefits, reconnect with the community and get off the streets—a very tall order for a three-day event.”
These men opened our eyes to the harsh reality that we have far more homeless veterans sleeping on our streets than most Americans know about. Homeless vets make up about 25 percent, and probably more, of the total homeless population. Dr. Nachison said that the figure of 200,000 across the nation is “the statistic now bandied about,” but he thought it was much too conservative a figure, since homeless veterans are difficult to count. He emphasized that he and Van Keuren had devised Stand Down because they “wanted to send a message to the nation that to have 25 percent of the homeless [as] veterans was a national disgrace.”
Veterans Village of San Diego (VVSD) has been producing Stand Down for 21 years. Al Pavich, CEO Emeritus of VVSD and a former Naval Commander who served three deployments in Vietnam, explained that “combat really changes a person. Sometimes our soldiers have a very hard time reentering society, and they end up on the streets. VVSD is working to catch them before they become completely dysfunctional. Stand Down is only a three-day event. These people need more time in a program like what we have going at VVSD, and that’s going to take more funding. We’re building a new addition at our facility, so we’ll soon have 250 beds, but that’s still a drop in the bucket compared to how many vets we have out there who are ready to make a change and commit to that change.”
Several of the homeless veterans related what life was like for them on the streets. One couple, whom we will call Rose and Edward, stand out in my mind. They had both served in the military and were married for about a year. Rose was shy about speaking to us, but Edward related several jolting stories. For example, one night they awoke with a burning sensation and realized that someone had lit their blanket on fire. Another time, they were both awakened by someone kicking them as they were sleeping. And it was typical for passersby to shout at them, “Get a job, you bums!”
“That really hurts our feelings,” said Rose. “We want to find work. And we served our country. Shouldn’t that count for something?”
It occurred to me that after the three days of relative “luxury” at Stand Down, 715 participants would have to go right back to the streets. On our way home from the shoot, I cried for these men and women who had served their country, many of whom now suffer with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and now seemed to be invisible to most Americans. Some of them, according to Pavich, were war heroes who had earned Gold Stars, Purple Hearts and Awards of Valor.
The question was: What could we do to help them?
Mark responded, “Well, we could do what we do best—and that’s video. We could make a documentary about this issue.”
And so we did. For the next year, we videotaped interviews and events focusing on this national tragedy, and we called it The Invisible Ones: Homeless Combat Veterans. We approached California Congressman Bob Filner, Chair of the Veterans Committee, and Congresswoman Susan Davis, Chair of the Military Personnel Committee. We spoke to Gary Becks, Director of Rescue Task Force, and Brigadier General Bob Cardenas, who had tested the Flying Wing back in the 1940s. We also spoke to several homeless veterans in an attempt to understand their situation. How do these veterans become homeless? What is it like to be homeless? What are people doing to assist homeless veterans?
We found out that most of the veterans on the streets have emerged from the Vietnam and Gulf War eras, although it is not unusual to see vets from the Korean War and even World War II. Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are now trickling onto the streets. Phil Landis, current CEO of VVSD, believes that the trickle will soon become a flood if we don’t put more energy into solving this problem.
“To have our war heroes sleeping out there on the streets—it’s unconscionable,” said Dave “The Water Man” Ross, a San Diegan in his 70s and a Korean War veteran who has been passing water out to the homeless out of his own social security check for over four years. We interviewed The Water Man onsite in an inner city neighborhood in San Diego. The backdrop consisted of homeless people with shopping carts who were camped out on tarps, blankets and newspapers in front of a fenced-in dirt lot.
“Did you know that there is not one water fountain or porta-potty in a 40-block radius?” he asked. “These people are invisible.”
I remembered growing up as a teen in Detroit, and then as a young woman in San Francisco. I had passed plenty of hulking figures and outstretched arms, not really understanding how they had arrived there, what I could do to be of assistance, or why it was even necessary for me to try and help. The scales fell from my eyes, so to speak, and I was ready to show my fellow Americans what is happening on the streets of our nation.
Mark and I decided to donate copies of The Invisible Ones to citizens and concerned organizations that will show the film and help raise funds to assist homeless veterans. If possible, we only request $4 to help us with shipping.
We attended the 2008 Stand Down and delivered a DVD of our documentary to Chaplain Darcy Pavich, Stand Down Coordinator. Her eyes glistened with tears as she said, “Do you know how many video crews have come and gone over the last 20 years, promising to send us their pieces? You are the first who did what you said you would do. You walk the walk.”
