For some time now, I have been concerned since it has come to my attention that some of our veterans in Orangeburg County are not receiving the proper information regarding their compensation and pension benefits that they should be receiving.

It is felt that I should bring certain facts to the attention of the veterans in our community. Today I am going to only concentrate on the Vietnam veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange (herbicide that kills vegetation).

In the last five or 10 years, I guess I have helped many of the Vietnam veterans win claims and many of them won the maximum amount in compensation (money). Sometimes it is hard to win, but over the years I learned you do not give up when fighting the Department of Veterans Affairs. I myself won 100 percent service connection, however it took me 18 years and many trips to Washington to eventually win. What I am saying is once you start the claim process, you must continue to fight until you win. I won! So in fighting for my rightful benefits, it consumed a lot of time and effort. From my mistakes, I have learned and it is in this way by educating the veterans that they can win their claims in a year or two. It is possible in some claims to make it even quicker.

Of course, I belong to the Veterans of Foreign Wars; Disabled American Veterans and also the American Legion. Their monthly magazines are interesting and deal with information including service connection. For those veterans getting the magazines, the information is there if they will read the articles. HOWEVER, I have found that a lot of veterans, once they got discharged from the military, said, "I don't want anything to do with the government again!" So this article is especially directed to those veterans who are not informed and are not getting the word.

If any veteran who reads this article is interested and believes he has some of the disorders or diseases that are listed in an article I read just the other day in the Veterans of Forign Wars Magazine, then I am willing to talk with him or her and furnish the necessary facts and how to go about filing claims and also point them in the right direction.

The article with this letter was in the November 2007 magazine and I called the senior editor named and have his permission to allow The T&D to publish the article. I thanked him and I really believe it is well written, giving the diseases (cancerous and non-cancerous) with a short description about the disease.

When you read the article "Agent Orange Exposed Vets Score another Court Victory," you will see where Judge Stephen Reinhardt came down very hard on the Department of Veterans Affairs.

The article titled "Diseases Considered to have been caused by Agent Orange Exposure" is also of note.

Of vital interest is the fact that diabetes can cause secondary diseases. Some of these diseases are diabetic nephropathy; diabetic neuropathy (nerve damage); various eye conditions; blood sugar conditions that might result from Type 2 diabetes; complications of heart and circulation that result from type 2 diabetes; skin conditions and even mental problems such as diabetes could cause such depression.

So service connection is available for almost any disability that is the result of another service-connected condition. I have this in writing on page 129 of the Veteran Benefits Manual dated 2007; these same diseases printed in the VFW article are also called Presumptive Diseases. This type disease is much easier to win in the claims procedure.

In closing, I would say that if anyone feels that they have a disease that is caused by Agent Orange exposure, I would be happy to show the various rules and regulations and other documents that document the information that I have discussed. I invite any veteran to call me at my home phone 1-803-534-7707 and I would be happy to meet and talk.

Edward "Victor" Fenton is state commander of the National Association of Atomic Veterans. He resides on Boulevard NE in Orangeburg.

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