Viet Vets and cancer

[OLDNAVYMCPO]

Yesterday was a tough day for me, I really wanted to write this then but emotionally couldn't. About 4:30 PM I found out that a very close friend and fellow vet had passed during the previous night. I had last spoke with him on Sunday. Like so many Vietnam Vets he was fighting cancer, thought he was winning. Had my bout with cancer ten years ago, the Drs said my chances were about 11%, but I made it. Rough ten years. So many of my friends that survived Vietnam are now being taken down by cancer. Agent Orange or Purple or whatever is taking its toll. Wondering how many of you vets of that era are experiencing the same.

 

[litenlarry]

Buddy of mine, also a Marine has some sort of leukemia, diagnosed a few weeks ago..We served in Nam the same time, just different outfits..The doc's think Agent Orange was a factor..
2 other Marines, I know of died from different cancers, both served in Nam..
That AO was some nasty stuff..

 

[Old Seabee]

Vet

The older I get find myself looking at the obits first & anyone 62-75 years old if there a vet I read what it was . Also I get VV magazine The taps section is sad to read for me . Old Seabee

 

[Calaveras Slim]

I spent 2 tours in Nam and I am now paying for it. One treatable cancer, another pre-cancerous nodules, type II diabetes, prostrate cance and who knows what else.

I read somewhere that in 1975, there were somewhere around 4.3 million Nam vets and in 2013, there were about 1.5 million still alive. President Johnson and his buddies managed to kill off almost a whole generation of us. Can't really blame him, I guess, because I don't think they were aware of the side effects of Agent Orange.

The majority of us are dying of some form of cancer. I know there are more than the following but the main ones are lung, esophageal, throat and prostate.

I have come to terms with dying by cancer, so far nothing imminent but considering that I turn 71 in a couple of weeks, I may get lucky.

I have had several Nam vet friends pass and they all hurt but I feel blessed that I had a chance to know them, even for a short while.

 

[hoc9sw]

I work with a hospital men's health group, and we get a lot of prostate cancer linked with agent orange. Insist on a PSA test every year, and keep up with your numbers. They will try to tell you it isn't useful, but they would be wrong.

 

[max]

I was diagnosed 8 years ago, had surgery and have been ok since. I know of a number of other vets who have had or have cancer, diabetes and or Parkinson's Disease.

I also have a child who was born with birth defects and I know of many other such children of vets.

 

[Doug M.]

I don't know if any of the chemicals used then damage the pancreas (diabetes), but it's a somewhat fragile organ and if you have a genetic weakness in it (as I do), it does not take much to cause havoc. I am fortunate in that my lifestyle was and is such that I have not had much impact from it and once off the prednisone that stress tested my pancreas, I did not need insulin. I have been told by people who know more about such things than I do that 95+% of the people who had the issues I did would have died. I PT pretty hard and have for years, which seems to have carried me through.

Military and chemicals: Agent Orange is far from the only problem from that time period. Camp Lejeune has a pretty bad history with various chemicals and health impacts, see Camp Lejeune: Past Water Contamination - Public Health. My FIL served at a Nike facility in the Guard after active duty, and there were more than a few of his fellow soldiers who died of various cancers (rare stuff - for example, his was one of a single digit number of cases known in the world) probably related to all the crud with which they worked. The collective ignorance of the rest of the Country with regard to Hazmats applied at least as much to the military, and the regs for protective gear were slower to come to the military.

In essence, we shall probably never know how many of the men (and women) who served from the late 40s to 80s were lab rats without knowing it, and without their commanders knowing it. There may be some culpable behavior, but I doubt we can ever be reasonably certain of that.

 

[shouldazagged]

My condolences on the loss of your friend, Master Chief.

Stay well.

 

[OLDNAVYMCPO]

I was diagnosed 8 years ago, had surgery and have been ok since. I know of a number of other vets who have had or have cancer, diabetes and or Parkinson's Disease.

I also have a child who was born with birth defects and I know of many other such children of vets.

My first child, born before I deployed, was born normal. After my first tour, my wife's next pregnancy had to be aborted because of severe defects. After my next tour, my son was born with Goldenhar birth defects which resulted in years of care and surgery. Now as an adult, he still suffers complications.

 

[litenlarry]

I don't know if any of the chemicals used then damage the pancreas (diabetes), but it's a somewhat fragile organ and if you have a genetic weakness in it (as I do), it does not take much to cause havoc. I am fortunate in that my lifestyle was and is such that I have not had much impact from it and once off the prednisone that stress tested my pancreas, I did not need insulin. I have been told by people who know more about such things than I do that 95+% of the people who had the issues I did would have died. I PT pretty hard and have for years, which seems to have carried me through.

Military and chemicals: Agent Orange is far from the only problem from that time period. Camp Lejeune has a pretty bad history with various chemicals and health impacts, see Camp Lejeune: Past Water Contamination - Public Health. My FIL served at a Nike facility in the Guard after active duty, and there were more than a few of his fellow soldiers who died of various cancers (rare stuff - for example, his was one of a single digit number of cases known in the world) probably related to all the crud with which they worked. The collective ignorance of the rest of the Country with regard to Hazmats applied at least as much to the military, and the regs for protective gear were slower to come to the military.

In essence, we shall probably never know how many of the men (and women) who served from the late 40s to 80s were lab rats without knowing it, and without their commanders knowing it. There may be some culpable behavior, but I doubt we can ever be reasonably certain of that.

I am familiar with the issues at Camp Lejune, after I investigated it, some time ago, it appears that most affected stayed in base housing....Not in the regular barracks...

 

[vonn]

I have all the VA listed heart and diabetes stuff but still doing ok, caught it early . A number of my buddies didn't make 60. I figure they know agent orange is the culprit or they would not have a special deal at the VA.

 

[Long Barrel]

Yup, Me too...

Got most of 'em:

Type II diabetes
Ischemic Heart Disease
Prostate Cancer

Had 2 open-heart ops so far, and I take insulin shots every day. I had robotic surgery last fall (pretty neat!) for the prostate cancer. My knees and back are shot from arthritis. VA says I'm 100% disabled.

But you know, I'm still glad I was a soldier!

 

[Mydogmax]

Went to engineers school at Camp Lejune in 1965. Chu Lai Viet Nam 1966. I was diagnosed with colon cancer about seven years ago. Small tumor taken out. I was good until Sept 2012 when I stared getting severe pain in my sacrum. This was put your fist through the wall pain. After scans I was told I had metastatic colon cancer which had migrated to the sacrum. Spent most of 2013 going through radiation and chemo. Radiation in the sacrum area took the pain away and now just have a general soreness in that area. Chemo wasn't as bad as I expected. No hair loss (other than normal for age 66) No sickness. Just very fatigued. Slept about 14 hours per day. I've been off chemo now since last fall. Some ill effects are numbness in the soles of my feet (neuropathy ) and stiffness in my calves. Plus I get to stab myself in the stomach with blood thinning syringe every night. Last PET scan was July 2nd. So far so good.
Did Camp Lejune or VN give me the big C, hard to say. Nothing I've read mentions colon cancer. Mostly prostrate and other sorts. I guess it is what it is and I just deal with it. Other people got it worse, and besides, my wife says I'm to mean to die.

 

[bunkshaner]

My uncle was in Vietnam he was there from Jan 68 through August 1970. (377TH security air force based out of new mexico) and has been suffering numerous health issues due to agent Orange. He always tells the stories they would spray that stuff right on top of them but would cover the trucks and equipment before spraying because it would eat the paint off the trucks and equipment and destroy acres and acres of jungle but told by his superiors that it wasn't harmful to them.

 

[4330Inroute]

My brother served two tours there as a Marine. '67-'68, '68-'69. First tour with 26th Marines second with the (I believe) 7th Marines. We lost him to pancreatic cancer Feb 2013. It worked fast giving him only about 3 months after diagnosed. He said the area he was in was constantly sprayed with chemicals at times being over sprayed. There was no way to get away from it. He believed it to be related to his cancer. I don't think we will ever know for sure. Sure do miss my big brother. He taught me to shoot.

 

[BillyMagg]

Yesterday was a tough day for me, I really wanted to write this then but emotionally couldn't. About 4:30 PM I found out that a very close friend and fellow vet had passed during the previous night. I had last spoke with him on Sunday. Like so many Vietnam Vets he was fighting cancer, thought he was winning. Had my bout with cancer ten years ago, the Drs said my chances were about 11%, but I made it. Rough ten years. So many of my friends that survived Vietnam are now being taken down by cancer. Agent Orange or Purple or whatever is taking its toll. Wondering how many of you vets of that era are experiencing the same.

Yes, I lost my Dad in 2002 from Multiple Myeloma, treatment lead to acute leukemia, he was 73, and fought it every step of the way. The Air Force gave him a stem cell transplant at Wilford-Hall in San Antonio in 1997, agent orange, he was in Saigon at the embassy with MACVSOG in 67-68 during TET. He was an IP in the C-130, and retired from Little Rock AFB in 1972.

 

[litenlarry]

My brother served two tours there as a Marine. '67-'68, '68-'69. First tour with 26th Marines second with the (I believe) 7th Marines. We lost him to pancreatic cancer Feb 2013. It worked fast giving him only about 3 months after diagnosed. He said the area he was in was constantly sprayed with chemicals at times being over sprayed. There was no way to get away from it. He believed it to be related to his cancer. I don't think we will ever know for sure. Sure do miss my big brother. He taught me to shoot.

]

He most likely served with the 27th Marines..

 

[federali]

My sympathy and empathy:

To all of you suffering from Vietnam related disease or close to someone who is suffering or has lost the fight.

I served in Vietnam from Oct/67 to Oct 68, which includes the Tet Offensive. In 1995 I was diagnosed with prostate cancer and I have one son with keratinous, and who has undergone a corneal transplant from an anonymous and deceased donor. But, the VA does not recognize this weird disease as related to my exposure to Agent Orange.

In the ten years following the end of hostilities, more Vietnam veterans died of homicide, disease, suicide, drugs and accidents
than were killed in Vietnam.

 

[4011]

Hats off to you BRAVE MEN !

 

[lonejacklarry]

President Johnson and his buddies managed to kill off almost a whole generation of us. Can't really blame him, I guess, because I don't think they were aware of the side effects of Agent Orange.

My opinion is that they knew exactly what they were doing and they knew exactly what the result would be. In the simplest terms, they ordered and approved the spraying of a non-specific herbicide onto about 1/3 of the land area of an entire country and without regard to the millions of people that were exposed.

As an aside, the term "agent orange" was coined by the media. There were six different herbicides and were designated by colored stripes on the 55 gallon barrels. Included were pink, green, blue, purple, white, and orange. Orange was used more than the others combined.

Me? So far, just Type II diabetes and no birth defects in my boys nor their children. I'm one of the lucky ones.

It is the gift that keeps on giving.