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AGENT ORANGE INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE – Official COVVHA Testimony Packet January 2013

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AGENT ORANGE INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE OFFICIAL COVVHA TESTIMONY
Tanya Mack COVVHA IOMThere is a renewed push for the Institute of Medicine to take seriously the claims made by the Children of Vietnam Veterans and their families about the birth defects and illnesses they are suffering from. The adverse affects of the dioxin laden herbicide sprayed over the jungles of Vietnam, AKA Agent Orange, have been well known since the government first admitted in 1991 to cause illnesses in Vietnam Veterans. For years, the veterans and their families have been saying birth defects and rare illnesses have affected their children’s health. These anomalies and illnesses are not only happening in the children of Vietnam Veterans (2nd generation), but now are showing up in alarming numbers in the grandchildren (3rd Generation) of Vietnam Veterans as well.

January 16, 2013, Children of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance (COVVHA) participated, in the public hearings for the Institute of Medicine’s (IOM) Committee to Review on the Health Effects in Vietnam Veterans Exposure to Herbicides (Ninth Biennial Update) in Irvine, California. Tanya Mack, COVVHA Core Chairperson, and California resident, gave testimony on behalf of COVVHA to the committee. Tanya Mack is the Daughter of a recently, deceased Vietnam Veteran who succumbed service connected Agent Orange illnesses. She was born with severe hip dysplasia and has developed several rare aggressive cancers in her thirties which she is currently still fighting.

“The Institute of Medicine is an independent, nonprofit organization that works outside of government to provide unbiased and authoritative advice to decision makers and the public (From the IOM website).” They have been commissioned to review biannually, the most current data available about herbicides and the health effects on our Veterans. In the past, the IOM have been responsible for getting new illnesses added to the presumptive list for our ailing Vietnam Veterans. Like On October 13, 2009, when, the Veterans Affairs added three new medical conditions for Vietnam Veterans presumptively associated with exposure to herbicides; hairy cell and other B-cell leukemia’s, Parkinson’s disease, and ischemic heart disease, to the list of covered illnesses.

Included in COVVHA’s report to the committee, were the number and types of illnesses and congenital anomalies found in the second and third generation members of COVVHA. This includes the ailments that mirror the Vietnam Veterans and the congenital anomalies found on the list of birth defects covered in the children of women Vietnam Veterans. Tanya Mack, shared several studies from the early eighties including Ranch Hand studies and a current epigenetic study from Washington State that show a correlation to trans-generational exposures to dioxin, with the committee for them to consider. Several recommendations were made as to the next actions to help the children of Vietnam Veterans in the most practical ways.

Three of COVVHA recommendations included approving the currently covered eighteen plus, birth defects for children of female Vietnam Veterans for the children of male Vietnam Veterans. The second recommendation included the request for free DNA and Epigenetic testing for the biological children of Vietnam Veterans as needed, and an official Agent Orange Registry for Children of Vietnam Veterans. COVVHA made several other recommendations that were included in their submitted testimony.

Highlights of other participant’s testimony:
Ken Holybee, Director at Large, of Vietnam Veterans of America. Ken pointed out in the Veterans and Agent Orange 2008 Update, the IOM Committee concluded that it was plausible exposure to herbicides that could cause paternally mediated effects in offspring as a result of epigenetic changes, and that such changes would most likely be attributable to the TCDD contaminants in Agent Orange. He urged the committee to follow up on their 2008 recommendations. Due to the continued suffering the VVA sees in the families who attend their Agent Orange Town Hall Meetings.

Debra Kraus, widow of a Vietnam Veteran, Activist and Artist, shared a slideshow presentation of her art that is based on her experience through her husband’s dealings with the V.A. and health issues.

Elayne Mackey, National Health Committee co-chair for the Associates of Vietnam Veterans of America (AVVA). AVVA recommends the creation of Centers of Excellence to provide for research, treatment, and social services for the offspring of veterans of all eras who have been exposed to toxins while in service to our country.

Wesley T. Carter, Chair of the C-123 Veterans Association, asked for two possibilities, the Department of Defense designates the contaminated -123 aircraft, by specific tail number, as Agent Orange exposure sites. The other for the VA to accept claims from veterans able to provide evidence of service aboard the aircraft known to have been contaminated.

Andy Olshan, PhD, Chair of Epidemiology, University of North Carolina and Kim Boekelheide, MD, PhD, Professor of Medical Science, Brown University phoned into the meeting. The Doctors gave their opinion on the likelihood of Paternal Transmission of Dioxin through Sperm. The Doctors stated that paternal transmission is relatively small because the male system is made to minimize the transmission of issues and that there is not enough evidence to support the theory that Dioxin is transmitted through sperm.

COVVHA is committed to serving as a voice for the children of Vietnam Veterans including second and third generation victims of Agent Orange and Dioxin Exposures worldwide. We believe in empowering each other to hold the companies and governments responsible for causing so much devastation and suffering to our generations. We fight for justice globally. We hope the IOM will make the responsible recommendations to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Please, see the full testimony submitted to the Institute of Medicine attached which also includes Tanya Mack’s personal health struggle with Agent Orange related birth defects and cancers.

COVVHA members and supporters who have joined our email subscription will also receive the Video of Tanya’s testimony. If you would like to receive the video and other information from COVVHA you can subscribe in the box below

Committee to Review the Health Effects in Vietnam Veterans of Exposure to Herbicides (Ninth Biennial Update… by View Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance’s profile on Scribd” href=”http://www.scribd.com/COVVHA1″>Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance


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Heather A. Bowser, MsEd, LPCC
© 2013 (COVVHA) Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance INC
AGENT ORANGE DARK MATTERS TWISTED BUT TRUE

AGENT ORANGE – The Accidental Inventor – VIDEO

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AGENT ORANGE DARK MATTERS TWISTED BUT TRUE

Dark Matters Season 3 Episode 1, Agent Orange – The Accidental Inventor
Synopsis: A chemical that speeds up the flowering process in soybeans turns into a weapon during Vietnam.
Original air date: November 22, 2012

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Tw8OS925lUY

Dark Matters: Twisted But True is a television series featured on the Science Channel. Hosted by actor John Noble of Fringe and Lord of the Rings, the show takes the viewer inside the laboratory to profile strange science and expose some of history’s most bizarre experiments. This show uses narration and reenactments to portray the stories in this show

The Beast

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The Beast

(C) James J Alonzo

“The Beast”, we called combat, the death, the killing, the atrocities, the chaos, the terror, the reality, the fear, the ugliness, of the war in Viet Nam, “The Beast”.

The soldiers in the American Civil War called it the Elephant. That was what going into combat was called then. Please understand how young a lot of these guys were. Their youth was a factor in how they thought and spoke.

The Beast, they used to say in Vietnam, as if it was a ghost, an evil ghost that was loose, one of the demons, known in the Vietnamese language as ” Ma”. Weaving in and out of sanity or insanity, a dancing ghost, it would appear suddenly out of a whirl, shimmer for an instant, and be lost.

The troopers when they saw it, and would say without excitement, “The Beast” with emphasis on the last word, to let their buddies know that they had seen it and to be hopefully confirmed that their buddies had seen it too.

“The Beast”, was without form itself, but could assume infinite identities. It was as small as a ant and as huge as the huge black jungle canopy! It became events, it became things themselves. It had no strength of its own because it used human strength.

“The Beast”. It had no life of its own because it used human lives with abandonment! It used so many young lives, it could assume a youthful, frolicsome aspect, at the same time destroying their innocence. The Beast took lives, maimed lives!

Combat soldiers all had one thing in common, because at one time or another, we had all caught a glimpse of The Beast. The war’s infernal playful, manipulative, sadistic ghost. Some combat soldiers that experience the Beast, felt a severe coldness, chills, even though it was hot in the tropical Viet Nam. Some smelled the “rust smell” of blood, before the fighting even started, and wondered if they were smelling their own bloody death!

My personal Beast experience began on a morning of the TET offense 1968. Our company set out for convoy to Cu Chi in the “Iron Triangle”, because all Hell had broken loose, where the enemy had attack every provincial capital and base camps at the same time, and the units in Cu Chi needed ammo and supplies.

“Hey L T”, I joked, asking the lieutenant, “if we were going to Cu Chi could you put me on the next chopper out of here?” Because Cu Chi was heavy with Viet Cong, and we suffered many ambushes going to Ch Chi and Tay Ninh, so I knew we were going to catch it big time.

“Don’t worry, Alonzo,” L T responded, ” I’ll put you on a chopper in a couple of days if you are killed or wounded.” (laughing) “Besides, think of it as just another ordinary convoy, a holiday drive in the country.”

“Right!” I said as I knew the Beast was going to be out there, and he was hungry!

I knew this was not going to be a Sunday drive. We were fighting the Viet Cong, and The VC carried RPG’s (rocket propelled grenades) and AK-47′s (machine guns) and The VC shoots back!

It was no fun being shot at. The last thing I wanted was to get blown up with mines (IED) or shot up, on a Sunday drive. A Sunday drive my ass! Before the TET OFFENSIVE, driving in a convoy daily, was routine that we would come into contact with the enemy ambushes, twice or three times a week and those encounters were usually brief.

We were driving along the route through the Bo Lo Woods near the Michlin Rubber Plantation, when one of our APC’s (armored personel carriers) tracks ran over a landmine, and it blew the whole right side completely up, rendering it useless. The lieutenant said to make sure all the live ammo was put into another track, and not to leave anything behind that the VC could use against us.

The convoy commander ordered men to help get the ammunition off the track, I was standing, waiting, watching to do my part to help, when it came my turn, out of nowhere, I heard this voice say with some authority,

“I’ll do it!”

At first, I just looked at him for I could see he was a new man, but I hadnt noticed him before.

As I watched him, I noticed that he was very young looking, blonde hair, wearing new fatigues and new boots.

“Who the hell is this guy,’ I thought, ‘and where did he come from?”

I had never seen this guy before and I’d been with this unit longer than anyone. He looked like he was 16 years old to me, even though I knew he had to be 18 to be a member of this man’s army. I later found out his name was Arnold White.

As Arnold turned to leave with some of the ammunition, the LT received a call from command that they were sending a Chinook helicopter to pick up the APC. Meanwhile, a very loud ground shaking explosion rang out.

The concussion from the explosion had picked me up and threw me about five feet where I landed in the bottom of a muddy water scummy ditch, along side the roadway, that was about four feet deep. The new young soldier had stepped on a mine, and it destroyed his body from the waist down. His lower half, what was left of it was held together with torn muscle and ligaments and his tattered pants!

I finally regained my wits and as I looked up from the bottom of the crater, the lieutenant was standing there with a mad look on his face. He was trying to tell me something, and I was trying to tell him that I couldn’t hear him. My head was hurting and I had cuts and abrasions. That explosion was when the Vietnamese hit us with everything they had.

The Lt. took off running, to find radio, meanwhile J J appeared, looking down at me as he set up his M-60,

“You planning on staying down there or you going to give me your hand?”

J J hauling on me, I crawled my way up to the top of the ditch, the firefight was in full swing, machine guns and small arms on both sides firing! Meanwhile, I started looking around to see what was going on. And the first thing I saw was the new guy lying there. The medic had already checked him out and had covered him up with a poncho.

A Huey chopper came in and was trying to land, when two RPG’S went off just over their heads and they got the hell out of range! The chopper pilot circled around to his left to get out of harms way. When they had tried to land the prop blast of the chopper blew the poncho off Arnold, and I was looking him right in his eyes, eyes that blinked!

I was stunned, and couldn’t believe it, I saw him blink his eyes! I called for a medic to check him again, even though the medic tried to tell me the new guy was KIA. Once established that he was still alive! A couple of guys ran over put him on the poncho, to get him on the chopper. I saw that they needed one more to help carry the soldier around where the chopper was waiting.

The firefight still continuing, I grabbed the left side of the poncho and we took off for the chopper. As we made our way to the chopper, I was still trying to get the lower parts of his body on the poncho with my left hand so they wouldn’t drag on the ground. We finally got him into the chopper, and the chopper took off to the nearest hospital. Later the Lt. told me the soldier died about ten minutes after the chopper left with him.

As the firefight continued, The L T called in artillery which blew the VC all to hell. Soon after the artillery barrage, the fighting ended just as quickly as it started, with the VC blending back into the heavy jungle.

