- I WAS IN VIETNAM JULY OF
'67 THROUGH JUNE OF '68,
AND SEPTEMBER OF 1970
to AUGUST OF '71,
WHERE I FLEW COBRAS,
[INDISTINCT], AND HUEYS.
I RECEIVED SEVERAL MEDALS,
EVERYTHING FROM SILVER STAR TO
DISTINGUISHED FLYING CROSS,
BRONZE STARS, AIR MEDALS,
PURPLE HEART.
WE HAD SPRAY RIGS OUT EACH
SIDE OF THE AIRCRAFT, ABOUT 20
FEET ON EITHER SIDE
OF THE AIRCRAFT.
WE PUT ON ABOUT 250,
300 GALLONS OF AGENT ORANGE,
AND WE'D SET OFF ON A MISSION
WHERE WE FLY LOW AND SLOW OVER
THE PARTICULAR AREA THEY
WANTED DEFOLIATED.
- AGENT ORANGE WAS THE
DEFOLIANT THAT WAS USED
IN VIETNAM TO ELIMINATE
FOLIAGE COVER THAT THE ENEMY
MIGHT SEEK AND ALSO TO
ELIMINATE POTENTIAL FOOD.
- WE OFTENTIMES DID ANOTHER
MISSION, WHAT WE CALL A "FLY
AND FLAG."
THAT WOULD BE 4 OR 5 123Ss
WOULD BE SPRAYING A BIG AREA.
AND WE'D BE AT EITHER END OF
THE SPRAY COORDINATES SO THEY
COULD SPOT US, AND THEY'D FLY
DOWN AND USE US AS A FLAG,
AND THEY'D FLY RIGHT OVER US AND
THEN TURN AROUND AND GO BACK
AND FLY THE OTHER WAY AND
FLY RIGHT OVER US AGAIN.
AND ON THOSE MISSIONS AND ALSO
ON OTHER MISSIONS, WE HAD TO
COME HOME AND WASH THE
AIRCRAFT BECAUSE IT WOULD TAKE
THE PAINT OFF THE TAILBONE.
WE USED VIRTUALLY NO
PROTECTIVE GEAR WHATSOEVER.
WE WALKED AROUND IT
IN OUR BOOTS.
WE DIDN'T WEAR GALOSHES OR HAVE
RUBBER SUITS OR ANYTHING LIKE
THAT, AND WE DIDN'T USE
PROTECTIVE FACE GEAR OR ANY
KIND OF INHALATION PROTECTION.
WE DIDN'T KNOW ANY BETTER.
WE JUST WERE TOLD WE WERE GONNA
FLY THIS MISSION, AND WE FLEW
THIS MISSION.
I WAS FIRST DIAGNOSED WITH
A CIVILIAN DOCTOR IN 1997,
AND THAT WAS A VERY
SLIGHT TREMOR.
YOU'D HOLD A PIECE OF PAPER
UP, AND THE END OF THE PAPER
WOULD JUST SHAKE A LITTLE BIT.
I HAD A FRIEND AT WORK
THAT SAID, "YOU SHOULD GO
"TO THE VA.
YOU HAVE RIGHTS AND BENEFITS
THERE YOU NEED TO LOOK INTO."
I DIDN'T EVEN KNOW WHAT THE
BENEFITS WERE WHEN I SIGNED UP
WITH THE VA.
AND SHE SAID THAT I PROBABLY
SHOULD SEE THE NEUROLOGIST.
- AND THEN THE TREMOR BECAME
WORSE, AND HE BEGAN TO HAVE
A LITTLE BIT OF DIFFICULTY
WITH DEXTERITY IN HIS HANDS,
AND HE BROUGHT THIS TO THE
ATTENTION OF HIS DOCTOR,
WHO REFERRED HIM TO ME
AS HIS NEUROLOGIST.
AND WHEN I EXAMINED HIM,
HE HAD ALL OF THE FEATURES
OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE.
- THERE'S QUITE A FEW STUDIES
THAT HAVE SHOWN THAT THERE
APPEARS TO BE AN ASSOCIATION
BETWEEN BEING EXPOSED TO THOSE
THINGS, INCLUDING INSECTICIDES
AND ALSO HERBICIDES, THAT CAN
POSSIBLY BE RELATED TO
THE DEVELOPMENT
OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE.
- SO WHEN IT BECAME CLEAR THAT
VIETNAM VETERANS WERE HAVING
CERTAIN KINDS OF HEALTH
PROBLEMS, A STUDY WAS STARTED
COMPARING INDIVIDUALS WHO'D
BEEN INVOLVED IN SPRAYING
OF AGENT ORANGE COMPARED TO A
GROUP OF INDIVIDUALS WHO HAD
SERVED IN SOUTHEAST ASIA
BUT HAD NOT BEEN EXPOSED.
THROUGH THESE STUDIES,
IT BECAME EVIDENT THAT THERE
WAS AN ASSOCIATION BETWEEN
EXPOSURE TO AGENT ORANGE
AND CERTAIN HEALTH
CARE PROBLEMS.
