Vets need to inquire

I returned home from Vietnam in 1971 without a scratch, so I thought. Six years ago I was diagnosed with prostate cancer. About a year ago I discovered that prostate cancer is on the list of diseases presumed by the Veterans Affairs Department to be caused by Agent Orange. I now receive $96 per month for a service-related disability, but because I didn’t know better, I lost over $20,000 in benefits I would have received had I filed when first diagnosed.

In my job as an asphalt tester in Vietnam’s Central Highlands (U.S. Army), we used the solvent trichloroethylene for washing our samples and cleaning asphalt off our hands. I inhaled and washed with it hundreds of times. Last fall I was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. Several studies show a direct link between this chemical and Parkinson’s. I’m told I probably won’t get a service-related disability for this.

Vietnam was a stinking little war we’d all like to forget, but if you’re a Vietnam vet, please check with the VA and see if you have an Agent Orange-related disease. The VA won’t tell you about any benefits you might be eligible for unless you ask.

Jim Shamp

Cheney