Vietnam-Era Veterans Were Exposed to Agent Orange on Guam

Report Claims Vietnam-Era Veterans Were Exposed to Agent Orange on Guam

Military.com
By Patricia Kime
May 11, 2020

"We conclude that existing evidence establishes that it is, at the very least, 'as likely as not' that veterans who served in Guam from 1962 to 1975 were exposed to Agent Orange and other dioxin-containing herbicides," wrote NVLSP Executive Director Bart Stichman and several law students and attorneys.

A U.S. Huey helicopter sprays Agent Orange over Vietnam. The U.S. military used at least 11 million gallons of Agent Orange in Vietnam from 1961 to 1972. Wikimedia Commons

New research could help Vietnam-era veterans who served in Guam and who have diseases linked to Agent Orange file for disability with the Department of Veterans Affairs.

Two veterans advocacy groups published a policy paper Monday saying that veterans who served on Guam between 1962 and 1975 likely were exposed to herbicides disposed of on the Pacific island or used for vegetation control.

The groups -- the National Veterans Legal Services Program and the Jerome Frank Legal Services Organization at Yale Law School -- say their link meets the VA's legal criteria for awarding affected veterans Agent Orange-related benefits.
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Capt. Ryan S. Phaneuf of Hudson, New Hampshire, one of two killed in plane crash

NH Airman Among 2 Killed in Afghanistan Plane Crash

NBC 10 Boston
Published 2 hours ago

A wreckage of a U.S. military aircraft that crashed in Ghazni province, Afghanistan, is seen Monday, Jan. 27, 2020.

A New Hampshire man was one of two airmen killed when an Air Force plane crashed in Afghanistan, the Department of Defense has confirmed.

U.S. forces recovered the service members' remains Tuesday from the site of a plane crash in Afghanistan the day before. Wednesday, the deceased were identified as 30-year-old Capt. Ryan S. Phaneuf of Hudson, New Hampshire, and 46-year-old Lt. Col. Paul K. Voss of Yigo, Guam.

Phaneuf was assigned to the 37th Bomb Squadron at Ellsworth Air Force Base in South Dakota. Voss was assigned to Headquarters Air Combat Command at Joint Base Langley-Eustis in Virginia. Both men were on board the U.S. Bombardier E-11A aircraft that went down Monday in Ghazni Province.
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Civilian shot at Andersen Air Force Base

Intruder Shot, Security Forces Member Stabbed During Incident at Andersen Air Force Base

Stars and Stripes
By Matthew M. Burke
15 Aug 2019

A Defense Department civilian security forces member was stabbed Thursday morning at Andersen Air Force Base while attempting to apprehend an intruder fleeing from Guam police.

Information on the unnamed security forces member's condition was not immediately available. Air Force officials said the intruder -- who was also not named -- was shot during the incident.

The fugitive was treated at a civilian hospital, Air Force officials said Thursday in a statement. Information on his condition was not available.

The incident began at approximately 7:35 p.m. Wednesday when a civilian attempted to enter the base's main gate while fleeing from Guam Police, Air Force officials wrote on Andersen's Facebook page several hours after the incident began. The intruder crashed his vehicle into emergency defensive barriers deployed by members of the 36th Security Forces Squadron following a high-speed chase. He then fled on foot.
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As his wife Sheila held Lonnie Kilpatrick's hand, he died

Sad update to WFLA News Got Vietnam Veteran Justice

Finally awarded Agent Orange benefits, veteran succumbs to cancer the VA missed
By: WFLA Staff
Updated: May 07, 2018

TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. (WFLA) - As his wife Sheila held Lonnie Kilpatrick's hand, his daughter Kassie recorded some of his last words.

The Navy veteran said there is a reason for everything - his struggle with the VA, his impending death.

"Make something out of it, make it count," Lonnie said in a weak voice.

We met Lonnie in February, shortly after he learned Stage 4 kidney cancer had spread through his body.

"That hit me like a ton of bricks," he told us from his bed in Holiday in February.

For good reason. For four years, doctors at the VA at Bay Pines said his back pain was arthritis and disc related.

"Just couldn't get nobody to take it serious that, hey I've lost 50 pounds," explained Lonnie at the time.

