He wrote in a sworn statement that he was twice assigned the task of diagnosing and repairing a Buffalo Turbine fogger/sprayer unit which sprayed the base consistently for insects and defoliated the base perimeter and other areas on the base. He witnessed drums with orange, blue, or white bands being stored in a shed at the AGE facility surrounded by defoliated soil. Hi, Just found this site. Brooklyn, NY: 300 Cadman Plaza West, One Pierrepont Plaza, 12th Floor, Brooklyn, NY, 11201 Yet VAs past policy application eliminated even these veterans from receiving benefits based on their exposure to herbicide agents. Total Area Sprayed (sq. Due to attacks on Thailand bases, military leaders ordered the use of herbicides. In its report, GAO called the list inaccurate and incomplete, and urged DoD to update the publication, which hadnt been updated in more than a decade. After developing illnesses linked to herbicide exposure during his service in Thailand, Rhodes filed a claim with the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). . According to DoD spokesman Chuck Prichard, the new list replaces the one from 2018 and is the result of DoDs thorough review of the records for use, storage and testing of Agent Orange and other tactical herbicides outside of Vietnam.. Permalink: https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2019/10/improving-benefits-for-veterans-exposed-to-agent-orange-during-service-in-thailand, Improving Benefits for Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange During Service in Thailand, https://www.boozman.senate.gov/public/index.cfm/2019/10/improving-benefits-for-veterans-exposed-to-agent-orange-during-service-in-thailand, Boozman Shares Service Memories of Lavaca Veteran, The Hill: American generosity has saved 25 million lives and counting. Before the PACT Act was enacted on August 10, 2022, VAs application of its Thailand perimeter policy only conceded exposure for service members with a security-related military occupational specialty (MOS), such as military police, who conducted foot patrols at the perimeter. Herbicides were used to control vegetation in Thailands tropical environment. These cookies are also used to let affiliates know if you came to one of our websites from an affiliate and if your visit resulted in the use or purchase of a product or service from us, including details of the product or service purchased. Aircraft used for RANCH HAND, UC-123Ks, launched from airbases in Thailand including Ubon, Udorn, NKP, and Takhli on numerous occasions to conduct missions against targets in Vietnam and Laos. In turn, this supports veterans statements regarding the use of herbicide to clear bases in Thailand during this period. When Congress enacted this law, it stated that the term herbicide agent means a chemical in an herbicide used in support of the United States and allied military operations in the Republic of Vietnam during the period beginning on January 9, 1962 and ending on May 7, 1975. 38 U.S.C. Rank Among Most Heavily Sprayed Provinces in Vietnam. And while the new list contains six locations in Thailand, it adds a new clarification to those locations descriptions: No herbicide was sprayed in Thailand.. Deland, FL: 1607 South State Road 15A Suite 12 Deland, FL 32720, Satellite Offices What in the world is going on, and why isnt the VA recognizing any of us? Agent Orange | Military.com But Ryan Gallucci, director of National Veterans Service for the Veterans of Foreign Wars, said the new list does not live up to the guidance and recommendations of the GAO report., We have a lot of questions two specific locations that GAO identified arent included on DoDs new list and certain ones that seemingly had verified spraying on the old list are now off the list, Gallucci said. In December 2019, DOD published its updated list of locations where Agent Orange and other herbicides were tested, used, or stored outside of Vietnam. The Nam Phong district is surrounded by Non Sa-at (in the Udon Thani province ), Kranuan, Sam Sung, Mueang Khon Kaen, Ubolratana, and Khao Suan Kwang . This CHECO report addresses the development of USAF base defense in Thailand from the initial attack on Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base RTAFB through 30 June 1972. Yet, VA has used this Memorandum and the so-called distinction between commercial and tactical herbicides to deny thousands of herbicide-related disability claims by Vietnam-era Thailand veterans. ; Delta des Roten Flusses: Diese fruchtbare Gegend rund um die Hauptstadt Hanoi (H Ni) erstreckt sich bis zum Golf . In Thailand, Agent Orange was used to clear the jungle around bases, as a means to enhance security. Improving Benefits for Veterans Exposed to Agent Orange During Service I am fortunate to not have cancer like other guys. Many of us were exposed to herbicides which were used extensively all over the site. Somebody back at the Pentagon noted there was an airfield originally constructed in 1967 for the Air Force 60 miles south of Udon Thani at Nam Phong, Thailand that was only being used covertly by Army "Green Beret" special forces for training Thai and Laotian counter-insurgents - the USAF TC-121 squadron originally planned for Nam Phong in 1968 In the Memorandum, VA states that the 1973 CHECO Report does indicate sporadic use of non-tactical (commercial) herbicides within fenced perimeters. This statement is misleading because the CHECO Report never distinguishes between tactical and commercial herbicides useit refers only to herbicides.. During the Vietnam Era, the military made no distinction between commercial and tactical agents in their own supply system. I am hopeful that we can build on this momentum to ensure all of our veterans who were called to serve get the care they have earned. The convenience of email has changed the manner in which Americans communicate with their elected officials. The class consisted of twelve non-commissioned officers. and get all the latest updates straight to your inbox. Thailand Military Bases and Agent Orange Exposure VA presumes (assumes) exposure to Agent Orange for Veterans who served on any U.S. or Royal Thai military base in Thailand from January 9, 1962, through June 30, 1976. Da Nang Cluster. Agent Orange Compensation Back Pay: Does the VA Owe You? Additionally, the1973 CHECO Reportstates that soil sterilization and herbicide use was approved by the embassy in 1969 in accordance with the Rules. I struggle. I only spent a few hours in Bien Hoa while escorting some equipment to Nam Phong. Playback: Agent Orange and Thailand Veterans - Hill & Ponton Thailand veteran Wayne Hogstad was stationed at NKP from April 1967 to April 1968 and was assigned to the police squadron. Learn more about us, Veterans Disability Claim The Thailand base perimeter policy was not issued until May 2010, when it was introduced in a Compensation & Pension Service Bulletin. I have photographs which I took of the area which demonstrate the extensive defoliation of the area. I spent 2 months there and handled equipment that arrived from NAM. Veterans who qualify and . Nam Phong Thailand. In the early 1960s, military personnel had access to Agents Pink, Purple, and Green, most of which were undiluted versions of 2,4,5-T and therefore contained even higher levels of TCDD than Agent Orange. While there is a proposed legislative fix, Rhodesand his fellow veterans who served in Thailand and suffer from Agent Orange-related illnesses arecontinuing to press Congress to take action to update the presumption policy through the orange envelope letter-writing campaign. Stephen Pippenger, a dog handler stationed at Udorn from September 1968 to October 1969, stated that he observed Agent Orange being loaded onto the C-123 aircraft. In researching I have come across several fellow marines that I served dead from cancers and others having similar problems I am curently appling for benefits for these problems. You and your brothers should not have to fight this battle. His statements corroborate documentation demonstrating the use of herbicides on U-Tapao in 1971 and 1972. The similar exposure situations between Vietnam and Thailand merit equal protection, to include the presumption of exposure, for all Vietnam-era veterans who served in Thailand. But it deletes or alters at least 50 previously identified locations, removing some dates and omitting testing sites like Hawaii, where the DoD previously said field tests were conducted, Puerto Rico, where herbicides were sprayed in forests between 1956 and 1967, and locations in Korea where components were stored. Jeanne Stellman, an Agent Orange expert at Columbia Universitys Mailman School of Public Health, and Fred Berman, the director of the Oregon Health and Science Universitys CROET Toxicology Information Center, along with 14 other doctors, toxicologists, and environmental scientists, signed a letter in November 2012 that refutes VAs boots on the ground approach to Agent Orange exposure. I have no genetic background history in my family of this issue. This statement indicates that misuse of herbicides by service members led to the necessity of establishing an SOP.