Homeless veterans are sleeping on our streets tonight, and we all have to help them. We Americans, who value our freedoms, who realize what sacrifices our service members have made, and who truly wish to help, can make a difference—starting right now.
Find out more about The Invisible Ones at www.theinvisibleones.org or call 619.644.3000. Patty Mooney and Mark Schulze are partners of an award-winning San Diego video production company, Crystal Pyramid Productions, which has served broadcast and corporate clients since 1981. Visit www.crystalpyramid.com for more information.
http://www.visionmagazine.com/archives/ ... eless.html
by Patty Mooney
How many times have you passed up a sleeping figure underneath a blanket or tarp on the darkened streets of your city? Have you ever considered that this could be one of our war heroes?
This question entered my consciousness in the summer of 2007. As partners of a video production company called Crystal Pyramid Productions, my husband, Mark Schulze, and I received a call from the Veterans Administration to document the 20th Annual Stand Down in San Diego, CA.
“Stand Down,” we wondered. “What’s that?” We learned that in military parlance, a stand down is when a soldier steps away from combat operations and experiences a momentary rest and relaxation prior to heading back into the fray. Its definition has been extended to name an event which addresses the plight of homeless veterans on the streets of America.
The San Diego Stand Down sustains homeless veterans for three days with hot meals, cots, showers, shaves and haircuts, plus a change of clothing. The veterans can receive medical, dental and holistic treatments, as well as counseling and legal advice from caring volunteers—all in one location. They enjoy camaraderie with fellow veterans and best of all, they don’t have to worry about the “combat” that takes place daily out on the streets.
Robert Van Keuren and Dr. Jon Nachison are the two Vietnam veterans who founded this event. Van Keuren explains in his Stand Down Manual that “Stand Down is a belief in the triumph of the human spirit over extraordinary odds. It grows out of a conviction that the overwhelming number of homeless veterans is unacceptable, and that the veteran community itself must respond. Stand Down is designed to transform the despair and immobility of homelessness into the momentum necessary to get into recovery, resolve legal issues, seek employment, access health services and benefits, reconnect with the community and get off the streets—a very tall order for a three-day event.”
These men opened our eyes to the harsh reality that we have far more homeless veterans sleeping on our streets than most Americans know about. Homeless vets make up about 25 percent, and probably more, of the total homeless population. Dr. Nachison said that the figure of 200,000 across the nation is “the statistic now bandied about,” but he thought it was much too conservative a figure, since homeless veterans are difficult to count. He emphasized that he and Van Keuren had devised Stand Down because they “wanted to send a message to the nation that to have 25 percent of the homeless [as] veterans was a national disgrace.”
Veterans Village of San Diego (VVSD) has been producing Stand Down for 21 years. Al Pavich, CEO Emeritus of VVSD and a former Naval Commander who served three deployments in Vietnam, explained that “combat really changes a person. Sometimes our soldiers have a very hard time reentering society, and they end up on the streets. VVSD is working to catch them before they become completely dysfunctional. Stand Down is only a three-day event. These people need more time in a program like what we have going at VVSD, and that’s going to take more funding. We’re building a new addition at our facility, so we’ll soon have 250 beds, but that’s still a drop in the bucket compared to how many vets we have out there who are ready to make a change and commit to that change.”
Several of the homeless veterans related what life was like for them on the streets. One couple, whom we will call Rose and Edward, stand out in my mind. They had both served in the military and were married for about a year. Rose was shy about speaking to us, but Edward related several jolting stories. For example, one night they awoke with a burning sensation and realized that someone had lit their blanket on fire. Another time, they were both awakened by someone kicking them as they were sleeping. And it was typical for passersby to shout at them, “Get a job, you bums!”
“That really hurts our feelings,” said Rose. “We want to find work. And we served our country. Shouldn’t that count for something?”
It occurred to me that after the three days of relative “luxury” at Stand Down, 715 participants would have to go right back to the streets. On our way home from the shoot, I cried for these men and women who had served their country, many of whom now suffer with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, and now seemed to be invisible to most Americans. Some of them, according to Pavich, were war heroes who had earned Gold Stars, Purple Hearts and Awards of Valor.
The question was: What could we do to help them?
Mark responded, “Well, we could do what we do best—and that’s video. We could make a documentary about this issue.”
