# Agent Orange



## Lee H Sternberg (Jan 27, 2008)

I just found out that I was exposed to Agent Orange, in the USMC, 43 years ago in Vietnam. Agent Orange was a defoliant used in the Vietnam War to kill vegetation and expose the enemy. I believe after awhile the military stopped using it because of a variety of health problems it was causing with our own troops.

There were certain times in my life that I was asked if I was exposed to Agent Orange. I always responded "no". I was not in the infantry and never thought I personally came into contact with it. I just found out it was in the water that we drank and bathed in. That exposure was determined by VA when they questioned me about my base location and the years I was in Vietnam.

I've had certain permanent health issues that are symptoms of exposure to Agent Orange. VA sent me to a Vet Center to file a disability claim and it's in process now.

I am writing this so anyone with family members or themselves who served in Vietnam understands that the exposure to Agent Orange didn't have to be direct.

I feel the military should have attempted to notify any of us that might have been exposed. Obviously that didn't happen. I lost many years of disability payments but more importantly I kept questioning why I was having certain medical issues.


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## Howard Knauf (May 10, 2008)

That sucks. Sometimes you have to wonder what the government's motivation is for keeping the secret so long. Oh, I know...it's about money and lack of responsibility.

Howard


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## Lee H Sternberg (Jan 27, 2008)

The list of medical issues exposure causes is available online. Some, like mine, automatically qualify the Vet for disability. You still have to process the application which takes about 6 months I'm told.


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## Howard Knauf (May 10, 2008)

If you automatically qualify, do you get the back pay for the 6 month wait? Only seems fair.

Howard


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## Lee H Sternberg (Jan 27, 2008)

I'm not sure, Howard. I had so many questions when I went to the Vet Center I forgot to ask that one. I thought of that question after I got out of there. I am going to call Monday to find out.


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## Howard Knauf (May 10, 2008)

Don't delay. It's all about the Benjamins' ya know.

Howard


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## adam banotai (Jun 29, 2008)

yes you get back paid from the day you file the claim no matter how long it takes. and if you feel what they award you was not enough you are able to appeal for a higher compensation rate. i filed in october of last year and received my award letter in june. so expect about 8 months give or take. during that time youll be automatically scheduled for a ton of appointments covering each aspect of your claim. i had 4 complaints in my claim and it took the 8 months to get it all done. so you may be faster or slower depending on the depth of your claim. any questions about the process just ask away as i just finished the whole process. and just so you know there are TONS of vietnam vets who are just now coming forward to make claims for various things. you're not alone in that category.


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## Gerry Grimwood (Apr 2, 2007)

Of course I feel bad you were affected by this Lee and hope you get some form of compensation, those were different times and people just didn't know the long term effects or just didn't care.

I can remember watching farmers in open tractors applying herbicide or pesticide on crops in that era, they were engulfed in a haze of the chemical being put down, hell I even remember running behind the trucks that used to spray for mosquitoes where I grew up just to be in the fog, maybe that explains the nose growing out of my elbow.


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## Lee H Sternberg (Jan 27, 2008)

Hi Adam - It's good to have someone around that went through it. They told me about 6 months and one physical. I have 3 claims. One is a given and automatically qualifies. The other 2 don't but the Vet Center thought at least 1 of the 2 was going to hold up. It's weird the 1 that gives me the most day to day problem may end up being the hardest to get through. They are all on the list as symptoms for exposure. I had no health issues before Vietnam.

Hey Gerry, I understand where you're coming from. My only issue with Uncle Sam is, as I recall, they stopped using it during the war because there was some health issues starting to surface. I think they should have made a stronger effort to publicly notify Vets who might have been exposed. I'm certain a large percentage of the Vets now coming forward are doing so because they just found out they were exposed.

It can also cause a problem that passes down to the Vets offspring. I can't remember the medical term for it but thank God none of my kids had it.

I made 1 comment in my opening post regarding exposure didn't have to be direct. The more I think about that comment, I don't think anything can be more direct than drinking the damn poison.


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## David Frost (Mar 29, 2006)

Going through that as we speak, I'll soon see how the VA deals with it. I'm currently being treated for a malady that is a documented side effect of agent orange. I'm retired military. I'm sure I'll see very soon just how sympathetic the VA is.

DFrost


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## Lee H Sternberg (Jan 27, 2008)

Hi David, VA was great with me. Once they finally figured out that I was exposed they immediately sent me to the local Vet Center in Spokane, Washington. The person that works with that stuff wasn't in the office. They gave me his home and cell phone numbers. I was pretty impressed with that. I spoke with him and got a bunch of info including a person to contact in my home state of Idaho.

I'm very close to the Washington state border. I stopped at the Vet Center in Idaho on the way home and set a appointment to file the claim. They did all the paperwork at the Vet Center and explained the whole process. All that I had to do was sign documents. The only thing I had to provide was mt DD214.

