Members of the Air Force Reserves who worked on C-123 aircraft after the Vietnam War, and those who served in a regular Air Force unit location where C-123 aircraft were assigned between 1969 and 1986 are also eligible for the presumption. They deserve quick adjudication for their claim and we cannot put the burden on the veterans who served their country.. These bases include: Ubon, Udorn, Takhli, Korat, Don Muang, U-Tapao, and Nakhom Phanom. On September 16, 1974, the USAF forces at Ubon were inactivated, and the facility was handed over to the Thai government. This is the best map of the base layout at Ubon RTAFB I can find. Web10,000. According to historical accounts, a squadron in 1971 began spraying herbicide on troublesome plants. Agent Orange Additionally, C-123 Aircraft that were used to Ubon, Thailand | 6994th Security Squadron endobj On Thailand bases, service members were exposed to herbicide agents at a rate comparable to those exposed to other hazardous chemicals. Il propose des spectacles sur des thmes divers : le vih sida, la culture scientifique, lastronomie, la tradition orale du Languedoc et les corbires, lalchimie et la sorcellerie, la viticulture, la chanson franaise, le cirque, les saltimbanques, la rue, lart campanaire, lart nouveau. According to Dr. Youngs records, herbicide, such as Agent Orange and its cousins, were frequently used in routine vegetation control programs. One was Agent Orange, which contained 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, referred to as TCDD by researchers and as "dioxin" by the public. along the perimeter of U-Tapao RTAFB, Map 10 - the Recreation and Beach On February 5, 1973, an EC-47Q electronic warfare collection aircraft tail number 43-48636, call-sign BARON 52, flying out of Ubon RTAFB, Thailand was shot down over Saravane Province, Laos, about 50 miles east of the city of Saravane. You submit a claim, Harmon said. VA Disability Rating for Agent Orange & List of Presumptive The Department of Veterans Affairs response to Agent Orange exposure was ill-informed and made a series of errors. Base Defense in Thailand Nakhon Phanom RTAFB, Map of the Flight Line, perimeter Cookies help us deliver the best experience on our website. If military police conducted foot patrols at the perimeter, the situation would have been completely exposed. Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base (Udorn RTAFB) is a Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) base, the home of 23rd Wing Air Command. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the herbicide Tordon in mixtures with Agent Orange, to determine if it would be a successful defoliant agent. The attorneys at Berry Law Firm are dedicated to helping injured Veterans. Do You Qualify for Long Term Disability Benefits? The 435th Tactical Airlift Wing: A History Of The Vietnam Wars have hearing loss. 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. Service as a military policeman or duty near the base perimeter. Subsequently in 1967 the Dow Chemical Company, a manufacturer of Agent Orange, was awarded a Department of Defense research contract. Disclaimer: This information is not legal advice. Bob has been fighting this letter since it came out, Skinner said. The technical storage or access that is used exclusively for statistical purposes. In Thailand, there is extensive herbicide use on military bases. WebAgent Orange is a highly toxic, deadly chemical that is a known carcinogen. Trones bill would force these to be adjudicated this quicker, presuming that they were exposed to harmful herbicides. Ubon RTAFB with more MMS detail, Map of the Cantonment The RTAF has a strength of over 43,000 personnel and operates over 350 aircraft. Why Hire CCK for Your VA Disability Appeal? Were going to try to right a wrong, Trone said. The technical storage or access is necessary for the legitimate purpose of storing preferences that are not requested by the subscriber or user. The 435th Tactical Airlift Wing (TAW) was the unit that operated C-130s from Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, during the Vietnam War. Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base is a military installation located in the city of Ubon Ratchathani, in northeastern Thailand. Because all the perimeters were sprayed with various types of herbicides with dioxin in it. In addition, the federal supply system had Agent Blue, Agent White, and Agent Orange on hand, all of which are known to contain chemical agents. 3,048. asphalt. 