And so we did. For the next year, we videotaped interviews and events focusing on this national tragedy, and we called it The Invisible Ones: Homeless Combat Veterans. We approached California Congressman Bob Filner, Chair of the Veterans Committee, and Congresswoman Susan Davis, Chair of the Military Personnel Committee. We spoke to Gary Becks, Director of Rescue Task Force, and Brigadier General Bob Cardenas, who had tested the Flying Wing back in the 1940s. We also spoke to several homeless veterans in an attempt to understand their situation. How do these veterans become homeless? What is it like to be homeless? What are people doing to assist homeless veterans?
We found out that most of the veterans on the streets have emerged from the Vietnam and Gulf War eras, although it is not unusual to see vets from the Korean War and even World War II. Veterans returning from Iraq and Afghanistan are now trickling onto the streets. Phil Landis, current CEO of VVSD, believes that the trickle will soon become a flood if we don’t put more energy into solving this problem.
“To have our war heroes sleeping out there on the streets—it’s unconscionable,” said Dave “The Water Man” Ross, a San Diegan in his 70s and a Korean War veteran who has been passing water out to the homeless out of his own social security check for over four years. We interviewed The Water Man onsite in an inner city neighborhood in San Diego. The backdrop consisted of homeless people with shopping carts who were camped out on tarps, blankets and newspapers in front of a fenced-in dirt lot.
“Did you know that there is not one water fountain or porta-potty in a 40-block radius?” he asked. “These people are invisible.”
I remembered growing up as a teen in Detroit, and then as a young woman in San Francisco. I had passed plenty of hulking figures and outstretched arms, not really understanding how they had arrived there, what I could do to be of assistance, or why it was even necessary for me to try and help. The scales fell from my eyes, so to speak, and I was ready to show my fellow Americans what is happening on the streets of our nation.
Mark and I decided to donate copies of The Invisible Ones to citizens and concerned organizations that will show the film and help raise funds to assist homeless veterans. If possible, we only request $4 to help us with shipping.
We attended the 2008 Stand Down and delivered a DVD of our documentary to Chaplain Darcy Pavich, Stand Down Coordinator. Her eyes glistened with tears as she said, “Do you know how many video crews have come and gone over the last 20 years, promising to send us their pieces? You are the first who did what you said you would do. You walk the walk.”
Homeless veterans are sleeping on our streets tonight, and we all have to help them. We Americans, who value our freedoms, who realize what sacrifices our service members have made, and who truly wish to help, can make a difference—starting right now.
Find out more about The Invisible Ones at www.theinvisibleones.org or call 619.644.3000. Patty Mooney and Mark Schulze are partners of an award-winning San Diego video production company, Crystal Pyramid Productions, which has served broadcast and corporate clients since 1981. Visit www.crystalpyramid.com for more information.
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J.B. Stone - Posts: 47789
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 07/ 06/ 09 10:12 am
THIS STORY IS ALL TOO COMMON:
Jun-18-2009
Deny, Deny, Until They Die: The Case of Garry Lee Price and the Veterans Administration
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/june ... -17-09.php
Editorial by Shad Meshad Special to Salem-News.com
How many more Garry Price type tragedies have to happen before the VA serves the needs of those heroes who have guaranteed our freedom with their blood?
Agent Orange
The horrific birth defects and deformations that American use of the chemical defoliant Agent Orange brought Vietnam is beyond words; it also led to the deaths of countless numbers of Americans through cancer and it is hereditary. Courtesy: Chapter 885 Vietnam Veterans of America
(LOS ANGELES) - Garry Lee Price is dying of cancer in a hospice in Sacramento while the Veterans Administration stalls on his service-related disability claim. His doctors give him two weeks to live. When he dies, the claim dies. And that’s the point.
The Veterans Administration, the health services side of the organization, has already determined that the cancer was caused by Garry’s exposure to Agent Orange while serving in Vietnam.
Garry was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, a soft tissue sarcoma, in April 2008 by VA physicians. He has a tumor the size of a softball growing out of the side of his neck.
According to the Veterans Administration’s policy on Agent Orange related disability, this soft tissue sarcoma is one of eight medical conditions where Vietnam Veterans “do not have to show that their illness is related to their military service to get disability compensation. VA presumes that their condition is service-connected.”
This should, by all rights, make Garry eligible for full disability benefits immediately.
But Garry’s terminal status, and presumed service-connected disability, instead of spurring the administration to expedite his claim, has given them an extra reason to stall.
And they have.
For years, “deny, deny, until they die,” has been an common refrain among the Veteran community to describe what they see as the Veterans Administration’s unspoken policy of dragging their feet on claims processing until the Veteran applying dies. Then, the claim doesn’t have to be paid. Garry and his wife Bonnie are the latest victims of this policy.
