Letter to a Vietnam Veteran's Wife on Pancreatic Cancer
Hi XXXXXX,
Sorry so long but I have times I have to just quit for health reasons.
First, the VA pinheads like to say there is no association to where a soldier
was located when the presumptive mandate is that ALL VETERANS serving in
Geographical Vietnam were exposed to some level. How they are allowed to do
this and continue to do this is just mind-boggling. Nevertheless, I guess that
is why our caring congress gave the VA "their own" legal system of so-called
justice so they could make dumb illegal statements like that and get away with
it.
The fact that your husband served at Cu Chi is totally irrelevant as long as his
DD-214 shows Service IN Vietnam.
In fact, I have seen documentaries on Cu Chi and those tunnels and it
categorically stated the use of carpet-bombing and the massive use of
herbicides. I assume your husband was associated with the 25th or the 1st in
some manner.
The old herbicide tapes show for Cu Chi:
AO = 59,150 gallons
AW = 67,540 gallons
AB = 14,105 gallons
This does not include the extra 2 million gallons sprayed that the Columbia
University research team has uncovered of which our government said, "oh they
were just lost." It does not include any helicopter, hand tank, or tanker
spraying which we know took place in every unit area of Vietnam.
For AO the estimate is for every three gallons sprayed of 2,4,5-T there was 13.8
pounds used. For every three gallons used of 2,4-D there was 12 pounds used.
This exceeds the amount of Seveso, Italy, which was declared a National Disaster
of dioxin by itself. Much less the other toxic chemicals of AW and AB.
The problem is that with this so called legal system the congress has allowed
the VA to use against the Veterans. Your VSO's, no matter how good, does not
have a legal license or subpoena power to obtain these records which every
government agency since 1967 has said it was impossible to complete. Yet, the
Columbia University Research folks with a contract by the VA friendly NAS/IOM
completed this in less than two years.
You did not have to be standing under an aircraft dripping with this stuff to be
exposed. In fact, that would be the least of the severity of exposure because
of skin contact only. Drinking the water for a year was much worse.
All government studies that the VA secretary and the NAS/IOM base their
so-called opinions on are for skin contact only. No government study had looked
at any thing else. Convenient; but that is what the congress has done for the
Veterans of this nation and allowed a federal agency to be as corrupt as it
wants based on White House after White House philosophy.
The fish, fowl, and beef in 2000 were still at 65 ppt of dioxin alone, 30 years
after most of us had come home and the spraying had stopped. (Hatfield
Corporation out of Canada.)
Just another example of VA/government corruption.
Pancreatic cancer I think everyone but the secretary of the VA and the NAS/IOM
admits this is associated to the toxic chemicals or at least should be
associated.
The Ranch Hand study as well as every study in the world has concluded a
diabetic involvement. This diabetic involvement is not only to ADA diabetes but
a super aggressive form of diabetic involvement classified as Type II but yet
more and more of our Veterans are on insulin and many are on insulin pumps.
This is not normal!!!!!!!
They found increased insulin production in those that were not diabetic
by ADA standards as well as insulin sensitivity. Yet, there is no pancreatic
involvement???? I guess they figured the big toe caused this insulin anomaly.
Only our government when it comes to Veterans could make such a statement.
The first thing I would want is a legal statement from the VA doctors that this
was indeed "direct pancreatic cancer" and not cancer mestotized from another
area that also formed in the pancreas. This includes a pathology report
CERTIFIED. No, I do not trust the VA or their doctors in this honorable system
they have set up.
The other thing you can do is go to:
http://www.index.va.gov/search/va/bva.html
Search the database for pancreatic cancer and see if you can find one that is
approved.
I just do not have time to do it. I did find there were at least 820 cases
regarding pancreatic cancer.
Now that is only half the cases on line by the VA. How they select which ones
to post and which ones not to post would be a good question for the VA to answer
but they are omnipotent and do not answer questions by the men and women they
are "supposed to serve." When in fact, the VA serves at the total behest of the
White House and mandated budget control only.
This is how any legal system is supposed to work and your lawyer or
representative can make a case based on previous decisions of this so called
court. However, this VA system is not a constitutional legal system by any
stretch of the imagination.
Try and find one similar, even that is rejected, and then address the issues the
corrupt VA used to reject the claim. Of course if you find one approved that is
similar that would be great to reference. Legally that should be a win for your
husband in any other court but even that is questionable in dealing with the VA.
They can say no simply because
"we say so!"
If you plug in "pancreatic cancer and dioxin" in your computer search engine,
you will get several studies to research not only of dioxin but PCB's in
general. Then do not forget that AW also had other dioxins outside of the TCDD
found in AO and contained "furans." Furans are another carcinogenic chemical
substance which the VA and our government just wants to forget about.
As in the article below:
Elevated Blood Sugar May be
Risk Factor for Pancreatic Cancer
High blood sugar levels after a meal appear to increase your risk of developing
pancreatic cancer. This finding may help explain the link between diabetes and
pancreatic cancer reported in previous studies.
Dr. Susan M. Gapstur and colleagues observed an association between the risk of
death from pancreatic cancer and elevated blood sugar levels among adults who
had not been diagnosed with diabetes.
These individuals tend to have higher levels of insulin, a hormone
secreted by the pancreas to help the body process sugar. The link between
blood-sugar level and pancreatic cancer risk was more definite in men than in
women, according to the report published in the Journal of the American
Medical Association. Men with the highest body weights also had three times
more risk of death from pancreatic cancer than men who had lower weights.
Pancreatic cancer, the fifth most common cause of cancer deaths, is difficult to
diagnose. It is often not diagnosed. In fact, until the patient has
experienced symptoms of advanced cancer such as weight loss, jaundice and pain.
Therefore, it is best to incorporate preventative strategies such as eating a
healthy, whole- foods diet, and exercising daily to maintain a healthy
blood-sugar level.
So once again, we see the disparity of the VA. Dioxin by "their own admission"
can cause aggressive insulin/glucose issues but it cannot lead to pancreatic
cancers even in those who have not tested diabetic as suggested above.
Remember my statement above of them finding increased insulin in those Ranch
Handers that had not been diagnosed with diabetes. Coincidence only to
the article I cited? I doubt it very seriously.
Of course, this was in the transcripts not the corrupted and manipulated Ranch
Hand report, which is a piece of garbage as far as published studies go.
Science is science and findings are findings; except at the VA and our own
government as it relates to Veterans.
Sorry not much help but I am working on these discrete issues as I get time and
health permits.
Examples are:
http://www.2ndbattalion94thartillery.com/Chas/PCTWriteup.htm
http://www.2ndbattalion94thartillery.com/Chas/Esophageal.htm
Best that way,
Kelley