- MY FIRST MEETING WITH
DR. ROSS, I TOLD HIM THAT,
"HEY, I'VE GOT PARKINSON'S,
AND I THINK IT'S DIRECTLY
RELATED TO AGENT ORANGE,"
AND HIS ANSWER WAS, "WELL,
IT HASN'T BEEN PROVEN.
"WE BELIEVE PESTICIDES AND
HERBICIDES HAVE SOME EFFECTS
"ON PARKINSON'S, BUT IT HASN'T
BEEN RECOGNIZED AS A DISEASE
THAT CAN BE TREATED BY THE
VA AS COMBAT-RELATED."
- IF YOU REALLY WANT TO PROVE
CAUSATION, YOU HAVE TO DO
A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED CLINICAL
TRIAL, WHICH IS IMPOSSIBLE TO
DO WITH THIS KIND OF THING
BECAUSE YOU CAN'T DOSE PEOPLE
WITH PESTICIDES AND SEE IF
THEY DEVELOP PARKINSON'S MORE
OFTEN THAN THOSE WHO ARE NOT.
- THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN
CORRELATION AND CAUSATION IS
THAT CORRELATION JUST MEANS
THAT THERE IS AN ASSOCIATION
BETWEEN AN EXPOSURE AND
AN OUTCOME, WHEREAS CAUSATION
MEANS THAT THAT EXPOSURE HAS
ACTUALLY BEEN SHOWN TO CAUSE
THAT OUTCOME.
AND OF COURSE, NOT EVERYBODY
WHO IS EXPOSED DEVELOPS
PARKINSON'S DISEASE,
AND NOT EVERYONE WHO HAS
PARKINSON'S DISEASE
NECESSARILY HAD AN EXPOSURE.
ALL WE CAN SAY IS THAT
THERE IS THIS ASSOCIATION.
- AND GENERAL SHINSEKI,
WHEN HE GOT IN AS THE VA
ADMINISTRATOR, TOOK A GOOD,
HARD LOOK AT IT ALONG
WITH OTHER DOCTORS WHO WERE
ABLE TO VOICE THEIR OPINION,
AND IT WAS GIVEN SOME
KIND OF CREDIBILITY.
- THE REASON THAT IT'S NOW
CONSIDERED--PARKINSON'S IS NOW
CONSIDERED TO BE A SERVICE-
CONNECTED DISABILITY IS
BECAUSE THESE NEW STUDIES HAVE
COME OUT THAT ARE SHOWING THAT
THE COMPOUNDS THAT MAKE UP
AGENT ORANGE ARE ASSOCIATED
WITH HIGHER RISK
OF PARKINSON'S.
- SECRETARY SHINSEKI'S
DECISION TO MAKE PARKINSON'S
DISEASE A SERVICE-CONNECTED
CONDITION HAS SEVERAL
IMPLICATIONS FOR VETERANS.
ONE OF THESE IS THAT
THEY MIGHT OBTAIN MORE
COMPENSATION, AND ANOTHER IS
THAT THEY MIGHT BE ELIGIBLE
FOR MORE HEALTH CARE
SERVICES FROM THE DEPARTMENT
OF VETERANS AFFAIRS.
- IF I HAVE TO GO TO PARKINSON'S
MEDICATIONS, THEY'RE COMBAT
RELATED, AND THAT'S
WHAT IT MEANS TO ME.
IT MEANS MY MEDICATION AND MY
TREATMENT WILL BE TREATED AS
A COMBAT-RELATED DISEASE
RATHER THAN A SIDE DISEASE.
- FOR A PERSON WITH
PARKINSON'S DISEASE, I THINK
THEIR TAKE-HOME MESSAGE SHOULD
BE THAT IT'S POSSIBLE THAT
THEY WERE SOMEONE WHO
IS RATHER SUSCEPTIBLE TO
DIFFERENT TOXINS AND THEY MAY
HAVE BEEN EXPOSED TO THOSE
DURING THEIR LIFE AT
SOME POINT OR ANOTHER.
THERE COULD HAVE BEEN
AN ADDITIVE EFFECT THAT
EVENTUALLY ENDED UP WITH
A DIAGNOSIS
OF PARKINSON'S DISEASE.
- I THINK IF YOU SUSPECT YOU
HAVE PARKINSON'S DISEASE,
YOU NEED TO SEEK TREATMENT
AS SOON AS YOU CAN.
THE SOONER YOU SEEK TREATMENT,
THE EASIER IT'LL BE FOR YOU
DOWN THE ROAD, AND THE
DISEASE IS TREATABLE UP TO
A CERTAIN POINT.
YOU CAN GET THE CORRECT
MEDICATION, GET YOUR
MEDICATION SETTLED OUT,
AND YOU'LL ENJOY A LONGER,
MORE PRODUCTIVE LIFE THAN IF
YOU'D WAITED A LONG TIME TO
GET IT DIAGNOSED.
