AGENT ORANGE TOWNHALL 19 AUGUST 2017
Hello, I am Rick Jones, a Life member of the Vietnam Veterans of America, the Chapter #1122 that meets in McKinney, Texas.
On the 19th I arrived at the Craig Ranch Club House. The CCVVA was working like a well oiled machine! Check-in was laid out so it was easy to identify each person attending.
In Vietnam we had some Ladies from the American Red Cross who would travel to different bases to greet us and give us coffee or punch and donuts. We affectionately called them, “Donut Dollies”! The Red Cross was at the entrance for the Townhall meeting providing coffee and one of our members arranged for a donation for donuts!
The program began with a couple of people bringing us up to date on the efforts of VVA, some other Veteran organizations and the VA. There are some promising prospects on the horizon.
There is a small group who has been traveling around the US to help educate us for what we need to do. This was there 281st Townhall type meeting! They talked with us and had many questions to answer!
Our afternoon session was held by an education Team about Hepatitis-C.
But, first they brought us a very nice lunch!
Hepatitis-C has made a come back in large numbers!! When we were in the Reception Center, preparing to begin Basic Training, we were lined up in a gauntlet of shots! As we passed through the lines there were Medical Techs shooting us in both arms with air-gun type devices, then they gave us more shots by needles. The air-guns were not properly disinfected between each arm. This has set the stage for Hep-C’s regeneration.
There are several other sources too. The REAL bad thing about this Hep-C is that most people do not even know they have it! If treated in time, it is easier to get a full recovery. If it is not treated soon enough, the results are permanent.
The last segment of the program was an open session for Agent Orange questions.
It was a very good program! They did not have all the answers, but the ones they did have, they gave to us!! The remaining answers have not been born yet.