The Veterans Administration’s website states that Agent Orange related claims take an average of 204 days, or about 7 months to process. It also states that their goal is to speed the processing of these claims to 74 days.
Garry first visited the VA with completed disability claim forms in June 2008, after two heart attacks and his cancer had kept him from earning income for almost a year.
He was told that day by a VA claims representative that, since he was terminal, he should not bother applying, because the processing time would take longer than he had to live. Discouraged, Garry left with the forms still in his hand.
Garry sought help from the National Veterans Foundation who helped him file his claim, and in October 2008, mailed in the paperwork to the VA.
In December 2008 he received a form letter stating that his claim had been received. He is still waiting, one year after he first walked his claim into the VA offices.
When Garry dies, the claim dies. Then, Bonnie Price has to start the process all over again. She’s not sure she can emotionally handle that. In the meantime, Garry and his wife have had to sell most of their belongings on craigslist to live.
Garry Lee Price volunteered for the U.S. Army in November 1966 and served 2 years 7 months and 4 days in the military, most of that time in Vietnam. He worked transporting sensitive documents through areas with heavy Agent Orange spraying.
He received an honorable discharge with the rank of Sergeant on June 17th 1969. During his service, he was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Vietnam Service Medal and Army Commendation Medal.
The frustrating irony is that the medical side of the Veterans Administration has already determined Garry’s terminal cancer is service-connected, and that the benefits side is still not convinced enough to approve Garry’s claim.
This is something that the National Veterans Foundation has seen many times before in their work assisting Veterans in crisis. “It’s like the left hand doesn’t know, or really care, what the right hand is doing,” says National Veterans Foundation President and Founder Shad Meshad. “The issue here is that, if the VA paid all the claims that are rightfully due, they’d go broke. So, they stall on cases like Garry’s until the Veteran dies, counting on the fact that the family will be too overwhelmed to pursue it after he or she is gone.”
Garry Lee Price served his country. He served overseas during war and, there, he was exposed to dangerous chemicals by his own people, chemicals that will prematurely take his life, possibly in the next few days. But the Veterans Administration, following a policy of “deny, deny, until they die,” doesn’t seem to care enough to expedite his claim.
How many more Garry Price type tragedies have to happen before the VA serves the needs of those heroes who have guaranteed our freedom with their blood?
=====================================================
For more than 30 years, NVF Founder and President Shad Meshad has worked as a therapist for veterans and an advocate for veterans’ rights. After receiving his master’s degree in psychiatric social work from Florida State University, he enlisted in the army in 1970, and served as a counselor for U.S. soldiers in Vietnam. Upon his return to the U.S., Meshad founded and directed the Vietnam Veterans Re-Socialization Unit at the VA Hospital in Los Angeles, California. It was the first program of its kind, focusing on the readjustment problems of Vietnam veterans. During this time, Meshad was among the first to study the disorder now known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.
Jun-18-2009
Deny, Deny, Until They Die: The Case of Garry Lee Price and the Veterans Administration
http://www.salem-news.com/articles/june ... -17-09.php
Editorial by Shad Meshad Special to Salem-News.com
How many more Garry Price type tragedies have to happen before the VA serves the needs of those heroes who have guaranteed our freedom with their blood?
Agent Orange
The horrific birth defects and deformations that American use of the chemical defoliant Agent Orange brought Vietnam is beyond words; it also led to the deaths of countless numbers of Americans through cancer and it is hereditary. Courtesy: Chapter 885 Vietnam Veterans of America
(LOS ANGELES) - Garry Lee Price is dying of cancer in a hospice in Sacramento while the Veterans Administration stalls on his service-related disability claim. His doctors give him two weeks to live. When he dies, the claim dies. And that’s the point.
The Veterans Administration, the health services side of the organization, has already determined that the cancer was caused by Garry’s exposure to Agent Orange while serving in Vietnam.
Garry was diagnosed with squamous cell carcinoma, a soft tissue sarcoma, in April 2008 by VA physicians. He has a tumor the size of a softball growing out of the side of his neck.
According to the Veterans Administration’s policy on Agent Orange related disability, this soft tissue sarcoma is one of eight medical conditions where Vietnam Veterans “do not have to show that their illness is related to their military service to get disability compensation. VA presumes that their condition is service-connected.”
This should, by all rights, make Garry eligible for full disability benefits immediately.
But Garry’s terminal status, and presumed service-connected disability, instead of spurring the administration to expedite his claim, has given them an extra reason to stall.
And they have.