We regrouped, and took care of the wounded, and loaded the medivac choppers, with an additional 3 troopers KIA, and several wounded. After loading up we continued on our mission.

Shaking my head, glad that I wasn’t killed or maimed, I thought “The Beast, he was hungry today!”

The Beast; the animal is there in all of us. combat brings the intensity of life and death into full combination with the soul….. God has granted us. We are exalted and ashamed at the same moment! Such is the price we will continue to pay for all our remaining days. It shall be a chosen path, a natural decision we made as the warrior clan of our tribe.

The Beast; We see it in our blood, we find it in our faith. If the great tribe blesses us, it shall be well in our spirit. If they, (anti-war protesters-society) refused our sacrifices, the price is beyond words. No therapy or pill shall free us from our fate. so be it.

“We have seen the beast and it is us!

 ©Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance

Agent Orange Testimony To Institute of Medicine January 2013 – COVVHA VIDEO

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CHILDREN OF VIETNAM VETERANS AGENT ORANGE TESTIMONY TO IOM WWW.COVVHA.NET
 


Good Afternoon, My name is Tanya Renee Mack. I am here representing (COVVHA) Children of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance INC. I am 39 years old and am a 2nd generation Agent Orange Survivor. My father, SSGT. James Sciaccotti was a Combat Controller in the United States Air Force and was part of the Special Operations Squadron, 101st Airborne Unit in the A shau Valley from 1966 –1968.

The age range of children of Vietnam Veterans is roughly between the ages of 20-45. Many of us have Fathers with service connected Agent Orange Claims recognized by the Veterans Administration. Most of us have Dads who are dead or dying of Agent Orange presumptive illnesses that have been recognized by the VA. Our lives and the lives of our kids are the result of a giant science experiment between the United States Government and the chemical companies gone awry. New information known about human exposure to dioxin and trans-generational exposures, reinforces our belief of a strong plausibility of an epigenetic link to our illnesses and our Father’s or Mother’s service connection to the Vietnam War. We have been treated as collateral damage. The science is now quickly catching up with what we have known all along, we’ve been damaged by a war we did not fight.

COVVHA completes an informal survey when a new member joins our private support community. Through our 500 members (only COVVs) we have consistently been faced with like illnesses, and deformities. We want to bring this information to you, the IOM, urging this committee to finally investigate fully what has been done to us and our children. From our informal research we believe the children and grandchildren of Vietnam Veterans have a much higher instance of several types of disease. (In our submitted documents you will see the categories of illnesses and the number of times the illness has been reported). Represented in our membership also, are several suffering from the illnesses on the Veterans Presumptive lists, please keep in mind this is a group of people between ages 20-45.  Diabetes Type II, Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Ischemic Heart Disease, Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, Peripheral Neuropathy, Acute and Sub-acute Respiratory Cancers, Soft Tissue Sarcoma, Parkinson’s Disease.

Our membership of 500 COVVs have reported as many as 93 different congenital anomalies. Fourteen of them listed on the testimony we have submitted are some of same birth defects that are currently covered for the children of Women Vietnam Veterans. Considering there were 6-8 thousand women Vietnam Veterans and Approximately 2.8 million men who served, COVVHA believes this Study was used to keep the children of male Vietnam Veterans from making claims even though early studies showed dioxin caused birth defects in the children of Male Vietnam Veterans. Our fathers were told they were overreacting; there was no scientific link to their children being born with birth defects, rare illnesses and cancers. Air Force study of Ranch Hand personnel responsible for herbicide spraying reported statistically significant increase in reported birth defects in the Ranch Hand group (Albanese, 1988). Defects included: Skin defects, Neural tube defects, Heart defects, Oral clefts, and Kidney defects. Erickson, et al (1984) reported that risks for fathering an infant with spina bifida, cleft lip, and certain neoplasms” were higher for Vietnam veterans than controls. Increased evidence of birth defects were also reported in a population of Vietnam veterans living in Tasmania (Field and Kerr, 1988)., These were ignored, as were many other studies on the effects of dioxin on offspring from other countries, like in Vietnam where reports of birth defects, miscarriage and deformities were rampant.

In September of 2012, Washington State University released an epigenetic study looking at exposures of female mice to dioxin and the trans-generational effects dioxin had on the children and grandchildren of the mice. The Study showed there was a negative trans-generational effect. We need more of this type of research, Skinner, et al (2012). That study was funded partially by the Department of Defense. Why can’t they replicate the same study, but just expose male mice?

COVVHA would like to offer the following recommendations (See our submitted testimony for more):

A. The eighteen plus birth defects for children of female Vietnam Veterans should be approved for children of male Vietnam Veterans: This act alone would help some of the most disabled, and those in most desperate need of services, in the COVV community.

B. Free DNA and Epigenetic testing for the biological Children of Vietnam Veterans : (Our Data shows that biological children of Vietnam Veterans who have been required by their Doctors to have DNA Testing have proven to show genetic mutations. See submitted documents).

C. An official agent Orange Registry for Children of Vietnam Veterans (COVVHA proposes that an official Agent Orange registry be made available to the biological children of Vietnam Veterans.) COVVHA has submitted the types and numbers of each of the roughly 694 illness we have had reported over the past year.

We are willing to cooperate with the IOM in any way possible.

The following is a glimpse of how my Father’s exposure to Agent Orange has affected my life. I am 39 years old and am a 2nd generation Agent Orange Survivor. I was born with severe hip dysplasia and started having hip reconstruction surgery at just 4 months old. I learned to walk in a full body cast after my second reconstruction at 13 months old. After 15 hip reconstruction surgeries, at age 17, I had my first total hip replacement surgery. 22 years later, I’ve had 4 total hip replacements. Currently, I’m scheduled to have it replaced for the 5th time. At 32 years old I started to develop multiple basal cell and squamous cell carcinomas. They were very aggressive and according to the pathology reports, were a different mutation than normal. I was sent to UCLA to have genetic testing. There, I was diagnosed with Basal Cell Nevus Syndrome (also known as Gorlin Syndrome) with a Mutation in my PTCH1 gene. A mutation in this gene is only caused one of two ways. It is either inherited from a parent or a new mutation occurs due to chemical or biological environmental exposures. Only 20% of all cases reported are new mutations. Both of my parents were tested, and neither one had the mutation which means that I am in the 20% of new mutations.

By the time I was 34 I had a total hysterectomy due to Squamous Cell Carcinoma in my Uterus and on my Ovaries. At 35 years old, I was diagnosed with Lupus and Raynaud’s Disease, again no family history. I was also informed the severe back pain that I was having was a curve in my spine. In 2010, I was diagnosed with Melanoma. I was fortunate that is was caught early and had not spread to my Lymph Nodes. It did however, spread far enough to have tissue and muscle removed, causing a golf ball size disfigurement in my shin. August, 2011, I was diagnosed with another rare form of Cancer called Bowen’s Disease. Now, my Oncologist was extremely worried because they almost never see this in someone as young as me. Bowen’s Disease is caused by extreme exposure to Arsenic and is considered Arsenic Poisoning. Since I have never worked or been exposed to herbicides or pesticides, I was told by my Oncologist that it was due to my Father’s exposure to Agent Orange. Over 50% of the Compound used in Agent Orange was Arsenic. In March 2012, my Oncologist found a large tumor on the neck of my gallbladder which required another surgery to have my entire gallbladder removed.

As of today, I have had 198 skin biopsies of which 181 were positive for Cancer. I am currently on a new Cancer drug in which I was involved in the Clinical Trial. This drug, however, will only slow down the progression of Basal Cells and still leaves me vulnerable for Squamous Cell and Melanoma. I’m in constant pain and my quality of life has decreased drastically over the last several years. My medical costs with insurance runs an average of $800-$1000 dollars a month. These costs consist of office visit copays ($45 per visit) and tier 6 drugs, these do not count toward my annual out of pocket maximum. Because of this, I struggle every month to make ends meet as my medical insurance and copayments/coinsurance have to be first priority. In March 2007, in an attempt to get help with my mounting medical costs, I applied to the Department of Veterans Affairs for benefits (38 U.S.C. 1815). I sent the V.A all of the required documents, and medical records. I felt confident I would get some help because after all, Hip Dysplasia is a covered birth defect. Four months later I received a letter from The Department of Veterans Affairs denying my claim (See Statement below).

“We denied entitlement to a monthly monetary allowance for your claimed birth defect(s) because the evidence
does not show that your biological Mother served in Vietnam to qualify for payment under 38 U.S.C. 1815. The
claimed disability is hip dysplasia which is considered a qualifying condition. However, regulation 38 C.F.R. 3.815
refers to benefits allowable for an individual with disability from covered birth defects whose biological mother is or was a Vietnam Veteran”

I remember thinking that my Father’s Service to his Country would end up killing me. In my opinion, this was blatant discrimination against men and their offspring. I became depressed and wanted to give up. I was undergoing systemic chemotherapy at the time of my denial letter, and did not know how I would be able to continue since I could not afford the coinsurance for each treatment. Without going into detail, I will say my family has had to give up a lot so I could stay alive. August 21, 2012, My father passed away from Lung and Colon Cancer. He was 64 years old. His Cancer had been attributed to his exposure to Agent Orange. At the time of his death, he was receiving benefits from the V.A. and was considered 100% disabled due to service connected Agent Orange Exposure…..But of course, according o the V.A., there was no possible way that his exposure could have any effect on me, Sad!

Please See Below COVVHA’s Full IOM Testimony Packet

© (COVVHA) Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance INC

Committee to Review the Health Effects in Vietnam Veterans of Exposure to Herbicides (Ninth Biennial Update… by
Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance

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GRANDCHILDREN OF VIETNAM VETERANS REPORTED ILLNESS DATABASE UPDATE – 2013

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GRANDCHILDREN OF VIETNAM VETERANS, THIRD GENERATION, AGENT ORANGE DIOXIN BIRTH DEFECTS & HEALTH ISSUES
Agent Orange In Grandchildren of Vietnam Veterans www.covvha.net

We have compiled a list of 107 reported illnesses that the biological Grand-Children of Vietnam Veterans are suffering from to try and find common threads. There have been no official claims that anything on this list has been proven to be caused by Agent Orange/Dioxin unless otherwise noted in the information below. If your child is suffering from any illness not listed, please email us at COVVHA@GMAIL.COM This list has been updated as of January 22, 2013.

Please click on the page “JOIN OUR SITE” to become an email subscriber. You will then receive notifications when databases for 2ND GENERATION, 3RD GENERATION, and VETERANS HEALTH have been updated as well as any new articles that are published. Please be sure to check your email after subscribing for your confirmation completion.