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 much a part of the war as those who served boots on the ground in the Republic of Vietnam. They were subjected to enemy attacks, and they were also subjected to exposure to the same herbicides used in Vietnam itself. Veterans who served in Thailand during the Vietnam era can tell stories about and sometimes even show pictures of the disappearing vegetation on the bases on which they served. If you believe you were exposed to agent orange during the Vietnam war while serving on a Royal Thai Air Force Base, or _k[3lfQYg@)j5w83! zx/4^1!3ph#w+E'L~*G~tbs#yq]jo"g8%*4+jG. Time is running out for these veterans, Brown said in an email. Skip to main content Skip to navigation. WebU.S. These include cancer, birth defects, and other illnesses. These cookies collect information about how you use our website. 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. The base was established in 1964, during the Vietnam War, as a forward operating base for the United States Air Force. 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. Finally, we invite you to contact us and we welcome your calls, letters and electronic mail. When you visit web sites, they may store or retrieve data in your web browser. 2 0 obj Weband evacuation missions. We are sorry that this post was not as useful for you! Copyright 2023 Chisholm Chisholm & Kilpatrick LTD. All Rights Reserved. h#{mcXuXL] The US Department of Veterans Affairs maintains that aircraft and herbicide were either staged or never staged on Thailand bases. The DOD has identified the following units that served along the Korean demilitarized zone (DMZ) that were exposed to Agent Orange between April 1, 1968 and August 31, 1971: While the above units have been specifically identified as having served in the Korean DMZ between April 1, 1968 and August 31, 1971, if you served in and around the Korean DMZ outside of this time period and have evidence that you were exposed to Agent Orange during your service in Korea, you may still qualify for compensation benefits for Agent-Orange related disabilities. Were old news to them, Skinner said of the VA. Arnie Harmon, a Columbus-area veteran who served in Thailand, filed for compensation or a monthly stipend some 15 years ago at the urging of one of his physicians. This webinar has already aired. 10-43 072, Citation Nr: 1222558 Decision Date: 06/28/12 Archive Date: 07/10/12 DOCKET NO. These diseases, which were placed on a list for "presumptive diseases associated with exposure to Agent Orange," include Parkinsons disease, Hodgkins disease, Ischemic heart disease, AL amyloidosis, chronic B-cell leukemia, multiple myeloma, and early-onset peripheral neuropathy. These cookies dont collect information that identifies you. With extensive experience working with VA disability claims, Berry Law can help you with your disability appeals. Instead of receiving presumptive service connection for their exposure to Agent Orange, they had to prove three conditions to qualify for direct service connection disability: With presumptive service connection, a veteran only needs to prove the first two elements because the third is "presumed." His living quarters were also close to a base perimeter, he recalled. Brooklyn, NY: 300 Cadman Plaza West, One Pierrepont Plaza, 12th Floor, Brooklyn, NY, 11201 Lets take a look at the process of filing online VA compensation claims through your eBenefits account. While you focus on taking care of yourself, let us take care of the claim process and secure the disability benefits you deserve. Maps and Photo's of Thai Bases - westin553.net When evaluating the effectiveness of herbicide mixtures, Agent Orange was used as the standard. If a veteran can prove that they served in Thailand at any US or Thai base between January 9, 1962 and June 30, 1976, the VA will assess their exposure to Agent Orange. Millions are suffering from mental illness, exacerbated by the pandemic. A VA spokeswoman said If enacted, S.657 would expand universal eligibility for veterans who served in Thailand. Copyright 2023 Hill & Ponton, P.A.. All Rights Reserved. Air Force Veterans who served on Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) bases at U-Tapao, Ubon, Nakhon Phanom, Udorn, Takhli, Korat, and Don Muang, near the air base perimeter anytime between February 28, 1961 and May 7, 1975. Veterans who served in Vietnam were given the presumption of exposure under a law passed by Congress. Additionally, national archives show that various herbicide missions were launched from Thailand twice in 1966, twice in 1967, and also in 1969 and 1970. They (the VA) will grant it, (or) theyll grant it partially, (or) theyll deny it, which is probably about 80 to 90% of the Thailand veterans, they have been denied. The Royal Thai Air Force Base (RSAF) in Ubon Ratchathani is a military base in Thailand. Seattle, WA: 506 2nd Ave,Suite 1400,Seattle, WA 98104. 