If you set foot on a land mass (in Vietnam), youre entitled to a presumption that you have been exposed to herbicides, Rhode Island attorney Robert Chisholm said in an interview. In November 1992, the Joint Task Force for Full Accounting was able to conduct an archeological excavation of the BARON 52 crash site and recovered partial remains of several individuals. 4 0 obj
Many veterans like Dan Tolly of Tampa who served on those Thai bases are sick. xNC}qpFd;SS^=8z|A,YERkvACs,~zt;93u_rJaU"Tt~\&,xxR|xPVu6 According to U. S. Department of Veterans Affairs, The Veterans Benefits Administration usually takes 12-18 months to review new appeals and decide whether to grant some or all of the appeal. A Decision Review Officer (DRO) will review your appeal and if the new evidence submitted is not sufficient to grant the appeal, you will receive a Statement of the Case (SOC). In 1966, the Commander U.S. Military Assistance Command, Vietnam (COMUSMAV) issued Directive 525-1 (COMUSMAV) which defined how to request aerial spray, power spray, and hand spray in Vietnam. These cookies may be set through our website by our advertising partners. It was one of a number of bases in Thailand that were used to spray Agent Orange, a herbicide that was used to defoliate the jungle and deny cover to enemy forces. Cantonment area at Nakhon Phanom RTAFB, Nakhon Phanom - A Security Police Sentry Dog Handlers Perspective, Map of The US used C-123 aircraft to spray the herbicides over the forests of Vietnam during Operation Ranch Hand. WebYou served on active duty in a regular Air Force unit location where a C-123 aircraft with traces of Agent Orange was assigned, and had repeated contact with this aircraft due to WebThese are the major bases the USAF operated from in Thailand: Don Muang Royal Thai Air Force Base, 19611970 Major USAF Unit: 631st Combat Support Group, 19621970 If your VA disability claim has been denied, we may be able to assist you. 553rd Reconnaissance Wing Batcat Veterans Benefit, is On February 5, 1973, an EC-47Q electronic warfare collection aircraft tail number 43-48636, That legacy was also carried back to the US, as dependents of veterans have been born with serious birth defects such as spina bifida. Typically, the VA looks for evidence of duty near base perimeters or fence lines to establish herbicide exposure. 3,048. asphalt. Taking into account the geography of Southeast Asia and the multiple roles assumed by military personnel traveling to and from the airbases in the area, it is entirely plausible that a military transport from Clark AFB in September 1970 stopped at an airbase in Vietnam to drop off and/or pick up passengers prior to continuing on to Thailand. Following this, Agent Orange was again tested from 1967 to 1968 in Kauai, HI. Lets be real, this was 60 years ago, Trone said. [1] It is in the city of Udon Thani in northeastern Thailand and is the main airport serving the city and province. All information these cookies collect is aggregated and therefore anonymous. Claude Delsol, conteur magicien des mots et des objets, est un professionnel du spectacle vivant, un homme de paroles, un crateur, un concepteur dvnements, un conseiller artistique, un auteur, un partenaire, un citoyen du monde. Please switch auto forms mode to off. treated with Agent Orange. But proving it isnt always possible, others say. However, the Veteran served at Korat Air Force Base in Thailand for a 4-month period in mid-1962 and again in Korea from mid-1965 to mid-1966 but the record In addition, some U.S. Army veterans who provided perimeter security on those bases or who served with a military police unit may have Agent Orange Thailand exposure. It acknowledges that herbicide use is present at Thailand military bases, but it only recently granted Vietnam veterans the presumption of exposure to the same chemicals as U.S. veterans. the Air Force Map Korat RTAFB above, Official Department of the Air Force Map If you are in crisis or having thoughts of suicide,
The use of Agent Orange at Ubon Air Force Base has been linked to a number of health problems in both veterans and civilians. To access the menus on this page please perform the following steps. This same presumption exists for those who served in the Korean demilitarized zone between September 1, 1967 and August 31, 1971. 09-42 836. These cookies allow the website to remember choices you make to give you better functionality and preferences such as text size, fonts and other customizable website elements. This list includes U.S. Air Force veterans who served on Royal Thai Air Force bases at U-Tapao, Ubon, Nakhon Phanom, Udorn, Takhli, Korat and Don Muang. It is illegal and arbitrary for the VA to make an arbitrary and unlawful distinction between commercial and tactical herbicides. h#{mcXuXL] Poway, Calif. attorney Amanda Mineer recalled working on one case in which she and her team had to introduce into evidence a photo of a sailor taking a photographic selfie of himself on a ship as that ship crossed the equator, with barrels of Agent Orange nearby, visible in the photo. Shannon is the daughter of a U.S. Air Force Master Sergeant and a high school English teacher and was born on MacDill AFB in Tampa, Florida. %PDF-1.5
A VA spokeswoman said If enacted, S.657 would expand universal eligibility for veterans who served in Thailand. The wing also flew humanitarian missions in Cambodia and Thailand. They deserve quick adjudication for their claim and we cannot put the burden on the veterans who served their country.. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. 635th Security Police Squadron herbicide was used to clear a 100-foot-wide section of the perimeter fence after the attack on U-Tapao. Unlike veterans who served in Vietnam and certain areas of Korea, veterans who served in Thailand are not entitled by law to a presumption of exposure to tactical herbicides, the spokeswoman said. LORAN-equipped 8th TFW F-4Ds are at the helm of this operation. 2 0 obj
