Ariel Zambelich/NPR This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Thank you. A refusal to satisfy their legal and moral obligations to locate the victims of experiments or to provide health care or compensation to them. Josephs had volunteered for a two-month assignment at Edgewood, in Maryland, lured by three-day weekends closer to home. "It's important that these soldiers who served their country are honored and get to the tell their story," Hancock said. This incapacitating agent would be dispersed by standard munitions, and the agent would enter the building through all nonprotected openings, the films narrator boasts. Of those involved in the experiments: Most of these experiments involved tests of protective equipment and of subjects' ability to perform military tasks during exposure. Paul retired from the military and went on to raise a family in Nashville. The IOM committee requested declassification of 21 additional elements from at least nine documents from DoD in August 2012. The chemicals were given to volunteer service members at Edgewood Arsenal, Maryland; Dugway Proving Ground, Utah; and Forts Benning, Bragg, and McClellan. He is one of 60,000 World War II veterans exposed to mustard gas as part of secret experiments by the U.S. military. The "Independent Study Course" cites mainly a three-volume study by the Institute of Medicine (19821985) for its data and conclusions, Possible Long-Term Health Effects of Short-Term Exposure to Chemical Agents. They based that conclusion on the same information that had been sitting in his VA file for decades. Recent reports indicated that as many as 7,000 soldiers may have been subjected to these experiments in a top secret Cold War research program studying chemical and biological weapons. Everyone I have dealt with at your firm has been very professional and courteous. To access the menus on this page please perform the following steps. "[4] Soviet advances in the same field were cited as a special incentive giving impetus to research efforts in this area, according to testimony by Maj. Gen. Marshall Stubbs, the Army's chief chemical officer. Tim Josephs arrived at Edgewood Arsenal in 1968, he knew there was something different about the place. Edgewood Arsenal MKULTRA Lawsuit Larry Scott has been all over this betrayal. Treatment will be in addition to the comprehensive medical care that plaintiffs are entitled to receive through Veterans Affairs because of their status as veterans, the release said. 8:56 AM EST, Thu March 1, 2012. His symptoms vary from day to day. 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. Expert meeting report. But he's haunted by what happened to him at Edgewood. It also released soldiers from their oath of secrecy. v. Central Intelligence Agency, et al. Those substances affect the same region of the brain, Erspamer said. He was told never to talk about his experiences at Edgewood and to forget about everything he ever did, said or heard at the Maryland base. Days before his Edgewood duty ended, in February 1968, Josephs was hospitalized for days with Parkinsons-like tremors, symptoms he said have followed him on and off throughout his adult life. These experiments were conducted primarily to learn how various agents would affect humans (NRC 1982). "I don't think there's an explanation for why this program wasn't more successful," Goss says. Your effort and contribution in providing this feedback is much hide caption. What types of tests were conducted at Edgewood? She has been an editor at Military Times for 20 years, covering issues that affect service members. Other times, he experiences numbness in his joints or or tremors. "No Social Security numbers, no addresses, no way of identifying them. The use of troops to test nerve gas, psychochemicals, and thousands of other toxic chemical or biological substances. It just did not look like a military base, more like a hospital, recalled Josephs, a Pittsburgh native. Josephs left the service when his three-year tour ended, and he began a career as a real estate agent. His wife, Irene, remembers how the experiments affected his health for the rest of his life. In his mid-50s, Josephs was diagnosed with Parkinsons disease, a progressive neurological condition that forced him to retire early. The VA created a list of illnesses that are linked to mustard gas exposure such as skin cancer, leukemia and chronic breathing problems. Long-term psychological effects are possible from the trauma associated with being a human test subject. If you are concerned about exposures during Edgewood/Aberdeen chemical tests, talk to your health care provider or local VA Environmental Health Coordinator. The document acknowledges his participation in mustard gas experiments. The complaint asked the court to determine that defendants' actions were illegal and that the defendants have a duty to notify all victims and to provide them with health care. According to CNN, declassified government documents indicated the men were exposed to incapacitating drugs like BZ; or to sarin, an extremely toxic, potentially deadly substance that disrupts the nervous system; or to VX, a liquid neurotoxin considered one of the most dangerous chemicals created. He was asked "Did you have pain every time you took a breath? In 2015, the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals said the Army, and not Veterans Affairs, should provide veterans with medical care related to the testing. Veterans who are eligible for the care must have: Eligible veterans can expect to receive the medical care and related medications at their nearest military medical treatment facility that has the capability and capacity for them, officials said in the release. "It just did not look like a military base, more. In the midst of the Cold War, the military was concerned chemical agents could be used against U.S. soldiers. 