James Melvin Cripps: The Veteran Who Proved Agent Orange Was Used on U.S. Soil
January 19, 1949 — October 10, 2025
James Melvin Cripps, HadIt.com member since 2006, passed away on October 10, 2025. His death marks the loss of a veteran whose persistence changed the trajectory of Agent Orange claims for thousands of servicemembers who never set foot in Vietnam.
On November 2, 2009, James won what no veteran had won before: a VA claim for Agent Orange exposure inside the Continental United States.
The Victory That Changed Everything
The Board of Veterans Appeals granted James service connection for chloracne, diabetes, and ischemic heart disease with ICD implant—all tied to Agent Orange exposure at Fort Gordon, Georgia, where he served as an MP Game Warden from 1967 to 1969. The award was 100% Permanent and Total.
In his own words, posted to HadIt.com on November 4, 2009:
"On November 2, 2009, I won the first ever VA claim for Agent Orange exposure, 'inside the Continental United States.' The claim was granted for Chloracne, Diabetes and Heart Disease with ICD implant, as due to Agent Orange exposure at Fort Gordon GA., in the years 1967-1969...
Other than a $15.00 Medicare copay, here and there, no money was spent on an IMO, so take heart, you don't have to be rich to win!"
That last line became a rallying cry for veterans facing impossible odds.
Why This Was Groundbreaking
When James filed his first claim in 2005, the Department of Defense and the VA were adamant: Agent Orange had never been used in CONUS. Period.
They pointed their finger at him and said, "Mr. Cripps, we have never, ever used Agent Orange inside the continental United States."1
But James didn't sleep. He researched every night. He traveled back to Fort Gordon to gather evidence. He proved three critical things:
- He was an MP Game Warden - Not just an MP with MOS 95B20, but specifically a Game Warden, even though the Army had no additional skill identifier for that duty.
- Agent Orange was sprayed at Fort Gordon - He documented that 2,4-D, 2,4,5-T with Picloram was sprayed and tested at Fort Gordon from 1967 to 1969.
- He was directly exposed - He showed how his duties as a Game Warden put him in direct contact with the herbicide, thirty-eight years after the fact.
His win was based on direct exposure, not presumptive service connection. That distinction matters—it's what made his case the template for other CONUS claims.
The Personal Cost
James carried visible evidence of his exposure for decades. Chloracne scarred his face and neck—marks visible in photos from 1971 when he left the Army.1 Heart disease required an implanted cardioverter-defibrillator (AICD), and he lived with Class 3 congestive heart failure and a left ventricular ejection fraction of just 25%.2 Diabetes became part of his daily reality.
At one point before his victory, the VA was garnishing his Social Security checks while he struggled to pay medical bills.3
He and his wife Sandra discussed suicide. "We have discussed of late, even yesterday, the thought of suicide," he told reporters in 2009.3 The fight nearly broke them.
But James won. And then he kept fighting—not just for himself, but for his daughter Mandy, who developed Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia Purpura (TTP), a rare blood disorder her doctors tied to her father's Agent Orange exposure.1 He filed a groundbreaking claim seeking VA benefits for children of veterans exposed to Agent Orange through their father's service, not just their mother's.
How He Did It: The Strategy
James Cripps proved you don't need money to win against the VA. You need evidence, persistence, and a refusal to accept "no" when you know the truth.
His evidence included:
- Military personnel records proving his Game Warden duties
- Historical documents showing Agent Orange testing at Fort Gordon from January 1967 to December 1969
- Medical evidence linking his conditions to herbicide exposure
- Expert support from researchers like Dr. Arnold Schecter from the University of Texas Health Science Department
- Eyewitness testimony from other personnel who worked at Fort Gordon
The padlock that proved everything:
James didn't just research from home. He went back to Fort Gordon to gather evidence in person.
During one visit, he ran into a man working at the base. James described the shed where the "pesticide" had been kept back in 1967-1969. The man knew exactly what he was talking about—and knew even more.
James, always prepared, pulled out a form for the man to fill out and sign as evidence for his claim.
Then they walked to the shed together. It was still there. Same location. Same structure.
Same padlock.
The shed where Agent Orange had been stored in the late 1960s still had the original padlock on it decades later. James told HadIt.com during a podcast interview that he still had a key to that padlock at home.
That kind of detail—that level of proof—is what won his case. The VA couldn't argue the shed never existed when James brought them a signed statement from a current employee standing in front of it, with the same padlock James had unlocked forty years earlier.
