The U.S. government has awarded compensation to the ailing former marine at the center of allegations that Agent Orange was dumped on Futenma Air Base in Okinawa.

On Aug. 10 the Board of Veterans' Appeals ruled that retired Lt. Col. Kris Roberts, chief of maintenance at the installation in the early 1980s, had developed prostate cancer due to "exposure to hazardous chemicals." The presiding judge based the decision on evidence including medical reports, statements and "photographs of barrels being removed from the ground."

However, the carefully worded ruling avoids specific reference to Agent Orange, which the Pentagon denies was stored on its Okinawa bases.