Agent Orange

[106rr]

.Panzer Bob -- If you look into pharmaceautical damage in Nam, Dapsone is interesting. We were told that there was a different type of malaria in I Corps so we had to take Dapsone once a day and Chloroquine/Primaquine once a week. I later found out that they were trying to find out if there was an anti malarial property to Dapsone. It is normally used to prevent transmission of Hansen's Disease (leprosy) We did have some leprosy in I Corps and there used to be a leper colony there. It turns out that there is no special type of malaria in I Corps. The Dapsone causes cancer in rats but only in male rats! I took approximately 400 doses of Dapsone during and after my tour. No cancer yet.
Good Post Hollis -- I have tried very hard to leave the anger behind. It just consumes your own heart. There is a monk called Tich Nhat Hahn (I think) who has published some books on the subject. Peace is Every Step is one of the best he has done. Almost all vets find it helpful. I know I did. I am not religious so I ignore any aspect of the book that talks about religion. The advice he gives is good across the board.
I can understand the anger of the vets whose kids were born with spina bifida since the govt knew about it and concealed it. They now pay off the parents through the VA. They still don't admit that AO causes learning disorders. I only have diabetes and associated heart damage internally. Externally I have some chloracne scarring and skin problems. I have had nine cystectomy operations -- this is minor surgery.

 

[Hollis]

106rr, remember those malaria tabs, no one took them. the fear was diarrhea. Our Head Doc, Doc Bo, wanted everyone coming in from the bush to take a piss test. He wanted to know who was taking the tabs. I got a cup from him and then proceeded to hunt down a malaria tab. After peeing in the cup, I shaved a reasonable amount of tab in to the urine. Then I went to sick bay and turned the cub in.

About a week later, I bumped into Doc Bo, I asked him how is urine test worked out. All he said was, "F*&^in Marines." and walked away. I wrote Doc Bo about that incident recently, he never did reply. I guess he is still pissed.

BTW 106, wish you the best. I think we all found out inner strength and weakness there.

 

[106rr]

The anti malarial diarrhea was always worse on Mondays when we had to take both tablets. Some guys had small jars of peanut butter sent from home. I remember them eating the whole jar with a spoon trying to stop things up. It worked most of the time.

 

[Doc 2/47]

I am very sad to report that Tom "Andy" Andrzejczyk passed away a few weeks ago from Agent Orange related cancer. I don't recall if he was a member of this site but he was a regular on Patriot Files and was a close personal friend of DMZ-LT, Frisco-Kid, and myself. Items on display at his funeral and the police honorguard who saw him to his rest say a great deal about the man and his life.

 

[Hollis]

Rest In Peace.

 

[03Fox2/1]

Doc 2/47,
My condolences to his family and friends. I know what you feel and it never gets any easier to accept. I had a friend that suffered from Agent Orange. I met him at the Wall dedication in November '82 and we became pen pals. He suffered more from the past then the present and eventually he checked himself out. I will always believe there were two fingers on the trigger, his and one belonging to the Veterans Administration. Semper Fi

 

[Frisco-Kid]

My wife and I were on vacation in Washington, D.C., when we got the word that Andy had succumbed to his long battle with this. It took us about thirty seconds to decide that we were going to put our vacation on hold to drive up to Tom's funeral service in Northhampton, Mass. He has been a good friend for 6-8yrs. Another friend from the Patriot Files has flown up from Atlanta, GA, to go to the service. We meet that night. The next morning we go to the church where the service is to be held, and we are asked by the family to be pall bearers for our friend. We are honored beyond words.

My wife and I took the pictures that you are looking at. More pictures and my description of the wake and service can be found on the Vietnam War board on the Patriot Files. http://www.patriotfiles.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=48157

I miss you, my friend. You will never be forgotten.

 

[Hollis]

Thank you for letting us know. It is always a funny felling looking back to when we were young and now we are older men. A friend, who I mentioned earlier, is having a hard time with tumors and other problems from A/O. I guess we have a lot to be thankful for making it this far.

Best,

Hollis