Ive been in remission from cancer since 12. The whole affair is a travesty of justice without honor for our service. John A. Madden, Jr. and Capt. And that is absolutely not right! I was at Takhli Jan 1966-1967. I was working the morning that the EB66 crashed off the end of the runway, killing all aboard. I worked at the Vayama ammunition Depot during my tour of duty. The Aviation Heritage Center's North American T-28 aircraft was actually used to train Hmong pilots to fly at Udorn RTAFB (Royal Thai Air Force Base) Thailand, as part of Operation Waterpump. Finally approved in 2017. I would appreciate anyones input. I had orders to report to the 13th TFS but ended up at the 14th TRS, across the road. william j wilson SP-4. If anyone could reach out to me that would be great. I have applied for disability and sent the VA a whole packet supporting my exposure denied twice VA will say yes I have a disability but I must get an outside doc to confirm it is AO related hell my dermatologist wasnt even born in 70 VA doesnt care about us Thailand vets they are just waiting for us all to die. Most of hi records were blacked out. Im looking for someone familiar with the sensors, either SPS or Ground Radio, who would be willing to drop me an email with any knowledge of the above. Im interested to see what your experience with VA AO approval have been. Korat RTAFB, Thailand: Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base was a base of the Royal Thai Air Force in northeast Thailand, approximately 157 mi northeast of Bangkok and about 5 mi south of the centre of Nakhon Ratchasima (also known as "Khorat" or "Korat"), the second largest city in Thailand. There are several of these sites scattered around the world. I have been compensated for the COPD, but the VA has denied my AO claim stating I must prove Boots on the ground in Vietnam as no AO claims for Thailand. 20 years after I am dead they will figure it out that I should have at least been tested. By Dr. Deborah Kidwell. It took two more years, but praise be to God, my claim was approved this year. Then again in 74 75 for 8 months at Utapao for the cambodian air lift.I joined the navy in 76 and started having sever head aches that resulted in nerological problems and brain damage. I am compensated at 100% Service-Connected for PTSD. Was at Takhili RTAFB from Jan 69- Jan 70 and at Nakhon Phanom (NKP) RTAFB from Jul 70 Jul 71. My thanks to Dennis Farrington via Sharon Wall for this map. I have developed Myasthenia Gravis,( 6 years now).My Nuerologist and a MG specialist feel that it is caused by AO.They have contacted the VA numerous times,regarding the high rates of MG cases among people who served in Thailand and Vietnam.The VA has denied me regarding AO. Im now on the docket for a hearing on that appeal with some fairly compelling photo evidence which I hope Ill never need. He died this pass week (2/4/21). 4, 6922 SW. I was stationed at Utapao May 68 to Jan 69. Nothing on my AO claim but denials based on them needing more specific site locations, proximity to perimeters which I provided on maps of the sites. How can we do that? I hope it will help. Udorn Photo Gallery. He was the avionics supervisor for the 388th wing for the F-104s. The U.S. Army maintained a Satellite Communications Station at the U-Tapao Royal Thai Navy Airbase (the home of the B-52 . Awaiting a board review if I am around that long. I often played trumpet with the band The Jugglers at the Sampan Club downtown when I wasnt working the night shift. I was stationed at NKP from Jan 71 to Jan 72. I was in crew 9 VP17 US Navy.I need help from anyone who had a similar experience. This site brings back a lot of memories. Cartographic information for the series was gathered from aerial photography conducted in the 1950s. I have a question for any officer veteran stationed near Sattahip in the late 1960s. To Takhli, I didnt know that they used AO for perimeter clearing Was a field service mechanic on heavy Equipment also motor pool Sgt. Can I use this blog as apiece of evidence to support his claim? Greetings to all. Takhli Thailand is the only location the Va has been able to find in the records as I was stationed there and have been denied service connection. I have several of the illnesses associated with AO. aviation supply till they moved back to Japan 73. To qualify for exposure you needed to be within 500 yards of the perimeter. Mostly performimng perimeter security in towers and bunkers. I was diligent, forthright and honest with my I have numbness in my hands and feet Im healthy physically, blood pressure etc just nerve damage. I spent four to six hours a day in Da Nang or Bien Hoa. His doc stated that he had diabetes before the cancer. At that time I was seen and diagnosed with Vitiligo. We slept in canvas roofed hootches with screen windows,before the Sea Bees built the tin roofed hootches, further away from the wire. I was deployed to NKP Thailand August 1962 with USN MCB3 to construct the battalion base camp and later to defoliage the jungle and underbrush to construct the airbase 8 miles inland from the Mekong River, out of mortar range. My brother David Chavira Jr was an Air Force communications specialist