The U.S. military has denied the use of Agent Orange at hundreds of locations in the U.S. and around the world
Rather than taking care of people, they turned to propaganda, relying on the work of Dr. Alvin Young to deny benefits to many thousands of sick and dying veterans.
Testimony from veterans across the country describes the presence and use of these carcinogenic herbicides at bases in the U.S.
By Pat Elder
May 28, 2024
“Dr. Alvin Young was the Pentagon’s point man on Agent Orange. Young tested the weed killer for the Air Force during the Vietnam War, helped develop a plan to destroy it at sea a decade later — a waste of good herbicides, he’d said — then played a leading role in crafting the government’s response to veterans who believed the chemicals have made them sick. For a while, he even kept a vial of Agent Orange by his desk. For decades, the military and the VA have repeatedly turned to one man to guide decisions on whether Agent Orange harmed vets in Vietnam and elsewhere. His reliable answer: “No.”
From Dr. Orange: The Secret Nemesis of Sick Vets by Charles Ornstein, ProPublica and Mike Hixenbaugh, The Virginian-Pilot, October 26, 2016:
Young’s role in crafting policies that resulted in thousands of veterans being denied compensation for exposure to Agent Orange cannot be overstated. He misrepresented the science and was behind a murderous conspiracy that denied the use of Agent Orange at a hundred military bases in the U.S. We’ll briefly examine his outrageous claims on behalf of the Pentagon and then read compelling, contradictory statements from veterans across the country.
I’ve often quoted the work of Dr. Linda Birnbaum on the toxicity of PFAS in water and fish.
She is the former Director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. She captures the scoundrel Young’s essence here in the Pro Publica piece: “Most of the stuff he talks about is in no way accurate,” said Dr. Birnbaum, an expert on dioxin. “He’s been paid a hell of a lot of money by the VA over the years, and I think they don’t want to admit that maybe he isn’t the end all and be all.” Birnbaum questions how Young’s training in herbicide science qualifies him to draw some conclusions. “He is not an expert when it comes to the human health effects,” she said.
Young, who is 81 and lives in Cheyenne, Wyoming, has been confrontational all along, claiming Agent Orange poisoned a very small number of soldiers while many veterans have concocted stories to receive benefits from the Veterans Administration. “The only reason these men prepared such stories is that they are hoping they can cash in on ‘tax free money’ for health issues that originate from lifestyles and aging. There was no exposure to Agent Orange or the dioxin, but that does not stop them from concocting exposure stories about Agent Orange hoping that some Congressional member will feel sorry for them and encourage the VA to pay them off.”
This is from the Pentagon’s go-to guy on Agent Orange. The DOD, as we’ve seen through their handling of PFAS, is a criminal enterprise.
Charles Ornstein and Mike Hixenbaugh have documented a chorus of frustrated critics, including vets, respected scientists, and top government officials. They argue that “Young’s self-labeled investigations are compromised by inaccuracies, inconsistencies, or omissions of key facts, and rely heavily on his previous work, some of which was funded by Monsanto Co. and Dow Chemical Co., the makers of Agent Orange. Young also served as an expert for the chemical companies in 2004 when Vietnam vets sued them.” It demonstrates who runs this country.
Over the years, the VA has repeatedly cited Young’s work to deny disability compensation to vets.
Quotes from the infamous Dr. Orange:
As recently as 2018 Young wrote, “Veteran groups, the media, the public, and policy-makers accept the perception of the risks of exposure to toxic chemicals used in Vietnam with little or no regard for actual historic and scientific findings.”
“Confusion and misinformation are common when discussing Agent Orange, a tactical herbicide used in the Vietnam War. This is partially the result of inaccurate news coverage or false information that is purposely spread to deceive veterans. Sensationalized reporting has frequently left the public with a distorted view of what occurred in Vietnam and of the minimal risks related to the use of herbicides in an operational combat environment.” https://www.researchgate.net/publication/329280717_Agent_Orange_A_Controversy_without_End
“In scientific fact, 2,4,5-T is considerably less toxic than caffeine. And though most Agent Orange also had traces of dioxin in it, there is a rich scientific literature making clear that a relatively heavy dose of dioxin, inside the body, is required to produce symptoms.” https://www.aei.org/articles/the-agent-orange-fiasco/
“Many lessons can be learned from the history of the Agent Orange panic. One is that when a government offers presumptive compensation for diseases, many persons will show up to collect. Some will not even have any disease.” Young said some vets were using Agent Orange “to seek public recognition for their sacrifices in Vietnam” and “to acquire financial compensation during economically depressed times.”
The Air Command and Staff College (ACSC) is located at Maxwell Air Force Base in Montgomery, Alabama
In 1991, Young’s research and commentary earned him an Outstanding Research Award from the Air Force’s staff college. Soon after that, the Reagan White House tapped Young to serve as a senior policy analyst for its Office of Science and Technology Policy, giving him broad influence over the nation’s policy on dioxin.
According to the National Institutes for Health, (NIH), the Air Force sprayed 20.6 million gallons of herbicides in Vietnam, of which at least 11 million gallons was Agent Orange. Some of the herbicides used were actually more deadly than Agent Orange. NIH estimates that up to 3.8 million personnel may have been exposed. This does not include the further sources of contamination at military bases in the U.S. and in locations around the world like the Panama Canal Zone and Okinawa where heavy use of Agent Orange are very clearly documented.
Experts say dioxin is the most potent cancer-causing chemical ever tested. A lot of people have suffered and died young as a result of exposure. And it continues.
A prescribed burn at Fort Ord – What’s in the smoke?
The half-life of dioxins in soil may extend up to 100 years. It seeps into the soil and sediments, and migrates into vegetation and aquatic life, leading to bioaccumulation in the soil and food chain. It also becomes airborne from the burn pits and when the military conducts prescribed burns as a prelude to “cleanup” measures. Residents of the Fort Ord region near Monterey, California have been regularly subjected to these burns.
