History of Agent Orange
Invisible victims of the Vietnam War
- March 8, 1965 - The United States soon joined and bandwagons drew large crowds supporting the usage of harsh chemicals and large amounts of ammunition.
- Within the particles of Agent Orange, a chemical called dioxin is proven to cause birth defects such as cancer, diabetes, and other disabilities causing impairment.
- An estimated three million Vietnamese are in danger after dioxin exposure, including 150,000 suffering from birth defects
- The concentration of Agent Orange was sprayed 20 times higher than the recommended for killing plants.
November 1, 1955 - North Vietnam goes to war with South Vietnam.
Result: Technological advancements for guns, bombs, and transportation, allowed leaders to support their power. More than three million casualties counted, 58,000 being Americans.
The most destructive weaponry used in the Vietnam War was Agent Orange, killing Vietnam and its citizens for centuries to follow
U.S. vs Agent Orange
Are We Working Towards a Better Tomorrow?
Since the United States has banned the use of Agent Orange in the 1970s and decades have passed, it can be very hard to target specific locations and victims affected. The United States Congress held a conference where they addressed a victim from Vietnam struggling with a disability due to Agent Orange.
The following document was drawn in 2010 and there is still little to no effort to change since.
A Congressional document describes the testimony from a Vietnamese victim of Agent Orange in a congressional session. Its purpose is to display the past actions the United States has conducted and confront an unanswered question for more than thirty years.
Chairman of the subcommittee in the House of Representatives, Eni F.H. Faleomavega enlightens the committee that Agent Orange wasn’t the first time the United States had put people in harms way so they could have the advantage. It is clearly stated that dioxin is one of the deadliest man-made chemicals known to man.
Although the United States has denied any responsibility most funds allotted to the cause is appropriated to environmental remediation instead of protecting the lives at stake.
The funds that get allotted towards the reparation of Agent Orange is always put towards what it aimed to harm, forestation.
NONE of the money ever gets put towards victims suffering from diseases such as congenital heart disorder.
This document is the first time a victim has come before Congress to confront the issue at hand.
Veteran Affairs vs. Agent Orange
Who's conducting the studies?
According to the United States Department of Veteran Affairs, they express that the United States intent when going into Vietnam was to clear forestation of enemy troops.
Vietnam, the Korean Demilitarized Zone, on Thai Airforce bases, and anywhere else vegetation and forestation could be found in the area surrounding Vietnam were all targeted areas.
The United States Department of Veteran Affairs took it upon themselves to conduct research regarding the effects Agent Orange had on their veterans.
Congress began to place pressure on the department and, “the Veterans Administration has agreed to give up control of an investigation…” (Garmon 1982 I).
It is very suspicious that the government, the authority denying liability for Agent Orange, pressured the VA to step off the investigation.
The decisions to transfer the Veteran’s Affairs study to the Center for Disease Control came after, “a letter signed by more than 100 members of the House of Representatives who requested such a move” (Garmon 1982 I).
The study allowed participation from both the CDC and the House of Representatives.
With so much time passing, it is hard to pinpoint the cause of diseases as years go by.
The government is able to blend Agent Orange remediation into the veteran benefits promised by the government