WEBVTT 00:00:05.200 --> 00:00:09.060 All across America and around the world, this 00:00:09.060 --> 00:00:15.160 is Veterans Radio. This is Veterans Radio. Good 00:00:15.160 --> 00:00:18.600 day. I'm Jim Fossone. I'm the Officer of the 00:00:18.600 --> 00:00:20.699 Deck today here on Veterans Radio and thanks 00:00:20.699 --> 00:00:23.469 for joining us. We've got some interesting stories 00:00:23.469 --> 00:00:25.649 for you. We always want to remind you you can 00:00:25.649 --> 00:00:28.750 find more about Veterans Radio at its Facebook 00:00:28.750 --> 00:00:32.429 site or at the web, veteransradio .org, where 00:00:32.429 --> 00:00:35.270 we're on the web 24 -7. You can find a lot of 00:00:35.270 --> 00:00:38.310 our podcasts there as well. We post new ones 00:00:38.310 --> 00:00:42.490 every Tuesday, so you can get a new story, a 00:00:42.490 --> 00:00:45.229 new interview, something you didn't know before 00:00:45.229 --> 00:00:49.219 by going to VeteransRadio .org. 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We were recently identified 00:02:20.340 --> 00:02:25.120 as the in the 15th spot, if you will, of the 00:02:25.120 --> 00:02:30.060 top 100 veteran -centric podcasts by Feet Spot. 00:02:30.620 --> 00:02:33.020 So really pretty proud of being in the top 15. 00:02:33.659 --> 00:02:38.400 So listen in wherever you're at to veteransradio 00:02:38.400 --> 00:02:42.400 .org and its podcasts. We want to welcome to 00:02:42.400 --> 00:02:45.139 Veterans Radio today, Christina Johnson. She 00:02:45.139 --> 00:02:49.620 is a veteran advocate with an organization called 00:02:49.620 --> 00:02:54.139 Asbestos Ships, which is a non -profit that I 00:02:54.139 --> 00:02:55.900 bumped into and I thought, oh, this is interesting. 00:02:55.979 --> 00:02:58.300 I don't think we've talked about this on Veterans 00:02:58.300 --> 00:03:02.360 Radio in a long time, at least. Christina, welcome 00:03:02.360 --> 00:03:05.500 to Veterans Radio. Thank you, Jim. Thank you 00:03:05.500 --> 00:03:08.080 for having me here today. I'd like to discuss 00:03:08.080 --> 00:03:10.819 the important work that we do and particularly 00:03:10.819 --> 00:03:14.259 for our older veterans who need that extra support. 00:03:15.199 --> 00:03:20.139 Absolutely. And this arises out of the fact that 00:03:20.139 --> 00:03:25.270 asbestos was used as sort of a You know product 00:03:25.270 --> 00:03:30.030 almost a miracle product to reduce fires on ships 00:03:30.030 --> 00:03:33.689 in particular But all through the country asbestos 00:03:33.689 --> 00:03:38.689 was used into the through the 70s Tell us a little 00:03:38.689 --> 00:03:42.409 bit about that History in terms of ships and 00:03:42.409 --> 00:03:45.050 it wouldn't just be Navy. It would be Coast Guard 00:03:45.050 --> 00:03:48.169 And any other ships that the government was involved 00:03:48.169 --> 00:03:50.729 in but tell us a little bit about how asbestos 00:03:50.729 --> 00:03:55.659 was used Absolutely. So from 1930s to the early 00:03:55.659 --> 00:04:00.439 1980s, asbestos was everywhere on US Navy ships, 00:04:01.139 --> 00:04:03.479 submarines, shipyards, and also military bases. 00:04:04.099 --> 00:04:08.199 So it was in over 300 different products, installation, 00:04:08.599 --> 00:04:12.039 pipes, boilers, you name it. The problem was 00:04:12.039 --> 00:04:14.659 that nobody back then fully understood the health 00:04:14.659 --> 00:04:18.300 risks, so safety measures like protective masks 00:04:18.300 --> 00:04:21.360 or wetting down materials were not enforced. 