ubon air force base thailand agent orange
If you set foot on a land mass (in Vietnam), youre entitled to a presumption that you have been exposed to herbicides, Rhode Island attorney Robert Chisholm said in an interview. Orders placed prior to the date of shipment will be delivered as soon as possible. document.getElementById('copyright').appendChild(document.createTextNode(new Date().getFullYear())) PTSD Lawyers | Berry Law Firm. If youre a veteran who served perimeter duty on a U.S. Army installation in Thailand or on Royal Thai Air Force bases in Thailand, including U-Tapao, Ubon, Nakhon Phanom, Udorn, Takhli, Korat, or Don Muang;and you have a medical condition you believe is linked to Agent Orange exposure, contact Cuddigan Law. These bases include: Ubon, Udorn, Takhli, Korat, Don Muang, U-Tapao, and Nakhom Phanom. Centerville resident McHenry died in July 2021 at the age of 74. All rights reserved. Agent Orange and Blue were present in Thailand during the Vietnam War. He did so much research on this letter (the Aug. 2015 memo)., These men are now in many cases in their 80s, Trone said. Call Cuddigan Law to get help with your VA disability application or appeal today. The objective of this research was to prepare mixtures of various herbicides in the form of pellets, and to test them on variations types of vegetation. Thus, the VA assumes your disability resulted from your military service, and you dont have to provide proof or an evidential link between the incident and your disease. The Mig- Killers were the nickname given to the 8th Tactical Fighter Wing. But he trusted McHenry to make the historical case for him and veterans like him. During the period from October 12 to December 20, 1965, and from July 1966 to August 15, 1973, the United States conducted air defense missions in Southeast Asia. For years, the U.S. government denied ever spraying Agent Orange or similar herbicides in Thailand, leading to continual denials from the VA for those veterans who served in Thailand and are now suffering the effects of herbicide exposure. Recently, the VA has acknowledged that certain veterans who served in Thailand between February 1961 and May 1975 may have been exposed to herbicides. This list includes U.S. Air Force veterans who served on Royal Thai Air Force bases at U-Tapao, Ubon, Nakhon Phanom, Udorn, Takhli, Korat and Don Muang. In addition, some U.S. Army veterans who provided perimeter security on those bases or who served with a military police unit may have Agent Orange Thailand exposure. Rob Portman is listed as a co-sponsor of Senate Bill 657, which would modify the presumption of a service connection for veterans who were exposed to herbicides while serving in Thailand. xr7]Uy#Ru!M+dco78@UmR@/4ve2>Ng7_?|bv=\|^OQmwgU+ There were also 21 military bases used for storage during the war and up until the time that use of Agent Orange was discontinued in 1971. In October 2020, the VA denied Xenia resident and Thailand veteran Paul Skinner compensation for what Skinner believed was Agent Orange exposure, with the 203, San Jose, CA 95134 Cincinnati, OH: 300 E Business Way, Suite 200, Summit Woods Corporate Center, Cincinnati, OH, 45241 Southeast Asias first F-4C Phantom II unit was formed in 1971 when the 45th Tactical Fighter Squadron was formed. The first two or three gallons of herbicide were discovered to be leaking from empty herbicide barrels, and the last two or three gallons were discovered to be difficult to drain. You may be eligible for VA benefits, and we can help determine if your military duty during this time qualifies you for disability benefits. It was used to push enemy troops out of the jungles, forcing them to fight out in the open. WebThese are the major bases the USAF operated from in Thailand: Don Muang Royal Thai Air Force Base, 19611970 Major USAF Unit: 631st Combat Support Group, 19621970 WebThis group is dedicated to the brotherhood of those who served at Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base,Thailand during the Vietnam War. Contact Us One was Agent Orange, which contained 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, referred to as TCDD by researchers and as "dioxin" by the public. Don Muang RTAFB - Bangkok International Airport (Vietnam era), Official Department of the Air Force Map Royal Thai Air Force Base perimeters during the Vietnam Era, the VA Udorn and Ubon, Thailand in 1963 during a training exercise at JT116 FTX. Since that time, we have provided compassionate The air force is responsible for the defense of Thai airspace