NOW, BACK TO OUR TARGET 8
SPECIAL, "DELAY DENY UNTIL THEY
DIE."
HERE AGAIN IS KEITH CATE.
FOR ONE U.S. ARMY VETERAN,
THIS IS ABOUT AS CRAZY AS IT CAN
GET.
WHEN YOU ARE DEALING WITH THE
HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF OUR
VETERANS, YOU CAN'T AFFORD TO BE
WRONG.
BUT STEVE ANDREWS TELLS US IN
THIS CASE THE V.A. GOT IT WRONG.
[GUNFIRE]
IN 1970, RICH KINKADE WAS IN
THE ARMY.
HE WAS SHIPPED TO VIETNAM.
RICH WAS A MEDIC ASSIGNED TO AN
ANTI-AIRCRAFT DUSTER UNIT WHICH
PROVIDED PERIMETER DEFENSE FOR
FIELD ARTILLERY AND FIRE BASES.
MILITARY PERSONNEL IN VIETNAM
ARE PRESUMED TO HAVE BEEN
EXPOSED TO THE TOXIC HERBICIDE
AGENT ORANGE.
HEART DISEASE IS LINKED TO THAT
EXPOSURE.
IN LATE 2007, I FLUNKED A
FIRE DEPARTMENT PHYSICAL BECAUSE
I HAD HEART DISEASE.
IN 2010 RICH FILED A CLAIM
WITH THE V.A. FOR A
SERVICE-CONNECTED DISABILITY.
HIS FILE SHOWS THE V.A. EXAMINER
STATED HE HAD CORONARY ARTERY
DISEASE.
THE V.A. WANTED MORE TESTS BUT
NEVER SCHEDULED THEM.
IN AUGUST 2011, RICH SENT A
LETTER ASKING WHEN THE TESTS
WOULD BE SCHEDULED.
AND, OF COURSE, THEY DID NOT
RESPOND AT ALL TO THAT.
SO YOU DIDN'T GET A YES.
YOU DIDN'T GET A NO.
DIDN'T GET A NO.
JUST GOT NO ANSWER.
A FEW MONTHS LATER THE V.A.
REJECTED HIS CLAIM STATING YOU
DO NOT HAVE A DIAGNOSIS OF HEART
DISEASE.
IT WAS BY SOME BUREAUCRAT
BASED UPON APPARENTLY THE
OPINION OF A DOCTOR I HAVE NEVER
MET.
RICH APPEALED THE DENIAL.
LAST YEAR V.A. DOCTORS PERFORMED
OPEN HEART SURGERY ON RICH.
HE HAD ADVANCED HEART DISEASE.
THE CLAIM THAT I DO NOT HAVE
HEART DISEASE SEEMS TO BE WRONG.
MORE THAN A YEAR LATER, THE
V.A. STILL HADN'T DECIDED IF
RICH HAD HEART DISEASE EVEN
THOUGH IT OPERATED ON HIM FOR
IT.
RICH CONTACTED 8 ON YOUR SIDE.
I REACHED OUT TO HIS CONGRESSMAN
AND THE V.A. AT BAY PINES AND
TOLD THEM THIS IS ONE OF THE
CRAZIEST V.A. STORIES I HAD EVER
HEARD.
THEY BOTH PROMISED TO LOOK INTO
IT.
WITHIN A WEEK THE V.A.
DETERMINED RICH DOES IN FACT
HAVE HEART DISEASE.
IF YOU WERE BOOTS ON THE GROUND
IN VIETNAM BETWEEN 1962 AND 1975
AND YOU DEVELOPED ANY OF THESE
CONDITIONS, LIKE HEART DISEASE
OR CERTAIN CANCERS, THE V.A.
PRESUMES THOSE ILLNESSES ARE
RELATED TO AGENT ORANGE EXPOSURE
AND YOU MAY QUALIFY FOR
BENEFITS.
BUT THE RULES ARE DIFFERENT FOR
ABOUT 90,000 BLUE WATER NAVY
VETERANS WHO SERVED ON SHIPS IN
VIETNAM'S HARBORS AND
TERRITORIAL WATERS.
THEY SAY THE V.A. IS IGNORING
PROOF THEY WERE POISONED AT SEA.
[GUNFIRE]
50 YEARS AGO THEY WERE WARRIORS,
AMERICA'S MILITARY FIGHTING IN
VIETNAM.
TODAY THESE VETERANS ARE
PARENTS, GRANDPARENTS, MANY LIKE
MIKE KVINTUS ARE SICK.
I WOULD FIGHT FOR THIS
COUNTRY TODAY.
HE SUFFERS CHRONIC KIDNEY AND
HEART DISEASE ALONG WITH
NEUROPATHY, CONDITIONS HE CLAIMS
ARE CONNECTED TO EXPOSURE FROM
AGENT ORANGE.
