__________________________________________________
July 5, 2005
Hi!
Just saw a letter in the Regina, Saskatchewan Leader Post - and then
went to your web site. I am also an Army Brat - my parents raised 5 children
at CFB Gagetown - in fact I believe that we were the 2nd family to move to
the base (I wasn't born then) but have siblings that were. My father served
with the forces for 30 years and told us about a spill of Agent Orange that
they had to sweep up. This was before he died a terrible death - he died of
Multiple Myloma (bone marrow cancer). My mother sat at the hospital beside
him day after day - he died in January of 1998 and in April of the same year
I took my mother to the hospital and she had colin cancer - a huge tumor
that was growing for so long while she sat at my father's bedside. My
brother who was in the militia in CFB Gagetown when we were growing up won a
fight with non-hogkins lymophmia and another brother and sister has had skin
cancer removed as well as numerous other health problems. My other sister
spent eight+ years trying to get pregnant (another known side effect of
Agent Orange). Myself I have an immune problem and have suffered my entire
life from various health issues.
I have many happy memories of CFB Gagetown. Picking apples, picking
blueberries, running behind the trucks spraying for bugs, swimming, going to
the movies, the Black Watch picnics.... But I can't believe that when my
father was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer I went on the internet to look
it up and every link told me to see Agent Orange. At that time I contact the
Canadian Forces and asked about Agent Orange and was assured that it wasn't
sprayed in Gagetown. I can't help but believe that if they lied about that
then there is more lying going on! My entire family lived the military
life - dad served but we all lived it and were proud of it - we knew no
other way - but at what cost?
What next???? What do we do??? Why did NB Hydro pay out the people who
worked for them when there was spraying of Agent Orange? Many of those
people have no symptoms from my understanding.
Thanks for your thoughts and I will continue to watch your website.
I have filed a disability pension application for my father for his death
with veteran's affairs.
Lynn Severt - Qu'Appelle, Saskatchewan
nee: McLaughlin
Lynn Severt
Thank you for sharing your story Lynn. I read these stories that people send me and I cant help but think "How can so many people that lived in one place have so many illnesses?" Whats the common denominator?
-Art
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July 4, 2005
From L Janicki
My husband has asked me to e-mail you for him for more information. He was in the RCHA at Gagetown in 1964, 1965 and maybe 1966. He is not sure about 1966, but he does remember being sprayed while being stationed at Gagetown during 1964 and 1965. Where would we find more information re: the health consequences of agent orange? We are awaiting news from his doctor this week to see if he needs an aortic valve replacement. Cardiologist said this problem probably started in his 20's and he is now 59. He has also had heart problems since his early 40's. Any information would be of help. Thanks for your ongoing involvement.
Linda J.
_____________________________________________________________________
From: Jody Carr MLA
July 4, 2005
Tonight I attended an outreach meeting with Col. Ryan Jestin, Commanding Officer – Base Gagetown at the Sir Douglas Hazen Park Center, Oromocto, NB.
Col. Jestin invited myself and several veterans, including the President of the NB Black Watch Association as a first meeting following the Public Meeting on June 23, 2005 at Base Gagetown where Col. Jestin committed to undertake soil, water, and vegetation testing for dioxide and other chemicals throughout the training areas of Base Gagetown rather than limit the testing to only the plots where Agent Orange and Purple were tested in 1966 and 1967.
The purpose of the meeting tonight was to gather input, on where the samples for the tests should be collected, directly from veterans who were involved or inadvertently affected by the Chemical Spray Program. As we know, 2,4,5 T and 2,4 D were mixed and used throughout the training grounds as a herbicide to defoliate trees and brush as early as 1956. We also know that many veterans and civilians were directly and/or inadvertently exposed to these chemicals. Dosages of the mixtures in the mid-50’s and early 60’s generally contained higher levels of dioxin than mixtures used in the late 60’s and early 70’s.
The testing of samples from the training grounds of Base Gagetown will be conducted this summer by an independent company chosen by open tender. It will also be open ended to allow for more testing later if the need arises. All results will be released to the public.
I want to sincerely thank Col. Ryan Jestin from Base Gagetown for his openness and willingness to work with Veterans and Civilians on this file. I am truly proud of him and the leadership he is displaying. He is more than interested in hearing from anyone else who might know of specific locations and sites that should be included in the testing. If you would like to share with him specific locations please contact me, I will either pass along the information or put you in direct contact with Col. Jestin (your preference).
Again, simply put, the Federal Government has acknowledged compensation for one veteran exposed to Agent Orange at Base Gagetown ( 2 others were for exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam), they have a moral and ethical obligation to provide and gather information through an open/independent process that will lead to the compensation of all people directly affected, veterans and civilians, from exposure to highly toxic chemicals used as part of the chemical spray program at Base Gagetown.
A communications center for civilians and veterans has been established at Base Gagetown in the Canex Mall. The toll-free number is 1-866-558-2945. Please call or drop in to give information regarding chemical exposure and/or receive information regarding the initiation of a claim.
Grace Getty, a nursing professor at UNB Fredericton, is proceeding with a proposal to undertake a health assessment of the communities surrounding Base Gagetown. The first phase will indicate the incidence of cancer and other illness in this area compared to other areas of NB.
It is expected the Federal Government will announce very soon its response to the public reaction to the Chemical Spray Program at Base Gagetown and the affects on Veterans and Civilians.
Today I attended the funeral for Murray MaGee. He was interviewed by Don Dickson on CBC TV recently. He was a private contractor who worked cutting wood on Base and claimed his illnesses (and those of his brothers) were a result of exposure to chemical spray at Base Gagetown. He will be sadly missed. He asked that his memory live on with the Agent Orange issue. I told his wife Abby that I would keep working on this issue until is gets resolved and all people directly affected, veterans and civilians, have been compensated by the federal government.
Thank you everyone for being in touch.
OK Gang...here is your chance to let Jody Carr know where the testing should be done and where to look for those buried barrels!!!
___________________________________________________________________________
July 4, 2005
Today I was invited to attend a meeting to be held tomorrow with Andy Scott MP and others invited to discuss ideas, suggestions and concerns that Mr Scott could take back to the parliamentary committee that is studying this situation. Unfortunately Mr Scott's office was not aware that I am in London Ontario and I did not have enough time to travel to the meeting. Mr Scott's office invited me to send any converns or suggestions via email. Below is the email I sent to mr Scott and the reply from his office
-Art
Hi there,
Thanks for this Mr. Connolly. I will give this to the Minister tomorrow morning when we meet. You may already be aware of the fact that Minister Scott has said in the media that any further review on this file, in his opinion, should include a broader examination regarding the spraying of herbicides on Base, not just during the 1966-67 timeframe.
In terms of the soil testing and your the question of credibility, you raise an important point that Minister Scott also feels strongly about. Andy maintains that a nationally respected organization like Research and Productivity Council (RPC) in Fredericton/ or that some strong and reputable environmental firms, should be considered whenever they get around to dealing with professional service providers.
These local firms do work all around the world but have the credentials and the capacity to undertake a good, thorough and honest assessment not just for the soil tests but also checking water and vegetation. It is important that the public is assured and has confidence in this process and getting trusted and qualified specialists engaged - with the community in these areas - is a necessary ingredient. We are pleased that officials with the NB Conservation Council agree and would like to be involved in setting the terms of reference for these type of studies.
