I’d like to share an article about Agent Orange in Okinawa, recently published on the “counterpunch.org” website. Click on the link below to open the article in a new window.

Agent Orange on Okinawa

As many Vietnam-era veterans know, Agent Orange was extensively used in Vietnam and surrounding nations.

The VA and the Department of Defense have been less than forth-coming about the use of Agent Orange outside of the Republic of Vietnam – only service at a very  few locations, units and dates, outside of Vietnam, entitle a legal presumption of exposure to Agent Orange.

This article does a good job of outlining the “cracks” in the VA and DoD position that Agent Orange was not used on Okinawa.  Any veteran stationed in Okinawa during the Vietnam era would do well to familiarize themselves with the facts discussed in this article, and persist in their claim.

I believe it is only a matter of time before the DoD and VA concede that Veterans stationed on Okinawa (and elsewhere) during the Vietnam War are found to be entitled to presumptive service-connection for Agent Orange exposure.  How long that will take is anyone’s guess – but it is worth raising the issue in your claim to ensure the earliest possible Effective Date if the concession occurs and if it is subject to a Nehmer analysis.