SVR Radio
Good Evening Congressman Filner,
While I appreciate what you are doing…Congress is not doing enough.
My old boss at Rockwell Missile use to say “Don‘t bring me problems without resolutions.” We have offered those but no one seems to be listening. I will go over some of those again but to save time please listen.
I sent to your office the NAS review of the EPA Dioxin Reassessment. If you look at all the prestigious scientists that signed on to that review and what they know and recognize regarding dioxin and dioxin like compounds then either all these scientists are crazy or the Department of Veterans Affairs is a corrupt federal agency. Army fatigues and Marine utilities were not environmental hazard suits no matter what the VA thinks. One set of causations for civilians and one set for the Veterans/Widows and damaged offspring is not fair and falls under the classification of budget control.
For your history edification this Dioxin preliminary Reassessment was in 1992 and was finalized in 1994 and then added as they found even more data. In 1979 an EPA scientist named Delarago found holes in all the chemical company data and did a complex study and evaluation. That report was shelved and never released. The tragedy is that same report a lot of it became the basis of the Dioxin EPA Reassessment in 1992 and now most of it has been confirmed by the NAS review report that I e-mailed to your office, including the immunotoxicity effects of dioxin which explains a lot of the issues Veterans have experienced since leaving Vietnam in many areas of the immune system and are still denied; including all site cancers and systemic immune system problems with X factor outcomes. Many of them mentioned in the Ford Foundation funded report presented to Congress days ago and still denied by VA. In fact, in the EPA 1994 reassessment the conclusion was and it seems now approved by the NAS review that the amount it takes to create a cancer is far less than the amount it takes to create an immune system problem with X factors above cancer outcomes when compared to immune system damages as outcomes. My personal opinion based on the studies is while the dose may have an impact as to time to cancer manifestation; any level of dioxin exposure may lead to a cancer depending on many factors. One of which is of course genetics and genetic pathways.
Now assuming there is a dose rate; which in many cases of these toxic chemicals dose does not make the poison or the outcome but assuming, it would make more sense that more Veterans would be suffering from the lesser dose than the higher dose in autoimmune disorders. But with the Department of Veterans Affairs medical common sense is not a priority.
These immune system problems can kill and certainly contribute to the Veterans Disability. Yet, until we finally got the IOM to approve Primary Amyloidosis not one autoimmune disorder had been approved by VA. So the studies; both National and International, both Civilian and Veteran alike and the EPA assessment in their findings of decreased IgG antibodies, with increased IgA antibodies, alteration of T-cell mediated immunity from activation of peripheral blood cells with polyclonal T-cell activators. Production of Interferon gamma which is a major factor against infection and Tumoregenesis was lowered. Then you have production of Interleukin 4 and 10 increased along with the EPA conclusions of Interleukin 6 and 1b being affected resulting in an IL 4/Interferion gamma ratio that is really bad for the body. Concluding that not only does dioxin create immunotoxicity issues but they can be both ways in the body. A body that no longer protects and in fact enhances (allows or promotes) tumoregenesis but at the same time can become an inflammatory immune system with far reaching implications in organs, symptoms, and diagnosis to include cardiovascular disorders; including heart valve issues no different from the immune system damaged AIDS patient. These can be from acute to chronic depending on the damages and alterations and of course the genetic pathway affected by the immune system.
In the statement above; activation of peripheral blood cells with polyclonal T-cell activators, is more likely the reason many Veterans having Peripheral Neuropathy not diabetes as the VA has mandated for this; yes, a degenerating disorder denied by VA.
I had a VA neurologist call me three times to congratulate me on my posted issues on this matter and he concluded I was correct when he finally did a nerve biopsy on one of my Marines.
I concluded five years ago and so stated that for the Vietnam Veteran triglycerides (also found dioxin associated) was at least as important if not more important than the cholesterol issues in these inflammatory dioxin blood fat created issues. As well as recommended that the highly sensitive CRP test was a valuable tool in monitoring this inflammatory condition and treatment responses in both chronic and acute phase development of these conditions.
