USAF Needs C-123 Information! NOW!

The USAF School of Aerospace Medicine at Wright-Patterson AFB is investigating the dioxin contamination of our C-123 and trying to determine whether we have been exposed to the Agent Orange left after Vietnam. 


They need our help...to help us! Their project OIC wrote to ask us:

That's one of our questions--how much red clay from Vietnam came home with the planes? And how much of that saturated with AO? We are looking at possibility of airborne exposure from both vapor, as well as particulate-bound dioxin. 

What kinds of activities might have caused particulate-bound AO to blow in and out of nooks and crannies?  

We think that we can probably find some reference values from the literature of a "body-burden" of dioxin considered to be a problem. From there we can do some back-calculations about how much mass you'd need to inhale, ingest, and have dermal contact with. 

If you have memories, or even with luck original documents or photos, please get them to Wes Carter by scanning the materials, or if you can offer your personal knowledge, send in a SIGNED letter detailing what you know. Wes is at c123kcancer@gmail.com

We are looking for physical condition of the aircraft when they were assigned to the 731st. We are looking for photos. We are looking for information about the black, smelly goop in the wings and under the cargo deck...that's the stuff which was mostly one of the insecticides but also contained dioxin left over from the Agent Orange spray operations. 


I can't stress how important this research is and how important your contribution can be. The VA has turned us down. The Air Force is trying to stand up for us but will do so only if backed by evidence that the Provider was indeed contaminated to the point of causing us harm. Your signed letters are vital.


A point. We all know how stinky Patches was, but hat stink was not Agent Orange--it was the malathyon! Dioxin has no odor, and Agent Orange was something that evaporated fairly quickly. But not the dioxin that was in it. So we need hard data and first-hand signed personal recollections...which the VA will accept as evidence in our veterans benefits claims...to start helping the School of Aerospace Medicine (USAFSAM). 


Maintenance folks like Charlie Fusco, Joe Butler...all of you guys...please get behind us on this!