Health Effects of Vietnam
Just to inform you the hearing on the Health Effects of Vietnam can be viewed on your computer.
You can access the link through the House Veterans Affairs Committee website at:
http://veterans.house.gov/hearings/hearing.aspx?NewsID=571
That is 10:00 AM TODAY
The transcripts will be posted later for those that miss it.
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Wednesday, April 28, 2010
Agent Orange Ups Some Thyroid Risks (GRAVES DISEASE)
BOSTON -- Vietnam veterans who came in contact with Agent Orange are more likely to develop Graves' disease than those who avoided exposure, researchers said here.
http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/AACE/19761
Graves' disease is an autoimmune disease where the thyroid is diffusely enlarged (known as goiter) and overactive, producing an excessive amount of thyroid hormones (a serious metabolic imbalance known as hyperthyroidism and thyrotoxicosis
Read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graves'_disease
http://www.medpagetoday.com/MeetingCoverage/AACE/19761
Graves' disease is an autoimmune disease where the thyroid is diffusely enlarged (known as goiter) and overactive, producing an excessive amount of thyroid hormones (a serious metabolic imbalance known as hyperthyroidism and thyrotoxicosis
Read more here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Graves'_disease
Sunday, April 25, 2010
Explaining two important bills
H.R. 2254, the Agent Orange Equity Act of 2009 was introduced on May 5,
2009 by Congressman Bob Filner of California . He is the Chairman of the
US House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. The bill currently has 253
co-sponsors in the House and is "stuck" in the Subcommittee on
Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs. Chairman Filner has never
called hearings on H.R. 2254 and is evasive when asked about when
hearings will be held. A companion bill in the US Senate (S-1939) was
introduced by Senator Susan Gillibrand of New York on October 27, 2009
and has only sixteen Senate co-sponsors. It currently sits in the Senate
Veterans Affairs Committee. Senator Akaka, Chairman of that committee
has not responded to requests for information. And, it was just learned
today, that the Institute of Medicine will hold a day-long hearing on
Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans and Agent Orange Exposure on May 3,
2010 in Washington , DC from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
This life-saving bill is designed to extend the presumption of herbicide
(Agent Orange) exposure to US Navy veterans serving offshore.
Informally, we are told that members of the House are hesitant to move
because of its potential cost. It is estimated that approximately
265,000 "blue water" Navy and/or US Marine Corps personnel or their
surviving family members will file claims if these two bills become law.
In 1999, the Royal Australian Department of Veterans Affairs discovered
Agent Orange related cancers among sailors of their Navy who had never
set foot in Vietnam . Australian Sailors were developing cancer at an
even higher rate than those who served on the ground. The Australians
found that the distilling process, used by ships to convert salt water
to potable drinking water, was using contaminated water. That process
actually enhanced the effect of the dioxin producing an Agent Orange
cocktail that was ingested by the sailors through their drinking water.
The American VA has inexplicably rejected the study. Although the
Australians have granted an exposure presumption for over five years,
the Americans continue to deny the claims.
In July of 2009, the prestigious Institute of Medicine (IOM)'s committee
on Agent Orange independently validated the Australian report and
recommended that the exposure presumption be extended to the Navy
veterans. The IOM is required by law to provide recommendations and
scientific support to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA has
rejected the IOM recommendation without adequate explanation.
H. R. 2254 and S-1939 will correct this problem.
2009 by Congressman Bob Filner of California . He is the Chairman of the
US House Committee on Veterans' Affairs. The bill currently has 253
co-sponsors in the House and is "stuck" in the Subcommittee on
Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs. Chairman Filner has never
called hearings on H.R. 2254 and is evasive when asked about when
hearings will be held. A companion bill in the US Senate (S-1939) was
introduced by Senator Susan Gillibrand of New York on October 27, 2009
and has only sixteen Senate co-sponsors. It currently sits in the Senate
Veterans Affairs Committee. Senator Akaka, Chairman of that committee
has not responded to requests for information. And, it was just learned
today, that the Institute of Medicine will hold a day-long hearing on
Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans and Agent Orange Exposure on May 3,
2010 in Washington , DC from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m.
This life-saving bill is designed to extend the presumption of herbicide
(Agent Orange) exposure to US Navy veterans serving offshore.
Informally, we are told that members of the House are hesitant to move
because of its potential cost. It is estimated that approximately
265,000 "blue water" Navy and/or US Marine Corps personnel or their
surviving family members will file claims if these two bills become law.