Abdominal Scar Tissue Growth
Abdominal Migraines
Allergies
Amblyopia
Anencephaly
Anxiety
Apraxia of Speech
Apraxia of Limb
Asperger’s – Autism Spectrum Disorder
Asthma
Auditory Processing Disorder
Attention Deficit Disorder
Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder
Autoimmune Problems
Beckwith–Wiedemann Syndrome
Bedwetting
Borderline Personality Disorder
Born with One Kidney
Bowel Obstruction
Cellulitis
Chronic Bronchitis
Chronic Ear Infections
Cleft Palate
Constipation
Cystic Hygroma
Deafness (in one ear)
Deformed Baby Teeth
Depression
Developmental Delay
Dual AV Node In Heart
Dyslexia
Eczema
Edwards Syndrome
Enlarged Adenoids
Enlarged Tonsils
Failure to Thrive
Fibromyalgia
Fine Motor Aphasia
Frequent Ear Infections
Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
Gluten Allergy
Gross Motor Aphasia
Heart Murmur
Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
Hole in Heart
Hydrocephalus
Hyperflexability in the Joints
Hypospadias
Insomnia
Irritable Bowel Syndrome
ITP
Keratosis Pilaris
Lazy Eye
Learning Disability, Non Specific
Leg and Hip Problems at Birth
Low Vitamin D Levels
Migraines
Missing Teeth
Neural Tube Defects
Night Terrors
Nosebleeds
Not Good Hand/ Eye Coordination
Obesity
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
One Testicle That is Smaller Than the Other One
Overall Weak Immune System
Past Urinary Problems
Peeling Finger/ Toe Nails
Photosensitivity
Plagiocephaly
Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
Potty Training Problems
Premature Birth
Prone to Vericocele/ Hydracele
Prune Belly Syndrome
Pulmonary Stenosis
Pyloric Stenosis
Radial Dysphasia of the Wrist
Reflux
Retinoblastoma
Ruptured Ear Drums
Scoliosis
Seizures
Sensitive Skin
Sensory Processing Disorder/ Dysfunction of Sensory Integration
Severe Colic
Severe Seasonal Allergies
Sickle Cell Anemia
Sinusitis
Sleep Apnea
Snoring
Social Anxiety Disorder
Speech Disorder, Articulation
Spine is Blunt at the Bottom
Stickler Syndrome
Teeth Growing in Crooked
Tourette’s Syndrome
Two Uteruses
Type One Diabetes
UTI’s/ Bladder Infections
Vacterl Syndrome
Ventricular Septial Defect
Von Willebrand  Disease
Warts
Weak Baby Teeth
Weak Enamel In/On Teeth
Weird Skin Rashes

 

 © (COVVHA) Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance INC

ILLNESSES REPORTED BY CHILDREN OF VIETNAM VETERANS AGENT ORANGE WWW.COVVHA.NET

Agent Orange 731 Illnesses Reported By Children Of Vietnam Veterans – COVVHA Database Update 2013

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Agent Orange 731 Illnesses Reported By Children Of Vietnam Veterans – COVVHA Database Update 2013

We have compiled a list of 731 reported illnesses that the biological Children of Vietnam Veterans are suffering from to try and find common threads. There have been no official claims that anything on this list has been proven to be caused by Agent Orange/Dioxin unless otherwise noted in the information below. Other reports indicate that there are up to 30 years of illnesses and conditions being collected that we suffer from as the second generation. While many of us are born with these problems, our members that participated in this list are generally between the ages of 20-45 both male and female, often with no prior family history. If you are suffering from any illness not listed, please email us at COVVHA@GMAIL.COM. This list has been updated as of January 9, 2013. Please click on the page “JOIN OUR SITE” to become an email subscriber. You will then receive notifications when databases for 2ND GENERATION, 3RD GENERATION, and VETERANS HEALTH have been updated as well as any new articles that are published. Please be sure to check your email after subscribing for your confirmation completion.