Regards,
Andrew Holland
From: webmaster@agentorangealert.com [mailto:webmaster@agentorangealert.com]
Sent: Monday, July 04, 2005 6:14 PM
To: Andrew Holland
Subject:
Art Connolly
London Ontario
July 4, 2005
Dear Mr. Scott:
I wish to thank you for the opportunity to express my concerns at this meeting. I apologize for not attending but I’m afraid that I am in London Ontario and unfortunately did not receive enough notice to make the trip .I am flattered and thankful for this opportunity. It is encouraging to see that you are listening to people who are directly involved with or affected by the defoliant spraying that happened at CFB Gagetown.
As webmaster of www.agentorangealert.com I have received numerous emails expressing a wide range of views. I would like to make comments, statements or suggestions to the committee studying this situation.
- The government / DND needs to realize that people are disheartened and angered that the DND will only refer to 7 days in 1966 and 1967 when the American military tested Agent Orange at CFB Gagetown. Defoliant was sprayed for many years at CFB Gagetown and people wish to deal with the years other than 1966 and 1967 as well. The government and DND are sadly mistaken if they think that people will be satisfied with resolution of 1966 and 1967 only. This will not just go away.
- It was not only military personnel that were affected by the defoliant. It was military dependents, civilian employees, civilians as well as their families. All of these groups need to be considered. Military veterans are the ones who should be considered foremost. This is the Year of the Veteran and these veterans need to be treated with the utmost respect that they deserve.
- There has been talk of soil testing at CFB Gagetown over this coming summer. It is my understanding that the testing will be done at the locale of the 1966 and 1967 spraying sites. The Canadian public is not going to fall for this. Again the other years need to be dealt with including testing of ALL the areas that defoliants were sprayed.
- The soil testing should be done by a third party. The DND or someone hired by the DND will not be trusted to perform the test. It is a point of credibility. Sadly the DND has no credibility in this matter.
I thank you for the opportunity to express my views and truly hope that the committee studying this situation will follow one request. Please do the right thing.
Art Connolly
www.agentorangealert.com
____________________________
July 4, 2005
Thank you again for taking the time for the interview. I certainly hope that everything is continuing to go well with you and I congratulate you on more than 100,000 hits on your website. You truly are making a difference to so many people just by helping them to have a voice and feel listened to.
All the best.
Heather Grattan
Reporter
Oromocto Post Gazette
Thank you Heather :)
-Art
_____________________________
July 4, 2005
Good day , Mr. Connolly
I have been following the Dioxin Spray news that has been in the news these past weeks and it horrifies me to see all the people that have had their lives so dramatically changed by this horrible chemical.
My story is very similar to yours, except he was not in the military. He worked for the Department of Forestry and fought forest fires at CFB Gagetown. He first sprayed in the mid 50's and I know that he sprayed over a period of years because I can remember him using an orange back pack in the mid 60's to spray with. He died just 6 months ago at the age of 67 after a 10 year battle with a blood disorder called mylofibrosis which is a form of leukemia. He also had gout, heart problems and many other complications. My brother(2 years younger than I) was born in 1957 with a very rare dejenerative nerve disease and died when he was 27. He became wheel chair bound at the age of 22 and wasn't able to eat by mouth for the remainder of his life due to the nerves in his stomach deteriorating. He spent over a year in the hospital for children in Halifax, then on to Toronto to have a subclavian line inserted into his chest so he could be fed by intervenous at home wher my mother and I cared for him . The doctors told us that the disease he had was caused by exposure to some sort of chemical . He also had learning disabilites and couldn't learn to read or write. He never had the chance to have a normal life. My father was working with the spray when my mother was pregnant with him and she laundered his dirty work clothes. Do you think these are coincidences?
My mother passed away 8 years ago, at the age of 63 from lung disease but she also had diabetis and heart disease. Another coincidence? I am thinking there is a pattern here.
I learned recently that my father's brother sprayed as a teenager as well. He used a horse to help spray the boundaries on the base.(Which happens to be where my family lives) The horse lost its hair and died shortly after the spraying took place. My uncle is still living , but has liver problems , an enlarged heart and other problems.
I have one younger brother and sister left in my family and who knows if any of us will contract some deadly disease in the future. We grew up and still live on the property line of Base Gagetown. We know that overhead spraying was done, and a very short distance away the government awarded the farmers a settlement for killing their crops back in the mid 60's. I can't believe that they can now turn around and tell us that this poison wouldn't have hurt anyone outside of the sprayers themselves.
I wonder if these people that are pulling the strings would change their way of thinking had it been their father, mother or brother that they had to watch die a horrible death. I am hoping that the sick people that are still alive will get some sort of compensation to help them make their lives a little easier. If the military people are compensated so should the civilians that were also affected.
Thanks for giving the opportunity to tell my story.
Bev Adamson
Thank you very much for sharing your story Bev....I know it is not easy to share such a personal story but I have found and others have told me that once they have put it in writing that it somehow feels beter....that it validates it in a way. I urge everyone to write and share
-Art
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July 4, 2005
First Name: Kenneth
Last Name: Young
City: Nanaimo
E-mail Address: Kentar@telus.net
Comments: I am going to try showing some cause and effecting here with short excerpts from different department both in Canada and the USA and explaining them as I see it. But Make your own conclusions. I will however give you all the URL or Web site so that you can read it for yourself if you wish.
Now the start. Found at:
http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/clients/sub.cfm?source=services/pensions/aoremarks
Is the Veterans Affairs Canada statement as to how they will handle the Agent Orange Clams.
Excerpt: We consider all published medical literature regarding the health effects of Agent Orange, including the findings from the US National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine (the IOM). This is the scientific authority that has conducted comprehensive, science-based analysis of the health effects of Agent Orange exposure and is considered the leading expert on all herbicides sprayed in Vietnam, including Agent Orange.
Note that they say all published medical literature and then later including (but not limited to) the findings from the US National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine.
Next: Found at:
http://www.gulfwarvets.com/ao.html
Is a US report As Reported by Special Assistant Admiral E.R. Zumwalt, Jr. May 5, 1990. A report that was not supposed to be published but somehow was.
Excerpt: My evaluation of the evidence has been made with just such considerations in mind. Additionally, I have conferred with several experts in the field. After evaluating all the evidence and material of record, I am convinced that there is better than "an approximate balance of positive and negative evidence" on a series of Agent Orange related health effects.
It can, in my judgment, be concluded, with a very high degree of confidence, that it is at least as likely as not that the following are caused in humans by exposure to TCDD: non-Hodgkin' s lymphoma, chloracne and other skin disorders, lip cancer, bone cancer, soft tissue sarcoma, birth defects, skin cancer, lung cancer, porphyria cutanea tarda and other liver disorders, Hodgkin's disease, hematopoietic diseases, multiple myeloma, neurological defects and auto-immune diseases and disorders.
In addition, I am most comfortable in concluding that it is at least as likely as not that liver cancer, nasal/pharyngeal/esophageal cancers, leukemia, malignant melanoma, kidney cancer, testicular cancer, pancreatic cancer, stomach cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, brain cancer, psychosocial effects, and gastrointestinal disease are service-- connected.
I have separated the two foregoing subsets subjectively only because there is somewhat more data to support the former than the latter. Nonetheless, immunological and toxicological theory supports both subsets and fully justifies, in my view, the inclusion of both subsets of the foregoing health effects in determining a service--connected injury.
