A U.S. veteran living in Tennessee has won what’s thought to be the
first Veterans Administration claim for exposure inside the continental
United States to Agent Orange, an herbicide that was used by the military to clear jungles during the Vietnam War.

Agent Orange—which got its name from the color of the barrels it was
shipped in—was among the herbicides used the U.S. military during
the Vietnam era that were contaminated with dioxins, chemicals known to
cause birth defects and genetic mutations as well as cancers. It was
produced by companies including Dow Chemical and Monsanto.

Earlier
this month, the VA granted the claim of James Cripps related to his
exposure to the chemical while he was stationed at Fort Gordon, Ga. He
sought compensation for medical conditions related to Agent Orange
including chloracne, diabetes, and heart disease.

Cripps, who currently serves as the chair of the Vietnam Veterans of America Tennessee Agent Orange Committee, announced the news in an online veterans’ issues forum:

On Nov. 2, 2009, I won the first ever VA claim for Agent Orange
exposure, “inside the Continental United States.” The claim was granted
for Chloracne, Diabetes, and Heart Disease with ICD implant, as due to
Agent Orange exposure at Fort Gordon, Ga., in the years 1967-1969. You
will be able to read the Board Of Veterans Appeals detailed decision
along with the supporting evidence at www.va.gov in a couple of months
when it is posted. From the website choose Board of Veterans Appeals,
then click on Decisions. Next type in the search box Docket No.08-11
937.

A Vietnam War-era Army veteran, Cripps worked as a
game warden at Fort Gordon near Augusta, Ga. He was exposed to Agent
Orange while spraying the chemical in the lakes around the fort to kill
weeds. When he left the military he suffered from chloracne and later
developed other health problems related to his exposure.