Vietnam Veterans Still Fighting Agent Orange

For many Vietnam veterans in Sumner County, across the nation, the Vietnam conflict still isn’t over as the effects of exposure to Agent Orange takes its toll on the veterans, their descendants and survivors.

“Operation Ranch Hand” was the code name for the spraying of a host of herbicides, primarily Agent Orange, by the U.S. military in Vietnam and other Southeast Asian countries to protect American and allied troops by defoliating the dense jungle vegetation hiding enemy positions.

Over the past few decades, a substantial body of scientific and medical research has shown that Agent Orange and other herbicides containing dioxin have a high probability of causing or contributing to a variety of health conditions suffered by veterans who served in Vietnam between January 1962 and May 1975. Approximately 2.8 million veterans served in Southeast Asia.

No one knows for sure how many of these veterans were exposed to Agent Orange. Some were deployed in areas during and immediately after spraying operations, while others actually handled Agent Orange and did the spraying. Veterans exposed to Agent Orange and its dioxin contaminants have reported a variety of serious health problems and symptoms.

The Veterans Administration has determined that 13 diseases suffered by Vietnam veterans, including prostate cancer, non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, respiratory cancers (of the lung, bronchus, larynx or trachea), chronic lymphocytic leukemia, Type II diabetes and some heart disease are among those caused by exposure to Agent Orange. Vietnam veterans and their families who may have suffered from these diseases may file for compensation. Some birth defects affecting children and grandchildren may have also been caused by Agent Orange.

---- Jerald Terwilliger Former Chairman American Cold War Veterans "We Remember" ---------------- "And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades." -- Robert M. Gates, 1996

Court says VA must release documents about Cold War drug experiments

Veterans won another court order requiring the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs to hand over more documents about its Cold War-era drug experiments on thousands of Vietnam veterans. 
U.S. Magistrate Judge Jacqueline Scott Corley in Oakland, Calif., said the documents requested were "squarely relevant" to the claim that the government failed to adequately notify veterans of the chemicals they were exposed to and what that exposure might do to their health. 
The Army and the CIA, with the help of Nazi scientists, used at least 7,800 veterans as human guinea pigs for testing the effects of up to 400 types of drugs and chemicals, including mescaline, LSD, amphetamines, barbituates, mustard gas and nerve agents, the Vietnam Veterans of America and individual soldiers claim in a 2009 class action. 
The government covered up the true nature of its experiments, which began in the 1950s under code names such as "Bluebird," "Artichoke" and "MKUltra." 


For the full story follow this link
http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/07/23/48617.htm


---- Jerald Terwilliger Past Chairman American Cold War Veterans "We Remember" ---------------- "And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades." -- Robert M. Gates, 1996

Maine Women Veteran Commemorative Coin

Monday June 6, 2011 the Maine Veterans Service Office will present  the Maine Silver
Commemorative Coin to Maine Women Veterans.

The presentation will be held at the Maine Veterans Home in Scarborough, Maine, located at
 290 US Route one, Scarborough, ME. at 1PM

The Silver Commemorative Coin is struck in the likeness of the Women Veterans Plaque ("A
Heritage of Service") that hangs in the Hall of Flags at the State Capitol in Augusta.

Peter Ogden, Director, Maine Veteran Services announced "We will be presenting coins to
15 World War II Veterans, 5 Korea War Veterans, 5 Vietnam War Veterans, 4 Cold War Veterans,
and 15 Persian Gulf women Veterans."

The event is open to the public and all media is invited. Maine thanks everyone for their support
of our veterans.

Please plan to attend this worthy and overdue ceremony to recognize and honor Maine's Women
Veterans.

Jerald Terwilliger
National Chairman
American Cold War Veterans
"We Remember"

---------------- "And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades." -- Robert M. Gates, 1996

Vietnam Blue-Water Sailors Out of Luck?

According to an article  in the New York Times there is not enough data available to determine
if sailors who served on deep water ships(or blue-water sailors) during the Vietnam War were
exposed to Agent Orange.

A report released Friday by the Institute of Medicine, which took 112 pages, reached this conclusion.

This is very sad news for those who served aboard the large ships that did not always enter
coastal waters of Vietnam. It also would appear highly unlikely that the Department of Veteran
Affairs will establish rules to make it easier for these Navy veterans to receive benefits for any
of the diseases linked to Agent Orange.

Many are asking for legislation to expand coverage of benefits and make it just as easy for these
deep water sailors to  receive health care and disability payments as it is for infantrymen who
were exposed to Agent Orange.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY) who has sponsored legislation to help the blue-water veterans,
said the new report did not disprove the possibility that deep-sea sailors were sickened by Agent
Orange during Vietnam.

"This report does not invalidate the claims of thousands of blue-water Navy veterans who are
still suffering from the same illnesses as those who served ashore in Vietnam," the senator said
in a statement.


It has been estimated that as many as 800,000 military members were exposed to Agent Orange
even if they never set foot on Vietnam soil.