Dioxin from Agent Orange sprayed by the US military during the Vietnam war is still poisoning people in Vietnam, in the United States, and around the world. The U.S. ought to be doing a lot more to take care of those afflicted. It ought to start by admitting to the grievous crime.
Dioxin causes cancer, reproductive and developmental problems, and damage to the immune system. The VA and the DOD want the issue to go away.
A History of Obfuscation
In 2006, the VA requested that the DoD provide a compilation of locations and dates outside of Vietnam where the DOD used herbicide agents, including Agent Orange. Apparently, the intent of this request was to provide guidelines useful in rejecting legitimate claims from veterans who were exposed to the carcinogen in the U.S. and all over the world.
In response to the VA request, Young published The History of the US Department of Defense Programs for the Testing, Evaluation, and Storage of Tactical Herbicides for the Office of the Under Secretary of Defense, https://apps.dtic.mil/sti/tr/pdf/ADA534602.pdf
This publication is an abomination because it contains a grievous lie, a kind of false dilemma about the nature of the herbicides used in Vietnam, compared to the herbicides used on bases throughout the U.S. and around the world.
Dr. Orange wrote, “Various estimates have circulated on the internet as to the number of sites where veterans may have been exposed to Agent Orange and “other herbicides” used in Vietnam. There is, however, significant confusion by veterans and by the Department of Veterans Affairs as to the distinction between “commercial herbicides” used by the DoD and “tactical herbicides” used by the DoD.”
Young explained that “tactical herbicides” were herbicides developed specifically by the DOD to be used in “combat operations.” Young’s 2006 report identified 40 distinct locations within 32 “sites” outside of Vietnam where these supposedly distinct “tactical herbicides” where tested.
Young’s distinction between tactical vs. commercial herbicides is nonsense.
Agent Orange is a 50:50 mix of the herbicides 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic acid, (2,4-D) and 2,4,5-Trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T). 2,4,5-T was banned in 1979. 2,4-D is still widely used throughout the U.S. The 2,4,5-T in Agent Orange contains 2,3,7,8-Tetra-chloro-dibenzo-dioxin or 2,3,7,8-TCDD, known simply as dioxin, one of the deadliest substances known.
The Army sprayed 2,4,5-T alone at Fort Ord, California, meaning the carcinogenic herbicides used there were deadlier than the Agent Orange used in Vietnam. Truth is a casualty in war and herbicidal use by the Pentagon.
The claims submitted by sick and dying veterans who served at Fort Ord have been summarily rejected. The VA copies and pastes these words: “The record does not reflect that the Veteran served in Vietnam. The most probative evidence of record fails to establish that the Veteran was exposed to toxic herbicides while serving at Fort Ord, California.” In other words, “Dear Veteran, you couldn’t be suffering from Agent Orange exposure at Fort Ord because it wasn’t there.”
Google: va.gov "citation nr:" "agent orange" "Gulfport" and read the testimony from 100 cases where veterans describe being exposed to Agent Orange where thousands of barrels were stored. Some report being soaked with the carcinogenic liquid. You can substitute the names of other bases where the Pentagon routinely denies legitimate claims from sick veterans. Lots of veterans claim exposure from spending time at Fort McClellan, Alabama. Like Fort Ord, the VA does not include Fort McClellan on its list of Agent Orange exposure sites, so veterans who served there are not granted a presumption of exposure. The search reveals Fort Bragg has 76 claims. And that’s what google is willing to tell us.
The 40 DOD tactical herbicide locations identified by Young are shown here. The DOD’s case became cut and dried, like the dead carcinogenic weeds. They said Agent Orange wasn’t used anywhere else, so the claims coming from non-approved locations in the U.S. and worldwide were summarily rejected. The VA has been forced to yield some ground on this score. See the VA’s proposed rule change on February 12, 2024. More about that below.
Here are Young’s 40 locations at 32 sites from 2006. The asterisk identifies sites that are included in the VA’s rule change.
Site 1. Bushnell Army Airfield, Florida, 1945
Site 2. USDA Station, Brawley California, 1951
Site 3. Eglin Air Force Base, Florida, 1952—1953*
Site 4. Bozeman, Montana USDA Experimental Fields, Gallatin Valley July – August 1953
Site 5. Area B, Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland, June – July 1953*
Site 6. Fort Ritchie, Cascade, Maryland, April 1956 – September 1957*
Site 7. Dugway, Utah, May 1951 – March 1959*
Site 8. Fort Drum, New York, May – October 1959*
Site 9. Eglin AFB, Florida, Test Area C-52A and Hardstand 7, March 1962 – January 1971*
Site 10. Fort Ritchie, Fort Meade, Maryland, 1963 – 1964*
Site 11. Dugway Proving Ground, Dugway, Utah, September – October 1964*
Site 12. Georgia Power Company Right-of-Way, and Tennessee Valley Authority Power Line Right-of-Way, May 1964 – October 1965*
Site 13. Pranburi Military Reservation, Thailand, April 1964 – April 1965
Site 14. Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland, May 1965 – May 1966*
Site 15. Middleport, New York, May – September 1965, July 1966
Site 16. Preston, Maryland, October 1967
Site 17. Base Gagetown, New Brunswick, Canada, June 14-17, 1966 and June 21-24, 1967
Site 18. Kauai, Hawaii, 1 May 1967 – 30 June 1968
Site 19. Five Locations in Texas: Llano, Refugio, Victoria, Carlos, and Livingston, March 1963 – June 1967
Site 20. Seven Locations in Puerto Rico, including Mayaguez, Maricao, Guajataca, Guanica, Toro Negro, El Verde, and Jimenez, June 1963 – October 1967
Site 21. Fort Gordon, Georgia;* Augusta, Georgia Fort Chaffee, Arkansas;* Fort Smith, Arkansas; Apalachicola National Forest, Florida;* Sopchoppy, Florida;* July 1967 – October 1967
Site 22. Adjacent to the Demilitarized Zone, Korea, 20 March 1968 – 1 July 1968
Site 23. The Outport, Gulfport, Mississippi 17 August – 7 November 1969*
Site 24. Soil Biodegradation Studies of Herbicide Orange, in Five Locations—Florida, Kansas, Utah, Oregon, and Washington, April 1972 – March 1979
Site 25. Reformulation of Herbicide Orange for Domestic or Foreign Use, Bound- Brook, New Jersey, April 1972 – January 1973
Site 26. Destruction of Herbicide Orange by Chlorinolysis, Painsville, Ohio, September 1972 – July 1974
Site27. Fractionation of Herbicide Orange for Commercial Use, Jacksonville, Arkansas, 14 March 1972 – January 1973
Site 28. Reforestation Tests in Western Oregon, 15 May 1973 – 1 June 1974
Site 29. Incineration Tests on Herbicide Orange, Van Nuys, California, October 1973 – April 1974
Site 30. Reprocessing of Herbicide Orange, Gulfport, Mississippi May 1975 – March 1977*
Site 31. Storage and Operation PACER HO, Naval Construction Battalion Center, Gulfport, Mississippi December 1968 – February 1989*
Site 32. Storage and Operation PACER HO, Johnston Island, Central Pacific Ocean, April 1972 – June 2004
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In February, 2024 the VA proposed a rule to extend presumed areas of exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides, opening the process for exposed veterans at 17 U.S. bases in 12 states to receive compensation for their diseases. If this proposed rule becomes final, the VA will implement new presumptions of exposure to locations where herbicides were tested, used, or stored outside of Vietnam.
