AGENT  ORANGE

     What exactly is " Agent Orange " and what were other Defoliants that were used ?

     The name of  " Agent  Orange " is derived from the  ' Orange Band '

   painted around the 55-gallon drums in which the defoliants were stored.

Other defoliating agents were also used

 and they had their own color coded paint bands around their 55 gallon drums.

     The defoliants and herbicides contain trace amounts of toxic contaminants called "dioxins ".

     Normally,   Agent Orange   is a one-to-one mixture of  n-butyl esters  consisting of:

2,4D (2,4-Di-chloro-phen-oxy-acetic acid) and

 the second additive is

2,4,5-T (2,4,5 Tri-chloro-phen-oxy-acetic acid).

  Agent Orange   was used against  Broad Leaf vegetation.

It normally contained 1.77 to 40 ppm of dioxins (TCDD) amounts.

There were other Lesser Known Defoliants

their concentrations and their uses

Most of the  2nd Civil Affairs  Platoons

worked in the  Third Corps Tactical Zone  (III-CTZ)

with two Platoons most often down South - in the   Fourth Corps Tactical Zone  (IV CTZ)

and three other Platoon were sent up North - to the  First Corps Tactical Zone  (I-CTZ)

Almost every 2CA Platoon's Area of Operations (AO)

was heavily sprayed with defoliant.

After the Trees and Grasses were sprayed

the almost daily  Monsoon Rains   washed the 'slime' off the trees and grasses

into the Streams and River Waters

which was the source of our Cooking Water, our Drinking Water and our Canteen Water.

Even though the U.S. Corps of Engineers

may have had some 'Water Purification Units' intended to kill Bacteria

but were not intended to remove Dioxin.

Our Drinking Water and our Canteen Water

may have contain some  diluted Agent Orange.

The Local Waters may be causing our Cancers and our Parkinson's today.

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Please remember and pray for the

" Good People of Vietnam "

who had the same medical problems that we have

and could not or did not leave their Beautiful, Green, Lush Country - Vietnam

and even now

continue to have multi-generational Illness and Birth Defects - today 2020 !

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( Please check out the  Agent Orange Areas  on the Map below left )

Your once  youthful and strong body  is a bit older today.

Schedule an annual Physical  and  get checked for Cancer.

Someday, you may really need medical help

and Medical Doctors need to make living today

so they can be there for you tomorrow.

Build a relationship with a Doctor

(Pay for an Annual Physical and buy a few Pneumonia Shots and Flu Shots)

(from a Doctors who is younger than you are)

so that when you are sick and really 'Need the Doctor's Help'

the Doctor will be there for you - his long time customer.

Plan ahead and take care of yourself.

Health Notice  and  VA Benefits

The Veterans Administration has created a ' presumptive link '

between AGENT ORANGE and the diseases below.

If you have:

     

AL Amyloidosis
A rare disease caused when an abnormal protein, amyloid, enters tissues or organs

Chronic B-cell Leukemia's
A type of cancer which affects white blood cells

Chlor acne (or similar form of Acne disease)

A skin condition that occurs soon after exposure to chemicals and looks like common

forms of acne seen in teenagers. Under the VA's rating regulations, it must be at

least 10 percent disabling within one year of exposure to herbicides.

                            

Diabetes Mellitus Type 2
A disease characterized by high blood sugar levels resulting from the body’s inability

to respond properly to the hormone insulin.

   

Hodgkin’s Disease
A malignant lymphoma (cancer) characterized by progressive enlargement of the

lymph nodes, liver, and spleen, and by progressive anemia.

     

Ischemic Heart Disease
A disease characterized by a reduced supply of blood to the heart

that leads to chest pain.

    

Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
A group of cancers that affect the lymph glands and other lymphatic tissue

      

Parkinson’s Disease
A progressive disorder of the nervous system that affects muscle movement

                                                                   

Peripheral Neuropathy, Early-Onset
A nervous system condition that causes numbness, tingling, and motor weakness.

Under VA's rating regulations, it must be at least 10 percent disabling

within one year of herbicide exposure.

     

Porphyria Cutanea Tarda
A disorder characterized by liver dysfunction and by thinning and blistering

of the skin in sun-exposed areas. Under VA's rating regulations,

it must be at least 10 percent disability within one year of exposure to herbicide

       

Prostate Cancer
Cancer of the prostate; one of the most common cancers among men

        

Respiratory Cancers 

(includes lung cancer) Cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea, and bronchus

    

Soft Tissue Sarcomas

(other than osteosarcoma, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi’s sarcoma, or mesothelioma)

A group of different types of cancers in body tissues such as muscle, fat, blood and

lymph vessels, and connective tissues.

    

Birth Defect

Children with Birth Defects: VA presumes certain birth defects

       

If you are medically effected,

contact the Veterans Administration (VA).

.

You could qualify for

Veterans Administration Disability Benefits.

Start by getting a  Compensation & Pension Exam

at a VA Hospital and apply for

C.R.S.C.  Benefit

Combat Related Special Compensation - from the VA.

and

a second similar benefit amount from the  D.O.D  retirement pension.

( Please remember - the key is the time frame )

From 15 Dec 1966  through  1 Feb 1968,

the 2nd CA Platoons were  ATTACHED  to Infantry Brigades

and served with

Infantry Brigades on major field  "Operation ??? "

  as well as

with numerous   Cordon & Searches   as  Team VA - Refugee Assistance Teams

during Operation CEDAR FALLS  and  Operation JUNCTION CITY

and other multi-battalion infantry operations.

The Veteran Service Organizations

(Disabled American Veterans,  VFW,  American Legion   and others)

have volunteers called  'National Service Officers'

at the VA Regional Offices

who can help you with the paperwork.

If you think you have a Vietnam service related medical problem,

you should contact the VA immediately

start by calling

1 - 800 - 827 - 1000.

Start your Disability Claim now

even if your VA Claim is presently rated at  0%,

It is important to get your claim recorded as soon as possible

because if your claim is rated above  Zero %  at a future time,

your payments will be retroactive to your filing date.

Even a   0%  Rating now,  will help you

with Admission and Services at the VA Hospital.

Get your VA Disability Rating  (even a 0%)  first,

then you can apply for the C.R.S.C. Benefits.

And it is possible that you could get some of your

OTC Rx Prescriptions free.

 55 Gallon Drum of  Agent Orange

note the  ORANGE  STRIPE

Member of the Chemical Platoon, 1st Cavalry Division (Airmobile)

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U.S.  Occupational Safety & Health Agency  (OSHA)

you did NOT do your job !

You did NOT have  MSDS  or  SDS  Safety Documents

to advise all of us about dioxins and reasonalble precautions.

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Almost all of us have Diabetes,  some have Cancers  and  a few have Parkinson's

We were  'Once Young'  and  'We did Our Jobs' !

Where the hell were you   and   why did our   Uncle Sam   not do his job ?

Why were we  NOT warned  of the risks   and Yes,   We would have 'still done'  our job - too !