FREE ESSAY ON AGENT ORANGE

AGENT ORANGE

In 1962, the United States Military began to use a potentially toxic chemical known as
Agent Orange. The toxic chemical was used a defoliant to destroy crops and eliminate
ground cover during the Vietnam War. Vietnamese troops would hide underneath the thick
forest and make it impossible for United States troops to spot them. So in 1962 the Army
began using Agent Orange as a way of eliminating that problem. The government had very
little knowledge about the deadly chemical but went ahead and used it anyway. They had no
idea of the disastrous long-term effects that it would have on men, women and children.
But the hardest group hit by the chemical was not Vietnamese civilians but United States
troops.
In 1962, Project Ranch Hand was being deployed all over Vietnam. The idea was to destroy
the forest on the battle field and make it easier for the United States troops to see the
Vietnamese soldiers. The term "agent orange" was given to the chemical because of the
bright orange canisters that it was stored in. (Online, Mar 27. 1999) The orange
canisters were used to distinguish the chemicals in the warehouses so that they would not
be confused with anything else. During the Vietnam War, 11.2 million gallons of Agent
Orange were used as defoliants throughout Vietnam and Southeast Asia. (Online,
lewispublishing, Mar 27. 1999) Approximately 2.6 million United States soldiers served in
South Vietnam and nearby areas during the war. (Online, lewispublishing, Mar 27. 1999)
As the planes would drop the massive amounts of Agent Orange onto Vietnam, United States
soldiers would unknowingly walk to certain disaster. The deadly chemical affected
everyone from ground troops to pilots to seamen. The hardest hit of course were the
ground troops. In some cases the defoliant was dropped almost right on top of them while
in the field. At that time they may have had some idea that it might be potentially
hazardous but they were not certain. As the soldiers were carrying out their orders they
would inevitably breathe in the toxic fumes. The chemical would be sprayed over huge
areas sometimes in a 10-mile radius destroying everything in its path. 
Through out the Vietnam War soldiers were beginning to complain of severe medical
problems. The army was not certain of the causes but believed them to be from the people
of Vietnam or the surrounding areas. By 1968, the United States army had received an
estimated 4,000 reports of unexplainable illnesses. Many scientists became suspicious and
began to conduct experiments to find out the causes of these illnesses. They came up with
many different explanations for the sicknesses but the most important one was 
Agent Orange. The United States Military heard the conclusions of the tests and in 1971
decided to discontinue the use of Agent Orange forever. Between the spring of 1962 and
1971, 19 million gallons of defoliant chemicals had been dropped all over Vietnam
destroying millions upon millions of acres of forest and contaminating thousands of
soldiers and civilians. (Isserman, America at War 89)
The period between 1971 and 1974 was a disaster. Some 15,000 veterans filed reports of
Agent Orange related illnesses. Some of the illnesses are as followed: chloracne,
soft-tissue sarcoma, Hodgkin's disease, non-Hodgkin's disease, acute peripheral
neuropathy, subacute peripheral neuropathy, porohyria cutanea tarda (PCT), respiratory
cancers (lung, larynx, trachea, broncus) and prostate cancer. (Bender + Dudley, The
Vietnam War 157) The most common illnesses were the different types of cancer. More
soldiers were diagnosed with the many types of cancers then any other illnesses. 
Vietnam Veterans are not required to prove exposure to Agent Orange. The VA just presumes
that all military personnel who served within 
Vietnam were exposed to Agent Orange. (Online, Mar 29. 1999) Even though military
personal were exposed to Agent Orange that does not mean they all contracted a disease at
all. My father was in Vietnam as a helicopter pilot. He said that he saw Agent Orange
being dropped almost everyday. He witnessed first hand the destruction that it caused on
the forests and land. He did not come in direct contact with the chemical but he did see
fellow soldiers come down with different diseases during his time. He's not certain if
any of the diseases were directly related to Agent Orange but he says its probable that a
portion of them were. 
In 1974, as more and more cases of disease were being reported, the United Sates
government began to consider disability coverage for Vietnam Veterans. In 1975 the United
Sates began to give coverage for Vietnam Veterans with sickness or illness from being in
Vietnam. The government began paying for hospital treatment and insurance. The most
common diseases being reported were prostate cancer and respiratory cancers. Those were a
result of direct inhalation of the defoliant spray. 
Agent Orange also affected Vietnam soldiers in yet another way. Children of the Vietnam
Veterans were getting ill and many were born with severe birth defects. The Institute of
Medicine suggested that the children of soldiers exposed to the herbicide Agent Orange
during the Vietnam War may be at a greater risk of having a serious birth defect called
spina bifida. (Online, VVOF, Apr 2.1999) The Institute of Medicine is the first time a
large, independent review has suggested a link between Agent Orange exposure and birth
defects in the veterans offspring. (Online, VVOF, Apr 2. The findings have prompted the
United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) to seek legislation that would provide
an appropriate remedy to help the estimated 3,000 children afflicted with birth defects.
As of yet, the VA does not have authority to provide benefits to non-veterans for their
illnesses, this includes children.
Vietnam Veterans have been put to the test since Vietnam. As a result of the war veterans
have had to seek psychiatric help, major treatment for illness, and even homelessness.
Agent Orange has been a nightmare for the former soldiers of what was a terrible and
meaningless war.