  1. Abnormal Cervical Bleeding
  2. Abnormal Growth between the Ovaries
  3. Abnormal Pap Smears
  4. Abnormal Periods
  5. Abnormal Rectal Bleeding
  6. Achy Body
  7. Acid Reflux
  8. Acne Issues Undefined Cystic
  9. Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
  10. Acute Myeloid Leukemia
  11. ADD
  12. Addiction Cigarettes
  13. Addiction other than Cigarettes
  14. Addison’s Disease
  15. Adenomyosis
  16. ADHD
  17. Adrenal Gland Tumors
  18. Adult Acne
  19. Agoraphobia Severe
  20. Albinism
  21. Alcoholism
  22. Allergies
  23. Alopecia Areata
  24. Amblyopia
  25. Amenorrhoea
  26. Amputation
  27. Anal Squamous Cell Carcinoma Basaloid Type
  28. Anaplastic Large Cell Lymphoma
  29. Anaphylaxis
  30. Anencephaly
  31. Anemia
  32. Anger Issues
  33. Angioedema
  34. Ankyloglossia
  35. Ankylosing Spondylitis
  36. Annual Decrease in Night Vision
  37. Anorexia Nervosa
  38. Antiphospholipid Syndrome
  39. Anxiety
  40. Aortic Pulmonary Regurgitation
  41. Aphasia
  42. Appendicitis Cancerous/Undefined
  43. Appendicitis
  44. Arachnoid Cyst In Brain Space
  45. Arachnoiditis
  46. Arnold-Chiari Malformation
  47. Arrhythmia
  48. Arteriovenous Malformation
  49. Arthritis Inflammatory Of The Si Joint Rheumatoid
  50. Arthritis Juvenile
  51. Asperger’s
  52. Asthma
  53. Ataxia
  54. Atrial Fibrillation
  55. Autism
  56. Autoimmune Disease
  57. Autoimmune Disease Unknown Etiology
  58. Autonomic Nervous System Dysfunction
  59. Autonomic Neuropathy
  60. Back Pain
  61. Bacterial Meningitis
  62. Bacterial Infections
  63. Balance Problem
  64. Bell’s Palsy
  65. Benign Cyst Armpit
  66. Benign Multinodular Goiter
  67. Benign Oral Cysts
  68. Benign Tumor on Thyroid/ Near Total Thyroidectomy Surgery
  69. Berger’s Disease
  70. Bicornuate Uterus
  71. Bicuspid Aortic Heart Valve
  72. Bicuspid Valve Prolapse
  73. Bilateral Baker Cysts
  74. Bilateral Uterus
  75. Bipartite Patellas
  76. Bipolar Disorder
  77. Blackouts
  78. Bladder Infections/ Utis
  79. Bladder Is Collapsing
  80. Bladder Issues Infections/Overactive
  81. Bladder Lift
  82. Bleeding Issues
  83. Blindness
  84. Blood in Urine Undefined
  85. Blood Vessel Issues
  86. Boils
  87. Bone Cancer
  88. Bone Spurs/Problems Undefined
  89. Bones Missing At Birth
  90. Border Line Diabetic
  91. Borderline High Blood Pressure
  92. Borderline Personality Disorder
  93. Borderline Schizophrenia
  94. Born Blind
  95. Born Deaf
  96. Bowel Deformity/Issues
  97. Bradycardia Arrhythmia
  98. Brain Calcification And An Enlarged Perivascular Space
  99. Brain Issues Water On The Brain
  100. Brain Lesions Aneurism/Tumors/Surgery
  101. Brain Stem Abnormalities
  102. Brain Stem Small
  103. Brain Tumors
  104. Breast Cancer
  105. Breast Pain
  106. Breathing Problems Undefined
  107. Bronchitis/Bronchial Spasms
  108. Bursitis
  109. Calcium Deficiency
  110. Calluses on Vocal Chords Faulty Stomach Acid Caused
  111. Camptodactyly
  112. Cancer
  113. Cancer Undefined
  114. Cardiac Arrhythmia
  115. Cardiac Deformity
  116. Cardiomyopathy
  117. Cardiac Sarcoma
  118. Carpal Tunnel
  119. Caudal Regression
  120. Cava Perthes
  121. Celiac Disease
  122. Cellulitis
  123. Central Nervous System Disorder
  124. Cerebral Palsy
  125. Cerebellum Issues Undefined
  126. Cerebral Aneurysm
  127. Cerebral Palsy
  128. Cervical Cancer
  129. Cervical Dysplasia/Incompetency
  130. Cervical Infections
  131. Chiari Malformation Assoc W/ Spina Bifida
  132. Chemical Sensitivity
  133. Chest Wall Pain/ Breast Pain/Chest Pain
  134. Childhood Bedwetting
  135. Childhood Extreme Shyness
  136. Chloracne
  137. Choristoma Tumor in the Ear
  138. Chromosome Abnormalities
  139. Crohn’s Disease
  140. Chronic Asthmatic Bronchitis
  141. Chronic Candida and Other Female Reproductive Organ Infections
  142. Chronic Childhood Ear Infections
  143. Chronic Constipation
  144. Chronic Costochondritis
  145. Chronic ENT Issues Resulting In Adenoidectomy Tonsillectomy And Ear Tubes
  146. Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
  147. Chronic Fatigue and Immune Deficiency Syndrome
  148. Chronic Inflammatory Demyelinating Polyneuropathy
  149. Chronic Insomnia
  150. Chronic Kidney Disease
  151. Chronic Knee Dysplasia
  152. Chronic Migraines
  153. Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease Copd
  154. Chronic Pneumonia
  155. Chronic Sinusitis
  156. Chronic Urinary Tract Infections
  157. Chronic Venous Insufficiency Cvi Severe
  158. Cleft Palate Lips
  159. Clotting Disorders
  160. Club Foot
  161. Club Foot Talipes Equinovarus
  162. Cognitive Disorder
  163. Cognitive Disorder
  164. Cognitive Issues
  165. Cold Hands/Feet
  166. Cold/Flu Chronic
  167. Collapsed Vertebra
  168. Colon Issues
  169. Complete Hysterectomy
  170. Complete Pelvic Floor Collapse
  171. Compromised Immune System
  172. Compulsive Skin Picking Around Fingers
  173. Congenial Scoliosis
  174. Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
  175. Congenital Anosmia Born Without the Ability To Smile
  176. Congenital Heart Blockage
  177. Congenital Hips
  178. Congenital Hypertension
  179. Connective Tissue Disorder
  180. Constipation/Cramping
  181. Conversion Disorder
  182. Costochondritis
  183. Cranial Synthesis
  184. Crest Syndrome
  185. Crohn’s Disease
  186. Crossed Eyes Newborn
  187. Cryoglobulinemia
  188. Cushings Syndrome
  189. Cystic Acne
  190. Cystic Fibrosis
  191. Cystic Fibrosis
  192. Cysts
  193. Cysts Arm Brain Hand Leg Shoulder Blade Thyroid
  194. Daily Headaches
  195. Debilitating Muscle Spasms
  196. Deep Venous Thrombosis
  197. Deformed Arms/Legs/Fingers/Toes/Feet
  198. Deformed Sinuses
  199. Deformity of Chest/Breast
  200. Deformity of Shoulders/Muscles
  201. Deformity of The Face/Head/Neck
  202. Degenerative Disc Disease
  203. Degenerative Joint Syndrome
  204. Degenerative Ligament Tissue
  205. Dehydration
  206. Dental Problems
  207. Depression
  208. Depression Major Clinical
  209. Dermatitis
  210. Detached Retina
  211. Developmental Delay
  212. Deviated Nasal Septum
  213. Dextrocardia
  214. Diabetes Type I
  215. Diabetes Type II
  216. Diagonal Earlobe Crease
  217. Dilated Cardiomyopathy with Enlarged Left Ventricle And Heart Sound
  218. Diarrhea SP
  219. Digestive Issues
  220. Disc Desiccation
  221. Dissociative Disorder
  222. Diverticulitis
  223. Dizzy Spells
  224. Double Cervix
  225. Double Hernia @ Birth
  226. Double Ureter
  227. Double Uterus/Cervix
  228. Double Uvula/Cleft Uvula
  229. Droop Eye Ptosis
  230. Drug Abuse
  231. Duane Syndrome
  232. Dwarfism
  233. Dysautonomia
  234. Dyslexia
  235. Dysphagia
  236. Dysthymia Aka Chronic Depression
  237. Ear Infections/Problems/Surgeries/Tubes
  238. Ectopic Pregnancy
  239. Eczema
  240. Electrolyte Abnormalities
  241. Elevated Heart Rate
  242. Emotional Problems
  243. Empty Sella Syndrome
  244. Endocrine Disorders
  245. Endometrial Cancer
  246. Endometrial Hyperplasia
  247. Endometriosis-
  248. Enlarged Heart
  249. Enlarged Liver-Cause Unknown
  250. Epilepsy
  251. Eustachian Tube Dysfunction
  252. Excessive Nose Bleeds
  253. Excessive Sweating
  254. Exotropia
  255. Extra Body Parts
  256. Extra Bones
  257. Extra Vertebrae
  258. Eye Floaters
  259. Eye Problems Undefined
  260. Eyes Legs Stomach Abdomen
  261. Facet Joint Syndrome
  262. Facial Aplasia
  263. Factor V Leiden
  264. Familial Tremor
  265. Fatigue Chronic Syndrome,
  266. Fatty Deposits on Liver
  267. Felty’s Syndrome
  268. Fever Seizures
  269. Fever Undefined
  270. Fibrocystic Breast Disease
  271. Fibroid Cysts in Breast
  272. Fibromyalgia
  273. Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis
  274. Follicular Lymphoma/Large B Cell Lymphoma
  275. Food Allergies
  276. Foot Deformity/Issues/Burning
  277. Fragile X Syndrome
  278. Frazonism
  279. Fused Digits
  280. Fused Vertebrae in Neck
  281. Fused Vertebrae/Disc
  282. Gall Bladder Disease/ Gall Stones
  283. Ganglion Cyst
  284. Gastritis
  285. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease (GERD
  286. Gastroesophageal Reflux Disease
  287. Gastrointestinal Problems
  288. Gastroparesis SP
  289. Gene Mutations gg MHP
  290. Generalized Anxiety Disorder
  291. Gestational Diabetes
  292. Glaucoma
  293. Glioblastoma
  294. Gluten Intolerance
  295. Goiter
  296. Goldenhar Syndrome
  297. Gout
  298. Grand Mal Seizures
  299. Grave’s Disease
  300. Growth Hormone Deficiency
  301. Growths/Lumps on Skull
  302. Hae – Hereditary Angioedema
  303. Hair Loss
  304. Hairy Cell Leukemia
  305. Hashimoto’s Autoimmune Thyroid Disease
  306. Head Sores
  307. Headaches (Chronic
  308. Hearing Loss
  309. Hearing Loss/Deafness
  310. Heart Attack
  311. Heart Defect/Murmur/Newborn
  312. Heart Disease
  313. Heart Failure
  314. Heart Murmur
  315. Heart Palpitations
  316. Heart Problems/Surgery Undefined
  317. Heat Intolerance
  318. Heel Spur
  319. Hemangioma
  320. Hereditary Atypical Hemochromatosis
  321. Hereditary Hemorrhagic Telangiectasia
  322. Hernia
  323. Herniated Discs
  324. High ANA Levels In Blood Leads To Potential Lupus Diagnosis
  325. High Blood Pressure
  326. High Cholesterol
  327. High Myopia/ Shortsightedness
  328. High Pulse Rate
  329. Hip Deformity/Pain/Surgery/Undefined -
  330. Hip Dysplasia
  331. Hip Pain Undefined
  332. Hip Replacement
  333. Hirsutism
  334. Histiocytosis
  335. Hives
  336. Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
  337. Hormone Issues/Replacement
  338. Hidradenitis Suppurativa
  339. Hydrocele Testis
  340. Hydrocephalus
  341. Hydrocephaly CG (brother-deceased
  342. Hydrocoele Hernia
  343. Hyaline Membrane
  344. Hymen Issues Partially Intact
  345. Hypercoagulability
  346. Hyperhomocysteinemia
  347. Hyperinsulinemia
  348. Hyperlipidemia
  349. Hypermobility Issues/Surgeries
  350. Hyperparathyroidism
  351. Hypertension
  352. Hyperthyroidism
  353. Hypoglycemia
  354. Hypoparathyroidism
  355. Hypoplasia Entire Right Side
  356. Hypoplastic Heart
  357. Hypospadias
  358. Hypothyroidism
  359. Hyperprolactinemia
  360. Hysterectomy
  361. Idiopathic Gastroparesis
  362. Idiopathic Intracranial Hypertension
  363. Idiopathic Thrombocytopenic Purpura Itp Platelet Disorder
  364. Immune System Issues Undefined & Ivig Infusions
  365. Imperforate Anus
  366. Incompetent Cervix
  367. Infant/Toddler Lethargy Withdrawal
  368. Infertility
  369. Insomnia
  370. Insulin Resistance
  371. Interstitial Cystitis
  372. Intracranial Cyst
  373. Intracranial Hypertension Formally Known As PTC
  374. Involuntary Muscle Spasms Face
  375. Iron Deficiency
  376. Irritable Bowel Syndrome
  377. Ischemic Heart Disease
  378. ITP
  379. Jaw Deformity/Surgery
  380. Joint & Muscle Problems/Pain
  381. Joint Hypermobility Syndrome
  382. Juvenile Macular Degeneration
  383. Keratosis Pilaris
  384. Kidney Disease/Surgery
  385. Kidney Issues/Infections/Cysts
  386. Kidney Stones
  387. Kienbock’s Disease
  388. Knee Chondromalacia Patella
  389. Knee Problems/Dysplasia/Pain/Surgery
  390. Kyphosis
  391. Lactose Intolerant
  392. Lateral Epicondylitis
  393. Bilateral Microtia
  394. Lazy Eye
  395. Learning Disabilities
  396. Legally Blind
  397. Lethargy
  398. Leukemia
  399. Leukocytosis with Neutrophilia
  400. Lhermitte’s Sign
  401. Lichen Planus
  402. Lipomas-Non-Cancerous Tumors Throughout Body
  403. Liver cirrhosis due to atypical hereditary hemochromatosis
  404. Liver Disease Fatty/Undefined
  405. Liver Inflammation/Other
  406. Liver Lesions
  407. Long Qt Syndrome
  408. Loss of Skin Pigment
  409. Loss of Strength In Limbs
  410. Low Blood Count Red
  411. Low Blood Pressure
  412. Low Estrogen
  413. Low Potassium
  414. Low Testosterone
  415. Low Vitamin D Levels
  416. Lumbarization
  417. Lumps On the Head
  418. Lung Cancers and Hocm
  419. Lung Deformity rd Lung
  420. Lung Disease/Nodules/Tumors/Clots
  421. Lupus
  422. Lupus of The Skin
  423. Lymphocytic Thyroiditis
  424. Lymphatic Tumors/Lymphangioma
  425. Lymphoblastic Leukemia
  426. Lymphoma
  427. Macrodactyly
  428. Major Depressive Disorder
  429. Malabsorption of Food/Drink
  430. Malabsorption of Vitamin B
  431. Marfan Syndrome
  432. Mastocytosis
  433. Mastoiditis
  434. Melanoma
  435. Memory Loss
  436. Menieres Disease
  437. Menopause Issues Early
  438. Menorrhagia
  439. Menstrual Cycle Issues
  440. Mental Health Issues
  441. Mental Retardation
  442. Metabolic Syndromes
  443. Metatarsus Varus Pigeon Toe
  444. Methicillin Staphylococcus Resistant Aureus
  445. Methylenetetrahydrofolate Reductase
  446. Microtia
  447. Migraine Headaches
  448. Migraines : Hypnic Cluster Basilar Hemiplegic
  449. Mild Dysplasia
  450. Misopedia
  451. Missing A Whole Layer of Dermis
  452. Missing Big Toe ,
  453. Missing Digits
  454. Missing Fingers
  455. Missing Limb Right Leg below the Knee
  456. Missing Limbs/Body Parts
  457. Missing Vertebrae
  458. Mitral Valve Prolapse
  459. Mittelschmerz
  460. Mixed Connective Tissue Disease
  461. Mood Swings
  462. Multiple Sclerosis
  463. Mullerian Aplasia
  464. Multiple Cardiac Arrests
  465. Multiple Recurring Undiagnosable Oozing Sores
  466. Muscle Spasms/Pain/Numbness Undefined
  467. Musculoskeletal Problems,
  468. Muscular Dystrophy
  469. Myasthenia Gravis
  470. Mycobacterium Gordonae
  471. Myelodysplastic Syndrome
  472. Mitral Valve Prolapse Duplicate Mitral Valve
  473. Nasal Cancer
  474. Nasal Polyps
  475. Nausea
  476. Neck Pain
  477. Nephrolithiasis
  478. Nerve Damage
  479. Neuralgia Face Feet Hands Legs
  480. Neurocardiogenic
  481. Neurological Problem Undefined
  482. Neuropathy
  483. Neutropenia
  484. Nevus Sebaceous
  485. Night Blindness
  486. Night Sweats
  487. Night Terrors
  488. Nightmares
  489. Non-Hodgkin’S Lymphoma
  490. Nosebleeds
  491. Numbness
  492. Nystagmus
  493. Obesity
  494. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder
  495. Oppositional Defiant Disorder
  496. Orthostatic Hypotension
  497. Orthostatic Intolerance
  498. Osteoarthritis
  499. Osteochondritis
  500. Osteogenesis Imperfecta
  501. Osteopenia
  502. Osteoporosis
  503. Ostras Laughters
  504. Otosclerosis
  505. Ovarian Cancer
  506. Ovarian Cysts
  507. Ovaries & Wrists
  508. Overactive Bladder
  509. Pain In Chest Radiating Up My Right Side of Neck
  510. Pain Undefined
  511. Palate Problems
  512. Pancreases
  513. Pancreatitis
  514. Pancytopenia
  515. Panic Attacks
  516. Paralysis
  517. Paresthesias
  518. Para-Thyroid Gland Disfunction
  519. Pericarditis
  520. Pars Planitis
  521. Partial Thyroidectomy
  522. Patellar Subluxation Left Knee
  523. Pectus Excavatum
  524. Peeling As If Sunburned Face and Body
  525. Pelvic Bones Not Fused
  526. Pelvic Congestion Syndrome K, before Hysterectomy
  527. Pelvic Reconstruction/Issues
  528. Peptic Ulcers
  529. Peripheral Neuropathy
  530. Periventricular Leukomalacia
  531. Pernicious Anemia
  532. Personality Disorder
  533. Phantom Pains Photosensitivity
  534. Pierre Robin Sequence
  535. Pituitary Gland Disfunction
  536. Pityriasis
  537. Planar Spaciatis
  538. Pneumonia Childhood / Recurring
  539. Poland Syndrome
  540. Poliosis
  541. Polycystic Ovarian Syndrome
  542. Polycystic Kidney Disease
  543. Polycythemia
  544. Polycythemia Vera without Genetic Factor
  545. Polymorphic Light Eruption
  546. Polymyositis
  547. Poor Egg Quality
  548. Porphyria
  549. Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome
  550. Potassium Issues
  551. Preeclampsia
  552. Pregnancy Complications Undefined
  553. Pregnancy Partial Molar
  554. Premature Babies
  555. Premature Menopause
  556. Premature Ovarian Failure
  557. Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder
  558. Primitive Neuroectodermal Tumor
  559. Prolactinoma
  560. Prolapsed Cervix
  561. Prostate Problems/Enlarged
  562. Psoriasis
  563. Psoriatic Arthritis
  564. Psoriatic Rheumatoid Arthritis
  565. Pseudo-Obstruction Intestinal Neurological
  566. Pseudotumor Cerebri
  567. Ptosis
  568. PTSD Primary Related To Family Violence
  569. PTSD Secondary
  570. Pulmonary Embolism
  571. Pulmonary Edema
  572. Pulmonary Fibrosis/Other Undefined
  573. Pulmonary Restriction
  574. PVC’s
  575. Pyloric Stenosis
  576. Rapid absorption
  577. Rash under My Arm Same Place My Dad Gets It
  578. Rashes Newborn
  579. Rashes Undefined
  580. Raynaud’s Syndrome
  581. Rectal Prolapse
  582. Rectal Seal Prolapse
  583. Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy
  584. Renal Cysts/Calcifications
  585. Renal Failure
  586. Reproductive Problems Female
  587. Respiratory Infections/Distress
  588. Restless Leg Syndrome
  589. Retroverted Uterus
  590. Rhabdomyosarcoma
  591. Rheumatic Fever
  592. Rheumatoid Arthritis
  593. Rosacea
  594. Sacral Agenesis
  595. Sacral lumbarization
  596. Salpingitis Isthmica Nodosa
  597. Sarcoidosis
  598. Schizophrenia
  599. Scleroderma
  600. Scoliosis
  601. Sebaceous Cysts
  602. Seborrheic Dermatitis
  603. Secondary infertility
  604. Seizures Petit Mal
  605. Seizures,
  606. Sensitive Skin
  607. Sensitive Teeth
  608. Sensitivity to Medications
  609. Septate Uterus
  610. Septate Uterus
  611. Severe Chronic Neutropenia
  612. Severe Depression
  613. Severe Light Sensitivity
  614. Shingles Ears Mouth Ophthalmic Throat
  615. Short Term Memory Problems
  616. Shyness
  617. Sinus Infections/Problems
  618. Sinus Tachycardia
  619. Sinusitis
  620. Sjogrens Syndrome
  621. Skin Cancer -
  622. Skin Lesions
  623. Skin Problems/Deformity
  624. Skin Rashes
  625. Sleep Apnea
  626. Slight Deviated Jaw
  627. Small Digits on Hands-
  628. Snoring
  629. Social Anxiety Disorder
  630. Social Problems
  631. Spastic Colon
  632. Speech Problems
  633. Sphincter of Oddi Disorder
  634. Spina Bifida
  635. Spina Bifida Occulta
  636. Spinal Cord Disease/Tumors
  637. Spinal Deformities
  638. Spinal Deterioration
  639. Spinal Surgeries/Pain/Undefined
  640. Spinal Meningitis
  641. SpinoCerebellar Ataxia
  642. SpinoCerebellar Degeneration
  643. Splenetic Cysts
  644. Spondyloarthropy
  645. Spondylolisthesis
  646. Spondylolysis and Spondylolisthesis
  647. Squamous Papilloma Benign Polyp In Mouth
  648. Steatohepatitis
  649. Stenosis of The Spine
  650. Stomach Pains/Problems
  651. Strabismus
  652. Strange Growths
  653. Strep Throat
  654. Stress
  655. Stress Seizures
  656. Stroke
  657. Sturge Weber Syndrome
  658. Subglottic Stenosis
  659. Suicidal Thoughts
  660. Suicide Brother
  661. Supraventricular Tachycardia
  662. Swelling Undefined
  663. Swollen Glands
  664. Syndactyly
  665. Syringomyelia
  666. Tachycardia
  667. Tachycardia Unknown Due To Wpw Syndrome
  668. Temporal Arteritis
  669. Temporomandibular Joint Disorder
  670. Tendonitis
  671. Testicular Deformity
  672. Thinning Of Hair Top Front
  673. Thoracic Outlet Syndrome
  674. Throat Tumors
  675. Thrombophilia
  676. Thyroid Cancer Hashimoto’s
  677. Thyroid Issues & Cysts Hyperthyroidism
  678. Tilted Uterus
  679. Tinea Versicolor
  680. Tinnitus Lifelong
  681. Tired
  682. Tonsillitis/Tonsillectomy
  683. Tooth Decay Abnormal
  684. Tooth Formation Absence Adult Teeth Never Came In
  685. Torticollis
  686. Tourettes
  687. Toxic Shock Syndrome
  688. Tracheoesophageal Fistula
  689. Tracheo-Esophageal Fistula
  690. Tremors
  691. Triple Ureter
  692. Triple X Syndrome
  693. Truncus Arteriosus
  694. Tuberculosis
  695. Tumor on The Parathyroid
  696. Tumors
  697. Tumors on Liver
  698. Twitches
  699. Ulcerated Colitis
  700. Ulcers Stomach Mouth Nose
  701. Undiagnosed Rash One Side of Body
  702. Unexplained Numbness
  703. Unexplained Tingling Right Side of Body
  704. Unspecified Immunodeficiency
  705. Urinary Tract Infections/Issues
  706. Uterine Cancer
  707. Uterine Fibroids
  708. Uterine Leiomyosarcoma
  709. Uterine Polyps
  710. Urticaria
  711. Vacterl Syndrome
  712. Vaginal Bleeding
  713. Vaginosis
  714. Vascular Headaches
  715. Vasculitis
  716. Varicose Veins
  717. Vertebrae Extra/Missing
  718. Vertigo
  719. Viral Meningitis
  720. Vision Problems
  721. Vitamin B Deficiency
  722. Vitiligo
  723. Vomiting
  724. Von Willebrand’S Disease
  725. Vulvodynia Pain in the Vulva
  726. Weak Enamel In/On Teeth
  727. Weak Muscles Left Leg
  728. Webbed Toes
  729. Weight Loss
  730. Whole Thyroidectomy Surgery
  731. Wolff- Parkinson- White Syndrome

