President Obama Calls on Americans to Stand With Veterans Affected by Agent Orange
By james.hoppes
During remarks delivered this past Memorial Day at the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C., President Obama drew attention to the remaining problems associated with the Agent Orange legacy of the war in Vietnam.
President Obama prepares to speak to a crowd assembled at the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington, D.C.
Reflecting on the ravages that remain long after the end of a war, President Obama remarked: “Let’s resolve to take care of our veterans as well as they’ve taken care of us — not just talk, but actions. Not just in the first five years after a war, but the first five decades. For our Vietnam veterans, this means the disability benefits for diseases connected to Agent Orange. It means job opportunities and mental health care to help you stand tall again. It means ending the tragedy of veterans’ homelessness, so that every veteran who has fought for America has a home in America. You shouldn’t have to fight for a roof over your heads when you fought on behalf of the country that you love.” (Read full transcript here.)
President Obama’s remarks come at a time when, after decades of inconclusive debate about liability and causality concerning the complicated issue of Agent Orange, the needs of those affected by Agent Orange in both the U.S. and in Vietnam are being addressed more comprehensively than ever before.
Comments
Went is VA going to take care of our clains i got 1 thats been in for over 2 years I was in Ranch Hand.I have no feeling in my feet.# doctor say i needhand control to drive.I just want to try and do what i like to do for rest of my life.
I need to know when I can expect the VA to satisfy my claim for hand controls for my vehicle. Claim has been pending for 2 years now. After my diagnosis of neurapathy, a direct result of agent orange via Ranch Hand, 1966-1967, I deserve some means to achieve the best quality of life I can under these circumstances. Also was diagnosed with congestive heart failure, also awaiting claim resolution for back pay to time of heart attack, 1999. At that time I tried to enter my claim but was told I could not because I had no heart conditions while in the Air Force. Since that time, it was determined that congestive heart failure is a result of my exposure to agent orange. I was part of the health study of 1997, which determined Ranch Hand personnel had a high death rate of congestive heart failure. I have the results of that study on record which I had attempted to submit with my claim but was told I had no claim.
Ret. Msgt. William Rekow
And let's not forget Napalm, one of the most quoted passages of a U.S.Army source:
‘We sure are pleased with those backroom boys at Dow. The original product wasn’t so hot - if the gooks were quick they could scrape it off. So the boys started adding polystyrene - now it sticks like shit to a blanket. But if the gooks jumped under water it stopped burning, so they started adding Willie Peter (white phosphorous ) so’s to make it burn better. And just one drop is enough, it’ll keep on burning right down to the bone so they die anyway from phosphorus poisoning.’
"The Vietnam war memorial in Washington is 492 feet long. If a similar war memorial had been made for the Vietnamese who died, with the same density of names, it would be nine miles long.