Veterans who served at these installations and who are afflicted with a presumptive disease may finally be entitled to compensation. Most contaminated bases in the US, however, are omitted.
2024 – VA - Herbicide Tests and Storage inside the US
Alabama US Army Gulf Outport, Port of Mobile
Arkansas Fort Chaffee
Florida Avon Park Air Force Range, Eglin AFB, Apalachicola National Forest, near Sopchoppy
Georgia Fort Gordon Georgia Power Company: Valdosta-Thomasville line and Bonaire line near Macon
Indiana Vigo Plant CWS, Terra Haute
Maryland Aberdeen Proving Ground, Fort Detrick, Fort Ritchie
Mississippi Naval Construction and Battalion Center, Gulfport
Montana Bozeman
New York Fort Drum
Tennessee Power line from Hiwassee Dam, NC to Coker Creek
Texas Kelly AFB
Utah Dugway Proving Ground
_____________________________________
The United States government has been covering up its use of Agent Orange since the Kenedy administration. This murderous deceit carries on to the present-day Biden Administration.
President Biden makes it seem like everyone has been taken care of. See the Remarks by President Biden on the PACT Act | Nashua, NH, May 21, 2024 address:
“We learned a terrible lesson after Vietnam as those harmful effects of Agent Orange took years to manifest and left too many veterans without the care they deserved because they had to prove that every illness, they had was a consequence of Agent Orange. It was often too hard to do. That’s why I co-sponsored the Agent Orange Act in the Senate way back in 1991 to support veterans exposed to toxic substances in Vietnam. That’s why I pushed the PACT Act, so today’s veterans don’t suffer the same painful frustrating delays and denials.” - President Joe Biden, May 21, 2024
Sorry, President Biden, Veterans are still suffering the same painful frustrating delays and denials. Do you have a soul about these things or are you just given a script to read?
Following is a list of nearly a hundred bases where the VA and the DOD have not recognized presumptive exposure to Agent Orange. Read the accounts by veterans with various diseases and cancers attributed to Agent Orange claiming exposure to Agent Orange at these locations:
Gulfport, Mississippi
I got the Agent Orange on me while stationed at the Sea Bee Base, Gulfport https://www.va.gov/vetapp99/files1/9902412.txt
Fort Riley, Kansas
The appellant contends that the Veteran's fatal congestive heart failure was incurred in service as a result of his exposure to herbicides and pesticides at Fort Riley, Kansas.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp18/Files4/1823326.txt
Naval Station Norfolk, Virginia
The veteran stated that when he was in service, he was responsible for loading drums of Agent Orange into aircraft. The veteran reported that a forklift had the forks set too high and cut a hole in two of the drums, resulting in the veteran being saturated with the contents. The veteran and others allegedly wrapped the drums with duct tape and placed the drums into either a C-130 or C-118 aircraft. He reported this incident occurred in Norfolk, Virginia in mid-June 1964. https://www.va.gov/vetapp05/files5/0534474.txt
Naval Amphibious Base Coronado, California
The Veteran stated that it is his belief he was exposed to Agent Orange while berthed at Coronado Island, in the United States. He stated various drums leaked into the dirt, roads, and eventually into the ocean. He stated he walked through the leaked material which may have been herbicides. https://www.va.gov/vetapp15/Files2/1517368.txt
Naval Base San Diego, California
The Veteran alternately contends that he was exposed to an herbicide agent while stationed at the Naval base in San Diego, California. He contends that he had exposure through run off from the coast, the drift of airborne spray, or from exposure to aircraft which flew into Vietnam. https://www.va.gov/vetapp12/files6/1242122.txt
China Lake Naval Air Weapons Station, California
He reported that he witnessed 55-gallon drums that had orange rings around them and stated that he was told at the time the barrels contained Agent Orange. https://www.va.gov/vetapp17/Files7/1738540.txt
Redstone Arsenal, Alabama
As even he acknowledges, the veteran did not serve in Vietnam during the Vietnam era and, therefore, could not possibly have been exposed to herbicides (e.g., the dioxin in Agent Orange) in that capacity. Instead, he alleges he was exposed to herbicides elsewhere - while stationed at Redstone Arsenal in Alabama. https://www.va.gov/vetapp08/files2/0810993.txt
Fort Bliss, Texas
The veteran alleges exposure to herbicides while stationed at Ft. Bliss, Texas, from cleaning and maintaining vehicles and equipment being sent home from war missions in Vietnam. https://www.va.gov/vetapp19/Files1/19102374.txt
Bolling AFB, Washington, DC
In correspondence dated in January 2017, the Veteran reported that he was a member of the 1100th Flight Line Maintenance Squadron at Bolling AFB in Washington D.C. from 1957 to 1960; that part of their mission was the cleaning of aircraft, including C-123 models, returning from overseas; and that “some had even been used for Agent Orange.” https://www.va.gov/vetapp19/Files3/19119417.txt
Project SHAD off Hawaii
He also testified to his belief that the chemicals used in the SHAD testing near Hawaii included Agent Orange https://www.va.gov/vetapp14/Files4/1432308.txt
