navy korean war veterans and agent orange

Without that presumption, a veteran from 1967 can try to obtain benefits, but has the burden of producing evidence of a connection between the illness and Agent Orange. Such eligibility means that if a veteran has one of a list of illnesses connected to Agent Orange, the VA presumes that it is the result of herbicide exposure.

“I got very angry and hurt that they didn’t tell us this stuff was going on,” said Clarke, 69, a retired stockbroker and a VFW member.Ĭlarke learned that his Type 2 diabetes could have resulted from Agent Orange exposure, but that only veterans who served on the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) from April 1968 through August 1971 are eligible for benefits. “The VFW getting behind it is a really, really big deal,” he added.įive years ago Clarke found information on the Internet that he and other veterans who served in Korea in the 1960s may have been exposed to Agent Orange. “After working on this for so long, it’s heartwarming,” Clarke said of the VFW support.

Fuentes said VFW efforts to convince the VA to change its policy have been unsuccessful. The documents include proof of test spraying of defoliants in Korea in 1967 and of veterans’ exposure to Korean government spraying.

Carlos Fuentes, VFW senior legislative associate, said documents provided by Army veteran Eugene Clarke of Redding swayed the national organization to seek the benefits change through Congress.

Navy korean war veterans and agent orange