CANFIELD — Josh Kelley, 46, of Canfield, has a strong “never give up” spirit.

It was passed down from his father, Daniel Kelley, when Josh was a child. Through the toughest times, it was all that Josh had to hold on to.

Josh was born in 1975 missing his arms below the elbow and one leg below the knee, and is among those affected by Agent Orange. His birth defects are related to his father’s exposure to the weaponized herbicide during his service in Vietnam.

Daniel Kelley was a Marine E-5 stationed at Chu Lai Airbase in Vietnam from 1969 to 1970. His job was to service and arm fighter jets. He loaded snake-eye 250-pound bombs, sidewinders and sparrow missiles.

“That base had 270 rockets attacks that took a lot of lives,” Josh said. “To defend the base, the perimeter of it was sprayed heavily with Agent Orange.”

He said the area around the base saw the quick destruction of the forest, taking away the habitat that would shelter the enemy and make attacks harder. No one at the time considered the long-range problems Agent Orange would bring.

Daniel came home from Vietnam, but his war was far from over. He would have terrible nightmares, said Josh — who also believed his birth defects were torturing his father.

In the first four years of Josh’s life, he spent more time in the hospital than most people will spend in a lifetime. He was eventually diagnosed with amniotic band syndrome, which is suspected to occur at higher rates in children who have a parent or grandparent exposed to Agent Orange.

‘YOU WILL’

Josh said his father and mother, Pam, both loved him and did what they could. They wanted Josh to lead a fulfilling life — and his father gave him the thing he needed most.

“In our house, I didn’t dare say ‘I can’t,'” Josh said. “My father was a Marine and a combat veteran. Any time I told him ‘I can’t,’ he would tell me, ‘you will,’ and that is how I was raised.”

Josh was outfitted with a prosthetic leg and he quickly learned how to do everyday chores. He traveled a lot with his parents as they moved from Wyoming, Michigan, California, and Arizona. Daniel was a heavy equipment operator and would often travel to where the jobs were. Making the most possible ensured that Josh’s prosthetics could be maintained, which was very expensive.

Things were starting to look up until a tragedy occurred.

In 1997 Daniel drove into the desert to end his life. On Father’s Day that year, Josh, then-22, got the word his father’s body was found in his car. Daniel was 49.

Then, over a three-year span, Josh’s only brother was murdered and his mother died of cancer. That left Josh all alone.

Eventually he was married, and in 2005, after getting a divorce, Josh moved to Arkansas. He was notified shortly after that the Social Security Administration wasn’t informed he’d been married, so all his disability benefits were taken away, including his medical insurance.

“It left me homeless for a couple years,” Josh said.

He said he hunted and fished for food, and thanks to some friends, he would have a place to stay for a few days here and there. For his prosthetics, he was making repairs with products from Walmart that he could afford and make work.

In 2011 Josh got his Social Security disability benefits back and for the next eight years he battled on and off to keep it, as well as the insurance. He tried to find work, but when he showed up missing two arms, employers would turn him down.

HEALTH ALLIANCE

While in Arkansas, Josh joined the group Children of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance. He became active in fighting to have the government recognize those suffering from effects of Agent Orange.

“There are 5,000 in the group and each has issues similar to mine,” he said. “Some are missing limbs, others dealing with tumors, and some dealing with cancer.”

COVVHA 2nd Vice President Valerie Ouillette. said: “Josh has been a keynote speaker for our organization for over a decade. Josh’s experience is parallel to our president, Heather Bowser’s, and has been invaluable at assisting COVVHA in educating the public about the long term chromosomal damage done to our father’s DNA at a molecular level, as well as the long term effects on the subsequent generations.”

Kelley flew to Vietnam to take part in a documentary about the effects of Agent Orange. He has also been to Capitol Hill twice to lobby Congress for better medical benefits for children of Vietnam War veterans, according to a story done in 2018 on TV11-KTHV out of Little Rock, Arkansas.

“At Tu Du Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City there is a room called the Quiet Room,” Josh said. “It is full of dead fetuses, some so deformed they don’t even look human. All my life I tried to blame my condition on anything but Agent Orange, but when I walked into that hospital, a doctor took one look at me and said, ‘Agent Orange.’ They know what it looks like.”

Ouillette added: “I have not [seen the Quiet Room], but these things are verifiable via internet. There is no lack of the Vietnamese government exploiting their children. To their credit, it has brought international attention to the health crisis the US, and what our chemical companies introduced with the use of Agent Orange.”

BACK IN OHIO

Two years ago he made his way to Ohio, is renting a room in Canfield village, and this summer and got a job at the Home Depot in Austintown. He lifts 50 pound bags, helps customers and can easily handle the forklift. The only trouble is summer help, but a recent customer may have found him a solution: He asked Josh if he would be interested in working in a steel shop.

“Hermitage looks promising and has good benefits,” Josh said.

While he is waiting for a call, he still has a little time for his outdoor passions. He is an avid hunter with both a bow and a rifle, and enjoys fishing. He also has a boat project in his spare time.

“A friend, who is the daughter of a veteran that committed suicide, gave me a boat her father had,” Josh said. “Whenever I get a day off I work on it.”

jtwhitehouse@vindy.com