00:04:21.879 --> 00:04:25.800 Veterans, especially those with hands -on roles 00:04:25.800 --> 00:04:29.860 like shipyards workers, insulators, or CBs doing 00:04:29.860 --> 00:04:33.959 construction, were exposed on a daily basis to 00:04:33.959 --> 00:04:38.259 asbestos dust, often in cramped or poorly ventilated 00:04:38.259 --> 00:04:40.860 spaces. Many didn't even realize they were breathing 00:04:40.860 --> 00:04:44.639 in these harmful fibers. Yeah, that's really 00:04:44.639 --> 00:04:48.480 the, you know, back then, both because maybe 00:04:48.480 --> 00:04:51.000 science wasn't as far along, medicine wasn't 00:04:51.000 --> 00:04:54.500 as far along, and quite frankly, we as veterans 00:04:54.500 --> 00:04:56.839 probably didn't pay attention to any instructions 00:04:56.839 --> 00:05:01.779 we got anyway, but it really had long -term effects 00:05:01.779 --> 00:05:05.680 on veterans working in those areas where asbestos 00:05:05.680 --> 00:05:08.480 fibers got airborne, because as I understand 00:05:08.480 --> 00:05:11.209 it right, it gets trapped in your lungs. Right, 00:05:11.550 --> 00:05:15.990 yes. It can lead to serious health issues and 00:05:15.990 --> 00:05:19.189 unfortunately it takes decades for all of the 00:05:19.189 --> 00:05:23.329 symptoms to show up. When you say serious health 00:05:23.329 --> 00:05:25.670 issues, could you elaborate what kind of health 00:05:25.670 --> 00:05:29.870 issues if somebody was exposed to it might they 00:05:29.870 --> 00:05:33.839 end up with? Right. We're talking about non -cancerous 00:05:33.839 --> 00:05:37.319 conditions like pulmonary fibrosis, asbestosis, 00:05:37.740 --> 00:05:41.680 chronic bronchitis, COPD, pleuroplex, pleural 00:05:41.680 --> 00:05:45.560 thickening, and many others. These diseases can 00:05:45.560 --> 00:05:48.800 make breeding difficult and severely impact the 00:05:48.800 --> 00:05:52.920 quality of life of our veterans. And really, 00:05:53.240 --> 00:05:56.019 my doctor might not even think to ask me that 00:05:56.019 --> 00:06:00.069 question, I suppose, if he didn't know. Hey, 00:06:00.329 --> 00:06:02.810 yeah, I was a mill writer. I was this or that 00:06:02.810 --> 00:06:05.610 on ship. I was in fire damage control. I mean, 00:06:05.629 --> 00:06:09.250 I guess you got to know what questions to ask 00:06:09.250 --> 00:06:12.470 or what information to give if you've got one 00:06:12.470 --> 00:06:16.899 of these non -cancerous diseases. Exactly. And 00:06:16.899 --> 00:06:19.740 that's what we do with asbestos ships. As soon 00:06:19.740 --> 00:06:22.319 as we call our veterans, we walk them through 00:06:22.319 --> 00:06:25.860 a process where we tell them what kind of questions, 00:06:26.339 --> 00:06:30.160 what should they, what kind of tests they should 00:06:30.160 --> 00:06:36.240 ask their doctors in order to get properly diagnosed 00:06:36.240 --> 00:06:42.660 and then also try and help their VA claims and 00:06:42.660 --> 00:06:45.240 their other types of claims that they can be 00:06:45.240 --> 00:06:48.699 eligible for. Now, neither you or I are medical 00:06:48.699 --> 00:06:52.579 folks, but you've got deeper understanding of 00:06:52.579 --> 00:06:55.439 this whole field than I do. Is there a way to 00:06:55.439 --> 00:06:59.480 test to say, yeah, I kind of think I was on a 00:06:59.480 --> 00:07:01.540 ship doing X, Y, or Z. Is there a way to test 00:07:01.540 --> 00:07:06.160 if I've got asbestos in my airways? The best 00:07:06.160 --> 00:07:10.259 way to test for that is by going to bee readers, 00:07:10.360 --> 00:07:13.660 but there's only a few in US that actually do 00:07:13.660 --> 00:07:19.120 these types of tests and a regular chest x -ray 00:07:19.120 --> 00:07:23.009 would be enough. to see and then a breeding test 00:07:23.009 --> 00:07:26.990 and they do various different tests right now, 00:07:27.050 --> 00:07:30.529 but I do