I have included this because it is one of the only documents that show a link to some of the problems and because the Admiral probably hurt his own career by writing this paper but did not have an axe to grind so in my view is very believable.
I hope that this helps some of you out there that are not sure if whatever problems you are having can be connected to Agent Orange. Mind you this report does have the effect of opening up the door to many more clams from the VA by soldiers and also for civilians from the Gagetown area, that were affected, so they may say that this isn't published and is not a Medical Document. We will all see when the time comes just how far the Government and the Military will go to correct this 40+ years or more injustice.
In the mean time do some research and let us know what you find. No posting goes unread and even the smallest piece of information could make all the differance.
Amen Brother Amen
-Art
__________________________________________________________________________
July 4, 2004
From: Ken Young
http://www.gulfwarvets.com/ao.html
This is the actual report. Important because it lists ,,,,, well read it
yourself.
****************************************************************************
********
"My evaluation of the evidence has been made with just such
considerations in mind. Additionally, I have conferred with several experts
in the field. After evaluating all the evidence and material of record, I am
convinced that there is better than "an approximate balance of positive and
negative evidence" on a series of Agent Orange related health effects.
It can, in my judgment, be concluded, vith a very high degree of
confidence, that it is at least as likely as not that the following are
caused in humans by exposure to TCDD: non-Hodgkin' s lymphoma, chloracne and
other skin disorders, lip cancer, bone cancer, soft tissue sarcoma, birth
defects, skin cancer, lung cancer, porphyria cutanea tarda and other liver
disorders, Hodgkin's disease, hematopoietic diseases, multiple myeloma,
neurological defects and auto-immune diseases and disorders.
In addition, I am most comfortable in concluding that it is at least as
likely as not that liver cancer, nasal/pharyngeal/esophageal cancers,
leukemia, malignant melanoma, kidney cancer, testicular cancer, pancreatic
cancer, stomach cancer, prostate cancer, colon cancer, brain cancer,
psychosocial effects, and gastrointestinal disease are service-- connected.
I have separated the two foregoing subsets subjectively only because
there is somewhat more data to support the former than the latter.
Nonetheless, immunological and toxicological theory supports both subsets
and fully justifies, in my view, the inclusion of both subsets of the
foregoing health effects in determining a service--connected injury."
Excellent Ken!!! Were you an investigative reporter in another life?
-Art
______________________________________________________________________
July 3, 2005
First Name: Kenneth
Last Name: Young
City: Nanaimo
E-mail Address: Kentar@telus.net
Comments: I would like to thank Sandy for her courage and for her story. It has lifted my spirits to know that I am not alone and her story read like in the song "running her fingers through my life". Not sure how I feel, happy to realize that it's not just me, sad that anyone has this too and very sad that someone had to die for this. Maybe that is wrong, people are dieing or have already died but no one can convince me that they HAD to die. The spraying should not have taken place, failing that if we had have been told about this 40 years ago we could have at least been able to inform our doctors what to be on the look out for, minimizing the deaths and maybe even been given some instruction from the Chemical Company on how to deal with this. Here is a true example of "What you don't know CAN hurt you" and in this case it turned out to be "What we don't know, can't cost the Government more money" or at least until they get caught. Ignorance is not bliss, ignorance is killing us.
Yes I was a Soldier and I joined the Army willingly and as a soldier, life can be dangerous but I didn't join anything to be a guinea pig in chemical testing for Dow Chemical or any other company and I sure didn't join the Army to be killed by my own Government, even if this is slower then a bullet.
Again Thanks Sandy it takes guts to bare one life to the whole world, but it does help. The more of us that band together the better it will be and the more that we talk and write about it the less chance that it will be swept under the rug once again as in 1980. That time it was out of the news so fast that I didn't even hear about it. Sad eh? Our own Government is killing Soldiers, their families and many other civilians but that is not even news enough to raise an eyebrow, but waste some money in Quebec and Governments almost fall, formal inquiries set up and we all have to hear about it for years.
As for the rest of you out there have as much courage as Sandy and do something about it.
Ken
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July 3, 2005
First Name: Sandy
Last Name: Skipton
City: NovaScotia
This has been a long road for me.. a long sad road. This is the story of one of the rejected AgentOrange claims... May-03 our search began.
I am posting here because I have 3 requests of the people that read these posts. The requests are at the bottom..
In '64 '65 or '66 my husband (Mike Skipton) was playing soccer at CFB Chatham, while stationed there. At some time during this time, the soccer team travelled to CFB Gagetown and something happened... The soccer field was lovely and green and in great shape on the Friday evening the team arrived but the next morning it was dead grass and mud. My husband can not remember the actual date that this happened. Then in '82 he retired and it was at that time that the Government released info that AgentOrange had been tested in Gagetown during the mid '60s. Tested by the Americans for use in Vietnam. His symptoms match all symptoms that the vietnam vets have complained about. RASH (military Docs ordered him to not sweat), SUDDEN FRUIT ALERGIES, MUTATED IMMUNE CELL (found during testing for the rash), SENSITIVITY TO LIGHT (Military gave him sunglasses) HEMATURIA (no cause found), DIABETES (found after retirement), UPSET STOMACHE (he slept with the top of the bed raised 6" and would not eat anything after 5 o'clock in the evening for years). In '82 little was known and he said he had joined the service to serve, not to complain so he did not complain to anyone. That is how the 'OLD' military types were taught. Doctors at that time had no information that would cause them to questions his symptoms so they did not think to make 'special' note his problems.
In 2003 he was diagnosed with bowel cancer, and in September-2004 the cancer returned after months of treatment, this was declared terminal and for the sake of his family, his wife and our youngest child born with problems, he had agreed to submit a claim to DVA. As we have tryed to PROVE the fact that he was in Gagetown, we have had problems:
He did not remember any of the names of teammates...
CFB Chatham has closed no base history files available...
We had all sports news at CFB Gagetown and the surrounding area checked but the sports news only goes back to about 1974.
We reached a dead end.
My younger son was at the University of NB to check the local newspapers 'Oromocto Post-Gazette' in hopes that a local sports writer may have printed info that would show that my husbands sport team in Gagetown... This paper, with various titles, started publishing under its initial banner 'Camp Gagetown Gazette' on December 16,1960. The University had papers starting with the date of April 11th 1968 but nothing before that date, so my son asked why. We now have a letter that says, I quote, "A year or so ago, the result of contacting by phone various departments: local library, Gagetown Military Museum, CFB Gagetown's Public Affairs Officer, staff at the newspaper, National Archives, National Library and the Department of Heritage, and the Department of National Defense Library produced no earlier copies of this paper. Of note, staff at the newspaper had indicated they believed the papers they had stored were transferred to the Department of National Defence as requested." Why did the Dept of National Defence request these papers?
On May21-2005 Mike passed away and an autopsy was ordered by our family doctor at the request of the family.. This was stated as an AgentOrange investigation on the paperwork. I have since talked with the pathologist and he has said he can not do Toxicology for DIOXIN and the report, on the test that HAVE been done, will not be available until approximately the end of July.
Documents sumitted to DVA in fall of 2004 were not questioned concerning the Agent Orange usage at Gagetown. The DVA request was for proof that my husband was in the area. On May12-2005 we received a second rejection from DVA. The rejection letters state that he did not seek medical attention for AgentOrange exposure at the time of the exposure(mid 1960s), therefore, there was no documentation on his records to PROVE his claim. Just recently I was phoned and they told me that my husbands file was being pulled for review.
My/Our search for information has only led to anger especially when we found out that AgentOrange HAD been sprayed in Gagetown for such a long period. Early in 2005 I obtained a package available via request at 'Directorate of Access to Information and Privacy' National Defense Headquarters, Ottawa. It is about 82 pages which is a 'disclosed in part' package #A-2004-00207. Kenneth Dobbie has spoken several times about the information that this document contained.
I will fight to gain the respect that our government owes to those that have been taken prematurely simply because of denial and lies. It has been terrible to have run into dead ends as we looked for the data we needed to 'verify' our claim. Mike and I have both felt that our government has failed us. At this time I have a son, daughter-in-law and a grandson that are serving at Gagetown.
You can see, by the rollcall below, that we ARE a 'MILITARY FAMILY' I am proud that:
Ronald (Sgt, retired, died 1992 in SunnyBrook) my dad
Betty (civilian supply staff about 10yrs, died at home 1990) my mom
Teddy (LanceJack, killed 1964 at CFB Kingston Ont at age 23) my only sibling, brother
Mike(M-Cpl, regular forces and Capt, reserve forces retired, died May 21 2005)- my husband,
Sandy(Capt, reserve forces retired).. - myself
Sue(Cpl,retired)- my daughter,
Perry(Sgt, still serving), my son,
Tony(WO, still serving)- my son,
Sindy (1yr officer training, left due to medical problems) - my daughter
Steph(AdminClerk, still serving)- my daughter-in-law
Chris(Private, still serving)- my grandson,
all chose to serve and protect the people of Canada and very sad that when Mike asked Canada (government) to help him, his request was rejected. We also have two grandsons growing up in the Gagetown area.
Even though this was during peacetime you would be amazed at the sacrifices that many have made during and after service. There are many stories out there that can add to the WW1 and WW2 stories that very few of our peacetime forces will share, since they look at it as "I chose to serve and not to be a hero" . No service member looks upon themselves as the HEROS that we see.
THE FIRST THING I AM ASKING YOU PEOPLE FOR IS:
I am hoping that someone out there has a similar story and might add soccer info to what we need... I am sure others have a similar history so we now have the internet to make the world smaller and that is one method I am using to contact anyone that knows anything about the soccer teams of Chatham or a Gagetown Competition that would fit the above discription. Maybe there is someone out there that knew Mike Skipton and can verify that he was in Gagetown.
THE SECOND THING I AM ASKING YOU PEOPLE FOR IS:
Does anyone know of a registered lab that tests for dioxins in human tissue?
The THIRD THING I AM ASKING YOU PEOPLE FOR IS:
Keep speaking up cause I am sure that is what WILL and HAS helped many.
Sandy Skipton
The government wonders why people are upset???? One only need read this letter. A family deidcated to military service treated this way is nothing less than shameful. I am glad to see that Mike's file has been pulled for "review". It is important that everyone know that if a claim is declined then it should be appealed. It is my understanding that the majority of appeals are approved. They just figure if they decline it alot of people will think "Oh well...It was declined" and wont do anything past that. Lets change that...lets make it more difficult. Lets continue to fight the good fight. Can anyone help Mrs Shipton?
-Art
___________________________________________________________
Sun, July 3, 2005
From: Mike Chritstie
Toronto Sun
Letters
I know the focus is on the soldiers who were affected by Agent Orange
(Editorial, Sunday Sun, June 26) but how about the families? We lived
at CFB Gagetown from 1959-1963 and again from 1966-1970. My father
was in the military but was also on the board of the CFB Gagetown
Fish and Game Club. We went hunting and fishing and picking
blueberries, etc. We saw the defoliated areas. He had the keys to
access many of these areas through the padlocked gates, unaware of
the dangers of eating game or fruit that might have been affected. I
have had a chronic cough for years that nobody can diagnose. I have
never smoked but you would think I had. Also, I never had the
pleasure of fathering any children -- did this affect my ability?
These are questions that need to be asked. As well, living in the
PMQs (Permanent Married Quarters) for the military families, they
used to spray a fog from the back of the military trucks all through
the living areas to kill off the mosquitoes. What pesticide were they
using? My parents made sure that I didn't run through the fog, but
many kids did. I now live in southern California, but do wonder about
this coverup.
Russ Hansen
Brea, Calif.
(So do many, many people here, but so far the feds have been anything
but helpful)
http://www.torontosun.com/Comment/Letters/2005/07/02/1114849.html
=======================
Sun, July 3, 2005
Toronto Sun
Letters
I will try to say this as delicately as possible: Until a Sun
reporter takes the time to find out how the Department of Veterans
Affairs (DVA) works, you will just be writing articles that are a
waste of ink. ("Helping our Agent Orange vets," Editorial, June 26).
Of course Bill Graham said "contact us," because he knows all his
people will do is give the person calling the phone number to
Veterans Affairs. And the DVA is downplaying this event because that
is how they approach all claims. The smartest thing the citizens
around CFB Gagetown can do is launch a class-action lawsuit against
the military because Veterans Affairs deals with veterans, not
civilians who worked on the base. Think Bill Graham will still be
compassionate to help them when his department comes under direct
fire?
Ron Cundell
Angus
(We'll see. There needs to be a major investigation into this mess)
http://www.torontosun.com/Comment/Letters/2005/07/02/1114849.html
Mike Christie
____________________________________________________________________________
July 2, 2005
From: Ken Young
Hon. Bill Graham, MP, Minister of Defence.
I know that I have written to you in the past about Agent Orange but when I
read my own letters, I seemed to be writing in anger. Well I guess I was
angry, not at the fact that I was sprayed but because I have been sick for
over 30 years, without help from Canada or the Military. Not knowing why I
was falling apart has been an unexplainable hell for me but even more so for
my wife of 37 years, who had to take over the bread winning for the family
many years ago.
I get the sense that something is finally going to be done about the
sicknesses due to this spraying, because of all of the media attention but
somehow feel that the Military and Government has not been totally forth
coming with us. I'll explain what I mean. Agent Orange, Purple and whatever
other colour you want, was a US Military designated name for a product that
didn't come from the factory by that name. We sort of do the same thing in
the Canadian Army, example being the Jerry cans, each Jerry can has a
different colour metal band near the handle, depending what is in it. Sort
of makes it easier for all concerned for language differences and easier to
find quickly in a pinch. But if we put the Kerosene into an unmarked Jerry
can it doesn't mean that it is now no longer Kerosene. See what I'm getting
at?
What we the public and the Military need to know is very simple. We need to
know, how many of these yet un-named chemicals containing (DIOXIN) were
sprayed in Gagetown, what were the strengths & quantities of these yet
un-named Chemicals, and how many acres were in fact sprayed with these yet
un-named chemicals?
Dioxin is the key here. It is what has been linked to all the Agent Orange
medical problems and just because we didn't paint an orange stripe around
our Canadian drums in no way made it safer. Neither does mixing the Dioxin
with fuel oil or other safer chemicals. Just because we (supposedly) only
sprayed two US Military Designated Agent Orange drums in no way makes the
undesignated Canadian drums that were used safe. So this should be one of
your priorities. As Defence Minister it should be your job to protect the
soldiers and Veterans and as an elected official, the general public.
