Twenty-five years after the Vietnam War ended, some of its victims will be treated by their government.

Monday, November 20, 2000

Twenty-five years after the Vietnam War ended, some of its victims will be treated by their government.

Vietnam veterans with Type II diabetes now will be eligible for disability compensation from the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The eligibility is based on the presumed exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides.

Acting Secretary Hershel W. Gober announced his decision last week to add diabetes to the list of presumptive diseases associated with herbicide exposure.

"This is what Vietnam vets have been waiting for for a long time," said Wayne Madson, Mower County veterans service officer. "We have had inquiries through the years in Mower County from Vietnam vets from all branches of service about this situation. Now, they will be able to get some help."

Already Madson has prepared for the expected avalanche of inquiries from Vietnam vets, who will want to know about their possible eligibility.

"We’re prepared. We know they will be contacting us and we are ready for that. All we need to start the ball rolling is their signature on four pages. We want to work with them to make this as efficient as possible," Madson said.

The decision to recognize the link between Type II diabetes and presumed exposure to Agent Orange and other herbicides follows the latest in a series of reports by the Institute of Medicine examining the impact of herbicide exposure on veterans’ health.

The most recent Institute of Medicine report, released last month, included a review of all the research efforts by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health and the Air Force.

Based on the new information, Institute of Medicine researchers found "limited/suggestive" evidence of an association between the chemicals used in herbicides during the Vietnam War and adult-onset (Type II) diabetes.

"This is a significant milestone in our ongoing effort to keep America’s promise to her veterans; especially those who suffer from this debilitating and life-altering disease," Gober said. "It also validates the process we’ve established to ensure decisions of this magnitude are based on the medical and scientific standards required by the law."

Madson said it will take several months to write the rules before Vietnam veterans with diabetes can begin applying for disability compensation.

"They can, however, enroll in VA’s health care system immediately and begin receiving the care they need," he said.

Diabetes mellitus is characterized by high blood sugar levels resulting from the body’s inability to process the hormone insulin.

More than 90 percent of the 16 million diabetics in the United States are categorized as Type II, which occurs primarily in adults.

Diabetes is the sixth leading cause of death and the leading cause of blindness in the United States.

Long time coming

An estimated 2.6 million people served within the borders of South Vietnam and in adjacent waters during the Vietnam conflict.

Agent Orange was a herbicide used in Vietnam to defoliate trees and remove cover for the enemy.

 

Agent Orange spraying missions were flown in Vietnam between January 1965 and April 1970.

Shipped in orange-striped barrels, it was a reddish-brown liquid, containing four chemicals.

Several herbicides were sprayed in Vietnam at different times, during different years as well as during different seasons, because of the variety of vegetation and environmental conditions.

The history of herbicides for military use dates to World War II. During the early part of the war, interest arose in chemicals that could be used for destruction of crops. Two chemicals were developed as a result of those early efforts.

Although neither chemical was used in World War II, the value of their use in weed and brush programs was recognized and both chemicals have been used widely throughout the world since the 1940s by farmers, foresters and homeowners.

Since 1978, the VA has offered special access to health services and studies, when it initiated a medical surveillance program for Vietnam veteran with health concerns.

That year – 1978 – also was the time when the VA developed the Agent Orange Registry Examination Program to identify Vietnam veterans concerned about Agent Orange exposure.

Nearly 300,000 Vietnam veterans have been provided examinations under the registry program through December 1999.

In Mower County, there are 1,050 Vietnam Era-designated veterans, but it is unknown how many have participated in the registry program for possible Agent Orange exposure.

A cease-fire agreement was signed in January 1973 and the last U.S. ground forces left the country in March 1973. South Vietnam surrendered April 30, 1975, officially ending the war.

"Vietnam vets have been fighting so long and so hard for this kind of help after the war and diabetes is such a terrible disease. That makes this new benefit huge in the lives of those veterans," Madson said. "It’s been a long time coming."