recommend, I mean, I do tell veterans 00:07:30.529 --> 00:07:33.709 that you do need to go get a chest x -ray and 00:07:33.709 --> 00:07:37.250 you need to ask these 10 questions. I was also 00:07:37.250 --> 00:07:40.709 surprised in reading some of the materials that 00:07:40.709 --> 00:07:46.730 you have on asbestos ships that exposure to asbestos 00:07:46.730 --> 00:07:49.449 could develop cancers that extend beyond the 00:07:49.449 --> 00:07:54.899 lungs. Oh, yes. So what happens, these fibers 00:07:54.899 --> 00:08:00.160 can, they get inhaled and then they get ingested 00:08:00.160 --> 00:08:02.740 and they can travel through your body and they 00:08:02.740 --> 00:08:05.899 will attack your weakest organs. So if you're 00:08:05.899 --> 00:08:10.019 predisposed to, or your immune system is weaker 00:08:10.019 --> 00:08:15.689 and let's say, you know, like in other, with 00:08:15.689 --> 00:08:18.569 with other organs then you will get brain cancer 00:08:18.569 --> 00:08:22.889 you will get prostate cancer and we know this 00:08:22.889 --> 00:08:26.649 for sure because upon biopsies they do find fibers 00:08:26.649 --> 00:08:34.350 and liver you know prostate colon and other organs 00:08:34.350 --> 00:08:37.610 as well yeah as i said i i kind of was thinking 00:08:37.610 --> 00:08:41.690 well this is a lung pulmonary problem was kind 00:08:41.690 --> 00:08:45.279 of surprised to learn it could be a lot Can have 00:08:45.279 --> 00:08:48.860 impacted a lot more in your body organs in your 00:08:48.860 --> 00:08:52.500 body than than just the lungs Yeah, many veterans 00:08:52.500 --> 00:08:54.980 don't really know that and the most important 00:08:54.980 --> 00:08:57.600 part is like many veterans don't really go to 00:08:57.600 --> 00:09:00.120 the doctor early enough So an early diagnosis 00:09:00.120 --> 00:09:04.860 is crucial and that's what we try to create awareness 00:09:04.860 --> 00:09:09.960 for So you have a website the organization's 00:09:09.960 --> 00:09:15.399 website is asbestos -ships .com which has all 00:09:15.399 --> 00:09:18.919 kinds of information on it, but I noticed when 00:09:18.919 --> 00:09:21.120 I'm on it, I actually get a chat bot with your 00:09:21.120 --> 00:09:23.539 face and says, hey, I'm Christina, can I help 00:09:23.539 --> 00:09:28.600 you? What are common questions that you get from 00:09:28.600 --> 00:09:31.580 veterans or friends of veterans who are kind 00:09:31.580 --> 00:09:34.980 of just trying to get some information and understand 00:09:34.980 --> 00:09:40.059 this process? Most of the veterans, we get about 00:09:40.220 --> 00:09:45.220 50 to 100 calls a day. It's insane how many calls 00:09:45.220 --> 00:09:48.799 we get. I mean I can't even answer all of them 00:09:48.799 --> 00:09:52.379 in time and oftentimes I work as much as I can 00:09:52.379 --> 00:09:56.679 so I can call them back and educate them mostly. 00:09:57.500 --> 00:10:01.320 The early diagnosis and diagnosis questions like 00:10:01.320 --> 00:10:04.350 that most of the times Some of them, it's too 00:10:04.350 --> 00:10:06.590 late. They already have cancers. They have the 00:10:06.590 --> 00:10:08.590 cancer diagnosis, and they need help with their 00:10:08.590 --> 00:10:12.429 VA claims. And that's very unfortunate. But some 00:10:12.429 --> 00:10:14.909 of them just have the symptoms. And the symptoms 00:10:14.909 --> 00:10:18.389 can take three to four years to develop into 00:10:18.389 --> 00:10:21.429 something more serious like cancer. So they can. 00:10:21.769 --> 00:10:24.490 actually manage those symptoms if they would 00:10:24.490 --> 00:10:26.929 just get diagnosed and they would just get educated 00:10:26.929 --> 00:10:32.029 about their quality. Where am I right now in 00:10:32.029 --> 00:10:34.909 the process? Because the fibers are non -removable. 