My Agent Orange exposure and VA claim experience

Posted on October 22, 2022 by jamescripps

James M. Cripps

When I filed my first claim in 2005 the DOD and the VA were very adamant that AO had never been used in CONUS, PERIOD!

In order to Substantiate my AO exposure claim I needed, first to prove that I was an MP Game Warden in 1967-1969. I needed to prove that the spraying and testing of agent orange, 24D-245T with Picloram, at Fort Gordon actually took place in 1967. Last, but most important of all, I had to show how I was directly involved and exposed, thirty eight years after the fact.

According to the VA my first denial was because I claimed that I was a Game Warden while stationed at Fort Gordon in the years 1967-1969, but the record only revealed the fact that I was a MP with a 95B20 MOS. The Army had no additional skill identifyer to substantiate that I preformed my duties as a Game Warden, and not those of an ordinary MP. At that point I realized that in order to prove my case, I needed to travel back to Fort Gordon. It was the decision to return to Fort Gordon that allowed me to come up with the air tight evidence in support of my case that I lacked.

At the BVA, I was able to furnish the judge with the spray aircraft tail number. I provided the name of the firm in Texas from which the Bell G-2 helicopter used in the spraying was leased, along with the pilot’s name. I proved the amounts, 450 gallons of orange alone, and the color names of herbicides that were used, orange, blue, and white. I furnished the exact location of the spraying and testing. I testified that the Bell G-2 had two twenty six foot spray booms attached. Each boom had six nozzles and each nozzle was set on three. They were making fifty foot swaths per sweep. Eighty six acres were involved.

It was necessary to travel to the Fort Gordon area, where I obtained and provided statements from the Fort Gordon Forester and the Fort Gordon Post Engineer, who were there and working with me during the time that I served and was involved. Both wrote sworn statements on VA forms 21-4138 stating that they remembered me by name as being the Fort Gordon Game Warden, and they swore in their written statements that it would have been my job to spray those herbicides. The Forester wrote that he had actually discovered my stash of herbicides and spray equipment in a building in the 1980s, just exactly where I said that they would be. He stated that he had actually cut the lock off of the building. I described the lock as being a railroad lock and he verified that it indeed was a railroad lock.

I also furnished a statement in support of my claim, written by the Fort Gordon Adjutant General, who had thirty five years experience in personnel and wrote the statement in support of my claim attesting to the fact that I indeed was the Fort Gordon Game Warden who served and was involved in the time period of 1967-1968, during the testing of AO.

My evidence had to be overwhelming and beyond doubt. Nothing was left to chance, and I covered all of my bases.

I furnished my Fort Gordon Game Warden badge number, my expired Richmond County GA. Deputy Sheriff credentials and my military drivers license. I presented a 1967 Fort Gordon phone book listing my office phone number and naming me as the Fort Gordon Game Warden.

The significance of producing my long ago expired Deputy Sheriff credentials was the fact that, as a military Game Warden, and in compliance with the “Posse Comitatus Act of 1878”, which removed the military from regular civil law enforcement, It was necessary that I be appointed as a Deputy Sheriff in order to have the authority to carry my weapon off post and to be able to stop and/or pursue civilians on and off post. Only MP Game Wardens carried such credentials.

The significance of the military drivers license, that expired many years ago, was the fact that only MP Game Wardens, and only MP Game Wardens, were issued a license to drive a Ford four wheel drive Bronco. Of note, there were only two Game Wardens at that time and fort Gordon only had two Ford Broncos, each of those was assigned to a Game warden.

The burial ceremony of my good friend, Army Captain Agness Bresnahan. We called her “Irish”. Her dad was a Congressman. Irish and I corresponded daily and worked feverishly together, trying desperately to prove agent orange exposure inside CONUS. Her exposure was at Fort McClellan Al, while my own exposure took place at Fort Gordon GA.

Irish died in june 2009, at her Washington hotel room from her agent orange illnesses the night before her hearing. Her claim died with her. I carried on and in November 2009, I won the very first AO exposure claim for exposure at a military post or base inside CONUS, just five months after her death. Irish’s last request was to be burried at Arlington Nnational Cemetery. I really wish that she would have won the first case, or at least lived to see me win it.

A novel, written by Kaylon Bruner Tran. (left) a promenent Vanderbilt professor/author presenting me, James M. Cripps (right) with an autographed copy of her 2021 novel containing the Conus agent orange win. (Book 2 of a three book series) “Agent Orange Trigogy”.

Kaylon Bruner Tran was a guest speaker, attending the March 29th “Vietnam Welcome Home day” celebration in Springfield TN,.2023. After her presentation, I decided to buy the three volume novel that she had written. In conversation, she asked me if I had served in country, Vietnam. I said, “no, I am a Vietnam era veteran, but I did win the very first ever granted claim for agent orange exposure at a military instillation within CONUS”. She flipped to chapter sixty seven in the second volume of the series, pointed to the text, and said, “you are in my book”! She had never imagined meeting me in person, and I did not know of the existence of her novel collection.

I testified before the BVA Judge the fact that I defoliated around the Fort Gordon Controlled lakes and then often caught and ate fish from those lakes, within hours of the spraying operation. I furnished my wife’s and my original 1967 Fort Gordon Hunting and fishing license along with the documented set of orders as proof that I was on separate rations at the time to back up that statement.

Dr. George Dewey Dunn, The “Tennessee Valley Health Care Clinitian” at the Nashville Tn. VA Hospital made the connection when he preformed my Agent Orange Exam in 2005. He concluded that my disease of Chloracne was a “bio marker, a tell tell sign” of my Dioxin exposure. Dioxin is the contaminnant that is contained in agent orange. Dioxin is the deadliest substance known to man! Dioxin is man made, as it does not occur in nature.

KL Bruner

March 30  · 

Yesterday was Vietnam Veterans Memorial Day. I was privileged to attend the memorial ceremony at the Agent Orange Memorial in Springfield, TN. One of the special moments was meeting James Cripps. It was his lawsuit against the U.S. Veterans Administration that led to public awareness that Agent Orange had been used in the United States. He approached me at the memorial service because he wanted me to know his story. Mr. Cripps was surprised that I was already familiar with it and even more surprised to learn he is Chapter 67 in my second book “Lives Intertwined.”

The following was written by KL Bruner about March,2023.

March 30  · 

Yesterday was Vietnam Veterans Memorial Day. I was privileged to attend the memorial ceremony at the Agent Orange Memorial in Springfield, TN. One of the special moments was meeting James Cripps. It was his lawsuit against the U.S. Veterans Administration that led to public awareness that Agent Orange had been used in the United States. He approached me at the memorial service because he wanted me to know his story. Mr. Cripps was surprised that I was already familiar with it and even more surprised to learn he is Chapter 67 in my second book “Lives Intertwined.”

The Orange Heart Wall of Honor in Springfield Tn. March 29, 2023

My name as carved on the Agent Orange wall.

My Richmond County Georgia deputy sheriff credentials. Ordinary MPs were not appointed as Deputy Sheriffs. Only Game Wardens carried those credential in order to be able to stop, search and arrest a civillian and to carry a weapon off of the military instillation.

I furnished a statement written for me by a Doctor who was involved in AO research and employed by the CDC in Atlanta GA in support of my exposure. I submitted a statement from the Georgia State Agriculture Director as to the name and chemical designation of the herbicide that I sprayed. That being 24D-245T.

My most overwhelming proof of AO exposure was the fact that I had Chloracne, first diagnosed on my ETS medical exam and there were many diagnosis post service including VA and civilian doctors. I had thirteen Medical opinions that concurred in the fact that the only cause of Chloracne is Dioxin exposure, Dioxin being the contaminant in AO and the other rainbow herbicides.

Arlington National Cemetary. All gave some, some gave all!

Following my AO grant in 2009 by the BVA, there have been many more claims filed, but few have prevailed.

  • I am still here! Be sure to select from the top menue, and read about my Fournier’s Gangrene experience that dammed near killed me!

The three book series written by Kaylon Bruner Tran.

Thank you KBT!

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First PCAFC VA Caregivers case won at the BVA!

Posted on October 21, 2022 by jamescripps

By far, I am not the expert. However, after going through the initial application process, including the exams and interviews for the PCAFC caregiver’s program, not once but twice, and after six Veteran’s Health Administration (VHA) appeals in the last twenty two months, I finally won level 2 benefits at the Board of Veteran’s Appeals (BVA) on June 22, 2020.

My lovley wife, Sandra, Heidelberg Germany 1969.

IM000222.JPG

I am now willing and able to share what I have learned about the caregiver’s program and how to defeat a VHA denied PCAFC decision, if you feel that you meet the eligibility requirements and you are denied, appeal. If you file a higher level revue (HLR), or a supplemental claim, those choices will send your appeal right back before the Veterans Health Administration (VHA) who have already denied you once. I would advise that instead of going with the seemingly easier routes, take your appeal to the BVA because the case will go to the Veterans Benefits Administration for adjudication, not back to the VHA. The BVA is where you will find justice.

Sandra Cripps, my loving wife of fifty four years, and my PCAFC caregiver.

