Agent Orange was Only Sprayed in Vietnam
After struggling for many years on my case with the VA regarding Agent Orange Exposure, I was really getting frustrated. After decades of climbing mountains, hiking, and other healthy things, I started getting sick. I had even run some twenty-six-mile marathons. But in my forties, I began showing up to doctor's offices
and hospitals at an alarming rate. By my fifties, I had been sick for several years. One day I was in a wheelchair at the Portland VA hospital, being pushed down the hall to a room. Nurses and doctors repeatedly asked me two questions. One was, "When were you in Vietnam?" The other was, "Where were you in Vietnam?" I kept telling them I was stationed at the DMZ in Korea from 1967 to 1969. They would say, "Oh," and walk off. The day I was being pushed down the hall, a patient walking near us leaned over and said to me, "Agent Orange in Korea." The nurse told me to ignore him, stating that he was a patient in the mental wing. Then she reminded me of something I had often heard: "Agent Orange was only sprayed in Vietnam."
But that day, what that guy said to me really bothered me. I searched online for things such as "Agent Orange in Korea." All I got was, "Agent Orange was only sprayed in Vietnam." I kept looking for about a year, and then it happened. I got an email from a woman named Tara. She had seen my pleas and responded. It turned out that her husband had died from Agent Orange-related illnesses and diseases. Tara, along with eight other veterans from Korea, had formed a small group to research the possibility of AO in Korea. They all had spoken to VA personnel and medical doctors but were getting rejected, as "Agent Orange was only sprayed in Vietnam."
We worked together for around ten years, but no one was having any luck. Slowly they were dying off or giving up. Finally, I just struck out on my own. But I couldn't knock down the barriers at the VA. At one point, I just gave up. I remember breaking down and crying. I was just done.
Although I wasn't challenging the VA anymore, I would complain to anyone I saw. Sitting on buses, having a drink at a coffee shop, or someone walking down the street, it didn't matter. I just opened my mouth and told my story. Of course, no one listened, and life went on. The VA had been tired of me too. I was told I was wasting their time, making stories and similar comments. The final blow was being told that I was a "disgrace to the uniform." So, I just gave up. I put everything in boxes and up in the attic.
One day some months later, I was at a BBQ with friends. Sitting next to anyone who would listen, I told my story as there were a couple of veterans there. Finally, one of the guys told me that his wife once said someone she knew had seen pictures of American soldiers spraying Agent Orange in Korea a long time ago. I was in total shock. He went and got his wife. I told my story once again, and she patiently listened. Finally, she told me that her ex-husband of decades ago had once told her he had pictures of AO being sprayed in Korea. She agreed to try and find him, and a month later, the photos were mailed to me. I was out of my mind with excitement. Agent Orange was sprayed at the very camp I was stationed in.
Also, around this time, I was told that the soldier who was ordered to spray AO at my military camp in Korea was still alive. I was told he lived in a small town in the state of Washington. No matter how hard I tried, I could not reach him. Finally, I called the local police department. They located someone with the same last name as the guy I was trying to find. It turned out that they were his parents. After contacting them, I was told that he did not want to be disturbed. He felt so bad about all the veterans who were sick from his spraying of AO that he didn't want to talk to anyone about it. I explained to his parents that he had direct orders to do the spraying. He did not have a choice. He had to do it. I also said that he could help a lot of sick Korea veterans by passing on what he knew. After a little struggle, the parents said they would go get some paperwork and also a certified letter from him about his spraying AO in Korea. He did; a month later, I had both written proof and pictures.
When I went to the VA, the man who had said hurtful things to me let out a loud, "Where did you get these!" Even with all that evidence, I was denied once again. The claim was then sent back to Washington, DC. Several months later, I was sitting in front of a judge on a screen. Months later, I was informed that I had won my case.
The strangest thing of all this is sitting down on a picnic table, blabbing about my story, and someone telling me his wife might know who has living proof. How could this happen? It is genuinely a mystery and a huge blessing from God. For several years now, I have been able to help many other Korea Veterans from the late 1960s and early 1970s. It has been an honor and a privilege to do that. I am just passing on what was so generously given to me.
Ron Weber