He did not use:
- An Independent Medical Opinion (IMO)
- A VA claims consultant
- An attorney (initially)
What he did use:
- The Freedom of Information Act
- Military archives
- Scientific research on herbicide exposure
- His own meticulous documentation of where he worked and what he did
- On-the-ground investigation at Fort Gordon
- Witness statements from people who were there
James later discovered a document that may have proved Agent Orange was stored at Fort Gordon (now Fort Eisenhower) until the mid-1980s—well after the military claimed all herbicide use had stopped.
The Ripple Effect
James Cripps didn't just win his claim. He opened the door.
Other CONUS veterans began winning claims at locations like Fort McClellan in Alabama. His Board of Veterans Appeals decision became required reading for anyone fighting a stateside Agent Orange claim. Veterans advocacy groups added his case to their training materials.
News investigations followed his lead, uncovering maps and documents proving Agent Orange was tested at Fort Gordon and other U.S. military installations. Local news in Augusta, Georgia, used his story to expose the testing site at what is now Fort Eisenhower, helping other veterans prove their exposure.
Court cases nationwide cite his BVA decision. Veterans email to say his story helped them win 100% compensation. His name became shorthand for "it can be done."
His Legacy of Advocacy
James didn't stop at winning his own claim. He served as Chairman of the Vietnam Veterans of America Tennessee Agent Orange Committee, sharing what he learned with anyone who would listen. He founded the United States Veterans Alliance (USVA), expanding his advocacy work beyond Agent Orange claims.4
He was interviewed on HadIt.com's radio show multiple times. Author Kaylon Bruner Tran featured his story in her novel, part of the "Agent Orange Trilogy." In 2023, she presented him with an autographed copy at the Vietnam Welcome Home Day celebration in Springfield, Tennessee.
His Legacy on HadIt.com
James joined HadIt.com in 2006, in the thick of his fight with the VA. He shared his strategy, his setbacks, and ultimately, his victory. His posts remain in the forum as a roadmap for veterans facing the same denials he overcame.
He proved what HadIt.com has always stood for: veterans don't have to be rich, connected, or lucky to win their claims. They need facts, persistence, and a community that refuses to let them fight alone.
Lessons from James Cripps
If you're fighting a CONUS Agent Orange claim—or any claim the VA insists is impossible—James Cripps showed you how:
1. Prove direct exposure, not presumptive. The VA presumes exposure for Vietnam veterans. For everyone else, you must prove you were exposed and how.
2. Document your duties in detail. James had to prove he was a Game Warden, not just an MP. Your MOS isn't enough—show what you actually did.
3. Prove the herbicide was there. Use FOIA requests, military archives, and historical records to show Agent Orange was present at your location during your service.
4. Connect your exposure to your conditions. Medical evidence and expert opinions help, but you don't need an expensive IMO if you have strong lay evidence and research.
5. Don't give up. James fought for four years and five days before his first win. Then he kept fighting for his daughter and other veterans.
Rest Easy, Brother
James Melvin Cripps changed the game. He proved the VA and DOD were wrong when they said Agent Orange was never used on U.S. soil. He showed that veterans without money or connections can still win. He opened the door for hundreds—maybe thousands—of other servicemembers who were told their exposure "never happened."
His fight is over. Ours continues.
We wish you fair winds and following seas, brother.
Sources
1 NewsChannel 5 Nashville, "Veteran exposed to Agent Orange fights to get medical coverage for his sick daughter," February 7, 2020. https://www.newschannel5.com/news/newschannel-5-investigates/veteran-exposed-to-agent-orange-fights-to-get-medical-coverage-for-his-sick-daughter
2 James M. Cripps, HadIt.com forum post, November 4, 2009. https://community.hadit.com/topic/32209-i-won-i-won-after-a-four-year-and-five-day-battle/
3 Grist, "Veteran wins groundbreaking claim for Agent Orange exposure at Georgia military base," November 12, 2009. https://grist.org/article/veteran-wins-groundbreaking-claim-for-agent-orange-exposure-at-georgia-mili/
4 West Harpeth Funeral Home, "James Melvin Cripps Obituary," October 2025. https://www.westharpethfh.com/obituaries/james-cripps
Additional Resources:
James's original victory post: I WON! I WON! After a four year and five day battle
His obituary: West Harpeth Funeral Home
His BVA decision: Available at VA.gov Board of Veterans Appeals Decisions - Search Docket No. 08-11 937
If you're fighting a CONUS Agent Orange claim and need support, post in our Agent Orange forum. James proved it can be done. We're here to help you do it.
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