Wednesday, October 7, 2015

Vietnam Research Exercise by Catelyn Millet

The topic I chose to research was Agent Orange. Agent Orange was a blend of herbicides that were sprayed in jungles to kill forestation and foliage. The purpose of killing the trees and plants was to make sure there wasn't any cover for enemies. The herbicide was given it's name because of the color of the orange- striped barrels it came in. It was the most used out of the "Rainbow Herbicides." Some effects that the herbicide had on children were mental disabilities, cleft palate, hernias, and extra fingers or toes. High levels of dioxin were found in breast milk of South Vietnamese women and the blood of U.S. military personnel. The zones that were affected the most were the Long Mountains and the border between Vietnam and Cambodia. U.S. veterans have had increased cancer rates, and skin, respiratory, digestive, and nerve disorders. When some veterans returned home they suspected that their wives had miscarriages or their babies were born with birth defects because of the harsh chemical. Another problem was that Agent Orange would get into the soil which made it easier for families to be effected by it. The first time the herbicide was sprayed was at Tan Son Nhut Air Base on January 9, 1962. Air Force records from the U.S. show that at least 6,542 spraying missions took place during Operation Ranch Hand. Operation Ranch Hand lasted from 1962 to 1971. Another reason why Agent Orange and other herbicides were sprayed was to deprive the Viet Cong of food.

 
 
 
Person affected by Agent Orange
 

 
 

2 comments:

  1. I've never actually seen a picture of someone who has been affected by agent orange and the picture you provided really shocked me. The use of agent orange frustrates me for so many reason, not only are they taking away enemies hide out but they are also killing the environment and the habitat for animals. They are also not only temporally ruining lives for the purpose, they are permanently ruining lives.It's sad that agent orange potentially took away some victims chance to even start a family and even the chance to attempt to live a normal life when they return from war, even that 's even possible. It's just all so sad and has be taken aback!

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  2. It's interesting that it was intended as an herbicide and it ended up being just as harmful to people like other chemical weapons. I think it's really sad that many vets came home and ended up having health problems because of their exposure to something that was intended to kill trees. Also, the picture of the man affected by Agent Orange is extremely sad. No one should have to go through that and I hope nothing like that is ever used again.

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