I will restrain myself in the interest of professionalism on my comments herein, but make no mistake about it, the VHA put me, an R-2 veteran, through pure hell over that twenty two month period of appeals and never relented. I doubt that the VHA even knew what an R-2 veteran was. In their decision making process the VHA didn’t seem give a dam what the laws and regulations said, and they didn’t give a dam what the evidence said, they just arbitrarily denied the claim. The expert CEAT team in VISN 9 conceded that I needed help with five ADL’s as far back as February 2021, yet they still belligerently denied level 2 benefits without offering any explanation of reasons and basis for the obviously erroneous decision. The VISN 8 CEAT team, “after a compassionate and thorough review” of my medical records, along with my submitted evidence, denied my last VHA appeal in less than 24 hours after it was submitted to the VAMC Nashville Tn. Patient Advocate. Now if you buy into that crap, I have some ocean front property in Tennessee that I would just love to unload on you.

Through thick and thin!

As due to a recent court case, denied veterans and their caregivers can now ask the BVA to review denied PCAFC cases. The VHA never anticipated that one day the Board would be able to peer over their shoulder and review their work. I can only imagine the thoughts going through the BVA judges mind as he read the overwhelming evidence in my case, only to be denied six times by the VHA, so called, expert CEAT teams. As thousands of veterans and caregivers are appealing PCAFC decisions, can you imagine the backlog of PCAFC claims that is being created by the ineptness within the VHA. There will be thousands of cases, just waiting for review at the BVA.

My reason to live more of life

On the bright side, there has been a really good development of late in that the Senate Veterans Affairs Committee has finally heard the loud cries of the most disabled veterans on the planet. Senator Tester, the Chair of that committee, said that the caregiver program is the most gut wrenching thing that he has ever had to deal with in his fifteen year tenure.

Both the VBA and the VHA has admitted that my case is the first PCAFC case to be heard and granted level 2 benefits at the Board of Veteran’s Appeals.

Every dog has his day!

My 06/22/2022 BVA decision
 
Citation Nr: A22011682
Decision Date: 06/22/22	Archive Date: 06/22/22

DOCKET NO. 210903-192826
DATE: June 22, 2022
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You can stick a fork in me now because I am done

Posted on October 21, 2022 by jamescripps

I began my VA claims saga in 2005. My first success was in November 2009, whereupon I was granted the very first claim for AO exposure at a military instillation in CONUS. That award was a 100% P&T plus an “S” award and 1 “K”. The award was for Diabetes due to AO exposure, ischemic heart disease claimed as secondary to the Diabetes, and Chloracne. In the subsequent years there have been numerus other claims and grants including three 100% P&T awards. I filed for, and won at 100% P&T, loss of use of right hand and right foot. In July 2020, Fournier’s Gangrene dammed near killed me and I won that one too, in short order. That Fournier’s Gangrene claim as secondary to chloracne, took forty five days, submission of the claim until grant. Severe anxiety and depression as due to my service connected general medical conditions claim only took thirty five days to grant. Fourteen scars, some rated as painful, were added to the mix,  an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator will always get you a 100% P&T, and so will class 3 kidney failure. Severe Neuropathy x four limbs adds up quick at 40% per limb and will get you the bilateral factor too.

In 2016 I was granted R-1 for A&A plus loss of use of two limbs with an effective date of November, 2016. I banked my retro, got my vehicle grant with adaptive equipment, and initiated my specially adaptive housing grant. Next I filled an appeal for an earlier effective date back to 2011 on the R-1 grant. As one would expect, he appeal was DENIED at the RO. I filed an appeal with the BVA. The BVA DENIED the claim.  I then conferred with Alex Graham who was too booked up to take my case but instead hooked me up with the CCK law folks. We then took the case up to the CAVC. At the CAVC the case was granted a joint motion for remand (JMR) and the case was sent back to the Board and, in turn, was remanded back to the RO where it was once again, DENIED. Next a higher level revue (HLR) was filed and the result was that the Veterans Law Judge (VLJ) found a failure of the VA’s duty to assist. A C&P was ordered to rectify the error as to be compliant with the VA’s duty to assist order and the case was returned to the VLJ for a new decision.

On October 14th 2022, a new decision was rendered. I was granted five years earlier effective date of R-1 with five years retro.

In the interim, on August, 1, 2020 was granted SMC R-2. My final rating is R-2. Considering the fact that there is no VA rating higher than an R-2, and my back pay issue has been addressed by the Court and now meets my satisfaction, I am at the end of the line as far as VA claims are concerned. The only outstanding future issue is a hard earned burial flag and a small plot of ground in the Tennessee State Veterans Cemetery just west of Nashville.

P.S. I need to add that on June 22, 2022, I won the very first PCAFC case granted at the BVA. That grant by the Board was for PCAFC level 2 caregiver benefits for my caregiver.

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VA’s caregiver program, (PCAFC)

Posted on July 11, 2022 by jamescripps

Due to the passage of the Mission act, us older veterans of the Vietnam era are no longer fenced out of the benefits under the Program of Comprehensive Assistance for Family Caregivers. After a ten year wait, application for the program became available to us on October 1, 2020.

Ihe pier on Ford Island Hawaii where the Arizona was anchored.

My old mind being as it is now days, I forgot about the October 1st date and I managed to apply for the program on October 7th. There was no doubt in my mind that myself and my wife/caregiver would qualify, according to regulations, at the maximum top tier compensation rate of level 2.

Regulations stipulate that a mandatory decision would be forthcoming within ninety days. Well, you know the VA bureaucracy the way that goes. So, six months later we undergo the interviews as required to verify that we actually did qualify for the program. The interviews were conducted by social workers and an RN who works for the Veteran’s Health Administration, (VHA).

I contracted Fournier’s Gangrene as a result of my in service Agent Orange exposure and Chloracne disease. Fournier’s attacked me in July, 2020, after the VA prescribed the medication “JARDIANCE”, which is known to cause Fournier’s Gangrene, The resultant many surgeries and skin grafts devastated me. I was rendered helpless and my wife became my lifeline as she had to do everything for me. The VA surgeons had cut forty one pounds of flesh from my body. I had to be reconstructed from my knees to my navel. I found myself helpless and strapped with a catheter and a colotomy bag. About all that I was capable of was to bang on the wall when I needed assistance or to turn over. There were three nurses coming to the house every week along with a physical therapist and a occupational therapist. Those visits lasted more than one year.

The drops of fuel oil ascending from the sunken Arizona creating a never ending oil slick on the water at the surface.

If all of the foregoing was not enough, my defibrillator wires broke and came springing through my chest skin. All of that became infected. I underwent surgery to extract and replace the wires and unit. This time the unit was moved from my left chest to my right chest. I was instructed by the medical team to never again reach above my shoulders for fear of breaking the leads a second time. Not to wash or comb my hair. Not to wash my face, clean my ears or brush my teeth.

I was sent home with a hospital bed and one hundred and fifty opiate pain pills. I was told that I could reorder the opiates, all that I wanted. I was given a 12% chance to live another ninety days. I might have taken five of those opiates at the most. I did not want to become dependent on that stuff so I just sucked up the pain. The initial idea was to send me to a Veterans Home in Clarksville Tn., but COVID altered that plan. The next plan was to send me to a local nursing home. I begged to go home and the hospital staff relented and sent me home because of the rampant COVID situation in the nursing homes.

The Arizona memorial, Hawaii.

I was finally approved for the PCAFC program by the VHA at the minimum level 1 compensation rate. I immediately appealed for the maximum level two rate for which I knew that I was qualified for, but I was arboreally denied on a first and second appeal.

I asked the VHA to be recertified and that request was granted by the VHA but the result of the recertification was that I was to be continued at the minimum level 1 rate. I went through two more VHA appeals and was denied twice more. My evidence was overwhelming but the VHA would still not relent. No reason was ever given as the VHA is not required to give a reason or basis as to justify a decision.

Next I asked for a higher level review. That HLR was closed without a decision or explanation, just closed! As my last option I asked that the Board of Veterans Appeals (BVA) review the case. On June 22, 2022 the BVA granted my level 2 CPAFC benefits.

She looks so innocent in the picture!

The first six appeals were adjudicated by the Veteran’s Health Administration who are now known to have only granted access to the program to 12% of the applicants while denying 88%.

When my appeals were denied the VHA denied me, contrary to the laws and regulations as defined by Congress. The BVA is very adamant in following the laws and regulations thereby granting my claim for maximum benefits.

My question and dilemma is, If the CEAT teams who work for the VHA are so inept in their jobs, why does the VA still rely on and continue to pay those inept people to adjudicate PCAFC claims. On a side note, can you imagine the backlog of PCAFC claims that is being created at the Board?

Finally, the outcry has been so great as due to this kind of injustice by the VHA that it has caught the attention of the Senate Committee on Veterans Affairs. Keeping in mind that this injustice is being committed against our nation’s most severely wounded and service disabled veterans, Senator Tester made the remark that it was the most gut wrenching thing that he had seen in his fifteen year tenure.

Sp5 James M. Cripps

100% P&T disabled veteran to include SMC “O” and A&A at the R-2 rate



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Old Agent Orange tried again!