and for providing air support to the Thai Army and Navy. stream The VA presumes that anyone who served in country in Vietnam with boots on the ground anytime between January 9, 1962 and May 7, 1975 was exposed to Agent Orange. Sen. Sherrod Brown supports theThailand Veterans Toxic Exposure Act, a version of which was included in the Senate Veterans Affairs Committees toxic exposure bill reported out of committee in May. Defoliation operations were carried out near the Udorn perimeter during this time period, according to reports. Spookily armed gunships were sent to Ubon as part of an interdiction mission over Laos. Harmon said his sense is that once attorneys are involved, claims from veterans who served in Thailand can be settled in as quickly as six months. The first raid, a mortar bombardment, reportedly took place Sunday night at Ubon air base in eastern Thailand. The VAs definition of tactical herbicide is arbitrary, irrational, and illegal. A 2023 Guide to VA Disability Rates & Pay Schedules, Individual Unemployability Rating Calculator, List of Blue Water Navy Ships Exposed to Agent Orange (Interactive Vietnam Map), Social Security Disability Benefits Guide, ischemic heart disease, Hodgkins disease, prostate or respiratory cancer, Parkinsons Disease), it is worth filing a claim for VA benefits, Webinar: Agent Orange and Thailand Veterans. Contact us to speak with an intake specialist for free. VA Disability Rating for Agent Orange & List of Presumptive Munitions Storage area at Ubon RTAFB, Annotated Photo of the Weapon Military personnel were able to obtain undiluted versions of 2,4,5-T, which contained even higher levels of TCDD than Agent Orange. While Agent Orange was burned at sea after the war, another rainbow herbicide of the Vietnam War era called Agent Blue, could not be burned disposed of via incineration due to its high concentration of arsenic. Do You Qualify for Long Term Disability Benefits? The 435th TAW many diseases presumptive to Agent Orange exposure in the RVN are rearing their ugly head. Design a site like this with WordPress.com, best map of the base layout at Ubon RTAFB, Citation Nr: 0714102 Decision Date: 05/11/07 Archive Date: 05/25/07 DOCKET NO. Army Veterans who provided perimeter security on RTAF bases in Thailand anytime between February 28, 1961, and He (McHenry) was a walking encyclopedia of information, Skinner said. When you visit web sites, they may store or retrieve data in your web browser. Red line shows the Nakhon Pahnom RTAFB base perimeter, while the blue line shows the full 500 meter herbicide/Agent Orange drift zone as defined in U.S. Army Agent Orange exposure in Thailand during Vietnam War. Agent Orange is a mixture of acids that causes cancer and other deadly diseases. As a result of the agreements, American military operations in North and South Vietnam were officially halted. 3. The chemicals were applied in highly concentrated solutions using a micro-sprayer. In Thailand, there is extensive herbicide use on military bases. diJe~wwlvxd%NNZOvbw.U1?@K!hW eS)Q6UTY-_iYqYr^:ps%5||*H o%=TO|~P/suK^V>OO ; xMv.)yJbO d,a+pMmIWIoA5dStD+H$^PEaeMC hI{R0Y@#R5K.t U.S. Air Force Veteranswho served on Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) bases at U-Tapao, Ubon, Nakhon Phanom, Udorn, Takhli, Korat, and Don Muang, near the air base perimeter anytime between February 28, 1961 and May 7, 1975. Some veterans will have an easier time establishing their exposure to herbicides than others. If a veterans military occupation required him to patrol the perimeter of one of these basesdog handlers or military policeand his service records establish this fact, then VA is going to be much more willing to acknowledge that veterans exposure to herbicides. But this doesnt mean that other veterans cannot also prove such exposure. Brooklyn, NY: 300 Cadman Plaza West, One Pierrepont Plaza, 12th Floor, Brooklyn, NY, 11201 The technical storage or access is strictly necessary for the legitimate purpose of enabling the use of a specific service explicitly requested by the subscriber or user, or for the sole purpose of carrying out the transmission of a communication over an electronic communications network. Webacknowledges the use of tactical herbicides (Agent Orange) on Thai Royal Air Force Bases and Thai Army Bases. To access the menus on this page please perform the following steps. He claims in his article that herbicide was used prior to construction to defoliate compound perimeters, landing zones, and bases. Taking into account the geography of