Vietnam vet fighting leukemia and the VA

By Alexander Rich, Staff Writer
Monday, March 17, 2008 | 34 comment(s)

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James Loveless knew he was watching a ground assault, but to the 17-year-old seaman, the bursts of light looked like fireworks.

It was April 1966, and Loveless was on board the USS Princeton, on the coastline north of the Vietnamese demilitarized zone.

Loveless was spellbound by the spectacle on the beach, which reminded him of the nighttime fireworks displays at the fair in his hometown of Ionia, Mich.

But the colorful bursts of light soon gave way to the darkness of war, and medical helicopters carrying their bloody cargo. Loveless soon was experiencing the horrors of armed conflict, complete with dismembered bodies and Agent Orange. It gave way to insanity.

Leaving the war zone brought little relief.

Wracked by his new, awful recollections, Loveless became a different person. He drank, fought and collected dozens of naval violations. He spent most of his final years of service in naval brigs before receiving a dishonorable discharge.

Following his discharge, he continued to resort to alcohol to fog the images he collected as a stretcher bearer, carrying screaming men torn in half by shrapnel.

It took Loveless nine years to pull himself out of his drunken stupor. He realized post-traumatic stress disorder had made him lose his mind. He requested, and was awarded, a discharge upgrade, having it elevated to honorable. He avoided others for decades until his body failed him. In 2002, he began having trouble concentrating and keeping his balance. He has since been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Fellow veterans and doctors have suggested his illnesses are linked to his contact with Agent Orange in Vietnam. Yet despite receiving the discharge upgrade, Loveless has yet to receive a dime from the government to pay for his cancer treatment.

He has appealed the government’s decision, but hearings are continually delayed.

“They’ve had me on hold for a year and a half,” he said. “I don’t know what they are waiting ...

“Yes I do. They are waiting for me to die.”

The sea man

A sense of duty and a love of water compelled Loveless to enlist in the Navy.

“I believed in my country and I loved the ocean,” he said recently. “I loved the serenity of it, the peacefulness of it.”

Like the ocean, the Vietnam veteran is a picture of calm when he is at rest. His motions are slow and methodic. His bright blue eyes thoughtful. He measures his words carefully before they spill out in a gravely voice that is at once soft and powerful.

His outward appearance is deceiving. Loveless is often in a lot of pain, he said, both physically and mentally.

An unanticipated noise causes him to bolt out of his chair, his neck craning to locate the sound’s origin. Although his memory is riddled with holes, certain experiences cling to him, refusing to let him rest.

He remembers carrying an injured man on a stretcher who had lost his legs just below the hips. The man would attempt to sit up and grab where his legs should have been, only to fall back with blood flying everywhere. Loveless remembers him yelling all the way to sick bay.

“As a matter of fact, he is still yelling in my head. This was my first of many screaming stretchers and the start of a so far 38-year nightmare,” Loveless wrote in a claim report he submitted in 2004.

Stress was not Loveless’ only problem. He was volunteered, he said, to help train a new technician with the ship’s X-ray equipment. The next day, the technician apologetically informed Loveless he had accidentally been exposed to unhealthy levels of radiation.

On several occasions, he helped mix Agent Orange herbicide on ship deck at concentrations far higher than was recommended.

Finally, as the Princeton was heading home, the crew was ordered to perform a shipboard hazard and defense operation. The ship would be sprayed with biochemical warfare agents to determine their effects on the crew. He originally went below deck with most of the other crew mates, but he returned after several minutes.

“I looked around and everything was kind of wet, but not with water, it seemed like a light oil and I thought I could smell kerosene,” he wrote in his appeal. “That was when I snapped and thought, ‘What the hell was I doing up there?’”

According to his enlisted performance record, Loveless showed marked improvement as a seaman until he participated in the hazard and defense operation. Following September 1966, his spreadsheet is covered with courts-martial and nonjudicial punishments.

Loveless admits he cannot recall his later years in the service, but he knows he became disenchanted with the war effort.

“I decided what we were doing was 100-percent absolutely wrong,” he said. “Mass murder of civilians was unacceptable to me, and I couldn’t do it.”

Loveless said he was a law-abiding citizen before going to Vietnam, and his violent behavior was due to PTSD.

“I was insane.”

Two Bears

Loveless was dishonorably discharged on June 17, 1968, an old man at the age of 20. He assumed the moniker Two Bears, claiming his former self had been destroyed in the violence of the war.

Two Bears cannot remember anything until 1977, the year he gave up drinking.