In 1999, the Royal Australian Department of Veterans Affairs discovered
Agent Orange related cancers among sailors of their Navy who had never
set foot in Vietnam . Australian Sailors were developing cancer at an
even higher rate than those who served on the ground. The Australians
found that the distilling process, used by ships to convert salt water
to potable drinking water, was using contaminated water. That process
actually enhanced the effect of the dioxin producing an Agent Orange
cocktail that was ingested by the sailors through their drinking water.
The American VA has inexplicably rejected the study. Although the
Australians have granted an exposure presumption for over five years,
the Americans continue to deny the claims.
In July of 2009, the prestigious Institute of Medicine (IOM)'s committee
on Agent Orange independently validated the Australian report and
recommended that the exposure presumption be extended to the Navy
veterans. The IOM is required by law to provide recommendations and
scientific support to the Department of Veterans Affairs. The VA has
rejected the IOM recommendation without adequate explanation.
H. R. 2254 and S-1939 will correct this problem.
Health Effects of the Vietnam War - The Aftermath
Health Effects of the Vietnam War - The Aftermath
Committee Meeting on May 5, 2010
Time: 10:00 A.M.
Place: Cannon House Office Building
Room: 334
Any Vietnam Veterans, Wives, Widows, Caregivers and Advocates that wish to attend can do so.
Those Veterans wishing to attend, please wear your hats that say Vietnam Veteran on it or your unit
Please respond to
www.spouse@bluewaternavy.org
Committee Meeting on May 5, 2010
Time: 10:00 A.M.
Place: Cannon House Office Building
Room: 334
Any Vietnam Veterans, Wives, Widows, Caregivers and Advocates that wish to attend can do so.
Those Veterans wishing to attend, please wear your hats that say Vietnam Veteran on it or your unit
Please respond to
www.spouse@bluewaternavy.org
Thursday, April 22, 2010
Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act Passed by House
Immediate Action Needed on S. 1963 Take Action!
Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act Passed by House
On April 21, 2010, the House of Representatives passed a comprehensive omnibus veterans and caregivers health care bill by a vote of 419-0. DAV and other national veterans service organizations strongly support this legislation. S. 1963, the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act, will make a profound difference to the well-being, rehabilitation and recovery of veterans across this country, including combat veterans wounded and disabled in Iraq and Afghanistan. Personal caregivers and other family members will also benefit significantly from the new programs that would be authorized by S. 1963. The bill has now been returned to the U.S. Senate for one final vote before being sent to the President.
For full details on the provisions of the bill, please click here: http://www.dav.org/voters/documents/WoundedVeterans.pdf.
Take action! Follow the link below to contact your senators.
http://capwiz.com/usdr/issues/alert/?alertid=14956531&queueid=[capwiz:queue_id]
Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act Passed by House
On April 21, 2010, the House of Representatives passed a comprehensive omnibus veterans and caregivers health care bill by a vote of 419-0. DAV and other national veterans service organizations strongly support this legislation. S. 1963, the Caregivers and Veterans Omnibus Health Services Act, will make a profound difference to the well-being, rehabilitation and recovery of veterans across this country, including combat veterans wounded and disabled in Iraq and Afghanistan. Personal caregivers and other family members will also benefit significantly from the new programs that would be authorized by S. 1963. The bill has now been returned to the U.S. Senate for one final vote before being sent to the President.
For full details on the provisions of the bill, please click here: http://www.dav.org/voters/documents/WoundedVeterans.pdf.
Take action! Follow the link below to contact your senators.
http://capwiz.com/usdr/issues/alert/?alertid=14956531&queueid=[capwiz:queue_id]
Tuesday, April 20, 2010
Buried in a DC yard: WWI chemicals, weapons
Buried in a DC yard: WWI chemicals, weapons
(http://ap.stripes.com/dynamic/stories/U/US_DC_MUNITIONS_DIG?SITE=DCSAS&S
ECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2010-04-16-07-22-30)
By BRETT ZONGKER
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A year ago, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers thought
chances of finding any more chemical weapons in the front yard of a home
in the nation's capital were slim. So they removed an airtight
protective structure from the World War I munitions cleanup site. Then,
they uncovered a small arsenal.
The Corps discovered an open flask containing traces of the chemical
agent mustard, another blistering agent called lewisite and munition
shells with more digging near a one-time Army chemical warfare station
at American University.
More recently, protective structures were rebuilt and digging continued.
Workers found a larger jar with mustard, glassware that was smoking and
fuming, scrap munitions and a shell containing a tear gas agent.
The Army Corps has removed more than 500 pounds of glassware and scrap
metal and nearly 750 barrels of soil, some of it contaminated with
chemical agents, said spokeswoman Joyce Conant.