Although there will be some who want to find someone to blame, I as most
concerned, are just looking for answers and possible remedies to the
problems caused by the spraying of Dioxins in Gagetown. By now all present
and ex Military personal know about Bill C-78 and so we also know that there
are ample monies to compensate every soldier or their descendents, affected
by any of the Dioxin related illnesses. The general public who lived in and
around CFB Gagetown or worked at CFB Gagetown, will also be wanting some
answers and compensation and I also realize, now that the US and Britain
are also carrying stories about Gagetown that there most lightly will be
some International fallout and compensation requests from this in the near
future. Heck the Provinces might even ask for compensation for all of the
medical plan monies that they have spent taking care of Ottawa's, spray
victims. But this needs to be dealt with and as soon as possible because our
Democracy is what is suffering here and not any particular party. In a
Democracy this shouldn't happen and I don't mean the spraying. I mean the
40+ years of silence. We the people of this great Country deserve better in
fact we demand better.
Thank you for your time.
Cpl. Young Kenneth H. CD. (retired)
Amen Brother Amen....
-Art
____________________________________________________________________________
July 2, 2005
First Name: Kenneth
Last Name: Young
City: Nanaimo
E-mail Address: Kentar@telus.net
Comments: OK this is the list posted at the CVA web site of chemicals that they did spray in 66 and 67 and sites of where to find the health effect of them (some of them are worse then Agent Orange)
Chemicals Used During Spraying Tests at CFB Gagetown
The following is a list of the 19 compounds used during the spraying tests in conjunction with the U.S. at CFB Gagetown in 1966 and 1967. They are identified by their common name, category and the year in which they were used.
Common Name Category Year Used
Orange Herbicide (defoliant) 1966 & 1967
Purple Herbicide (defoliant) 1966
2,4-D Not provided in report 1967
HCA + T Not provided in report 1967
70% 2,4-D + 30% 2,4,5-T Herbicide (defoliant) 1966
Picloram Herbicide (defoliant) 1966 & 1967
White Herbicide (defoliant) 1966 & 1967
Not provided in report Herbicide (defoliant) 1966
Picloram Ester Not provided in report 1967
Picloram + Dalapon Not provided in report 1967
Paraquat Not provided in report 1967
Diquat Fast Acting Desiccant 1966 & 1967
Not provided in report Fast Acting Desiccant 1966
Cacodylic acid Fast Acting Desiccant 1966
Cacodylic acid Fast Acting Desiccant 1967
Penta Not provided in report 1967
Dinitro Not provided in report 1967
Benzoic Acid Not provided in report 1967
Sources:
Technical Memorandum 141
DEFOLIATION TESTS IN 1966 AT BASE GAGETOWN, NEW BRUNSWICK, CANADA
Department of the Army
Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland
http://www.nal.usda.gov/speccoll/findaids/agentorange/catalog/00070.HTML
Technical Memorandum 145
CHEMICAL DEFOLIATION OF NORTHERN TREE SPECIES
Department of the Army
Fort Detrick, Frederick, Maryland
http://www.nal.usda.gov/speccoll/findaids/agentorange/catalog/00030.HTML
Both documents are part of The Alvin A. Young Collection on Agent Orange, a special collection of the National Agricultural Library.
And now the place where you can find the health or side effects found at the CDC and their NIOSH Pocket Guide to Chemical Hazards.
Orange : http://caonline.amcancersoc.org/cgi/content/full/53/4/245
Purple : http://www.utahcountyveterans.org/agentorange.html
Mostly about orange but does tell the differences between them.
2,4-D : http://www.24d.org/
White : All seem to be lumped in with Orange.
Ester : http://www.phthalates.org/yourhealth/personal_care_makeup.asp?print=true
Picloram : http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0514.html
Dalapon : http://www.cdc.gov/NIOSH/npg/npgd0200.html
Paraquat : http://www.bt.cdc.gov/agent/paraquat/basics/facts.asp
Diquat : http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0243.html
Cacodylic http://www.state.nj.us/health/eoh/rtkweb/0304.pdf#search='Cacodylic%20acid'
Acid
Penta : http://www.cdc.gov/niosh/npg/npgd0484.html
Dinitro : http://www.cdc.gov/NIOSH/npg/npgd0234.html
Benzoic Acid : http://www.speclab.com/compound/c65850.htm
Once again you amaze me Ken
-Art
________________________________________________________________________
From: Ken Dobbie
The government may not have known about the health issues from 1956 to 1964 when they sprayed 2,4,D and 2,4,5,T which we all know as Agent Orange. But they definitely knew about TORDON 101 being poison when they sprayed it for 20 years
In the information sheet attached to the label graphic it says there is no antidote to this poison. It goes on to say that clothes should be destroyed if saturated, ETC, ETC. The info sheet, I believe it is 8 pages also says many things about gardening, grazing animals, etc etc. To my mind knowing that information would make them guilty of criminal negligence.
To see the graphic and the information package go to
I have discovered that the Hexachlorobenzene is listed by the EPA as a ....well just check it out at the following URL
or this one...
http://atsdr1.atsdr.cdc.gov/tfacts90.pdf
It is really interesting to note that Hexachlorobenzene causes a liver disease called porphyria cutanea tarda which is on the official list recognized by the US as being caused by Agent White, Agent Orange etc. So, there is a link, not an association, but a direct link between Agent White and a liver disease. And as we know Agent White was sprayed at Gagetown for 20 years.
Keep up the excellent work on your website.
Regards....Ken
Thank you ken...nice to see you back...we have missed you :)
______________________________________________
July 2. 2005
First Name: Tom
Last Name: Hunter
City: Oshawa
E-mail Address: tghunter@rogers.com
Comments: My older brother Doug was stationed in Gagetown for five years from early to mid 60's with the Canadian Provost Corp(military police)along with the Black Watch Regiment.He now suffers from a neurological disorder which affects his speech(slurs and stutters),and sense of balance.Doctors can offer no medical explanation to it's cause.We have ust been made aware of these hearings in N.B. by our brother in Halifax who seen them on TV.Doug has told me that even before '66 that there was always aerial spraying going on & they were told it was just for mosquitoes(DDT?).As a member of CProC they always in the bush when ever any manoevures or training was taking place,as such would have been exposed to anything that was being used or had been used on the base.Is there a connection?After reading several of the reports and info links from this site,it seems a distinct posibbility.He is going to purue this.We would also like to thank you for this excellent web site,we know the Government would like to lie their way out of this one hopefully they won't.Thankyou& keep us informed as we know the Gov. won't.
Thank you for your kind words Tom.... I will continiue to keep you informed as best I can. I cant take all the credit for the website Tom. The ones to thank are all those who contribute their stories, ideas and opinions. We have regualr contributors ( Ken Young, Mike Christie, Jody Carr MLA , Ken Dobbie and more). There are also people in the background who do less noticeable but extremely important work. Sheila Wood and Angela Schwartz took the time to get me email and contact info for all the media in B.C and Alberta. Angela started an email campaign letting people know about the situation.
Thanks to you all :)
-Art
________________________________________________________________________
July 2, 2005
First Name: Pat
Last Name: Cruickshank
City: Port Coquitlam, BC
E-mail Address: twinks46@hotmail.com
Comments: Is there any recourse for dependants affected by living in Gagetown, what is the process, if any?
