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Epilogue One Story We’re both kind of stubborn. —Laurel Maier The VA had refused to take Dave Maier seriously when he tried to explain the connection between herbicides and his disease. He decided to fight back. Laurel understood that Dave now had a purpose beyond just staying alive. “He kept thinking there was a reason he was still around that he didn’t know about yet.” Dave said, “When I first figured this out, we didn’t really see that we had a choice not to come forward.” Thirteen years after he left Vietnam, Dave joined the Vietnam Veterans of America. The Cleveland VVA chapter regarded him as its Agent Orange expert (“because I had read one article”) and elected him to represent them in the state chapter. He traveled around the state, telling his story. He learned even more about the government’s poor treatment of Agent Orange veterans, and it made him furious. But he was frustrated by his inability to accomplish anything at the state level. “It wasn’t a local issue; it wasn’t a state issue. It was a national issue.” And although he’d received excellent help from the VVA, he didn’t think the organization, as a whole, truly understood the extent of the problem. In 1983, Dave learned that the VVA was going to hold its national elections in Washington, DC. He decided to go and tell them how important the Agent Orange issue was and how it could only be solved at the federal level. When Dave arrived at the convention, he was told that he wouldn’t be allowed to speak unless he ran for office. He didn’t campaign. He just raised his hand and asked to tell his story. When he finished, he received a standing ovation and was elected to the Board of Directors. Dave served for two years. He made sure the VVA paid proper attention to the Agent Orange issue. He was named as a plaintiff in the first Nehmer case. He began speaking in public and became a symbol for Agent Orange veterans. Hundreds have called his home for advice. Finally, in 1993, nearly a decade after he filed his claim, the VA granted him 90 percent disability for his soft tissue sarcoma. Shortly 227 after that, he became a commissioner at the Cuyahoga County Veterans’ Service Commission. Now he’s an appeals officer there, helping veterans navigate the local, state, and federal systems. “It’s good work. So many of them don’t know what they’re entitled to.” Dave’s earned their trust because “I’ve been through the ropes with the VA. I probably tell my story four or five times a week.” Sometimes just telling your story is enough. 228 Toxic War: The Story of Agent Orange ...

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