From the studies of both Civilian and Veterans and then doing a reverse failure analysis to other found immune system dioxin created problems to me this conclusion was quite obvious. If you watch any TV at all you will see that medicine is just now recognizing both these facts in testing, monitoring, and treatment. In other words, a novice can conclude these issues (finally admitted to for the general population by the medical profession) based on the found facts but the hired guns against Veterans cannot or at least will not associate to this finding or the many outcomes it can create with a lag time that is limitless.
In light of all the VA lies and mistruths and misconduct the following is necessary:
· Have your staff and other congressional committee members review the documents I sent.
· After review… then have closed door meetings with the oversight committee members or staff with myself, Paul Sutton, Mike Eckstein, and a few others to include a well known toxicologist and a cancer researcher to hammer out what we think should be covered based on the evidence and not the politics. (Please, no VSO members as for over 40 years now they have worked for the VA in this issue…not our Veterans.)
· We will also present the fallacy of the Ranch Hand reports that IOM uses to deny us specific associations based on what was not published but found in the official transcripts that were found associated. Some of the medical issues even found to this mythical un-established dose response.
· I would also present some Korean DMZ issues and how VA is denying these men based on nothing and in particular whoever at the VA denied Veteran David Hill (now deceased) should be investigated and then either tried or at least terminated along with his/her VA manager.
· We will also present and demonstrate how several federal agency laws in government studies have been violated and those folks should also be charged in accordance with the government established laws already on the books. Such as violation of Public Health Service Policies on Research misconduct under 42 CFR Part 93 and Veterans Health Administration Research Misconduct Handbook 1058.2.
· Once all this is done you should call in under official oversight Dr. Brown of the VA and demand how he and his predecessors are denying all of these known and identified impacts as well as VA’s Dr. Kang and former head Dr. Susan Mather, including the former heads of the Department of Veterans Affairs. If anyone is caught lying then I would expect this Congress to prosecute to the fullest as they would in any other cases expect for Veterans/Widows/Offspring it seems.
· I would also investigate the White House connection to the denials and the known and identified White House BoB memo put out not to find associations (known to congress I would add) which seems to continuing to this day.
I would also as a separate issue discuss the fact that in the current VA/BVA lawless system we have men who served side by side and one is approved and one is denied with both having the same issues. That is not justice but budget control. There is no excuse for this with the cases being on line and searchable. This also falls under the category of VA/BVA White House budget control.
I hope you will continue your efforts.
However, until I see on the House and Senate floor the same enthusiasms for Veterans Rights as they do defending Terrorists Rights; my hope is I live long enough to see the day when no one will serve in our military no matter how many sign-up bonuses or retention bonuses (bribes) are given out.
Give me one good reason why they should knowing they will be told half the truth of how they will be treated and how their citizen rights guaranteed by our constitution are set aside by our own Congress because of that honorable and in many cases “valorous service”.
Until that time I will not vote for any incumbent and I urge all Veterans/Spouses/Widows/Offspring of Veterans to do the same. RE-ELECT NO ONE! Eventually we may get some congressional officials that match their words with deeds
It seems when our government creates the Veteran; indeed his citizen rights are then set aside and then open to government sponsored fraudulent activities against them at many levels of government.
Thank you for listening.
Charles Kelley
Snellville, GA
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I hate to agree with Charles Kelley, but he's right, my family has a long history of being abused by the military and then being left to our own devices to deal with the aftermath. My step father Dale (NMN) Jennings, TSGT, USAF Retired 1962, he had three kinds of cancer after being ordered to fly data gathering missions over the Nevada Test site during nuclear detonations in the late 50s and early 60s. He had breast cancer, skin cancer and lymph nodes removed. The Air Force hospital at march Field did the surgery for free, but he was never compensated for it, my mother died in 1996 and Dale died in 2000 before he learned that he was entitled to the 75,000 dollar payment authorized under the RECA Act, this law prevents the children from making the claim if the veteran or the spouse is deceased the claim died with them. Why, if they had passed the law earlier we would have inherited the funds as his heirs, so why are we prevented from making the claim for the harm done to him and we had to live thru with him, watching a loved one deal with cancer once is bad enough, three times is torturous, for the entire family.