Posted on November 19, 2021 by jamescripps

I was prescribed the medication “Jardiance” in December 2019 by my VA doctor. I was told that the new medication would help my diabetes and service connected heart conditions. Soon after, I started having huge boils in the groin area and bleeding ulcers. I complained, first to Dermatology and then several trips to the ER. Each ER trip earned me a bottle of antibiotics with no explanation of a cause.

On the evening of July 3rd, 2020, I once again went to the ER. I remember reaching for the ER door handle and I woke up thirty days later. I had to have emergency surgery. The doctors told me that they had fifteen minutes to decide whether to operate or just make me comfortable and let me go.

The Jardiance medication side effects, along with my service connected Chloracne, caused Fournier’s Gangrene bacteria that literally ate me alive. I was not expected to survive the surgery and all of the skin graphs. I was given a 12% chance to make it another 90 days. It has been fifteen months now and I feel like I have finally gotten back to my new normal.

I did file a claim on the Fournier’s Gangrene and an increase on the Chloracne. I was granted the Fournier’s Gangrene and an increase to thirty % for Chloracne. I was also rated for seventeen service connected scars, some were rated as painful scars. At the same time, I was granted the “R”-2 Special Monthly Compensation rating.

As a result of the passage of the Mission Act, the caregiver’s program became available for us older Vietnam Era vets, so my wife qualified under the PCAFC program as my official caregiver and compensated for the role that she plays in my Activities of Daily Living.

I am looking forward to my 73rd birthday in January 2022. Life is good!

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Advanced to SMC R-2 rating

Posted on June 10, 2021 by jamescripps

On 07/03/2021 I traveled to the Veterans Hospital in Nashville Tennessee. My wife let me out at the emergency room door. In a great amount of pain, I reached for the door handle and woke up thirty days later.

I was informed that I had had Fournier’s Gangrene and had underwent emergency surgery. I had been reconstructed from above my knees to just above my navel. I had lost forty one pounds of flesh during the surgery. All of this was resultant of my agent orange exposure and secondary diabetes and chloracne.

On 02/01/2021 I filed a claim for the Fournier’s Gangrene and at the same time I filed for an increase from Special monthly compensation R-1 to SMC R-2. The claim was adjudicated within forty five days, from the day that I submitted it to the date of the decision.

I was granted a 20% rating for the Fournier’s Gangrene, thirty % for painful scars, an increase from 0% to 20% for the chloracne, and an increase from SMC R-1 to SMC R-2. At the same time I was rated for seventeen scars ranging from four inches long to over fifteen inches long. I did not file on the scars, but they were noticed by the C&P examiner and automatically entered on the claim to fulfill the VA’s duty to assist.

Compensation at the R-2 rate is $10,905.69 per month, but along with all of the pain and suffering, not to mention two years worth of recovery, I would sooner have my health back.

My wife has also been excepted into the VA caregiver program and is now compensated due to the passage of the Mission Act allowing for us older veterans to enter the program as of October 1st, 2021.

I still have an open CAVC case for an earlier effective date for the 2016 grant of R-1. I have already won a joint motion for remand and at the court. The case is now headed back to the BVA for a new decision. I expect to win a grant for a five year earlier effective date. It involves sixty months of back pay at over three thousand dollars per month. Of course, there will be a 20% deduction from the retro for legal fees.

Update, I did win the five year earlier effective date for the award of R-1.

James M. Cripps,

Veteran

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Charge Forward interview and podcast.

Posted on December 13, 2024 by jamescripps
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Enough is enough!

Posted on October 6, 2024 by jamescripps

Subject: Request for Immediate Action Regarding Cheatham County Veterans Service Office

To whom it may concern,

I am writing to formally request the resignation or dismissal of Mrs. Angela Hunt, Director of the Cheatham County Veterans Service Office (VSO), due to a series of concerning practices and behaviors that have negatively impacted veterans in our community.

As the National President of the United States Veterans Alliance (USVA), a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization that has been serving veterans and their families in Cheatham County since 2010, I have become increasingly aware of the serious issues surrounding the management and operations of the Cheatham County VSO under Mrs. Hunt’s leadership. These issues, detailed below, demonstrate a clear need for change to ensure that veterans receive the support and services they rightfully deserve.

1. Discouragement from Filing Claims: Numerous veterans have reported that they were discouraged from filing claims by the VSO, particularly those who are already rated 100% disabled. Mrs. Hunt reportedly informed veterans that no further claims would be filed unless the issue was life-threatening. This stance is not only legally unfounded but also denies veterans access to additional benefits they may be entitled to, such as Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) under Title 38, U.S. Code (USC) 1114, and Title 38, Code of Federal Regulations (CFR) 3.350.

2. Failure to Process Claims: It has been brought to my attention that claims submitted through the Cheatham County VSO were either not filed at all or were significantly delayed. This failure to act is a direct violation of the duty to assist veterans in their claims process and undermines the trust that veterans place in this office.

3. Hostile and Unprofessional Conduct: During a visit to the VSO, I experienced firsthand the unprofessional and hostile behavior of Mrs. Hunt. When questioned about the discouragement of filing claims, Mrs. Hunt responded with inappropriate language and aggression. Such conduct is unbecoming of a public servant and is far from the standard expected of a Veterans Service Officer.

4. Discrimination Against USVA Members: It has been reported that Mrs. Hunt and her staff have been instructed not to assist members of the USVA because our organization is not recognized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. This exclusionary policy is discriminatory and unjust, as it unfairly targets our members, virtually all of whom are 100% disabled veterans or higher benefit awards.

5. Political Interference: There are indications that the VSO’s operations are subject to political influence, which has led to biased and arbitrary decision-making. Veterans have been forced to seek assistance from neighboring counties to avoid these issues, which is unacceptable and contrary to the mission of the VSO.

Conclusion and Request for Action: Given the gravity of these issues, the United States Veterans Alliance, representing over 100 members, requests the immediate resignation or dismissal of Mrs. Angela Hunt from her position as Director of the Cheatham County Veterans Service Office. Furthermore, we ask that the remaining staff be reeducated, retrained, and tested to ensure they meet the standards required by their positions. We also request the implementation of a strict “hands-off” policy to prevent any further political interference in the operations of the VSO.

Failure to address these concerns may leave us with no choice but to pursue a formal investigation by the Tennessee Bureau of Investigation (TBI) into the unlawful and biased practices currently in place at the Cheatham County VSO.

We will follow up this request with a petition signed by the membership of the USVA, as well as concerned veterans from Cheatham County and beyond, who may require the services of this office in the future. Thank you for your attention to this urgent matter. We trust that you will take the necessary steps to rectify the situation and restore the integrity of the Cheatham County Veterans Service Office.

Sincerely,

James M. Cripps

National President, United States Veterans Alliance

Sp 5, U.S. Army 1967-1970

Personal Statement of James M. Cripps

My name is James M. Cripps, a Vietnam-era U.S. Army veteran with an R-2 combat-related disability rating. I currently serve as the National President of the United States Veterans Alliance (USVA), a veterans service organization dedicated to supporting veterans and their families.

At our USVA meetings in July and August 2024, numerous veterans approached me with serious complaints about the Cheatham County Veterans Service Office (VSO). As both a veteran and the National President of USVA, I felt obligated to investigate to ensure the integrity of the claims process for Cheatham County and other qualified veterans.

It has come to my attention that under the direction of Mrs. Angela Hunt, the Cheatham County VSO has been actively discouraging veterans from filing claims. Additionally, claims that were prepared at her office were either delayed or, in some cases, not submitted at all to the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA).

Following our August 2024 meeting, I personally visited Mrs. Hunt’s office to address these concerns. My primary question to Mrs. Hunt was simple: “Why are veterans being discouraged from filing additional claims?”

Mrs. Hunt informed me that her “bosses” had instructed her not to file any new claims for veterans who were already rated 100% disabled unless the issue was life-threatening. I then asked how, under such a policy, a 100% rated veteran would be able to access the twelve higher levels of Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) available under Title 38, U.S. Code, Section 1114, and Title 38, Code of Federal Regulations, Section 3.350.

I further questioned Mrs. Hunt about reports that veterans had been discouraged from filing for an increase due to the fear of their benefits being reduced. While I understand that any new claim opens a veteran’s record for review, this process cannot be used as a tool to threaten veterans with reductions, especially those who have held their ratings for five, ten, or more years without clear and unmistakable error.

During this conversation, Mrs. Hunt also disclosed that she and her accredited officers had been instructed not to assist myself or any other member of the USVA because our organization is not recognized by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. This discriminatory exclusion of USVA members is unjust, particularly given that nearly all USVA members are 100% disabled veterans or those with higher special monthly compensation benefit tiers. These benefits are critical as they include quality of life benefits such as adaptive housing grants and other awards that allow a disabled veteran to feel a more normal quality of life.

During our interaction, Mrs. Hunt’s behavior became hostile and unprofessional. She began shouting, using offensive language, and then was joined by another staff member, Mrs. Caulette, who appeared to support her outburst. At one point, Mrs. Hunt used inappropriate language including the F-word, and at that point I responded by stating that her language had become offensive. She then asked me to leave the office, which I did.