“I was drunk from Vietnam on,” he recalled.

It was in 1977 when he applied for a discharge upgrade, noting his condition had been a result of his experiences in the service. On Sept. 12, 1977, he received a letter from the Department of the Navy, awarding him the designation. Satisfied with this outcome, Two Bears abandoned the conventional lifestyle. He took to living in the woods, finding shelter wherever he could.

“Tree roots worked the best,” he said.

Two Bears’ nomadic years ended in 2002, when the latest effects of Vietnam began to manifest.

He contacted the Department of Veteran Affairs, only to learn the Navy’s 1977 upgrade did not entitle him to benefits. They cited a decision from 1972, making no reference to the Navy’s finding.

Then, in May 2005, the VA reversed its decision, notifying him his discharge was honorable and he qualified for benefits. Before he could establish a claim, however, another ruling was sent his way, saying, once again, he was not entitled to benefits.

Victor Diaz, director of Southwest Oregon Veterans Outreach, said it is not unusual for veterans to have trouble getting benefits.

“Oh yeah, I have a file cabinet full of (cases),” he said.

Two Bears’ case gave Diaz pause. Although by law, the VA is barred from giving a veteran with a dishonorable discharge benefits, if Two Bears received an upgrade, the government shouldn’t have denied him.

“I could make a case that the VA erred,” he said.

Frank Roberts, a fellow Vietnam veteran and a lawyer practicing in Gold Beach, assisted Two Bears in trying to acquire benefits. He directed Two Bears to a VA representative hired by Curry County to assist veterans in such instances.

The case went nowhere.

“It makes absolutely no sense because all of his health problems are recognized by the VA as caused by Agent Orange,” Roberts said. “He’s a guy that keeps falling through the cracks.”

During his compensation battles, Two Bears visited the VA clinic in Bandon. He was seen by Dr. Rodolfo N. Trevino, who, in a letter dated Jan. 1, 2008, diagnosed his cancer.

“Since he has a history of exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam, there is a possible direct cause/effect connection to this diagnosis,” Trevino wrote.

Two Bears’ primary care doctor, Dr. Thomas Pitchford, also thinks he  deserves benefits. Pitchford said Two Bears came to him because of an elevated white blood cell count.

Originally at 17,000, Two Bears’ count within a few months had climbed to more than 100,000. A healthy person has a white blood cell count under 11,000. Pitchford said Two Bears also has demonstrated memory problems, fatigue and being prone to infection, all symptoms of exposure to Agent Orange (see sidebar).

Receiving benefits and treatment may not save Two Bears, Pitchford said.

“That I don’t know. I’m not an expert in lymphoma.

“But he is definitely sick.”

Roberts said it is not fair that Two Bears would be denied treatment due to behavior influenced by his service.

“When soldiers go through serious combat situations and are in areas that are saturated with chemicals like Agent Orange, it creates some serious problems for them,” he said. “It’s sad. It’s another one of those ugly situations and no one understands why the VA doesn’t remedy it.”

Waiting to die

Two Bears has resigned himself to his fate. He expects to be dead in a matter of months.

“I’ve had enough. (Death) does not scare me,” he said.

Rather, his concern is for soldiers currently involved in foreign wars who might face the same fate.

“They are going to have 200,000 Iraq vets who are going to go through the same thing,” he said, swiveling in his chair, his voice conveying a sense of anger. “If they haven’t taken care of the Vietnam veterans, how can they take care of Iraq veterans?”

Two Bears understands it is difficult for people to believe him, given his mental problems. All he has to offer are his memories and the documents he has collected over the years. He keeps a firm grip on the dog-eared pages, which he flips through and thrusts forward to make his point.

“I understand I have a lack of credibility,” he said. “But I know. I was there.”

—Staff Writer Jolene Guzman contributed to this article.
Agent Orange


Agent Orange was used by the U.S. military in Vietnam to kill plants and tree leaves.


According to a Department of Veterans Affairs informational brochure, of the several herbicides used during military action in Vietnam from 1961 to 1971, Agent Orange was the most predominate. The chemical, named after the orange stripe on the barrels in which it was stored, was used from January 1965 to April 1970. Nineteen million gallons of herbicide was sprayed during military action in South Vietnam.


Vietnam veterans became concerned about their exposure to Agent Orange in the 1970s, and in particular, about the chemical dioxin, which was used to make the herbicide.

The VA recognizes an association between exposure to Agent Orange and a number of illnesses including: chloracne (a skin disorder), acute or subacute peripheral neuropathy (a nerve disorder), Type-2 diabetes, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, soft tissue sarcoma, Hodgkin’s disease, multiple myeloma, prostate cancer and respiratory cancers.