Southeast Asia and the multiple roles assumed by military personnel traveling to and from the airbases in the area, it is entirely plausible that a military transport from Clark AFB in September 1970 stopped at an airbase in Vietnam to drop off and/or pick up passengers prior to continuing on to Thailand. The perimeter of Ubon has been pushed back and there has been little foliage on the perimeter, according to photographs. Even those who were exposed to herbicide agents under VA policy were denied benefits in the past. Veterans who served in Thailand have long contended they face a higher bar in winning Veterans Administration (VA) disability benefits claims, having to clearly demonstrate they were exposed to Agent Orange or other harmful herbicides while their fellow veterans enjoy a presumption that they were exposed. The AFHRA memo said that although use of commercial herbicides is documented, the Air Force archivists found no mention of the transportation, payment for or use of any tactical herbicide to control vegetation on Air Force installations in Thailand. Questions sent to the offices of Portman and U.S. Rep. Mike Turner, R-Dayton. In an interview, Skinner recalled that he was an aircraft mechanic on F4 Phantom jets while serving in Thailand. Thus, those veterans with boots on the ground service were granted presumptive service connection if they suffered from specific medical conditions, making it much easier to obtain VA disability compensation for their diseases. Present and Future Facilities at Nakhon Phanom RTAFB 30 June 1968, Department of the Air Force Master Base Plan Map U.S. military bases in Thailand were some of the first bases established in the Vietnam War theater of operations, and the veterans who served on those bases were just as much a part of the war as those who served boots on the ground in the Republic of Vietnam. They were subjected to enemy attacks, and they were also subjected to exposure to the same herbicides used in Vietnam itself. The attorneys at Berry Law Firm are dedicated to helping injured Veterans. WebU.S. VA keeps moving the goalposts regarding how and when it will concede exposure to Agent Orange for veterans who, For the past several years, the VA has acknowledged that veterans who served in the Republic of Vietnam (including brown water veterans who served on the countrys inland waterways) were, Agent Orange Exposure and C-123 Aircraft U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has confirmed that eligible Vietnam War veterans are presumed to have experienced Agent Orange herbicide exposure between January 9,. Thank you Thailand veterans for your service at Ubon Royal Thai Air Force Base during the Vietnam War. The Agent Orange and other herbicides were used in Thailand between February 28, 1961 and May 7, 1975. If you do not allow these cookies, you will experience less targeted advertising. This distinction is frequently used by the VA to deny Thailand exposure claims. Several reports show that Agent Orange and other herbicides were used and stored on numerous Royal Thai Air Force Bases (RTAFB) during the Vietnam War. The purpose of this project was to evaluate the herbicide Tordon in mixtures with Agent Orange, to determine if it would be a successful defoliant agent. Air Force or Army service at Royal Thai Air Force (RTAF) bases at U-Tapao, Ubon, Nakhon Phanom, Udorn, Takhli, Korat, and Don Muang, or Army service at some small Army installations in Thailand, between February 28, 1961 and May 7, 1975. 3 0 obj WebThe 26 July 1968 attack on Udorn RTAFB was the first overt, hostile action by either communist-inspired insurgent forces or military units of North Vietnam against United States Air Force personnel and resources located in the Kingdom of Thailand. the location of Udorn RTAFB, Map of B-52 Ramp, NE Quadrant U-Tapao RTAFB with The documents show that herbicide shipments not associated with Rancho Hand were sent to and from Thailand. Chicago, IL: 332 S. Michigan Avenue, Floors 8 and 9, Chicago, IL 60604 The VAs distinction between tactical and commercial herbicide use is irrelevant to federal law or regulations. For military personnel working on these aircraft and near the Thailand storage areas, the risk of exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides was high, as the spraying equipment on the Operation Ranch Hand aircraft and the barrels that contained the herbicides were known to leak. The use of Agent Orange at Ubon Air Force Base has been linked to a number of health problems in both veterans and civilians.