The expected conduct of a Veterans Service Officer (VSO) is clearly outlined by the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. Mrs. Hunt’s actions, language, and overall demeanor fall far short of these expectations. Her arbitrary and biased policies directly violate Title 38 of the U.S. Code and are unsupported by law or regulation.

The USVA is composed entirely of veterans who are rated 100% P&T or higher, and it is evident that we have been unfairly targeted by Mrs. Hunt’s office policies. As an example, our organization has been deliberately excluded from events such as the Veterans Coffee event on October 15th at the McCullough Community Room and a photo opportunity at the Veterans Park.

I believe that political interference is at play in the Cheatham County Veterans Service Office. Despite having three taxpayer-funded, accredited service officers, Cheatham County veterans are being forced to seek assistance outside the county to avoid the biased and arbitrary policies imposed by Mrs. Hunt’s office. This is unacceptable and a disservice to veterans, spouses, dependents, widows, and caregivers who rely on the proper handling of their earned federal disability benefits.James M. Cripps
National President, United States Veterans Alliance
Sp 5, U.S. Army 1967–1970

All of this is backed up with not less than eight individual veterans statements as to how they were not treated fairly by the Cheatham County Veterans Service Office and Mrs. Angela Hunt.

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NORTH TO ALASKA! “But we came up two feet short”!

Posted on September 26, 2024 by jamescripps

NORTH TO ALASKA!

I am a Vietnam era veteran. I joined the military in July, 1967. I performed various jobs in the military, primarily I served as a 95B20, “Military Policeman”. My added skill identifier designated me as a military “Game Warden”. While working as a Game Warden at Fort Gordon, Georgia, I became involved in the testing phase of the most toxic chemical known to man, “Agent Orange”! There was no delay in the deadly chemicals attacking me. Right away, I contracted the disease of chloracne, and began to get neuropathy, therefore loosing the feeling in my feet and hands. Little did I know at that time, that the most deadly chemical known to man, agent orange, was going to set the course of the rest of my life.

In 1997,I had a heart attack on my 48th birthday, with bypass surgery and three stents required. In 1999, I got an implanted heart device. I had a heart ablation, and I was diagnosed with diabetes. Around the year 2000, I was diagnosed with kidney failure. In 2020 I came down with Fournier’s gangrene, a terrible condition that few have managed to survive. I was given a four percent chance to make it through the operation, and twelve percent chance to make it another ninety days. All due to the Agent Orange exposure and secondary chloracne disease.

In 2009, I won the very first claim for Agent Orange exposure at a military instillation inside the Continental United States, and I was granted by the VA, a one hundred percent permanent and total disability rating. In 2011, the VA granted me another one hundred percent disability rating for loss of use of two feet, Then again, another one hundred percent disability was granted for loss of use of two hands in 2016. That grant had an effective date of back to 2011. Somewhere in time along there, I was granted a one hundred percent disability for kidney failure. We won’t get into the many lesser grants such as diabetes, neuropathy, severe anxiety and depression, and so on.

My wife, Sandra, and I were high school sweethearts, and we married on 9/11/1967, while I was still in basic training. Sandra has been designated as my official VA PCAFC Caregiver, and she gets paid monthly by the VA for taking care of me.

Sometime in June, 2024, I began to think about our upcoming 57th wedding anniversary. It seemed that an Alaskan cruise was in order. I contacted my travel agent and had it all arranged. It seemed like a really good idea at the time, as I would have my caregiver by my side the entire trip, to help with my activities of daily living and dispense my medications. I might even get a few feathers in my cap for not forgetting our anniversary this year!

In July, I went a few days without wearing my leg braces. That was a mistake! The scuffing of my foot against the bottoms of my shoes put blisters on the bottoms of my feet. Having no feeling in the feet, and not being able to see the bottoms of my feet, I wasn’t aware of the destruction that was going on inside my shoes until it was too late, and I ended up with a foot ulcer on each foot.

When I realized the damage to my feet, I reported to the VA emergency room in Nashville, Tennessee. Podiatry followed up, and I was placed in the wound care clinic. There they drained, medicated, and bandaged my wounds. Again, I began to think of the upcoming cruise. At this late date, it was too late to cancel the trip. On Facebook marketplace, I had seen a small fold up scooter for sale. That dandy little red scooter seemed to be my ticket, and would save the day, so I purchased it. It was just right to take on the airplane, and would also be allowed on the ship.

I had previously told my VA podiatrist about the upcoming cruise. He was skeptical. I had an appointment with Podiatry on the day before we were to depart, on the 28th of August. I informed my doctor about the recent purchase of the scooter. He said that the trip was still “doable”, and he agreed to give Sandra enough medication and bandages to see us through the the ten day cruise. There was a final stipulation and warning;, “Stay off of your feet as much as you can”!

On August 28, 2024, Sandra, and I headed out to the Nashville, Tennessee airport. Sandra also happens to be my VA appointed PCAFC level two caregiver. We were headed out to Seattle, Washington to take a ten day Alaskan Cruise aboard the “Norwegian Sun” Cruise ship, to celebrate our 57th wedding anniversary, which just happens to be on 9/11.

We arrived at BNA, in Nashville at 5:00 AM, in plenty of time to get checked in, get through security, and board our Alaska Airlines flight with a 7:00 am departure. They were supposed to have wheelchairs waiting for us at the street curb, but guess what? No wheelchairs in sight! So we walked, pushing the two large fifty pound checked bags while carrying the other two carry on bags, which weighed about twenty pounds, and a back pack, adding another ten to twelve pounds. The thought went through my head and I was once again reminded of what the Doctor said, “Stay off of those feet as much as you can”! I understood the painful warning, loud and clear.

There were ten people in our party making the cruise. Our entire party was made up of Veterans and spouses from our veterans’ organization, the United States Veterans Alliance (USVA). One other couple, the Smiths, were also celebrating their 54th anniversary.

The line was quite long at the Alaska Airlines check in counter. We were glad to hear the words, with a nod in our direction,“NEXT! The attendant checked our luggage, and told me that I needed to remove the battery from my new scooter. I protested to no avail. Airline policy did not require the battery to be removed, but there was no time for further argument. I complied. I got down in the floor, removed the battery and placed it in the carry on bag, as instructed.

They asked for our passport and drivers license, then motioned for us to start through the long security line. We worked our way up the line to the security guard. I wear leg braces from the bottoms of my feet to just below the knee. You would have thought that I had an atom bomb tucked in those braces. I also have an implanted  defibrillator, and my chest bone has been wired together with titanium wire, due to heart surgery in 1997. My body was reconstructed from my knees to just above my navel in 2020. I have no idea what kind of metal was used there, but a metal detecting wand really sounds off when it comes in contact with the metal, and it doesn’t like it at all. So it is an automatic routine, ”go sit in that chair”, “Get that cap off”. “Yep the belt too”. It is a fifteen minute detour. Also, airplanes don’t wait on disabled people!

When we finally got to the front of the security line, I was cleared. Sandra, on the other hand, was flagged. The security guard said, “Something is wrong with her paperwork, and we can’t fix it here. You need to take this piece of paper and go back to ticketing.” I protested, “but we are going to miss our flight”. They didn’t seem to care.

We ran back to ticketing. There, they were trying to load two huge dogs into transport cages, and those bad boys had made up their minds, they were NOT going to have any of it. Finally, the second dog was crated and once again we got the nod and heard the word, ”NEXT”!

There was a different attendant working the ticketing counter this time around. He tried to blame the mix up on us. He said, “Why did you show us a passport in addition to a drivers license”.  I answered “because the ship requires a passport, and besides, you cleared me, and I too produced a passport and a drivers license”. Then he volunteered the fact that it was his, and the first attendant’s first day on the job. Then he directed us to go back through security. Once again, we ran toward the long security line, where finally, after the second, “time out”, in the chair, we made it through security.

Our gate was the farthest gate from the security area, we grabbed the carry on bags and the back pack and began to run. When we arrived at our departure gate, there was no airplane. The attendant said that we had missed the plane by twelve minutes. Realization set in and I realized, on that run to the departure gate, I hurt my sore feet, twice.  We rested in the chairs for a while before beginning the long journey back to the ticketing counter. We were beginning to really enjoy that 57th anniversary!

Returning to the ticketing counter, I told the agent exactly what had happened. Offering no apology, he told us that 0900 in the morning would be our next available flight out to Seattle. I replied that that 0900 flight would not work for us at all, because our cruise ship was to begin boarding at 0800 in the morning. I protested and demanded to talk to supervisor. The supervisor was summoned, but he too became very defensive.

After some time spent arguing back and forth, the guy finally saw the urgency in our getting to Seattle. He looked at the flight schedule and discovered that there was another non stop to Seattle that same morning, taking off two hours behind our previously missed flight. He said that there was only one available seat on that flight, but he would call the gate to see if all of the passengers had checked in. There was a chance, two passengers had not yet checked in, and they only had seven minutes to do so.