Since 1991 the government has presumed that Vietnam veterans with certain diseases were exposed
to Agent Orange, making them eligible for health care and disability payments. But then in 2002
the VA decided it would apply only to those who had actually been in Vietnam.


A federal court upheld that decision which basically left out sailors that served on large ships
like aircraft carriers which were in the deep water and further from Vietnam shores. So called
brown-water sailors who served on smaller boats that operated on inland waters are still
eligible for those benefits.

Agent Orange contains one of the most toxic forms of dioxin, and has been linked to
some cancers, and was the most used herbicide in Vietnam.



So another injustice is perpetrated upon our brave veterans. Will it ever end?

Contact your elected officials, tell them to include these blue-water sailors, and marines who
even though they did not enter Vietnam, or it's coastal waters.

Equal treatment and rights for all veterans is something our country must bring about. It is our
duty to those who served, no matter where or when. Justice must be served. Our veterans
deserve nothing less.

Jerald Terwilliger
National Chairman
American Cold War Veterans
"We Remember"



---------------- "And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades." -- Robert M. Gates, 1996

President Obama Misspeaks During Medal of Freedom Awards

It was during the presentation to President George H.W. Bush, that President Obama spoke the
words that every Cold War Veteran hates to hear.

President Obama credited President Bush with ending the Cold War "without a shot being fired."
The very words we have been fighting since the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, and the end
of the Cold War.

We all know shots were fired, our planes were shot from the sky by communist forces, our ships
were attacked, ground troops were shot at. Many lives were lost during the Cold War, the VFW
places the count at over 380, but many more were lost in secret operations.

We can not allow this flawed thinking to continue, America must remember! Does no one think
that Korea, Vietnam, Haiti, Dominican Republic, Lebanon and so many other clashes were not
a part of the Cold War?

This year marks the 20th anniversary of the end of the Cold War, our nation must pay respect
and honor to all those who endured the harsh and arduous conditions in the battle to contain
communism. From Sept. 1945 to Dec. 1991 these men and women stood ready and waiting;
and hoping that nuclear war did not break out.

From ships at sea, submarines under the sea, troops on the ground around the world
SAC planes in the air, those standing in place in missile silos; no matter where, no matter
when, no matter which uniform they wore; they were heroes all. Each and everyone should
be thanked, recognized, honored, and respected.

We must not forget! We can not forget! We must say to those who try to re-write history NO!
It was a war and WE WON!

Please contact your elected officials in Washington, tell them to make this a special year. Tell
them that this must be the year to authorize and issue a Cold War Victory/Service Medal.

Do not allow those who sacrificed their lives continue to be ignored. Do not consider those
who gave of their time to protect our country as "just showing up", it was more than "just
a job" to us; it was a fight for right and freedom.

President Obama, please correct this mistake. Will you do honor to the Cold War Veterans
and by Executive Order create a medal to finally give us a place in history?

Jerald Terwilliger
National Chairman
American Cold War Veterans
"We Remember"

---------------- "And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades." -- Robert M. Gates, 1996

Wyoming Bill to Welcome Home and Thank You Veterans

In the Wyoming Legislature a bill has  been introduced HB 0177 that would declare March 30
of each year Wyoming Veterans Welcome Home Day. The wording of the bill includes Veterans
from Korea, Vietnam, Cold War.

A link to the Wyoming Legislature legisweb.state.wy.us/2011/Introduced/HB0177.pdf

Another state added to the growing list. Now we must fight to have a Cold War Veterans
Welcome Home or Cold War Victory Day on a national level.

Please everyone contact your elected officials ask them to institute a day to honor Cold War Veterans
on a national level.

Jerald Terwilliger
National Chairman
American Cold War Veterans
"We Remember"

---------------- "And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades." -- Robert M. Gates, 1996

Defense Department Begins Project for Vietnam War Veterans

http://www.defense.gov/news/newsarticle.aspx?id=62504  Department Begins Project for Vietnam War Veterans By Terri Moon Cronk American Forces Press Service WASHINGTON, Jan. 19, 2011 – More than three decades after the war’s end, the Defense Department has begun a project to pay tribute to the nation’s Vietnam War veterans. The 50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War Commemoration was spawned from the 2008 National Defense Authorization Act. “It was a very important time period for veterans, because most Vietnam veterans as a whole never received the homecoming that our troops receive now,” said Army Lt. Col. Hunter Holliday, public affairs officer for the commemoration. At the center of the project is a website, “50th Anniversary of the Vietnam War Commemoration,” at http://www.vietnamwar50th.com, which will serve as a clearinghouse for information on the war once it is fully functional, a milestone expected this spring. Information gleaned from the website is expected to be used for myriad purposes, such as to chronicle facts, provide educational materials, and offer resources for a commemorative partners program, Holliday said. The partners program will comprise guidance and materials for agencies, veterans groups, local government and nongovernment organizations to conduct their own Vietnam War commemoration activities. The website is expected to play a major role in the campaign, said Jeff Wilson, who handles marketing for the project, noting it will be highly interactive and will include content on historical events, a timeline, photos, documents, video and audio. A calendar will list major Defense-sponsored events. The website is slated to offer a prelude of activities and ceremonies to: -- Honor Vietnam War veterans and their families -- including prisoners of war and those listed as missing in action -- for their service and sacrifice on behalf of the United States. -- Highlight Armed Forces service during the Vietnam War, in addition to contributions made by government and private organizations. -- Pay tribute to the contributions made on the home front by U.S. citizens. -- Highlight the advances in technology, science and medicine in military research made during the war. -- Recognize contributions and sacrifices made by U.S. allies during the war. “Hopefully [the commemoration] will be a healing process for the veterans who were never recognized properly when they came home,” Holliday said, noting the volatile political landscape that surrounded the war. Jerald Terwilliger National Chairman American Cold War Veterans "We Remember"

