WASHINGTON — They fought the enemy.
Then, they had to fight the government to receive their benefits.
Now, finally, thousands of Vietnam vets are getting what they had coming.
But, the fight's not over. From 1965 to 1970, "Operation Ranch Hand" sprayed around 12 million gallons of the toxic defoliant Agent Orange over 4.5 million acres in Vietnam.
Because the herbicide was used so heavily, the government now presumes that 15 illnesses are service-connected for Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange, including non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, Parkinson's disease and lung cancer.
But until 2019, 50,000 Blue Water Navy veterans who served aboard ships off the coastline were not eligible for the same disability benefits as troops who served in Vietnam itself.
In 2020, the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California ruled in favor of the Blue Water veterans who served within 12 nautical miles of the coast of Vietnam.
The National Veterans Legal Services Program has fought the Veterans Affairs Department for decades and reports that since 2021, the VA paid nearly $201 million in retroactive benefits to more than 6,900 Blue Water vets and their survivors.
"It was very satisfying and out of the blue that the federal circuit un-did its wrong," said National Veterans Legal Services Program co-founder Bart Stichman.
In an interview with 13New Now on Thursday, he said there's still much work to do, finding eligible vets and securing their benefits.
"The VA too often denies veterans the money they should get," he said. "They're at least trying to protect the U.S. Treasury from payments that they don't think are deserved in a very tightwad sort of way."
Veterans Affairs Secretary Denis McDonough has publicly voiced support for Blue Water veterans.
He said in 2021: "Many of our nation's veterans have waited a long time for these benefits. This is absolutely the right thing to do for veterans and their families."