We sat down for what seemed to be an eternity. The guy finally came over and said that check-in time was up. The only catch being that he had to wait fifteen more minutes before he could actually reissue the now vacant seats. He said that it would be the longest fifteen minutes of his life.

Again, we sat and waited, but at least there was a glimmer of hope. My mind went back to my throbbing feet, and again I heard the words, “keep off of those feet as much as you can”!  There was no turning back now. I just pushed it to the back of my mind.

His voice rang out like a bugle, “the fifteen grace period is over, now I can print your boarding passes. We now need to hurry. That plane leaves the gate in eight minutes.” With that, he printed our boarding passes and called for two wheelchairs. He said to them, “I  am going to close my station and go hold that plane”. Before leaving, he adamantly instructed the pushers to rush us through security. Those guys knew how to break line and elbow their way to the front of the security line. There was no way to avoid the metal detector again, and the sit down fiasco in the chair.

Putting ourselves back together and retrieving our personal items from the security trays after going through security seemed to take forever. Then, with wind blowing in our faces, those two workers ran with the wheelchairs. It was a long way to gate twelve!  When we arrived at the gate, our boarding passes were checked and we were the last two to be wheeled down the ramp and into the plane. We found our seats, sat down, and the aircraft door shut. We both gave a sigh of relief, we were at last headed to Seattle! I heard the landing retract, and realized that we were airborne on the five hour flight to Seattle. Oh boy, did my feet hurt!

It was a good flight, and with a bump, the landing gear touched down five hours later in the bustling city of Seattle, Washington. We were running about two hours behind our group, who narrowly made the first flight out of Nashville.

My scooter was sitting at the aircraft door awaiting me, but I had to get down in the floor in order to replace and secure the battery, and they did have a wheelchair for Sandra. Our luggage had made it to Seattle on the first flight and had not been picked up off of the conveyor belt, so they put it in unclaimed luggage. After awhile they did find all of it and our wheelchair pushers got it to the sidewalk pick up point for the Aloft Airport Hotel shuttle van pick up, as prearranged with a phone call to the hotel upon landing. The rest of our party only got to their rooms about thirty minutes before us because of a long wait on the hotel shuttle van. We arrived at the hotel, where once again, we were all together as a group. All is well that ends well, but man, my feet hurt!

We were all exhausted by the time we got to the hotel. I think a rest and a nap was needed and taken by all. On the morning of the 29th of August we loaded up in a van for the forty five minute trip to the cruise terminal. That trip set us back three hundred dollars. The trip to the ship was uneventful. We unloaded the van and checked our luggage with the dockside porters.I once again reunited with my scooter. The ramp up to the ship was steep, but after getting my little red scooter hung up on the ramp joints a few times, I made it on to the ship. From there it was routine, Pictures, check in and so on.

So, we boarded the ship, our rooms were not ready yet, so we decided to go eat. We met up with the Smiths at the buffet and sat there for a while until the announcement was made that our rooms were ready.  Once the rooms were ready, we proceeded to the 8th deck and entered our rooms where we found our luggage waiting on us. I laid down and rested for a short while because I really didn’t feel good.

At the dinner table I ordered, but I didn’t really feel like eating, and I really just wanted to go back to the stateroom and lay down. I don’t think I was very good company at the dinner table and I didn’t have a whole lot to say.  Sandra and I excused ourselves after a short while, and went back to the state room. I laid down on the bed. I got my feet in a comfortable position and I didn’t really want to move. My thinking at the time was, I thought that I must be awfully tired and exhausted and just needed some rest and catching up, then I would be just fine.

So we boarded the ship, our rooms were not ready yet so we decided to go eat. We met up with the Smiths at the buffet and sat there for a while until the announcement was made that our rooms were ready.  Once the rooms were ready, we proceeded to the 8th deck and entered our rooms where we found our luggage waiting on us. I laid down and rested for a short while because I really didn’t feel good.

At the dinner table I ordered but, I didn’t really feel like eating and I really just wanted to go back to the stateroom and lay down. I don’t think I was very good company at the dinner table and I didn’t have a whole lot to say.  Sandra and I excused ourselves and went back to the state room. I laid down on the bed, got my feet in a comfortable position and didn’t really want to move. My thinking at the time was that I thought that I must be awfully tired and exhausted.

On the third morning of the cruise we got up early, We were in Juneau Alaska, We had bought a  Shore Excursion train ride. We had to be at theTrain station at 8:00 in the morning. It was drizzling rain and my scooter really worked out well. We rode off the ship down towards the end of the dock where the train awaited us. It was drizzling rain, but they had a place that we could back in under with our scooters to keep from getting soaked. I was about to freeze, and had no Source of heat that I could use to warm up, actually I had gotten the chills. After about a 30 minute wait under the shed they called, “All aboard” and we boarded the train Don, Smith, John, and I were lifted, scooter and all and placed on the train by the train’s handicap lift. With a bump the train started the steep climb up the mountain side. The track was a narrow gauge track, having been built back in the Gold rush days. That being said, the train was swaying back and forth wildly. I couldn’t believe the pressure that the swaying was putting on my feet. It was nagging and never ending. There was no getting away from it, and no relief, because the entire train was rocking back and forth. So up the mountain we went, as the tour guide was constantly narrating as we passed many scenic areas of Interest. I couldn’t pay attention to what was being said, because my feet were throbbing and hurt so bad. It was never ending. Just back and forth, back and forth back and forth. After 2 hours, at the top of the mountain, the train did a Switchback turn around, and we started our descent back down the mountain for another two hour ride.

 Our scooters were unloaded at the train station. The rain had become a fine mist, but it seemed very cold to me. The scooter tide to the dock was about a quarter mile treck. Don, John, and I rode the scooters, while Sandra, Wanda, and Marlis walked. The pavement on the dock was wet and slick. The gang plank was very steep. Crew members had to actually lend a hand, and push the scooters back up the steep ramp. I realized that I was sick. My feet were throbbing, and I just wanted to get to my stateroom, lay down, rest my feet, cover up, and get warmed up.

I don’t think Sandra and I went up to the 11th floor to eat that afternoon we just launched in the bunk I stayed covered up I had her wrap my feet I got comfortable and I didn’t dare move I don’t know how many hours I slept but it was a long while we decided to skip the dinner, II do seem to remember attending a comedy show but shortly after I return to my state room hit the sack covered up my feet and went back to sleep for a prolonged period of time because that was the only way I could get comfortable and relatively painful free.

The next day we didn’t eat a whole lot. I think we ate the buffet and we had  skipped breakfast altogether. That evening we got a call from Don and Wanda, they asked us to attend  dinner with them in the main dining room. I didn’t order much. I didn’t want or need any of it. The only thing I can remember eating was the strawberry ice cream. I didn’t make good conversation. I didn’t feel good. My feet were pounding. My scooter was moved some distance away by the ship’s dining personnel,so I had to walk quite a ways in order to retrieve it when I got ready to head back to the room. By that time Don and Wanda had realized that something was really not right with me. They said I didn’t say anything, and I had an ashen  color that was really pale. They knew that I was sicker than I was letting on. Sandra and I left the dinner table early. Don and Wanda, knowing that I was very sick, went looking for the ship’s doctor. In truth I was so sick that I didn’t know how sick I actually was. I had done all that I could do, and I had no plan except to stay in bed in the stateroom, and keep the reet covered up and warm.

Don And Wanda did find the ship’s doctor, and  the infirmary that evening. However they were informed that the infirmary was closed and would not open again until the next morning at that point they called Sandra. After some discussion I did agree to go to the infirmary and see the doctor the next morning, however when the time came, I couldn’t get out of the bed. I tried to no avail Sandra called the Infirmary and told them they would have to send someone up and get me because I couldn’t get out of bed. They told her that they would be there to get me in ten minutes with a wheelchair.

They were very prompt, and on time. They managed to push the wheelchair to the elevators and into the Infirmary. I was very surprised to find that they had not only a doctor but a very extensive medical staff, many beds, and a lot of the equipment that you would expect to find in a land base hospital emergency room. Everyone was very clean and neat. Everyone seemed professional and knew their job. They drew blood, they took my temperature, they took my blood pressure, they weighed me and they put me into a hospital bed. They announced that I had a 102.2 temperature and they expected to find an infection somewhere. An IV drip was started in order to bring down the high temperature first thing. Blood samples were drawn and sent to their onboard lab. Before long it was determined by the blood sample lab results, that there was indeed a bad infection somewhere. When the doctor asked about my bandaged feet, and un bandaged those bleeding feet, there was no more mystery about the location of the infection. The feet were very angry looking with red streaks running from the toes up the ankles, and the feet were awful warm to the touch.

The IV drip did manage to knock out the fever Fairly quickly. Next, the Doctor started an IV drip of antibiotics. Due to my previously diagnosed kidney failure, they could only give me the antibiotics slowly, and for only one hour at a time, every six hours I would take another round of antibiotics intravenously, then they would wheelchair me back to my stateroom for another period of five hours hours. I Could only spend that five hour period curled up in the bed with my feet covered, I did not dare move because of the pain. There were four of these intravenous drip antibiotic sessions in total. Twenty four hours of treatment in all. The Doctor had to proceed at a slow pace because of my previously diagnosed kidney failure. The only other possible intervention at their disposal was to keep my feet wrapped and try to control the profuse bleeding.