Pat...Apparently there will be a govenment announcement within the coming days regarding a plan to deal with the Agent Orange issue. One MP Andy Scott has been quoted as saying "Its one that I am quite happy with as its playing out". So I figure if "they " are happy with it then it won't be a good thing for our side. I say our 'side" because that is what the government is doing...they are drawing a line in the sand thereby making it an "us / them" scenario.
There are issues and things going on in the background that I am not at liberty to discuss just yet. If the so called plan that is proposed is not fair and satisfactory things will happen that will garner the government's attention. So please bear with me....the second I can discuss things I will.
-Art
________________________________________________________________________
FROM: Mike Christie
July 2, 2005
Sat 02 Jul 2005
The Calgary Herald
Agent Orange blamed for lifetime of ills: Ottawa secretly allowed use
near army base
by Sherri Zickefoose
Forty years after setting up house and raising babies on a New
Brunswick army base, a sick Calgary woman says her exposure to Agent
Orange is to blame for a lifetime of illness.
Gail Radford-Ross and her former husband were among thousands of
Canadians living at Canadian Forces Base Gagetown when the federal
government secretly allowed toxic defoliants there in the 1950s and
1960s.
Like the other military base families, they eventually moved away,
never hearing a word about it.
But that changed May 15 after Radford-Ross learned the toxic
chemicals were sprayed to clear brush and defoliate trees while she
lived on the base.
"For the first two days after I read about it, I cried. I still cry
-- it's mind-boggling our own government would do this to us."
Defence Department and Veterans Affairs told a June 24 public meeting
that Agent Orange and Agent Purple were tested in small amounts at
CFB Gagetown. The tests were said to be small, carefully controlled
and unlikely to cause harm to civilians living outside the base.
Radford-Ross says she's convinced Agent Orange is to blame for her
ailing health over the past 40 years, and she is seeking a
compensation package from the federal government.
Her health began unraveling soon after leaving the base in 1965. At
26, she had a pulmonary embolism -- a blood clot that suddenly blocks
a lung artery which can be fatal. Three miscarriages led to a
hysterectomy at age 31. Cataracts clouded her eyes in her late 30s.
Endometriosis, frequent bouts of pneumonia and bronchitis followed.
Now at 62, she has lung and liver disease and doctors say she may
only have seven to 10 more years to live.
Her 66-year-old ex-husband is dying of leukemia.
A few years ago, one of her 11 doctors asked her if she has ever been
exposed to chemicals.
"I said no, because I had no idea. Little did I know. This finally
all makes sense. I never put two and two together."
Since her grandfather's birth in 1881, she says there have only been
about 10 deaths in the family and little disease.
For a woman with five generations of grandmothers who lived between
97 and 103 years, her catastrophic health is an anomaly.
"It's apparent that something has taken about 30 years off my life."
That something, she suspects, is exposure to poisonous chemicals such
as Agent Orange.
To deal with the fallout over the use of chemicals, officials with
the Defence Department and Veterans Affairs held the June 24 public
meeting. Karen Ellis, an assistant deputy defence minister, said that
despite decades of study the health effects of exposure to the
powerful defoliants remain unclear.
"It is an area of ongoing scientific research," Ellis said in a
Canadian Press story.
"We accept that these substances were not harmless . . . the real
issue is how many people were affected and to what degree."
The use of the chemicals has been public knowledge in New Brunswick since 1981.
There were tests in 1966 and '67, but former base inhabitants want to
know about other spray programs in the 1950s and '60s.
The Defence Department is collecting soil, vegetation and water
samples from the base to test this summer. Dioxin, which has been
linked to cancer and other health problems, was a byproduct in the
production of defoliants such as Agent Orange.
A call for an independent inquiry into the use of toxic chemicals at
the base is being made by New Brunswick Conservative member of the
legislature Jody Carr.
Radford-Ross says her days living on the military base were filled
with promise. Married 10 days after her 18th birthday, she was a
youthful newlywed who spent her days making a nest for her family in
the row housing on scenic Enniskillen Drive.
"Twenty-five feet out our front door was bush. I loved it."
Sunday nights were spent sharing homemade pizza at the dinner table
with other young couples from the tight-knit married quarters.
Sweet memories of her two girls playing in a sandbox on the base --
"eating dirt as children do" -- have become chilling flashbacks
causing worry about long-term effects from ingesting toxic chemicals.
Her friend Patty Connolly, whose family lived in Gagetown from 1962
to 1969, died at age 27 from pulmonary embolism.
"When I had the embolism in 1969, my doctors told me that it occurs
in only three in every 100,000 people," she said. "So I think there
probably is a link."
Radford-Ross is seeking a compensation package from the government,
but answers to her questions are priceless -- she wants her
grandchildren to know for certain what's in their blood.
"I want to know what was done and when. If problems crop up in future
years, I want my grandchildren to know what the long-term effects
are."
Decades of medical bills and poor health coupled with few answers
from the Defence Department has shaken her faith, said Radford-Ross.
"I've always thought of Canada as the good guys. To have this kind of
betrayal by politicians is awful.
"We have to know what we were sprayed with."
The researcher and writer wants to start compiling a data base of her
own to help others.
"I want to get the information out there so everybody who's been
exposed can go to their doctor and start asking questions," she said.
"When we lived there, I believe there were 5,000 soldiers, with
usually at least two children per family, although many had more --
bigger families in those days. If the spraying started as early as
they say, then the numbers exposed would be a lot higher," said
Radford-Ross.
"We are owed an explanation."
szickefoose@theherald.canwest.com
--
Mike Christie
As always... Thanks Mike :)
-Art
_________________________________________________________________________
First Name: Kenneth
Last Name: Young
City: Nanaimo
E-mail Address: Kentar@telus.net
Comments: This is an article on the CBC Web Site. I am no expert, but remember the Titanic was built by experts and Noah's Ark was built by armatures but it has been said that fire or burning of Dioxin contaminated forests has the effect of multiplying the effects of that contaminate. I was just wondering why there was to be a scheduled burn before we know if the soil and plants in the burn site are in fact safe to burn. Seems that the Military and the province already know where the smoke and so the pollution will spread to, so one must wonder, why now? Could this not wait for the soil and fauna / Dioxin tests to return? Another example of "they just don't get it", their killing us.
Ken
Army planning another fire at Gagetown
Last updated Jul 11, 2001 12:00:00 AM
CBC News
CFB Gagetown is planning to burn a huge section of scrub land next month. When it set a similar fire two years ago, it sent smoke billowing across south-western New Brunswick. The pollution was so bad; the environment department had to order the army to stop burning. This time, the military is promising to do a better job. The army invited environmentalists, local officials and the media to the base Wednesday to explain its burning plan. The army showed off its fire equipment to make sure everyone knew the game plan.
Next month, the base will ignite 273 hectares of land in the middle of the training area. It's a firing range, full of unexploded artillery. But it's also a tinder box, stacked up with dry brush and dead wood. Officers say if they don't set it on fire, it might burn by accident.
"You see all the equipment lined up. We're prepared for an escaped fire if we get one. Also, we'll be able to call on the provincial water bombers. We won't start any ignition until they are available to us," Fire Control Officer Pat Jones told the guests.
The last time the army did the burn, the smoke spread all the way to the Kennebecasis Valley. Most people who went on Wednesday's tour represent that part of the province. Many were impressed with the army's plans.
"I guess the big difference is that we're going to burn in six big units instead of one big burn," said Rothesay councillor Don Shea.
Saint John clean air advocate Gordon Dalzell also understood the army's intention.