"It's a much larger disposal area than we predicted," project manager
Dan Noble told The Associated Press on Thursday. "The nature of debris
is so different, perhaps it's a different disposal area."
It's too soon to know, though, whether the Army Corps has uncovered a
fourth major disposal area in the pricey Spring Valley neighborhood near
American University, Nobel said.
During World War I, the Army used the university as an experiment
station to develop and test chemical weapons. Some munitions were fired
into a nearby wooded area during testing. When the Army station closed,
the leftover munitions and chemicals were buried behind the school in
what was then rural farmland.
The pits were discovered in 1993 as homes were built. This is the fourth
major excavation since.
All the new discoveries have area residents on edge the Army Corps has
underestimated the scope of contamination. Neighbors are thinking of
their drinking water, property values and where the next munition might
turn up.
"I think a lot of people believe that they need to re-examine their
assumptions," said Nan Wells, a neighborhood commissioner.
Wells said there should be an independent review of the project and the
Army Corps should increase its ground water testing in the area to make
sure buried chemicals don't reach a nearby reservoir serving Washington.
Ground water monitoring stations have been set up in recent years.
The home where the latest munitions were uncovered is federal property.
Next door is the university president's home, and the South Korean
ambassador lives on the other side.
In late March, the Army Corps uncovered the smoking chemical arsenic
trichloride for the first time in the cleanup project. It can be used to
develop the blistering agent lewisite, Noble said. Digging was halted
shortly after while officials review their safety procedures.
American University spokeswoman Camille Lepre said there were no plans
to move or cancel any campus events scheduled at the president's house.
On Friday, the Army Corps began destroying the first of about 25
munitions at a holding facility built in the area, a process that will
take several weeks. Officials stress the explosive destruction system,
as it's called, has a perfect safety record.
Still, some residents worry that something could go wrong.
"They've created a hazardous waste site in the neighborhood," Wells
said.
Col. David Anderson, commander of the Army Corps' Baltimore district,
said residents' safety is their top priority.
The Army Corps has left the neighborhood in the past, thinking the
cleanup was finished, and the agency now faces federal budget cuts. But
Washington's delegate in Congress, Eleanor Holmes Norton, said she has
been assured funding will be maintained until all munitions are removed.
(http://ap.stripes.com/dynamic/stories/U/US_DC_MUNITIONS_DIG?SITE=DCSAS&S
ECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2010-04-16-07-22-30)
By BRETT ZONGKER
Associated Press Writer
WASHINGTON (AP) -- A year ago, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers thought
chances of finding any more chemical weapons in the front yard of a home
in the nation's capital were slim. So they removed an airtight
protective structure from the World War I munitions cleanup site. Then,
they uncovered a small arsenal.
The Corps discovered an open flask containing traces of the chemical
agent mustard, another blistering agent called lewisite and munition
shells with more digging near a one-time Army chemical warfare station
at American University.
More recently, protective structures were rebuilt and digging continued.
Workers found a larger jar with mustard, glassware that was smoking and
fuming, scrap munitions and a shell containing a tear gas agent.
The Army Corps has removed more than 500 pounds of glassware and scrap
metal and nearly 750 barrels of soil, some of it contaminated with
chemical agents, said spokeswoman Joyce Conant.
"It's a much larger disposal area than we predicted," project manager
Dan Noble told The Associated Press on Thursday. "The nature of debris
is so different, perhaps it's a different disposal area."
It's too soon to know, though, whether the Army Corps has uncovered a
fourth major disposal area in the pricey Spring Valley neighborhood near
American University, Nobel said.
During World War I, the Army used the university as an experiment
station to develop and test chemical weapons. Some munitions were fired
into a nearby wooded area during testing. When the Army station closed,
the leftover munitions and chemicals were buried behind the school in
what was then rural farmland.
The pits were discovered in 1993 as homes were built. This is the fourth
major excavation since.
All the new discoveries have area residents on edge the Army Corps has
underestimated the scope of contamination. Neighbors are thinking of
their drinking water, property values and where the next munition might
turn up.
"I think a lot of people believe that they need to re-examine their
assumptions," said Nan Wells, a neighborhood commissioner.
Wells said there should be an independent review of the project and the
Army Corps should increase its ground water testing in the area to make
sure buried chemicals don't reach a nearby reservoir serving Washington.
Ground water monitoring stations have been set up in recent years.
The home where the latest munitions were uncovered is federal property.
Next door is the university president's home, and the South Korean
ambassador lives on the other side.