For years, “deny, deny, until they die,” has been an common refrain among the Veteran community to describe what they see as the Veterans Administration’s unspoken policy of dragging their feet on claims processing until the Veteran applying dies. Then, the claim doesn’t have to be paid. Garry and his wife Bonnie are the latest victims of this policy.
The Veterans Administration’s website states that Agent Orange related claims take an average of 204 days, or about 7 months to process. It also states that their goal is to speed the processing of these claims to 74 days.
Garry first visited the VA with completed disability claim forms in June 2008, after two heart attacks and his cancer had kept him from earning income for almost a year.
He was told that day by a VA claims representative that, since he was terminal, he should not bother applying, because the processing time would take longer than he had to live. Discouraged, Garry left with the forms still in his hand.
Garry sought help from the National Veterans Foundation who helped him file his claim, and in October 2008, mailed in the paperwork to the VA.
In December 2008 he received a form letter stating that his claim had been received. He is still waiting, one year after he first walked his claim into the VA offices.
When Garry dies, the claim dies. Then, Bonnie Price has to start the process all over again. She’s not sure she can emotionally handle that. In the meantime, Garry and his wife have had to sell most of their belongings on craigslist to live.
Garry Lee Price volunteered for the U.S. Army in November 1966 and served 2 years 7 months and 4 days in the military, most of that time in Vietnam. He worked transporting sensitive documents through areas with heavy Agent Orange spraying.
He received an honorable discharge with the rank of Sergeant on June 17th 1969. During his service, he was awarded the National Defense Service Medal, Vietnam Campaign Medal, Good Conduct Medal, Vietnam Service Medal and Army Commendation Medal.
The frustrating irony is that the medical side of the Veterans Administration has already determined Garry’s terminal cancer is service-connected, and that the benefits side is still not convinced enough to approve Garry’s claim.
This is something that the National Veterans Foundation has seen many times before in their work assisting Veterans in crisis. “It’s like the left hand doesn’t know, or really care, what the right hand is doing,” says National Veterans Foundation President and Founder Shad Meshad. “The issue here is that, if the VA paid all the claims that are rightfully due, they’d go broke. So, they stall on cases like Garry’s until the Veteran dies, counting on the fact that the family will be too overwhelmed to pursue it after he or she is gone.”
Garry Lee Price served his country. He served overseas during war and, there, he was exposed to dangerous chemicals by his own people, chemicals that will prematurely take his life, possibly in the next few days. But the Veterans Administration, following a policy of “deny, deny, until they die,” doesn’t seem to care enough to expedite his claim.
How many more Garry Price type tragedies have to happen before the VA serves the needs of those heroes who have guaranteed our freedom with their blood?
=====================================================
For more than 30 years, NVF Founder and President Shad Meshad has worked as a therapist for veterans and an advocate for veterans’ rights. After receiving his master’s degree in psychiatric social work from Florida State University, he enlisted in the army in 1970, and served as a counselor for U.S. soldiers in Vietnam. Upon his return to the U.S., Meshad founded and directed the Vietnam Veterans Re-Socialization Unit at the VA Hospital in Los Angeles, California. It was the first program of its kind, focusing on the readjustment problems of Vietnam veterans. During this time, Meshad was among the first to study the disorder now known as Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, or PTSD.
-
J.B. Stone - Posts: 47789
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 08/ 10/ 09 1:57 pm
DANGER....USE OF DEET INSECT REPELLENT COULD EXACERBATE PTSD SYMPTOMS AND LONG-TERM HEALTH:
Common insect repellent affects nervous system: study
By Marlowe Hood (AFP) –
PARIS — One of the world's most common insect repellents acts on the central nervous system in the same way as some insecticides and nerve gases, according to a study released on Wednesday.
Moderate use of the chemical compound, called deet, is most likely safe, the researchers say.
But experiments on insects, as well as on enzymes extracted from mice and human neurons, showed for the first time that it can interfere with the proper functioning of the nervous system.
The researchers say further studies are "urgently needed" to assess deet's potential toxicity to humans, especially when combined with other chemical compounds.
Their findings may also shed some light on the so-called "Gulf War Syndrome," the name given to a complex and variable mix of neurological symptoms reported by tens of thousands of US military veterans who served in the first Gulf War against Iraq in 1990-1991.
Developed by US Department of Agriculture scientists just after World War II, deet has been available as a bug repellent for more than five decades.
Sold as lotions, creams and sprays in concentrations from five to 100 percent, it has been widely used not just by weekend campers but as a frontline barrier against malaria, dengue fever and other mosquito-borne diseases.