00:10:35.169 --> 00:10:37.669 They live in your lungs and they're going to 00:10:37.669 --> 00:10:39.350 stay there. So it's something that they have 00:10:39.350 --> 00:10:43.029 to learn to manage. And if they are more educated 00:10:43.029 --> 00:10:47.169 about the early diagnosis, then it's absolutely 00:10:47.169 --> 00:10:50.809 vital for veterans. And I can highlight a couple 00:10:50.809 --> 00:10:55.750 of reasons of why this group actually deserves 00:10:55.750 --> 00:10:59.090 special attention. Absolutely. Please do. And 00:10:59.090 --> 00:11:02.370 I think that weaves into one of the things you 00:11:02.370 --> 00:11:05.009 guys work on, which is sort of the whole policy, 00:11:06.009 --> 00:11:08.830 trying to get policymakers, VA leaders to understand 00:11:08.830 --> 00:11:11.360 this. But go ahead and explain it to us. Yes. 00:11:12.000 --> 00:11:15.159 So first of all, veterans, they face unique health 00:11:15.159 --> 00:11:18.480 risks tied to their service. Many of them were 00:11:18.480 --> 00:11:21.220 exposed to environmental hazards like Agent Orange, 00:11:21.480 --> 00:11:24.539 burn pits, radiation during their deployments, 00:11:25.500 --> 00:11:27.759 significantly increasing their risk of developing 00:11:27.759 --> 00:11:31.120 cancers such as lung, prostate, leukemia, and 00:11:31.120 --> 00:11:35.759 many other types of cancers. Unfortunately, a 00:11:35.759 --> 00:11:39.220 lot of these cancers develop often silently with 00:11:39.220 --> 00:11:41.779 no symptoms in the early stages. So catching 00:11:41.779 --> 00:11:44.259 them early through regular screenings can mean 00:11:44.259 --> 00:11:46.860 the difference between a treatable condition 00:11:46.860 --> 00:11:50.159 and one that's advanced and far and harder to 00:11:50.159 --> 00:11:54.879 manage. So the second one is veterans often deal 00:11:54.879 --> 00:11:58.200 with complex health challenges, including higher 00:11:58.200 --> 00:12:01.299 rates of chronic conditions like PTSD, physical 00:12:01.299 --> 00:12:05.779 injury, which can mask or delay cancer symptoms 00:12:05.779 --> 00:12:09.980 as well. An early diagnosis ensures that cancer 00:12:09.980 --> 00:12:14.860 isn't overlooked and allowing for timely intervention. 00:12:16.919 --> 00:12:19.659 So for example, I've been just reading about 00:12:19.659 --> 00:12:22.179 something about the VA's own data that shows 00:12:22.179 --> 00:12:25.179 that veterans diagnosed with stage one lung cancer 00:12:25.179 --> 00:12:28.279 have a five -year survival rate of around 60 00:12:28.279 --> 00:12:31.220 to 70 percent compared to just 10 to 10 percent 00:12:31.220 --> 00:12:35.679 for stage four. Oh yeah. So you know those numbers 00:12:35.679 --> 00:12:38.559 speak for themselves and early detection does 00:12:38.559 --> 00:12:41.700 save lives. One of the things that I thought 00:12:41.700 --> 00:12:44.139 was also very interesting on your website which 00:12:44.139 --> 00:12:49.379 is asbestoships .com are the blogs that you have 00:12:49.379 --> 00:12:52.919 talking about different issues and maybe it's 00:12:52.919 --> 00:12:56.500 once or twice a month you put a blog out the 00:12:56.500 --> 00:13:00.059 October one was radar technicians and exposure 00:13:00.059 --> 00:13:05.320 asbestos exposure but another one was a month 00:13:05.320 --> 00:13:08.419 earlier was testicular cancer as a presumptive 00:13:08.419 --> 00:13:11.519 condition under the PACDAC. So there's a lot, 00:13:12.000 --> 00:13:14.399 it seems like you're trying to put out good information 00:13:14.399 --> 00:13:18.500 every month that maybe the veteran who's