Tag Archives: Agent Orange

Veterans and widows are bewildered by VA’s unpredictable — and seemingly unfair — approach to Agent Orange claims

By Ken Olsen (Copyright 2014, All Rights Reserved) When Mary Warner’s husband became too sick to care for himself, she took early retirement and a reduced pension to attend to his needs. It was a significant financial risk. The Warners … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Rare Victory: Vietnam Navy veterans struggle to prove, and keep, Agent Orange benefits

By Ken Olsen (Copyright 2012, All Rights Reserved)  Surgeons started removing strange growths from Mark Crosbie’s body a few years after he came home from Vietnam. Over the next three decades, they took sebaceous cysts from the Navy veteran’s back, … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Richard Christian Jr., champion of Vietnam veterans in battle for Agent Orange and PTSD claims, to be buried at Arlington

By Ken Olsen (Copyright 2012 All Rights Reserved) Richard S. Christian, Jr., who endured withering hostility from the Reagan Administration for his meticulous and tireless work on behalf of Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange, died of cancer at a … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Brown Water Update: VA updates list of Vietnam Navy ships exposed to Agent Orange

By Ken Olsen (Copyright 2011/ All Rights Reserved)  The VA has finally posted an expanded list of U.S. Navy ships exposed to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. The so-called Brown Water ships list comes a year after U.S. Sen. … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , | 22 Comments

Brown Water Bungle: Paperwork error excluded hundreds of Vietnam Navy veterans from receiving Agent Orange benefits

By Ken Olsen (Copyright 2011/All Rights Reserved) Hundreds of Vietnam Navy veterans whose Agent Orange claims were denied because the VA failed to obtain key military records will receive benefits as a result of a review requested by U.S. Sen. … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Toxic Legacy: A brief history of Agent Orange in Vietnam

• 1961 to 1972: U.S. military sprays some 20 million gallons of Agent Orange and other herbicides across Vietnam and some parts of Laos under Operation Ranch Hand. • 1968-69: U.S. Military uses Agent Orange in Korean DMZ, exposing an estimated 12,000 veterans. • Early 1970s: Veterans begin … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Still Adrift: Congressional inaction sinks hope that ailing Vietnam Navy veterans will regain Agent Orange benefits

By Ken Olsen (Copyright 2010 / All Rights Reserved) Ann Langston sent a desperate note to her senator in early June asking for help expediting her husband’s Agent Orange claim. Bruce Langston had suffered an aneurysm after long bouts with … Continue reading

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments