During the Southeast Asia unpleasantness I was stationed in Thailand but went through Viet Nam during inprocessing, went through Camp Alpha in Saigon when going on R & R, and landed at Danang when we flew our birds back to the States. So I've been in Viet Nam. According to the VA sites, since I've been in Viet Nam (however breifly) and had prostate cancer, I qualify for VA benefits. The problem? How do I prove I've been in Viet Nam? DD214 doesn't help. Anybody been through this?

I think you would have to be able to show actual service there (PCS or TDY). In order to have my claim approved for diabetes, that is what I had to do. Just my experience.

Zoomie,

Go see your Veteran Service Officer. He/She can get you started. According to this link, one day on active duty in RVN with one of the listed illnesses would be Agent Orange related.

http://www.co.st-johns.fl.us/BCC/Veterans_Services/Agent_Orange.aspx

Also do a search for Agent Orange and you will get a lot of hits that will help.

Good Luck but be persistent.

If you filed a travel voucher and listed a stop in Nam, it/they will be in your military records stored in St. Louis. Mine were and I got copies a couple of years ago.

Or, if you are still in contact with anyone from that time period, a statement from them would be an immense help.

I am now 100% disabled courtesy of agent orange.

My husband got both his DD214's showing in country service. Good luck.

These websites may be usefull:
Agent Orange statistics
Veteran's benefits message board
USAF Ranchhand website

As a member of POW/MIA group, and a totally disabled nam vet of three tours and a brief but unpleasant stay in their fine hotel, I personally find your question nasueating. But then my vote doesnt count.

Regardless of how it makes us feel, according to information I was given if you had "Boots on the ground" in Nam you can be tested for the agent orange conditions. And you may qualify for certain benefits ?
Tom Blanchard
US Army, Military Police
1967-1969
Never left CONUS Thanks to the grace of God

Bowtiepuller,

I too have 3 tours. I am also 100% disabled. Well, if the percentages were averaged it would be about 350%. And, I wish the guy the best of luck.

If the man was in Vietnam, no matter for a week, a day or an hour the rules says that he is eligible for compensation. That compensation may be the one thing that keeps him from living on the streets. If it was not for this disability pay that I get, I would have eaten a bullet last year, when I lost everything I ever owned in a bankruptcy and foreclosure.

While I appreciate your service and your hotel stay, I don't think that you are being fair. We all have our burdens to bear.

Let me add this; select a service officer that seems to be on the ball and takes an interest in you. Most of the information pertaining to claims, criteria and process is on line. I do most of my research before I contact a service officer. Most VA Medical Centers have a service officer that is an employee of the local regional office. For the initial filing of paperwork and help with research they can be a big help. Remember this.. an employee of the Regional Office can file the paperwork but they can not represent you.

Would the Nam service ribbon work? That should be on the DD214.

It should. But, you never know about the VA. When I first applied for disability, they turned me down because they had no record of me being in Vietnam. OBTW, we got no record of you being in the Army.
Then on the next 15 or so pages they listed everything that they had found in 79 when I got out.

Now we got another running gunbattle going on about the effective date. They sent me a letter asking me to send them a copy of their denial letter because they had "misplaced" theirs. I had thrown the thing away. They admit to having sent one...but, penalized me because they lost theirs and I could not give them mine.

My daughter found the original paperwork for when I filed my initial claim back in 2001. Seems they owe me about 4 more years. Now, how far back they really go with all the disabilities that I have is anybodies guess.

I wish they would get on the stick...this has been dragin' on for 7 years.

Now, I get the fun of trying for social security for disabilities. Fun, fun, fun.

I agree with lefty. Bowtiepuller, I don't know just how you got your ticket into the hotel, but you can rest assured that we were up everyday trying our best to give everyone that lost their ride, a ride back home. We lost more than we saved, but we gave it our best. And we flew these missions out of Thailand.

Zoomie, I can relate to passing through Camp Alpha going back to the States on R&R. That was standard procedure. I don't remember filing a travel voucher, but I believe we were in duty status until departing Siagon, or maybe even to Hickam.

I am also 100% for prostate cancer. I submitted orders for numerous TDY's in country, but the VA pulled a date out that we lost an engine shortly after takeoff out of DaNang and returned for RON. It surely came from a travel voucher that I had submitted and was still on file.

There must be something stored somewhere that will help you.

Best Regards, Ted

To those who were offended by my questions about VA benefits, I apologize. I don't claim to have suffered like folks on the ground did. FYI I spent my tour roaming around Laos at night. No I didn't suffer, but I'm not too noble to refuse compensation if the VA offers it. And it looks like I meet their criteria. Thanks for the information.