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. Those regulations have kept veterans like Harry Bollinger, 88, from receiving benefits. The Marine Corps is eliminating the scout sniper program as part of the service's big Force Design 2030 overhaul. Naval Training Center in Bainbridge, Md. The experiments involved at least 254 chemical substances, but focused mainly on midspectrum incapacitants, such as LSD, THC derivatives, benzodiazepines, and BZ. Her name is Joy. [21], On appeal in Vietnam Veterans of America v. Central Intelligence Agency, a panel majority held in July 2015 that Army Regulation 70-25 (AR 70-25) created an independent duty to provide ongoing medical care to veterans who participated in U.S. chemical and biological testing programs. Vets used in secret tests make progress in court, MCPON: Sailors need speedier, easier access to counseling, Tricare now covers new costly insulin device for Type 1 diabetics, Army artillery officer dies during assignment in Thailand, Veterans Affairs deputy secretary to leave post on April 1, China sends 25 planes, 3 ships toward Taiwan, Tax scams How to report them Money Minute, Capitol Hill weighs action on two controversial topics: medical marijuana and abortion, Lockheed wins hypersonics contract | Defense Dollars, Go inside a secret nuclear fallout bunker sealed for decades, The time is now to prepare for China conflict, Army leaders say, Dismissal of 3rd MARSOC 3 defendants case to be weighed by court, At Army experiment, experts tinker with tanks and communications kit, Pentagon sets deadline for services to stop enforcing vaccine mandate. Relics from Nat Schnurman's activism still decorate the family home where his wife, Joy (pictured, far right), lives. Things were different back then. They want to use young men as guinea pigs and throw them away., The Department of Defense and Department of Veterans Affairs declined face-to-face interviews with CNN, citing pending litigation. The tests evaluated protective equipment like gas masks and suits. Declassified military films show soldiers being given drugs and then being monitored to see their impacts. Cavell then submitted the documents to the VA as proof of his exposure. NPR interviewed more than 40 living test subjects and family members, and they describe an unending cycle of appeals and denials as they struggled to get government benefits for mustard gas exposure. 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. "They want to use young men as guinea pigs and throw them away," said Josephs, now 63. Vol. Read the confidential (now unclassified) Army document uncovering LSD tests on volunteers (PDF). [] At Edgewood, even at the highest doses it often took an hour or more for incapacitating effects to show, and the end-effects usually did not include full incapacitation, let alone unconsciousness. Greene called for a search for novel psychoactive compounds that would create the same debilitating mental side effects as those produced by nerve gases, but without their lethal effect. An officer took him aside. Since I grew up in close proximity to Edgewood with obvious chemical testing, how much can I have transferred birth defects to him? This includes receiving medicines or vaccines under the Armys investigational drug review. APG-EA continued to hurt soldiers ways after the human experiments and should be considered also. He showed a black and white photo of a large group of soldiers in front of a sign "Medical Volunteers.". "Chemical, Biological, and Radiological Warfare Agents", Sommer, Harold Z. Krenzer, John Miller, Jacob I. EA 1464 and Related Compounds. 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. Home U.S. Army Edgewood Arsenal Medical Experiments. After a stint at a defense company in Tennessee, Carl Gepp got a job in 1965 as an engineer working on the Honest John missile back at the Edgewood Arsenal. Discovery Company. There were instances of chemical damages to the car. The announcement applies to testing that took place from 1942 to 1975, officials said. At the Armys request, The Institute of Medicine, an independent nonprofit organization that is the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences, produced a three-volume report in the 1980s on the long-term health of Edgewood veterans. 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 . "[6], The Edgewood Arsenal human experiments took place from approximately 1948 to 1975 at the Medical Research Laboratorieswhich is now known as the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD)at the Edgewood Area, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. After an hour, the officer released six of the men back to their barracks. (N.D. Cal. All Rights Reserved. Each year more of their stories die with them. Hancock said the class action lawsuit led to nearly 10 years of litigation. CampBell's lawsuit seeks to remove Sherry Abraham from office . However, the declaration was an effective deterrent, and the Axis powers did not use . By this logic, Edgewood was possibly the safest military place in the world to spend two months. 