The ruling came on a class-action lawsuit filed by Vietnam Veterans of America, Swords to Plowshares and individual veterans over medical care for troops who participated in research programs at. 2. 7 Jun 2022 Military.com | By James Barber From 1955 to 1975, the Army conducted chemical weapons testing on volunteer soldiers at the Edgewood Arsenal facility in Maryland in pursuit of an. They ranged from potentially lethal nerve gases like VX and sarin to incapacitating agents like BZ. I was a MRVP at Edgewood Arsenal Chemical in 1964/1965. One film showed soldiers being injected with BZ, which in high doses can lead to hallucinations and confusion. And you just wouldnt think they would give you something that would harm you intentionally.. Boxes of medical records his and those of other veterans fill the attic, along with handwritten notes and appeals to the VA. Rep., at 411.[5])[20]. Ariel Zambelich/NPR. This incapacitating agent would be dispersed by standard munitions, and the agent would enter the building through all nonprotected openings, the films narrator boasts. Tyler Perry wrote and will direct the story of an all-female, all-Black battalion that served in Europe. "I remember him laying up in the bedroom up there," she says. He said, You volunteered for this. The MRVP was also driven by intelligence requirements and the need for new and more effective interrogation techniques. A diagnosed medical condition they think is a direct result of taking part in an Army chem/bio substance testing program. Paul retired from the military and went on to raise a family in Nashville. Three test subjects enter a gas chamber, which will fill with mustard gas, as part of the military's secret chemical warfare testing in March 1945. Kristian Thacker for NPR In the early 1990s, VA officials also announced the agency would lower its burden of proof to make getting benefits easier in these cases. A classified report entitled "Psychochemical Warfare: A New Concept of War" was produced in 1949 by Luther Wilson Greene, Technical Director of the Chemical and Radiological Laboratories at Edgewood. "But we have done everything that we could do, I definitely believe that.". Further, GAO concluded that precise information on the scope and the magnitude of tests involving human subjects was not available, and the exact number of human subjects might never be known. And it just goes on for years and years, and they just want to wear us down. From 1955 to 1975, military researchers at Edgewood were using not only animals but human subjects to test a witches brew of drugs and chemicals. 2004 GAO report Elimination of the chemicals held here was put on an accelerated schedule after the September 11, 2001, attacks, and all chemical weapons were destroyed by February 2006. "That's going to be on my tombstone," Bollinger says. Copyright 2021 Scripps Media, Inc. All rights reserved. At the end of the second hour, the officer ordered Cavell back to his barracks and to continue wearing his gas-saturated uniform. [3] In the 1950s, some officials in the U.S. Department of Defense publicly asserted that many "forms of chemical and allied warfare as more 'humane' than existing weapons. However, a good history and physical examination can provide valuable information and help determine a Veterans risk of developing health problems related to the exposure. However once the experiments were uncovered, the US Senate also concluded questionable legality of the experiments and strongly condemned them. I was pregnant with my daughter while there, this was also when they were digging up old cluster bombs while excavating to build some new buildings, the same time the commander was indicted from the environmental agency, the same time they found out the water was not suitable for consumption. In the mid-1970s, in the wake of many health claims made regarding exposure to the agents, the U.S. Congress began investigations of possible abuse in experiments and of inadequate informed consent given to the soldiers and civilians involved. "Weekends off and relaxing that's why I took it," Paul remembered. The soldiers deposition also stated that participants were given no warnings about side effects or potential long-term health risks that might be associated with the experiments. The chemical caused a delirium that included hallucinations and an inability to carry out tasks. If you or someone you love were a victim of these experiments, we urge you to contact Parker Waichman LLP today to protect your legal rights. In addition to medical benefits, the lawsuit is asking that the Defense Department and Department of Veteran Affairs find all Edgewood veterans and provide them with details of the chemicals they received and their possible health effects. Tim Josephs arrived at Edgewood Arsenal in 1968, he knew there was something different about the place. On July 24, 2013, United States District Court Judge Claudia Wilken issued an order granting in part and denying in part plaintiffs' motion for summary judgment and granting in part and denying in part defendants' motion for summary judgment. The IOM study also concluded that "available data suggest that long-term toxic effects and/or delayed sequellae are unlikely" for this type of compound.