Korea DMZ vets & Agent Orange: selected ground combat units of the 2nd and 7th Infantry divisions during 1968-69 are OK'd for presumptive compensation

VFW Magazine, Jan, 2004 by Ted Sypko

Significant information regarding Agent Orange use along Korea s DMZ is now available. The Pentagon has confirmed that Agent Orange was used from April 1968 through July 1969 to defoliate the fields of fire between the front line defensive positions and the south barrier fence.

The size of the treated area was a strip of land 151 miles long and up to 350 yards wide, from the fence to north of the civilian control line. There is no indication that herbicides were sprayed inside the DMZ itself.

The defoliants were applied by South Korean troops by hand-spraying and by hand-distribution of pelletized herbicides. Although restrictions were put in place to limit the potential for spray drift, run-off and damage to food crops, records indicate the effects were sometimes observed as far as 200 meters down wind.

The Defense Department has provided a list of units deployed on four-month rotations up to the DMZ. Presumption for individuals who served in those units during the applicable timeframe has been granted.

For all other claims of herbicide exposure, veterans are advised to contact their VFW Department service officer or call toll-free 1-800-VFW-1899. The information provided by DoD determines whether exposure can be established. Since March 2003, C&P Service has received approximately 130 such inquiries from Korea DMZ veterans.

On Nov. 22, 2003, Congress passed the Veterans Benefits Act of 2003. Sec. 12: Extension of spina bifida benefits for children of Vietnam-Era veterans states:

"The parent of the child must have performed active military, naval or air service beginning Sept. 1, 1967, and ending Aug. 31, 1971, in the Republic of Korea in the area between the south line of the Demilitarized Zone and a line five miles south of the Civilian Control Line established with respect to the DMZ. The child would be eligible only if the individual was conceived after the parent performed such service."

For those who will benefit from compensation, these are landmark actions.

"VFW is to be commended for doggedly pursuing this issue for so many years," said C. David Benbow, a Korea DMZ veteran of 1968-69 and activist. "Through its magazine and National Veterans Service, the organization has clearly taken the lead in making presumptive compensation for Korea DMZ vets a priority. VFW should be proud of its educational and lobbying efforts."

For more information about Agent Orange, contact VA's Gulf War/Agent Orange Helpline at 1-800-749-8387 or visit www.va.gov/agentorange.> Who and What Is Eligible

Mandatory Requirements

* Service in country between April 1968 and July 1969.

* Assignment to a specified unit in Korea between April 1968 and July 1969.

* Medical evidence of presumptive condition under 38 C.F.R. 3.309.

Military Units Eligible (April 1968 to July 1969)

Elements of four combat brigades of the 2nd Infantry Division:

72nd Armor 1st and 2nd battalions

7th Cavalry: 4th Battalion

9th Infantry 1st and 2nd battalions

23rd Infantry 1st, 2nd and 3rd battalions

38th Infantry 1st and 2nd battalions

3rd Brigade, 7th Infantry Division:

73rd Armor: 1st Battalion

10th Cavalry: 2nd Battalion

17th Infantry 1st and 2nd battalions

32nd Infantry: 3rd Battalion

Herbicide-Associated Health Conditions Presumptively Recognized

* Chloracne (must occur within one year of exposure to Agent Orange).

* Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma.

* Soft tissue sarcoma (other than osteosarcorna, chondrosarcoma, Kaposi's sarcoma or mesothelioma).

* Hodgkin's disease.

* Porphyria cutanea tarda (must occur within one year of exposure).

* Multiple myeloma.

* Respiratory cancers, including cancers of the lung, larynx, trachea and bronchus.

* Prostate cancer.

* Acute and subacute transient peripheral neuropathy (must occur within one year of exposure and resolve within two years of date of onset).

* Type 2 diabetes.

* Chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

* Spina bifida (except spina bifida occulta) is a condition recognized in children of some Korea DMZ vets.

TED SYPKO, VFW service officer, is retiring in April 2004 after 25 years at VFW.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Veterans of Foreign Wars of the United States

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