USS Whitehurst Logo by: Pat Stephens, Webmaster, DESA
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Possibly Helpful Information for Families of Veterans
Exposed to Agent Orange
This info is gleaned from the Internet, the Federal Benefits for Veterans booklet, correspondence with ships mates and DB, the widow of a Whitehurst veteran who died of Lung Cancer. Excerpt from DB's e-mail circa April, 2009 ...I received a letter from the VA on March 24, 2009, [stating] that the Federal case, Haas vs. Peak, had been settled in May, 2008, so they were once again processing claims. In a nutshell, the court ruled that the receipt of the Viet Nam Service Medal alone does not establish service in Viet Nam. The veteran must have been physically serving in Viet Nam... The VA letter states: (1) Claims for exposure to
Agent Orange now must show that the veteran served in the Republic of Viet Nam
Era (January 9, 1962 and ending on May 7, 1975). Service in the Republic
of Viet Nam includes service in the waters off shore and service in other
locations if the conditions of service involved duty or visitation in the
Republic of Viet Nam, or (2) the veteran's service other than in Viet Nam
exposed the veteran to herbicides. Hello Max, (excerpted from DB's letter June 12, '09)
I [heard from] from the VA, May 22, when I received a letter stating they
had made a decision on my claim for DIC. Service connection for Jim's death
was granted. They saw that his death certificate showed that he died of
non-small cell lung cancer. They stated in their letter, and I quote,
"Service connection for the cause of the
veteran's death is granted since evidence shows that it was related to
military service". . . and,
"The veteran's lung cancer is a condition
which the VA associates with Agent Orange exposure."
I accomplished my goal of getting Jim's name on the Agent Orange List.
Max, thanks for helping me accomplish all of this. I couldn't have done it
without all of the work you put into creating your website and your postings
to others for information. I read the sea stories some of the crew wrote, and
I enjoyed them very much. I was thrilled to get
Roger's Log because the dates he kept
helped me to clarify the route the Whitehurst sailed and when, even though I
couldn't get the information to the VA before they made their ruling. (I think
they had access to that information all along.)
I think of all the men on the Whitehurst who served on that tour of duty
with Jim and wonder how they are doing now. Maybe my experience can help
someone else.
Please let me know if and when you receive the Whitehurst logs*. I will be
happy to share the cost, if any, with you. This has been quite a journey for
me and I am very grateful for your help. Take care, DB
*note: Reference to Whitehurst Deck Logs for the time
period March 1 through April 30 1962 which have been ordered from the National
Archives. When they arrive, I will update this page with selected copies
which will prove that Whitehurst was indeed serving in the geographic area of
Agent Orange Exposure during the time frame established by the court for
eligibility for damage claims. The Deck Logs will not necessarily prove
that a specific veteran was serving on the ship at the time. The
Veteran's discharge papers (form DD-214) will establish that. mc
Federal Benefits for Veterans and Dependents
To obtain this small book, write to: Department of Veterans Affairs Specify: Pamplet # 80-70-01 P94663
Useful Phone numbers taken from the Benefits booklet
Education.....1-888-442-4551 Links to Various VA Benefits Rodger Clement's personal record of Arrivals and Departures during the 1961 Callup 1961 Oct 2, The ship was called to active duty
Oct 4 Set sail
from
Seattle for
Long Beach Ca. where we had tender
Oct 24 Steaming to Pearl Harbor, Hawaii arriving on Oct 31 1962 10 Feb. Departed Pearl Harbor 20 Feb.-21 Feb Guam (Marianas Island) 22 Feb Arrived Subic Bay (Philippine, Islands) 7 Mar. Arrived in Da Nang, Viet Nam for personnel transfer 17 Mar. We had a ships party at Da Nang Military base 23 Mar-30 Mar Hong Kong (British Crown Colony) (Rest & Relaxation) 13 Apr. Left Subic Bay for patrol in Viet Nam 19 Apr. Ise De Phu Quoc (Island off Viet Nam) to the village of An Thoi, Viet Nam (beach party) 27 Apr. Arrived Subic Bay 29 Apr. Underway –Yokuska, Japan 3 May Entered port. Yokuska, Japan 5 May Underway for Kobe, Japan 6 -9 May Kobe 10 May Underway –Yokuska , Japan 11- 27 May Yokuska Japan 28 May Underway for Pearl Harbor 5 June Arrived Pearl Harbor 10 July Underway for Seattle 17 July Arrived Seattle USNRTC Lake Union 2 Aug Released from Active duty Page to be completed when National Archives send
the logs for March & April of 1962. Posted 13 June 2009, mc 28 September 2010 Received the following photo from Tim Lake GMC USN Ret.
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