[15]. The Edgewood Arsenal human experiments took place from approximately 1948 to 1975 at the Medical Research Laboratories which is now known as the U.S. Army Medical . Fort Hoyle was established on October 7, 1922, and was created from a portion of the Edgewood Arsenal. If you or a loved one were exposed to dangerous drugs and toxins in the course of unethical medical experimentation conducted by the U.S. Army at Edgewood Arsenal, you may be entitled to compensation. Theyre hoping we die off, so you apply [for benefits], you get turned down, Josephs said. In 2009 a lawsuit was filed by veterans rights organizations Vietnam Veterans of America, and Swords to Plowshares, and eight Edgewood veterans or their families against CIA, the U.S. Army, and other agencies. "If I were back in Congress, I'd be asking that question.". An "Independent Study Course" for continuing medical education produced by the US Department of Veterans Affairs, Health Effects from Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Weapons (October 2003),[12] presents the following summary of the Edgewood Arsenal experiments: Renewed interest led to renewed human testing by the Department of Defense (DoD), although ultimately on a much smaller scale. Sometimes it was an injection. Discovery Company. Finally, the command and control problems which were apparent in the CIA's programs are paralleled by a lack of clear authorization and supervision in the Army's programs.(S. Each year more of their stories die with them. Cavell and five others were told to stay put. appreciated. Edgewood Chemical Activity is a chemical-weapons depot located at APG. It also released soldiers from their oath of secrecy. Rochelle, 60, who has come back to live in Onslow county, said in an interview that there were about two dozen volunteers . Fed the "F" up. What's the use?" Expert meeting report. The chemicals were given to volunteer service members at Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland; Dugway Proving Ground, Utah; and Forts Benning, Bragg, and McClellan. visit VeteransCrisisLine.net for more resources. Served as a volunteer for medical research in a U.S. Army chemical or biological substance testing program from 1942 to 1975. "I'm glad to be talking to you about it. Erspamer said the government has reached very few of the 7,000 or so Edgewood veterans, and the VA has turned down almost all Edgewood-related health claims. The lack of a detailed record hampered the investigation. So, when I received the shot, we went into a heat room," Paul said. But now he just wants people to know what he and others endured. The National Academies of Science reviewed this report in 2018 ("Review and Approach to Evaluating Long-term Health Effects in Army Test Subjects") and suggested a framework for evaluating these exposures moving forward. A Warner Bros. Not enrolled in the VA health care system? "This is not an easy, not a simple thing," Flohr says. Whether you're looking for news and entertainment, thinking of joining the military or keeping up with military life and benefits, Military.com has you covered. The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has a page about the testing on its website. Paul showed us an interview from April of 1968. According to a recent report by CNN.com "From 1955 to 1975, military researchers at Edgewood were using not only animals but human subjects to test a witches' brew of drugs and chemicals. The truth about the CIA is quite another story, one that should've been a huge news story a decade ago but gets fully recounted here for anyone who missed the truth the first time. The personal injury attorneys at Parker Waichman LLP offer free, no-obligation case evaluations. His symptoms vary from day to day. I am convinced that it is possible, by means of the techniques of psychochemical warfare, to conquer an enemy without the wholesale killing of his people or the mass destruction of his property.[2]. Statistically, at least one out of a thousand young soldiers chosen at random might be expected to expire during any one-year period. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed. He filed claims for several illnesses on the VA's list of those linked to mustard gas, including skin cancer and chronic breathing problems. In his mid-50s, Josephs was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease, a progressive neurological condition that forced him to retire early. The first story in this report focused on race-based experiments done as part of the military's chemical warfare program: Cavell, now 88 years old, says the officer threatened him and the other test subjects: If they told anyone about their knowledge or participation in the experiments, they would receive a dishonorable discharge and be sent to military prison at Fort Leavenworth, Kan. "They put the fear of God in just a bunch of young kids," he says. The claims process has also been complicated by Department of Defense claims that it cannot find records to substantiate most of the veterans participation in the tests, causing the VA to summarily deny those claims, the lawsuit alleges. The court granted the plaintiffs partial summary judgment concerning the notice claim: summarily adjudicating in plaintiffs' favor, finding that "the Army has an ongoing duty to warn" and ordering "the Army, through