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Agent Orange on Okinawa


Muff Millen
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In 1969 I was at Phu Cat as the NCOIC of Transit Alert/Crash Recovery. Several times a month several Ranch Hand 123s would stage from Phu Cat spraying defoliant. TAs part in this operation was to pump defoliant from our storage tanks into the acft. tanks mounted in the cargo comp. The acft. mounted equipment was local manufacture and leaked everwhere. The cargo compartment floor was always awash in defoliant. We recieved no training concerning how to handle or how hazardous this stuff was. We considered it just another job that Transit Alert did. What we did get was a pair of rubber gloves. We had three tanks, each a different color. Probably 90% of what we pumped was from the orange tank. I never saw anyone refilling those tanks. Thinking about it at this point, that seems very strange as the tanks could be seen from the TA office. Further, I was on the ramp most every day from one end to the other.

In all my career never saw more a clapped out acft. than those C-123K Ranch Hand. After parking, the crew would egress the acft. and begin counting bullet holes. Not unusual to count between 200 and 300 hundred. Don't know what kept the bird in one piece. When flying the crew didn't wear their flack vests they sat on them. One one occasion, prior to launch, while watching the FM climbing the ladder to check the No. 1 jet intake I became worried he was about to fall off the rickety ladder. I grabbed ahold to study him. When he was back on the ground it was not so much the ladder but his b/a content. Having some knowledge of the type of sorties they flew I sure as hell was not critical of his condition.

I was 51 when I retired and by 55 had type II diabetes and heart blockage. Consider myself lucky as both are in good control. What really burns me up it the AF knew what hazards were involved but concealed it. Hate to think what kind of shape the civilians on the recieving end are in.

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Larry,

I hope that you have taken the steps necessary to receive the disability benefits you have coming. Both diabetes and Ishemic Heart Disease. Even useing VA math you should be in the 70% to 100% range.

Oh, one more thing: I don't think the FM on that C-123 was checking the jet intake. Sorry, couldn't help myself!!!

Chris

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Bill,

Indeed, I stand corrected. I went to Google, typed in C-123 and up came the Wickepedia site titled "Fairchild C-123 Provider". Fascinating reading. There were indeed some 123's retro fited with jet engines!

I hate it when I learn new things, at my age!!!!!

Chris

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Bob, my only contact with 123s was 1969 in RVN. My recollection was Ranch Hand acft. were all Ks at that time. I believe there was also a 123 trash hauling outfit in country at that time. Can't say for sure but seem to recall they were Ks too. I say that because we had an incident wherein one of my outstanding TA troops fueled a 123K with jet fuel while the acft. was parked on the transit ramp (RH always parked on the small ramp adjacent our defoliant tanks). At lift off the crew realized there was a problem, did a 180 and landed on the departure end. That was sure thier lucky day and mine too. I expected the AC would want to rip my head off but he was suprising understanding, even though we almost killed him. Instead, the troop that pumped the JP4 get his head ripped off.:mad:

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Just curious? I remember the Ranch hands had K's with jets on them when I saw them, but when did they get the jets? didn't early RH's have only the 2 props?

Bob

Bob, between 1966-69 there were 184 C-123B's converted to K models by adding 2, J-85 jet engines. The aircraft was designed at first as a glider with NO engines...now that is funny! Bill

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  • 2 weeks later...
What are you saying Chris...that the C-123K didn't have 2 jet engines? J-85's me thinks. We are getting old huh? Ha Ha Bill.
They didn't when Chris was in the USAF - there were no C-123Ks. They came about late in the war because the C-123Bs were lacking in power.
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Bob, between 1966-69 there were 184 C-123B's converted to K models by adding 2, J-85 jet engines. The aircraft was designed at first as a glider with NO engines...now that is funny! Bill

They started showing up in Vietnam - which is where they are converted for use - sometime in late 1967 or early 1968.

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For those of us who served on Taiwan and ‘Nam and served on “the rock (Okinawa)” this information may be useful.

Muff

go to: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/text/nn20120517f2.html

Note that is unsubstantiated. According to US sources, no Agent Orange was ever stored or used on Okinawa. Even in the case of Thailand, for a veteran to qualify for herbicide related medical problems, he/she has to have been assigned to duty on the airfield perimeters where it was actually sprayed. Vietnam service is presumptive exposure.

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There are so many holes in this story that it can't hold water. For one thing, defoliants were hardly classified in 1962, or ever for that matter. It wasn't until after the war that the Agent Orange controversy started. For another, Okinawa isn't tropical, it's sub-tropical, and the foliage there is nothing like Vietnam. Defoliants weren't and still aren't considered chemical weapons and did not require a chemical weapons battalion to handle them. "Chemical weapons," which are classified because they are banned by the Geneva Convention, are agents such as nerve gas, which the US Army kept in storage at several different locations and probably had them on Okinawa. This reporter is trying to connect dots of different colors. For that matter, defoliants were in widespread use all over the cotton-growing states in the US long before anyone ever heard of Vietnam.

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Bob in november of 1972 we took a hole load of thoes engs in to phan rang ab as replacements for the 123s. At the time we were told they were the same engs as on the B-52s. They said the engs were for the south vet air craft ,but that late in the war the north could have ended up with them. The only other memerory I have is the smell of the place they said it was the defolent go figer im surprized i rember this much.

jerry

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In regards to Agent Orange in Okinawa or anywhere else not in Viet Nam, what about the people that worked in the phase docks for instance?

Since we all know that the C-130's hauled barrels of A. O. around Viet Nam with no doubt some leakage and spilling involved why wouldn't the guys that worked on them not be subject to Agent Orange exposure the same as the Crew Chiefs and Crew members??

I have a friend that is a member of this forum that has had several strokes and heart attacks in the last year that worked in the phase docks at CCK. I won't mention his name as I have not asked him about it yet.

I think that even if he could not prove "boots on the ground" he should have a legitimate claim and should get help from the Govt.

Maybe this friend is already getting help from the VA and I will ask him and let you guys know!

Thanks for letting me express my thoughts,

Ken

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Bob in november of 1972 we took a hole load of thoes engs in to phan rang ab as replacements for the 123s. At the time we were told they were the same engs as on the B-52s. They said the engs were for the south vet air craft ,but that late in the war the north could have ended up with them.

jerry

Jerry,the engine on the B-52 ( all but the H) were J-57's with 13,750 lbs of thrust and were twice as long as a J-85 with 3000 lbs of thrust that were hung on the C-123 and Sam, 1966, is when they started converting them . Bill

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Bill I admit I was only 21 at the time and lisened to the older flite eng that were 25 to 35 (old men at the time)liked to mess with the youngens of the time. Doint remember the name of the eng. but like I said my memerory not what it used to be but they are good memerorys. Thanks for the correction thats what I like about this site its pretty strait forward thanks.

jerry

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Hey Jerry, like you and the others on this board, our versions of Vietnam and the thing we did then are just our "snapshot" in time. We love rehashing them and all I was doing was throwing a little techinal junk into the conversation. We all love to hear each others "I was there" comments. Keep'em coming Jerry and don't pay me no mind, ha ha . Bill

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