I had lost all track of day and night, and of the days themselves, but on the day after the antibiotic treatments had begun, and were finally completed, the ship’s Doctor came to me and said that they had done all that they were capable of doing for me, given their limited abilities. He suggested and even insisted that I get off at the next port of call which would be Sidka Alaska. The Doctor said that he could have an ambulance waiting for me on the dock for transport to the Sitka Land-Based Regional Hospital. I had little choice but to agree, as the doctor told me that I stood a real good chance of losing one foot and possibly both feet if I didn’t get proper treatment. The Doctor was pretty adamant and told me that my condition had become life threatening. He left little room for discussion.

Sandra had been instructed to pack up all of our belongings. Our luggage would be picked up by the Port Authority and held for us until a disposition had been made as to where Sandra was going to stay One last time they came and loaded me up in a wheelchair. They wheeled me down the ships long always to the exit ramp. We disembarked on to the Sitka Alaska dock. Indeed there was an ambulance sitting there, lights flashing, waiting for me. They lifted me from the wheelchair and transferred me to a gurney, then I was loaded into the back Of the ambulance and Sandra was instructed sit up front. When the doors closed, we began the trip to the land-based hospital.

Upon Arriving underneath the canopy of the Sitca Alaska Regional Hospital My gurney was unloaded by the ambulance personnel. I was Wheeled to the glass double door entrance leading into the hospital. I was being pulled backwards so I could see what was behind. There was a gentleman in a suit going out the exit door as we were coming in the entrance Door. We passed each other. All of a sudden the stranger stopped and turned around. He then motioned to the ambulance personnel to hold up and he walked over to the foot of my gurney and began to unwrap my feet. He then, in a confident voice, said, ”I smell gangrene”!

After fully removing the bandages, he announced that he was a Podiatrist, who only worked in that hospital two days a month. He said, “I should not even be here today, I am on my way to catch a flight out of here and go to another location, but I can’t leave with your feet in that condition if you are allowed to get on another airplane and put that kind of infection under pressure you won’t live to see the doors open. I will cancel my flight and do what needs to be done for you here.

I was then wheeled into a room where they drew some blood, and performed many tests. The general feeling was of urgency and everybody seemed to be in a hurry. After a short amount of time the podiatrist, whom I had met at the entrance, came into my room and told me that they were going to have to do some amount of amputation on both of my feet in order to get rid of the gangrene. His question to me was, “how much have you had to eat today”? I answered, “only three or four Cheetos out of that bag over there in the last few days. He said, “that is too much”!

Another doctor entered my room and also asked when I had eaten last He also said that my three or four Cheetos were too much, considering that they needed to use anesthesia. The podiatrist scraped my feet with a blunt instrument, and he got no reaction from me. He concluded that both feet had no feeling left in them. Then he said that they could perform the operation without anesthesia. He then said, “I have but one question for you, “do you want to be asleep or do you want to be awake”? My answer was that I would rather sleep through it. He said, “we will take a chance on the anesthesia, considering the small amount that you have had to eat, but we must get this show on the road”, “we only have minutes”, “not hours”. AT that time the anesthesiologist told me that he would have me asleep within three minutes. A needle was introduced into my forearm, and I was off to la la land in seconds!

When I awoke from the operation, I discovered that the great toe on my right foot had been amputated. Also a slice of my foot from the base of the great toe, extending toward the heel was also missing. The Doctor said that he had started the operation, but he could not finish it. He advised that I fly back to the VA hospital in Nashville for further treatment. He also told me that the left foot needed partial amputation, and he would have taken care of that at the same time, but he didn’t want to start two fires at the same time.

The Podiatrist was sitting at the foot of my bed when I awoke from the anesthesia. He had already researched Alaska Airlines flight schedules, and he had chosen the connecting flights that would get me to the Nashville VA hospital in nine hours and twenty minutes. He recommended that I schedule those flights because he had left a flap that could be used and seen in place offer the open wound on my right foot, but it was expected to only have a useful life of about ten hours. We scheduled the flights and he said that he would be back early in the morning to re wrap my feet.

Early the next morning my feet were re wrapped but the bleeding could not be stopped. I was taken down to see a general surgeon who spent more than an hour cauterizing and wrapping my right foot. We all knew that my flight time was fast approaching. I did not want to miss that flight, and we were already packed up and ready to go, but the doctors said that the airline security would never let me board the aircraft with the foot bleeding like that. Finally the surgeon said that he had done all that he could do, but he suspected that that foot was going to get awful mushy because of the bleeding.

Before the Alaska cruise, I had purchased a small scooter. It was airline approved and I also was able to use it aboard ship. The Sitka hospital called a shuttle service to take us to the airport from the hospital. When we arrived at the airport I rode my scooter to the ticket counter because I could not walk. The ticket agent informed us that we could not board the aircraft because I had a scooter, and that they should have already checked the scooter in as baggage. Apparently there was a cut off time for checking scooters as checked baggage. The agent said that I was not going to be allowed to board the aircraft.

I told the agent that the scooter did not have to board with us, that it could fly on a later flight. She said, “no, we can’t do that”. Next I said that I would leave the scooter behind and donate it to the hospital. She said, “no,” you can’t do that either”. I said, “Mam, if I miss this flight, I am going to lose my foot”!

At that point I think she saw blood coming from my shoe. Abruptly, she said, get the battery off of that scooter, I will get you a wheelchair and go hold the airplane. Her last minute gesture probably saved my foot. With a feeling of relief, we were allowed to board the aircraft.

Watch for future periodic additions to this true story. As I get time to work on it, I will also proof read and edit the above draft.

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HENRY

Posted on September 24, 2024 by jamescripps

Friday, October 23, 2009

To the Staff Writer with the Ashland City Times who asked me the agent orange related questions.

In answer to your first question, the address of the meeting place is correct, we are right next to the fire hall. 

In answer to your second question, “ how to file a claim for an entitlement, compensation and /or medical benefits?” Simple! The veteran merely travels down the street to the local Cheatham County Veterans Service Office, and signs up.  

But hold on, I seem to have forgotten! Cheatham County is one of the two or three Tennessee counties that has no County Veterans Service Officer (CVSO). We cannot afford one. Oh my! Now we are talking about an entirely different process!

Now lets redirect this veteran.

The veteran travels to downtown Nashville with an early start, that’s no trick for a disabled veteran, we are tough. Parking? No problem. At the intersection of Ninth and Broad, there are about twelve parking meters on the West side of the Federal Courthouse building. The third floor of the courthouse is the home office of the Tennessee Department Of Veterans Affairs and that office is the veterans final destination.  If he continues to circle the block, for about an hour or so, he probably will find out that he barely missed an open metered parking spot, as many other disabled veterans are circling the block for the same reason.

Beware, there is a loading zone nestled between the metered parking slots, income generated from parking violations there probably are sufficient to cover the courthouse electric bill each month. Numerous veterans have fallen for that trap before our veteran came along and made the meter maid’s daily quota. The vet’s next best parking option is the lot at the Frist Center if he has a minimum of five bucks in his pocket. That is not an option for our veteran as he just spent his last dollar at Walmart, our man had to pour that last buck in the empty gas tank, in order to make his journey. Now you tell me, where is the average disabled veteran going to get five bucks, especially considering that day being so close to the end of the month?

The next tried and proven option is to ease on down towards first avenue, and look along the way for a vacant parking meter, somewhere, anywhere. With his disabled veterans tag he won’t have to pay the meter, if he indeed manages to find one vacant. No such luck and low on fuel.

Now what? No choice. Go ahead and park in one of the paid lots somewhere between 4th and 2nd avenue. Look between the seats, then remove the back seat. Somewhere, there has to be lost coins, the ammunition needed to feed the numbered slot. Found it! Now replace the rear seat so you can get to your oxygen bottle, you might want to take two, its all up hill from here. You had better hurry along soldier! A few quarters are not going to keep that tow truck pinned down for very long. 

Remember, you are disabled, or you wouldn’t be trying to charge up hill in the first place. Don’t mind the rain, you’ll be soaked by the time you defeat that hill, no matter what the weather does. A little extra therapy on that prosthetic leg of yours can’t hurt you either, just take it all in stride.

Also, don’t forget to stop at the east side of the building, drop to your knees, reach through the wrought iron fence and plant that pocket knife in the leaves below the bushes, it is not allowed inside. Now take five. Study that West side revolving door, it favors an ambush. Here is where you’ll get some the extra therapy. That peg leg of yours will come in handy. Be glad that you took a rest. Plan your strategy. Now, prepare to charge, advance on that door at quick step. Stay alert, and take advantage of the situation. Let that point man go through that revolving door first ahead of you.  Protect your right flank, defend your rear and anticipate the ambush of that second door advancing from behind. Remember your training, I’ve got your six.

