Years ago, I read a report that necropsy reports on military dogs in Viet Nam suffered a much higher rate of testicular cancer than military dogs assigned elsewhere. I thought about all the months I spent walking behind my dog in Viet Nam....... If he had a higher risk, what about me? Did I have testicular cancer risk? Do you have a risk of testicular cancer ?
As I started attending VSPA reunions, I noticed that the majority of old dog handlers seemed to be have diabetes. At the 2004 VSPA reunion at Tucson, the subject came up at the banquet table. As webmaster, many photos of Thailand bases had been sent to me. Many had the same bare dirt perimeter look that some Viet Nam bases had (Phu Cat Air Base, RVN 1970). We discussed the fact that Thailand veterans were shut out of VA healthcare. Thailand - Vietnam Vets For Equity in Treatment (TVVET) was born that night to address the issue of unequal treatment for veterans of South-East Asia service.
Many veterans had increased exposure to hazardous chemicals and tropical diseases, caused by multiple tours in South East Asia (SEA). "Herbicides were used by the U.S. military to defoliate military facilities in the U.S. and in other countries as far back as the 1950s. Even if you did not serve in Vietnam, you can still apply for service-connected benefits if you were exposed to an herbicide while in the military which you believe caused your disease or injury. If you have a disease which is on the list of diseases recognized by the VA as being associated with Agent Orange, the VA requires:
To Go To Yahoo Agent Orange Group
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