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. And you just wouldnt think they would give you something that would harm you intentionally.. Copyrights 2002-2022 YourLawyer.com. The class-action lawsuit was filed by Vietnam Veterans of America, Swords to Plowshares and individual veterans seeking medical care for troops who participated in the programs at Edgewood Arsenal and Fort Detrick in Maryland. That adds up to 1,167 man-years of survival. 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. The process typically relies on evidence, but most of the men in these experiments have none because the tests were done in secret. Edgewood Arsenal Medical Experiments Compensation. After receiving the drug, soldiers were monitored to see if they could do basic tasks like run an obstacle course. 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. In 1988, Cavell requested copies of his records from the experiments he was in at the Naval Research Laboratory. "I'm glad to be talking to you about it. One of the men who never heard from the VA was John Berzellini. Other agencies including the CIA and the Special Operations Division of the Department of the Army were also reportedly involved in these studies (NAS 1993). Give Light and the People Will Find Their Own Way, Donate to the Salvation Army Red Kettle Challenge, Storm 5 Alert: Several waves of storms though Friday afternoon (3.1.23). When those experiments were formally declassified in the 1990s, the Department of Veterans Affairs made two promises: to locate about 4,000 men who were used in the most extreme tests, and to compensate those who had permanent injuries. Lasting from 1950 to 1975, the experiments took place at Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland. After NPR's inquiry, the VA told NPR there was enough evidence to grant his claims. Other exposures included tear gas, and hallucinogenics like LSD. According to at least one class action lawsuit filed on behalf of Edgewood Arsenal veterans, other substances tested on soldiers there included mescaline, amphetamines, mustard gas, CS (riot control agent), a THC analog called red oil, anthrax, botulism, plague, tularemia, Q fever, and crop destruction agents such as dioxin, used in Agent Orange. The testing took place at Edgewood Arsenal in Maryland from 1955 through 1975. A diagnosed medical condition they think is a direct result of taking part in an Army chem/bio substance testing program. "You can't coordinate anything you know. ", Flohr tells NPR his agency has followed federal statutes in its handling of claims for mustard gas exposure. 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. For example, in 1970, DEFENDANTS provided Congress with an alphabetical list showing that they had tested 145 drugs during Projects Bluebird, Artichoke, Case4:09-cv-00037-CW Document180 Filed11/18/10 Page6 of 76 Eight individual isomers numbered EA-2233-1 through EA-2233-8. Researchers there had recorded his full name in neat handwriting on lined paper. But now he just wants people to know what he and others endured. Hit enter to expand a main menu option (Health, Benefits, etc). 27299 Riverview Center Boulevard, Suite 108. 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. For 20 years the government tested chemicals on soldiers who were not aware what was being put in their bodies. About 260 subjects were experimentally exposed to various psychochemicals including phencyclidine (PCP), and 10 related synthetic analogs of the active ingredient of cannabis (NRC 1984). According to the agency, if a veteran has an illness on the list and can prove he was exposed, he receives benefits. The Army then sent Josephs to Air Force bases in Thailand, in support of the war effort in Vietnam. 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. Finally, from 1962 to 1972, a total of 123 irritant chemicals were tested on only two subjects each exposed using a wind tunnel (NRC 1984). 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. NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) A top-secret military program treated active-duty U.S. soldiers like they were guinea pigs according to a class action lawsuit that shed light on what happened. "Dr. Delirium & the Edgewood Experiments" gives ample airtime to theories that Edgewood hosted Nazi scientists given asylum under the Pentagon's notorious Operation Paperclip program, but never quite manages to tie the Germans to Ketchum's experiments. Even when he talks about Edgewood, he said, I get a tightness in my chest.. VA offers a variety of health care benefits to eligible Veterans. "There was no handle on the door. The judges in 2015 rejected a district courts earlier argument that the Army didnt have to provide medical care for the veterans because some of them receive VA care, The judges instead ruled the Army has a duty to provide them care. But Bollinger says he wouldn't go back to the agency after the way he was treated there. Veterans who have a disease or injury they believe is related to the testing may seek treatment from the Army, according to the Armys Office of the Surgeon General. [22], Material Testing Program EA (Edgewood Arsenal) numbers. And yet Flohr insists the VA still needs proof in order to grant claims. According to a deposition given by a former soldier involved in the program who is now deceased, it was not until men arrived at Edgewood Arsenal that they were informed that drugs would also be used in the experiments. He believes the testing hurt him emotionally and stole part of his life. Updated The U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs has a page about the testing on its website. 