© (COVVHA) CHILDREN OF VIETNAM VETERANS HEALTH ALLIANCE INC

agent orange gmo monsanto children of vietnam veterans www.covvha.net

Agent Orange, Children Of Vietnam Veterans, Monsanto, GMO – The Video That Explains Everything

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On October 16, 2011, Kelly L. Derricks (TRUTH TELLER) traveled to New York City where she gave a public speech about Agent Orange after being invited by Millions Against Monsanto to participate in the rally event for World Food Day.  Below is the video recording of that speech.

Kelly has battled severe health issues since she was born that continue today. Some of her illnesses, presumed to be associated with the inter-generational effects of Agent Orange, include but are not limited to the following:

• Chronic kidney disease
• Crohn’s disease
• Addison’s disease
• Congenital adrenal hyperplaysia
• Intersticial cystitis.

*Her complete list of illnesses staggers to 30 different things.

Kelly continues to fight for the Children of Vietnam Veterans as well as Vietnam Veterans and their families. In January of 2012 She Co-Founded The Non-Profit Organization (COVVHA) Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance INC

Visit The Main Website At WWW.COVVHA.NET

https://www.youtube.com/user/teppnme?feature=watch

Agent Orange Peace Boat 2012 COVVHA

The Lingering Effects of Agent Orange

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This video explores the perspectives of three generations of Agent Orange survivors offering a rare insight into non-Vietnamese survivors highlighting the global scale of this issue. Additionally, Jon Mitchell, a Welsh born journalist now residing in Yokohama explains his groundbreaking work in helping to uncover the use, storage and burial of Agent Orange on the Japanese islands of Okinawa. Through the video, viewers can see how these inspiring individuals used their time aboard Peace Boat to spread the messages of this issue as well as their time on land in Da Nang, Vietnam; where they were able to visit a support center for Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange.
Special thanks to
Heather Bowser (Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance), Kenneth H. Young, Jenna Mack, Jon Mitchell
&
Da Nang Center for Agent Orange and Disadvantaged Children


The lingering effects of Agent Orange from Peace Boat on Vimeo.

http://vimeo.com/peaceboat

CBD LAPEL feature

(COVVHA) Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance Lapel Pins On Sale Now!

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JUST IN TIME FOR THE HOLIDAYS!!!

The Perfect stocking stuffer gift that will shine the whole year through!!!
Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance is proud to introduce our new Lapel Pins for purchase

Individual Pins Are Priced At $12.00

Email Us At PMASON@COVVHA.NET To Place Your Orders!!!!

COVVHA Organic View Radio Agent Orange Veterans

Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance On The Organic View Radio Show – Veterans Day Episode

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On Monday November 12, 2012, Kelly L. Derricks and Karen Y. Wengert were please to return to the Organic View Radio Show, hosted by June Stoyer,  for a special Veterans Day feature about Agent Orange and the children of Vietnam Veterans.

Click the player below to hear the show!

http://www.blogtalkradio.com/theorganicview/2012/11/12/the-children-of-vietnam-veterans-health-alliance

Listen to internet radio with The Organic View on Blog Talk Radio
VETERANS DAY 2012 FLAG 2 CHILDREN OF VIETNAM VETERANS HEALTH ALLIANCE

Veterans Day in America 2012

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Written By Heather A. Bowser
America, the land of the free, and the home of the brave.
Have you ever noticed? They are all around you.

We have young ones, and old ones, yellow and red ones, ones from the south, ones from north, ones who are peace nicks and ones who still fight. We have compassionate ones too, mothers and fathers, plus sisters and brothers. We have wounded ones, and ones who are still intact. We have mentally ill ones, and homeless ones too. We have generational ones, and ones blazing a new trail. We have poor ones and well off ones, conservative ones, and liberal ones. We have gay ones (we are allowed to say that now), and straight ones.We have black ones, and white ones too. We have angry ones, and hurt ones, and ones with PTSD. We have ones who love their community, and ones who want to be left alone. We have proud ones, and ones who never talk. We have addicted ones, and cold stone sober ones. We have women ones, and men ones too. We have ones who have been raped. We have ones who have seen horrible things, and ones who have created peace. We have P.O.W. ones, and ones who have given the ultimate sacrifice, they will never be forgotten. We have ones who hate, and ones who love. We have poisoned ones, and amputee ones. We have ones who beep in metal detectors, and ones who saw no action. We have mid-western ones, and west coast ones. We have aggressive ones, and passive ones. There are abusive ones, and ones who have been abused. We have gun hating ones, and gun loving ones.We have in-country ones, and desk jockey ones. We have proud ones, and ashamed ones. We have immigrant ones, and hometown ones. We have ones with mixed emotions, and ones who are assured. We have ones with wanderlust, and ones who are homesick. We have ones with little children, and ones who have lost children. We have ones who’d never re-up, and ones who have over and over. We have suicidal ones, and ones who have died from suicide, lots and lots of ones. We have lots of different types of ones.

They may come from a different walks of life, political persuasions, or moral ideals then you, but they have laid it all on the line for your parents, you, your children, and your children’s future children. We are celebrating all the ones, the Americans, who have served in the U.S. Armed Services on this eleventh of November, 2012.

Children of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance, honors our Veterans today, and everyday. Thank you each for your service, and welcome home to the land of the brave.

“Freedom Is NOT Free”

© Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance
Heather A. Bowser, MsEd, LPCC, Copyright 2012
CBD17

COVVHA BY DESIGN CUSTOM CLOTHING LINE

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WE ARE PROUD TO ANNOUNCE OUR NEW AGENT ORANGE AWARENESS CHILDREN OF VIETNAM VETERANS HEALTH ALLIANCE CUSTOM CLOTHING LINE “COVVHA BY DESIGN”  SPONSORED BY
 RED ZONE GRAPHIC EMBROIDERY 

Check out some of our photos for our different brand lines like :

COVVHA SPORT FOR WOMEN

COVVHA GEAR FOR MEN

COVVHA COMFORT SLEEP LINE

COVVHA VETERANS & MILITARY

COVVHA LAPEL PINS

R2M CUSTOM 

For Ordering and product Information Please Contact
PMASON@COVVHA.NET
 

To View Photos, please Click HERE

Agent Orange News Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance 2012

Agent Orange Dioxin & GMO News September – October

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One veteran’s story about fighting Agent Orange
Ruben Rosario: Did this veteran’s service cost him his life?
Ken Blum: Focus on Agent Orange before victims are all gone
John Bury: Victims of Agent Orange must band together to push …
Despite knowing Agent Orange, Parkinson’s link some veterans still have …
France May Issue Call for Europe-Wide Ban on GM Corn
Red Fridays – Burn Pits, the new Agent Orange
Genetically Modified Organisms No Answer to Food Shortage
Treatment of veterans is totally disgusting
Federal Judge Dismisses Agent Orange Case in NY
Agent Orange in Okinawa: the Smoking Gun
Prop 37: 8 Reasons for Voting Yes for Labeling GMO Foods
New method of cleaning Passaic River fails test in Lyndhurst
Promise made, promise kept: Son takes father’s fight about Agent …
Agent Orange wrecks future generations’ too?
Corpus Christi Army Depot’s safety history sometimes spotty
Letters: A veteran’s take on his healthcare
After military service, veterans next battle V.A.
Vietnamese, Korean dioxin victims on epic bike trip
Homeland Security is Working for Monsanto
US says to help clear dioxin from Da Nang airport by 2016
War veterans’ children supported by scholarships
Over VND2.5 billion raised for disadvantaged children
Agent Orange consequences to be overcome by 2020
Vietnam Veteran Remembered As Kind, Proud American
SEARCH TIME.COM
US, Vietnam join hands to deal with AO consequences
Agent Orange chemical in GM war on resistant weeds
Agent Orange cleanup effort stirs questions about responsibility
Mag Links Romney To Monsanto
Remember Vietnam,Continuing Birth Defects Caused By Agent …
Massive Attack on GMO Labeling Proposal in California
Monsanto: One of Romney & Bain’s Earliest Clients
Andrew G. Reiter: Questions on efforts to clean up Agent Orange
Oregonians Fear Harmful Effects From Timberland Herbicides
AGENT ORANGE Rainbow Herbicides A Bioforming Pandemic Killing Some …
Feds May Acknowledge Ground Zero Cancer Link
FRA | Legislative Update: Agent Orange Reform
Debate over genetically modified food gets political with Prop. 37
Agent Orange’s shameful legacy
U.S. and Vietnam looking to improve trade relations
American student asks justice for AO victims
Birth defects caused by Agent Orange : WTF
Dow denies succour to Bhopal despite new-found enveronmentalism
Navy veteran says Agent Orange is still a concern
Dow Chemical still blamed for deaths and birth defects and under …
Laos still in the dark on Agent Orange impact
United States and Laos yet to deal with Agent Orange legacy
I look to the positives rather than the ifs or the buts’
United States Embarks On $43 Million Effort to - Birth Defect Lawyer …
Da Nang: 62 people infected with dioxin
VA Harnesses Big Data For Broader Impact
McNair researcher to use Vietnam’s toxic aftermath for realistic theatre
Craig Wehrle: War supporter Grothman should look at birth defects
The Terrible Legacy of Agent Orange
Vietnam forgotten, more than a ‘Lost Generation’
150, 000 Vietnamese children born with birth defects - Agent …
He’s telling the other side of war
Veterans For Peace: U.S. just beginning Agent Orange cleanup in …
Cleaning Agent Orange - Video Library – The New York Times
Behind the front line
The Toxic Effects of Agent Orange Persist 51 Years After the …
DIOXIN WSU EPIGENETICS AGENT ORANGE #COVVHA

#Dioxin Agent Orange causes disease reproductive problems across generations – WSU #Epigenetics COMPLETE Study

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“Dioxin (TCDD) Induces Epigenetic Transgenerational Inheritance of Adult Onset Disease and Sperm Epimutations,”

Dioxin causes disease, reproductive problems across generations

By Eric Sorensen, WSU science writer

PULLMAN, Wash. – Since the 1960s, when the defoliant Agent Orange was widely used in Vietnam, military, industry and environmental groups have debated the toxicity of its main ingredient, the chemical dioxin, and how it should be regulated.

