From the information provided, Agent Orange was used in South Korea for testing purposes along the Civilian Control Line to the Southern Border of the Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) and the DMZ Security System Fence during 1968 and 1969. Priority herbicide applications were in the vicinity of roads and tactically significant areas. Much of the area where Agent Orange was applied was in fact under the control of the Republic of Korea Army. Korean personnel made all applications. The only United States military personnel involved or who were in close proximity acted only as advisors and supervisors.

Concerning a service connected claim for exposure to Agent Orange; there is no requirement, in either the federal statute or the regulations, that a veteran establishes the method of exposure. Rather, the regulation only states that if a veteran was exposed to a herbicide agent during active service, certain classes of diseases shall be service connected.

The conditions that are recognized as service connected for Vietnam Service and automatically presumed to be based on exposure to Agent Orange are:

Chloracne
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
Soft Tissue Sarcoma
Hodgkin’s disease
Porphyria cutanea tarda
Multiple Myeloma
Respiratory cancers (including cancers of the lung,
larynx, trachea, and bronchus)
Prostate Cancer
Peripheral Neuropathy (transient acute or subacute)
Spina bifida, which is a condition recognized in children of Vietnam Veterans.

One would have to assume that rules that apply to exposure to the herbicide in Vietnam would also apply to those who were stationed in an area where herbicide agents were used in Korea. This is especially true, when viewed in the context of a recent landmark decision of the Veterans Affairs Board of Veterans Appeal. A Dayton, Ohio Veteran, Thomas Wolfe, with six years of legal fighting, won a ruling that acknowledged that the cancer he battled for close to 20 years, non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, was tied to his exposure to Agent Orange while he was stationed near the Korean DMZ, in the 1968-1969 time frame. Wolfe is only one of a handful of non-Vietnam Veterans to be awarded a service connected rating and compensation as a result of exposure to the defoliant, commonly referred to as Agent Orange, but his landmark case should lay the ground work and legal precedent for those who follow him.

The bottom line is, if you are a veteran who had one of these conditions, served in Korea during the time frame mentioned, or the widow of a veteran who passed away because of one of those conditions, you should contact the Carteret County Veterans Services Office at (252) 728-8440 or Email at ccvso@coastalnet.com.

Transportation Availability.

Disabled American Veterans Chapter #40, New Bern, has just received a new Ford Windstar, seven-passenger van. This van will be used to transport veterans to the VA Medical facilities in Durham, Fayetteville, Jacksonville, and Greenville for medical appointments only. This service is available to any veteran of Craven, Jones, Pamlico, and Carteret County Counties, and is a "free service". A 48-hour notice must be given to the points of contact. For more information and scheduling, contact John Barrow at (252) 633-3600 or Bob Newcombe at (252) 636-5939.

Opportunities for VA Health Care.

If you would like assistance in getting established in the VA Health Care System for treatment and/or medications, a good resource to assist you is the County Veterans Services Office located at 613 Cedar Street in Beaufort. Office is open Monday through Friday 8:00AM to 5:00PM, telephone (252) 728-8440, with an e-mail address of ccvso@coastalnet.com.  A note, for those veterans needing medications, the VA Medical Center at Fayetteville has been filling prescriptions written by one’s local physician and has been providing a total of six months worth of medication.

Replacing Military Records.

If a veteran or the next of kin of a deceased veteran cannot locate a discharge, DD Form 214 or separation papers, duplicate copies may be obtained from the National Archives, National Personnel Records Center (NRPC) in St. Louis, MO. Application is made using a U.S. Government Standard Form 180 (Request Pertaining to Military Records), which can be obtained from the Carteret County Veterans Office at (252) 728-8440. If one desires, the Veteran Services Office will gladly fill out the request for you.

Guide to Survivor Benefits Plan (SBP).

For our military retirees and their spouses, a brand new (1999) pamphlet, "Your Guide to Survivor Benefits" is now available free of charge. The pamphlet gives valuable information regarding the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP), the Retired Serviceman’s Family Protection Plan, the Social Security Offset, Dependency Indemnity Compensation (DIC), and other programs that are available to widows of military retirees.

The pamphlet is available by writing to DFAS-DE/FRB, 6760 East Irvington Place, Denver, Colorado 80279-6000, or by calling (800) 435-3396 or (303) 676-6552.

NC State Income Tax for State, County, and Federal Retirees.