"Silent Exposure" A Personal Agent Orange

Introducing the Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2015

Agent Orange Legacy changes name in fight to bring families together whose children are affected by the veterans exposure to toxic military exposures

Legacy of Our Veterans Military Exposures (LOVME) was built on the experiences of a widow of a Vietnam veteran exposed to Agent Orange and their daughter. Their daughter, Dee Reyes, has been ill all of her life due to her father’s exposure while serving in the ‘brown water’ Navy from 1966 – 1969.

Sharon L. Perry and her daughter, Dee Reyes founded Agent Orange Legacy in 2007. After years of researching Agent Orange, Sharon and her daughter, Dee, learned Agent Orange was just one of a multitude of military exposures affecting our veterans and their families.

This understanding was the foundation for expanding their existing efforts.

Today our troops are exposed to an onslaught of harmful toxins at a magnitude never before seen. We have learned from the Vietnam war that harmful toxins such as TCDD (Agent Orange) will not only affect the veteran it will also affect the veterans’ descendants for seven (7) generations.

The DOD has been irresponsible and reckless in the disposal of harmful toxins. The problem is so immense that the EPA listed 130 military installations as Superfund sites. Our veterans, left in the dark, about the chemicals many have been exposed to and their health effects. During the Cold War Era our veterans, many without their knowledge, were exposed to chemical and biological warfare materials such as nerve agents, blister agents, hallucinogens and biological agent testing.

Americans are also affected by these U.S. military installations added to the Superfund site, by the manufacture and testing of war time weapons such as Agent Orange along with other biological and chemical warfare agents. We are all affected when war time technology is transferred to the commercial sector. Nuclear power plants and Genetically Modified crops resistant to Roundup (a herbicide) are a couple of examples of war time technology being transferred commercially.

Not only are our veterans and their offspring being poisoned so are all Americans. We have an epidemic of cancers, autoimmune diseases, learning disabilities in our children such as Autism (1 in 160) and ADHD, food sensitivities and food intolerance to food additives such as gluten and soy.

As Americans we need to reassess how our way of life affects the world we live in. We can no longer afford to be wasteful and turn the other cheek. There are many changes we can make in order to insure our children’s future.

LOVME asks all Americans to begin this journey and help us to protect our veteran’s children because protecting our veterans’ children will also protect your children.

You can visit our website at this link>>>http://lovme.org/

A haunted legacy: The multi-generational effects of Agent Orange

Ted Minnick has been a military man all his life. You can see it in his disciplined posture, his purposeful gait, his even gaze. What you cannot see, however, are the wounds he suffered as a result of his service — not from gunfire or shrapnel, but from exposure to a deadly, now-infamous herbicide known as Agent Orange.

Minnick served as an artillery battery commander in Vietnam and now suffers from leukemia — one of many illnesses linked to exposure to the dioxin-based chemical. But during an Oct. 25 Agent Orange Town Hall held in Asheville, he spoke not for himself but for his daughter and the many other children of veterans who illnesses might be linked to what happened to him in Vietnam. Minnick addressed a room filled with other veterans and their families: “I don’t hold any grudge against the U.S. government,” he said. “What I hold is guilt for bringing it back.”

While his illness has been covered by the VA, Minnick’s had no success getting help for his youngest daughter, Sarah, who was diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis in 1997. “I’m scared – I’m not mad,” Sarah said. “I want the government to realize that we need centers to do research to find where these conditions come from.”

Continue to full article 

http://mountainx.com/living/a-haunted-legacy-the-multi-generational-effects-of-agent-orange/ 

Veterans Exposed to Toxic Chemicals Fight for VA Benefits

                                       

Camp Lejeune veterans are not alone in battling the VA for health coverage and disability benefits for diseases they believe were caused by toxic chemical exposures in the military. Former Air Force crews who flew C-123 transport planes contaminated with Agent Orange during the Vietnam War are continuing to fight for compensation for illnesses they believe were caused by the exposure.

And thousands of Iraq and Afghanistan veterans who say they have health problems caused by breathing toxic fumes from open burn pits used during the wars say they regularly are denied disability benefits by the VA.