In late March, the Army Corps uncovered the smoking chemical arsenic
trichloride for the first time in the cleanup project. It can be used to
develop the blistering agent lewisite, Noble said. Digging was halted
shortly after while officials review their safety procedures.
American University spokeswoman Camille Lepre said there were no plans
to move or cancel any campus events scheduled at the president's house.
On Friday, the Army Corps began destroying the first of about 25
munitions at a holding facility built in the area, a process that will
take several weeks. Officials stress the explosive destruction system,
as it's called, has a perfect safety record.
Still, some residents worry that something could go wrong.
"They've created a hazardous waste site in the neighborhood," Wells
said.
Col. David Anderson, commander of the Army Corps' Baltimore district,
said residents' safety is their top priority.
The Army Corps has left the neighborhood in the past, thinking the
cleanup was finished, and the agency now faces federal budget cuts. But
Washington's delegate in Congress, Eleanor Holmes Norton, said she has
been assured funding will be maintained until all munitions are removed.
Thursday, April 15, 2010
Some Veterans that will be honored at In Memory Ceremony
Falkville Veteran to be Honored
DecaturDaily.com; Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Weymouth Veteran to be Honored at Vietnam Wall
The Patriot Ledger; Monday, April 12, 2010
Deceased Vietnam Soldier to be Remembered at National Memorial
The Sun Chronicle; Sunday, April 11, 2010
DecaturDaily.com; Tuesday, April 13, 2010
Weymouth Veteran to be Honored at Vietnam Wall
The Patriot Ledger; Monday, April 12, 2010
Deceased Vietnam Soldier to be Remembered at National Memorial
The Sun Chronicle; Sunday, April 11, 2010
12th Annual In Memory Ceremony
12th Annual In Memory Ceremony
What: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund's In Memory Day Ceremony will honor 97 individuals who died as a result of the Vietnam War, but who do not meet the Department of Defense guidelines for inclusion on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. For a list of 2010 In Memory honorees by state, click here.
Who: Nearly 700 family members, friends and veterans are expected to attend this year's ceremony. Family members will read aloud the names of their loved ones being honored and will place tributes at the panel of The Wall that corresponds most closely to the honorees' dates of service. Throughout the ceremony, volunteers and friends will read th e names of the 1,874 past honorees. The ceremony is open to the public.
Speakers
- Brig. Gen. George Price, USA (Ret.), keynote speaker
- Richard C. Schneider, executive director for government affairs, NCOA, master of ceremonies
- Sen. Lisa Murkowski, (R-Alaska)
- Lynda Benedict, wife of 1998 honoree Christopher Benedict, pledge of allegiance
- Thomas Buckley, husband of 2009 honoree Lynda Van Devanter Buckley
- Staff Sgt. Robert Lupo Sr., USA (Ret.), reading the poem "Emotions."
- Terry E. Brown, supervisory park ranger, National Mall and Memorial Parks
When: Monday, April 19 at 10 a.m.
Where: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Constitution Ave. and 21st St. NW, Washington D.C. Parking along Constitution Ave. is permitted after 9:30 a.m.
Sponsors: NCOA and TV Worldwide. (TV Worldwide will film the ceremony and post it on its Web site, www.usvets.tv.)
What: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund's In Memory Day Ceremony will honor 97 individuals who died as a result of the Vietnam War, but who do not meet the Department of Defense guidelines for inclusion on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. For a list of 2010 In Memory honorees by state, click here.
Who: Nearly 700 family members, friends and veterans are expected to attend this year's ceremony. Family members will read aloud the names of their loved ones being honored and will place tributes at the panel of The Wall that corresponds most closely to the honorees' dates of service. Throughout the ceremony, volunteers and friends will read th e names of the 1,874 past honorees. The ceremony is open to the public.
Speakers
- Brig. Gen. George Price, USA (Ret.), keynote speaker
- Richard C. Schneider, executive director for government affairs, NCOA, master of ceremonies
- Sen. Lisa Murkowski, (R-Alaska)
- Lynda Benedict, wife of 1998 honoree Christopher Benedict, pledge of allegiance
- Thomas Buckley, husband of 2009 honoree Lynda Van Devanter Buckley
- Staff Sgt. Robert Lupo Sr., USA (Ret.), reading the poem "Emotions."
- Terry E. Brown, supervisory park ranger, National Mall and Memorial Parks
When: Monday, April 19 at 10 a.m.
Where: The Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Constitution Ave. and 21st St. NW, Washington D.C. Parking along Constitution Ave. is permitted after 9:30 a.m.
Sponsors: NCOA and TV Worldwide. (TV Worldwide will film the ceremony and post it on its Web site, www.usvets.tv.)
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)