I hope your's goes as smooth.


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## Terry Devine (Mar 11, 2008)

Lee and all the others that have served and been exposed I am sorry. My older brother served in Viet Nam. He never fired a weapon and never saw a fire fight of any kind. He contracted cancer from his exposure to agent orange and has since passed away. It is not my intention to scare anyone, but rather I would caution you to be diligent about your medical attention and keep on the Military's ass about your benefits. I wish all of you the best.
Terry


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## Lee H Sternberg (Jan 27, 2008)

Hi Terry - I'm sorry to here about your brother. Now that I know I'm paying close attention to any other symptoms that may arise now or in the future.

I debated for awhile before I posted this. I didn't want anyone to think I wanted some sort of "pity party".

I decided to go ahead just in case anyone else, after hearing my story, wanted to contact VA or their Vet Center to double check their own potential for exposure.


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## Terry Devine (Mar 11, 2008)

Lee 
I never thought you were looking for a pity party. I took your post for what it was, information for others who may be in the same situation that you are in. That is why I posted, to let others know. My brother was a non smoker who got (I believe it was lung cancer, not sure) cancer, the military stone walled him and did not do all they could for him and his family. I urge everyone to be diligent in their quest to get help from the military. Be persistent and as one military leader put it, "Never, never never never never never never give up.
Be well sir and I hope it all gets taken care of the way it should.
Terry


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## Lee H Sternberg (Jan 27, 2008)

Adam - Please check your PM,s


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## Jerry Lyda (Apr 4, 2006)

My father-in-law was there three times. All three times he was there he was sprayed directly in the jungles. His case wasn't as good. He was retired military (27 years ) and had to have a lung removed. Of course the Army said he smoked therefore they couldn't say his cancer came for AO. At any rate he received NOTHING. I wish there was some way we could prove it. He was also stationed in Washinton State. There was something in the milk that cows got from something the Army was doing there. My wife and her sister of course drank the milk. My wife nor her sister showed any signs from this BUT her sister's child DID. Ther are checking into that now but making no progress.


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## Sharon Adams (Nov 6, 2007)

I have no constructive in put. 
I just want to tell you all I am so very sorry you are dealing with this.
I will keep you in positive thoughts/prayers.
Thank you for your service and great sacrifice to our country.


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## Maren Bell Jones (Jun 7, 2006)

My father is dealing with some kind of idiopathic neurological and respiratory symptoms that we suspect was due to sarin gas exposure when he was in Iraq during the first war. He had to take a leave of absence from his job because he was finding it very difficult to learn new tasks and he has granulomas in his lungs. :sad:

Dioxins are really bad news. 2, 3, 7, 8 TCDD is the most toxic chemical there is. Lee, this article about the benefits of green tea for dioxins might be of help to you (the whole website is great...my faculty adviser from grad school is written about extensively on that site concerning bisphenol A).

http://www.ourstolenfuture.org/NewScience/oncompounds/dioxin/2003/2003-0805palermoetal.htm


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## Geoff Empey (Jan 8, 2008)

Howard Knauf said:


> If you automatically qualify, do you get the back pay for the 6 month wait? Only seems fair.
> 
> Howard



You'd think that you'd get the 43 year back pay to be fair .. It's not like it Lee, David and the others were poisoned just 6 months ago. Pisses me off hearing stuff like this.

..and No Howard my being pissed off is not directed at you just the at the 'man'..


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## Lee H Sternberg (Jan 27, 2008)

Hey Geoff - Now that would amount to a heck of a nest egg. Maybe they're worried about increasing the national debt another couple of trillion dollars.

I'm more concerned with our ex or retired military that aren't aware of their exposure. Many of them may be entitled to disability if they are suffering from a listed medical condition associated with Agent Orange exposure.


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## Geoff Empey (Jan 8, 2008)

Lee H Sternberg said:


> Hey Geoff - Now that would amount to a heck of a nest egg. Maybe they're worried about increasing the national debt another couple of trillion dollars.
> 
> I'm more concerned with our ex or retired military that aren't aware of their exposure. Many of them may be entitled to disability if they are suffering from a listed medical condition associated with Agent Orange exposure.


Yeah you guys deserve it though, and more .. I've got nothing but respect and admiration for all veterans and nothing but contempt for the big business war machine who used many unsuspectecting/trusting veterans as Guinea Pigs with programs like this all through the 50, 60, 70s including nuke tests. 

They tested AO at a CDN base about 2 hours from where I grew up. Piles of civvies who draw water from the aquifers around the test sites are all having the same type of cancers as the veterans who were exposed. Needless to say the passing of the buck and sherking of responsibility is rampant. It is still before the courts up here with a class action lawsuit against the government and the chemical companies. 