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. The whole thing stinks, and if the American people knew about it, they would not tolerate it. And instances when she told me when the office people had to stay indoors instill all cleared. 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. 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. "They didn't know they were signing up to get mystery chemicals injected into their bodies," Hancock said. "And that's what I have problems with today. To enter and activate the submenu links, hit the down arrow. Call: 988 (Press 1), U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs | 810 Vermont Avenue, NW Washington DC 20420. Some of the volunteers exhibited certain symptoms at the time of exposure to these agents. I really felt a duty to my country to go and serve, he said. The documentary was produced by Zero Point Zero Production, the production company behind Anthony Bourdain's "Parts Unknown," so there's more visual flash and on-camera time for reporters than PBS viewers might expect. Similarly, cholinesterase reactivators antidotes such as 2-PAM were tested on about 750 subjects. This top secret Cold War research program initially looked for ways to defend against a chemical or biological attack by the Soviet Union, thought to be far ahead of the United States in psycho-chemical warfare. For 20. A deliberate destruction of evidence and files documenting their illegal actions, actions which were punctuated by fraud, deception, and a callous disregard for the value of human life. The Army is required to provide medical care to veterans who took part in classified Army testing of chemical and biological substances decades ago, officials say. 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. In September 1975, the Medical Research Volunteer Program was discontinued and all resident volunteers were removed from the Edgewood installation. "U.S. Navy, Guinea Pig. It passed the Agent Orange Act in 1991, which requires the VA to assume that all veterans who served in and around Vietnam were exposed to the chemical. He says he is proud of his service, and he wears the cap everywhere he goes. Josephs received his letter from the VA in 2008, four decades after he arrived at the Maryland base. But until NPR inquired about his case, all of those claims had been denied. You can't hardly walk, and your mind is going so many different directions," Paul said. Please be sure to specify the particular web page or function at issue, and provide us with any other information you may think will help us locate the area. Improved Synthesis of EA 1464 and Preparation of its Corresponding Di-(Hydrogen Oxalate) Salt, EA 3669. "But not to get messed up," he continued. The lawsuit detailed how the military secretly tested drugs and chemicals on thousands of soldiers including dangerous nerve gases like Sarin and incapacitating agents like LSD and BZ, that Paul called Benzene. According to a CNN report that aired in March 2012, from 1955 to 1975 more than 7,000 soldiers each spent two months at Edgewood Arsenal, where they were exposed to as many 250 different chemical and biological agents as part of secret medical experiments. The chemical caused a delirium that included hallucinations and an inability to carry out tasks. Terms Of Use | Privacy Policy | Disclaimer | Accessibility Compliance Policy | Library | Diversity StatementWe are committed to making this website accessible, and as consistent with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 as possible. "Until we actually got into the process of being in that room and realized, wait a minute, we can't get out of here.". Over a period of 20 years, more than 7,000 volunteers spent an estimated total of 14,000 months at Edgewood Arsenal. It forced the Army to locate soldiers who were in the testing program and send them documentation detailing what happened to them. You believed in your government. A nurse or doctor asked him questions after he was put in a chamber and exposed to an irritant, likely tear gas. "But we have done everything that we could do, I definitely believe that.". Josephs has not received any health benefits related to his time as a human test subject at Edgewood. In the suit, Vietnam Veterans of America, et al. Copyright 2023 Military.com. All Rights Reserved. "I'm sorry," Flohr says. The website has details about applying for medical care through this program. 2009), the plaintiffs did not seek monetary damages. Fed the "F" up. In January 2014, an additional request was made for release of multiple films made of Project SHAD tests. . 