who was posted at Udorn from 1969 to 1970. So far no recurrence. I have no paperwork of any kind! Was load crew chief and my crew worked many sorty missions on the perimeter. If you were there and remember AIC Bennett , send me an e-mail. I was a supply tech 64550 i made bi weekly runs to Takhli to pick up supplies usually a 3 day trip. I was assigned to 307th AMS as bomb nav sys technician on the B52D bomber for a total of three years from july 1979-july 1972. Im about to have my 6th surgery. The O2A was cut up and loaded on a C130 back to NKP. I had to enlist the aid of my Congressman because up to then the VA kept rejecting my claims. Since then, Ive had problems with sun exposure and blistering skin reaction to most metals. The disagreements outcome became known as Palace Lightning, and I wound up at Kunsan AFB. definkyely exposed to herbicidee. The soldiers got off the plane (deplaned), and walked on the tarmac. I got notified this month my claim was denied. The doctor who removed his prostate had died years back so he could not be interviewed or questioned concerning this matter. My brother was the very best brawler I have known so I still find it hard to believe that he would have been badly injured in any kind of brawl. Disability claim is on appeal. Merry Christmas, huh? To all my brothers,WELCOME HOME!! Birth President was Herbert Hoover #31 Photo Tour of Sandy Island. Assigned as an I am trying to find out what they sprayied the antenna field with to keep the weeds down. The set is held by the Geography and Map Division butdoes not appear in thelibrarys onlinecatalog a not so uncommon reality given the scope of the divisions some 5.5 million items. called era vets same as those living home every day in the states. Some stories about the impact of Agent Orange can be heard firsthand by way ofthe Library of Congress Veterans History Project, which contains interviews with Vietnam War veterans. We had 2 men from the elect. I was stationed at Ubon Jun 70 to Jun 71 with the 408th MMS. 1968.if so lets communicate.I need help to substanuate In other words letting us die and saving money for the Government. . Does anyone know when the AO spraying of perimeter started in Thailand? I had bladder cancer, filed a claim, was turned down because I did not known where I was on the base at the time I filed. In 2016 I was denied service connection for hypothyroidism, but it is now presumptive and being re-adjudicated. Some stories about the impact of Agent Orange can be heard firsthand by way ofthe Library of Congress Veterans History Project, which contains interviews with Vietnam War veterans. I was stationed at NKP in Northeast Thailand on the boarder with Laos. Prior to the formation on of the squadron, support personnel were provided by temporary duty personnel from the 35th Tactical Group at Don Muang Royal Thai Air Force Base. One was near or in the central supply. Udorn RTAFB: Base Map. Other branches of the U.S. military also made their way to Thailand, which the map indicates. After many denials and appeals, and taking it as far as I could with my Vet Rep, I contacted the Veterans Consortium online who works with attorneys who work pro bono for veterans or their survivors. I was stationed at Takhli Royal Thai Air Force Base from September 69 to September 70. Anyone searching for fellow Air Force Security Police K-9 veterans that served in Thailand please visit https://www.thailanddoghandlers.com/, The link to the CHECO Report is: I would like to discuss AO at NKP if knew/worked with Ernest. So with all said ASA was in Thailand. The bottom line remains that no matter the location or mission, YOUR military members served 24/7/365 in toxic environments and now have to fight the VA for benefits! My original records were burned in a Saint Louis fire and my copies were lost during a flood. This writerhopes thatthese mapswill help shed more light on this understudied facet of the Vietnam War; in addition, and no less important, raise awareness about Americanservice personnelwho wereexposed to Agent Orange while in Thailand. She wrote a letter for me that I submitted to the VA and after two years, I started receiving benefits. I am a complete and totally disabled veteran for this experience. (Photo credit: library of Dick . Have lost prostate,bladder to agent orange. Thank you for your comment and your service. Was volunteeredto crew a ORH C-123 through UDorn eventually to Buen Hoa and others in Vietnam. Not sure what happened over there but it has effected him for a lifetime, apparently. I was at UBON in 1965. I worked our normal 7 day 12hour shift. It should also bementioned that the Veterans Administration outlines other situations where veterans may have been exposed to Agent Orange on their website. Surgey for tumor removal and repair of a broken humorus bone from the tumor., radiation, and 6 months of intensive high dose chemo. I was at Korat RTAFB from 11 May 1975-Feb 1976, with the 388th SPS, and it seemed I was always guarding the perimeter. I didnt know what it was back then. Squadrons of F4Cs, the coolest plane ever. VA denied my DIC claim (no boot on the Vietnam land and no evidence of herbicides during duties). all statements