Assisting Maine Veterans Who Trained at Gagetown

U.S. Senators Susan Collins and Angus King have introduced legislation that would help Maine veterans with claims made to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) contending they have suffered from health problems as a result of being exposed to the herbicide Agent Orange during military training at Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Gagetown. For years, veterans who trained at Gagetown have attempted to gain recognition from the VA that their health problems stem from exposure to Agent Orange, which was previously sprayed there in 1966 and 1967.

The Collins-King bill would direct the VA to establish a registry of U.S. veterans who have served or trained at Gagetown and who have subsequently experienced health problems. The establishment of a registry will provide veterans with a way to make their claims known to the VA and to identify commonalities among their shared experiences. The bill requires the VA to commission an independent study tasked with investigating the linkage between service at Gagetown and the development of health problems and disease associated with exposure to Agent Orange.

"Protecting the health of those who have served our nation is a solemn responsibility, and I have raised this issue directly with VA Secretary Eric Shinseki," said Senator Collins. "Just as the Government of Canada found a way to offer compensation to service members exposed to toxic herbicides at Gagetown, the VA should likewise be able to find a way to recognize the similar concerns voiced by Maine veterans."

EDITORIAL: Maine veterans owed study on use of chemicals at Canadian base

The U.S. government has denied that the herbicides sprayed at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown sickened Jandreau or his fellow veterans. But the federal study’s conclusions are based solely on a review of previous research. Maine’s two senators are calling for an independent study in a bill that could open the door to a more comprehensive review and answer questions that have lingered for far too long.

The Canadian and U.S. governments have rejected most disability claims filed by Gagetown veterans, other than those who served in 1966 or 1967, when Agent Orange was tested at the Canadian base. But 3 million pounds of herbicides and defoliants — some chemically similar to Agent Orange — were used at Gagetown over a 30-year period, according to military documents obtained by Canadian veterans through Freedom of Information requests. Given this history, it’s reasonable to theorize that exposure to toxins far exceeded what officials are willing to acknowledge.

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Collins, King seek study of Agent Orange link to ill veterans

Collins said she raised the issue with Eric Shinseki, Secretary of the Department of Veterans Affairs. "Just as the government of Canada found a way to offer compensation to service members exposed to toxic herbicides at Gagetown, the VA should likewise be able to find a way to recognize the similar concerns voiced by Maine veterans"” Collins said.

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Answers Sought on Maine Veterans' Agent Orange Exposure

The stories about diabetes, cancers and respiratory illnesses have circulated for years among Maine veterans who trained at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown in New Brunswick. For almost as long, Sen. Susan Collins says Maine veterans were pretty sure why they were getting sick.

"Those veterans believe that their illnesses may be linked to the use of the Agent Orange way back in the late 1960s," Collins says.

The U.S. government has refused to acknowledge any linkage between the soldiers' illnesses and their exposure to the chemicals. And the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concluded this year there was no linkage between veterans' illnesses and their experience at Gagetown. 

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Our View: Agent Orange's legacy lingers in Maine

The VA's decision could also be good news for Maine Army National Guard troops who have filed disability claims for illnesses that they believe are linked to their service at Gagetown, a Canadian military base where Agent Orange and the like were sprayed from the mid-1950s to the mid-1980s.

The VA should consider the Bailey ruling a wake-up call and make it a priority to review other rejected contamination claims. No veteran should be denied the care they've earned, and, like Bailey, many of the people exposed to Agent Orange at Gagetown don't have much time left.

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