"This is kind of a tricky time to set the woods on fire but I think it's important to recognize, and I recognize, that if they don't do this in an organized manner this material could burn anyway," he added.
The army plans to set the six separate fires between July 17 and August 16. The exact days will depend on the weather but the military promises to give everyone lots of notice and to avoid making another mess.
__________________________________________________________________________
July 1, 2005
Hi Art,
just wanted to say thank you for your website. I have been reading the
e-mails and have found it very informative. I was born in 1960 and along
with my three siblings lived on a small farm with my parents. My father
worked at the Base Gagetown as a civilian and my mother stayed at home with
us. My father passed away in 1993 and my mother passed away in
2004. Both had chronic lung problems for years. My father had emphysema
and bowel cancer and my mother COPD and lung cancer.
I have relatives who still live in Gagetown and I have heard stories over
the years from them about loved ones who died from certain types of cancer
and felt Agent Orange was responsible. I will be checking your website on
a regular basis.
Yours sincerely,
Anne Law
Thank you so much for sharing your story Anne. The heartache and misery that has been as a result of the agent orange can never truly be understood unless you have seen loved ones suffer or die from it.
-Art
__________________________________________________________________________
July 1, 2005
First Name: Michael
Last Name: Doolin
City: Brooksville
E-mail Address: ldoolin@tampabay.rr.com
Comments: I was exposed to Agent Orange and have recently been told that I have myelofibrosis. I am also Diabetic. I have had stage 3 melanoma cancer and a blood condition called ITP, which may also be Agent Orange related.
__________________________________________________________________________
| U.S. soldiers inquire about exposure to chemicals at Base Gagetown |
|
Last updated Jun 30 2005 03:56 PM ADT
CBC News |
| The Maine National Guard is trying to find out if its troops were exposed to Agent Orange or Agent Purple during their training exercises at Base Gagetown in the 1970s.
Officials with the Guard say they're getting calls from former soldiers asking for details about the spray program.
Members of the unit have trained at CFB Gagetown at regular intervals since 1971.
Major Michael Backus of the Maine National Guard says they're waiting for information from the Department of National Defence.
"The Maine Army National Guard is still trying to find out what relevance it has to the safety of our soldiers. That is our number one priority," Backus said.
Members of the Maine National Guard returned last week from another of their annual training missions at CFB Gagetown and they're expecting to be back next year.
Canadian officials say small amounts of Agent Orange and Agent Purple were used on the base in 1966 and 1967. That would mean the testing was over well before the Guard started training in New Brunswick.
But many former Canadian soldiers and civilian workers at CFB Gagetown say the military continued to use thousands of barrels of virtually identical defoliants at the base well into the 1970s.
Do you think the military will host another "NON - Information" session at CFB Gagetown for our neighbours to the south???...LOL |
__________________________________________________________________________
From Jody Carr MLA
June 30, 2005
Former soldier says he was sprayed with chemicals at CFB Gagetown
Last Updated Thu, 30 Jun 2005 18:23:53 EDT
CBC News www.cbc.ca
A veteran who served at CFB Gagetown, in New Brunswick, has stepped forward with allegations he and others were deliberately sprayed with chemicals in the spring of 1967.
Herb Crowe believes he and others were part of an experiment on humans with the defoliant Agent Orange. Crowe says he decided to speak out after Defence Minister Bill Graham denied such experiments ever took place.
Crowe served in the 2RCHA artillery unit at CFB Gagetown from 1957 to 1985. He says in June of 1967, the same month the U.S. military was testing Agent Orange and Agent Purple at the base, he and several other artillery members were taken out into the woods.
"Once down there we were all ushered into a large tent, took our uniforms off, given coveralls and I don't know if they gave us a respirator, or we had our own with us.
"We were then taken out into the area. We were then put under camouflage net in the trees. [After a] little while then, not sure if it was fixed-wing or helicopter, came along and physically sprayed us while we were there in the woods in the camouflage nets."
Crowe says the soldiers were sprayed several times and then told they had to be decontaminated.
"When the spraying was finished we were taken into the tent, coveralls off, sprayed with some kind of a powder, took a shower, put our uniforms back on and were taken back to the base."
Crowe says he was summoned for a second test in the following days and noticed all the leaves were dead. He now believes he was part of a test conducted by the Americans using Agent Orange and Agent Purple. At the time soldiers were told nothing.
The 69-year-old is in good health, but he says several of the people who were with him on that June day are now dead, or dying. "Some of the people have passed away since then; most of them with cancer and a few still around today have cancer and they were on that test."
CBC News has contacted another member of Crowe's artillery unit who was with Crowe that day who confirms the test took place.
Earlier this week, Defence Minister Bill Graham said he's looked into it and there is no evidence "whatsoever" of tests on humans at CFB Gagetown.
"There was never any attempt whatsoever of any kind to actually spray individuals or to test material on individuals at Gagetown. That was not the purpose of anything that was being done. It was simply how do we remove the foliage in order for the operation to be more effective," said Graham.
Graham says he's willing to keep looking into it and to hear from people who say it happened.
____________________________________________________________________________
June 30, 2005
First Name: Ken
Last Name: Young
City: Nanaimo
E-mail Address: Kentar@telus.net
Comments: This was found at BBC news web site.
By Lee Carter
BBC News, Toronto
Agent Orange allegedly caused many deformities in Vietnam
Several hundred Canadian veterans and civilians who say they were exposed to Agent Orange in the 1960s have vented their anger at a public meeting.
The Canadian defence department admits the US military sprayed Agent Orange over a Canadian forces base in New Brunswick in the mid-1960s.
But the Canadian government says the testing was on a small scale and unlikely to harm local civilians.
Now the government says it is starting the process for compensation claims.
Canadian government officials had come to the Gagetown military base in the eastern province of New Brunswick to listen to the concerns of veterans and the local community.
But they found themselves the target of pent-up anger over the spraying programme that had clearly built up over several decades.
One man at the meeting said that people who were in the area at the time changed colour because of the spraying.
"We didn't know what it was, we weren't told what it was, it won't hurt you," he said.
"Now we find out this stuff here is killing us. No wonder all my buddies are all dead."
Speaker after speaker berated the officials with their stories about health problems they associate with the dioxin and the defoliants including cancer, premature death, ulcers and lung disease.
The US military tested Agent Orange, Agent Purple and other defoliants at the 500-acre base in 1966 and 1967.
But several speaker at the public hearings claimed that equally damaging defoliants had been sprayed there as early as the 1950s and as late as the 1970s.
Canadian government officials have promised they will conduct tests on the base this summer to detect levels of dioxin.
__________________________________________________________________________
June 30, 2005
_1: Mil Med. 2005 May;170(5):406-13.
Postservice mortality of Air Force veterans occupationally exposed
to herbicides during the Vietnam War: 20-year follow-up results.
Ketchum NS, Michalek JE.
Air Force Research Laboratory, Brooks City-Base, TX 78235-5137, USA.
Since 1982, the Air Force Health Study has continued to assess the
mortality for veterans of Operation Ranch Hand, the unit responsible
for aerially spraying herbicides in Vietnam. The mortality for 1,262
Ranch Hand veterans to December 31, 1999 was contrasted with that for
19,078 comparison veterans. The relative risk (RR) for all-cause
death was borderline significantly increased (RR,1.15; 95% confidence
interval, 1.0-1.3; p = 0.06). The risk of death caused by cancer was
not increased (RR = 1.0), but the risk of death caused by circulatory
system diseases was significantly increased among enlisted ground
crew workers (RR 1.7; 95% confidence interval, 1.2-2.4; p = 0.001).