Some 200 million people use deet-based products every years, according to the study, published in the British-based open-access journal BMC Biology.
Scientists still don't know exactly how the compound works on blood-seeking insects. Some say it blocks the sensory neurons that would be titillated by a potential meal, while others hypothesise that bugs are simply put off by the smell.
More surprising still, there is relatively little research on the effects of deet in humans.
"It has been used for many years, but there are recent studies now that show a potential toxicity," said Vincent Corbel, a researcher at the Institute for Development Research in Montpellier, France, and lead author of the study.
"What we have done is identify a neurological target for this compound," he told AFP by phone.
In experiments, Corbel and a team of scientists co-led by Bruno Lapied of the University of Angers discovered that deet interferes with the normal breaking down of acetylcholine (ACh), the most common neurotransmitter in the central nervous system.
It does so by blocking the enzyme that normally degrades ACh, acetylcholinesterase, or AChE. The result is a toxic build-up of ACh that ultimately prevents the transmission of signals across the neuron synapse, the study found.
A class of insecticides called carbamates, as well as the nerve gas sarin, work in the same way, only the effects are stronger and last much longer.
Which is where the Gulf War Syndrome comes in.
"Many of the pesticides used in the Gulf War, as well as PB and nerve agents, exert toxic effects on the brain and nervous system by altering levels of ACh," a US government report issued last November concluded.
PB, or pyridostigmine bromide, was widely used to protect against nerve gas exposure.
The 450-page report, entitled "Gulf War Illness and the Health of Gulf War Veterans," points to earlier evidence that overexposure to deet may be toxic for the nervous system, but fails to recognize its potential role as a booster for the more potent chemicals to which soldiers had been exposed.
"For US soldiers, the cocktail of high doses of PB and insect repellents to protect against mosquito bites may have caused symptoms, as both act on the central nervous system in the same way," said Corbel.
Fortunately, deet is "reversible," meaning its impact is short-lived. But further studies are needed to determine at what concentration it may become dangerous to people, especially small children and pregnant women, he added.
Common insect repellent affects nervous system: study
By Marlowe Hood (AFP) –
PARIS — One of the world's most common insect repellents acts on the central nervous system in the same way as some insecticides and nerve gases, according to a study released on Wednesday.
Moderate use of the chemical compound, called deet, is most likely safe, the researchers say.
But experiments on insects, as well as on enzymes extracted from mice and human neurons, showed for the first time that it can interfere with the proper functioning of the nervous system.
The researchers say further studies are "urgently needed" to assess deet's potential toxicity to humans, especially when combined with other chemical compounds.
Their findings may also shed some light on the so-called "Gulf War Syndrome," the name given to a complex and variable mix of neurological symptoms reported by tens of thousands of US military veterans who served in the first Gulf War against Iraq in 1990-1991.
Developed by US Department of Agriculture scientists just after World War II, deet has been available as a bug repellent for more than five decades.
Sold as lotions, creams and sprays in concentrations from five to 100 percent, it has been widely used not just by weekend campers but as a frontline barrier against malaria, dengue fever and other mosquito-borne diseases.
Some 200 million people use deet-based products every years, according to the study, published in the British-based open-access journal BMC Biology.
Scientists still don't know exactly how the compound works on blood-seeking insects. Some say it blocks the sensory neurons that would be titillated by a potential meal, while others hypothesise that bugs are simply put off by the smell.
More surprising still, there is relatively little research on the effects of deet in humans.
"It has been used for many years, but there are recent studies now that show a potential toxicity," said Vincent Corbel, a researcher at the Institute for Development Research in Montpellier, France, and lead author of the study.
"What we have done is identify a neurological target for this compound," he told AFP by phone.
In experiments, Corbel and a team of scientists co-led by Bruno Lapied of the University of Angers discovered that deet interferes with the normal breaking down of acetylcholine (ACh), the most common neurotransmitter in the central nervous system.
It does so by blocking the enzyme that normally degrades ACh, acetylcholinesterase, or AChE. The result is a toxic build-up of ACh that ultimately prevents the transmission of signals across the neuron synapse, the study found.
A class of insecticides called carbamates, as well as the nerve gas sarin, work in the same way, only the effects are stronger and last much longer.
Which is where the Gulf War Syndrome comes in.
"Many of the pesticides used in the Gulf War, as well as PB and nerve agents, exert toxic effects on the brain and nervous system by altering levels of ACh," a US government report issued last November concluded.
PB, or pyridostigmine bromide, was widely used to protect against nerve gas exposure.