.Naval Air Station Jacksonville
He also reports that he was in the Naval Air Station at Jacksonville on four occasions for two days each time and that Agent Orange was stored there.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp11/files5/1142255.txt
Naval Station Key West, Florida
The Veteran has alleged the use of herbicide agents or chemicals to include carbon tetrachloride, while the Veteran was stationed in Key West, Florida. https://www.va.gov/vetapp18/Files6/18107266.txt
Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida
The Veteran asserts that he was exposed to an herbicide agent in spring of 1969 when he was stationed at the naval air station in Pensacola, Florida for Naval Aviation Office School and Navy Pilot Training. https://www.va.gov/vetapp19/Files4/19127093.txt
Naval Air Station Whiting Field, Florida
The Appellant claims service connection is warranted for esophageal cancer. The Veteran claimed his cancer was secondary to his in-service herbicide exposure, from the water used on the USS America off the coast of Vietnam in 1972 and from being stationed at the Naval Air Station Whiting Field. https://www.va.gov/vetapp21/Files3/21017063.txt
Naval Station Mayport, Florida
He asserts specifically that he was at the Mayport Naval Station, which is located in Jacksonville, Florida, when aerial testing of Agent Purple was being performed. He asserts that he was therefore exposed to Agent Purple during the aerial testing. https://www.va.gov/vetapp22/Files1/22002370.txt
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Quote from Dr. Alvin Young (Page 52) “The bad news is that Agent Orange was so widely dispersed by aerial spraying, ground vehicles, and by hand that virtually all who served there (in Vietnam) would have come in contact with it, but the good news is that most of it is not harmful.’’
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Eglin AFB, Florida
The Veteran also specified in a September 2011 VA Form 21-4138, that Eglin AFB was one of the few locations in the United States where Agent Orange was stored, tested, and sprayed; that this procedure contaminated the water, soil, animals, and personnel in the area; and that seven years of spraying had accumulated in the area due to wind, water, erosion, and animal movement by the time he served. He later indicated that an Air Force study showed that Eglin AFB received at least 1300 times more dioxin per hectare than a hectare in Vietnam.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp19/Files4/19127093.txt
Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida
In a statement received by VA in October 2013, the Veteran contends she was exposed to Agent Orange while attending the Navy Photographic School in Pensacola, Florida. https://www.va.gov/vetapp19/Files3/19118730.txt
Wheeler Army Base, Hawaii
He testified that he believed he was exposed to Agent Orange and other herbicides. He stated that as part of his training prior to his unit's deployment to the Republic of Vietnam, the Veteran and his unit spent days at a time in the Hawaiian jungle. He indicated at least part of that time was spent on a mountaintop that appeared to have been defoliated. https://www.va.gov/vetapp10/files3/1020924.txt
Hickam AFB, Hawaii
The Veteran's sole contention is that his service at Travis Air Force Base, Clark Air Force Base in the Philippines and Hickam Air Force Base in Hawaii put him in contact with aircraft that was exposed to Agent Orange.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp15/Files3/1521304.txt
Naval Station Pearl Harbor, Hawaii
The veteran rests his claims on the assertion that he was exposed to Agent Orange, some other herbicide, or some other toxic chemical, in a single event that took place in about August 1965. https://www.va.gov/vetapp10/files3/1020924.txt
Fort Meade, Maryland
The Veteran submitted evidence indicating that Agent Orange was tested at Fort Meade in 1964. He asserts that although he was not there the year Agent Orange was tested, the chemicals remained in the soil and water and therefore, he was most likely exposed to these chemicals while stationed at Fort Drum and Fort Meade. https://www.va.gov/vetapp15/Files5/1537991.txt
George AFB, California
The Veteran and his representative contend that he is entitled to service connection for his heart disease due to exposure to Agent Orange and/or contaminants when he worked as a ground equipment repairman at George AFB in California working on aviation equipment and C-123 airplanes that returned from Vietnam. He also contends that his stroke residuals are secondary to his heart disease.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp22/Files10/A22020353.txt
Beaufort South Carolina
In an August 2018 statement, he reports that these chemicals, to include Agent Orange, were transported to his base at Beaufort, South Carolina so they could be burned. https://www.va.gov/vetapp22/Files2/A22003131.txt
Charleston AFB, South Carolina
The veteran contends that he was exposed to herbicides, Agent Orange in particular, while he was stationed at the Charleston, South Carolina, Air Force Base from August 1967 through May 1969. https://www.va.gov/vetapp07/files4/0734800.txt
Naval Air Station Corpus Christi, Texas