Veterans suffering from disabilities related to Agent Orange exposure are eligible for medical services and treatment through Veterans Affairs, unless they received a dishonorable discharge.


”Staff Writer Jolene Guzman
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Dave wrote on Dec 11, 2008 10:35 PM:

I'm a blue water Vietnam vet with Diabetes 11, I have been found incompetent by the VA and put on a special pension,I had a total disability
at the age of 55 fisical and mental with PTSD, I filed a claim for agent orange and never hear nothing but ways for the VA to buy time until we are all
dead so I know what you mean, god bless
take it this way, if were not in Vietnam we would just be somewere else?

hmmm wrote on Apr 9, 2008 11:09 AM:

i wonder why my "pro-not for profit" health care comments were not posted yesterday ..censorship? does the world NOT like a voice of reason?

CC wrote on Apr 8, 2008 7:47 AM:

Just think, if we get Hillary Care, or Democratic "Nationalized health care" provided by the governemt, this is how all of our health care will be provided. Scary thoughts.

Melissa wrote on Apr 1, 2008 5:55 PM:

Wow CB MOM you hit it right on the nose.Let me tell you as a CB Mom also I have 2 children and no health care and over a quarter of my income goes on medical bills. And when i call insurance agency's they want more than half of my income and then most dont cover illnesses you may have before you purchase their insurance so that leave my kids out because i have a child with asthma and it is pre existing illness so it is not covered also CB MOM said to check out other country's i have one better rent or buy the movie SICKO then you will see how messed up our country is when it come to health care. It makes me sick when i see children,elderly or vets have to suffer because they can not afford health care or medications.So it is up to us as AMERICANS to do something about this it will never change if we dont stick together and fight for health care for everyone!!!!! NO PERSON LEFT BEHIND LOL

sympathetic wrote on Apr 1, 2008 1:25 PM:

If the VA is going to become "bankrupt" just by taking care of those who valiantly served and were scarred by ANY military conflict, then I say there is not enough money being funded into the VA. There is no reason to put a price on a human life and let someone die a miserable death because of the almighty DOLLAR!!! Not just the VA, but our entire "for-profit" health care (non) system is broken. The rich get richer and the poor can't get decent health care. We have a "class-system" in this country and it is SHAMEFUL". When ther poorest of our citizens become sick and unable to work, who is going to be there to work the minimum wage jobs that serve our elite rich? Ohyeah, the illegal imigrants, that's who...oh, I forgot...they will be sick too because they will have an even HARDER time getting affordable health care. Guess the rich will have to shell out the bucks or get their own hands dirty for a change.

CB Mom wrote on Apr 1, 2008 11:21 AM:

I think regardless of the sitaution that got a person to where they are at...an individual is sick. And anytime ANYONE in society is unable to get treatment, it is inhumane. There are 100's of children who are sick and families cant afford insurance that get the same outcast treatment. Some of the people making posts should do some research about other countries and health care and crime. We are the highest...pretty sad for the "richest and most free" nation. Take a Sociology class, its very informative.

"Seagull" wrote on Mar 31, 2008 10:45 PM:

Just because this man was aboard ship, offshore, doesn't mean he couldn't have come into contact with the toxins used in VN.
I too was aboard ship, offshore (barely).
Our vessel went to Pearl Harbor and while there the crew was sent to assist in a work-party loading barrels of the stuff aboard an aircraft carrier. Those carrier based aircraft are the ones who "delivered" the stuff. A lot of people at a lot of duty stations handled those agents.
No-one can honestly say that 2B never handled the stuff...but him.

vet's daughter wrote on Mar 30, 2008 4:53 AM:

As a daughter of a Viet Nam vet, I know first hand the frustration the vets are under when dealing with the VA. It took my father almost 35 years to get the VA to recognize his diabetes, and PTSD as service connected". There are stories already of guys coming back from Iraq that are missing limbs and the VA is denying them benefits. Good luck to all the vets that are battling the system!

