Sworn Statement of George Collins

Department of Veterans Affairs
Regional Office
John F. Kennedy Federal Building
Government Center
Boston, NlA 02203-0393
Re: 301/21/SMS
File Number: 26 082 691
George NI. Collins III
To whom it may concern,
I, George M. Collins III, make oath and do solemnly swear the
following as true, so help me god, under penalty of law. I was a
Sgt., service number AF11617165, and was a member of the USAF
Strategic Air Command (SAC). My job specialty was AFSC 42350 Aircraft
Electrician, with seven level authorization, on flying status with a secret
security clearance in the 99th Bomb Wing Field Maintenance Squadron
(FMS) assigned to the 4258th FMS. That squadron became the aoz" FMS
and all of these units were part of the 8th Air Force. I was in service to our
great country from Nov. 1966 thru July 1970, and was stationed initially at
Westover AFB, then at Utapao RTNAB, Thailand, from 1968 thru 1970. For
7 months, beginning in 1969, ending in 1970, I was assigned to the Aero
Space Ground Equipment unit (AGE) at Utapao to rebuild MD 3 electrical
generator carts used to power the aircraft parked on the ground. The
ground around the AGE facility building was paved and around it was
defoliated soil. The MD 3 units that I worked on were parked on this
defoliated soil. The commendation I received for that work is included as
evidence exhibit A. As the only electrician at AGE, my duties also included
repairing any electrical problems on any equipment that was assigned to,
part of, or used by AGE. Twice, I was given the task of diagnosing and
repairing a "Buffalo Turbine foggerlsprayer unit" which sprayed the base
consistently for insects and defoliated the base perimeter and other areas
on the base, to maintain base defense. Just like all the other units, the
sprayer/fogger unit was always parked in this area of defoliated soil in case
there was a chemical leak, and to clean out its chemical tank, thereby
never requiring cleanup of the grounds.
The barracks that I lived in was located on the defoliated base
perimeter. I have included a map and pictures showing the exact location of
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those barracks at Utapao as exhibit B. I would often play my guitar on the
defoliated perimeter soil located behind the barracks, so as not to disturb
others in the barracks. On the night of an attack by Thai communists, who
had snea ked onto and crossed the base perimeter, I was hit from behind
over the head and neck with an 8 foot long 2 x 4 piece of wood, puncturing
my scalp. I was knocked unconscious and went to the base hospital that
night. The incident is in my medical record. It was the basis upon which I
was service connected for headaches from that head and neck injury I
sustained in service but without compensation. A copy of that finding is
included as exhibit C.
I recall that I saw the "Bob Hope Christmas Show" twice at Utapao.
The staqe was setup between two barracks. The viewing area to see the
show was on the defoliated perimeter. The other areas that were defoliated
on the base were the soft ball fields where I played softball, around the
main gate, other entrances, and all other areas they did not wish to mow.
The Klong River which ran thru the base next to the barracks was also
defoliate<i, so as to be able to see any Thai communist infiltrators.
I witnessed the storage of chemical filled barrels/drums in various
places on the base. A picture marked exhibit D shows some drums at one
of those places on an outside rack on defoliated ground. The chemical
drums with either orange, blue, or white banded stripes, containing the 3
different defoliants that were used at Utapao, were kept in a locked shed at
AGE surrounded by defoliated ground. They were stored along with the
chemical barrels that did not have any colored bands which contained the
insecticides that were used at Utapao. The insecticide barrels stored in that
shed were Malathion, along with another insecticide, both of which had a
skull and cross bones marking on the label. We were instructed to use
gauntlet rubber gloves, rubber aprons and eye protective goggles when
handling the insecticides because their labels were marked with skull and
cross bones. The defoliant drums had no such markings, and on two
separate occasions I got defoliant substance on my skin while I was
repairing the sprayer/fogger parked at AGE, and immediately washed it off
with water. I was continually cleaning this brownish black tarry substance
off of the soles and heals of my boots. I did this because a year or so
earlier while assigned to the 4258 FMS Aircraft Electric Shop at Utapao, I
had the misfortune of working on an "Operation Ranch Hand" aircraft that
aborted its spray mission, and had an emergency landing at Utapao.
Although not assigned to my base, repairs were needed to fix some broken
wiring, which kept the "Hayes Dispenser" on board the aircraft from
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spraying, I was the person that was sent out to diagnose and repair that
aircraft, because I was the top diagnostician of the aircraft electric shop. I
was the only honor student at the aircraft electrician's school at Chanute
AFB, Rantool, IL, and my shop chief knew that I could very quickly figure
out any electrical problem. During that particular repair I found out that this
aircraft was from a northern Thai air base, and was attempting to spray a
location in South Vietnam, a secret location which they would not divulge.
While kneeling to make the repairs, my pant legs became soaked with the
milky white liquid substance that was on the floor of the aircraft. I was told
by the aircrafts' crew chief that this liquid was in fact Agent Orange. By the
time it dried it turned into a brownish black tarry substance which burned
my skin. I reported to sick call the next morning, and was told that I had
gotten a chemical burn, which had now blistered the skin. I was given a
cream to apply to that burn which I believe was Hydrocortisone. That
blistering rash reappeared continually during the rest of my time on active
duty in the service. For ten plus years after I got out of the service, that
blistering rash continued to reappear. The VA has denied all my claims for
service connection to Agent Orange. However, in contradiction to the VA's
denial of service connection, starting in the 1980s, the VA put my name on
the AO registry, which still sends me the AO update newsletters every year.