A spokeswoman for the Air Force said neither the author of the AFHRA memo nor anyone else was available for an interview. If you served in an area other than Vietnam and you were exposed to Agent Orange, please contact the Berry Law Firm at (888) 883-2483. The chemicals were applied in highly concentrated solutions using a micro-sprayer. Some veterans will have an easier time establishing their exposure to herbicides than others. If a veterans military occupation required him to patrol the perimeter of one of these basesdog handlers or military policeand his service records establish this fact, then VA is going to be much more willing to acknowledge that veterans exposure to herbicides. But this doesnt mean that other veterans cannot also prove such exposure. During the period from October 12 to December 20, 1965, and from July 1966 to August 15, 1973, the United States conducted air defense missions in Southeast Asia. the location of Udorn RTAFB, Map of B-52 Ramp, NE Quadrant U-Tapao RTAFB with But they were all sprayed.. Proving Agent Orange Exposure for Veterans Who Served in Thailand U.S. military bases in Thailand were some of the first bases established in the Vietnam War theater of operations, and the veterans who served on those bases were just as Nicholas Simpson, Attorney Deland, FL: 1607 South State Road 15A Suite 12 Deland, FL 32720, Satellite Offices Trones bill would force these to be adjudicated this quicker, presuming that they were exposed to harmful herbicides. Thats our job., Its still essentially a case-by-case basis, Chisholm said. Houston, TX: 2925 Richmond Ave, 12th Floor, Houston, TX 77098 This letter rejecting Skinners claim cited an Aug. 2015 memo from the Air Force Historical Research Agency (AFHRA), a memo that veteran Robert McHenry, a friend to Skinner and others, fought for years. Veterans who served in Vietnam were given the presumption of exposure under a law passed by Congress. He also claims exposure when assisting aircraft and military personnel from any location inbound or departing Ubon, declaring an emergency. Source: Citation Nr: 1614502 Decision Date: 04/11/16 Archive Date: 04/26/16 DOCKET NO. Portland, OR: 650 N. E. Holladay Street, Suite 1600, Portland, OR, 97232 In Thailand, military personnel used the same herbicides as in Vietnam. This information is made available for educational purposes only and to provide general information and a general understanding of the law. Storage area at Nakhon Phanom RTAFB, Map Without a subpoena, voluntary compliance on the part of your Internet Service Provider, or additional records from a third party, information stored or retrieved for this purpose alone cannot usually be used to identify you. During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Air Force engaged in Operation Ranch Hand, a program that sprayed herbicides on the thick vegetation and foliage of Vietnam to destroy this natural cover for enemy troops. Shannon lives in Orlando with her husband and two sons. detailed annotations, Map of the Southwest section of U-Tapao RTAFB, Map 5 - B-52 Ramp, NE Quadrant U-Tapao RTAFB with This testing was repeated again in 1957 to determine the effectiveness of such herbicides as defoliants and killing agents. Red line shows the Nakhon Pahnom RTAFB base perimeter, while the blue line shows the full 500 meter herbicide/Agent Orange drift zone as defined in U.S. Army This was the last multi-crew loss of the Vietnam War. WebAgent Orange was used around the perimeters of Royal Thai Air Force Bases to clear the perimeter of foliage for increased security. Los Angeles, CA: 10880 Wilshire Blvd., Ste 1101, Los Angeles, CA 90025 To view this webinar CLICK HERE. He did so much research on this letter (the Aug. 2015 memo)., These men are now in many cases in their 80s, Trone said. Puerto Rico was also home to the storage and testing of Agent Orange from 1956 to 1957, and then again from 1966 to 1968. Cincinnati, OH: 300 E Business Way, Suite 200, Summit Woods Corporate Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45241 However, if the US Air Force in Thailand was required to Columbus, OH: 100 E. Campus View Boulevard, Suite #250, Columbus, OH, 43235 This distinction is frequently used by the VA to deny Thailand exposure claims. 05-18 110, Project CHECO Southeast Asia Report: Base Defense in Thailand 1968-1972,, Herbicide Use in Thailand The Relationship to the Rules of Engagement (ROE) and Use in Vietnam and Laos, Citation Nr: 1614502 Decision Date: 04/11/16 Archive Date: 04/26/16 DOCKET NO. In February 1968, a Igloo White sensor-dropping mission over the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos was launched. Munitions Storage area at Ubon RTAFB, Annotated Photo of the Weapon Some evidence suggests that airmen working around the perimeter were exposed to herbicide while constructing the perimeter. If you meet this requirement, you do not need to prove actual exposure to Agent Orange to receive compensation for an illness that is caused by Agent Orange exposure. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. The Veteran asserts that he was exposed to Agent Orange from mid-1971 to mid-1972, while stationed at the Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand during the Vietnam War, assigned to the 432 Field Maintenance Squadrons Crash Recovery/Transit Maintenance unit. We use cookies to optimize our website and our service. Call for immediate help at 401-331-6300 or contact us online. Have you been affected by Camp Lejeune water contamination?