The Veteran asserts that while serving at Corpus Christi U.S. Naval Base in Corpus Christi, Texas, he was exposed to Agent Orange through helicopters brought back from Vietnam which he alleges were contaminated with the herbicide agent. https://www.va.gov/vetapp22/Files10/22058101.txt
Naval Air Station Joint Reserve Base Fort Worth, Texas
The appellant asserts that the Veteran was exposed to herbicides while stationed at Carswell AFB, Fort Worth, Texas and while stationed in Guam. https://www.va.gov/vetapp13/Files2/1316725.txt
Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek - Fort Story, Virginia
In his September 2018 claim, the Veteran related his Parkinson’s to duty at Fort Eustis and Fort Story. In a December 2018 statement, he reported that he was exposed to Agent Orange on the perimeter at Fort Story. https://www.va.gov/vetapp21/Files4/21019828.txt
Naval Air Station Oceana, Virginia
He indicated he attended schooling at Oceana, Virginia, for a three-month period. He related that after service he was diagnosed with Burkett's lymphoma and was eventually awarded benefits based on disease caused by Agent Orange exposure. https://www.va.gov/vetapp02/files01/0203370.txt
Concord Naval Weapons Station, California
The veteran contends that he was exposed to Agent Orange while serving in a working party at the Concord, California, Naval Weapons Station while attached to the ammunition supply ship the U.S.S. Mount Hood, AE-29. https://www.va.gov/vetapp16/Files5/1638706.txt
Naval Auxiliary Landing Field San Clemente Island, California
The veteran contended that he was exposed to ionizing radiation and Agent Orange on San Clemente Island. https://www.va.gov/vetapp22/Files1/22000293.txt
Naval Support Activity Monterey, California
He related that he was exposed to some type of chemical at Monterey Naval Air Facility and that he was exposed to Agent Orange when he cleaned the airplanes that flew missions. https://www.va.gov/vetapp22/Files12/A22025428.txt
Naval Support Activity Orlando, Florida
The Veteran alleges that all of the claimed disabilities were caused by his exposure to Agent Orange that leached into the air from contaminated aircraft parts at the former McCoy Air Force Base in Orlando, Florida. https://www.va.gov/vetapp09/files4/0930880.txt
Lakehurst Naval Air Station, New Jersey
The Veteran contends that he was exposed to Agent Orange while performing guard duties at Lakehurst Naval Air Station, New Jersey. The Veteran asserts that he had to guard various supplies, including 55-gallon drums of a liquid he later found out was Agent Orange. The Veteran asserts the drums would occasionally leak, and he would have to clean up the leakage without the benefit of protective garments. https://www.va.gov/vetapp10/Files2/1014402.txt
Naval Air Warfare Center Weapons Division, White Sands Detachment, New Mexico
The Veteran maintains, in part, that his currently diagnosed diabetes mellitus and CAD are the result of having sprayed tactical herbicides while on temporary duty assignment (TDY) to support the Sargent Missile System at White Sands Missile Range, New Mexico, on three (3) occasions in 1968. The veteran cited "Installation Assessment of White Sands Missile Range, Report No. 138," The study indicated that test ranges, burial sites, holding ponds, and demolition grounds represented major contaminated areas at White Sands, New Mexico. The study found that predominant contaminants at White Sands, New Mexico included herbicides, such as 2, 4-D and 2, 4, 5-T. https://www.va.gov/vetapp14/Files4/1427107.txt
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Quote from Dr. Alvin Young:
“Sadly, the main effect of the hysteria over Agent Orange has been to further stress honorable and blameless persons who served their country in our military during an unpopular war. Such psychological stresses can indeed have severe and unnecessary long-term health consequences.” https://www.aei.org/articles/the-agent-orange-fiasco/
______________________________________
Naval Air Station Kingsville, Texas
The Veteran asserted that he was exposed to Agent Orange at the Naval Auxiliary Air Station (NAAS) in Kingsville, Texas in 1964. https://www.va.gov/vetapp12/files4/1227501.txt
Naval Weapons Station Yorktown – St. Juliens Creek Annex, Virginia
Further, the Board accepted as credible the Veteran's statements regarding his exposure to toxic chemicals, particularly, that barrels were punctured by a forklift and he was required to mop up the spilled chemicals. https://www.va.gov/vetapp15/Files1/1507736.txt
Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
The Veteran asserts that his exposure to toxic chemicals, including exposure to Agent Orange, occurred while he was stationed at Camp Lejeune, North Carolina.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp12/files1/1207245.txt
Fort McClellan, Alabama
The Veteran contends that he incurred type II diabetes mellitus due to exposure to herbicide agents during active service in Korea and during training at the Fort McClellan chemical lab school.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp10/files3/1020210.txt
Loring AFB, Maine
In a November 2009 Statement in Support of Claim, the Veteran reported that he was exposed to herbicide agents at Loring Air Force Base, Maine https://www.va.gov/vetapp18/Files1/1806197.txt
Homestead Air Force Base, Florida.