looking 00:13:18.500 --> 00:13:24.120 for some answers might find some here. Are you 00:13:24.120 --> 00:13:26.980 the writer of these blogs or how do you pick 00:13:26.980 --> 00:13:30.340 your topics? Yes, I do everything myself and 00:13:30.340 --> 00:13:32.399 by interviewing and talking to the veterans, 00:13:33.200 --> 00:13:35.919 I document everything that is of their interest 00:13:35.919 --> 00:13:39.419 and they want to find, you know, answers to or 00:13:39.419 --> 00:13:41.919 they want to find out how the process is like 00:13:41.919 --> 00:13:47.059 or what it looks like. So I try to be transparent 00:13:47.059 --> 00:13:49.840 with that information based on, you know, the 00:13:49.840 --> 00:13:52.399 interviews and based on my conversations that 00:13:52.399 --> 00:13:55.240 I have with them. Yeah, I sort of had a feeling 00:13:55.240 --> 00:13:56.919 this is one of those things where you go like, 00:13:57.100 --> 00:13:58.940 I've had a lot of these questions this month, 00:13:58.960 --> 00:14:01.759 I'm going to go try to try to put something out 00:14:01.759 --> 00:14:05.159 there for people. Yeah and not all of them are 00:14:05.159 --> 00:14:07.759 you know educated or like they they know enough 00:14:07.759 --> 00:14:11.220 about the PACT Act but some of the veterans like 00:14:11.220 --> 00:14:14.059 read a lot and they amazed me with their questions 00:14:14.059 --> 00:14:17.559 they they make it hard for me sometimes so I 00:14:17.559 --> 00:14:20.779 love that I love that they're curious and they're 00:14:20.779 --> 00:14:24.179 they're they're just well researched and I want 00:14:24.179 --> 00:14:27.259 you know to make sure that all veterans do that 00:14:27.259 --> 00:14:31.000 for themselves and I know You also have a function 00:14:31.000 --> 00:14:34.679 on searching for ships. Tell me about that a 00:14:34.679 --> 00:14:39.159 little bit. Yes, so not all of the ships or at 00:14:39.159 --> 00:14:44.120 least some of the older ships in particular, 00:14:44.419 --> 00:14:47.679 sometimes they don't have enough crew members 00:14:47.679 --> 00:14:54.960 that are still alive. veterans will call me, 00:14:55.120 --> 00:14:57.399 and they just want to connect with a shipmate. 00:14:57.740 --> 00:15:01.779 And we help them with that. And we find out who 00:15:01.779 --> 00:15:06.340 is still alive. If we have a phone number for 00:15:06.340 --> 00:15:10.240 that shipmate, sometimes they submit their pictures, 00:15:10.379 --> 00:15:12.600 they submit their data, they submit their information. 00:15:12.659 --> 00:15:22.360 So we connect veterans with former Shipmates? 00:15:22.759 --> 00:15:25.500 Yeah, shipmates, sorry. I was like, I was laughing. 00:15:25.759 --> 00:15:29.440 And you also linked to the various ship building 00:15:29.440 --> 00:15:34.120 yards or shipyards that these American ships 00:15:34.120 --> 00:15:36.779 were built out of because so many, you know, 00:15:36.980 --> 00:15:39.440 ships got, if you were in the Navy or in the 00:15:39.440 --> 00:15:41.720 Coast Guard, sooner or later, you're probably 00:15:41.720 --> 00:15:44.120 on a detail that's taking the ship back into 00:15:44.120 --> 00:15:47.659 the dry dock. for repair work or maintenance 00:15:47.659 --> 00:15:51.080 or upgrades. So that's also a very interesting 00:15:51.080 --> 00:15:54.879 feature of your website. I suspect that gets 00:15:54.879 --> 00:15:58.220 a lot of play as well. Yes, so the ships, while 00:15:58.220 --> 00:16:00.139 the ships are very important, some of the ships 00:16:00.139 --> 00:16:03.769 have a lot of veterans that call me from them 00:16:03.769 --> 00:16:08.190 and some have less, but with the shipyards is 00:16:08.190 --> 00:16:11.210 