Berta
I have not received the VCAA since completing my last c&p for my eyes a few weeks ago. The individual that e-mailed me is William Kenny at hawkvets@gmail .com and he said he works with ex Cpt Phil Stewart. Phil's who's address can be found at the Korean war project where he tries to keep everyone updated. He is attempting to prove other units and camps were sprayed after July 69. I feel i have a valid claim and i do meet the 3 requirements but i don't feel confident not knowing the dates i was on the Z. How do i go about getting a copy of my C file? I want to start gathering info for a NOD in the event i am denied. I have read many of the claims info at the BVA site and most of them are units not recognized. I haven't read too many that are from the units listed which should be a good indicator. I hate not knowing or understanding how the system works. Perhaps my problem is being in limbo and not being able to proceed any futher with the claim until i hear from the VA. Doing nothing has never been one of my good suits.

Thanks for all your help

Dick

Dave, The government has the records of where you spent every day in the military. They know where you were and what you were exposed to. Request a copy of your C- File and look it over. There maybe info in it you don't even know about. It took me 4 years to prove I was in Vietnam, even though it was all on my DD-214. I guess the VA hires people who can't or don't want to read. Dealing with the VA is like fightin fire in hell with a garden hose, it takes awhile to get their attention. Don't give up. These people on hadit will supply the info you need to make this work to your advantage. BTW, thanks for your service and welcome home.

Dick-I am familiar with the Korean War Project but I better get over there and see what is new on the site-
last year I interviewed Ted Barker on Nov 14th,2007 (in SVR Stardust Radio archives) and it was quite a show-

Agent Orange vets dont have one single unbrellaed organization-and the Korean War AO regs are very confining-

The latest Hanoi Conference just came out on the AO issue and I have not had chance to read it all yet-
I am still reeling over the Hatfield study- that dioxin is 300-400 times higher today in Danang then it was during the war-
these facts and the entire BWN issues (Haas) support the fact that dioxin lingers in the soil and can travel air,land, and sea-meaning how can the gov limit dioxin residue to the 151 mile swath on civilian control line at the DMZ Korea- to such specific dates and areas?

But the Gov is using only the fact that this was when the spraying was confirmed.

I sure think I need to do a SVR show about Korean AO vets-
the last vet I interviewed at SVR was Kurt Priessman who proved AO was used in Thailand at many US installations.
His research was extensive and under the Freedom of Info Act he found what he needed.

You can request a copy of your C file from the VARO where your claim is at- do you have your military SMRs and personnel records? The SMRs might well be at the VARO but if I were you I would get the personnel records or any type of record that might show where you were and when.

SMRS and Personnel records can be requested from NARA by the SF 180 at this site:
http://www.archives.gov/

It doesnt make sense- does it-
I know a Army attache who worked in an air conditioned building in Saigon for his TDY in Vietnam and he gets AO comp-
yet the men who were exposed near the DMZ came back into the camps with contamination from dioxin and yet the Gov says only the confirmed spraying dates and areas determined who was affected by the AO.
Good thing they didnt try to pull that on Vietnam veterans-
but the logic for Korean AO vets just doesn't adequately cover the circumstances.

Have you ever attempted to find a Buddy from your unit as another way to prove you were there then?

Berta, can i just go to the RO and ask for a copy of my C file or am i going to need to jump through hoops to get a copy. Like i said i'm not sure


of my dates on the DMZ but i was at Camp Casey July 29-31 for NCO school. Last nite i found the BVA decision for a veteran who was stationed

at Camp Casey and won his claim. For your reference it was case #990674. Gives me some hope anyway for a favorable result for my claim.

Perhaps the VA has learned from the NAM vets how to slow down the other claims down. I'll try to get my file and get back to you and give you

an update.

Thanks for your help

Dick

This veteran (# 9906724) had extensive documentation that showed AO was used near the DMZ as well as a buddy statement putting him at Camp Casey during the specific time frame.

It might be well worth your trouble to access the very same research documents he got and submit them with your claim. I think Sen Glenn's findings are public knowledge on the net.