the DVA or otherwise, to provide test subjects with newly acquired information that may affect their well-being that it has learned since its original notification, now and in the future as it becomes available". If a page cannot be made accessible, we will work to make a text version available. hide caption, When the story broke, VA Deputy Secretary Anthony Principi appeared on 60 Minutes, in 1991, to explain how the agency would respond to men who were injured in the tests: "They should be praised for what they did," Principi said on the CBS News program. The prior finding held that the Army has an ongoing duty to seek out and provide "notice" to former test participants of any new information that could potentially affect their health. Copyright 2023 Military.com. hide caption. Things were different back then. 2. The Army colonel had no regrets about the experiments and believed he was acting in the best interests of the nation as it faced a Cold War threat. As a result, at least one class action lawsuit has been filed against the Defense Department and Department of Veteran Affairs, with the hope of, at the very least, getting . It forced the Army to locate soldiers who were in the testing program and send them documentation detailing what happened to them. My question to you is my son suffers from a rare form of eczema and severe asthma. While early experiments with marijuana and LSD get plenty of discussion, much of the long-term damage seems to result from experimentation with the powerful incapacitating agent 3-Quinuclidinyl benzilate, commonly known as BZ. Josephs said he didnt know what drugs he was getting. Hancock said the class action lawsuit led to nearly 10 years of litigation. Courtesy of Edgewood Arsenal But the VA didn't uphold those promises, an NPR investigation has found. Cavell is currently being re-evaluated before the benefits can be disbursed. "You can't coordinate anything you know. After NPR's inquiry, the VA told NPR there was enough evidence to grant his claims. Harry Bollinger, 88, of Freeport, Pa., pauses as he talks about his recovery from mustard gas exposure as part of an experiment at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. "There was no handle on the door. There's a reason we have such incredible details about the program available now, and this film makes excellent use of the truths revealed during a massive lawsuit. The soldiers were induced to become part of the experiments by program representatives who said they were looking for soldiers to test Army gear, vehicles, and military combat equipment, CNN said. Read the lawsuit complaint document (PDF), Read about an Edgewood volunteers widow who blames the VA for his death, Gordon Erspamer, lead attorney in the suit, has reviewed the partial Edgewood medical records that Josephs was able to obtain with the help of his wife. He filed a federal lawsuit for compensation in 1979, but was unsuccessful because of a legal doctrine that protects the military from being sued for service-related injuries. Officials say they can't explain why the benefits weren't granted sooner. The Edgewood Arsenal experiments took place from approximately 1952 to 1975 at the Medical Research Laboratories, which is now known as the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense of the Edgewood Area, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. I can continue by saying I filed an approximately 80 page document to the veteran's administration about my claims and kept getting blown off; resubmitted, blown off. In September 1975, the Medical Research Volunteer Program was discontinued and all resident volunteers were removed from the Edgewood installation. Some of the volunteers exhibited certain symptoms at the time of exposure to these agents. In more than 20 years, the VA attempted to reach just 610 of the men, with a single letter sent in the mail. Other times it was a pill, Josephs told CNN Chief Medical Correspondent Dr. Sanjay Gupta. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much For 20. The Army is now required to provide medical care to veterans if they can prove their health issues are the result of the testing. Bollinger gave up appealing VA rejections in 1994, after four years of traveling back and forth 30 miles to a VA office office in Pittsburgh. [17], The official position of the Department of Defense, based on the three-volume set of studies by the Institute of Medicine mentioned above, is that they "did not detect any significant long-term health effects on the Edgewood Arsenal volunteers". The plaintiffs collectively referred to themselves as the "Test Vets". After receiving the drug, soldiers were monitored to see if they could do basic tasks like run an obstacle course. 