MarDivPhoto wrote on Mar 25, 2008 11:37 AM:

Ranch Hand was the Air Force group that did almost all the spraying done during the war; I know the "cowboys" who were in it personally and was honored to be a guest at their last reunion. Operation Hastings was a Marine operation in the southern part of I Corps in '66, and unless you were a Marine on the ground, you weren't in it.
To those who sympathize with this man's plight and say that since he was a vet he deserves help no matter what, I have to point out that by that rule we'd bankrupt the VA in no time and the vets whose injuries and conditions are truly service-related would suffer thereby. We have too many non-related and even phony vets collecting off the system now (see the book Stolen Valor by Burkett) and enforcing reasonable rules is critical. (And yes, the VA can also be difficult, bureaucratic, and unfair at times, I have been there and don't defend that at all.) Again, this man probably believes it all by now and so is totally sincere in his claims; but that by itself can't be enough.

kk wrote on Mar 20, 2008 9:31 AM:

Two Bears, I read your story and I am sorry that you have to go through that. My father is dealing with the VA as well and they arent helping him either. I believe that if you received an honorable discharge, then you should recieve benefits. Also, dont listen to these people who think you are a fraud. To them I want to say that they have no heart and they should care what happened that long ago. You have the proof of what happened and that is all that matters. I hope that you get the attention you deserve. Also, to you Vietnam Vets who think that Two Bears is lying, it has been 40 years. He served our country, isnt that enough to say that he was there and he helped and he cared enough to help? Give him the credit for that and let it be. I cant believe some of you. If it were you in that position, you wouldn't be acting that way. Have some dignity. He is a fellow vet and deserves to be treated like one.

breaks my heart wrote on Mar 20, 2008 8:31 AM:

TWO BEAR
I believe you. I am aware of project SHAD and Operation RANCH HAND.

I want you to know that when I said "Why should I care..." I was being sarcastic. I do care about you and hope you will be able to get the assistance you need to get the medical care you need.

twobear wrote on Mar 19, 2008 5:33 PM:

by the way the spraying was done by opp.ranchhand it was first sprayed on opp.osage(as in osage orange) my last opp. was hastings you can look it up just by (opp. hasting 1966 you do the work or shut up love always two bear

two bear wrote on Mar 19, 2008 5:25 PM:

my discharge was undesirable 26 june 1968 from the richard e byrd ddg23 it was upgraded 12 sept 1977 to under honorable conditions.it was dated back to 26 june 1968. i boared the uss princeton lph 5 16 nov.1965 i left the princeton oct.1967 i have all my paperwork.to findout what the princeton did just befor that check the news pilot san pedro,ca they did a good report called operating aircraft carrier creates huge supply cost i was a signalman sn. i have told the truth . to find out about the spraying go to prog.112 shad

Samuel wrote on Mar 19, 2008 3:51 PM:

If the Department of Defense upgraded his discharge and he has the documentation to prove his claim, I think all of us should give him the benefit of the doubt. If it is in writing then it is probably more than plausible that it happened. I am a vet from the first gulf conflict. I was fortunate enough not to have to go because the detail that I was with got their orders cancelled when the Bush Sr. decided to pull the troops out. However, I had close friends who did come back from over there with problems resulting from issues over there. The VA did not do them justice and it was a fight for them. It would be nice if the VA would investigate this claim that Mr. Loveless has made and be thorough about it just to see if his claim is valid or not. If it is, there will be written documentation to back it. I feel sorry for him because either way, he has a problem and he does need help!!!
PS. thank you to all of you who responded to this story for your service. I do appreciate it! God Bless!

breaks my heart wrote on Mar 18, 2008 8:22 PM:

MarDivPhoto

What I was interested in was the facts of his case. Was he on the U.S.S. Princeton in April 1966? The same ship listed by the Blue Water Veterans? The group that claims there were various ways their ships were contaminated by Agent Orange, and it was not the only contaminant they claim. If those two were facts then it doesn't really matter if he remembers the details accurately does it? The last fact would be if he was given an upgrade from dishonorable to honorable. Those are the important elements of his claim I think.

You know what, maybe you are right. Why should I care about an old broken down Vietnam Veteran who is a liar and a dysfunctional human being. And maybe we should all be ashamed at how some veterans have been treated.

MarDivPhoto wrote on Mar 18, 2008 12:46 PM:

"So his details are wrong, it doesn't mean he wasn't exposed"
Wow, I am impressed by your passionate need to sympathize with this man and believe he suffered some kind of chemical effect while in the Navy that caused his cancer.
But the devil is in the details, as the saying goes. No, he could not have been exposed to defoliants on his ship, there were never any on ships, all mixing/spraying was land based. And the low (under 150 feet, sometimes 75 feet) spray mist could not carry out to sea, the breezes always blow landward.
The man has a very bad service record, years of alcoholism and dysfunctionality, and tells stories that are way off base. His credibility gap makes the Grand Canyon look small. I still am sorry for him, as I am for the various other unfortunate people in the world, but that has no demonstrable connection to his time on a ship off the coast of Viet Nam.

breaks my heart wrote on Mar 18, 2008 10:28 AM:

MarDivPhoto

The U.S.S. Apprentice is included in The Blue Water Veterans list of ships.
So his details are wrong, it doesn't mean he wasn't exposed.