In a November 2009 Statement in Support of Claim, the Veteran reported that he was exposed to herbicide agents at Homestead Air Force Base, Florida. https://www.va.gov/vetapp18/Files1/1806197.txt
Fort Sill, Oklahoma
The Veteran noted that he was with the United States Army, Battery B, 3D Battalion, 38th Artillery and that he was in charge of spraying herbicide agents around the POW camp and Base Ammo dump at Fort Sill. Veteran indicated that the herbicide agents used at Homestead, Florida were white and blue. https://www.va.gov/vetapp18/Files1/1806197.txt
Fort AP Hill, Virginia The Veteran further contends that he was exposed to herbicides contained within 55-gallon drums that were at Fort A.P. Hill in Virginia, from 1977 to 1979. He stated that he was frequently sent to Fort A.P. Hill to move containers from one warehouse to another and that some containers were observed to be leaking. https://www.va.gov/vetapp15/Files2/1516681.txt
Patuxent River Naval Air Station, Maryland
The Veteran and his buddy asserted they were exposed to herbicides while serving at the Patuxent River Naval Air Station in Maryland. https://www.va.gov/vetapp19/Files10/19176797.txt
Fort Knox, Kentucky It has consistently been the veteran's contention that he was exposed to a herbicide agent while stationed at Fort Knox, Kentucky in 1965. https://www.va.gov/vetapp02/files04/0215618.txt
Chanute AFB, Illinois
The Veteran has submitted reports from the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) showing that Chanute Air Force Base is a Superfund site contaminated by various chemicals, including dioxins. Service connection has been established for non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and recurrent carcinoma of the larynx. Each grant was based on a VA examiner's opinions that the Veteran's non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and/or recurrent carcinoma of the larynx were, "as likely as not," related to his exposure to dioxins and other environmental hazards while stationed at Chanute Air Force Base. https://www.va.gov/vetapp15/Files3/1519090.txt
Anniston Army Depot, Alabama
The Veteran asserts that while stationed at Fort McClellan, Alabama he was exposed to various chemical and biological agents in fulfilling the duties of his military occupational specialty (MOS). He contends that he was exposed to herbicide agents at the Anniston Army Depot, Fort McClellan, and in Korea. https://www.va.gov/vetapp21/Files12/21075526.txt
Fort Greely, Alaska
The record does not show, and the appellant acknowledges, that he did not serve in Vietnam. The appellant contends that he was sprayed with chemicals and/or herbicides while he was stationed at Fort Greely, Alaska, in 1962.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp12/files5/1230563.txt
Fort Wainwright, Alaska
The Veteran contends that he was exposed to herbicide agents while serving at Fort Wainwright, Alaska.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp21/Files2/21009381.txt
Joint Base Elmendorf–Richardson, Alaska
In his August 2007 claim, the Veteran contended that he suffers from diabetes mellitus as a result of exposure to Agent Orange from 1964 to 1967 while at Elmendorf Air Force Base in Alaska. He stated that he was exposed to Agent Orange while handling busted and/or leaking barrels.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp11/files3/1126294.txt
Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona
The Veteran's initial contention was that his prostate cancer is due to exposure to herbicide agents, such as Agent Orange, while serving at Yuma Proving Ground, Arizona in 1972.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp17/Files4/1719445.txt
Pine Bluff Arsenal, Arkansas
The evidence of record supports a finding that the Veteran's prostate cancer residuals are related to in-service chemical exposures occurring in performance of his duties as a utilities worker at Pine Bluff Arsenal, Arkansas.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp13/Files1/1309554.txt
Forbes Air Force Base, Kansas
He claimed he occasionally was assigned temporary duties at Forbes AFB that included spraying a defoliant, which he asserts likely was Agent Orange. He has obtained and associated with the claims file statements from four fellow airmen, who attest to their work together in maintenance of the grounds at Forbes AFB and their use of a chemical to control weeds and other vegetation. https://www.va.gov/vetapp05/files5/0529309.txt
Camp Roberts, California
The veteran has asserted his exposure to herbicides occurred in testing at Fort Ord and Camp Roberts. His exposure statement in May 2001 recalled that he was continuously exposed to soldiers who were working with Agent Orange and that the mess facility was within a few feet of the area where Agent Orange was sprayed and he was exposed directly through air and the soldiers going through the mess facility. https://www.va.gov/vetapp05/files1/0502092.txt
Fort Hunter Liggett, California
The Veteran contends that his currently demonstrated psoriasis is related to chemical exposure at the Hunter Liggett military base where he was stationed during active military service. See September 2004 notice of disagreement. He also claims that his military duties as an electrician resulted in his exposure to many environmental hazards, including asbestos, radiation exposed areas, and areas where Agent Orange was being sprayed.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp09/files2/0910646.txt
Fort Irwin, California
The appellant contends that his skin disease is primarily the result of his exposure to environmental hazards in service, including asbestos, radiation, mustard gas, Agent Orange, other toxic chemicals, and substances associated with participation in the Persian Gulf War. He argues that his skin disease is due to drinking contaminated water during that training. https://www.va.gov/vetapp09/files1/0907769.txt
Naval Weapons Station, Concord, California
The Veteran contends that he was exposed to Agent Orange while stationed at the Naval Weapons Station, Concord, California in 1975. He testified at his Board hearing that he was an Explosives Loading Supervisor, and as such loaded Agent Orange barrels that had come from the East Coast and were on their way to Johnston Atoll to be destroyed. He testified that many of these barrels were leaking, and that he wiped up the leaks.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp11/files2/1116659.txt
Sharpe Army Depot, Lathrop, California.
The Veteran contends that he has hypertension that is related to exposure to what he believes was Agent Orange during a period of service at the Sharpe Army Depot in Lathrop, California.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp12/Files3/1222790.txt
Fort Carson, Colorado
Just prior to his death, the Veteran submitted a February 2004 claim for cancer because he was stationed at Fort Carson, Colorado, and "was exposed to Agent Orange in training troops that went to Vietnam."
