Today I talked with a good friend, retired Commander George Easley who lives in Rhode Island, about Agent Orange. He served on boats in the Delta area in 1968 and was exposed extensively to Agent Orange. He suffers from two diseases as a result and I was sure he would have looked into the situation extensively - he has. He confirmed Agent Orange has been linked to chronic lymphocytic leukemia and diabetes mellitus.

As you probably know, there are over twenty websites that address Agent Orange, including http://www1.va.gov/agentorange/   (last updated in Sept. 2003) and http://vabenefits.vba.va.gov/vonapp . If you haven't done so, go to a search engine (e.g., Google, WebCrawler,etc.) and enter "Agent Orange" and the others all will come up. Apparently there also is a 'band" (presumably Rock) that goes by the name of Agent Orange. Not being a fan of current music, I didn't contact them.

Additionally, the Disabled American Veterans organization http://www.dav.org/ ) can be helpful, including appointing a representative to a potential victim, when indicated, to assist in his case.

Regarding USS Rich in 1968:  We didn't enter any Vietnamese rivers or  harbors south of Danang and I don't believe we were ever close enough to southern South Vietnam to have encountered air-borne herbicides. As I recall, Agent Orange was used primarily around the Mekong and its  tributaries in the Delta. I know that the only times we were in close to South Vietnam were the three times we went into Danang harbor: (1) in late July '68, before joining USS England on northern PIRAZ station,  I went ashore (probably with Lt Kerley) to become oriented with the  USAF air operations/defense center on the south side of the harbor, (2)  in August when we returned to Danang with the classified vehicle we recovered up north and turned it over to the authorities - we didn't even anchor, just headed back out because of the Typhoon headed into the Gulf of Tonkin, and (3) while providing gunfire support in September, we went into the harbor for a few hours, during which time a few sailors went by motorwhaleboat over to the tender for medical/dental visits. To my knowledge, no one went ashore at this time.

In my opinion, the ship and her crew weren't exposed to Agent Orange;  however, I suppose there might be a remote chance of passing through some airborne residue offshore, although I doubt if its chemical makeup was such that it would be easily atomized and float long distances. It would be more likely that it would be put in a solution designed to settle earthward and cling to leaves, etc. That's how George Easley encountered it repeatedly in the jungle and in the water in which he bathed & drank.

Alternatively, exposure ashore in The Philippines might be explored. In my recollection, the USAF sprayed the herbicide and it's most likely their flights originated in Thailand, or possibly Clark AFB in the Philippines. I don't believe any  Rich sailors visited those areas, but we did have several periods in Subic. So if the Navy handled any Agent Orange it could have passed through Subic on its way to the Cubi Point NAS - but this just a wild guess on my part. I have no knowledge of how or where the chemical got to the aircraft that sprayed it or that it could contaminate anyone/thing while being transported in containers.

If anyone would like to talk to Commander Easley you may contact the Webmaster who will put you in touch.  George said he would welcome calls and share what he has found out about Agent Orange over the past 15 - 20 years Remember, he was not associated with USS Rich.