Submitted by David L. Hine
In an effort to raise further awareness of the effects of Agent Orange on our Vietnam veterans, Governor Eric Holcomb has proclaimed Aug. 6 to 12 as Agent Orange Awareness Week.
The first use of Agent Orange is thought to have occurred on Aug. 10, 1961, and 62 years later, our Vietnam veterans who returned home, hoping to leave the war behind them, are fighting and dying from their exposure to Agent Orange.
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The United States military sprayed millions of gallons of herbicides throughout Vietnam, with Agent Orange being the most widely used. Although our servicemen and women were assured it was safe, the Department of Veterans Affairs eventually recognized that Agent Orange is scientifically associated with several serious health conditions. Among these are Parkinson’s disease, Hodgkin’s disease, prostate cancer, respiratory cancer, and many more.
Thousands of our Hoosiers served in Vietnam, but the number of those affected by Agent Orange-related diseases and those who have passed away may never be known.
“A huge part of our mission is to honor those who served and survived, and many of those people and their families are still suffering over 60 years later,” says Heidi Zimmerman, vice president of programs and communications for the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund. “Our goal is to raise awareness of the continuing impact of exposure to Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.”
We hope that by knowing this information, our Hoosier veterans may now be compelled or encouraged to seek assistance from our service officers or Veterans Affairs hospitals if suffering from adverse health conditions. It is imperative that we publicly inform our Hoosier veterans, their families, and the citizens of Indiana about the variety of diseases that they may encounter due to their service in Vietnam and their exposure to Agent Orange.
“There are more than 58,000 names memorialized on The Wall, and many thousands more who have died since returning home – many of whom were victims of Agent Orange,” Zimmerman said. “Vietnam veterans and their families are still battling its toxic effects. For them, the Vietnam War isn’t a historical event – it’s a current reality.”
The Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund thanks Governor Holcomb for his efforts in spreading awareness about Agent Orange and its effects on our Hoosier Vietnam Veterans.
David L. Hine, SMSgt, USAF (Ret.), is a Greenfield, Ind., resident and serves as a board member of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund.
If he only had a real clue to Death Agent Orange is. One of the more horrible things. As I said One of. Only to have the VA turn its back to it.