Agent Orange Korea

I would like to thank Taura King, Marilyn Oilver, Barb Wright, Tom Courbat and many others that have supplied this info.

WASHINGTON - Veterans exposed to herbicides while serving along the demilitarized zone (DMZ) in Korea will have an easier path to access quality health care and benefits under a Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) final regulation that will expand the dates when illnesses caused by herbicide exposure can be presumed to be related to Agent Orange.

Under the final regulation published today in the Federal Register, VA will presume herbicide exposure for any Veteran who served between April 1, 1968, and Aug. 31, 1971, in a unit determined by VA and the Department of Defense (DoD) to have operated in an area in or near the Korean DMZ in which herbicides were applied.

In practical terms, eligible Veterans who have specific illnesses VA presumes to be associated with herbicide exposure do not have to prove an association between their illness and their military service.  This "presumption" simplifies and speeds up the application process for

benefits and ensures that Veterans receive the benefits they deserve.

Click on these links to learn about Veterans' diseases associated with Agent Orange exposure at

http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/diseases.asp and birth defects in children of Vietnam-era Veterans

<http://www.publichealth.va.gov/PUBLICHEALTH/exposures/agentorange/birth

_defects.asp>  at

http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/birth_defects.asp.

VA encourages Veterans with covered service in Korea who have medical

conditions that may be related to Agent Orange to submit their

applications for access to VA health care and compensation as soon as possible so the agency can begin processing their claims.

Individuals can go to website

http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/AO/claimherbicide.htm

<http://www.vba.va.gov/bln/21/AO/claimherbicide.htm>  to get a more complete understanding of how to file a claim for presumptive conditions related to herbicide exposure, as well as what evidence is needed by VA to make a decision about disability compensation or survivors benefits.

Additional information about Agent Orange and VA's services for Veterans exposed to the chemical is available at

www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange

<http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/> .

The regulation is available on the Office of the Federal Register website at http://www.ofr.gov/.

The Federal Registry needs your input

If you are a Veteran with Korean Service and have questions, health problems or just want to share your experiences which may have exposed you to toxic herbicides, please e-mail Phil Steward at pesteward@hotmail.com .

Contact your Congress people to support this bill.

Up date on Ghost Walkers records.

It seems that they are under lock and key at the Pentagon. Someone tried to get records and was politely told to go and forget that he came looking for the records. I Think it's now congressional investigation time and I think that I will be calling both Filner's office and my local congressional guy as well as Danial Akaka's office and everybody else that I can think of that might be able to jar these records loose. 44 years is long enough to keep something hidden and covered up. Wonder how many other vets out there were involved in one of the 22,000 still classified missions

that need to get their benefits established?

On December 16, 2003 the Veterans Benefits Act of 2003 was signed into law. This law states that Spina Bifida benefits have been extended to the natural child of a service member if the service member served in Korea during the period September 1, 1967 - August 31, 1971. The veteran must have served in the active military, naval or air service and have been exposed to an herbicide agent during such service in or near the Korean demilitarized zone.

http://www.va.gov/hac/forbeneficiaries/spina/spina.asp

Now this is my question. If Spina Bifida is recognized by the VA as caused by AO, then doesn’t this tell you that any vet that was in Korea in the time period mention above should also have been exposed and get their claims approved.

The below 3 books is the Tactics and Techniques of Chemical, Biological and Radiological (CBR) Warfare issued by Headquarters, Department of the Army issued November, 1958. The Official Record Stamp is dated December 23, 1958 and the document # is AGO 1979C-Oct

The VA does have significant information regarding Agent Orange use in Korea along the demilitarized zone (DMZ). DoD has confirmed that Agent Orange was used from April 1968 through July 1969 along the DMZ. The military defoliated the fields of fire between the front-line defensive positions and the south-barrier fence.

The size of the treated area was a strip of land 151 miles long and up to 350 yards wide from the fence to north of the "civilian control line." There are no records that reflect spraying within the DMZ itself.

Agent Orange and other herbicides were applied through hand spraying and by hand distribution of pelletized herbicides. Although restrictions limited the potential for spray drift, run-off, and crop damage, records indicate that effects of spraying were sometimes observed as far as 200 meters down wind.

Units in the area during the period of use of herbicide include:

the four combat brigades of

the 2nd Infantry Division (1-38 Infantry, 2-38 Infantry, 1-23 Infantry, 2-23 Infantry, 3-23 Infantry, 3-32 Infantry, 109th Infantry, 209th Infantry, 1-72 Armor, 2-72 Armor, 4-7th Cavalry); and 3rd Brigade of the 7th. Infantry Division (1-17th Infantry, 2-17th Infantry, 1-73 Armor, 2-10th Cavalry). Field Artillery, Signal, and Engineer troops were supplied as support personnel as required. The estimated total number of exposed personnel is 12,056.

For purposes of claims for service connection, if a veteran is determined to have been exposed to Agent Orange in Korea or in other recognized areas (e.g., Panama), then the presumption of service connection for the listed diseases applies.

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The above Yahoo group is for information to all vets, families and the now serving.