But even if all the dioxin were eliminated from the planet, Washington State University researchers say its legacy would live on in the way it turns genes on and off in the descendants of people exposed over the past half century.
Writing in the journal PLoS ONE, biologist Michael Skinner and members of his lab say dioxin administered to pregnant rats resulted in a variety of reproductive problems and disease in subsequent generations. The first generation of rats had prostate disease, polycystic ovarian disease and fewer ovarian follicles, the structures that contain eggs. To the surprise of Skinner and his colleagues, the third generation had even more dramatic incidences of ovarian disease and, in males, kidney disease.
“Therefore, it is not just the individuals exposed, but potentially the great-grandchildren that may experience increased adult-onset disease susceptibility,” says Skinner.
Skinner is a professor of reproductive biology and environmental epigenetics – the process in which environmental factors affect how genes are turned on and off in the offspring of an exposed animal, even though its DNA sequences remain unchanged. In this year alone, Skinner and colleagues have published studies finding epigenetic diseases promoted by jet fuel and other hydrocarbon mixtures, plastics, pesticides and fungicides, as well as dioxin.
The field of epigenetics opens new ground in the study of how diseases and reproductive problems develop. While toxicologists generally focus on animals exposed to a compound, work in Skinner’s lab further demonstrates that diseases can also stem from older, ancestral exposures that are then mediated through epigenetic changes in sperm.
This latest study was funded by the U.S. Department of Defense, the National Institutes of Health and the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences. Skinner designed the study; the research was done by Assistant Research Professor Mohan Manikkam, Research Technician Rebecca Tracey and Post-doctoral Researcher Carlos Guerrero-Bosagna.
The study, “Dioxin (TCDD) Induces Epigenetic Transgenerational Inheritance of Adult Onset Disease and Sperm Epimutations,” is embedded below and also available at http://dx.plos.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0046249.
Contact:
Michael Skinner, WSU Professor of Environmental Epigenetics And Reproductive Biology, 509-335-1524, skinner@wsu.edu

Dioxin (TCDD) Induces Epigenetic Transgenerational Inheritance of Adult Onset Disease and Sperm Epimutations

Agent Orange In Ohio – COVVHA Event Press Release

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For Immediate Release

Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance
COVVHA@GMAIL.COM
www.Covvha.net

Agent Orange In Ohio

Boardman, OH – October, 13 2012 – Two Generational Victims of Agent Orange who founded the Non-Profit Organization ‘Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance’ will host a meet & greet and educational seminar on October 13th starting at 6pm at Ohio Naturopathic Wellness Center, 755 Boardman-Canfield Rd., Suite D- (Southbridge West), Boardman, OH. Appetizers and beverages will be served, followed by the seminar at 7pm. Please make your reservations at COVVHA@Gmail.com for attendance since seating is limited. The event is free and open to the public and can also be joined through Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/COVVHA

Heather A. Bowser (39), Daughter of Bill Morris, of Canfield Ohio and Kelly L. Derricks (37), Daughter of Harry C. Mackel Jr., of Bucks County Pennsylvania are both daughters of deceased Vietnam War Veterans. Each of their father’s were exposed to the deadly herbicide Agent Orange/Dioxin while serving with the United States Military resulting in their untimely deaths.  Heather and Kelly were both born with multiple birth defects and illnesses which they still suffer from Today. In early 2012, after many years of independent advocacy, they came together to form ‘Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance’ a Non-Profit organization seeking justice and providing assistance for the tens of thousands of sons and daughters also suffering from the generational effects of Agent Orange that occurs during the conception of a child.

Karen Y. Wengert (38), Daughter of surviving Vietnam Veteran George Ridgeway, of Newark Ohio, will also be attending the event.  Karen’s mother, Barbara Ridgeway (Dunn), who is now deceased, was a key proponent in starting the area’s local VVA chapter.  At the age of 8, Karen accompanied by her parents on November 11, 1982, stood in attendance at the official opening of the Vietnam Veteran’s Memorial Wall in Washington D.C.  As a surviving Vietnam Veteran, Karen’s father now suffers the severe health effects that Agent Orange / Dioxin is known for leaving in its destructive wake.  Recently,  Heather and Kelly were very pleased when Karen graciously accepted the position of Secretary as an Official COVVHA board member.  Karen has worked tirelessly over the last several months, despite her suffering with numerous illnesses, to ensure COVVHA’s ability to reach the 2ND generation victims of Agent Orange.

Nicknamed COVVHA, Kelly and Heather stress four simple words that have reached millions, not just in the American community, but also the international community of those exposed including Vietnam, Australia, Korea, Japan, Guam, and Canada; “You Are NOT Alone.” COVVHA has vowed that no Vietnam Veteran, Child, Grandchild, or those who were exposed to Agent Orange by other circumstances, will ever feel like they are waging the fight for their lives alone. The event which is being hosted by Kelly and Heather on October 13th starting at 6pm at Ohio Naturopathic Wellness Center, 755 Boardman-Canfield Rd., Suite D-(Southbridge West), Boardman, Ohio, Is intended to educate the general public and those exposed about the generational health and medical effects of Agent Orange. They also hope to meet other Sons and Daughters of Vietnam Veterans who may have interest in volunteering any extra time to COVVHA.

Before his Death at the age of 37, Kelly’s father stated, “I know I have a bomb ticking inside of me, I know that bomb is Agent Orange.” Before his death at the age of 50, Heather’s father stated, “If I only knew I was taking my children to war, I would have dodged the draft.”  Please join Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance on Saturday evening, October 13, 2012 to help COVVHA raise awareness.  R.S.V.P. by email at COVVHA@GMAIL.COM  At the conclusion of the evening’s events, A brief memorial tribute will be held in honor of Kelly’s father marking the 30 year anniversary of his death on October 14, 1982.  Kelly was only 7 years old when her father died.  Agent Orange was not just a Vietnam War Era tragedy. In fact, Agent Orange was used globally long before the war began. To people like Kelly and Heather and the millions they fight for, the Vietnam War never ended. The battle ground and weaponry have simply changed.


Visit Children of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance at their main website www.CovvHa.net 
Support COVVHA’S Facebook Page by clicking the “LIKE” button at https://www.facebook.com/COVVHA
Contact Heather and Kelly by email at COVVHA@GMAIL.COM
 

Military Information For Agent Orange Exposure

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Military Records Information
For Agent Orange exposure

Many veterans, including their spouse/widow and children do not know how to obtain veterans military records. At any rate, it is sometimes difficult. In most cases they can be found.

Veterans who apply for VA claims for disability need various records. This also applies to widows and children of veterans applying for DIC (Dependence Indemnity Compensation). This is especially necessary for Agent Orange presumptive exposure. AO is the most complicated of all VA claims.

The first item of business in submitting a VA claim is to obtain a VA claims form packet.
www.va.gov Either call or download VA claim forms. Submit those claim forms to the VA. This gets you into the system as a registrant for disability or DIC.

Evidence of service: DD-214. For AO exposure the VSM (Vietnam Service Medal) awarded, proof of.

Important: On all evidence submitted be sure to include SS#.

Other needed evidence: Record of duty station/s as related to Vietnam service, land, air or sea.. In the case of US Navy, deck logs of ship/s served on in Vietnam waters.
Medical records, civilian and or military that may be related to AO diseases being claimed for veterans disability or DIC.

Other sources of evidence: If able to locate veterans who served with the claimant. Acquire their sworn testimonial (notarized) attesting to possible AO exposure, land air or sea. The attester must provide his or hers full name, address phone number and service number on the testimonial. All evidence submitted must show the claimants SS#.

It is advised to seek help from a VSO (Veterans Service Organization). These organizations can help with VA claims and help with evidence.
List of VSO’s: Vietnam Veterans of America 1-800-882-1316
American Legion 1-202-861-2700
AmVets 1-877-726-8387
Disabled American Veterans 1-877-426-2838
Veterans of Foreign Wars 1-816-756-3390

Other sources for locating military records: download Military Standard Form (SF-180) for all branches of military, send to:
National Personnel Records Center
1 archives Drive, St. Louis, Mo. 63138
More sources:

For Navy and Marines and Fleet Marines: Deck Logs: & possible duty stations.

Archives 2 Reference Section
National Archives
Attn: Assistant Chief Archives 2
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, Md. 20740-6001

Ph# 301-837-3519 E-mail: mailto.archives2reference@nara.gov

For Army: (Standard Form SF-180 needed)

Ph# 1-888-276-9472 E-mail: askhrc.army@us.army.mil
Or www.hrc.army.mil for SF-180

For Service Medals: (attach copy of DD-214 to letter of request)

Army reserve personnel center, attn: DARP-PAS-EAW, 9700 Page Blvd, St. Louis, Mo. 63132

Air Force Ref. branch NCPMF, 9700 Page Blvd.. St. Louis, Mo. 63132

Navy, Marines, Coast Guard: Navy personnel command, 9700 Page Blvd., 63123

Important: Make copies of all records and or requests.

Political Help: Contact your District US Member of Congress and US member of Senate.
It is their job to assist you. For veterans VA claims and or DIC.

Note: Some States offer tax relief for widows of veterans who have been awarded VA disability. Check with your State and District State member of Congress for information and assistance. Usually the deceased veteran had to of been VA declared 100%. Check anyway, all States have different laws.

This information page is submitted by; John J. Bury, US Navy, retired, Vietnam War veteran and member of COVVHA

Camp Lejeune health care bill is unstuck in Senate – S. 277:Caring for Camp Lejeune Veterans Act of 2011

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A stalled veterans’ bill is now on track for Senate passage this week after a small change was made in a landmark program under which the Veterans Affairs Department would provide health care to people suffering from long-term effects of drinking contaminated water at Camp Lejeune, N.C.

Up to 750,000 people who lived or worked on the base from Jan. 1, 1957, through Dec. 31, 1987, would be eligible for care if they have a disability or disease linked to exposure to drinking water found to contain carcinogens.

Related reading

Vets bill held up by Lejeune toxic water issue (July 16)

VA care extended to Camp Lejeune water victims (June 22)

 

Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., had used his Senate privileges to put a hold on the bill because it included no provision to allow VA to deny coverage even if an individual’s health problems clearly stemmed from some other cause.

DeMint and Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee chairwoman, reached agreement Wednesday to add a section allowing VA to deny health care if “conclusive evidence” is available to show the individual’s disability or disease had a different cause than exposure to the contaminated drinking water at Lejeune.

This is similar to a provision that applies to other presumptive VA benefits, such as problems related to exposure to Agent Orange and Gulf War illness. Congressional aides who spoke on the condition of anonymity said these provisions are rarely invoked because the specific cause of many diseases is difficult to prove.

Diseases presumed to have a connection to the contaminated water are: Esophageal, lung, breast, bladder or kidney cancer; leukemia; multiple myeloma; myelodysplasic syndromes; renal toxicity; hepatic steatosis; female infertility; miscarriage; scleroderma; neuorobehavorial effects; and non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma.

DeMint spokesman Wesley Denton said the senator’s “anti-fraud amendment is similar to provisions that are already part of current law with respect to other veterans’ benefits.”

Murray said that with the change, the veterans’ bill, which contains more than 50 provisions covering various health, benefits, housing, burial and insurance programs, could quickly pass the Senate. The House also would have to vote on the measure before it goes to the White House for President Obama’s signature.

