Agent Orange and Vietnam

Jean and my side project while volunteering at the Friendship Village was revising a publication covering the history of the facility. We quickly discovered that the forty page document would need substantial editing and much rewriting. One glaring deficiency I noted was the lack of explanation of Agent Orange. The document referred to it numerous times but never went into any depth.

Beyond associating it with the Vietnam war I knew little about the substance. I did some research and came up with brief explanation and history to set the scene for founding of the Friendship Village. Here's an excerpt:   

The conflict in Vietnam between the United States of America and North Vietnam, spanning from the early 1960s until 1975, took a heavy toll on both the people and the land. Particularly devastating was the widespread use of herbicides and defoliants by the American forces, which left serious and long term consequences for many Vietnamese people.

Of the herbicides used during the Vietnam-American War, Agent Orange was the most common. Agent Orange, which derived its name from the orange striped barrels in which it was stored, is a mixture of two herbicides  termed 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T. 2,4,5-T contains traces of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin. Dioxin is a highly toxic substance that has been linked to various cancers and ill health effects.

Agent Orange was first tested by the American military in South Vietnam in 1962 and soon entered widespread use. The herbicide was typically sprayed from helicopters or low flying aircraft. The goal of the spraying campaign was twofold:

• Defoliate trees and shrubbery thus depriving North Vietnamese guerrilla combatants of cover.
• Destroy crops to threaten the guerrillas' food supply and drive people into the American controlled cities.

The use of Agent Orange and other herbicides was phased out by 1971. However, by the time it was discontinued, approximately 80 million liters (20 million gallons) of Agent Orange had been sprayed over South Vietnam leaving widespread destruction across vast swaths of forest and agricultural areas.

The full scope of the repercussions from the decade of chemical warfare is still unknown. It's been widely recognized among American veterans that certain cancers, Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Parkison's and many other severe diseases are associated with exposure to the toxin. In 1984, a class action law suit filed by American veterans against the manufacturers of the herbicides, primarily Monsanto Corporation and Dow Chemicals, was settled out of court for $180 million.

It is reported by the Vietnam Red Cross that close to 3 million Vietnamese people were affected by the dioxins including 150,000 children born with birth defects. The most highly impacted regions are the mountainous area along the Truong Son range and the Vietnam/Cambodia border. In many areas there are still large concentrations of dioxin in the soil and groundwater. As a result, a relatively high percentage of children are still being born with mental and physical disabilities, 35 years after the end of the conflict. Compounding the problem, affected children are often from poor, rural families with little means to seek special education and medical treatment.

In 2004, a group representing the Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange filed a law suit in the United States against the 37 companies that produced the toxin. The case was dismissed and the ruling upheld in numerous appellate court hearings.

Domestically, Vietnamese communities have been greatly supportive of Agent Orange victims, assisting disabled neighbors with day-to-day activities, providing food and funds, and volunteering in group homes. Some victims receive small, monthly stipends from the Vietnamese government. Organizations such as the Red Cross provide medical and financial assistance.

Globally, individuals and non-governmental organizations from the United States, Germany, Japan, the United Kingdom, Australia, France and many other countries continue to contribute funds and services.

The creation of the Vietnam Friendship Village was due, in large part to the American war veteran, George Mizo. In 1963, 18 year old, Mizo voluntarily enlisted in the United States military, just before the Vietnam-American war began to escalate. A year later, he traveled to Vietnam as a sergeant major and was stationed with an artillery unit in Chu Lai (Quang Nam). During his service, George Mizo was wounded in the battlefield three times and received nine medals overall.

For my research I used the Friendship Village history document, various government, NGO and veteran's support group websites and Wikipedia. Over our two weeks at facility I rewrote the preface and the first chapter. I'll start up on the second and third chapter soon. Click on the links if you want to take a look at the original or revised documents.