Actually the story on the front page of the Friday Chicago Tribune was about those who have developed diseases like prostate cancer who are not eligible for Veterans Administration benefits because they never stepped foot on Vietnam soil.
That includes a lot of Naval personnel like Greg Fuller of Lake in the Hills.
He has prostrate cancer.
Had he been a clerk on a base in Vietnam, he would be receiving checks and medical care from the VA.
But, he served on a ship off the coast.
He and other Blue Water Navy veterans get rejection letters when they apply for benefits.
The Naval veterans argue that Agent Orange ran off into the South China Sea where it contaminated the sea water that was distilled for drinking on their ships.
= = = = =
The article also has the factoid that the name for Agent Orange came from the orange stripe around the barrels in which it was stored.
“The Naval veterans argue that Agent Orange ran off into the South China Sea where it contaminated the sea water that was distilled for drinking on their ships.”
Sounds about as credible as “the dog ate my homework.”
Tell these jokers to stop trying to fleece the taxpayers.
You might take the time to read the Tribune article.
Be careful, Dave. Criticizing our veterans, even when they make crackpot claims like this, is about the least PC comment you can make.
I’m surprised the pro/anti-Zinke bickering commentators on this blog haven’t set aside their differences to come and dog pile on you yet.
Prostate, not prostrate.
A equally likely source of dioxin would be from th incineration of plastics- and if a ship doesn’t dump waste overboard, it burns it.
The half-life of dioxin in marine sediments may be as high as 100 years-
http://www.aspeninstitute.org/policy-work/agent-orange/history
A simple matter to collect sediments and conduct analysis.
Given all the factors that lead to prostate cancer, it would be hard to pin it on a less than adequate distillation system 45 years ago.