SGT T’s STORY

Some members of the QOR of C Victoria have received letters from the Chemical Warfare Agent Testing Recognition Program Office. The letters viewed individually seem quite clear, yet if one was to view all the letters, it is hard to draw a distinct conclusion of the government’s position in this matter. For example, the early round of letters sent to members made no mention of the various trials that were conducted during Exercise Vacuum. More recent letters have confirmed that some degree of chemical warfare trials was being conducted.

Overall the government has deemed Exercise Vacuum to have been a training exercise and not field trials of chemical warfare agents. However, further in their correspondence they state the following; “it is acknowledged that chemical training agents were used on this exercise”. The key word here is training. TA66/1 has now become a training agent. What is it? It is mustard gas dissolved in diethyl phthalate, which is PVC. It is used to make plastic products.

The use of mustard gas was banned in 1925 following the atrocities the world witness during World War 1. However, The Department of National Defence (DND) and our Canadian Government feel it is acceptable to use these deadly chemicals as a training agent on it’s own soldiers. Health Canada appears to be either oblivious of what is going on or has made a conscious decision not to become involved in DND activities in this matter. One would have to question these motives for their inaction in these matters. I have been unable to find anywhere that TA66/1 is a training agent for the Canadian Forces (CF). There is no mention of it in Canadian Forces Medical Orders (CFMO’S). This is no more than a ghost that the government has made up to cover their tracks.

There are several different chemicals that have been used on troops over the years and as far as DND and the government are concerned they are all harmless, here are just some of them;

1. TBP (tributyl phosphate);

2. TOF (tri- (2-ethylhexyl) phosphate) benzyl salicylate, diethyl phthalate);

3. DEP;

4. BAYOL OIL; and

5. DBP.

Oh yes, they also employed a radioactive tracer, tagged tributyl phosphate. This just lets you know a little bit of what they have been using on you.

A BRIEF HISTORY

We were ordered to participant on Operation Vacuum, (Suffield Alberta) by Mobile Command in 1968. Therefore, by virtue of our forced participation, I believe we become eligible for payment under the Chemical Warfare Agent Testing Recognition Program. It was our commanders who volunteered us at the time of Operation Vacuum. Operation Vacuum was planned during the period of 1967 when the unit was on Peace Keeping duties in Cyprus. The large lead time was required in order to have U.S. and British troops on the ground for Operation Vacuum. They had also been conducting tests throughout the 1960’s right up to just before our arrival on 7 September 1968. There were up to 500 scientists and support staff for this operation. Do you think they would have all been there just to watch us play around with CS gas? I don’t think so; we could have done that in Victoria at Albert Head or Mary Hill. The real reason in my opinion was to try out their new cocktail called TA66/1, which was born in PROJECT ADOBE in 1966. The personnel who took part in PROJECT ADOBE are eligible for the ex-gratis payment.

The Chemical Warfare Agent Testing Recognition Program has also stated that we were subject to TA66/1, but it has now been deemed a training agent? That’s nice, maybe a trip to Human Rights might be able to straighten this mess out or maybe we might have to go to the United Nations who knows, just a thought.

Anyway, letters have been sent out to tell us that OPERATION VACUUM was nothing more than just a normal exercise. I think they called it a training event and not a field trail of chemical warfare agents. Well let me enlighten you about toxic chemicals, as that’s exactly what they are. Mustard gas is a LIQUID VESICANT not a training agent. DIETHYL PHTHALATE is PVC.

TRIALS CONDUCTED

TRIAL ONE: They state that they were checking to determine that if the wearing of permeable protective clothing could safely permit the occupancy of an area that had been previously contaminated with nerve agent VX. As a side bar, I should advise you that VX was not used but benzyl salicylate was used in it’s place. They already knew this as there were trails conducted with real VX utilizing live monkeys dressed in the same said clothing, prior to our arrival. See web site http://www.exercisevacuum.com for more information on this subject.

TRIAL TWO: This is when A COMPANY QOR of VICTORIA took part and they have said that only CS GAS was used? Remember they have 500 scientists to watch us play in CS GAS!

TRIAL THREE: Was not mentioned as they probably forgot this one. PIONEER PLATOON was placed in low ground and sprayed more than once. They had to wear catheters to urinate and then it was collected by the medics and taken away. Never any mention of CSM Mitchell burning his hand with MUSTARD GAS?

There was no mention of working the GRID or CONTAMINATED AREA or having to wait to be checked for CONTAMINATION under an ULTRAVIOLET LIGHT and later to be check by the MEDICS. Most members of the PIONEER PLATOON were on a special diet for their TRIAL.

For those who were on the ground in 1968 remember that we had 60,000 lbs of liquid that was sprayed on us from T-33 AIRCRAFT. No one has come forward with information regarding what that chemical was; have they?

For some of the older guys that were in during the early 1960s think back to WAINWRIGHT TRIALS 1960 CODE NAME “LEGAL LIMIT” FIELD EXPERIMENT 525. Back then they called it an exercise as well. During that “experiment” 12,000 lbs of chemicals were used on the troops.

As you can see, the government spin doctors can make anything come and go just the same way they use to strip our personnel and medical files back in the good ole days. You just might hear the words “we don’t have your name on our secret list”; that same list you are forbidden to see.

Sgt T.