C-123 Discussed at First 2013 Institute of Medicine Meeting

C-123 issues presented to the 15 IOM members, 16 January 2013

Yesterday's meeting of the Institute of Medicine's Agent Orange Committee included a briefing about post-Vietnam Agent Orange contamination of C-123 aircraft. While the Committee cannot act on its own regarding any single issue, we were able to present the fundamentals of our cause.

And that cause is that we flew contaminated aircraft and were exposed aboard them. Not only aircrews, but also aerial port, AME and maintenance personnel were identified to the Committee as the veterans deserving of their intervention. How that intervention might come about, publicly or privately, I don't know and I don't care...at least the IOM knows what the VA has been doing to us ever since the problems with post-Vietnam contamination first surfaced publicly in 2011.

The crux of that VA opposition has been their refusal to accept the contamination information as indicative of exposure also. Not only that, but they deny any exposure could have occurred because of a novel concept, unknown to science outside VA headquarters, of "dry dioxin transfer." Using it, and a pretense that there wasn't "enough" dioxin to cause long-term health issues, the VA has directed regional offices to continue refusing medical care and benefits to C-123 veterans. They even rely on the opinion of the Director, Compensation Services, to write in denying veterans' benefits "there is no conclusive evidence that TCDD exposure causes any adverse health effects." 

IOM Conference Center at UC-Irvine

This brought a smile, then a frown, from most Committee members when it was read to them! "Not sure which medical school or toxicology program that" (came from), was one Committee member's comment as he shook his head.

We shake our heads also, but in sadness, not just bewilderment. Recent VA actions and letters make it more clear than ever than no amount proof or expert independent opinions will sway them to permit service connection for C-123 veterans. It just won't happen. They have all the time in the world...and we don't. Besides, fellow veterans, we must come to understand that these VA people are not like us. They are different, with a different set of values, a different perspective regarding "those trash-haulers, freeloaders" (as the OSD consultant slandered us), and a different perspective regarding honor. 

Already, signaling this sea-change, I listened to the bulk of the Committee's free time being spent today on health issues of Vietnam veterans' children...and grandchildren. I was the oldest guy in the room.

Text of Presentation to Institute of Medicine Agent Orange Committee

January 16, 2013  University of California - Irvine

The presentation of the C-123 Veterans Association to the Agent Orange Committee, Institute of Medicine of the National Academies has been finalized and generally agreed upon by a wide variety of skill sets within our ranks...flight nurses, pilots, maintenance, crew chiefs, and more. I even was blessed with a last-minute read by a gentleman at the church we're visiting who indeed read it as he promised, and found four essential corrections - including one where I typed "between 1072-1982" meaning, of course, 1972-1982. It lends a bit more credence to not have silly mistakes like this, and thanks to all who reviewed, especially Karlene, John and Paul.

 It will be delivered 16 January 2013 at the Academy's conference center at the University of California - Irvine. Our objective is merely to acquaint the committee with the C-123 contamination, the exposure of the veterans, and the means by which the Department of Veterans Affairs opposes claims regardless of merit.

While the time for our presentation is brief, handouts are invited and we've prepared an extensively detailed summary, including a two-page hyperlinked appendix to our reference documents, just so they know we're not making this stuff up! Also included is a 2.6GB DVD with every source document I could find from AF, GSA, VA, general aviation, wherever to hopefully tell our story.


We have been cautioned that the committee can only deal with peer-reviewed scientific materials, and we've shown them plenty. We'll show them unchallenged AF and commercial lab testing of C-123s between 1979 and 2009, both with hexane and with water wipes, and both positive for dioxin. I hope they can find enough science and already-accepted material in earlier IOM reports to bear on our newly added items, and be motivated enough to take on the VA...and I don't care if it is face-to-face or behind the scenes, just so long as the IOM takes the VA to task on their ridiculous anti-C-123 veteran posture.

C-123 Veterans Presentation to Institute of Medicine 16 January 2013

Fellow C-123 Veterans:

Opportunity: Friday I was informed by the Institute of Medicine, Agent Orange Committee (part of the National Academy of Sciences) that C-123 veterans have been scheduled for a brief afternoon presentation to the Committee to discuss C-123 Agent Orange contamination.

Background: Congress set up a process in which the VA must consider findings of the Institute of Medicine regarding Agent Orange issues. While their meeting on 16 January does not directly deal with our airplanes, it is our chance to bring the lingering contamination and the VA's stonewalling of our claims to their very public forum.

Under Secretary Allison Hickey

Many of the scientists who have weighed on to support us are well-known to the Committee. These scientists' letter of 29 November to the VA's Under Secretary for Benefits General Hickey firmly reenforced the basis for our VA claims, in particular the input from Dr. Jeanne Stellman, Professor Emerita at Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health.

Dr. Stellman has been a firm supporter of C-123 veterans for this past year, ever since her first independent expert review of the many Air Force tests on Patches and other aircraft. Although the young scientists assigned by the VA to refuse our claims have tried to dismiss Dr. Stellman's findings, the Institute of Medicine knows her very, very well. Her work is cited throughout many of their reports, she has appeared as an exert witness many times, and has also been contracted to do many research projects on Agent Orange as used during the Vietnam War. Conclusion: she knows her stuff and blows away the VA's wonks...they just don't know it! Interesting that none of the VA scientists are cited in these reports. On the other hand, Dr. Stellman and the other experts (from other federal agencies as well as numerous universities) are perfectly objective as scientists and physicians, they have studied the C-123 exposure issue, formed their opinions, which are in favor of the veterans, and they defend that position (and us!) mightily. The only possible response from the VA is to ignore the letter, of course. No surprise. One gets the impression the VA respects only those experts employed by them, whose job it is to construct barriers to veterans' claims. 

Request: We need a volunteer speaker!

We continue to seek venues such as this with the IOM to set right our unfortunate situation - we've been exposed and nothing will change that, yet our duty remains getting our veterans essential care for the typical Agent Orange ailments confronting us. Our Association is looking for one of our vets in the Irvine area to represent us at the University of California meeting on January 16, 2013. If we don't find a "volunteer", I'll do it, flying there from Denver where we're vacationing with our kids. If one of you airline-types can still fit onto a jump seat, want to take this on and save me the airfare? I'll do an outline if you wish, and even text the entire presentation - the IOM has offered to print and distribute to the Committee for us, and place it into their conference records.

Let me know...I have to get my flight and hotel reservation if nobody signs up to volunteer.

Christmas suddenly and horribly changed for so many Connecticut families in Newtown. God bless and keep them all. 

Peace.