Check out the story about it .. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/new-brunswick/story/2007/09/12/agent-orange.html


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## Michelle Reusser (Mar 29, 2008)

Oh wow Lee sorry to hear. My boyfriend went to Iraq twice and was badly hurt the second time. They forced him out, even though he wanted to stay in and go back. Still dealing with his injuries and ratings. Right now he is at 80%. Talking with him about depleted uranium among otherthings makes me think twice about having kids with him, even though I love him to death. He still loves/respects the army and misses the military life but not the Govt dealings on this end. 

All I can say is...VA Doctors suck!


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## Lee H Sternberg (Jan 27, 2008)

Hi Michelle - I'm sorry to hear your boyfriend is having such difficulties with VA. Once the Vet Center documented my exposure they were immediately trying to assist me in getting to the right people. I've heard a lot depends on what VA hospital you are dealing with. 

The one in Spokane, Washington happens to be very good, so far. I've been a patient there for 5 years. I'll have to wait to see how they handle all this new stuff.


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## Eros Kopliku (Jan 30, 2008)

Lee,

Six months sounds like an underestimation. You should really consider having the DAV, VFW, or AL prepare your paperwork. They do this for free. They know all the "ins and outs" of the process and you won't risk having to re-apply in case you're rejected after "six months".

Good luck.


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## Lee H Sternberg (Jan 27, 2008)

The American Legion is involved. They are my are assigned as my power of attorney in case I die. I will be seeing them soon. The local Vet Center is not a VA entity. They are funded by my county and claim they are on my side. I will make sure that is the case when I visit the local American Legion.

One of my claims (I hate that word) automatically qualifies for disability. After that it gets a little more complicated. Hopefully they didn't "loose" my discharge physical and the waiver they made me sign to get out of the USMC. I'm told the waiver isn't worth the paper it was written on. 

I still have faith they will do what's right. Supposedly these decisions are now made by third parties.

I appreciate everyones responses.


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## susan tuck (Mar 28, 2006)

we have to do a better job in taking care of our vets.


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## Gerry Grimwood (Apr 2, 2007)

Hey Lee, 

I was talking to a friend of mine today and this topic came up, he was stationed in CFB Gagetown in the early 60's and has been sick for many years off and on, he was always treated for pnuemonia type of symptoms but it always came back. He was tested in the States last year and this is what they said it was.

He told me that they were directly sprayed while training in the bush and it tasted like bad fruit and gave them all sore throats for weeks. He's 66 now. He never told me about this before.

Here's a link I found when looking for information about it. 

http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/agentorange/


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## Lee H Sternberg (Jan 27, 2008)

Sad story, Gerry. I have my med exam for disability next week. There is no guess work in my situation. It all comes down to what percent disability they are going to give me.


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## Lee H Sternberg (Jan 27, 2008)

I received notification today that my disability claim for agent orange exposure in Vietnam was approved by the Veterans Administration.

The approval process only took 3 months. I think that is very reasonable when you are trying to deal with a government bureaucracy.

I urge anyone else who believes they may have been exposed to contact VA.


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## Bob Scott (Mar 30, 2006)

Fantastic!


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## Alyssa Myracle (Aug 4, 2008)

Congrats Lee. 

I hope my own battle with the VA has such a succesful outcome.


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## David Frost (Mar 29, 2006)

I've been exposed and recently underwent 9 weeks of radiation for prostate cancer. They (VA) are evaluating my case now. I'm retire military. It will be interesting. I've really had no contact with the VA or the military since I retired in '88 other than recieving my retirement check each month. 

DFrost


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## Lee H Sternberg (Jan 27, 2008)

David Frost said:


> I've been exposed and recently underwent 9 weeks of radiation for prostate cancer. They (VA) are evaluating my case now. I'm retire military. It will be interesting. I've really had no contact with the VA or the military since I retired in '88 other than recieving my retirement check each month.
> 
> DFrost


I don't think that will be a problem. I got out in '69 and never stepped foot in a VA hospital until 2001. Then I didn't put 2 and 2 together until July of this year.

I try not to dwell on how much disability pension I lost.

I was treated fair and square once I got my own ducks in order.

There definitely should have been a better notification system for all of us, including the different types of exposure and a list of symptoms.


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## Milton Burton (Oct 2, 2008)

Here is a link that was very helpful to me and I believe it will be to any of you seeking Veteran Benefits

http://vets.yuku.com/directory 

Start in the General Claims Discussion lots of good info.


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## Lee H Sternberg (Jan 27, 2008)

Milton Burton said:


> Here is a link that was very helpful to me and I believe it will be to any of you seeking Veteran Benefits
> 
> http://vets.yuku.com/directory
> 
> Start in the General Claims Discussion lots of good info.


Wow, you aren't kidding. That site has tons of info with first hand experiences. I should also point out the local county operated Vet Centers are pretty good. They filled out all the claim paperwork for me and assist with any necessary appeals.

I'm not certain if that service is available across the country but I know Idaho and Washington State has them.

I was also told the VFW and American Legion provide advice and assistance.


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