The bill, the Honoring America’s Veterans and Caring for Camp Lejeune Families Act, was approved June 21 by negotiators from the House and Senate veterans’ affairs committees, but DeMint had blocked Senate consideration of the measure because of his concerns about fraud and about the long-term cost of the Lejeune-related health care.

The DeMint-Murray compromise that allows the measure to move forward came just minutes before Murray was to give a speech on the Senate floor complaining about DeMint delaying a bill that would help veterans and their families. As she was waiting to give her prepared remarks, she noticed DeMint in the back of the chamber and the two began discussing the issue. Agreement was reached in about five minutes, according to aides.

DeMint’s concerns about the long-term costs of the Lejeune-related health care were not resolved by the agreement, but he has released his hold on the bill, Denton said.


http://www.airforcetimes.com/mobile/news/2012/07/military-camp-lejeune-water-demint-hold-lifted-071812w

“Heart Of Rage”
Harry C. Mackel Jr. – In Memory Day 2012 Washington D.C.
Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance Original Article

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Harry C. Mackel Jr. September 4, 1945 – October 14, 1982
In Memory Day 2012

Today is a day I would have rather just kept to myself. As a matter of fact, for the last 2 weeks less than 5 people knew that exactly 30 years and 8 months to the date of my father’s death, his name would be included at a ceremony at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Wall known as “In Memory Day”.

I’m not there.  It was quite a difficult decision for me to make.  A decision that made me feel forced to attend a funeral of sorts.  I buried my father 30 years ago when I was 7 years old.  There’s not anything about the day that I don’t remember.  When I was told that his memory was to be included in today’s events I felt very sad.  I expressed to the people that did tell that I thought most would expect me to be happy about it.  But I wasn’t.  Not in any way.

Let’s face it.  People don’t visit the Vietnam Memorial Wall to be happy.  It is in essence a collective grave stone with more than 58,000 names on it.  30 years later our government has decided to acknowledge my father’s service in Vietnam and his death thereafter as something special?  30 years later?

To be clear, I did not submit the application, a relative did.  One that I have spoken to less than 10 times over the last 20 years.  When and if I ever go back to The Wall, it will be on my own terms and my own time.  It will certainly not be yet another day in history that the United States Government dictates to me how I am to feel about my father’s death and the Agent Orange that killed him.

So on a day that I wanted to keep to myself, I feel yet again forced to deal with the issue since going through my emails today; I was faced with an article written about the ceremony events.  An article that shared the story of another PA Vietnam Veteran who lost his life to Agent Orange & Dioxin exposure and was also being honored today.  The article failed to include the names of the other 9 PA Vietnam Veterans who are also being remembered today.  I felt that I should at least include my own father’s name, however in doing so I thought it necessary to share the story with all of you.

If anything positive has come out of today, I can say that it was one simple thing that I have been waiting for over the last 37 years of my life…..  To see my Father, Harry C. Mackel Jr., an active member of The United States Air Force for nearly 10 years, who voluntarily served 2 “Boots On The Ground” tours in Vietnam, in his USAF Military Uniform.  Yes, that is correct, for my entire life I have never seen a photo of my Father in his uniform, until now.  Included in the ceremony events are the names and photos of all of the Vietnam Veterans being honored today.  I received a photocopy of the picture being used in the booklet early last week.  It took me several days to convince myself that it was even my father.  My husband insisted that it was.  In the picture, he was probably just 17 years old, making it the youngest photo I have ever seen of my father.  For days, I traced the harsh lines of a photo that came out of a copy machine and then tri-folded for mailing.  For days, I had no idea who this man was in the photo, thinking it had to have been a mistake. For days, as I have done many times over the years, I questioned my own Identity.  Until I finally stared at his eyes.  They are unmistakable, they are mine.

Yet, as I write this story, I am filled with A Heart Of Rage.  The kind of rage that only a daughter of a Vietnam Veteran who has long been dead would know.  The rage of her Father being taken away.  You see, there is even more to this story then one could possibly imagine.   I found out about “In Memory Day” on a week night at 8:00 p.m.  Only 6 short hours before that, I received a different phone call.  One informing me of a situation which I knew in my heart would come one day, a situation I have been running from since I was a teenager.

AGENT ORANGE AGAIN RIPPING THE LIFE AWAY FROM YET ANOTHER LOVED ONE OF MINE. 

Who you ask?  The only other man that I have ever called my father.  A man that is now suffering the effects of Agent Orange and Dioxin.

My adopted Father.

 © Kelly L. Derricks
Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance

 Below I have included the booklet that was at the Ceremony.  I have also included the link to the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund for anyone interested in applying for the program.  In addition, you will find the original article written about the PA Vietnam Veteran also being honored.

In Memory Day Ceremony Book

Agent Orange & Dioxin In The News – Recent Article Collection

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A collection of several recent articles in the news relating to Agent Orange and Dioxin

Vietnamese AO victims to get free check-ups in Korea

We thought VA was VA, and it isn’t’Widow reflects on veteran’s illnesses and death

Vietnam Joins Protest Against Dow Chemicals

Phil Kraft: Ongoing service defines Vietnam vet’s patriotism

Guest view: The war that never ends

Vietnamese AO victims association visits Laos

Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Association Announces Free Documents Library

Common farm chemical has impact for generations

Agent Orange ‘tested in Okinawa’

U.S. Veteran Exposes Pentagon’s Denials of Agent Orange Use on Okinawa

Writers Center hosts veterans’ poetry project

Veterans for Veterans

Vietnam to use advanced technology to clear dioxin contamination

What new 2,4-D-resistant crops mean – going backwards

Teachers for disabled underpaid, overworked

Vietnam veterans still struggle with service-related health problems

Agent Orange at base in ’80s: U.S. vet Nearby residents of Futenma possibly tainted by leaking barrels

Children in US Warzones

 

Statistics of the Vietnam Wall

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Our society teaches us that nothing important happened before yesterday. Oh how wrong they are!

Carved on these walls is the story of America, of a continuing quest
to preserve both democracy and decency, and to protect a national
treasure that we call the American dream.”

There are 58,267 names now listed on that polished black wall,
including those added in 2010.

The names are arranged in the order in which they were taken from us
by date and within each date the names are alphabetized. It is hard to
believe it is 36 years since the last casualties.

Beginning at the apex on panel 1E and going out to the end of the East
wall, appearing to recede into the earth (numbered 70E – May 25,
1968), then resuming at the end of the West wall, as the wall emerges
from the earth (numbered 70W – continuing May 25, 1968) and ending
with a date in1975. Thus the war’s beginning and end meet. The war is
complete, coming full circle, yet broken by the earth that bounds the
angle’s open side and contained within the earth itself.

The first known casualty was Richard B. Fitzgibbon, of North Weymouth,
Mass. listed by the U.S. Department of Defense as having been killed
on June 8, 1956. His name is listed on the Wall with that of his son,
Marine Corps Lance Cpl. Richard B. Fitzgibbon III, who was killed on
Sept. 7, 1965.

There are three sets of fathers and sons on the Wall.

39,996 on the Wall were just 22 or younger.

The largest age group, 8,283 were just 19 years old 33,103 were 18 years old.

12 soldiers on the Wall were 17 years old.

5 soldiers on the Wall were 16 years old.

One soldier, PFC Dan Bullock was 15 years old.

997 soldiers were killed on their first day in Vietnam .
1,448 soldiers were killed on their last day in Vietnam .

31 sets of brothers are on the Wall.

Thirty-one sets of parents lost two of their sons.

54 soldiers on attended Thomas Edison High School in Philadelphia ….
wonder why so many from one school?

8 Women are on the Wall. Nursing the wounded.

244 soldiers were awarded the Medal of Honor during the Vietnam War
153 of them are on the Wall.

Beallsville, Ohio with a population of 475, lost 6 of her sons.

West Virginia had the highest casualty rate per capita in the nation.
There are 711 West Virginians on the Wall.

The Marines of Morenci – They led some of the scrappiest high school
football and basketball teams that the little Arizona copper town of
Morenci (pop. 5,058) had ever known and cheered. They enjoyed roaring
beer busts. In quieter moments, they rode horses along the Coronado
Trail, stalked deer in the Apache National Forest. And in the
patriotic camaraderie typical of Morenci’s mining families, the nine
graduates of Morenci High enlisted as a group in the Marine Corps.
Their service began on Independence Day, 1966. Only 3 returned home.

The Buddies of Midvale – LeRoy Tafoya, Jimmy Martinez, Tom Gonzales
were all boyhood friends and lived on three consecutive streets in
Midvale, Utah on Fifth, Sixth and Seventh avenues. They lived only a
few yards apart. They played ball at the adjacent sandlot ball field.
And they all went to Vietnam. In a span of 16 dark days in late 1967,
all three would be killed. LeRoy was killed on Wednesday, Nov. 22, the
fourth anniversary of John F. Kennedy’s assassination. Jimmy died less
than 24 hours later on Thanksgiving Day. Tom was shot dead assaulting
the enemy on Dec. 7, Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

The most casualty deaths for a single day was on January 31, 1968 ~ 245 deaths.

The most casualty deaths for a single month was May 1968 – 2,415
casualties were incurred.

For most Americans who read this they will only see the numbers that
the Vietnam War created. To those of us who survived the war, and to
the families of those who did not, we see the faces, we feel the pain
that these numbers created. We are, until we too pass away, haunted
with these numbers, because they were our fellow servicemen and women,
friends, fathers, husbands, wives, sons and daughters.

There are no noble wars, just noble warriors.

We Vietnam Veterans stand as one when we say,

“Never again will one generation of Veterans abandon another.”

9 Best Ways to Support Someone with Depression

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9 Best Ways to Support Someone with Depression
Pysch-Central
MARGARITA TARTAKOVSKY, M.S.
 

If your loved one is struggling with depression, you may feel confused, frustrated and distraught yourself. Maybe you feel like you’re walking on eggshells because you’re afraid of upsetting them even more. Maybe you’re at such a loss that you’ve adopted the silent approach. Or maybe you keep giving your loved one advice, which they just aren’t taking.

Depression is an insidious, isolating disorder, which can sabotage relationships. And this can make not knowing how to help all the more confusing.

But your support is significant. And you can learn the various ways to best support your loved one. Below, Deborah Serani, PsyD, a psychologist who’s struggled with depression herself, shares nine valuable strategies.

1. Be there.

According to Serani, the best thing you can do for someone with depression is to be there. “When I was struggling with my own depression, the most healing moments came when someone I loved simply sat with me while I cried, or wordlessly held my hand, or spoke warmly to me with statements like ‘You’re so important to me.’ ‘Tell me what I can do to help you.’ ‘We’re going to find a way to help you to feel better.’”

2. Try a small gesture.

If you’re uncomfortable with emotional expression, you can show support in other ways, said Serani, who’s also author of the excellent book Living with Depression.

She suggested everything from sending a card or a text to cooking a meal to leaving a voicemail. “These gestures provide a loving connection [and] they’re also a beacon of light that helps guide your loved one when the darkness lifts.”

3. Don’t judge or criticize.

What you say can have a powerful impact on your loved one. According to Serani, avoid saying statements such as: “You just need to see things as half full, not half empty” or “I think this is really all just in your head. If you got up out of bed and moved around, you’d see things better.”

These words imply “that your loved one has a choice in how they feel – and has chosen, by free will, to be depressed,” Serani said. They’re not only insensitive but can isolate your loved one even more, she added.

4. Avoid the tough-love approach.

Many individuals think that being tough on their loved one will undo their depression or inspire positive behavioral changes, Serani said. For instance, some people might intentionally be impatient with their loved one, push their boundaries, use silence, be callous or even give an ultimatum (e.g., “You better snap out of it or I’m going to leave”), Serani said. But consider that this is as useless, hurtful and harmful as ignoring, pushing away or not helping someone who has cancer.

5. Don’t minimize their pain.

Statements such as“You’re just too thin-skinned” or “Why do you let every little thing bother you?” shame a person with depression, Serani said. It invalidates what they’re experiencing and completely glosses over the fact that they’re struggling with a difficult disorder – not some weakness or personality flaw.

To view tips 6-9 please visit the Psych-central article –
http://psychcentral.com/blog/archives/2012/05/08/9-best-ways-to-support-someone-with-depression/

 

C.O.V.V.H.A. SUPPORTS – H.R. 3337: Open Burn Pit Registry Act of 2011.