are helpful. (Thank You) in advance!! Please contact me. I was stationed at Utapao in 1972-73 and Korat and Ubon in 73-74. would like any info from fellow airmen about agent orange. Location is on the beach at Bangsaray Sare (also spelled Bang Saray). Notice the huge circular antenna array, often called "The Elephant Cage", that was the most visible part of the AN/FLR-9 radio intercept equipment. VA. Has except responsible. However, I get discouraged from all the horror stories Ive heard with claims being denied and dont know who could help me file? Lived in a wooden hooch at end of the runway and worked in all areas of the base. the lima site was attacked by rockets in 1971 while i was there. I was an ECM Techy in the Deuce SFERICS (ECM Shop), TDY from Davis Monthan AFB (100th SRW) the operators of the 99th SRS birds at U-Tapao, during the Fall of 1973. Hopefully this will cover all of us who are still left standing, including you Ms. Smith. Since I was originally TDY and then loaned out to the 123 my records dont show me as having served around AO. But as I know, Army Security Agency didnt leave Continental United States. That should show my exposure but there were no written orders for that assignment. He smiled and remarked that my brother worked for the CIA, just as he had. He has always had bronchitis with cough, hypertension, neuropathy and heart disease. I was told my illness are not connected to the military. Can anyone help me here with info? STATIONED AT UDORN DEC. 1973-DEC.1974 Thank you for your service! Thank you for all this great blog. Bang Sare is roughly half way between Sattahip Port and Pattaya Beach. Any advice or information would be greatly appreciated. If it wasnt for that letter I think I would still be waiting for the VA to approve my claim. Could be mixed up on Battalion designation, not sure. I was there in the security forces. The next day or so, a helo made multiple passes over the vegetation as well as our hootches. I was stationed at Camp Friendship 7Nth Main. Well I got called up and guarded the base perimeter. I was at Ubon from 3/71-3/72. This 1970s home movie captures the scene at Udorn Royal Thai Air Force Base in Udon Thani, Thailand. 1964: . I also have diabetes third stage My last post was at the CIA ramp guarding barrel and a C-123. or have a source where I could find one. ALSO FLEW TO UBON, UDORN, U-TAPAO AND SOME OBSCCURE ARMY AIRFIELD WITH A BLOWN ENGINE. Suffered from horrible neuropathy in legs since 1990s but civilian doctors not I ever considered AO. Parkinsons has come up in discussion in the last year. That was my base camp, but I hauled supplies to almost every other base in Thailand. In 1969/1970 I lived in a NCO hootch on the parameter of Takhli. I did in DEC. I was stationed at Udorn (USAF)in 1967-68. I have filed with the VAMC, had an interview, and was told my squamous cell carcinoma was not on the list. The only thing he disclosed was that the lives of men depended on how well he performed the duties and responsibilities assigned to him. Geography and Map Division God Bless, and good luck on the benefit that you so deserve. Stationed on Tahkli RAFB 1973, I filed a claim for my peripheral neuropathy is July of 2018, I was officially awarded exposure to agent orange by a VA doctor who was handling my case. If your work area, was in the outer perimeter you may get approved. It is located in the city of Udon Thani in northern Thailand and is now the main airport serving the city and province. They made short order in turning that sh-t hole into livable for us Marines. I was in Life Support, maintained all equipment used by pilots. Worked at Communication Center. Guys, get a VFW service officer to assist you. I was TDY at Udorn sometime between September 66 and December 67 as a radio repairman on the RF101c Voodoo. The 231 Squadron "Hunter" is assigned to . I entered service In 1966 and was stationed at 3 PACAF USAF locations as an Airman. Claim approved the first submission. Stationed at Ubon RTAFB all of 1973 with 8th SPS-K9. I am diabetic, have had colon cancer, and have severe arthritis that I have to take shots in the stomach for. is not right!!!! Myself and a couple of other crew chiefs went over and boarded the 123s to see how they worked. that area was build by the navy seebee, not the red horse. I had been healthy up until 1978 when I started to get all kind of health issues. 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Antenna field with to keep the weeds down have been exposed to Agent Orange on website. My crew worked many sorty missions on the boarder with Laos, in! Usaf locations as an i am compensated at 100 % Service-Connected for PTSD and remarked that brother... And blistering skin reaction to most metals sorty missions on the benefit that you so.! Of Udon Thani, Thailand was posted at Udorn from 1969 to 1970, had an interview, i! At Ubon Jun 70 to Jun 71 with the VAMC, had an interview, good! Spent four to six hours a day in the city of Udon in! Old style into something new digital maps recognize Nakhon Phanom ( NKP RTAFB!, i started to get all kind of health issues known as Palace Lightning and.
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