I know a AO vet who gave a AO buddy some references he was going to use with his claim-they were stationed at the same place.AO exposure outside of Vietnam)
The buddy got an AO award- it isnt posted at the BVA site -the award came from the AMC-and yet the vet who gave him the info was denied.?
(I dont think the vet who was denied actually submitted this info to the VA)


You can get your C file copy by a written request which you can drop off at the VARO or mail- these requests might take weeks for them to copy the C file.

Any personnel records that can prove dates you were where and when can be obtained at the NARA.Unless the VARO has them with your SMRs.

Dick, There is hope for your claim. I was stationed with your sister Battalion 1/72 Armor in Camp Rose Korea in 1967-68. I was approved for 100% DMII due to exposure, the VA cited exposure in Korea and Vietnam in my decision letter.

John - I didnt realise you were in Korea too!

How many clicks is Camp Rose from the DMZ?

Then again they were looking at 1/72 Armor in your case and this is on the AO list.

BTW all-the AO Korean exposure list -per the DOD - involved over 12,000 service personnel
the new VBM adds Division Reaction Force: 4th Squadron ,7th Cav, COunter Agent COmpany (maybe that was in my older list here-)
and United Nations Command Security Battalion-Joint Security Area (UNCSB-JSA) and the entire crew of the USS Pueblo.

AO testing and/or spraying has been confirmed in countless areas- such as Fort Drum NY ,Kauia Hawaii, Apalachicola National Forest,Panama Canal Zone,
Las MArias Puerto Rico, Laos, Aberdeen Proving Ground- etc the list is too extensive to put here-and the list is at www.va.gov /agentorange/docs/Report _on_DoD_Herbicides_Outside _of_Vietnam.pdf

Any vet who has disability that is on the AO presumptive list -if they can prove Direct exposure to AO ,can attain AO comp.

Dick - Please contact me at pesteward@hotmail.com .

Phil Steward,
Captain (former) CO
E Company, 2nd Engineer BN,
2ID - Korea - 1968-69

Berta, Sorry I took so long to respond, I have been in very bad shape for a couple of weeks now, in answer to your question, Camp Rose was about 3 clicks from the DMZ, we spent at least two nights a week on the southern border of the DMZ in listening posts to observe the north Koreans, I was also involved in the tracking down and capturing of the North Korean assasination squad in 1968.

John -I am sorry to hear that-you sure deal with a lot!

Thanks for the info- you are exactly right ---the southern side swath of the civilian control line- was where they sprayed the AO-

As I recall you get AO comp for your Vietnam Service.

Did you ever claim AO comp for your Korea service?

(gee I am always looking for a way for a vet to get more retro or file a CUE claim-)

I think the VA did pay you correctly-but what they didnt pay you is for double exposure!
That sure aint in the regs.

Berta,

That ex Captain i told you about on Korewan War Project his e-mail is : pesteward@hotmail.com....

The Captain i was telling you about left his e-mail address here on Hadit. It is :pesteward@hotmail.com...... Just in case you didn't see it .
Thanks

Dick

Thanks Dick- he has contacted me and he joined hadit the other day-

I also gave him other contact info- perhaps he would be my guest at SVR in the future-

we all have to network and stick together on the AO Issue so that the Equity Act will hopefully pass (HR 6562) and there will finally be a chance for BWVs and any vet exposed to AO anywhere it was used and also has A0 presumptive disability-

as you know the AO issue for exposure outside of Nam and the limits of the KW regs is- every man and woman for themselves-
one of the first AO awards ever was to a female vet-sand there are many women out there who were exposed to AO in the service and could have AO disabilities but it concerns me that I see very few AO female vet claims.

WHat I mean as everyman/woman for themselves is that proving actual exposure for AO outside of Nam andoutside the civilian control line dates for Korean vets-
is that these vets have to obtained the DOD info themselves under FOIA or have buddy statements that can support their exposure.

On AO vet used a newspaper article as to Army usage near the Alaska pipe line and was recently awarded AO comp- I recently discussed this with a lawyer from NVLSP and he was as baffled as I was that the AMC actually accepted this article as evidence to put him exposed-

I found no other info in his decision that showed he was exactly where the Army was when they used it.Then again I had limited info on this claim.

Phil will be an asset here at hadit in this forum and is I am sure as overwhelmed as all AO advocates are-trying to get the AO situation fair for all exposed veterans.