Remove everything from your pockets, right now! Put those pocket items in the tray, yep, those medications too. Explain to the Federal Marshal that you really have nothing in that back pocket. That detector went off because of the shrapnel that you carry in your buttocks. While you are at it, go ahead and try to explain that if you take the belt off, your pants will fall down, because you no longer have a left hip, or should it be, a hip left? Whatever, the pants will still end up on the ground in either case.

Next, they will try to tell you that it will be ok to walk between the metal detectors because they are pacemaker / defibrilator safe. You are not going buy that one again are you? Demand the alternative and assume the position, prepare yourself for the forthcoming total body search. When they detect the implanted defibrillator in my chest. I feel so violated, and I am embarrassed by the publicly executed total body search, and the pat down.  I understand how you feel as you stand there allowing your pacemaker to be reprogrammed by the hand held wand. Just do it! It just means another trip to the VA hospital next week to have them reset your micro switches.

Your next obstacle, sign in on the visitor list, if those numb fingers will allow it. Did I just hear the security guard say to you, “don’t bother to sign in, they all just left the building for the day. We don’t see veterans after 12:00 hours on Fridays come back next week.” “Oh, by the way sir, I must have disturbed your colostomy bag, you have a stain on your clothes there.”

Don’t say anything man, just focus on the next mission. Retreat! Negotiate that revolving door again and don’t give it another thought, “It don’t mean nothing,” and the homeless person who got your pocket knife, he probably needed it more than you do anyway.  As our hero suspiciously descends the hill his eye brow twitches and a tear whales up in his eye. Only for a second will he allow his subconscious thoughts to roam as he revisits this exact spot on the sidewalk where, in 1969, a young lady called,“America”, spat on his uniform and called him a baby killer. Return to us now, old soldier, look at the bright side, the sun is at your back now, and it’s all downhill from here.

Don’t fret as you gaze between the yellow stripes at the spot in the parking lot where you left the truck, you knew that you didn’t have the gas to get back home when you parked it there.  His keen ears now hear the roar of the plane as it glides on its landing path, and reflexes give him cause to bolt. At ease brother! That is no C-123 and there is no Agent Orange spewing from its wings. That happened to you a long time ago. Stand down man! 

It’s late now and the warm air that is drifting up from the gutter vents beckon Henry to sit there a while and warm up. I think I’ll stay here a little while.  With those thoughts being his final thought and the turn of an oxygen valve, an old soldier retires. Why couldn’t we afford a County Service Offi._–-_–_———————————————?

In answer to your third question, 

As for tomorrow old man, just sleep in, you’ll be awarded your marker, there is no need for you to apply, I am honored to handle that detail for you brother. I also understand that freedom isn’t free, and that somebody paid! My pledge to you today is to work feverishly with our Cheatham County officials, so as to ensure that the now vacant position of Cheatham County Service Officer is filled. In the interim, everyone else can contact me for further information on how to file for those military benefits and entitlements that you so well deserved. Thank you for your service and welcome home Henry.

James M. Cripps

SP-5 US Army 1967-1970

(615) 952 3213

Henry’s story, however true, was conjured from a mixture of my own experiences, and those of my fellow veterans, and Henry’s. I reserve all rights, whether expressed or implied and dedicate this story to my life long friend, Henry. 1932 – 2008  

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My Exact exposure details.

Posted on September 23, 2024 by jamescripps

Working under the guise of a federal fish and wildlife officer, (Game Warden), I worked in the rear areas of Fort Gordon many miles out from the main post. I mostly worked alone and had no friends. Headquarters company, to which I was assigned to couldn’t even contact me, and I was never required to report in. They, the “Chemical Core, came to Fort Gordon from Fort Detrick Maryland and brought fifty three different herbicides with them. Fish and Wildlife, (myself) in association with the Forestry and Engineering Division were ordered to assist Fort Detrick personnel in any way or capacity,as required.

The Bell G-2 helicopter was leased from a firm in Arkansas. The pilot’s name was Louis, we called him, “Saint Louis”. The chopper was fitted with two twenty six foot booms, each boom had six nozzles. At the end phase of testing, each nozzle was set on 3. We were making fifty foot swaths. We were looking for the optimum mixture of herbicide to diesel fuel. In the case of agent Orange, a broad leaf herbicide used to kill jungle, the optimum mixture turned out to be the ratio of 3 to 1. Agents blue and white killed crops, because Charlie had no supply lines, and lived off of the land. The final mixture of agents blue and white was a fifty to 1 mixture of concentrate to water.

We tested each of the tactical rainbow herbicides in the same way, fifty three in all, we also added Piclorium into the mixture. Piclorium is a systemic herbicide that is persistent and prolongs the drying time so the herbicide has time to drip from the canopy and soak the soil. We worked in our shirt sleeves.

The rainbow herbicides were shipped in fifty five gallon drums with corresponding 3 inch stripes, corresponding to the type of chemical agent inside. Example, orange stripe denoted agent orange. pink stripe, denoted agent pink. white stripe, denoted agent white, and so on. When the testing phase was completed Fort Detrick personnel did not take any of the open or partially used drums back with them.

I was low man on the totem pole and therefore was assigned the duty to make the leftover herbicides disappear. Having witnessed the efficiency of the product, I was glad to cart it all off to my chain of Controlled Lakes for use there. I would have no more overgrown trails, no more vines climbing fences, and no more moss no the water surface in my area of responsibility. I was actually awarded for keeping the Controlled Lakes and grounds area so neat and manicured.

I was assigned two detail men every day to assist me. They were students attending the Signal School. Every day they were two different men. I dropped one off at my office to answer the phone and to check deer, and other hunters in and out. The second man was dropped off at the gates of the Controlled Lakes. His job was to count, weigh, and record fish catches. It was my responsibility to travel to Fort Gordon’s main post every day in order for me to have lunch and to pick up and deliver lunch to my detail men.

It was left up to me to figure out how to get lunch to my detail men every day. I had previously had caught a Mess Sergeant, illegally night fishing in my Controlled Lakes.  I paid that E 6 Mess Sergeant visit and made him a deal. I agreed to trade him a key to the Controlled Lakes, for two “to go lunches”, seven days a week, and one,”eat in lunch”, for myself. When I walked into that mess hall every day, with my Ike jacket on, 45 pistol strapped on my hip and a shiny Game Warden badge on my right chest, those trainees thought that I was the Almighty himself.

I was assigned a M-1 5-1 A-1 military Jeep with the wording under the windshield, “Game Warden”. I was also assigned a new Ford Bronco with the same Military Police, Game Warden marking along the sides. My half full, leaking, four gallon sprayer was always in the back of which ever vehicle I decided to drive. I carried the,”to go”,lunches in a mess Hall fiberglass eating tray, with a second tray turned upside down on top. Those trays slipped and slid back and forth back there, exposing the food inside all along the way on the trip along the several mile journey. The bottoms of the trays were always wet from my leaking sprayer. There was no reason for concern, it was just a harmless herbicide! No big deal!

The fish cleaning stations at the lake entrance always attracted bugs and flying insects from the nearby swamps, and so did the deer cleaning area at my Fish and Wildlife office. I always did the guys a favor and sprayed their area when I dropped them off to preform their duty, and once again before they ate their lunch. the men were always appreciative, and would never fail to thank me for taking care of them. I even gave then fly sprayers to use during the day, in case the bugs got too bad. The pesticide of choice, of course was agent orange undiluted and straight from the drum. 

The waters of the Controlled lakes area spill from lake to lake through connective spillways, and finally drain into the Headstall and Brier Creek watersheds. From there the water meanders along the creeks and through several suburban areas. Finally, the waters flow into the Savanna River, and continue on to the Aiken, South Carolina water supply. The final destination is the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic ocean’

So, you can be assured, and my answer is yes, I have no doubt that I did make a difference! 

My work with the Tactical herbicide testing was classified as,”top secret”, for more than forty years. In September, 2003, Secretary of Defense Donald Henry Rumsfeld was ordered by Congressman Lane Evans of California, an attorney, and a Democratic member of the House of Representatives, demanded to know where, outside Vietnam, tactical herbicides had been stored or used. Eighty five military post and bases in the USA and other places were listed on the resultant, incomplete list furnished by Secretary Rumsfeld. Fort Gordon was divulged, and was listed as the second location on the list.

 I filed my claim for my disabilities as due to agent orange exposure in November 2005. After several denials and appeals my case was heard at the Board of Veterans appeals before a Veteran’s law Judge. On November 9th, 2009. I won the very first claim ever, for Agent Orange exposure at a military post or base inside the Continental United States!

 I was awarded for Heart disease, Chloracne, Diabetes, neuropathy of the upper and lower extremities, a fungal foot disorder, and ED.  My final rating was 100% with an award of SMC “S” and one K. Back pay was paid with retro back November 2nd, 2009.

I appealed the neuropathy several times, and eventually I was awarded SMC “R-1” in 2016, for loss of use of two feet.  In 2020 I was granted  “R-2”. I appealed the effective date of the “R-1” and went up to the Court of Veterans Appeals, (CAVC). At the Court, I won an additional five years of retro pay for the “R-1”, ten years back pay in all.

In September 2024 I had foot amputations. I am already at the max rate of “R-2”, so no more claim is possible. I am done, you can stick a fork in me!