particularly interesting the fact that they were 00:16:11.210 --> 00:16:13.870 working all day long in the shipyards and they 00:16:13.870 --> 00:16:17.730 would go home, they would carry all the, not 00:16:17.730 --> 00:16:21.950 just the asbestos fibers, all the toxins on their 00:16:21.950 --> 00:16:25.169 clothes and then their wives and children would 00:16:25.169 --> 00:16:28.539 breathe them in and eventually. years and years 00:16:28.539 --> 00:16:32.580 later, they get sick from the same exact illnesses 00:16:32.580 --> 00:16:36.419 that the veterans are sick of. When you and I 00:16:36.419 --> 00:16:39.000 were talking about setting this interview up, 00:16:39.019 --> 00:16:41.480 one of the things you said to me was that the 00:16:41.480 --> 00:16:44.879 call center is really the heart of what you do 00:16:44.879 --> 00:16:48.940 at asbestoships .com. Tell me what you meant 00:16:48.940 --> 00:16:52.769 by that. Yes, I would like to spotlight our call 00:16:52.769 --> 00:16:56.009 center. It truly reflects the heart of our organization. 00:16:56.149 --> 00:16:59.529 We are a small team, more like a family, and 00:16:59.529 --> 00:17:02.049 we pour our heart into every interaction that 00:17:02.049 --> 00:17:06.339 we have with our veterans. We have a high volume 00:17:06.339 --> 00:17:09.640 of calls. We can't answer every single call immediately, 00:17:09.720 --> 00:17:12.480 but we take messages and we follow up diligently. 00:17:12.980 --> 00:17:16.619 We call back as many times as it takes. I love 00:17:16.619 --> 00:17:19.440 talking to these veterans on the phone and I 00:17:19.440 --> 00:17:22.019 can tell that some of them enjoy doing that. 00:17:22.539 --> 00:17:26.180 Well, this clearly has to be a passion project, 00:17:27.039 --> 00:17:30.940 which most small nonprofits really are. But do 00:17:30.940 --> 00:17:33.900 you have partners or sponsors who've been helping 00:17:33.900 --> 00:17:40.440 you in this passion project? We have had a couple 00:17:40.440 --> 00:17:43.880 of sponsors, but they're very small. I do this 00:17:43.880 --> 00:17:48.259 out of my own. With my this is what I like to 00:17:48.259 --> 00:17:51.359 do with my own time Honestly, and I'm fortunate 00:17:51.359 --> 00:17:54.220 enough to be able to do it and to be able to 00:17:54.220 --> 00:17:58.279 help veterans who may be sick elder or alone 00:17:58.279 --> 00:18:01.660 navigating the VA programs and the claims and 00:18:01.660 --> 00:18:05.720 And I I hope I can support them as they deserve 00:18:05.720 --> 00:18:11.039 well, it does become very confusing and and because 00:18:11.039 --> 00:18:14.599 asbestos exposure as you mentioned is sort of 00:18:14.410 --> 00:18:17.410 generally just one of the things you got exposed 00:18:17.410 --> 00:18:20.609 to is along with all kinds of other toxins, you 00:18:20.609 --> 00:18:25.250 find that these older veterans have multiple 00:18:25.250 --> 00:18:28.009 health problems and sorting out what is tied 00:18:28.009 --> 00:18:30.529 to what and is their service connected and is 00:18:30.529 --> 00:18:33.450 there a medical nexus. It gets pretty confusing, 00:18:33.470 --> 00:18:36.309 I think for the veterans, I suspect that's what 00:18:36.309 --> 00:18:41.630 you hear in the phone calls. Yes, it is incredibly 00:18:41.630 --> 00:18:45.200 challenging. you know some of these veterans 00:18:45.200 --> 00:18:48.380 at one point they do need extra help so like 00:18:48.380 --> 00:18:50.880 we help them with the VA claim that they already 00:18:50.880 --> 00:18:53.480 they they already are processing or sometimes 00:18:53.480 --> 00:18:56.240 their VA claims get denied and then we help them 00:18:56.240 --> 00:18:59.059 with that but sometimes I do need to refer them 00:18:59.059 --> 00:19:01.660 and I tell them like hey you can actually get 00:19:01.660 --> 00:19:04.880 as best as trust funds on top of your VA claim 00:19:04.880 --> 00:19:07.960 and then we have to refer them out to a law firm 00:19:07.960 --> 00:19:11.160 because then They're the only ones that do that. 00:19:11.380 --> 00:19:14.740 However, I only refer them to law firms that 00:19:14.740 --> 00:19:17.839 I know that six months later when I call them 00:19:17.839 --> 00:19:20.380 back, they tell me, yes, I have been helped. 