New Letter I sent OUT

10/1/2018

Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Association
7065 W Ann Rd #130651
Las Vegas, NV 89130

October 1, 2018

There is a lot of talk is going on about how everyone doesn’t like the way H.R.299 is being funded and how it is unfair for some Veterans to pay around $350 a year more on their mortgage to pay for it. While I agree that it may not be the best way to do it, Congress has left us no choice and no other options.

I would like for you to look at in from a different angle. What about the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veteran that must go to the doctor and pay co-payments. In my case the amount I owed was over $2500. That may not seem like a lot to you , but when you are living on Social Security, that is a large amount. I had to go out and look for a job, so I could pay my medical bills after being forced retired. It got to a point where I no long could afford to go a VA doctor. It was so much that the VA decided to take a portion of my Social Security check so that I could pay it back faster. I am sure I am not the only one in this position. I know in the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Association we have many members who are hurting financially because of the cost of their medical care due to the being exposed to Agent Orange.

For some reason the VA seems they know better that any other government agencies. The following are three examples.

The VA says the cost of providing benefits to the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans is over $6.7 billion, yet the CBO estimates it is going to cost around 1 Billion over Ten Years. One agency expertise in spending money and the other agencies expertise is managing money. There are other estimates that the cost over ten years is under 1 Billion far under the VA estimate.

Back in 1991 a law was passed to give benefits to Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans, then is 1998 the VA in their wisdom decided to take away these benefits. Why was the VA allowed to basically rewrite a law that Congress had passed, and the President has signed?

The VA is stating that they are going to doing more researching to check on the possibility of the Agent Orange exposure for Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans. Back in 1991 the following was written into Public Law No: 102-4 it: “Directs the Secretary, for facilitating research on the effects of exposure to herbicides used in Vietnam, to establish and maintain a system for the collection and storage of voluntarily contributed blood and tissue samples of veterans who served there. Provides for: (1) specimen security; (2) authorized use; (3) limitations on acceptance of samples; and (4) authority based on specific funding.” I , and all other Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans were covered under this law, Yet I know for a fact I was never contacted, and I will bet very few of the members of Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Association or Members of our Facebook page were contacted. Yet the VA claims they have a Commitment to all Veterans. We are still waiting for that, so how can we expect the VA to follow through with their “research”. Each day there is a delay, more Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans are dying.

This doesn’t only affect Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans but their family members. I have been contacted by a Widow that is very worried about making her house payment since losing her husband. She is close to losing her house. Her husband died of an Agent Orange related disease. How can our government keep allowing this to happen? I know for a fact that if I don’t receive benefits before I die, my wife will be in the same position.
We Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans have waiting long enough, please let H.R. 299 go to a floor for a vote. The time has come to help the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans.

The Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Association is a non-profit tax-exempt group organized under Section 501[c][3] of the Internal Revenue Code. We assist and advice Veterans on current legislation, right now focusing on the Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans Act.

I want to thank you for taking the time to read this. If you need any other information, please feel free to contact me at:
Email: commander@bluewaternavy.org
Phone: 408-803-0764
Sincerely,

Mike Yates
National Commander/Executive Director
Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veteran Association

7 Comments

Michael Bornes

10/2/2018 08:17:53

Great letter is sums up what and why we are fighting. Our cries for help are never heard by those that need to help us. We served we were exposed but still our claims are denied. Money means more than our lives which is so sad. I pray that this bill passes the Senate this session. We need to get all Blue Water Navy Vietnam Veterans and their family and friends to unite and help out get what is rightfully ours. I for one will be in the fight until I take my last breath. Thanks for all this organization does for all of us. I want to give a special thanks to Commander John Wells for his endless effort and time that he has give us all. May God bless him and his family and my he bless all of us.

Billy Nrown

10/2/2018 10:32:44

Nice letter. They should look at how much is being spent for foreign aid each year. That money is being spent to support foreigners. Nothing to do with the veyetans who fought to make those things possible. Looks like the veterans are much less important than other people in the world.

Ronald Babcock

10/2/2018 13:46:04

October 02, 2018

Dear Honorable US Senators,

I am writing to you on behalf of my fellow Blue Water Vietnam Navy veterans, like myself, who were sent to the theater of war 50 years ago with the promise from our government that should we return sick or wounded, our government would do the right thing. We are still waiting, sick and dying, from our contact with the killer herbicide AGENT ORANGE. We are still waiting for our government to make good on the promise.

The US House members viewed the evidence and the "likelihood" that many of us were afflicted with the very same nasty killer toxins as our brothers & sisters that had "boots on the Ground". HR-299 passed unanimously in the House this past June, prior to any chance that the new VA secretary and his minions could "poison" their decision-making with inadequate and erroneous information.

In addition, the Veterans Administration has been sitting on information from the IOM since March of 2016, that there is LIKELY a connection from agent orange to bladder cancer & hypothyroidism.

Those of us that are still alive & suffering from the effects of agent orange ask that you bring HR-299 up for a full vote in the US Senate to give us Vietnam Navy veterans a little dignity after so many year.

Respectfully submitted,

Ronald Babcock
Lakewood Ranch, Florida 34202

Suzette Irvine

10/2/2018 17:04:44

I agree with all above. What I think is HR299 is important to future soldiers (will the draft start, good chance, will they draft girls, of course) Is the VA paying for all the current injuries as the war goes on and on and there is no walking away from this one 17 years and counting. As a young person I believed in the Vietnam war and hated those who ran. But, now we are finding the VA/Congress may very well not keep their promises to take care of your wounds. Will u be willing to wait as the BWN has? Ask a vet about the burn pits of today's war--NO Coverage. Now project to future war's possibly ill vets. WHO WILL FIGHT---NOT MY KIDS--RUN..NO ONE WILL LOOK FOR YOU. WOULD YOU FIGHT AGAIN KNOWING WHAT HAS HAPPENED.....YOU SHOULD HAVE RUN. GIVE UP MY COUNTRY?? THEY GAVE UP ON U FIRST. THOSE WHO RAN WERE NOT POISONED BY THEIR OWN COUNTRY....WELCOME BACK

Billy Brown

10/2/2018 20:03:18

Nice letter. They should look at how much is being spent for foreign aid each year. That money is being spent to support foreigners. Nothing to do with the veterans who fought to make those things possible. Looks like the veterans are much less important than other people in the world. Don't ignore the Vietnam Veterans. They are still dying from fighting for our country. They need help. Please provide it for them - they earned it and should not have to pay extra to get it.

Jo Ann McClay

10/3/2018 13:33:56

It was mentioned that many of the diseases suffered are old age related but not when you have been living with them for more than 20 years. Yes, we are getting old but that does not mean the country can ignore their obligation to Navy veterans who served in the blue waters of Vietnam. Do the right thing. Pass the bill and have the Va act.

Jeffery Bodily

10/6/2018 18:31:46

I have been filing for Agent Orange benefits since March of 2013, when I was diagnosed with diabetes, ischemic heart failure, COPD. I also have restless leg syndrome which is a mild form of Parkinson’s. I actually did have boots on the ground, I flew into DaNang on a helicopter from the Oklahoma City, to meet the mail plain from the Oriskany. We were there several hours but I can’t prove it because I was in transit. I know every time a plane took off from DaNang and landed on the deck of any carrier it brought Agent Orange aboard. It had to be in the water also.

I sure hope the senate will put it to a vote and stop the death that followed us home.

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New Letter I sent OUT

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