MIKE AND 90,000 OTHER SAILORS
WHO SERVED ON SHIPS AND HARBORS
IN WATERS OFF VIETNAM ARE NOW
FIGHTING THE V.A. TO REINSTATE
AGENT ORANGE BENEFITS IT
STRIPPED AWAY 14 YEARS AGO.
IT JUST EATS AT ME
BECAUSE I STILL SUPPORT THE
COUNTRY.
THE MILITARY SPRAYED AGENT
ORANGE ON THE JUNGLE TO KILL
VEGETATION AND ALONG RIVERBANKS.
RIVERS FLOW INTO HARBORS.
DECK LOGS OBTAINED BY TARGET 8
SO MIKE'S SHIP, THE BUCHANAN,
MANEUVERING IN DANANG HARBOR
AUGUST 12th, 1966.
THE MILITARY SPRAYED THAT AREA
THE SAME DAY.
THE PLUME COVERED THAT WHOLE
HARBOR.
THE V.A. REJECTS THAT MIKE'S
ILLNESSES ARE TIED TO AGENT
ORANGE SINCE HE NEVER STEPPED
FOOT ON VIETNAMESE SOIL.
ADVOCACY GROUPS CLAIM THE V.A.
IS IGNORING SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE
THAT SHOWS BLUE WATER NAVY
VETERANS MAY HAVE BEEN EXPOSED
TO A MORE CONCENTRATED FORM OF
AGENT ORANGE THROUGH SHIPS'
WATER SYSTEMS.
DISTILLATION SYSTEMS TURN
SALTWATER INTO FRESH TO POWER
SHIPS' ENGINES AND MORE.
WE DRANK THAT WATER.
WE BATHED IN IT.
ACCORDING TO STUDIES DONE BY
THE AUSTRALIAN NAVY AS WELL AS
THE INSTITUTE OF MEDICINE,
DISTILLATION SYSTEMS ACTUALLY
EXPOSED SAILORS TO A MORE POTENT
FORM OF AGENT ORANGE.
THAT ACTUALLY DID NOT REMOVE
THE DIOXIN.
IT ENRICHED IT.
ATTORNEY AND RETIRED NAVY
COMMANDER JOHN WELLS HEADS THE
MILITARY VETERANS ADVOCACY.
THESE GUYS WERE GETTING A
STRAIGHT SHOT OF AGENT ORANGE
INTO THE DRINKING WATER.
DECLASSIFIED RECORDS OBTAINED
BY TARGET 8 SHOW THIS VESSEL AND
SEVERAL LIKE IT SUPPLIED U.S.
SHIPS WITH DRINKING WATER FROM
HEAVILY SPRAYED AREAS OF
VIETNAM.
NOT ENOUGH PROOF FOR THE V.A., A
SMOKING GUN FOR SICK AND DYING
VETERANS.
I EXPECTED MY COUNTRY TO TAKE
CARE OF ME.
AND THEY HAVEN'T DONE IT.
HOW DISAPPOINTED ARE YOU IN
THE COUNTRY FOR DOING THAT?
REALLY.
REALLY DISAPPOINTED.
THE AGENT ORANGE ACT OF 1991
ALLOWED THE V.A. SECRETARY TO
DECLARE CERTAIN ILLNESSES
PRESUMPTIVE TO EXPOSURE TO AGENT
ORANGE.
THE V.A. LATER STRIPPED THOSE
BENEFITS FROM BLUE WATER NAVY
VETERANS.
NOW, THE BLUE WATER NAVY VIETNAM
VETERANS ACT OF 2015 WOULD
RESTORE THOSE BENEFITS.
HUNDREDS OF MEMBERS OF CONGRESS
ARE BEHIND IT, BUT FLORIDA
CONGRESSMAN JEFF MILLER WHO
CHAIRS THE HOUSE VETERANS
AFFAIRS COMMITTEE WON'T ALLOW
THE BILL ON TO THE FLOOR OF THE
HOUSE, SO IT WILL DIE IN
COMMITTEE.
SO JEFF MILLER, BUCKING THIS.
WHAT'S THE REASON FOR THAT?
WELL, HE WANTS PROOF.
HE ASKED THE DEPARTMENT OF
DEFENSE TO CHECK FOR TRACES OF
AGENT ORANGE IN THE DISTILLATION
SYSTEMS OF VIETNAM ERA SHIPS.
THE PROBLEM IS MOST OF THOSE
SHIPS, KEITH, ARE THEY BOTTOM OF
THE SEA.
A LITTLE HARD TO DO AT THIS
POINT.
YES, ABSOLUTELY.
THANK YOU, STEVE.
NEXT, THOUSANDS OF MARINES
STATIONED AT CAMP LEJEUNE
POISONED IN SERVICE TO OUR
NATION.
THEY KILLED MY HUSBAND.
COMING UP, WHY ONE WIDOW
CONTINUES TO FIGHT FOR HER
VETERAN HUSBAND EVEN AFTER HE'S
GONE.
♪