The 450-page report, entitled "Gulf War Illness and the Health of Gulf War Veterans," points to earlier evidence that overexposure to deet may be toxic for the nervous system, but fails to recognize its potential role as a booster for the more potent chemicals to which soldiers had been exposed.
"For US soldiers, the cocktail of high doses of PB and insect repellents to protect against mosquito bites may have caused symptoms, as both act on the central nervous system in the same way," said Corbel.
Fortunately, deet is "reversible," meaning its impact is short-lived. But further studies are needed to determine at what concentration it may become dangerous to people, especially small children and pregnant women, he added.
SEE ALSO:
DEET
Repellent Fact Sheet
CAROLINE COX / Journal of Pesticide Reform v.25, n.3, Fall 2005 17oct2005
http://www.mindfully.org/Pesticide/2005 ... ct2005.htm
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J.B. Stone - Posts: 47789
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 08/ 13/ 09 12:23 pm
Agent Orange linked to heart disease, Parkinson's
Last Updated: 2009-07-27 11:29:07 -0400 (Reuters Health)
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/20 ... in011.html
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Agent Orange, used by U.S. forces to strip Vietnamese and Cambodian jungles during the Vietnam War, may raise the risk of heart disease and Parkinson's disease, U.S. health advisers said on Friday.
But the evidence is only limited and far from definitive, the Institute of Medicine panel said.
"The report strongly recommends that studies examining the relationship between Parkinson's incidence and exposures in the veteran population be performed," the institute, an independent academy that guides federal policy, said in a statement.
The findings add to a growing list of conditions that could be linked to the defoliants, including leukemia, prostate cancer, type II diabetes and birth defects in the children of the veterans exposed.
The herbicides, nicknamed "Agent Orange" from the orange stripe on the barrels in which they were stored, include chemicals such as 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid.
Between 1962 and 1971, an estimated 20 million gallons (75 million liters) of these chemicals were used to strip Vietnam's thick forests to make bombing easier.
Veterans exposed to the chemicals have complained for years about a variety of health problems, and in the late 1970s the government started to investigate them systematically. Each finding brings veterans one step closer to getting government-paid medical services for these conditions.
In March, the U.S. Supreme Court let stand the dismissal of lawsuits by Vietnamese nationals and U.S. veterans against Dow Chemical Co, Monsanto Co and other chemical makers over the use of Agent Orange .
In 1984, seven chemical companies, including Dow and Monsanto, agreed to a $180 million settlement with veterans.
Last Updated: 2009-07-27 11:29:07 -0400 (Reuters Health)
http://www.reutershealth.com/archive/20 ... in011.html
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Agent Orange, used by U.S. forces to strip Vietnamese and Cambodian jungles during the Vietnam War, may raise the risk of heart disease and Parkinson's disease, U.S. health advisers said on Friday.
But the evidence is only limited and far from definitive, the Institute of Medicine panel said.
"The report strongly recommends that studies examining the relationship between Parkinson's incidence and exposures in the veteran population be performed," the institute, an independent academy that guides federal policy, said in a statement.
The findings add to a growing list of conditions that could be linked to the defoliants, including leukemia, prostate cancer, type II diabetes and birth defects in the children of the veterans exposed.
The herbicides, nicknamed "Agent Orange" from the orange stripe on the barrels in which they were stored, include chemicals such as 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid.
Between 1962 and 1971, an estimated 20 million gallons (75 million liters) of these chemicals were used to strip Vietnam's thick forests to make bombing easier.
Veterans exposed to the chemicals have complained for years about a variety of health problems, and in the late 1970s the government started to investigate them systematically. Each finding brings veterans one step closer to getting government-paid medical services for these conditions.
In March, the U.S. Supreme Court let stand the dismissal of lawsuits by Vietnamese nationals and U.S. veterans against Dow Chemical Co, Monsanto Co and other chemical makers over the use of Agent Orange .
In 1984, seven chemical companies, including Dow and Monsanto, agreed to a $180 million settlement with veterans.
-
J.B. Stone - Posts: 47789
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
by J.B. Stone » 12/ 08/ 09 3:40 pm
Agent Orange widows vow to keep fighting for federal compensation
By Rob Linke, New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal
December 8, 2009 8:02 AM
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/can ... story.html
OTTAWA — For New Brunswick's Widows on the Warpath, the battle to have the Harper government agree the spraying of Agent Orange at CFB Gagetown hastened their husbands' deaths is like trench warfare — a drawn-out battle in which neither side is giving up ground.
Seven widows have returned to Parliament Hill, repeating a trek a group of them made in June.
