Kind of like getting a letter from the government.
August 31, 2010
Greetings,
Re: Accelerated Mortality Rates For Vietnam Veterans
This is to inform you that your life will be much shorter than the average American.
Due to your wallowing in dioxins in Southeast Asia in the years 1968 and 1969 your body is contaminated with toxic substance that will most probably cause cancer and other related disease. The population of Vietnam Veterans of which you are one has a median life expectancy of 64 to 65 years old as compared to the non- Vietnam Veterans in your demographic cohort who will live longer to a median of 76 years and be more healthy as well.
Thank you for your service and sacrifice.
Sincerely,
Those guys at the VA who said dioxins were not toxic back when.
Well, OK.
Glad I retired early.
I guess this means I need to review my retirement plans.
I wasn't paranoid all those friends were dying.
Well, I've already reached the Median . I am 65 years old. I wonder what the curve of Life Expectancy looks like on the back side. Is variance still just 11/12 years like at the median or is it steeper?
Dang, half of all Vietnam Veterans died before the could collect their Social Security.
Well that should make the debt reduction committee happy.
That alone will probably cover the cost of presumptive treatment of dioxin related diseases by the VA.
So this means that I signed up for four years of my life with the Army but they have taken 16 years instead.
Damn, those poor draftees. they thought they were in for just two years and now they are paying out 13 or 14.
I wonder do I have five more years? Six? Ten at the outside? Fifteen would be a miracle.
Living to 80 would be the same as those numbnuts that didn't go, living till 96.
Dang I really won't see any of those grand-kids will I?
I think I need to sit down and think about this.
I may need to reconsider what I'm doing.
Maybe...........
1. Blue Water Navy Agent Orange Information
2. The Vietnam Veteran Health and Benefits Campaign
3.Agent Orange/Dioxin and Other Toxic Exposures: Final Rules August 31, 2010
4. Federal Register
2,594,000 Personnel served within the borders of South Vietnam. Jan. 1, 1965 - Mar. 28, 1973.
Of the 2.6 million, between 1 - 1.6 million (40-60%) either fought in combat, provided close support or were at least fairly regularly exposed to enemy attack. These will be the ones most likely to have had exposure to Dioxin. 30% of those were draftees.
So America, Vietnam will have cost you all that you already know about, plus eleven million to nineteen millon lost man years you haven't know about.
11 to 19 million man-years over and above previous cost.
I am closing off comments to this blog because I just don't want to deal with them.
What if someone sent you this "letter"?