00:19:20.420 --> 00:19:23.819 And yes, I was able to be compensated. So we 00:19:23.819 --> 00:19:27.140 research on our end that as well. And I base 00:19:27.140 --> 00:19:33.059 everything. on the fact that we call them back 00:19:33.059 --> 00:19:36.359 and there is a result and there is like, you 00:19:36.359 --> 00:19:38.400 know, a lot of veterans tell me like, yes, I'm 00:19:38.400 --> 00:19:40.480 getting my claim and this is the process and 00:19:40.480 --> 00:19:42.880 I'm learning on how they're doing that as well 00:19:42.880 --> 00:19:44.980 and I'm posting as much as I can about that. 00:19:45.400 --> 00:19:49.940 Well, the website, as I said, is pretty robust. 00:19:50.140 --> 00:19:52.859 You can find out about your ship. You can find 00:19:52.859 --> 00:19:55.940 about the shipyards maybe that you went into 00:19:55.940 --> 00:20:01.960 or the ship went into. There's blogs set up for 00:20:01.960 --> 00:20:05.079 different types of information. How long has 00:20:05.079 --> 00:20:08.880 the organization been at this? I've been doing 00:20:08.880 --> 00:20:14.039 this for about 20 years now, since 2005. How 00:20:14.039 --> 00:20:19.069 that happened, huh? Well, I have lost somebody 00:20:19.069 --> 00:20:22.710 that has worked on one of these shifts as well. 00:20:24.269 --> 00:20:28.009 And that made me curious and made me research 00:20:28.009 --> 00:20:31.150 more information. And then I was just a wealth 00:20:31.150 --> 00:20:34.650 of knowledge. And I wanted to have all of this 00:20:34.650 --> 00:20:40.190 information and continue to help others. Is there 00:20:40.190 --> 00:20:43.730 a phone number that if people have questions 00:20:43.730 --> 00:20:47.319 about uh maybe their medical condition and it's 00:20:47.319 --> 00:20:50.339 linked to their exposure to possible asbestos 00:20:50.339 --> 00:20:53.880 in the navy or the coast guard or i suppose uh 00:20:53.880 --> 00:20:56.259 there's other exposures but i'm thinking ships 00:20:56.259 --> 00:20:59.940 primarily here uh that they should call yeah 00:20:59.940 --> 00:21:03.900 we uh um our phone number is seven six zero six 00:21:03.900 --> 00:21:09.190 two one six one four seven And I want to tell 00:21:09.190 --> 00:21:11.369 you also about the partnership. You actually 00:21:11.369 --> 00:21:13.509 asked me about partnerships and all of that. 00:21:14.130 --> 00:21:17.130 So sometimes we get listed in a lot of the VA 00:21:17.130 --> 00:21:22.049 offices, like the VA offices endorse us and recommend 00:21:22.049 --> 00:21:25.210 to veterans that they give us a call so that 00:21:25.210 --> 00:21:30.309 they get more help. And then we have a couple 00:21:30.309 --> 00:21:34.049 of other medical offices as well that we help 00:21:34.049 --> 00:21:39.630 with, particularly like VA centers and oncology 00:21:39.630 --> 00:21:45.190 treatment centers. So that's... Well, it's certainly 00:21:45.190 --> 00:21:48.390 a confusing area for, I think, a veteran who 00:21:48.390 --> 00:21:52.730 has such an exposure and 30, 40, 50 years later 00:21:52.730 --> 00:21:57.369 has a possible disease path. So finding information 00:21:57.799 --> 00:22:01.299 Finding a