Read Full Article 

http://www.defenseone.com/management/2014/11/veterans-exposed-toxic-chemicals-fight-va-benefits/97985/?oref=d-channelriver

VA Moves to Prevent Veteran Violence Over Disability Claims

To curtail confusion, the department wants to change when veterans can view the results of their disability exam online.

 Veterans Affairs officials want to change when veterans can view some of their medical records online, fearing that some could become violent if they see negative comments and think their disability claims will be denied.

A group of department officials said Monday that they fear some veterans could see the notes from the exam, assume from this partial picture that their claim is being denied, and take out their anger on local VA officials. They voiced their safety concerns Monday to members of the department's Advisory Committee on Disability Compensation at their meeting this week in Washington.

Source:  http://www.nationaljournal.com/defense/va-moves-to-prevent-veteran-violence-over-disability-claims-20141021

Vietnam Vets Still Feel Agent Orange Toxic Aftereffects

heart-wrenching stories of the devastating toxic substances that continue to wreak havoc on veterans 40 years since the chemical was first used during the Vietnam War.

John LeGates, first vice president of the council, opened by stating a veteran’s observation, “We got out of Vietnam but Vietnam never got out of us.”

veterans related how, not only their children, but also their grandchildren have suffered unusual diseases, and physical, learning and hormonal disorders. They also spoke about  their wives experiencing miscarriages and other childbirth abnormalities believed to be associated directly with veterans’ exposure to those toxic substances.


latest available figures there are more than 17,000 veterans and their families touched by the effects of defoliants used during the Vietnam War.

Continue Reading

http://www.capemaycountyherald.com/article/people/wildwood/103705-vietnam+vets+still+feel+agent+orange+toxic+aftereffects

The home front: Local veterans host Oct. 25 town hall on Agent Orange

Saturday, Oct. 25, members of Asheville’s 124th chapter of the Vietnam Veterans of America will be holding a Agent Orange town hall meeting.

“We will have presenters, then a kind of storytelling and testimonial session where a veteran and his family will talk about the health effects of Agent Orange,” says Allan Perkal, president of the Asheville VVA

From 1965 to 1970, the United States dumped some 13 million gallons of the dioxin-based compound on Vietnam. 

“We want to tell veterans what help’s available,” says Jack McManus, who served in the Air Force during the Vietnam War and took part in Operation Ranch Hand: 

Mokie Porter, Herb Worthington andTom Berger — all affiliated with the national office of Vietnam Veterans of America — will lead an expert panel providing an overview of the problems linked to Agent Orange exposure.

Although the fighting stopped more than 40 years ago, the damages — be they physical, psychological or spiritual — incurred during the Vietnam War continue to challenge this country today, say McManus and Perkal.

Continue Reading

EPA Sued by Natural Defense Council Over Enlist Duo

The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) was sued by the Natural Resource Defense Council (NRDC) over the approval of Enlist Duo, a Dow AgroScience product. The lawsuit was filed soon after the EPA approved the weed control product. The NRDC contends Enlist Duo will further deplete the monarch butterfly population and it is also a risk to human health.

Enlist Duo, a herbicide, contains glyphosate and 2,4-D rousing health, wildlife, and environmental concerns. 2,4-D is a known component in Agent Orange. It has been linked to life-long health conditions and severe birth defects, as well as deaths. Dow hoped to sell specialty crops along with Enlist Duo in the 2015 U.S. planting season.

Source:  http://guardianlv.com/2014/10/epa-sued-by-natural-defense-council-over-enlist-duo/

US, Japan agree on access to bases following environmental incidents

Lack of acceptable protocol over environmental issues has long been a point of contention in Okinawa, the strategic island where about half of all U.S. military personnel in Japan are stationed.

Concerns rose after empty chemical drums excavated on former U.S. military property this year were suspected to contain Agent Orange, a Vietnam War-era defoliant associated with severe health hazards and birth defects. A Japanese government report found no evidence of Agent Orange or local health risk, though it did find common herbicide compounds in the soil.

Source:  http://www.stripes.com/news/us-japan-agree-on-access-to-bases-following-environmental-incidents-1.309198

Predictors for dioxin accumulation in residents living in Da Nang and Bien Hoa, Vietnam, many years after Agent Orange use

Highlights

• Blood dioxin levels were measured from residents in Bien Hoa and Da Nang, Vietnam.