The VA treated Lonnie for kidney cancer in 2013, pronounced him cancer-free, then missed its recurrence.

"You know you're going to lose him and that could have been prevented if the VA had followed up," said daughter Keri Ackerson.
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WFLA News Got Vietnam Veteran Justice

Target 8 helps misdiagnosed veteran get his benefits
WFLA 8 News
Steven Andrews
April 26, 2018

Stationed on Guam in 1971 during the Vietnam War, Lonnie claims his work near airfields exposed him to the herbicide Agent Orange.

TARPON SPRINGS, Fla. (WFLA) - An enormous weight has been lifted off the shoulders of a Pasco County veteran and his family.

Following a series of Target 8 reports, the Department of Veterans Affairs reversed its previous denial and approved Agent Orange benefits for Navy veteran Lonnie Kilpatrick.

"Words can't even say how much we appreciate what you have done," said Lonnie's daughter Keri Ackerson.

After eight years of delays and denial, the VA reversed course.

It approved Lonnie's claim that exposure to the toxic defoliant Agent Orange left him 100 percent disabled.
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Airman Found Dead At Andersen Air Force Base

Airman found dead at Andersen Air Force Base on Guam
Stars and Stripes
Published: April 11, 2016

ANDERSEN AIR FORCE BASE, Guam — An active-duty airman has been found dead at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam.

Officials with 36th Security Forces were notified of the death Monday, an Air Force statement said. The cause of death is under investigation.
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Navy couple met in Guam, he's charged with killing her in Orlando

Husband shoots, kills wife pregnant with twin boys; on suicide watch
Alexis Boyce, 23, and one of her unborn babies were pronounced dead. The surviving infant is in the hospital.
Orlando Sentinel
By Arelis R. Hernández
November 15, 2013

Deputies found a pregnant Alexis Boyce sitting in a chair with her hands in her lap and a bullet in her head.

Her husband, Michael Boyce, told Orange County sheriff's detectives depression drove his 23-year-old wife to suicide Thursday — but his story didn't stand up to questioning.

Alexis Boyce — eight months pregnant with twin boys — was rushed to the hospital, where she and one of her sons were pronounced dead. The surviving infant remains in critical condition in the neonatal intensive care unit at Winnie Palmer Hospital for Women and Babies.

Her father, Leon Huntley, told reporters Friday his daughter was full of life and that her death is a tragedy for his family.

Both Navy veterans, Alexis and Michael Boyce met while stationed in Guam and married about a year ago.

Family and friends shocked

The horrifying shooting is the last thing any of Boyce's military friends expected from the former sailor.

Tiffany Nelson served with Boyce in a mobile security unit stationed out of Guam for three years. They worked together in a tight-knit unit that provided security for the Navy's ships in ports across the globe, she said.

"It's like being a civilian police officer," except for the Navy, Nelson said. Military police are a proud bunch who undergo background checks and must have clean records to ascend the ranks, she said.

Nelson described Boyce as a fun, loyal friend who was in love with his wife and was great at his job.

"This can't be the same Boyce," Nelson said, describing the moment she heard her brother-in-arms had been charged with the murder. "This is a total shock to all of us."
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Father and Daughter from Saipan Serve Together in Afghanistan

Father and Daughter from Saipan Serve Together in Afghanistan
Guam News
Written by Sgt. Edward Siguenza
1-294th Infantry Regiment
Friday, 27 September 2013

CAMP PHOENIX, Afghanistan – There’s something symbolic about dolphins in the Igitol clan and it’s not just because the mammals constantly swim around their Pacific Island home.

Spc. Ivan Igitol permanently branded five dolphins on his arm, representing his five children and Carolinian heritage.

Spc. Brittney Igitol tattooed one on her neck, symbolizing her love for her island culture.

Deep in an Afghanistan desert, where Brittney’s Foxtrot Company, 1st Battalion, 294th Infantry Regiment, Guam Army National Guard, runs Operation Enduring Freedom missions, the dolphin mythology exist. Same in Kabul, where Ivan’s Headquarters Company bravely executes missions. The father-daughter tandem is friendly, listens well, and not afraid of danger. Oh, and they don’t just communicate through phone calls and emails. Their family bond connects them through sonar.

