This morning I heard from the guy who taught me the most about contracting several years ago. He is a Vietnam vet, Army, infantry, and holds a CIB and Bronze Star. He's been having breathing and strength difficulties that past few months, and was finally diagnosed with ALS at the University of Michigan. He told his VA rep (he's already been treated by the VA for the AO-specific prostate the VA diagnosed in 2015, so it was easy to establish where he was in Vietnam and that AO was used very heavily there).

The University told him that ALS can be genetic or also can be hastened or maybe (they don't know for sure) started in older veterans more so than non-veterans by chemical exposure; one of the suspected chemicals is dioxin (Herein, we discuss ALS pathogenesis in relation to a series of persistent neurotoxicants (often emitted as mixtures) including: chemical elements, nanoparticles and lipophilic toxicants such as dioxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls) - see A perspective on persistent toxicants in veterans and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis: identifying exposures determining higher ALS risk - PMC .

The VA is taking exceptional of my friend - they've paid all medical expenses, to modify his home bedroom and bathroom for his wheelchair, and are buying him a wheelchair-modified van. Since ALS does not effect cognition, when he is finally unable to speak or use a keyboard he will be able to communicate with a (VA-provided) computer that uses one's eye movements for limited communication.

Why tell you all this? Well, 1) AO exposure may have an effect on a vet you know who is suffering weakness, trouble breathing, lose of muscle control, and 2) to ensure you know that the VA is living up to its commitments. My friend was an E5 on separation after his combat tour, so service rank certainly is not getting him special treatment.

When you see a vet, respect him or her; when you hear VA horror stories, remember this one. And those of both my older BILs who went to the VA for hearing issues and were found to have AO specific prostate cancer, all completely in remission after free treatment.

Best wishes for your buddy. The VA took good care (for the VA) of my Marine Vietnam Combat veteran uncle, Eric. Eric was a poster boy for agent Orange and it was clear even to the VA the last 20 years of his life. He was hospitalized time after time and kept getting new bizarre maladies, he finally passed last year from a cocktail of fatal illnesses anyone of which would be enough to take down most of us. He never complained. He never spoke of combat only leave in Saigon. RIP Uncle Eric.