My final rating remains at “R-2”.

End of story except a burial flag.

How many years did it take? The answer is nineteen years, and untold hours. 

A whole lot of pain, despair and agony on me, deep dark depression and a little PTSD! Was it worth it? YES it was!

James M. Cripps,

SP-5 US Army, 1967-1970

EPITHET

The Veterans law judge at the Board of Veterans Appeals got a little constipation in his jaw after I presented my story and substantiating evidence. When I got close to winning, the VA kicked me out of the medical care system and cut off my medications. The Department of Veterans Affairs garnished my SSDI check and called for an Atlanta audit of my finances. I couldn’t even afford to replace my shoe string when I broke one. We had to cancel our home owners and park our vehicles, for lack of insurance and money to buy tags. Somebody gave me a GEO Metro that got 50 miles to the gallon and only needed a clutch. I replaced the clutch, put liability insurance on it, and drove it.

When I won my claim, my Veterans Service Officer was fired. The Regional Office Service Center Manager also lost his job. I had to go see the VA psychiatrist to get back in the medical system so they could find out, what exactly, made me tick. I was asked by the VA how I managed to win such an extraordinary claim. My answer was, “because you slept, and I didn’t!

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Just the way that it is!

Posted on September 18, 2024 by jamescripps

There were 58,220 fatal American casualties during the Vietnam war, according to the Vietnam Conflict Extract Data File. (DCAS)

When we soldiers of the Vietnam war came home, unbeknown to us,, we brought something terrible back home with us. What we brought home with us has killed more than 300,000 of us since the end of the Vietnam war.

That terrible substance that we encountered was the most toxic substance known to man. Dioxin, the contaminant contained in Agent Orange is the culprit, Dioxin is totally man made and does not occur in nature. I was assigned the duty of searching for the optimum mixture of agent orange with diesel fuel and testing for the optimum spray rates on various landscapes and soils.

The US used the herbicide, Agent Orange, to kill jungle vegetation, so we could see the enemy approaching. We also used herbicide blue and white to kill crops, because the North Vietnamese had few supply lines and therefore lived off of the land.

Those of us who survive, deal with the life long effects of the the chemical compounds identified as 24D-245T every day. Our futures are predictable. We understand and accept the fact that we were expendable, and thus we are a part of the cost of war and freedom. We we would do it all over again for God, country, and family.

I signed on the dotted line, I joined. I did my patriotic duty, but I never knew that it would someday erase part of my DNA and be passed down to my children and their children for generations to come. I didn’t agree to that.

In 1967, I contracted Chloracne. that particular condition has eaten me alive, and is only associated with agent orange, ( dioxin) exposure). In 1997 I faced two heart attacks, My kidneys have crashed, At this time I am existing with the aid of my fifth implants AICD implanted device. In 2020 My body was reconstructed from my knees to my lower stomach. I have lost the use of my feet due to the agent orange exposure. Last week portions of my feet were amputated. Before this week is done, I will be institutionalized in a Tennessee State veterans home for a while.

I still ask myself, do I measure up in my community and my fellow veterans, and have I given all that I was asked to give? I know that there are others who have given so much more, to include some of my friends who gave all.

When I am around other veterans, I feel like a guppy amongst whales and I am compelled to do more.

James M. Cripps, SP-5, US Army,1967-1970

All reactions:

6Jim Cripps, Sandra Red Gregory and 4 others

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This is the first video of a series on,HOW TO APPLY FOR VETERANS BENEFITS, AND WHAT FOR!

Posted on August 19, 2024 by jamescripps

https://www.facebook.com/1308985230/videos/2276560039371736

MORE TO COME AS THE VIDEOS ARE CONDUCTED AND COMPLETED.

THE WHOLE VIDEO INTERVIEW, FROM BEGINNING TO THE EN IS HERE.

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My advice to a service officer in a friend’s claim.

Posted on April 20, 2024 by jamescripps

As you know, I don’t have VBMS, but I was dealing with this stuff long before VBMS ever came along. My twenty years experience and my old crystal ball reveals the plan. Time will tell how well it still works.

Please note that as a result of his agent orange exposure, our Vietnam veteran is already service connected for Diabetes II. Neuropathy of the left upper extremity at 30%. The right upper extremity at 40%. The right lower extremity at 40%. The left lower extremity at 30%

At this time the veteran has been diagnosed with complete loss of the external Popliteal nerve to include muscle loss, bilateral.

(b) Complete paralysis of the external popliteal nerve (common peroneal) and consequent footdrop, accompanied by characteristic organic changes including trophic and circulatory disturbances and other concomitants confirmatory of complete paralysis of this nerve, will be taken as loss of use of the foot. see 38 CFR 3.350 (2) (b).

The long range plan for my friend, Mr.XXXXXXXX. A grant of loss of use of two feet would result in a Special Monthly Compensation (SMC) L-1 award. An L award for loss of use of two feet would automaticlly qualify the veteran for a $24,000.00 automobile grant with adaptive equipment. The grant of loss of use of two feet would also qualify the veteran for the $117, 000.00 Specially Adaptive Home, (SAH) grant to adapt his home. The SAH grant could be used in conjuction with the $6,800.00 HISA grant. see 38 CFR 808, also see 38 CFR 3.809

While you are at it, please file for ED secondary to Diabetes II, as that would result in a SMC “K” award.

AGENT ORANGE WALL OF HONOR, SPRINGFIELD TENNESSEE.

An additional grant for loss of use of two hands would result in the award of SMC M. The L-1, for loss of use of two feet, plus an award of M, for loss of use of two hands, would result in the required, “two seperate and distinct awards”, between SMC L and SMC N, would qualify the veteran to advance to the maximum SMC award of “0”. see 38 CFR 3.350 “O”, also see USC 1114 (0)

Note that the maximum award of “0” is a prerequisite for the higher levels of A&A at R-1 and R-2. see 38 CFR 3.352 (b) (i)

MY NAME ENGRAVED IN THE AGENT ORANGE WALL OF HONOR, (FIFTH FROM TOP).

If the veteran is granted regular A&A, for a seperate and distinct disability from the loss of use of two feet, and also has the required maximum award of SMC “O”, then his A&A, if/ and when granted, will automatically advance to the higher R-1 or R-2 level of A&A.

As an alternative scenario, our veteran could win the SMC L, for loss of use of two feet, and need to appeal the loss of use of two hands. The veteran would then be stalled for awhile, pending an appeal at the BVA, at the rate of L-1, and would then qualify for the “P-1 half step bump at 3.350 (f) (3) or a full step P-2 bump at 3.350 (f) (4), depending upon what was actually granted. The A&A, in that case would be continously persued.until finally granted.

We are aware that at this time, the fact that the veteran is lacking a properlly completed 21-2680 for the A&A, That is why I did not include the A&A on the list of claimed disabilites to be filed on. We will get the 2680, as we have time to do so.

Our salvation in not having the 2680 upon submission is anchored in Akles v Derwinski, which requires the VA, under their duty to assist, to consider the need for A&A upon the granting of any new 100% award. That new 100% award, in this case, triggering the VA, duty to consider the need for A&A, would be the new 100% grant for the loss of use of two feet. The 4138 that you directed to be filled out, showing the expressed need by the veteran, that he actually needs help with his ADLs, would come into play at that time, and would most likely be chosen for EED of the A&A when granted.

SMC indeed is an often overlooked opportunity of possibilities. The final goal and the veterans contention in this case is an award of R-1 or R-2 if he can outlive the process of adjudication of this claim.

Always, your thoughts and suggestions would be appreciated.

Thank you,

James M. Cripps

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Children and grand children of Agent Orange???

Posted on April 12, 2024 by jamescripps

News broadcast from WTVF News Chanel 5 Nashville TN.

https://youtu.be/uoC2YFVHhec?si=Ms6nMfFuFHV2Aa0c

Broadcast from WRDW News Chanel 12, Augusta GA.

https://www.wrdw.com/content/news/I-TEAM-Could-the-children-of-those-exposed-to-Agent-Orange-at-Fort-Gordon-also-be-affected-by-the-toxin-561359041.html

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The latest WRDW Chanel 12 Fort Gordon Agent Orange Use News Broadcast.

Posted on March 29, 2024 by jamescripps

https://www.wrdw.com/2024/03/13/i-team-update-was-agent-orange-stored-fort-eisenhower-years-longer-than-previously-thought

https://www.wrdw.com/video/2024/03/14/i-team-update-what-does-agent-orange-testing-site-fort-eisenhower-look-like-today

https://www.wrdw.com/2023/02/13/i-team-documents-highlight-those-sprayed-betrayed-fort-gordon

https://www.wrdw.com/content/news/I-TEAM-Could-the-children-of-those-exposed-to-Agent-Orange-at-Fort-Gordon-also-be-affected-by-the-toxin-561359041.html

Below is a broadcast from WTVF Channnel 5 CBS News

https://youtu.be/uoC2YFVHhec?si=Ms6nMfFuFHV2Aa0c

All of this and more at WRDW.com/agent orange

Also Google my name, James M. Cripps

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