resource that'll provide you some more 00:22:01.299 --> 00:22:03.759 information is always useful, which is why we 00:22:03.759 --> 00:22:08.839 wanted to bring Christina Johnson from asbestos 00:22:08.839 --> 00:22:13.960 -ships .com to our veteran radio listeners. Christina, 00:22:13.960 --> 00:22:17.440 you're doing great work. Hopefully, we won't 00:22:17.440 --> 00:22:20.140 add too many more calls to the 50 to 100 that 00:22:20.140 --> 00:22:22.359 you get a day, but why don't you give out that 00:22:22.359 --> 00:22:25.380 phone number one more time? Yes, of course. Our 00:22:25.380 --> 00:22:30.319 phone number is 760. 621 -6147. Thank you, Jim, 00:22:30.339 --> 00:22:33.500 for having me. Well, we're really glad that you 00:22:33.500 --> 00:22:36.079 took some time this afternoon to talk to veteran 00:22:36.079 --> 00:22:40.900 radio listeners about the long hidden issue associated 00:22:40.900 --> 00:22:44.180 with this asbestos exposure, all these kind of 00:22:44.180 --> 00:22:46.339 things that show up decades later. Christina, 00:22:46.519 --> 00:22:49.140 we really appreciate your time today. It's been 00:22:49.140 --> 00:22:52.089 my honor. Thank you so much. And I want to thank 00:22:52.089 --> 00:22:54.309 everybody for listening to Veterans Radio today. 00:22:54.430 --> 00:22:57.710 I am Jim Fossone. It's been a pleasure to be 00:22:57.710 --> 00:23:00.549 your host. I'm a veterans disability lawyer at 00:23:00.549 --> 00:23:02.990 Legal Help for Veterans and you can reach us 00:23:02.990 --> 00:23:09.250 at 800 -693 -4800 or legalhelpforveterans .com 00:23:09.250 --> 00:23:12.230 on the web. You can follow Veterans Radio on 00:23:12.230 --> 00:23:15.250 Facebook and listen to its podcasts and internet 00:23:15.250 --> 00:23:19.710 radio shows by visiting us at veteransradio .org. 00:23:19.839 --> 00:23:23.359 That's veteransradio .org. We would again want 00:23:23.359 --> 00:23:26.339 to thank our national sponsors, the National 00:23:26.339 --> 00:23:30.299 Veterans Business Development Council, nvbdc 00:23:30.299 --> 00:23:35.380 .org. Legal Help for Veterans, a veterans disability 00:23:35.380 --> 00:23:39.400 law firm with a national practice before the 00:23:39.400 --> 00:23:43.000 VA can help you on your claims and your appeals. 00:23:43.789 --> 00:23:47.369 It can be reached at legalhelpforveterans .com 00:23:47.369 --> 00:23:54.789 or 1 -800 -693 -4800. And PuroClean, a leader 00:23:54.789 --> 00:23:59.009 in property emergency services. It's the paramedics 00:23:59.009 --> 00:24:02.789 of property damage, providing water damage remediation, 00:24:03.069 --> 00:24:06.289 flood water removal, fire and smoke damage remediation, 00:24:07.089 --> 00:24:10.789 mold and biohazard cleanups. You can reach them 00:24:10.789 --> 00:24:18.549 at puroclean .com. or 800 -775 -7876. We also 00:24:18.549 --> 00:24:21.470 want to thank our local sponsors. This would 00:24:21.470 --> 00:24:27.329 include the Charles S. Kettles chapter of the 00:24:27.329 --> 00:24:30.549 Vietnam Veterans of America, that's chapter 310, 00:24:30.910 --> 00:24:35.769 VFW Graf O 'Hara post 423, the American Legion 00:24:35.769 --> 00:24:39.700 Erwin Preskin post 46 in Ann Arbor as well. the 00:24:39.700 --> 00:24:42.579 VA Ann Arbor Health Care System, and certainly 00:24:42.579 --> 00:24:45.680 the National Vietnam Veterans of America Association. 00:24:46.339 --> 00:24:49.000 You can be a sponsor by going to veteransradio 00:24:49.000 --> 00:24:53.380 .org, clicking on the About Us in our sponsors, 00:24:53.519 --> 00:24:56.680 and help us out. Keep this program alive for 00:24:56.680 --> 00:25:01.240 the 21 and 22 years. Keep us going for another 00:25:01.240 --> 00:25:02.440 20. Thank you.