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H.R. 3337: Open Burn Pit Registry Act of 2011

Sponsor: Rep. Todd Akin [R, MO-2]

To direct the Secretary of Veterans Affairs to establish an open burn pit registry to ensure that members of the Armed Forces who may have been exposed to toxic chemicals and fumes caused by open burn pits while deployed to Afghanistan or Iraq receive information regarding such exposure, and for other purposes.

CLICK ON THE POPVOX PICTURE TO SUPPORT THIS BILL!!!

OPEN AIR BURN PITS

https://www.popvox.com/orgs/covvha/_action/3067

Take Action!!!!!!

All Legislation Endorsed and/or Opposed Has Been Approved and Reviewed by Kelly L. Derricks

Please view our POPVOX Legislative Agenda for all updated information

Kelly will also be endorsing and opposing legislation that will affect our veterans and their families, as well as areas regarding health, environment, agriculture, education.

It has never been easier to write your State Representative and share your position on current legislation. C.O.V.V.H.A. has been making it even easier for members, fans and followers!! The days of getting your pens and papers out to send your letters are over!!!

Each week Kelly highlights a bill on behalf of Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance that has been endorsed and/or opposed after careful review.

An “action page” link, that she has set up for each specific bill, takes you directly to the specific legislation as well as an area for your Name, Zip Code, and YOUR VOTE!!

That’s it!!! You hit enter and your information is sent directly to your State Representative in letter form which you will receive a copy of via email.

Your VOICE does count, PLEASE, use it!!!

Kelly L. Derricks

Murder By Agent Orange

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It never ends. Agent Orange destroys every aspect of life that one person can have. I was told once “Kelly, I’m sorry, but your Father never had a chance.” He died only one month after turning 37 in 1982. I was the 7 year old little girl he left behind. It appears to me now that I never had a chance either.

Recently, a sophomore from University of Oregon was interviewing me about Agent Orange for her term paper asked one final question, “What aspect of your childhood did Agent Orange have the most impact?” Followed by,  if I was uncomfortable answering I did not have to. That statement has been made hundreds of times to me. I always answer the questions. Immediately, I had a flash of a memory that would form my answer to her, a memory that I think until last Friday only 3 people knew of. “My Father died when I was in second grade, one day on the bus going home from school, a girl named Rachel W. started arguing with me about something stupid. As the bus began to make its turn to my stop, I began moving to the front so that I could get off and run. I did not know at that point that in the 10 seconds to follow that turn, I would want to run for my life and never stop. The last words that came from Rachel’s mouth that would pierce my eardrums for the rest of my life were, “Hey Kelly, at least I still have a father.” So, I said to the college student “in every way shape and form of my childhood, my father’s death was what impacted me the most in regards to Agent Orange.” It did not just impact my childhood though, Agent Orange and the resulting death of my father has impacted every aspect of my entire life. Every choice, every decision, every twist, every turn, every illness, every fear, every tear, every relationship, or should I just say, there’s NOTHING, NOT ONE MOMENT, of my life that hasn’t been impacted by Agent Orange and the death of my father.

I’m tired, I’m angry, I’m sick, I’m 38. I’m fighting a war every day that, to most, ended decades ago.  Long after the protests, ignorance, boots on the ground, and clearing of jungles have ended, we are still fighting the Vietnam War.  Agent Orange, the chemical war that has never ended. Agent Orange, the defoliant used to clear the jungles of Vietnam so our soldiers could have an “advantage” over the “enemy”. Agent Orange, the Dioxin ridden carcinogen as lethal as radioactive waste in the bodies of our soldiers, in the bodies of their children, in the bodies of their children’s children, in my body.

In my father’s obituary, it is written and quoted that my father, Harry C. Mackel Jr., said he felt like he had a bomb ticking inside of him. He knew the bomb was Agent Orange. He knew. I know. We all know. Millions of us know all over the world and yet, until the United States Government actually comes out and publicly states that THEY KNEW, we will continue spinning on this never ending hamster wheel of life. The life of Agent Orange.

I will never stop fighting for the millions of us that are sick and dying because of Agent Orange and Dioxin exposures, the Veterans, the children like me, and the innocent all over this world who have been effected by this nightmare. Agent Orange is a colorless, silent, ruthless killer. Agent Orange is by every definition of the word, a murderer, a serial killer.  In essence, those of us still living are walking crime scenes.

I may still be a walking, breathing human being but, Agent Orange murdered me on October 14, 1982. The same date it murdered my father.

 © Kelly L. Derricks

(COVVHA) Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance INC.

Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance Radio Show March 22, 2012

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CHILDREN OF VIETNAM VETERANS HEALTH ALLIANCE WILL BE ON LIVE TONIGHT APRIL 26, 2012 AT 8:00 P.M. EASTERN TIME.

JOIN US AT WWW.HBMCOUNTRYRADIO.COM TO LISTEN!!!

On March 22, 2012 Kelly L. Derricks was pleased to return for the third time on HBM Country Radio’s Veterans Show with Henry Lee of Veterans Memorial Foundation.

This show was very special, Heather A Bowser joined Kelly on the show to speak about the new organization they both founded in early 2012 for the first time on a public platform.

Children of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance 

We have a very busy future ahead of us and we are please to bring you the archived show for you all to be a part of it!

This show includes a wide array of topics first and foremost the children of  Vietnam Veterans suffering with birth defects and illnesses from Agent Orange and Dioxin exposures from their parents exposures during the Vietnam War.  In addition, this show also focuses on the ongoing issue of Monsanto, herbicide use, and GMO’s

As always, Please be patient and wait for the music to stop for the show to begin.

APPLE USERS IF YOU CAN NOT SEE THE PODCAST SHOW PLAYER BELOW THIS LINK PLEASE CLICK HERE

Listen To past shows from January 26 and February 9, 2012 with Kelly L. Derricks (Truth Teller) and Henry Lee on HBM Radio 

Visit Our Website

Become A Member On Our Website

Follow Our Blog

“LIKE” Us On Facebook

Join Our Private Support Community On Facebook If You Are The Child Of A Vietnam Veteran 

Join Our Private Support Community If You Are A Wife, Partner, Or Widow Of A Vietnam Veteran

Join Our Private Support Community If You Are Caring For ANYONE Exposed To Agent Orange/Dioxin

Review Our Complete Legislative Platform On POPVOX 

Visit The National Center For PTSD Website

Learn More About EMDR Treatment For PTSD

Support Veterans Memorial Foundation 

Become A Fan Of HBM Country Radio

Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance Show Links

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Visit Our Website

Become A Member On Our Website

Follow Our Blog

“LIKE” Us On Facebook

Join Our Private Support Community On Facebook If You Are The Child Of A Vietnam Veteran 

Join Our Private Support Community If You Are A Wife, Partner, Or Widow Of A Vietnam Veteran

Join Our Private Support Community If You Are Caring For ANYONE Exposed To Agent Orange/Dioxin

Review Our Complete Legislative Platform On POPVOX 

Visit The National Center For PTSD Website

Learn More About EMDR Treatment For PTSD

Support Veterans Memorial Foundation 

Become A Fan Of HBM Country Radio

Filmmaker Documents Experiences of Female Military Veterans

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Think the U.S. military is largely an all-boys club? Think again. According to the Department of Veterans Affairs, as of 2010 there were 1.8 million female military veterans in the United States and over 36,000 in South Carolina. Many more women in uniform are currently serving.

“Close to 20 percent of our armed forces are women now,” says Cathy Brookshire, a University of South Carolina public speaking instructor and documentary filmmaker.

“But we haven’t heard much from them. They’re in camouflage.”

“We’re interested in finding out how things were for these women going into the armed forces and coming out,” says Brookshire. “Things have changed so much just in the past few years — gosh, just in the past few months. They’ve now altered the rules so that women can work in combat zones — even though women have been doing that for quite a while.”

“When you realize the complexity of the jobs they do, they’re in combat situations all the time,” says Brown. “Even though their position isn’t designated as ‘combat’ they end up in those situations. Now we have women who are prisoners of war, women who are in different levels of danger than they have been before.”

Of course, the ascension through the ranks has not been easy. Sexual trauma is a common complaint among women veterans — of the 30 women Brookshire has interviewed thus far, 10 have reported some type of incident, from inappropriate touching to one instance of gang rape — but many women have also reported combat trauma, among them Virginia Jamison, who served as a medical specialist in the U.S. Army (1964-1968) and in the Air Force Reserve (1978-1995).

Jamison cared for wounded soldiers coming home from Vietnam, which she found tough but fulfilling. After re-enlisting with the Air Force Reserve in 1978, however, a medevac mission to Panama in the 1980s during Operation Just Cause landed her unexpectedly in a combat zone.

Jamison called the experience traumatic, but said she repressed her feelings for years, serving in Saudi Arabia during Desert Shield and in Germany during Desert Storm. She only truly reflected on her experience in Panama when she took part in Brookshire’s project.

“People talk about PTSD and they don’t realize that for years you can be in denial then all of a sudden it will come full-circle,” Jamison said through a combination of laughter and stifled tears. “I think that’s what happened during the interview. For years I didn’t realize how this mission had impacted me — my security, my trust levels, all those things.”

“For many of these women it was a revelatory experience to be treated as someone who could be responsible, and in a big way, for handling really serious, difficult situations,” Brookshire says. “They learned to overcome their fears and their self-doubts, which is generally something you don’t hear men talk about.”

Is PTSD Hurting My Marriage?

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I feel that way sometimes since my husband got home from deployment. I feel like I’m floating alone off a secret beach. No one thinks to look for me because all my friends believe that homecoming is the magic pill that cures deployment. So instead I spend time glancing at my own floating shadow, imagining that some latent PTSD is lurking below. I go back and forth between the comfort of knowing that PTSD would explain the gap between me and my husband, and the fear that PTSD is not the reason we are still disconnected.

Giving so much space to another person is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Some days I’ve curled up into a tiny ball and prayed that I would not be fatally wounded by my own unwillingness to understand. I’ve instinctively sucked inside of myself like I once tucked my limbs onto my board and just waited for the bad feelings to go away. I have held every muscle in my body tight, afraid to look into the water to see whatever is there.

In the last few weeks I finally, finally feel like I’ve garnered the courage to look down into the water. There was this feeling that I just couldn’t sit there on the board waiting to be eaten by a creature that may not even exist. I finally understood that I would have to be the one to make a decision to move, because nobody was coming by to rescue me. I would need to be the change that would move me away from my fears. I would have to be willing to stick my neck out and peer straight into the water.

But when I did, it was empty down there. A shiny glint reflected off the sandy floor. My own shadow hovered. But there weren’t any sharks to be found. In fact, there’s a very real possibility it was just a shadow the whole time and not the shark that is PTSD. I may never even know for sure. I just need to catch the next wave and paddle into shore.

Is PTSD Hurting My Marriage?

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I feel that way sometimes since my husband got home from deployment. I feel like I’m floating alone off a secret beach. No one thinks to look for me because all my friends believe that homecoming is the magic pill that cures deployment. So instead I spend time glancing at my own floating shadow, imagining that some latent PTSD is lurking below. I go back and forth between the comfort of knowing that PTSD would explain the gap between me and my husband, and the fear that PTSD is not the reason we are still disconnected.

Giving so much space to another person is the hardest thing I’ve ever had to do. Some days I’ve curled up into a tiny ball and prayed that I would not be fatally wounded by my own unwillingness to understand. I’ve instinctively sucked inside of myself like I once tucked my limbs onto my board and just waited for the bad feelings to go away. I have held every muscle in my body tight, afraid to look into the water to see whatever is there.

In the last few weeks I finally, finally feel like I’ve garnered the courage to look down into the water. There was this feeling that I just couldn’t sit there on the board waiting to be eaten by a creature that may not even exist. I finally understood that I would have to be the one to make a decision to move, because nobody was coming by to rescue me. I would need to be the change that would move me away from my fears. I would have to be willing to stick my neck out and peer straight into the water.

But when I did, it was empty down there. A shiny glint reflected off the sandy floor. My own shadow hovered. But there weren’t any sharks to be found. In fact, there’s a very real possibility it was just a shadow the whole time and not the shark that is PTSD. I may never even know for sure. I just need to catch the next wave and paddle into shore.

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