• Blood dioxin levels were related to individual and environmental risk factors.

• Fish farming was associated with higher blood dioxin levels at both locations.

• Blood dioxin levels were positively correlated with living on flooded property.

• Da Nang dioxin sites are being cleaned up so exposure should decrease.

Abstract

Agent Orange (AO) was the main defoliant used by the US in Vietnam from 1961 to 1971; AO was contaminated with dioxin (2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, or TCDD). Three major dioxin “hot spots” remain from previous AO storage and use at former US bases at Bien Hoa, Da Nang, and Phu Cat, posing potential health risks for Vietnamese living on or near these hot spots. We evaluated potential risk factors contributing to serum TCDD levels in Vietnamese residents at and near contaminated sites in Da Nang and Bien Hoa, Vietnam. We used multiple linear regression to analyze possible associations of blood dioxin concentrations with demographic, socioeconomic, lifestyle, and dietary risk factors for residents living on or near these hot spots. For the Da Nang study, fish farming on the site, living on property flooded from monsoon rains, and age were among the factors showing significant positive associations with serum TCDD concentrations. For the Bien Hoa study, fish farmers working at this site and their immediate family members had significantly higher serum TCDD concentrations. Our results suggest that water-related activities, especially fish-farming, at the hot spots increased the risk of exposure to dioxin.

Agent Orange Zone: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0045653514011400

North Central Veterans Stand Down

A few North Dakota corporations teamed up to host the third annual "Stand Down for Veterans" at the Armed Forces Reserve Center here in Minot. A free haircut is one of the many, many services there were available to veterans.

15,800 of those North Dakota veterans fought in the Vietnam war. The state legislature recently granted $50,000 dollars for education and outreach regarding Agent Orange and the health risks Vietnam vets still face from their exposure to it. Today's Stand Down featured round tables to discuss agent orange.

 "Hopefully it's just gonna open their eyes to what's gonna happen to their children, and grandchildren, and their grandchildrens' children," says President of North Dakota Vietnam Veterans of America Dan Stenvold. "It's not gonna go away."

Source:  http://www.kfyrtv.com/story/26809970/north-central-veterans-stand-down

First Agent Orange conference to be held in Virginia

What: Agent Orange Town Hall Meeting

When: 9 a.m.-noon, Oct. 18

Where: American Legion Post 16, 1301 Greenview Drive

Information: Contact David Stokes, (434) 993-2916

“I believe some people are still unaware of what Agent Orange has done to them and the benefits they could be receiving,” Caler, who said he served three stints in Vietnam with the Air Force. Caler flew 300 missions in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam and then worked in jungles assisting Americans with secret missions on the border of Cambodia and Vietnam.

The first signs he had been affected by Agent Orange appeared before he’d even left the country but it wasn’t until 2002 that he was diagnosed and began receiving treatment.

He suspects Agent Orange played a role in his daughter’s illness as well and on Saturday he hopes to advocate for two pieces of legislation that call for continued investigation into the affects of Agent Orange.

TAKE ACTION NOW

• CLICK HERE:  Justice for the Innocent Victims affected by the use of Toxic Substances in War Time Support S. 2738 Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2014

 

• CLICK HERE:  H.R. 5484 Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2014

Source:  http://www.timesdispatch.com/news/state-regional/first-agent-orange-conference-to-be-held-in-virginia/article_dc7c15cf-8cb1-5fa8-90c2-cbcbdff976e2.html

VA Awards Contract for Independent Assessment of Health Care to Non-Profit Firm

Choice Act Requires Third Party Assessment of Processes; Firm Will Serve as Program Integrator

Washington – The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced that the MITRE Corporation, a not-for-profit company that operates multiple federally funded research and development centers, has been awarded a contract to support the Independent Assessment of VA health care processes, as required by the Veterans Access, Choice and Accountability Act of 2014 (“Choice Act”). MITRE Corporation will serve as program integrator.

