I come from a long line of military pilots, so when I graduated from Indiana University in 1968 with the Vietnam War still going on, I decided to enter the Marine Corps. After earning my commission, I headed to Pensacola, Florida for basic flight training. I was fortunate enough to make it into the jet pipeline. By April 1970, I achieved my wings.
From Military Family to Marine Corps Pilot
I was assigned to fly the EA-6A, a reconnaissance aircraft that was the forerunner of today’s F-18 Growler. Although I was sure I’d be deployed to Vietnam, my unit was just pulling out of the country. Instead, I flew numerous missions throughout Southeast Asia. Those flights would later prove to have lasting consequences on my health.
The EA-6A was essentially like flying inside a microwave. We carried ALQ pods that emitted tremendous amounts of radiation to jam enemy radar, but we had no protection in the cockpit. To make matters worse, the glass canopy covering the cockpit exposed us to intense UV radiation from the sun. This was particularly concerning because it was during a period of high solar activity.
I served in the Marine Corps until October 1973, then went to work for Eastman Kodak. But in 1981, the call of military service drew me back. I joined the Army National Guard in Indiana, transitioning to rotary wing helicopters. My service took me from Shelbyville to Salt Lake City and finally to Washington state, where I retired as a Lieutenant Colonel in January 2002, ending a combined 25-year career as a military pilot.
The Hidden Costs of Flying
The physical toll of my service wouldn’t become fully apparent until years later. In the early 2000s, I started having vision problems. During an online search, I began connecting the dots between my time in the EA6A’s microwave-like cockpit and my condition. I was diagnosed with an iris melanoma at Virginia Mason Clinic – a rare form of cancer that eventually cost me the sight in my right eye.
My body bore other scars from my service too. During training at a rocket range in Texas, I suffered a spinal compression fracture while firing rockets on a range from pulling “G”’s exiting the target. Twenty-five years around jet engines had also left me with significant hearing loss.
In November 2015, I applied for VA benefits in Seattle but was wrongly told I didn’t qualify because I hadn’t served in Vietnam and my income was too high – even though I was retired and making very little money at the time. It wasn’t until a chance visit to a VA facility in South Dakota about five years ago that someone finally pointed me toward Northwest Justice Project (NJP).
Finding Help
I was hesitant at first – I didn’t know what NJP was or what they represented. But when I met Jen Budinick, a former Marine Corps sergeant turned lawyer, everything changed. NJP took my case and showed that the initial VA rejection was wrong – you don’t need to have served in Vietnam to be eligible for benefits.
NJP argued to the VA that my melanoma and partial blindness were connected to my military service – all those hours of UV exposure in the cockpit. They included my back injury and hearing loss. Thanks to their advocacy, I received a 50% disability rating. That rating also meant I could receive both my military retirement and VA disability pay, instead of having to choose between them. Without NJP’s expertise, I doubt I would have received either benefit.
Giving Back
The support from NJP changed my life in ways I hadn’t expected. Today, I serve as a director on the board of Friends of Fisher House Puget Sound, helping to raise funds and awareness to support active-duty Military and Veteran families staying at our four Fisher Houses located here in Washington State. We provide “home away from home” accommodations for these deserving families while they are caring for their loved one needing emergency treatment at a military medical facility. It’s my way of giving back.
I continue to be moved by the dedication of NJP staff. These are people with law degrees who could be making much more money in private practice, but they choose to serve veterans and others needing legal representation instead. They remind me of what draws many people to military service – that sense of duty to God and country, that dedication to serving humanity. I couldn’t even take them out to lunch to say thank you – they wouldn’t accept it. That’s just the kind of organization they are.
If there’s one thing I want other veterans to know, it’s this: give NJP a call, without a doubt. If I had known about them earlier, I probably would have been receiving VA benefits since 2015. I couldn’t have done it on my own. Without their help, nothing would have happened.
How to get legal help
If you are a veteran with low-income or a family member living outside King County and need legal assistance with VA benefits or housing, you can contact NJP’s CLEAR toll-free legal hotline at 1-888-201-1014 weekdays between 9:15 am – 12:15 pm. If you are a veteran or a family member living in King County and you need legal assistance, you can contact King County Veterans Program to schedule an appointment with an attorney by calling 206-263-VETS (8387).