I am a survivor of the Edgewood Arsenal experiments
Vietnam Veterans of America, et al. v. Central Intelligence Agency, et al. Case No. CV-09-0037-CW, U.S.D.C. (N.D. Cal. 2009)
What This Case Is About
Plaintiffs seek declaratory and injunctive relief only – no monetary damages – and Plaintiffs seek redress for 25 years of diabolical experiments followed by over 30 years of neglect, including:
the use of troops to test nerve gas, psychochemicals, and thousands of other toxic chemical or biological substances and perhaps most gruesomely, the insertion of septal implants in the brains of subjects in a ghastly series of mind control experiments that went awry;
the failures to secure informed consent and other widespread failures to follow the precepts of U.S. and international law regarding the use of human subjects, including the 1953 Wilson Directive and the Nuremberg Code;
an almost fanatical refusal to satisfy their legal and moral obligations to locate the victims of their gruesome experiments or to provide health care or compensation to them;
the deliberate destruction of evidence and files documenting their illegal actions, actions which were punctuated by fraud, deception, and a callous disregard for the value of human life.
The Complaint asks the Court to determine that Defendants’ actions were illegal and that Defendants have a duty to notify all victims and to provide them with health care going forward.
I am totally disabled and have been since June 2002 the Social Security Agency accepted my claim for heart disease in March 2003 effective Jun 2002, and the VA Board of veteran Appeals Judge accepted it on April 7, 2009, however in the meantime the VA diagnosed me with PTSD in 2003 and in April 2005 they awarded me 50% after I filed a Notice of Disgreement with the low ball award, on reflection in May 2006 the VARO awarded me 100% P&T just for the PTSD, which is related to the experiments at EA, and an attempted murder and robbery at Fort Wainwright, Alaksa that occurred on Feb 5, 1975, by 7 fellow soldiers from the same Battalion I was assigned to, 4 of them went to leavenworth Prison for the offenses after being convicted by a general Court Martial, the other 3 men were demoted to E1 and given bad Conduct Discharges after turning government witnesses against the worst of the 4. There is also long history of other incidents the VA calls stressors, which most people call things that scared the hell out of us, and that create nightmares that never go away and at times cause flashbacks while we are still awake, "day mares" maybe?
The government has a long history of abusing military personnel and then ignoring them as long as possible, hopefully until they die, the Edgewood veterans, Operation SHAD/112 was not even admitted to until just a few years ago by DOD and not they continue to deny the experiments caused any harm to the men used in them.
Agent Orange had been well explained by Charles Kelley, I could not offer any more than he has, except I did serve on the DMZ just a few years after they sprayed it, I ate vegetables grown in Freedom Village that the Army bought from the Koreans, grown in soil and water that was contaminated in AO, and the half life of Agent Orange is decades. The state department personnel are able to claim exposure to I believe it is 1978, military personnel are only able to claim until 1971, why? The half life of that dioxin laced soil and water affected us all not just State Department personnel.
If the youth of our nation see how you have treated these veterans why in the world would they enlist in an all volunteer Army, have them look at the 25% disabled Gulf War One veterans that have been told for the past 18 years that their physical problems are mental in nature, in other words they are crazy, that does not explain the cardiovascular problems, the pulmonary problems, the GERD and other gastrointestinal problems, psoriasis and other autoimmune diseases, rashes, migrainme like headaches, etc, the symptoms of chemical weapon exposure as shown by a 1994 CW report by the national Institute of Health and a 1975 report published by SIPRI based on Wermacht soldiers expsoed to Sarin and Mustrad agents in the german Army of WW2.
Even the Germans treated their defeated soldiers better than the US has treated American soldiers, and that is a damn shame. The only ones to blame is military leadership and Congress and the Presidents of the US since Harry S truman thru President Obama, they all could have executed executive orders mandating the Department of Veteran Affairs to correct these problems, President Obama has proclaimed a special affinity for the military and his wife Michelle the families, here is the chance for them to show their compassion, order the VA to help these veterans and their families. The benefit of the doubt rule can be used to actually help these aging disabled veterans, while they are still alive, the question is will you?Sphere: Related Content
