Accordingly, the U. Such denialism contrasts with the notion that the U. In the case of the Vietnam War, the U. In , Congress passed a law promising benefits for 2. Critics say American assistance for the 4. And while the U. For example, scientists from institutions including Columbia University and the Institute for Cancer Prevention analyzed U.
Read: How young Vietnamese view the Vietnam War. He said that his eyes burned for days, and that he now suffers from constant chest pain and coughing fits. One village official told me that his brother died after coming out of the womb without a uvula ; another said two of his grandchildren were born with deformities—one without a uvula, the other without a nose—and both died hours after birth; two teenage girls I met function mentally as infants.
Although it remains incredibly difficult to link dioxin exposure to specific deformities, the clustered defects here mirror those seen among children of American veterans and in Vietnam and pockets of Laos. This contradictory American position—perhaps unsurprising, given that it affects the rural residents of two geopolitically marginal countries—also affects some of the Americans who served in Cambodia and Laos.
Randal Noller, a VA spokesman, confirmed to me that the automatic presumption of exposure extends only to veterans who served in Vietnam. The U. Agent Orange, which contained the deadly chemical dioxin, was the most commonly used herbicide. It was later proven to cause serious health issues—including cancer, birth defects, rashes and severe psychological and neurological problems—among the Vietnamese people as well as among returning U.
During the Vietnam War , the U. S military engaged in an aggressive program of chemical warfare codenamed Operation Ranch Hand. From to , the U. During this process, crops and water sources used by the non-combatant native population of South Vietnam were also hit.
In all, American forces used more than 20 million gallons of herbicides in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia during the years of Operation Ranch Hand. Herbicides were also sprayed from trucks and hand-sprayers around U. The various herbicides used during Operation Ranch Hand were referred to by the colored marks on the gallon drums in which the chemicals were shipped and stored. In addition to Agent Orange, the U. Each of these—manufactured by Monsanto, Dow Chemical and other companies—had different chemical chemical additives in varying strengths.
Agent Orange was the most widely used herbicide in Vietnam, and the most potent. More than 13 million gallons of Agent Orange was used in Vietnam, or almost two-thirds of the total amount of herbicides used during the entire Vietnam War. It was found in varying concentrations in all the different herbicides used in Vietnam. Dioxins are also created from trash incineration; burning gas, oil and coal; cigarette smoking and in different manufacturing processes such as bleaching.
Dioxin is a highly persistent chemical compound that lasts for many years in the environment, particularly in soil, lake and river sediments and in the food chain. Dioxin accumulates in fatty tissue in the bodies of fish, birds and other animals. Most human exposure is through foods such as meats, poultry, dairy products, eggs, shellfish and fish. Studies done on laboratory animals have proven that dioxin is highly toxic even in minute doses.
It is universally known to be a carcinogen a cancer-causing agent. Short-term exposure to dioxin can cause darkening of the skin, liver problems and a severe acne-like skin disease called chloracne. Additionally, dioxin is linked to type 2 diabetes, immune system dysfunction, nerve disorders, muscular dysfunction, hormone disruption and heart disease.
Developing fetuses are particularly sensitive to dioxin, which is also linked to miscarriages, spina bifida and other problems with fetal brain and nervous system development. In , Dr. However, because the material was to be used on the enemy, none of us were overly concerned. We never considered a scenario in which our own personnel would become contaminated with the herbicide.
Because of ongoing security concerns, Air Force leadership ordered the use of additional herbicides. Several documents demonstrate that Agents Orange and Blue were present in Thailand. That leaves 21, gallons of herbicide unaccounted for with their last known location in Thailand. This directly coincides with Air Force documents stating that defoliation operations around the Udorn perimeter occurred during this period.
It stands to reason that this remaining herbicide was used at other bases since 21, gallons was far more than necessary for a single base. In , vegetation control on Korat was regarded as a serious issue because dense growth provided the enemy with the opportunity to access the KC parking ramp.
As a result, the embassy approved the use of herbicides. Additionally, the CHECO Report states that soil sterilization and herbicide use was approved by the embassy in in accordance with the Rules.
These admissions correlate with sworn statements provided by several Airmen. His statements corroborate documentation demonstrating the use of herbicides on U-Tapao in and In Command Sergeant Major Ret. This coincides with documentation demonstrating that Major George Norwood addressed the need for strong vegetation control and that the Base Civil Engineers had been requested specifically for vegetation control on Udorn in Thailand veteran Michael Williams, who was stationed at Ubon from May to May , asserted that he was assigned to a detail that involved defoliating the perimeter of the base.
During the detail, he used defoliants that were contained in gallon drums with orange stripes. Although he worked on the detail for 10 days, he stated that the detail continued for the rest of his time there. This matches documentation indicating herbicide use at and after that time. In Mr. Hogstad believed to be Agent Orange.
There are several additional pieces of evidence indicating that herbicides were used throughout Southeast Asia. This suggests that the defoliant improvement projects occurred after the herbicide testing During the Committee hearing on S. Similar to the Air Force unit histories in Thailand, the hearing noted that herbicides were used around bases in order to maintain base security. In order to create a uniform standard for the use of herbicides, military leadership established annual training and standard operating procedures.
Annual training was conducted on Takhli from March 17 to 21, , and July 13 to 16, , with representatives from all Thailand bases. The training is an indicator that Air Force leadership took a cohesive approach regarding the application of herbicides on Thailand bases. As Mr. This notion is further strengthened by the fact that the civil engineers developed a standard operating procedure SOP specifically for the disposal of herbicides due to fear that indiscriminate use of herbicide could be a source of pollution.
This statement indicates that misuse of herbicides by service members led to the necessity of establishing an SOP. It is also another indicator that herbicide use was prevalent and supports statements from Airmen regarding the use of herbicides throughout Thailand. Command Sergeant Major Kenneth Witkin stated that grounds personnel informed him they were using Agent Orange when he observed them spraying around barracks.
Technical Sergeant William L. Although the SOP is not available or remains classified, the development and enforcement of the SOP highlights the prevalence of herbicide use and the concern of misuse on Thailand bases.
In such a strict application, VA arbitrarily ignores its own policy of conceding herbicide exposure for veterans who served near the perimeter. For example, many veterans on or near aircraft or near the barrels containing herbicides were exposed to the same risks as those conducting foot patrols. While attempting to fix the aircraft, he was forced to kneel in the Agent Orange that covered the floor.
Leaking barrels also directly exposed service members to herbicides. Moreover, those members assigned to disperse herbicides by truck-mounted or backpack systems would certainly have been exposed. This shows a robust relationship between the th Air Division and the movement of herbicides. This significantly enhances the credibility of these statements by confirming the veterans knew exactly to what they were exposed all along even though the government continues to deny the exposure.
National Archives records also reveal that herbicides were delivered to Takhli on April 7, Interestingly, this was after all aerial herbicide spray missions in Vietnam had ceased. This delivery would have resulted in the exposure of the aircraft crew; the loading, unloading, and storage crew; the crew involved in spraying the herbicides; and the service members in and around the sprayed areas. Service members were also exposed to herbicides while constructing the perimeter. Daily life on Thailand bases also exposed service members to herbicide agents.
Army Manual dated advises that a meter buffer zone must be maintained to avoid damage caused by drifts while ground spraying herbicides. The distance between base perimeters and other base activities was normally well below meters. Soldiers lived, worked, and conducted recreational activities near the perimeter and in areas well within the meter drift zone. On Korat, for example, the physical training area and Non-Commissioned Officer building were located within the drift zone, and living quarters were only meters away from the perimeter.
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