27299 Riverview Center Boulevard, Suite 108. The letter granting him benefits made no mention of Edgewood. After World War II, U.S. military researchers obtained formulas for the three nerve gases developed by the Nazistabun, soman, and sarinand conducted studies on them at the US Army Edgewood Chemical Biological Center. CNN The moment 18-year-old Army Pvt. If you are concerned about exposures during Edgewood/Aberdeen chemical tests, talk to your health care provider or yourlocal environmental health provider. The heart of the film is interviews with a group of veterans who participated in the testing program, mostly during the Vietnam War era. According to the class action lawsuit filed on behalf of Edgewood Arsenal veterans, the Department of Veterans Affairs (VA), despite having actively participated in the experiments, has denied between 97% and 99% of all disability or death claims arising out of the exposures. BTS will be on hiatus until all seven members complete their mandatory military service in South Korea. Hit enter to expand a main menu option (Health, Benefits, etc). For 20 years the government tested chemicals on soldiers who were not aware what was being put in their bodies. Inside the chamber, Cavell's skin started to turn red and burn in the places where he sweat the most: between his legs, behind his neck and under his arms. Paul's paperwork shows he received BZ, which he said felt like he was in a nightmare for hours at a time. He says he is proud of his service, and he wears the cap everywhere he goes. Some gave up out of frustration. The purpose was to evaluate the impact of low-dose chemical warfare agents on military personnel and to test protective clothing and pharmaceuticals. And instances when she told me when the office people had to stay indoors instill all cleared. Blocks of ice sat on shelves overhead with fans blowing across them to increase the humidity in the room, which intensified mustard gas's effects on the body. 31 subjects experienced ocular exposure via direct CS application to their eyes. Nashville veteran Dennis Paul, 79, discussed his experience in the program with NewsChannel 5 Investigates, saying he it impacted him long after he left the Army. 8:56 AM EST, Thu March 1, 2012. After an hour, the officer released six of the men back to their barracks. "But the only thing we can do is follow our statutes and regulations.". There, Ketchum was administering psychotropic drugs on young. "U.S. Navy, Guinea Pig. He was asked "Did you have pain every time you took a breath? She previously worked as an editor and staff writer at newspapers in Columbus, Georgia; Huntsville, Alabama; Bloomington, Indiana; Monterey, California and in Germany. These agents are still used today as antidotes to organophosphorus nerve agent poisoning, including accidental poisoning by organophosphorus pesticides. Nashville veteran discusses his experience at Edgewood Arsenal. Find out if you qualify for VA health care. 1, "Anticholinesterases and Anticholinergics", Vol. "They didn't know they were signing up to get mystery chemicals injected into their bodies," Hancock said. [13] Some additional information in the section cited from the Course was based on a 1993 IOM study, Veterans at Risk: Health Effects of Mustard Gas and Lewisite. Decades after the U.S. Army used soldiers to test the effects of potent chemical and biological warfare agents - including some prohibited by the Geneva Protocol - it has begun notifying veterans. By the early 1950s, Edgewood Arsenal, which became part of the larger complex at the Aberdeen Proving Ground, produced numerous biological agents, developed protective equipment and prophylactic treatments, and shaped US combat policy and practice.In the aftermath of WWII tensions between the US and the USSR prompted scientists, military officials, and policy advisors to increase the number of . From 1955 to 1975, the Army conducted chemical weapons testing on volunteer soldiers at the Edgewood Arsenal facility in Maryland in pursuit of an agent that could disable enemy troops on the field of battle without killing them. "But not to get messed up," he continued. Documents reveal after getting BZ, Paul was put in temperatures of 105 degrees then 125 degrees for up to seven hours, to see if the drug impacted the way soldiers sweated. Harry Bollinger, 88, of Freeport, Pa., pauses as he talks about his recovery from mustard gas exposure as part of an experiment at the Naval Research Laboratory in Washington, D.C. "I was disgusted already. By this logic, Edgewood was possibly the safest military place in the world to spend two months. The purpose was to evaluate the impact of low-dose chemical warfare agents on military personnel and to test protective clothing and pharmaceuticals. Erspamer said he sees a connection between Josephs Parkinsons disease and the drugs he received at Edgewood. VA offers a variety of health care benefits to eligible Veterans. President Nixon ended research into offensive chemical weapons in 1969, and the military no longer uses human subjects in research on chemical agents, said a spokesman for Edgewood Chemical Biological Center, as the facility is known now. Tests began for Josephs almost as soon as he arrived at Edgewood for a two-month assignment on January 1, 1968. Watching soldiers suffer through delirium and panic attacks while older survivors describe their experiences makes for powerful viewing. He said the group was told they would help test military equipment like gas masks. The chemical agents tested on volunteers included chemical warfare agents and other related agents:[1]. By Larry Scott, VA Watchdog dot Org - [14], A significant omission from the Course summary above is the number of subjects on which BZ and related compounds were tested. 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