VA Watchdog Stuff...
cups, hats, shirts...
click on item to order
and support the site.






Be sure to get all four
VA Watchdog dot Org
RSS feeds --
Daily VA
News Flashes
House CVA
Veterans' News
Senate CVA
Veterans' News
VA Press
Releases
 

Download your
free copy of the
2008 VA benefits
handbook here...
 

Printer-Friendly Version

WIDOWS OF CANADIAN SOLDIERS EXPOSED TO AGENT

ORANGE AT GAGETOWN ANGRY OVER LACK OF

COMPENSATION -- Widows on the Warpath:

"We're all angry. We're disgusted. We feel

discriminated against. It's just not right."

Catherine Peters, widow of Sgt. Joe Peters, protested at Kings Square with Widows on the War Path on Friday. The women want Ottawa to give them compensation for the spraying of agent orange on their husbands, who served at Base Gagetown. (photo: Cindy Wilson / Telegraph-Journal)

There is no consolation in knowing that American Agent Orange veterans and widows aren't the only ones being screwed-over by their government.

For background on Agent Orange use at Gagetown in Canada, use the VA Watchdog search engine...click here...
http://www.yourvabenefits.org/sessearch.php?q=gagetown&op=and

Story here... http://telegraphjo
urnal.canadaeast.com/city/article/386616

Story below:

-------------------------

Widows of Gagetown soldiers angry over lack of compensation money

JEFF DUCHARME
TELEGRAPH-JOURNAL

SAINT JOHN - As the Widows on the Warpath handed out pamphlets in King's Square Friday and wore black veils to show their disgust, a bride wearing a white veil stood by the bandstand as a photographer took pictures of her most important day.

The widows are trying to pressure the federal Conservative government to change an arbitrary date that means 20,000 widows in New Brunswick didn't receive $20,000. The money was compensation for those soldiers who died because of cancer caused when agent orange was used at CFB Gagetown.

Bette Hudson's husband was a peacekeeper and died in 2004. Ralph Hudson died of lung and bone cancer at age 64. Because he died before Feb. 6, 2006, he was deemed ineligible.

As of December, Veterans Affairs had only approved 350 claims.

"We're just now starting to get out into the public to make people aware of how we're being treated because of a date - Feb. 6, 2006," said Hudson.

There are 50 such widows in the province whom Hudson knows about.

"We're all angry. We're disgusted. We feel discriminated against. It's just not right."

Hudson wants Prime Minister Stephen Harper and New Brunswick MP and Veterans Affairs Minister Greg Thompson to do the right thing and erase the date.

"We feel worthless. We feel our husbands' lives were worthless when we're told you don't deserve this because he didn't die on a certain date - that's what were fighting for."

The group was only formed four months ago.

"We're making progress."

-------------------------

posted by Larry Scott
Founder and Editor
VA Watchdog dot Org

Don't forget to read all of today's VA News Flashes (click here)

Click here to make VA Watchdog dot Org your homepage

email Larry

(go back to VA Watchdog dot Org Home Page)

       
Military Medical Malpractice 
Legal Network               

VA Watchdog Stuff...
cups, hats, shirts...
click on item to order
and support the site.