Agent Orange Still Killing Americans As One Group Fights For VA Benefits!

Feb. 2, 2012 - PRLog -- The Agent Orange Equity Act of 2011 (S-1629) was introduced by Senators hoping to restore VA benefits to the approximate 250,000  Navy veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange while serving in the Vietnam War. The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Association has been helping Veterans obtain benefits that were previously denied.  John Rossie, Executive Director of The Blue Water Navy Association, has been diligently working to help any veteran obtain benefits. Rossie has also been dedicating time to a public awareness campaign, designed to inform citizens of the new legislation in both the Senate and the House.

“Our Association has helped hundreds of vets overcome unnecessary benefit denials because the Compensation Division of the VA is overwhelmed by claims, red tape and poorly trained workers.” said Rossie. “I’m hoping we can get public support and media attention for the AOEA. Our Veterans shouldn’t have to continue to fight for what they have already earned by their sacrifices almost 40 years ago.”

Rossie is helping to spearhead an awareness campaign along with other organizations who hope to join forces and bring attention to the Agent Orange issue.  Rossie has several examples of Navy veterans who served in Vietnam and are now experiencing the effects of dioxin, the most deadly component Agent Orange. “If the media wants to talk to some vets, I have plenty of men who would be willing to share their stories. The media is free to speak with these vets. All they need to do is contact me and I will point them in the right direction.”

The Department of Veterans Affairs recently added about forty-five ocean-going vessels that are now assumed to have been exposed to Agent Orange, to a growing list of Navy and Coast Guard ships.  “These men should now be able to receive the Health Care that they have desperately needed for decades. This includes the Marines who served on ships in the Fleet.” says Rossie. “Because dioxin can lay dormant in the body for thirty or more years, many of these men are now coming down with diseases they have no idea are directly connected to their service off the coast of Vietnam. We’re here to help them understand what is happening to them, and get them connected to the VA for treatment.”

Rossie says he has seen too many cases where veterans have suffered as a result of Agent Orange caused diseases. In many cases the veterans are losing everything while trying to pay for their own medical care. “The VA has not done its job of notifying and educating Vietnam War veterans about the dangers they face because of dioxin poisoning. By the time the veterans get ahold of us, they can literally be on their death beds.”

According to VA.gov/AgentOrange, the U.S. military sprayed an estimated twenty million gallons of herbicides in Vietnam to remove jungle foliage. Agent Orange is a toxic chemical with devastating effects and strong links to several forms of cancer and numerous disabling diseases.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Helene Vece of JumpStart Ink
702-409-1282