https://www.va.gov/vetapp14/Files5/1435036.txt
Plattsburgh AFB, New York
She asserts that the veteran had military environmental exposure while performing duties at Plattsburgh, New York Air Force Base, and the exposure led to conditions that caused his death. She testified that she knew him for 44 years, from 1977 to the time of his death, and the Veteran many times told her in great detail about mixing chemicals he thought to be Agent Orange at the base. He reported to her that he used to mix this herbicide white powdery substance chemical, and while he was mixing it, it would disperse in the air, and while it did that, it often stuck to his clothes and his skin.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp22/Files10/22058672.txt
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Quote from Dr. Alvin Young: “A mortality study had revealed no difference in the death rate of Ranch Hand personnel (those who sprayed Agent Orange) and other veterans who had not been exposed to the herbicide.” https://www.nature.com/articles/304006a0.pdf
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Rocky Mountain Arsenal, Colorado
The Veteran claims his prostate cancer had onset as a result of exposure to radiation, or in the alternative, herbicide exposure while stationed at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal during active duty.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp15/Files3/1521074.txt
MacDill Air Force Base, Tampa, Florida
In this case, the appellant has made general statements that Agent Orange was used, stored, or tested at MacDill Air Force Base (AFB) in Tampa, Florida and Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona, where the Veteran was stationed during active service, and that he was exposed to herbicides from working on planes at these locations that had returned from Vietnam. https://www.va.gov/vetapp16/Files5/1639752.txt
Davis-Monthan AFB, Tucson, Arizona
In this case, the appellant has made general statements that Agent Orange was used, stored, or tested at Davis-Monthan AFB in Tucson, Arizona, where the Veteran was stationed during active service, and that he was exposed to herbicides from working on planes at these locations that had returned from Vietnam. https://www.va.gov/vetapp16/Files5/1639752.txt
Patrick Space Force Base, Florida
The Veteran has asserted, to include in sworn testimony to the undersigned, that he contracted B-cell lymphoma as a result of loading hazardous chemicals, including containers of herbicides, on aircraft during his duties as an air freight specialist at Patrick Air Force Base in Florida during active duty. https://www.va.gov/vetapp20/Files12/20080208.txt
Fort Ord, California
In his November 2014 Form 781, the Veteran elaborated on the alleged secret experiments at Fort Ord and Hunter Liggett Military Reservation. He stated that he was he was sprayed with at least one compound that was mixed with 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzondioxin (TCDD). https://www.va.gov/vetapp16/Files2/1610636.txt
Fort Stewart, Georgia
The appellant contends that he was exposed to Agent Orange at Fort Stewart, Georgia, in the mid 1960's. The appellant has testified, including in a July 2003 statement and during his July 2005 Board hearing, that he participated in the use of Agent Orange spray during a particular week to control vegetation around the targets of a mortar range.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp08/files1/0800008.txt
Schofield Barracks, Hawaii
In a September 2011 statement, the Veteran argued that herbicide agents, including Agent Orange, was stored at the Schofield Barracks in Hawaii where he was stationed. https://www.va.gov/vetapp22/Files12/22071559.txt
Fort Campbell, Kentucky The Veteran asserts that he was exposed to Agent Orange while stationed at Ft. Campbell, Kentucky, when he would work with equipment that had been used in the Republic of Vietnam. https://www.va.gov/vetapp15/Files3/1524042.txt
Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisana
The veteran asserts that he was exposed to Agent Orange while stationed in the Air Force as a Freight Traffic Specialist at Barksdale Air Force Base, Louisiana between December 1965 and June 1966. He stated his job involved loading and unloading cargo coming in and going out of the warehouse. He claims that the airmen often moved 55-gallon drums that contained Agent Orange or other herbicides and that these barrels were always wet. Since he was sweaty and rubbing his neck a lot, he ended up getting it on himself.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp08/files4/0827832.txt
Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland
The Veteran's contention is that he was exposed to herbicides while conducting maintenance duties (ie, spraying herbicides on the walkways) while stationed at Aberdeen Proving Ground.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp14/Files2/1413889.txt
Selfridge Air Force Base, Michigan
The Veteran contends that his diabetes mellitus is the result of exposure to herbicides in active service. He stated that he was stationed at Selfridge Air Force Base in Michigan; and as an Airman, he was often assigned to flight line property maintenance, which included mowing grass and spraying herbicides of various types on taxiways, ramps, landing approach lights, etc., for weed control. He later was diagnosed with diabetes mellitus.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp13/Files3/1328946.txt
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Dr. Alvin Young: "We don't mean to say there isn't an Agent Orange effect, but at this point in time we don't seem to see anything that confirms that there is something there specifically," https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzvTB0mOS0w
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Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri
The appellant contends that in January or February of 1974 during his basic training at Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, he was exposed to Agent Orange. He asserts that since Agent Orange was manufactured and shipped from Fort Leonard Wood, he had a great chance of being exposed to the herbicide. He also stated that although he was not diagnosed with porphyria cutanea tarda until 1987, the reason that he was honorably discharged early was because of blisters on his arms, hand and chest, which he contends is a symptom of his disability.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp98/files2/9819036.txt
Fort Dix, New Jersey
The Veteran does not claim to have served either in Vietnam or in the Korean DMZ. Instead, he claims he was exposed to Agent Orange at Fort Dix, New Jersey. https://www.va.gov/vetapp16/Files2/1617048.txt
Lakehurst Naval Air Station
The Veteran contends that he was exposed to Agent Orange while performing guard duties at Lakehurst Naval Air Station, New Jersey. The Veteran asserts that he had to guard various supplies, including 55-gallon drums of a liquid he later found out was Agent Orange. The Veteran asserts the drums would occasionally leak, and he would have to clean up the leakage without the benefit of protective garments.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp10/Files2/1014402.txt
Kirkland AFB, New Mexico
The Veteran maintains that he was exposed to herbicides and pesticides during the performance of his duties as an entomologist. He was stationed at Kirkland Air Force Base (AFB) from May 1973 until his discharge in August 1975. Personnel records establish that the Veteran handled toxic pesticides as part of his duties.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp10/files6/1041709.txt
Sandia Base, New Mexico
