Agent Orange

A lot of people have asked me about Agent Orange because it caused my cancer and my stroke. It was made to be a defoliant in Vietnam. It worked on plants by accelerating the life cycle and as it turns out, does the same to humans. Dow, Monsanto and several other companies made the stuff and still do. It's used on all major highways to control weeds.

Vietnam would never have happened except for the fact that many of the democrats in office at the time had major investments in those companies as well as Michelin and Shell oil. All of them had factories, rubber plantations and workers in southeast Asia at the time. History books demonized Nixon for the war but Kennedy and Johnson needed Vietnam and I even believe that if Kennedy had lived, Vietnan would have lasted much longer. In fact, Nixon campaigned to get all advisors out as soon as he would have been elected in 1960. I know I may sound bitter but I filled a lot of body bags while protecting a Michelin rubber plantation with a sign with JFK's name out front and even more outside of a Dow chemical wharehouse as well.

I hear a lot of rhetoric from liberals today saying a lot of nonsense about the republicans being war mongers but the reverse has always been true. Unfortunately, like the press the history books are being written only by the extreme left. Before you spout out words like a parrot, find some old people and ask what really happened in the good old days. If you dig deep enough, you will find out so much it will make you cry.

The following is a short story I wrote after I submitted a report to the AMA in 1983. The story was written for a VVA (Vietnam Veterans of America) newsletter to encourage vets to get tested for Agent Orange exposure. Agent Orange contained Dioxin, the deadliest poison ever. It stores itself in the fat tissue of anyone exposed to it. When you lose weight, it is relesed and causes cancer and many other maladies. It is transferred to offspring and lasts for generations.

Whenever any politician shows any interest in any product or industry, and during their time in office a war breaks out or one president extends a war from a previous president, it's almost always because of personal gains. Right now, Obama backers are blaming Bush for all that is wrong but it's all a shell game. They have the public looking at one hand while the other is doing something else they don't want us to see. Read the following story then ask any returning vets about any other such things in their war. Terrorists have to be killed and it was worth it to see the satatue of that creep going down in Baghdad but beyond that, what are the real motives?

I survived Agent Orange, right?

So, you though Agent Orange was the only toxin in the Nam. Perhaps you served in the early years, say from ‘62 to ’65, when Agents Pink and Purple were used. The level of dioxin contamination in both was much higher than in Agent Orange, thus potentially more toxic.

When it gave you a headache, did you take Binoctal, a headache remedy left over from the French, composed of 50mg of Amytal and 70mg of Seconal. It led to persistent neurological disorders, sudden aggression, personality changes and disorientation.

Later on, ’67 to ’72, medics were given Dapsone tablets to distribute to everyone. Dapsone was an experimental (notice I said experimental) anti-malarial drug. Its use was supposed to be discontinued in 1969 after 16 soldiers developed an acute form of a white blood cell disorder, Argranulacytosis, and 8 of them died. Several studies here and abroad show carcinogenicity (cancer) in rats and at least one study shows the potential for human chromosomal damage.

And how many of you used DEET (Diethyl Tolunide), the little 2 oz. bottle of insect repellent? Some men developed severe blistering of the skin after its application, but its use was continued because it was the only effective repellent available.

So, maybe you served in the rear and didn’t have to worry about that. How about the barracks? Chlordane, a potent angophosphate was used to control cockroaches, and fleas on scout dogs. It was banned by the EPA in 1975 for most domestic uses. It is a suspected carcinogen.

Also, Lindane, a pesticide was frequently dusted in living quarters and around rat burrows to control fleas and roaches. It had to be applied with protective clothing. It can cause nausea, irritation and convulsions.

DDT was also widely used in and near living quarters to control rat fleas carrying endemic bubonic plague. The EPA banned its use in 1972 because of its persistant toxic effects on the environment.

Also, Malathion, a widely used insecticide was sprayed daily from the air to control mosquitoes in base camps. Classified by the Army as minimally toxic to humans, but can have acute toxic effects if misused. In 1975, five died and 2900 were seriously ill after exposure to incorrectly sprayed Malathion in Pakistan.

Agent Orange was the most widely used defoliant because it not only worked well in the bush on broad leaf plants but it was very effective at keeping fire base perimeters of all foliage. No one knows yet just how much damage its dioxin has done to humans and the environment.

Also, Agent Blue, which contained Cacodylic Acid, an arsenic compound, was used as a herbicide for rice crop destruction and to kill thin bladed plants like bamboo and elephant grass. The EPA ordered an investigation in 1983 after it caused cancer in laboratory animals.

And let’s not forget Agent White, a defoliant used later in the war. A mixture of 2,4-D and piclorum, another herbicide more persistent than Agent Orange. Chronic toxicity of piclorum is considered low, but domestic farmers are warned to use piclorum carefully because it kills all vegetation for several seasons.

And lastly, there’s Urox 22 and Bromacil, very persistent soil sterilants. The effects are similar to piclorum. Chronic effects on humans are not known. A special respirator mask had to be worn when applying it.

The point is, it didn’t matter who you were or what you did over there; you were exposed to toxins. Chemical companies made billions on the Vietnam War. We were nothing more than laboratory animals with no protection. Your children aren’t safe. We can’t even be sure if their children will be safe.

I can’t stress enough the importance of going through an Agent Orange screening at any VA hospital and keeping up on routine physicals for all Nam vets and their children.

We are dying to get the facts!