TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) – Paul DeVane of Tampa was only 22 years old when the military sent him to Korat Royal Thai Air Force Base in Thailand.
His first week there, he remembers being on a ramp where planes were parked when a truck drove along the perimeter of the base spraying something.
Paul, now 72, recalls where he worked was only about 100 to 150 feet from the perimeter.
“It just floats onto you and you can feel it when it hits your skin, because it’s an oily substance, you can’t wipe it off,” Paul explained. “You spent the rest of the day with it on your clothes.”
Just a few years ago, the Department of Defense admitted it sprayed the toxic defoliant Agent Orange along the perimeter of the bases in Thailand, including Korat.
Exposure to Agent Orange is linked to several diseases, including ischemic heart disease and lung cancer.
Paul Devane has had both.
MORE 8 ON YOUR SIDE STORIES:
- Tampa Bay workers still unable to file for unemployment benefits through state
- Why are Floridians waiting up to 11 days for coronavirus test results?
- Coronavirus money: How much could you receive from historic stimulus?
- Doctors say pregnant women should strictly adhere to social distancing guidelines
- Florida’s medical and nursing students ready for coronavirus fight