Section 201 of the Choice Act directs VA to enter into one or more independent, third-party contracts for an assessment of the hospital care, medical services and other health care processes in VA medical facilities. The program integrator will be responsible for coordinating the outcomes of the assessments conducted by the third-party entities according to the scope of the contracts. The program integrator is required to report the independent assessment results to Congress within 60 days of the assessment’s conclusion.

“This independent assessment is a key element in our effort to rebuild trust with Veterans and our other stakeholders,” said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Robert A. McDonald.  “It will provide the Department a way to transparently review our vital programs, organizations, and business practices to make us a better and more accountable VA for the Veterans we serve.”

Working with Congress, Veterans Service Organizations, and other stakeholders, VA has taken steps to implement Choice Act legislation, including:

• Establishing a Program Management office to oversee planning and implementation of the legislation across the Department.
• Putting in place the mechanisms to execute the outlined facilities with the authorization provided to carry out major medical facility leases.
• Working through the contracting process to extend the pilot program called Project ARCH to ensure the continued expanded access for Veterans in rural areas provided by that program.
• Holding Industry Day to seek input on how best to provide administrative support including issuing Veteran Choice Cards.

JBLM tells Vietnam vets ‘it's never too late’ to say welcome home

Stephen Stribling looked wide-eyed at Joint Base Lewis-McChord on Thursday as he walked into a column of uniformed sailors waiting to thank him for his service in the Vietnam War.

The 66-year-old grinned as he took in the appreciation of active-duty troops. It was nothing like the lonely homecoming he experienced at the end of his combat tour in 1968.

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/10/09/3424119/jblm-tells-vietnam-vets-its-never.html#storylink=cpy

Stribling’s new Vietnam homecoming — 46 years in the making — unfolded at a JBLM salute to Vietnam-era veterans. It was meant to recognize a generation of military service members who too often felt scorned by the public after serving overseas.

“It is never too late, never too late, to pay tribute to the men and women who served and continue to serve our country,” said I Corps Commander Lt. Gen. Stephen Lanza, the senior Army officer at JBLM.

Welcome Home>>>hhttp://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/10/09/3424119/jblm-tells-vietnam-vets-its-never.html

Read more here: http://www.thenewstribune.com/2014/10/09/3424119/jblm-tells-vietnam-vets-its-never.html#storylink=cpy

The VA embraces technology to better care for veterans

Mobile healthcare is one of the hottest topics in the news right now, especially since the unveiling of Apple Watch, iPhone 6 and iOS 8. With its newest gadgets, Apple is hoping to integrate all sorts of features through its Health app that will let you do everything from track exercise to store your healthcare documents.

Apple's Healthbook app is still a work in progress, but you can be sure that they and other tech companies are trying to come up with ways to integrate all of your healthcare information into your gadgets. This brings up some serious privacy concerns, but if these companies can pull this off, your healthcare might never be the same.

Continue Learning>>>https://www.komando.com/happening-now/271658/the-va-embraces-technology-to-better-care-for-veterans/all

VA Telehealth Services Served Over 690,000 Veterans In Fiscal Year 2014

The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) today announced that its national telehealth programs served more than 690,000 Veterans during fiscal year 2014. That total represents approximately 12 percent of the overall Veteran population enrolled for VA healthcare, and accounted for more than 2 million telehealth visits. Of that number, approximately 55 percent were Veterans living in rural areas with limited access to VA healthcare. With more Veterans seeking health care, telehealth is rapidly becoming an attractive option, especially for those Veterans who don’t have a VA health care facility close to home.

“We have to adapt to meet Veterans wherever their needs are,” said VA Secretary Robert A. McDonald. “A brick-and-mortar facility is not the only option for health care. We are exploring how we can more efficiently and effectively deliver health care services to better serve our Veterans and improve their lives. Telehealth is one of those areas we have identified for growth.”  

Currently, there are more than 44 clinical specialties offered to Veterans through VA’s telehealth programs. One program at the Miami VA schedules close to 90 clinic connections every week for dermatology, eye exams, the women Veterans program, podiatry, mental health and other clinical specialties.

One tangible example of the success of VA’s telehealth program is its burgeoning TeleAudiology program because of large population of Veterans living with hearing loss. The TeleAudiology program has grown from 1,016 Veterans in fiscal year 2011 to more than 10,589 in fiscal year 2014.