The Veteran stated that he routinely sprayed the border around Sandia Base (near Kirkland AFB) with Surflan and other herbicides. The Veteran alleged that the warehouse next to his office was used to store open containers of Agent Orange, and that he was exposed to the storage area on a daily basis.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp10/files6/1041709.txt
Holloman Air Force Base, New Mexico
In various correspondence of record, the veteran reported exposure while stationed at the Holloman Air Force Base in New Mexico and at the Tuslog DET 47 Incirlik AB in Turkey. https://www.va.gov/vetapp08/files2/0809730.txt
Fort Hamilton, New York
The Veteran's alleges that his diabetes was the result of exposure to toxins, to include dioxin, at Hamilton Air Force Base between 1962 and 1964. https://www.va.gov/vetapp15/Files1/1502575.txt
West Point Military Academy, New York
The Veteran has averred that while serving at in 1974, he was exposed to toxins, including Agent Orange, benzene, toluene, and PFAS. https://www.va.gov/vetapp21/Files3/21011608.txt
Camp Mackall, North Carolina
The veteran contends that he was exposed to Agent Orange while serving at Camp Mackall and that he subsequently developed chloracne and peripheral neuropathy as a result. https://www.va.gov/vetapp97/files1/9703099.txt
Seymour Johnson Air Force Base, North Carolina
The medical evidence of record confirms the veteran has been diagnosed with prostate cancer, and he has had to undergo several surgeries as a consequence. He contends that his prostate cancer is a result of having been exposed to herbicides (agent orange) during his service in the military. He explains that he had to load transport planes bound for Vietnam and that he was involved with cleaning up a plane at Seymour. https://www.va.gov/vetapp05/files3/0515161.txt
Minot Air Force Base, North Dakota
The Veteran contends that he was exposed to herbicides while serving in Minot Air Force Base. He says was exposed to “weed killing spray” while at Minot Air Force Base.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp21/Files3/21018353.txt
Wright-Patterson Air Force Base
The Veteran states that during the summer of 1965 he was stationed at Wright-Patterson AFB as a personnel specialist and his work center was located adjacent to a hanger on the flight line which housed supplies that supported Strategic Air Command missions. According to the Veteran, this included 55-gallon barrels of Agent Orange, and on one occasion a barrel accidentally spilled onto the pavement and the Veteran was called to assist with the clean-up operations due to a staff shortage. He indicates that over a two-hour period he assisted in removal of the herbicide agent through covering the area with sawdust and shoveling the sawdust into empty barrels, all without available safety equipment, and that at one point he became ill from inhalation of the fumes from the site. The Veteran contacted the Headquarters of the 88th Air Base Wing Office at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and in October 2004 obtained information to the effect that at an area identified as "Landfill 12," Agent Orange was disposed. https://www.va.gov/vetapp12/files1/1204756.txt
Fort Sill, Oklahoma
In December 2006, the Appellant indicated that the work he believed resulted in exposure to Agent Orange occurred at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. https://www.va.gov/vetapp16/Files5/1639501.txt
Fort Indiantown Gap, Pennsylvania
A January 2015 report from private physician Dr. H. notes the Veteran's report that he suspected that exposure to heavy metals including, mercury, arsenic, barium, and Agent Orange while serving at Fort Indiantown Gap led to his Hughes syndrome.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp15/Files3/1525938.txt
Roosevelt Roads, Puerto Rico
The veteran stated that, both before and while he was there, Mt. El Yunque, which was within a few miles of the Naval Station Roosevelt Roads where he was stationed, and the perimeter fence of the base were sprayed with herbicides. He reiterated these assertions at his June 2009 hearing. Thus, although not a Vietnam veteran, he contends he was exposed to Agent Orange or other herbicide agents in service, which caused his post-service Type II diabetes.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp09/files6/0947535.txt
Fort Jackson, South Carolina
The veteran maintains that he was exposed to Agent Orange during basic training in approximately August 1982 while serving at Fort Jackson, South Carolina. At his January 2008 DRO hearing, the Veteran described loading black barrels with orange lines on them onto a truck. https://www.va.gov/vetapp10/files2/1018499.txt
Marine Corps Recruit Depot Parris Island
The Veteran has asserted that he was exposed to Agent Orange while stationed at Parris Island, South Carolina.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp18/Files11/18149001.txt
Camp Bullis, Texas
The Veteran advanced two arguments in support of his service connection claim for Parkinson's disease. He argued that it was caused by herbicide exposure from handling equipment that had been used in Vietnam while stationed at Camp Bullis in Texas.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp14/Files1/1411398.txt
Fort Sam Houston
The Veteran essentially maintains that, while serving at Brooke Army Medical Center (BAMC) in Fort Sam Houston, Texas he came into contact with burnt and wounded soldiers returning from Vietnam who had been exposed to Agent Orange. He alleges that his contact with these soldiers (and their clothing and equipment) exposed him to Agent Orange, and that such exposure led him to develop non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp14/Files5/1434659.txt
Camp Pendleton, California
The Veteran claims exposure due to service at Camp Pendleton, California from 1961 to 1963.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp10/files3/1024893.txt
Fort Belvoir, Virginia
The Veteran reports exposure to herbicides and pesticides while stationed at Fort Belvoir, Virginia while attending Army technical school for Water Supply and Sanitation. Official service records reflect that he was stationed at Fort Belvoir from April to June 1954.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp12/files6/1242659.txt
Fort Eustis, Virginia
The Veteran does not allege that he served in the Republic of Vietnam, but that he was nonetheless exposed to herbicides while stationed at Fort Eustis. Specifically, the Veteran testified that he served as a track foreman at Fort Eustis and reported that "any chemicals that were thrown out we had to clean them up and we did that constantly ever since I was there in Fort Eustis." The Veteran has also provided various articles that identified Landfill 7 at Fort Eustis as an area that held hazardous chemicals including Agent Orange from 1951 to 1971. https://www.va.gov/vetapp15/Files5/1544903.txt
Quantico Military Reservation
The Veteran alleges that he was exposed to herbicides while stationed at the U.S.
Marine Corps (U.S.M.C.) Training Center in Quantico, Virginia.
https://www.va.gov/vetapp10/files2/1015562.txt
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Posing with the Navy’s carcinogenic foam on my beach. I will be travelling to Ireland, UK, and Germany in July and to Japan in August to meet up with environmental activists to test surface waters draining from industrial and military sites for PFAS contamination. I’m trying to arrange it so that I don’t have to take a bath. We still need to raise $10,000. Please help. Please make a note that your contribution is for testing waters in Europe and Japan. - Thanks, Pat
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