I began visiting the VA as a patient just after I was discharged from the
USAF in July 1970, complaining of different problems I was having. The VA
has denied service connection and compensation for most of them, except
conversion reaction (which is now called PTSD) for 50 %, and low back,
neck, and headache pain for which they awarded "0%" compensation with
service connection in 1977. The PTSD compensation was lowered to 30%
in 1984 because upon re-examination the VA decided that my PTSD had
improved. Please find exhibit E as proof of this. My PTSD had improved
because I had seen Dr. Weiss of Newton, Massachusetts, a civilian
psychiatrist who treated me for the memories of my service in the USAF.
After the sessions with Dr. Weiss I stopped sleeping with a hand gun under
my pillow. For a long time after that, the people around me told me I didn't
seem as angry as I used to be all the time. Because I was able to control
my anger issues I was now able to keep jobs longer than 1 year.
I was diagnosed by the VA in April 2007 with Follicular Non-Hodgkin's
Lymphoma, the symptoms of which began in 2004. My only symptom in
2004 was profuse sweating day and night. My civilian doctor tested me for
many months for every known malady which my private health care
insurance would allow, but found no explanation for the sweating symptom.
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He and I suspected the sweating was caused by my exposure to AO. He
knew I had served in the Air Force so he asked me to go to the VA for
further testing and diagnosis. The VA ran every test you can think of,
including an MRI, in an effort to explain my sweating symptom, and my
other major complaint of severe low back pain. The results of the MRI
showed !Jolf ball sized lymph nodes in my abdomen. Before I had a chance
to tell my new doctors, VA Oncologists Drs Bauer and Fallon, they asked
me if I recalled coming in contact with AD. I told them that I had. I also
mentioned that I was stationed in Thailand and that I worked in Vietnam on
a limited basis when my repair skills were needed there. The USAF would
fly me in for the day on secret missions, which necessitated my boots being
"on the ground". I cannot disclose the details of these missions because I
have sworn to those who gave me secret clearance and signed a
document stating so.
In the opinion of Dr. Bauer, the particular type of cancer I have was
diaqnosed as a form caused by the dioxin present in defoliants used in
Vietnam. Enclosed please find notes from Dr Bauer indicating same,
marked exhibit F. Nine months of chemotherapy commenced, after which I
was temporarily in remission. Remission was short lived and a new more
aggressive form of the same cancer had to be dealt with. Three more
months of intensively debilitating chemotherapy took place. For my next
phase of treatment, I was sent to Seattle, Washington's Puget Sound VA
hospital for a life threatening bone marrow stem cell transplant. This
treatment lasted for three months. Since my return home, I have had
continuous blood testing, periodic Pet and CT scans, and oncology
checkups to make sure the cancer is under control.
lance again state that while traveling to and from Thailand on World
Airways, I landed in Vietnam and had "boots on the ground". I have seen
postings on the web from other service people that were stationed in
Thailand and can confirm that the planes that took me from the continental
United States to Thailand and brought me back from Thailand, 6 flights in
total, did stop in Vietnam to let GI's off or pick GI's up. On one flight, the
commercial airliner I flew in landed at Danang, Vietnam, and we got off to
fly on a different plane flying directly to Utapao, Thailand. Another plane I
flew in landed in Saigon, Vietnam to pick up GI's returning to the United
States. In support of my contention that I landed in the country of Vietnam
enclosed please find copies of statements/affidavits witnessing this from
former World Airways employees/commercial airline personnel, attesting to
the fact of "in country" landings marked exhibits G.
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I am also submitting other veterans' affidavits in support of the
veracity and truth of my sworn statements, marked exhibits H.
Since April 2007, with all of my cancer treatments, with the realization
that I may not survive the cancer, along with the preparation of the claims I
have had to file to establish service connection to exposure to Agent
Orange, and the re-examining and reliving of my job duties overseas in the
USAF, have all caused a return of my PTSD memories of Utapao,
Thailand, and my Vietnam experience. I have great difficulty sleeping at
night. I am currently being treated weekly for this by the VA at the PTSD
center, on the 12th and 13th floors in the Jamaica Plain VA hospital.
Prior to my diagnosis of Follicular Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma in April
2007, I worked as an automotive diagnostician and ASE certified master L1
auto repair technician at Totten Pond Shell, Waltham, Massachusetts. I
have not worked at Totten Pond Shell since April 2007. Additionally I am
barely surviving on food stamps, and my semi-retired 70 year old girlfriend
is struggling to help with my support. I have included a letter from Totten
Pond Shell stating how debilitating my cancer treatments were in 2007,
marked exhibit J.
The VA doctors have done a great job of extending my life medically
to this point, but financially I am ruined. I have lost my ability to earn a living
in my chosen field. I do not have the energy or stamina to perform any
physical activity. I find I have to rest most of the time. My VA oncologists
have told me not to work for one or more years. They have also told me
that they will be testing me continually for the rest of my life for anything
further that the AO may have caused. I feel sick all the time. I also feel I will
need psychiatric counseling for the rest of my life for those PTSD memories
and the anger I now feel.
Sincerely,
~
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George M. Collins III SS # 029-34-2534
120 Locust Lane
Needham, MA 02492-1014
Enclosed/attached are Exhibits numbers A thru J
Signed and notarized this date
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