Results for Ranch Hand all-cause death differed from previous
reports, with the RR now exceeding 1.0. The risk of death
attributable to circulatory system diseases continues to be
increased, especially for enlisted ground crew, a subgroup with
relatively high skin exposure to herbicides.
PMID: 15974208 [PubMed - in process]
http://members.cox.net/jimmoss/index.htm
=======================
June 30, 2005
Maine National Guard awaits tests for presence of Agent Orange
BANGOR, Maine --Maine National Guard officials are considering their
response in the event tests, interviews and documents reveal that
Agent Orange was used to clear vegetation from a Canadian military
base where Maine soldiers trained.
According to Canada's Department of Defence, small areas of the
272,000-acre Canadian Forces Base Gagetown were sprayed over seven
days in the summers of 1966 and 1967 at the request of the base
commander to clear dense vegetation for artillery training.
Agent Orange, which was used to remove jungle cover that hid enemy
forces in the Vietnam War, is laden with the highly toxic chemical
dioxin and has been linked to cancer, diabetes and birth defects
among Vietnamese soldiers, civilians and American veterans.
Units of the Maine National Guard have been training at the Gagetown
base near Fredericton, New Brunswick, since 1971. Maine guardsmen
just completed a two-week session at the facility last week and the
next planned exercise is in June 2006.
If it is determined that training at Gagetown represents a
significant risk, all Maine troops who participated in exercises
there will be located and contacted, said Maj. Gen. Bill Libby, head
of the Maine National Guard and commissioner of the state Department
of Defense, Veterans and Emergency Management.
Though it may be months before environmental testing and other
investigations into Gagetown's status are completed, Libby on Tuesday
directed his staff to begin the process of locating another training
site in case it's needed.
Libby said his goal is to have key information available on the Maine
Guard's Web site, as well as a central phone number to call.
For now, the investigation continues with tests of soil samples this
summer and a review of military records on both sides of the border.
Veterans and civilians who may have been directly involved with the
spraying operations will be located and interviewed.
When all information has been gathered and analyzed, the U.S.
Department of Veterans Affairs will determine what, if any, special
benefits may be available.
The use of Agent Orange at Gagetown has been publicly acknowledged in
Canada since the early 1980s. But was not widely known on this side
of the border. Libby said he first heard of the matter about a week
ago.
------
Information from: Bangor Daily News, http://www.bangornews.com
© Copyright 2005 Associated Press. All rights reserved.
=======================
--
Mike Christie
good to see that the American media may be picking up on this story. I have beentrying to contact them but with no success. I will continue and hope that all of you will as well - Art
_________________________________________________________________________
June 30, 2005_
Dear Art,
I appreciate your taking the time to send my office your recent email regarding the use of Agent Orange at CFB Gagetown in New Brunswick.
Due to the importance of your letter, I have taken the liberty of forwarding it directly to the Hon. Albina Guarnieri, Minister of Veterans Affairs. I have requested that she deal with this issue in a timely manner.
If I can ever be of further issue, please do not hesitate to contact my office.
Sincerely,
Gary Schellenberger, M.P.
Perth-Wellington
Room 06, Justice Building
House of Commons
Ottawa, Canada
K1A 0A6
(613) 992 6124
__________________________________________________________________________
First Name: Kenneth
Last Name: Young
City: Nanaimo
E-mail Address: Kentar@telus.net
Comments: Thoughts of the week.
Although I, as do many other Canadians, have the right to mistrust anything that comes out of the mouths of the people (supposedly) informing us about Agent Orange and the spraying in Gagetown in the 50's, 60's and 70's, the fact remains that they might just be telling the truth. Well the truth as they see it. Remember that Agent Orange got its name because of the orange stripe panted on the drums in the US, for use in Vietnam. The same product (which indecently was manufactured here in Canada) didn't have that name and was also not marked the same even though it had the same deadly stuff in it. The problem lies in the fact that we have been lied to for 40 years or at least never told the truth about this spraying.
As facts come out, we are even now starting to see that the CVA didn't acknowledge Agent Orange either, demonstrated by 31 people having applied for pension in relation to Agent Orange and only 3 receiving it. Two of them from exposures in Vietnam and only ONE for Gagetown exposure and that only after many years (by one of the highest ranking Officers in Canada) of fights, and appeals and then only granted on his death bed. If that is what they have done to one of the highest ranks, you can only imagine what they would do for the OR's or NCO's with just as valid a clam for benefits.
Also after 40 years of having heard that it never happened, one tends to be slightly skeptical that the only days that were sprayed, (admitted to) are the ones that can be proved (so far) by the documents supplied by the two NDP, MP's and tabled in the House. Forty years of "it never happened" and then all of a sudden we have dozens of experts who know all about it, the exact 7 (LOL) days that it was sprayed, exactly (two drums again (LOL)) how much was used, exactly where (83 acres (LOL)) it was used and an almost exact number that were affected (little if any military and no civilians (sorry not funny)) by that spraying.
The same Government that reports to want to compensate, "everyone affected by this spraying" are the ones briefing our over night experts that have been (in my view) running damage control for that same Government. And then there is Bill C-78 a very good reason for not wanting too many pensions or compensations to be paid out. Bill C-78 is a bill allowing the Government to appropriate the monies in our pension funds account and move that money into a general funds account, for use elsewhere at their every whim. These same pension funds overages are monies that we the Pension Participants have through the years paid into, for possible use when we ourselves need a pension. Part of the reason that there is such a large overage is that they (the Government and by extension the CVA) have not told us the truth and have also not been willing to pay out the pensions that were well deserved for the past 40 years. I don't know about the others but there seems to be problems from this !
spraying dating back over 40 years. Problems that should have been handled by CVA back then. The surplus wouldn't be so large if the troops that were sprayed with Mustard Gas and now Agent Orange had been handled fairly, honestly and with honor.
One can almost understand the idea of spraying some to save many. You know the 10 or so thousand that may have been affected by Agent Orange this time may save 100's of thousands in some future war because we should now know better then to spray or make crawl through sprayed areas, our own troops. But under what rational can we Veterans or the general public of Canada allow a Government to PILLAGE the pension fund and without a blink of the eye, refuse pensions to them that gave their health and youth to the service of Canada.
Well that's all for today. Keep up the pressure.
Ken Young
Thank you Ken...as always insightful and bang on target
- Art
_________________________________________________________________________
JUNE 30, 2005
First Name: Judy
Last Name: Quinton
City: Toronto
E-mail Address: jquinton2@msn.com
Comments: My father in law sprayed DDT at CFB Gagetown and was also exposed to Dioxin from Agent Orange. He has since passed away from Cancer. My mother in law, also living on the base at the time was also exposed and has had to battle with Non Hodgkins lymphoma. Veteran Affairs Canada was notified by telephone when we first heard via the media that it was a deadly chemical that was sprayed into the environment, they said they would call back in 10 days and it has been 3 weeks, it shows you how much they care about the people that served for this country.
I agree we should get organized and this must stay in the media to enable awareness in the public. Something this destructive should have never remained behind closed doors all these years. I think that perhaps a consultation with Chemists and Environmental Scientist's may be the next step to take.
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