For those who don't know, Agent orange was a powerful mixture of chemicals used by the United States in Vietnam to kill forest covers where the Vietnamese would hide and ambush our troops. They would use planes to deploy the mist. Although it sounded like a smart idea, the army did not think of the harm it could do to our own soldiers. Like my grandfather, many suffered from crippling illnesses that determined the quality of their life after the war. My grandfather contracted Transverse Myelitis from agent orange at the age of 18, and from that point on it was a rollercoaster. He first developed paralysis and numbness in his legs, as well as excruciating pain to the spine. Like many other soldiers, he was told it psychological. Only when he was paralyzed from the chest down and put in an iron lung did the doctors believe him. On that day, he was never able to walk the same again. He was told that he would have to stay in a wheelchair the rest of him life but he told the doctors that they were crazy and proved them wrong!
Not everyone was like my grandfather though, many suffered so much that they became suicidal. After being called crazy by many doctors, soldiers decided that death was better than the pain or being committed to a psychiatric hospital.
From about 1961-1972, Agent Orange was used the most. In total, the U.S. used "19 million gallons of herbicides over 4.5 million acres of land" (History.com Staff, 2011). Not only was Transverse Myelitis an effect, but cancer, skin conditions, birth defects, and sterilization were also major effects of this dangerous herbicide.
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| Planes deploying Agent Orange over local forest coverings. |
http://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/agent-orange
http://www.publichealth.va.gov/exposures/agentorange/conditions/index.asp
First off, sorry to hear about your grandpa. No soldier of the United States should've had to deal with such effects from our own weaponry. The fact that those effected by agent orange were told it's completely psychological is absurd. I don't necessarily agree with the use of such chemicals in warfare, especially ones like agent orange that have negative life long effects.
ReplyDeleteI never knew how terrible Agent Orange was and for that matter even what it did to people and the environment. The numbers you gave about the millions of acres of land it destroyed shocked me as much as your grandfathers story did, this chemical never should have been used in war.
ReplyDeleteI am truly amazed at how much Agent Orange was used during the war. To be honest though, I am not that surprised that they did not test for side effects on their soldier. There are many cases where a company would neglect safety procedures to speed up the production rate and to save a lot of money, and right after there are some negative effects from their product, they will do whatever it takes to cover it up. I was also surprised that the hospitals thought that these symptoms were all psychological. I wonder if they were actually bribed by the military to not say anything?
ReplyDeleteI find it very appalling that they told your grandfather it was psychological rather than physical. It makes you think and wonder how many more people are dealing with the repercussions of Agent Orange today,
ReplyDeleteI am very sorry to hear about your grandfather, but good for him for proving them wrong. Do you think that Agent Orange not only affected the soldiers but could it have affected their children as well? Do you think that could have an affect on the abilities of the children that they reproduced after they came home?
ReplyDeleteIt's interesting to see how the Military overlooked something like this as long as it helped them throughout the war, alongside with the distribution of Napalm. Hopefully there were lessons learned from this to be used in future warfare and prevent another case like this.
ReplyDeleteI had heard of the use of Agent Orange in the Vietnam war, but I find it interesting that I had never heard of how if affected those who were exposed to it.
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