10 novembre, 2006 10:32

Vets demand recourse for 'abuse'

Korean War survivors: Soldiers doused in DDT denied pensions, dying 'far too young'

Jim Cotter says the federal government's treatment of Korean War veterans has been the "most unbelievable of indignities." He said Ottawa refuses to acknowledge the veterans' high mortality rate, which he blames on routine exposure to DDT, which was used for delousing. "I was repeatedly stripped to the waist and sprayed with a mixture of DDT and kerosene."

Canada's Korean War veterans are dying before their time, victims of prolonged exposure to toxic pesticides and chemicals while in uniform, and one veteran says the government is routinely denying them pensions and medical treatment.

Jim Cotter, 71, of North Bay, is tired of watching his old comrades die off one by one "far too young" and is angry at Veterans Affairs Canada's apparent indifference.

Mr. Cotter is to testify today before a parliamentary committee that the estimated 14,000 Korean veterans still alive deserve an apology and compensation for their exposure to toxic pesticides and chemicals while in uniform, exposure he says is slowly killing them.

"We were healthy young men when we left for Korea. We risked our lives for this country and we came home sick, and the federal government ignores our pleas for help," Mr. Cotter will say in his testimony to the Commons committee on defence and veterans affairs, an advance copy of which was obtained by the National Post.

"In the last few years, I've watched guys that I served with die, more often than not far too young. They died of cancer, heart disease and liver disease -- terrible, painful deaths as a result of serving their country."

Mr. Cotter, who spent a year in Korea with the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery, said he and his fellow veterans are suffering from "early death syndrome," dying at a rate 21% higher than the general population.

Citing a recent study by the Australian Department of Veterans Affairs, Mr. Cotter said Korean veterans' death rate from cancer is 31% higher than the norm; deaths from respiratory diseases have been elevated by 45%; and those from digestive diseases are 35% higher.

"Korea veterans are dying from many terrible diseases and disorders as a direct result of their service and have waited far too long for recognition," he said.

"We are sick and dying and most definitely deserve expediency in applications for disability pensions, compensation and any medical treatment that could alleviate our suffering."

Mr. Cotter said the government's treatment of Korean War veterans to date has been the "most unbelievable of indignities," citing the case of one of his comrades.

"My friend Don Scrivens died of kidney disease last fall. He died alone in a small shack with no heat or electricity. [Veterans Affairs Canada] had repeatedly denied him a pension for years. They wouldn't even pay his mileage so he could afford to drive into North Bay for medical treatment," he said.

"I simply can't sit back and watch Veterans Affairs abuse veterans any longer.... It is time for you to treat us with the respect and dignity that we deserve and that we earned."

Mr. Cotter said a Senate investigation in the 1990s acknowledged the high mortality rates of Korean War veterans but could not establish the cause.

But he will tell the Commons committee that he knows why: He and his fellow soldiers in Korea were routinely doused with DDT and other pesticides as a delousing measure, exposing them to toxic chemicals almost on a daily basis.

"I was repeatedly exposed through direct spraying and fumigating of my bunker, clothes, sleeping kit and mess hall on a regular and ongoing basis. In fact, I was repeatedly stripped to the waist and sprayed with a mixture of DDT and kerosene throughout my time in Korea."

He will submit as evidence copies of the "Canadian Military Handbook of Army Health (1950)" which recommends spraying soldiers, their clothing and sleeping bags with DDT and other chemicals to kill lice or other parasites.

Mr. Cotter will also provide affidavits and other documents establishing that DDT and other pesticides were widely used in Korea.

Yet he says Veterans Affairs Canada has refused to acknowledge the problem, a refusal he says "borders on the criminal."

"Letting thousands of men suffer for fear of losing face or for political and financial expediency is nothing short of an abrogation of their duty to Canadian veterans."

More than 26,000 Canadian soldiers, sailors and airmen served in the 1950-53 conflict and 516 died in Korea.

Dave Davidson, the president of the Korea Veterans Association of Canada, said yesterday that the men who fought in Korea have been ignored for decades. "We were known as the forgotten war," he said.

"Over the last 50 years, we've been sort of pushed into the corner."

In every issue of his association's bi-monthly newsletter, Mr. Davidson lists a growing number of obituaries of members who have died. "It's very seldom that I don't have at least half a dozen," he said.

"Most Korean vets now are in their early seventies and they're passing away.... We get to 70 or 75 and for most of us, that's about it."

Mr. Cotter is calling on Ottawa to notify all living Korean War veterans of their exposure to toxic chemicals and give them full medical coverage and pensions for any after-effects.

"It is time for [Veterans Affairs], the Canadian army and the Canadian government to give their collective heads a shake," he says.

"The remaining veterans of Korea deserve an improved quality of life for the few short years that we have left.... It is time for Veterans Affairs to recognize the harm suffered by Canadian soldiers while serving in Korea and to compensate them as you compensated those exposed to chemical agents during World War II."

He also wants the government to apologize to "every single veteran of the Korea conflict, not only for exposing us to deadly chemicals, but for knowing about it at least for the last 10 years and doing nothing about it."

Sounds like what is happening in, Canada with Breast Implants being approved after there health Parliament voted "No against all Breast Implants last year!"