They held a news conference Monday and on Tuesday will share their stories with the Commons veterans affairs committee.
Their message was to demand compensation for which they do not qualify because their husbands died before Feb. 6, 2006 — the day the Conservatives took power.
They also reiterated a demand for a public inquiry into the spraying of chemical herbicides at CFB Gagetown from 1956 to 1984. And they called for Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson to resign.
One by one, the widows took to a microphone to share when they lost their husband and to what illness.
For leader Bette Hudson, it was January 2004, from lung and bone cancer.
"Our family has suffered a devastating blow with his death," said Hudson. "I don't know if we will ever recover."
Widow Margie Hogan recited the 16 demands the group had last brought to Ottawa in June.
They include an apology for doing a disservice to victims of the spraying, and a minute of silence in the victims' honour in the House of Commons.
In September 2007, Thompson unveiled a compensation package that allotted $96.5 million for an estimated 4,500 victims expected to qualify for $20,000 payments.
Far fewer applicants came forward and qualified.
Thompson said the compensation package was far more than any previous government had done, and that the government was hampered by a lack of facts and records 40 years after the spraying occurred.
Meg Sears, an environmental health researcher at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, said she had been in touch with many spraying victims "whose whole family seems cursed with terrible diseases that are quite rare and should be a lot rarer."
The sprayed chemicals, some of which were contaminated with dioxins and other compounds, accumulate in the body and affect the neurological, endocrine, reproductive and immune systems, she said.
"There are treatments that are available and under investigation that can be used to help remove some of these chemicals from their bodies — so rather than just treating the symptoms, the government should offer treatment and research that can actually cut this toxic chain going down through the generations.
"There can be a lot more done."
Liberal MPs will also weigh in Tuesday by calling for a public inquiry into the spraying.
Thompson scoffed at the Liberal effort.
"They had their opportunity when they were in government through the Trudeau, Chretien and Martin years and they did absolutely nothing (about spraying)," said Thompson.
By Rob Linke, New Brunswick Telegraph-Journal
December 8, 2009 8:02 AM
http://www.montrealgazette.com/news/can ... story.html
OTTAWA — For New Brunswick's Widows on the Warpath, the battle to have the Harper government agree the spraying of Agent Orange at CFB Gagetown hastened their husbands' deaths is like trench warfare — a drawn-out battle in which neither side is giving up ground.
Seven widows have returned to Parliament Hill, repeating a trek a group of them made in June.
They held a news conference Monday and on Tuesday will share their stories with the Commons veterans affairs committee.
Their message was to demand compensation for which they do not qualify because their husbands died before Feb. 6, 2006 — the day the Conservatives took power.
They also reiterated a demand for a public inquiry into the spraying of chemical herbicides at CFB Gagetown from 1956 to 1984. And they called for Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson to resign.
One by one, the widows took to a microphone to share when they lost their husband and to what illness.
For leader Bette Hudson, it was January 2004, from lung and bone cancer.
"Our family has suffered a devastating blow with his death," said Hudson. "I don't know if we will ever recover."
Widow Margie Hogan recited the 16 demands the group had last brought to Ottawa in June.
They include an apology for doing a disservice to victims of the spraying, and a minute of silence in the victims' honour in the House of Commons.
In September 2007, Thompson unveiled a compensation package that allotted $96.5 million for an estimated 4,500 victims expected to qualify for $20,000 payments.
Far fewer applicants came forward and qualified.
Thompson said the compensation package was far more than any previous government had done, and that the government was hampered by a lack of facts and records 40 years after the spraying occurred.
Meg Sears, an environmental health researcher at the Children's Hospital of Eastern Ontario, said she had been in touch with many spraying victims "whose whole family seems cursed with terrible diseases that are quite rare and should be a lot rarer."
The sprayed chemicals, some of which were contaminated with dioxins and other compounds, accumulate in the body and affect the neurological, endocrine, reproductive and immune systems, she said.
"There are treatments that are available and under investigation that can be used to help remove some of these chemicals from their bodies — so rather than just treating the symptoms, the government should offer treatment and research that can actually cut this toxic chain going down through the generations.
"There can be a lot more done."
Liberal MPs will also weigh in Tuesday by calling for a public inquiry into the spraying.
Thompson scoffed at the Liberal effort.
"They had their opportunity when they were in government through the Trudeau, Chretien and Martin years and they did absolutely nothing (about spraying)," said Thompson.
-
J.B. Stone - Posts: 47789
- Joined: 04/ 11/ 03 10:01 am
- Location: Northwest Montana
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