MarDivPhoto wrote on Mar 18, 2008 4:22 AM:

The man's story is full of fantasies and lies. Nobody mixed any defoliants on Navy vessels, men with legs missing below the knee either have tourniquets or bandages on by the time the get to the ship, or they've bled to death, nobody tested biological agents by spraying them on Navy ships, etc. He may well be sincere in his beliefs of what happened by now, years of drinking and being crazy can help people make their fantasies real in their own minds. But this story is nonsense, and although he's a tragic figure, the country does not owe him anything in regard to his unfortunate illness. It's a nice story for the media, but only that, and it serves no real good to the nation or other vets.
And yes, I am a Nam vet, and a part-time historian of the war.

breaks my heart wrote on Mar 17, 2008 1:44 PM:

Mr. Lemmons
Are you factually stating that Mr. Loveless was not on the U.S.S. Princeton in April 1966 on the coastline north of the DMZ? Or is it your opinion that he wasn't. Do you think it is just coincidence or perhaps a quirk of fate that he now has been diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia?
Are you denying that drug addiction and alchohol abuse was a problem for many many Vietnam Veterans? Why do you think that your physical injury which medically retired you is so different than his mental injury that left him in the condition he was in?
I agree that you earned the benefits you have. So did he.
I don't understand why you are so against him getting help when he has only two months to live. That is cold.

Dale Lemmons wrote on Mar 17, 2008 10:58 AM:

Dear Breakes my heart. we who honerably served and did our duty never got anything, We earned what ever beifits we recived and C.B. Gal I like many others were 17 while serving in Viet Nam.

KC Coquille wrote on Mar 17, 2008 8:03 AM:

Are we a caring nation? Can we help Two Bears in his last few months? I think so. Past history is just that - past. At this juncture, why should we care whether Two Bears served honorably, or is telling the truth? The Christian thing to do is help him, either via the VA, or the State of Oregon, or charities, or other sources. So many tax dollars are wasted everyday, can we help a dying man?

Dale Lemmons wrote on Mar 17, 2008 12:23 AM:

If Mr Lovless a.k.a 2bears was on the Princton.He never handled agent orange and the Navey never sprayed chem.on him or any of the crew.And all though some troops commited atrocities.It was the so called peace loveing N.V.A. and Viet Cong who really practiced a murderus genacide against there own people.
I was on the Princton during operation Sarelight Aug 1965 and I remember Officers and crew did all they could for us Marines.This Marine would like to say thank you to real crew members.

EAGLES PERCH wrote on Mar 16, 2008 11:33 PM:

I'm sorry, but ole 2 Beers story doesn't jibe. During the Viet Nam war 5 types of discharges were available; honorable, general, undesirable, bad conduct and dishonorable(in disending order). If a discharge was to be upgraded, it was only raised by one grade. Never have I heard of a five grade jump unless the individual was retried and found not guilty.(a million to one shot)So if he received a dishonorable, the best he could acheive might be a bad conduct discharge(BCD). And with a BCD he would still be unable to receive medical benefits. These benefits are reserved for the fighting men and women who served or country honorably. 2 Beers better rethink or reinvent his story and the World reporters need to check their facts before... oh wait they don't check facts, just report what sounds good!

breaks my heart wrote on Mar 16, 2008 11:23 AM:

I can't believe how heartless some of you are. Dale Lemmons since you were in Vietnam I would expect you to be the most understanding. But its the old "I've got mine, screw you" isn't it. The article says that he was later upgraded to honorable discharge. It doesn't look like he ever asked or got anything from the VA before.
I am so angry that the government did this to their own soldiers and have not taken care of them. How many others were killed in Vietnam and are just now
leaving this world?

Big Roy Sanchez wrote on Mar 16, 2008 10:44 AM:

>I am currently serving in Iraq and have >seen the lies from various groups >claiming "mass murder" and such. Folks, >it just didn't happen that way. The mass >murder did take place, but not by US >serviceman. It happened AFTER we left >Vietnam to the tune of over a million >innocents in the killing fields at the >hands of the communist north.

This statement makes no sense. Because you are currently in Iraq, you happen to know murders did not happen in Vietnam, almost 40 years ago?