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 Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD) at the Edgewood Area . The Edgewood Arsenal human experiments took place from approximately 1948 to 1975 at the Medical Research Laboratorieswhich is now known as the U.S. Army Medical Research Institute of Chemical Defense (USAMRICD)at the Edgewood Area, Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland. NPR Photo Editor Ariel Zambelich and reporters Christopher Groskopf, Jani Actman and Lydia Emmanouilidou also contributed to this story. In order to best serve veterans and their families, VA continues to study the possibility of long-term health effects associated with in-service exposure to chemical and biological weapons, the letter promised. Parker Waichman LLP is offering free lawsuit evaluations to any former soldier who was subjected to medical experimentation at Edgewood Arsenal between 1955 through 1975. But when he went to fill out paperwork the morning after his arrival, the base personnel were wearing white lab coats, and Josephs said he had second thoughts. Cavell and 11 other volunteers were locked inside a gas chamber with mustard gas piping inside. In this U.S. government photo, Wray Forrest is seen on the far right in 1973 while participating in the program at Maryland's Edgewood Chemical and Biological Center. While in the Navy, Cavell (center, No. The release of the new document comes after a year in which the Navy saw several major clusters of suicides. To apply, eligible veterans must have: . 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. And it just goes on for years and years, and they just want to wear us down. Fort Hoyle was established on October 7, 1922, and was created from a portion of the Edgewood Arsenal. Former ABC and Politico correspondent Tara Palmeri leads a team of investigative journalists as they reexamine a dark chapter of Army history. See Vietnam Veterans II, 811 F.3d at 1076-78 (discussing the Army's failure in its ongoing "duty to warn" Edgewood Arsenal volunteers under AR 70-25), 1080-81 (discussing the Army's failure in its "duty of care" to Edge-wood Arsenal volunteers under AR 70-25); see also Vi-etnam Veterans I, 2013 WL 6092031, at *2 (explaining . The MRVP was also driven by intelligence requirements and the need for new and more effective interrogation techniques. Last year, the Department of Veterans Affairs granted him partial benefits for his Parkinsons for Agent Orange exposure during his time in Thailand, giving Josephs 40% disability. So, when I received the shot, we went into a heat room," Paul said. "We weren't told what it was," says Charlie Cavell, who was 19 when he volunteered for the program in exchange for two weeks' vacation. . The club operated from approximately the 1920s until sometime not long after the Arsenal was combined with Aberdeen Proving Ground in 1971. The letter granting him benefits made no mention of Edgewood. A recent class action lawsuit filed by the Vietnam Veterans of America required the U.S. Army to provide medical care to veterans who volunteered to contribute to the advancement of the U.S. biological and chemical programs. These studies included a secret human subjects component at least as early as 1948, when "psychological reactions" were documented in Edgewood technicians. A group of them, led by Nat Schnurman, went public with their stories in 1990. One film showed soldiers being injected with BZ, which in high doses can lead to hallucinations and confusion. 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. Watching soldiers suffer through delirium and panic attacks while older survivors describe their experiences makes for powerful viewing. These efforts are ongoing. The military also tested tear gas, barbiturates, tranquilizers, narcotics and hallucinogens like LSD. 2. 1, "Anticholinesterases and Anticholinergics", Vol. "But the only thing we can do is follow our statutes and regulations.". Erspamer said he sees a connection between Josephs Parkinsons disease and the drugs he received at Edgewood. These men make a convincing case that they were not briefed about the risks involved in the program and did not understand the potential for the long-term effects they've endured. A Government Accounting Office report of May 2004, Chemical and Biological Defense: DOD Needs to Continue to Collect and Provide Information on Tests and Potentially Exposed Personnel (pp. While I understand the premise of the lawsuit as stated, I have a question, I and my parents moved to Jolla in 1964. The American Legion identified limits on attorneys fees related to Camp Lejeune Justice Act claims as one of its top goals. Paul was serving at Fort Bliss in Texas in 1968, when he volunteered for what he thought would be an easy assignment. 2, "Cholinesterase Reactivators, Psychochemicals and Irritants and Vesicants, Vol. Vets feel abandoned after secret drug experiments, Former sergeant seeks compensation for LSD testing at Edgewood Arsenal, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Edgewood_Arsenal_human_experiments&oldid=1124810855, Development evaluation and test procedures, Effects of drugs and environmental stress on human physiological mechanisms, Human factors tests (ability to follow instructions), Other (visual studies, sleep deprivation, etc. If I go to a locked door, I panic sometimes to try to get out.". The Edgewood Arsenal continued to produce chemical agents and countermeasures in case they became necessary. Attention A T users. My mom eventually transferred to Edgewood Arsenal shortly later. 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