“I’m proud of her and all my kids. Brittney chose to make the same sacrifices I am,” said Ivan.

“Our family knows we’re here for the same thing. We wanted to deploy to serve our country; we’re here to help protect our family.”
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Family needs to know how Kelsey Sue Anderson died stationed in Guam

Grieving parents sue Air Force for answers in daughter's death
Associated Press
Published July 06, 2013

BOISE – The grieving parents of a 19-year-old Idaho woman who died serving her country thousands of miles from home say the U.S. Air Force won't give them information about the circumstances of her death.

Airman 1st Class Kelsey Sue Anderson of Orofino died June 9, 2011, at Andersen Air Force Base on the island of Guam, a U.S. territory in the Pacific Ocean 3,300 miles west of Hawaii. The military has reported she committed suicide.

But Chris and Adelia Sue Anderson, her parents, filed a lawsuit last month in U.S. District Court to force the Air Force to respond to their Freedom of Information Act request seeking more information about how their daughter died.
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Petty Officer 1st Class Benny Flores remembers fallen during Silver Star ceremony

GuamGuam News VIDEO:
Benny Flores- “I Really, Truly, Wish We Had All Come Back”

Guam- Naval Petty Officer 1st Class Benny Flores was awarded the Silver Star Medal for his heroic actions during his deployment to southwest Afghanistan last year. Despite being injured, Flores provided life saving medical care to wounded Marines and Afghan Uniform Police.

Surrounded by his family and colleagues, Flores was given the military's third highest award for valor at Camp Pendleton, California this past Saturday, May 4 (Guam time).

The seasoned Navy Corpsman, who is originally from Talofofo, received the Silver Star for medical support he provided during an enemy attack in Afghanistan that occurred on April 28, 2012. He served as a field service medical technician during combat operations.
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Active duty soldier in critical condition after suicide attempt

Active duty soldier attempts to take own life
KUAM.com
Posted: Oct 02, 2012
by Mindy Aguon

Guam - An incident at the Guam National Guard's Readiness Center caused panic and concern this morning as authorities responded to a reported shooting. An active duty member of the Guam Army National Guard is in critical condition at Naval Hospital.

Normal operations at the Command Joint Force Headquarters building in Barrigada were suspended after a soldier attempted to take his life this morning.

Guam Police Department spokesperson Officer A.J. Balajadia told KUAM News, "We responded to an injured person at about 11:25 this morning at the National Guard Headquarters and 50+-year-old male individual was reported to NRMC with an injury to the head." Yellow caution tape blocked off the grassy area in front of the headquarters as police combed the area speaking with various members of the National Guard.

The shooting occurred near the Fallen Heroes Memorial.

Guam Fire Department spokesperson Lieutenant Ed Artero says medics transported him to the Agana Heights medical facility for a self-inflicted gunshot wound. He remains in critical condition. Guam National Guard public information officer Captain Ken Ola says the Guard is conducting an internal review of what led to the incident.
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USS Houston sub leaked radioactive water, possibly for months

U.S. sub leaked radioactive water, possibly for months
Story Highlights
Leak was found on the USS Houston during routine maintenance last month

Navy officials say amount of radiation leaked into water was virtually undetectable

Sub spent time at ports in Guam, Japan and Hawaii

Officials: Radiation was "negligible" and an "extremely low level"

From Jamie McIntyre and Mike Mount
CNN Pentagon Unit


WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Water with trace amounts of radioactivity may have leaked for months from a U.S. Navy nuclear-powered submarine as it traveled around the Pacific to ports in Guam, Japan and Hawaii, Navy officials told CNN on Friday.

The leak was found on the USS Houston, a Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine, after it went to Hawaii for routine maintenance last month, Navy officials said.

Navy officials said the amount of radiation leaked into the water was virtually undetectable. But the Navy alerted the Japanese government because the submarine had been docked in Japan.

The problem was discovered last month when a build-up of leaking water popped a covered valve and poured onto a sailor's leg while the submarine was in dry dock.

An investigation found a valve was slowly dripping water from the sub's nuclear power plant. The water had not been in direct contact with the nuclear reactor, Navy officials said.
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