Letter from the USMC about health concerns

[Griff Murphey]

I just got a letter from the USMC about a health questionnaire they will be sending me. According to this letter from Lt. Gen. Panter, deputy commandant, Installations Logistics, this applies to Marines and Navy men who were stationed at Lejeune and Pendleton. I had heard about carbon tet in the ground water at Lejeune but this is the first time I have heard Pendleton mentioned. Anybody know what they are fishing for?

[gwp]

Here are two sides to the story:

http://www.atsdr.cdc.gov/sites/lejeune/health_survey.html

http://www.veteranstoday.com/2011/05/26/lejeune-health-survey-study-or-cover-up/

[Dan Shapiro]

Simple comparison between two major military installations to see if there is anything the same or different in people's health.

Now here's where I see the WEIRD part. Given that military families were uprooted every 3-4 years and sent to a new installation, many were stationed at BOTH Lejeune and Pendleton. So do they comprise a 3rd group?

[Griff Murphey]

This reminds me of the Atomic vets. I had an uncle, LTJG dental officer on USS CUMBERLAND SOUND, control ship for the Bikini nuke shots, died of lung cancer in his early 70s. Our local paper just had an article about a Marine named Tyler, who was in 3-5; they were put 5 miles from ground zero for shot HOOD in. 1955. So far he is ok.... That is the kicker on these deals.

[Griff Murphey]

Got the Survey today, 10-24-11. One interesting point, it asks what year an individual may have been in Vietnam but only allows '65-'71. In other words, no consideration for anyone in an embassy job or like me in the evacuation in '75 (granted, no boonie time and thereby much reduced risk).

[Dan Shapiro]

"One interesting point, it asks what year an individual may have been in Vietnam but only allows '65-'71."

Sounds like an "agent orange" question.

[Griff Murphey]

No agent orange dispersed after 1971 by the VNAF?I would not bet on it.

[Garden Valley]

Got the Survey today, 10-24-11. One interesting point, it asks what year an individual may have been in Vietnam but only allows '65-'71. In other words, no consideration for anyone in an embassy job or like me in the evacuation in '75 (granted, no boonie time and thereby much reduced risk).

I would surmise they chose the years 1965-1971 because the first Marine ground combat units entered Vietnam in 1965 and the last of them departed in 1971. The evacuation in 1975 involved a relatively small number of Marines who were "in country" for a very short period of time.

[Griff Murphey]

No way am I comparing my relatively minuscule potential exposure to agent orange to someone who lived in it. But should something come up later, I did drink the potentially contaminated water on the ships at Phan Rhang and Vung Tau, which, by the way, was just reprocessed seawater which flowed, ultimately, from in-country.

[pccraig]

I haven't opened mine yet