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luz del lago
luz del lago Member Posts: 449
in Military Cancer Survivors #1
I am searching anywhere and everywhere for anyone that may have known or remembers my deceased beloved husband, Dennis R. Hoffman. Dennis passed away Dec. 20, 2010 of extensive small cell lung cancer. He was 61 yrs. old and survived 8 short months after diagnosis.

In May of 2010, he submitted a claim to VA because of the lung cancer, agent orange and having been sent TDY to Vietnam on several occasions. He served in the AF and retired in 1993. His time in Vietnam came while stationed at Clark AB, Phillipines, in Aug.69-Nov.70. He was an AGE technician and worked on the flightline. He squadron was the 405th.

He attended tech school at Chanute around April or March 1969. If you did also, or know anyone that did, would you please reply?

If you recall of him, or even have knowledge of that squadron during that time, any of the supervisors, any of the other AGE technicians, would you please reply? You can PM me if you like.

When he was dying he asked me to continue his battle with the VA. I am!

It is my goal to not only bring just honor to his name, but to become an advocate of Veterans everywhere. I am currently working with a lung cancer advocacy group to include and involve Veterans and their plight with cancer due to exposures that are service connected!

If you know any AF Veterans that served in that time, will you mention his name? This is how we must united and fight the beast and VA together!

Welcome home,

Lucy

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  • MarineE5
    MarineE5 Member Posts: 1,030 Member
    #2
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    Military dot com
    Lucy,

    I did a search on the site, Military. com and looked for the 405th in the Philippines. I found one person listed that was there the same time as Dennis. You can go on there, become a member ( no cost ) and contact the person that is listed for the same time frame. I don't want to post his name here.

    I do have a question for you though. On Dennis's DD-214, does it list that he was in Vietnam at all? Does his Service Record Book indicate that he was there? If it does, there is no arguement as to whether he is presumed to have contact with Agent Orange.

    Hopefully, HAWVET will see your post, he is better with this then I am.

    My Best to You and Everyone Here
  • HAWVET
    HAWVET Member Posts: 318
    #3
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    MarineE5 said:

    Military dot com
    Lucy,

    I did a search on the site, Military. com and looked for the 405th in the Philippines. I found one person listed that was there the same time as Dennis. You can go on there, become a member ( no cost ) and contact the person that is listed for the same time frame. I don't want to post his name here.

    I do have a question for you though. On Dennis's DD-214, does it list that he was in Vietnam at all? Does his Service Record Book indicate that he was there? If it does, there is no arguement as to whether he is presumed to have contact with Agent Orange.

    Hopefully, HAWVET will see your post, he is better with this then I am.

    My Best to You and Everyone Here

    MarineE5, thank you for your
    MarineE5, thank you for your confidence. I had seen this thread earlier and was not too sure of the problem. Since Lucy had been working on her husband‘s claim, I had assumed she was aware of the presumption of exposure of any veteran who served in Vietnam.

    She added the statement “I am currently working with a lung cancer advocacy group to include and involve Veterans and their plight with cancer due to exposures that are service connected!” I was under the impression that since lung cancer is a respiratory type illness, her husband should have had a favorable response on the claim.

    I then presumed the claim was probably denied due to lack of evidence that her husband was in Vietnam. Many service personnel have problems obtaining evidence they had been on the ground.

    Since she is working with an advocacy group, Lucy probably has obtained a lot of advice from the group. If desired, I would be willing to suggest courses of action if she would describe exactly what is the problem. I also have a friend who is very knowledgeable and working as the state’s counselor on veteran affairs.

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