To: The United States House of Representatives and The United States Senate
Navy veterans denied care for Agent Orange illnesses
We demand that Congress immediately pass the Blue Water Navy Bill, HR 3612, which would remove the "boots on the ground" requirement for eligibility to receive medical benefits for treatment of Agent Orange related illnesses associated with Navy off shore exposure near Vietnam.
Why is this important?
Some Navy veterans say they feel like they have been stabbed in the back. Others returned their medals. Of the 400,000 Vietnam Navy veterans sick from Agent Orange in 2008, many doubted they would live long enough to get their medical benefits but wanted to fight anyway because they didn't want their sons and daughters who recently served in Iraq to go through the same thing. The problem started in 2002 when the Veterans Administration limited coverage of Agent Orange exposure to "boots on the ground." How many of the Navy Vietnam veteran Agent Orange survivors alive today will suffer and die from this neglect?
The Blue Water Navy Bill HR 3612 was introduced to the US House of Representatives by Democrat US Congressman Lloyd Doggett and 3 other congressmen in Dec of 2011 after a study came out that proved these AMERICANS who served off the coast of Vietnam (and thus did not have "boots on the ground") were exposed to this harmful chemical. Now this bill has over 123 co-sponsors. However, Republican House Speaker, John Boehner, will not bring it up for a vote.
A news investigation that aired on Sept 17 2008, ([email protected] ) revealed over 400,000 Navy veterans who served off the coast of Vietnam were dying from exposure to Agent Orange but are not eligible for receiving Veteran medical benefits.
This report also referred to a study by the Centers for Disease Control showing cancer incidence rates are actually higher in sailors who served in the Navy than soldiers with boots on the ground during Vietnam. The seawater treatment system on the Navy vessels off the coast of Vietnam did not remove the high levels of Agent Orange. Navy veterans drank, cooked food, bathed, and washed their clothes in water tainted with harmful levels of Agent Orange.
To learn more and follow these bills see the Fleet Reserve Association website and the website www.bluewaternavy.org
The Blue Water Navy Bill HR 3612 was introduced to the US House of Representatives by Democrat US Congressman Lloyd Doggett and 3 other congressmen in Dec of 2011 after a study came out that proved these AMERICANS who served off the coast of Vietnam (and thus did not have "boots on the ground") were exposed to this harmful chemical. Now this bill has over 123 co-sponsors. However, Republican House Speaker, John Boehner, will not bring it up for a vote.
A news investigation that aired on Sept 17 2008, ([email protected] ) revealed over 400,000 Navy veterans who served off the coast of Vietnam were dying from exposure to Agent Orange but are not eligible for receiving Veteran medical benefits.
This report also referred to a study by the Centers for Disease Control showing cancer incidence rates are actually higher in sailors who served in the Navy than soldiers with boots on the ground during Vietnam. The seawater treatment system on the Navy vessels off the coast of Vietnam did not remove the high levels of Agent Orange. Navy veterans drank, cooked food, bathed, and washed their clothes in water tainted with harmful levels of Agent Orange.
To learn more and follow these bills see the Fleet Reserve Association website and the website www.bluewaternavy.org