What sort of qualifications make you able to make this sort of historically based statement? Were you also a Vietnam veteran? Were you there? Did you see it?

In Iraq wrote on Mar 16, 2008 5:41 AM:

Another free loader hoping to mooch off the system...

This guy is a discrace to those who wore and wear the uniform. "The mass murder of civilians" is something that he probably read in a book. Stationed aboard an evacuating medical ship carrying injured soldiers to sick bay tells me that he probably didn't see actual land combat in Vietnam.

The heroes and fallen brothers of WWII saw much worse and rarely complained or demanded a life of comfort via the US Government.

I am currently serving in Iraq and have seen the lies from various groups claiming "mass murder" and such. Folks, it just didn't happen that way. The mass murder did take place, but not by US serviceman. It happened AFTER we left Vietnam to the tune of over a million innocents in the killing fields at the hands of the communist north.

Perhaps people should take personal responsibility for their own health and own lives before they put their hand out and expect gratuity.

The willful slandering of his country 40 years after his dishonorable discharge brings extreme discredit to his plea for help.

Dale Lemmons wrote on Mar 15, 2008 11:38 PM:

While I feel sorry for Mr. Loveless. I as 17 year old Marine veteran of VietNam who was in combat wounded twice and medically retired because of the last one. Resent some one who was given a dishonerable discharge, and messed his life up because of substance abuse being portrayed as a victim of military and the war.He messed his own life up. Us vet's who served and did our duty then and after we came back.resent him being lumped together with someone who didn't.

Terry Keenan wrote on Mar 15, 2008 8:40 PM:

I appreciate the information. At least there is the comformt I am not alone!

Please go here: www.terrykeenan.com and click on the "Chemoboy" logo to read my short story.

Becky Childers wrote on Mar 15, 2008 8:30 PM:

Dear Mr. Loveless,
I am including some information on Vietnam Veterans and the connection with CLL/Agent Orange.
Please contact your congressman to help expediate the process of your claim. I have had to do this with many of the Veterans I have worked with (Cold Injury/Korean War). Take Care and Thank you for your service to our country.

Becky





VA To Grant Benefits To More Vietnam Veterans (CLL)
January 23, 2003........NEW UPDATE....SEE 2006 INFO....BELOW...

WASHINGTON – Based upon a recently released review of scientific studies, Secretary of Veterans Affairs Anthony J. Principi has decided to extend benefits to Vietnam veterans with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

“Compelling evidence has emerged within the scientific community that exposure to herbicides such as Agent Orange is associated with CLL,” Principi said. “I’m exercising my legal authority to ensure the full range of VA benefits is available to Vietnam veterans with CLL.”

The ruling means that veterans with CLL who served in Vietnam during the Vietnam War don’t have to prove that illness is related to their military service to qualify for Department of Veterans Affairs disability compensation. Additionally, for more than 20 years, VA has offered special access to medical care to Vietnam veterans with any health problems that may have resulted from Agent Orange exposure, and this decision will ensure higher-priority access to care in the future.


llj wrote on Mar 15, 2008 6:41 PM:

Whaaaa! Whaaaa! Whaaaa!
Been there. Done that. Get over it~

Concerned wrote on Mar 15, 2008 5:03 PM:

He is not alone in this matter. There is "lots" of these veterans for this era out there fighting for the same thing. They all need help. ALL OF THEM. They have been forgotten. My husband was in the Navy during the vietnam war also, for 7 years, and went through the same, and he has mental problems, unknown to him, that everytime there is a noise..he says "what was that..what was that." Very common for these vets and I am sure all vets. you are right...they all need help.

CB gal wrote on Mar 15, 2008 2:26 PM:

17-year old?

Help him! wrote on Mar 15, 2008 11:23 AM:

I emailed Senators Wyden and Smith and Representative Defasio with the link to this story and the following message. Feel free to copy and email also. If there is anything else I can do I surely will if anyone has some suggestions.


Please read the following article that was printed in The World Newspaper and help this man. It is despicable to me that the Vietnam Veterans are having to fight another war.

Vietnam vet fighting leukemia and the VA
http://www.theworldlink.com/articles/2008/03/15/news/doc47db6f4a05dc2710022797.txt

TB wrote on Mar 15, 2008 10:27 AM:

I think the Vietnam vets got the shaft as it is,the least thing this country's government can do is help this guy out with is medical treatment,after all most people were drafted at the time,its not like they asked to be exposed to the harmful chemicals,that were used.


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