- 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.