For more information about VA’s telehealth program, visit www.telehealth.va.gov/.        

Source:http://www.va.gov/opa/pressrel/pressrelease.cfm?id=2646

VVA supports H.R. 5484 the Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2014

September 19, 2014

Legislative Alert – Ask your Representative to Support H.R. 5484  the Toxic Exposure Research Act of 2014

Representative Dan Benishek, (MI-1), has introduced H.R. 5484, the Toxic Exposure Research of 2014 formerly H.R. 4816, the Toxic Exposure Research and Military Family Support Act of 2014, VVA strongly supports this bill, which reflects positively on one of our foremost legislative goals. Not only would it help achieve a measure of justice for the innocent victims of the use of toxic substances in times of war, but it offers unlimited possibilities for scientific research into the effects of these toxic chemicals.

This comprehensive legislation will construct a common mechanism and procedures that will encompass all past and future toxic wounds, as needed.

VVA urges you to go to our Legislative Action Center site athttp://capwiz.com/vva/home/  and Take Action NOW by entering your zip code and sending the prepared letter to your U.S. Representative, asking them to please join their colleagues Brownley, (CA-26), Conyers, (MI-13) Honda (CA-17) and Rahall (WV-3) to co-sponsor H.R. 5484, the Toxic Exposure Research Act of  2014.

Veterans’ Bellingham town hall meeting to discuss impacts of Agent Orange

IMAGE by The NAM

The Bellingham Vietnam Veterans of America, Chapter 165, and Disabled American Veterans, Chapter 19, are sponsoring a Faces of Agent Orange meeting from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Sept. 19, at the Health Education and Community Conference Center, 3333 Squalicum Parkway. With the largest Vietnam Veterans of America Chapter in Washington and a county veteran population higher than the national average, a large turnout is expected. This meeting is being coordinated with Vietnam Vets in Canada, Chapter 75, and American Legion, Post 75, also in Canada, as a number of Canadian veterans were exposed to Agent Orange. Panel participants for this town hall include the founder of the Association of Vietnam Veterans of America as well as local, state and regional officers of the organization, each with Agent Orange-related conditions themselves or in their families.

The goals of the town hall meeting are to reach out to affected veterans and their families, raise awareness on medical conditions tied to Agent Orange, reach health practitioners and disability-related service agencies, develop a fresh approach to research and back legislation that facilitates research, care and compensation and to direct local services to veterans and their families.

In addition to information on Agent Orange, there will be information for newer veterans and their families including the effects of modern chemicals, “burn pits,” and depleted uranium ammunition.

It is also important to note that some veterans may not have served in Vietnam, but were exposed to Agent Orange by working with equipment and aircraft used to produce and distribute Agent Orange, or in the facilities used to store Agent Orange. This exposure may have come even after the war ended.

Continue Learning>>>http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2014/09/04/3828720/veterans-bellingham-town-hall.html?sp=/99/122/

Read more here: http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2014/09/04/3828720/veterans-bellingham-town-hall.html?sp=/99/122/#storylink=cpy

Agent Orange Awareness Bracelet>>>Agent Orange We Survived and Came Home but Death Followed Close Behind by Ed Travis, Disabled American Vietnam Veteran

Ed Travis is a disabled Vietnam veteran affected by exposure to Agent Orange. Ed wants to promote Agent Orange Awareness by making and selling Agent Orange bracelets.  

Description:

The bracelets sport an engraved dog tag and are made of heavy orange and black para cord with a heavy duty shackle closure. 

 The engraving reads as follows:

 Agent Orange
"We Survived and Came Home but Death Followed Close Behind" 

Contact Ed:

Please email Ed Travis at eftforester@gmail.com for more information or if you would like to order a bracelet .

Donations:

**One-third (1/3) or $5.00 from the sale of each bracelet will be donated to an Agent Orange charity 501 3-C. 



Absolutely no funds will go to Agent Orange Legacy.  Agent Orange Legacy's only role is to help Ed get the word out.  

Thanks for your continued support...Sharon & Dee

Agent Orange Awareness Bracelet