Do you think you were exposed to the Agent Orange defoliant during the Vietnam War?

Do you suffer from coronary artery disease? How about a b-cell leukemia or Parkinson's disease?

If the answer to any of those questions is "yes," you may qualify for compensation from the Veterans Administration, even if you had been turned down in the past.

La Crosse County Veterans Services Officer Jim Gausmann said Monday hundreds of veterans suffering from ischemic coronary artery disease now may be eligible for benefits.

"The VA will treat the disease and compensate veterans for the disabilities," Gausmann said. "Compensation can be $123 a month up to $3,000 a month and in rare cases $6,000 a month.

"I can personally tell you that veterans have been denied for the b-cell leukemia, hairy cell leukemia," Gausmann said. "We're attempting to reach those people to reopen those claims.

There are at least three people in this county, and three or more in Monroe County."

He urged that veterans check the Web site www.va.gov, or contact their county Veterans Service Office.

The Institute of Medicine, a branch of the federal government, conducted a study that showed a relationship between Agent Orange exposure and these diseases.

As a result of that study, the VA decided to establish a service connection for Vietnam veterans with these three illnesses.

What that means is that veterans who served in Vietnam "don't have to prove an association between their illness and service," said Kathleen Scholl, a public affairs staff person for the Wisconsin Department of Veterans Affairs.

Agent Orange was a mixture of chemicals used to defoliate trees and remove cover for enemy troops. An estimated

2.6 million veterans may have been exposed.

A VA news release said, "Agent Orange left a legacy of suffering and disability that continues to the present."

How young is a 'young gun?'

National Republicans have recognized state

Sen. Dan Kapanke as a "Young Guns On the Radar" candidate in his effort to beat incumbent Democrat Ron Kind for Congress in 2010.

He was one of 10 candidates in the Midwest to be recognized by the National Republican Campaign Committee, presumably for funding and other support.

But how young do you have to be to qualify as a "young gun?"

Kapanke is 62. Is that young by Republican standards?

Kapanke has said he doesn't even think about his age, and that campaigning gives him energy.

I can attest to that. I was on an old fire truck in the Oktoberfest Maple Leaf Parade in September, and Kapanke was running alongside, shaking hands, for a long way.

We were going several miles an hour, and Kapanke was literally "running" for office.

Ah, these youngsters today ...