The USAF study found a 47 percent increase in diabetes among U.S. military personnel with the highest levels of exposure and of the Agent Orange dioxin in their bloodstream. It has been pointed out that the study linkage was only statistical, based on 1997 physical examinations of 1,000 Air Force Vietnam veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange during the nine years of its use as a defoliant in Vietnam.

The highly respected National Academy of Sciences is reviewing the USAF study and will, in turn, report its finding to the Department of Veterans Affairs. Optimistically the Academy will support the contentions of the USAF study and the VA will add "adult-on-set diabetes type II" as a service connected presumptive condition for Vietnam veterans. Presently the conditions recognized as service connected for Vietnam veterans and automatically presumed to be based on exposure to Agent Orange or other herbicides include:

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)

A condition recognized in children of Vietnam veterans is spina bifida..

If you are a Vietnam veteran who has one of these conditions, a Vietnam veteran's offspring with spina bifida, congenital birth defect of the spine, or the widow of a Vietnam veteran who passed away because of one of the above conditions, you should contact the Carteret County Veterans Services Office at (252) 728-8440 or E-mail at ccvso@coastalnet.com.

The Carteret County Veterans Council will be conducting a Memorial Day Service at the Veterans' Memorial located at the Carteret County Courthouse in Beaufort at 11:00 AM on Saturday, May 27, 2000. All are invited to this observance to remember and to honor those members of our armed forces who courageously served, who made the ultimate sacrifice, and who so unselfishly gave their lives in the defense and in the service of our country. Specifics concerning this Memorial Day Service will be provided later in the month.

Did you know that the 50th anniversary of the Korean War will begin on June 25, 2000? To honor and to thank our service members who served in this conflict, the Department of Defense (DOD) has formed a commemoration committee to support an array of events over a four year period (2000 - 2003) to show that a grateful nation remembers these patriots' countless contributions. In the weeks to come, more will follow on local events and related subjects.

DOD has initiated the publication of a periodical called "The 38th Parallel", a publication to thank, honor, and remember the Korean War Veterans. For a copy of Volume #1 Issue #1, contact Veterans Services at (252) 728-8440.

Those veterans who served during the Cold War Period (September 2, 1945 to December 26, 1991) are eligible to receive a handsome certificate in recognition of their service in promoting peace and stability for our great nation during that important part of our history.

One way to request a certificate is by using the Internet at the Cold War web page (http://coldwar.army.mil). The site is secure, but if one is uncomfortable sending a Social Security Number over the Internet, one may write a letter of eligibility to: Cold War Recognition, 4035 Ridge Top Road, Fairfax, VA 22030. The simplest way to obtain a certificate is to call Veterans Services at (252) 728-8440 and they will handle the paperwork for you.