Agent Orange: The Widows' War
Two women from Schuylkill County spent decades caring for their husbands, who were Vietnam veterans.
Cindy Winegar and Daryl Zubey met a few years back, making Christmas wreaths.
Newswatch 16 met them at Cindy's home in Pine Grove because the two women share more than a love for crafting.
Cindy and Daryl are widows. Their husbands were Vietnam veterans who lost their lives decades after their service because, during the war, they were exposed to a chemical called Agent Orange.
"My husband here, he was a very tall man, he was very stoic, he was very unshakeable. When he passed away, he was very frail. It was hard to see what the exposure to Agent Orange did to my husband over the years," Cindy said.
Cindy's husband, John, died of cancer in 2020.
Daryl's husband Bill died just this past September after a long battle with Parkinson's disease.
Their wives were their caretakers as their health deteriorated over the course of decades.
"John's illness started slowly, first he came up with diabetes, then it was neuropathy, and then it was the blood pressure, then it was post-traumatic stress disorder," Cindy added.
Agent Orange and The PACT Act of 2022
Bill Zubey's story was similar and can be retold by an untold number of Vietnam veterans around the country.
Agent Orange was sprayed by American GIs to kill vegetation in Vietnam, a strategy touted by the military to beat the Viet Cong. Over the years, the US government has recognized the damage Agent Orange caused to the Vietnamese and our own veterans- most recently, in 2022, when the PACT Act was passed.
The PACT Act stands for "Honoring our Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics." It provides expanded benefits to veterans exposed to harmful chemicals during their service. Specifically for Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange, the act extends benefits to veterans who served in other areas of southeast Asia during the war and lengthens the list of presumptive conditions that qualify for benefits.
Through a federal bill, those benefits are distributed at the state level. Here in Pennsylvania, the state Department of Military and Veterans Affairs has made efforts to connect qualifying veterans with benefits from the federal Veterans Administration.
Brian Natali is the Chief of Veterans Service and Programs at Ft. Indiantown Gap. He takes a call from a Vietnam veteran almost every day.
"The PACT Act created lots of questions and uncertainty, 'What am I eligible for?' 'what has changed?' So, getting a phone call is the starting point. That's really what we're hoping for that someone reaches out, and then we can give them the right information and help them get a benefit," Natali said.
Still, Natali told Newswatch 16 that the PACT Act has been underutilized here in the Commonwealth. Vietnam-era veterans especially are hesitant to ask for help.
"Probably the number one thing that helps them come to us is taking care of their wives," he said.
A memorial all their own
Daryl and Cindy told us their husbands were eventually convinced to seek help from the VA when they knew their wives would outlive them.
The couples were thankful for the help and had no complaints about the care they received.
"We would have gladly given every bit of it back if they could make our husbands whole," Daryl said.
You won't find Bill Zubey or John Winegar on the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC. That memorial is reserved for servicemembers who died during the war.
There is an untallied number of veterans who died from their service years later. Though the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund has an "In Memory Honor Roll" that tells the stories of men and women who died after their service. The memorial in Washington DC, also includes a plaque honoring such veterans. It reads, “In Memory of the men and women who served in the Vietnam War and later died as a result of their service. We honor and remember their sacrifice.”
"I was to the wall. My husband didn't get to see it, but I saw it. You can't describe the feeling. There are 58,000 plus names there. But what about all these other men and women that it has taken decades? They suffered. My husband gave up, and I gave up the last 25 years of our lives," Daryl said.
Daryl has spent the time since her husband's passing lobbying elected officials in Washington...seeking recognition for veterans like Bill and John. A memorial all their own.
"It would have to be something round, something circular in some fashion, because if you talk to any caregiver, this is what your life felt like, you just went around, and around, and around, and around," she said.
When that cycle ended, and their worlds went on spinning without their husbands, Daryl and Cindy turned their energy to honoring their sacrifice.
"I know I feel, and I know Cindy does as well, had it not been for Agent Orange, we may still have our husbands, and I feel they deserve the same respect as every name on that wall," Daryl said.
Daryl Zubey has reached out to two local Congressmen and both US Senators from Pennsylvania about her idea for a memorial specific to veterans exposed to Agent Orange.