---------------- "And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades." -- Robert M. Gates, 1996

VA Begins paying expanded Agent Orange benefits

From the Air Force News Service 
 http://www.af.mil/news/story_print.asp?id=123228918


11/1/2010 - WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Department of Veterans Affairs officials have begun distributing disability benefits to Vietnam veterans who qualify for compensation under recently liberalized rules for Agent Orange exposure.

"The joint efforts of Congress and VA demonstrate a commitment to provide Vietnam veterans with treatment and compensation for the long-term health effects of herbicide exposure," said Secretary of Veterans Affairs Eric K. Shinseki.

Up to 200,000 Vietnam veterans are potentially eligible to receive VA disability compensation for medical conditions recently associated with Agent Orange. The expansion of coverage involves B-cell (or hairy-cell) leukemia, Parkinson's disease and ischemic heart disease.

Secretary Shinseki said VA officials have launched a variety of initiatives, both technological and involving better business practices, to tackle an anticipated upsurge in Agent Orange-related claims.

"These initiatives show VA's ongoing resolve to modernize its processes for handling claims through automation and improvements in doing business, providing veterans with faster and more accurate decisions on their applications for benefits," Secretary Shinseki said.

Providing initial payments, or increases to existing payments, to the 200,000 veterans who now qualify for disability compensation for these three conditions is expected to take several months, but VA officials encourage all Vietnam veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange and suffer from one of the three diseases to make sure their applications have been submitted.

VA officials have offered veterans exposed to Agent Orange special access to health care since 1978, and priority medical care since 1981. They have been providing disability compensation to veterans with medical problems related to Agent Orange since 1985.

In practical terms, veterans who served in Vietnam during the war and who have a "presumed" illness do not have to prove an association between their illnesses and their military service. This "presumption" simplifies and speeds up the application process for benefits.

The three new illnesses -- B-cell (or hairy-cell) leukemia, Parkinson's disease and ischemic heart disease -- are added to the list of presumed illnesses previously recognized by VA officials.

Other recognized illnesses under VA's "presumption" rule for Agent Orange are:

* Acute and Subacute Transient Peripheral Neuropathy
* Chloracne
* Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia
* Diabetes Mellitus (Type 2)
* Hodgkin's Disease
* Multiple Myeloma
* Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma
* Porphyria Cutanea Tarda
* Prostate Cancer
* Respiratory Cancers
* Soft Tissue Sarcoma (other than Osteosarcoma, Chondrosarcoma, Kaposi's sarcoma, or Mesothelioma)
* AL Amyloidosis

Veterans interested in applying for disability compensation under one of the three new Agent Orange presumptives should go to www.fasttrack.va.gov or call 1-800-827-1000.---------------- "And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades." -- Robert M. Gates, 1996

Vietnam veterans get tribute 40 years in making - abc27 News

York County, PA: County lawmakers host ceremony for Vietnam Veterans recognize that these brave Veterans
did not receive the Welcome they should have had.

Vietnam veterans get tribute 40 years in making - abc27 News

----------------"And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades."-- Robert M. Gates, 1996

London, Kentucky Vietnam Veterans Parade

London, Kentucky will have a weekend dedicated to Vietnam and Vietnam era veterans this weekend.
Friday there will be a flyover and vigil in honor of veterans. Saturday there will be a parade in London followed by a veteran reunion and concert.

Vietnam veterans did not receive a welcome home like WWII and other veterans from other conflicts.
This is just a small way to say Thank You and Welcome Home.

A lot of Vietnam veterans, because of the largely negative perception of the war, did not openly say that they had been in Vietnam; some did not even want to admit they were in the military.

Organizers say the ceremonies will be a solemn affair. "There is not a lot of hoopla that we're trying to do. We're not turning it into a festival because we want it to be somewhat of a reverent type event," said organizer Phil Smith.

Jerald Terwilliger
National Chairman
American Cold War Veterans
"We Remember"

---------------- "And so the greatest of American triumphs... became a peculiarly joyless victory. We had won the Cold War, but there would be no parades." -- Robert M. Gates, 1996