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. Army Veterans who provided perimeter security on RTAF bases in Thailand anytime between February 28, 1961, and Spookily armed gunships were sent to Ubon as part of an interdiction mission over Laos. These C-123s were often staged at Air Force bases in Thailand, and the barrels and spraying equipment on the aircrafts were known to leak, exposing service members to the toxic herbicides. Other VA compensation claim resources on this website. Agent Blue was stored at Johnston Atoll along with Agent Orange, but was then stored at Davis-Monthan Air Force Base near Tucson, Arizona. It began as group of individuals who were stationed at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base (RTAFB) who wanted to share their experiences and photos from the bases inception in 1961 through its eventual closure in 1975. Vietnam War-era veterans who served in Thailand say theyre still fighting. THE UDORN RESEARCH GROUP WebAgent Orange was used around the perimeters of Royal Thai Air Force Bases to clear the perimeter of foliage for increased security. Agent Orange Herbicide Exposure | VA Disability Group Agent Orange exposure in Thailand during Vietnam War Military personnel were able to obtain undiluted versions of 2,4,5-T, which contained even higher levels of TCDD than Agent Orange. Pittsburgh, PA: 201 Penn Center Boulevard, Suite 400, Pittsburgh, PA, 15235 Shannon lives in Orlando with her husband and two sons. The 222nd Tactical Fighter Squadron, Royal Thai Air Force, perform their mission with T-28, C-47 and HH-34 aircraft. These cookies are necessary for the website to function and cannot be switched off in our systems. These cookies allow the website to remember choices you make to give you better functionality and personal features. These missions were classified, but they show a directional relationship between the U.S. military in Thailand and the Operation Ranch Hand program. Agent Orange in Thailand Several reports show that Agent Orange and other herbicides were used and stored on numerous Royal Thai Air Force Bases (RTAFB) during the Vietnam War. The 435th Tactical Airlift Wing (TAW) was the unit that operated C-130s from Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base, Thailand, during the Vietnam War. VA Notice of Disagreement (NOD) Delaying VA Claim Decision Even though Agent Orange was widely used in nearby countries, veterans who spent time in Thailand, Laos, and Cambodia are not granted that presumptive For military personnel working on these aircraft and near the Thailand storage areas, the risk of exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides was high, as the spraying equipment on the Operation Ranch Hand aircraft and the barrels that contained the herbicides were known to leak. According to Mr. Hogstads statement, herbicide use throughout Southeast Asia is also possible during the Vietnam War. 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Select personnel would receive a copy of their own herbicide manual. That legacy was also carried back to the US, as dependents of veterans have been born with serious birth defects such as spina bifida. However, in 2010, the VA recognized that veterans who served in Thailand and suffered from certain illnesses related to Agent Orange exposure deserved presumptive service connection. The 435th TAW was inactivated on 30 September 1974. 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U-Tapao Air Base, Thailand, 1972The National Archives, Health Care Since Agent Blue could not be burned, the herbicide was sprayed on the Air Force base as a way to dispose of the remaining stores. We use cookies to optimize our website and our service. Some evidence suggests that airmen working around the perimeter were exposed to herbicide while constructing the perimeter. They do not store directly personal information, but are based on uniquely identifying your browser and internet device. A 2023 Guide to VA Disability Rates & Pay Schedules, Individual Unemployability Rating Calculator, List of Blue Water Navy Ships Exposed to Agent Orange (Interactive Vietnam Map), Social Security Disability Benefits Guide, ischemic heart disease, Hodgkins disease, prostate or respiratory cancer, Parkinsons Disease), it is worth filing a claim for VA benefits, Webinar: Agent Orange and Thailand Veterans. Contacting us does not create an attorney-client relationship. Skinner, who has fought prostate cancer since 2018, has gone through 44 treatments of radiation therapy. Camp Lejeune Lawsuit. It was used to push enemy troops out of the jungles, forcing them to fight out in the open. The wing flew its first combat mission on 5 May 1966. It is illegal and arbitrary for the VA to make an arbitrary and unlawful distinction between commercial and tactical herbicides.

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