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January 29th, 2012, 10:29 pm
Dying Vietnam vet in King George wants to see his
cats find homes
Kenny Garner of King George, a Vietnam War veteran who is suffering from the effects
of Agent Orange, cares for 45 cats—15 indoors and 30 outdoors. As his health
deteriorates, he wants to find people to adopt his pets. (Photo by Suzanne Carr
Ross/The Free Lance-Star)
BY CATHY DYSON
THE FREE LANCE-STAR
Kenny Garner has cancer, diabetes and other problems that he believes are caused by
exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.
He gets a disability check each month from the Department of Veterans Affairs for a
portion of the ailments. He has requested more money because of his deteriorating
condition, but has been told he doesn’t qualify.
His toes are curled up from damage to nerves, and he no longer can control some
bodily functions.
“I have to wear diapers,” the 60-year-old said. “It’s a nightmare.”
Even though Garner can barely walk because of the pain in his feet, there’s one thing
that will get the King George County man to hobble across the room.
His cats.
He’s got dozens of them, about 15 inside and almost 30 outside. Over the years, people
dropped off unwanted animals in his yard, and Garner made sure they all got fed.
“I hate to see anything go hungry,” he said.
As his health has worsened, two animal groups have offered help. They’re trying to find
homes for the cats—after getting all of them spayed or neutered and caught up on their
shots.
Kenny Garner has about 30 cats living outdoors and 15 living indoors. His health is
failing, and he needs to find new homes for the animals. (Photo by Suzanne Carr
Rossi/The Free Lance-Star)
St. Seton’s Orphaned Animals in Stafford County has paid for the treatments, put
photos of the inside cats on its website and explored other resources for Garner.
The King George Animal Rescue League is bringing Garner food and cat litter and trying
to find barn homes for the outdoor pets.
Those who have met Garner are touched by the care he’s given unwanted animals and
saddened by what they consider a lack of government assistance.
“Poor Mr. Garner is dying, is afraid of losing his home, can’t pay his bills, but he is most
worried about the welfare of his cats and two dogs,” said Cathy Markwith, a volunteer
with KGARL. “It is emotionally draining to see this man that served his country, but
can’t get the help he deserves for the short time he has left.”
Some of Kenny Garner’s 15 indoor cats congregate in a bedroom in his King George
home. The animal welfare advocates trying to find homes for the pets say all of the cats
are friendly. (Photo by Suzanne Carr Ross/The Free Lance-Star)
‘STILL HEARS THE SHELLS’
Garner, who grew up in White Oak, was 18 when he joined the Navy. He served from
August 1970 to April 1972 as a commissary man and seaman apprentice on the USS
Hitchiti. During three campaigns in Vietnam, he was in Cam Ranh Bay, Vung Tau and
Cambodia, where he said the ship “got fired on from both sides of the shore.”
He remembers the feeling of Agent Orange landing on his skin. “When it hit you, it felt
like little raindrops,” Garner said.
Agent Orange was the code name for an herbicide used in Vietnam from 1962 until
1971, according to the VA website. More than 19 million gallons were sprayed to
defoliate the dense trees and shrubbery in Southeast Asia where the enemy might hide.
The military later discovered the herbicide was contaminated with the chemical
pollutant dioxin.
Over the years, veterans exposed to Agent Orange have been treated for issues ranging
from cancer and heart problems to skin disease and neurological disorders.
Garner suffers from another common ailment after Vietnam: post-traumatic stress
disorder. Not long after he returned, he had a flashback and thought his father was the
enemy. He tried to stab him.
Garner has seen a mental-health counselor over the years, and more frequently since
2003 when his physical health started to fail. His wife, Grace, said she’s afraid to live
with him.
“He wakes up at night, throwing punches and screaming and sometimes crying in
hysterics,” she said. “He still hears the shells.”
BATTLING THE VA
In recent years, Garner has battled the government for benefits. He first filed in 2007,
after he could no longer work as a drywall finisher.
Over the years, Garner said he often felt weak and had little energy—and always felt
thirsty and drank a lot of water. He was diagnosed with Type 2 diabetes in 2006.
His VA paperwork confirms that Agent Orange caused the diabetes.
In 2008, the agency gave him a disability rating of 20 percent and a monthly
compensation of $243.
Two years later, VA upped the monthly check to $339 because of problems in the groin
area.
Garner also gets $478 from Social Security.
Garner’s toes are curled up from damage to nerves, and he can barely walk because of
the pain in his feet. (Photo by Suzanne Carr Rossi/The Free Lance-Star)
The VA has denied coverage for peripheral neuropathy, or nerve damage, which
medical websites say is commonly caused by diabetes.
“The evidence continues to show this condition was not incurred in or aggravated by
military service,” according to the VA explanation.
But Garner’s podiatrist, John Cook of Fredericksburg, told VA officials there is a
connection between military service and his illnesses.
“Agent Orange produced diabetes, the diabetes has destroyed his nerve fibers,” Cook
wrote in an August 2010 letter. “Agent Orange is the causal agent for his peripheral
neuropathy.”
Jeanette Allard, the operations director of St. Seton’s, is going to help Garner submit
another appeal. She has some experience with VA claims.
During her Army service in Germany in 1988, she was demonstrating how to
camouflage a large mobile unit when a Jeep crashed into the vehicle, knocking her onto
concrete.
Both ankles were broken, and her kneecap and wrist were shattered.
She received a 60 percent disability rating, after four years of appeals.
“Most people I talk to have the same story, where it took years and years to get
benefits,” she said.
She’s worried that Kenny Garner doesn’t have that much time.
LOW-COST CLINICS HELP WITH FEES
Every one of Kenny Garner’s house cats is “gorgeous and friendly,” said Cathy
Markwith, a volunteer with the King George Animal Rescue League.
Her group and St. Seton’s Orphaned Animals in Stafford County are helping Garner find
homes for his cats as his health deteriorates. He has about 15 cats inside and more
than 30 outside.
Garner already has found homes for his two Chihuahuas, Lulu and Sugar.
All cats will have been spayed or neutered and given shots before they’re adopted.
Photos of the inside cats are at saintseton.com. Anyone interested in adopting one can
call 703/209-4555 or email [email protected].
Information about the feral cats is at kgarl.org. The King George group also can be
reached at 888/542-7582 or [email protected].
Garner didn’t have the cats spayed or neutered because of the cost, which can run as
high as $200 to $300 per animal, Markwith said.
“That’s why so many end up at the pound, or this kind of thing happens,” Markwith
said.
She wanted to remind pet owners that low-cost spay and neutering clinics are available
to anyone, regardless of income.
Surgery fees at the clinics start at $25 for cats and $40 for dogs and are based on
weight. More information is available at the KGARL website.
Cathy Dyson: 540/374-5425
[email protected]
Post tags: Agent Orange | King George Animal Rescue League | King George
County | St. Seton’s Orphaned Animals | Veterans Administration | Vietnam War
veteran
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Copyright 2014, The Free Lance-Star Publishing Co. of Fredericksburg, VA, USA
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