The Disturbing Reality of Agent Orange

Pros of Agent Orange

Although it may seem as though Agent Orange is a completely horrendous concoction of chemicals created only with the intention of destroying, you'd be completely right in thinking so. Nevertheless, the use of Agent Orange did have some positive uses, at least from the U.S.' standpoint. The use of Agent Orange allowed the U.S. to clear the land of all vegetation that provided the enemy with cover, as well as killing the crops that provided them with fuel to continue waging war upon the U.S. By eliminating the land of a majority of the nooks and crannies that were available to the Viet Cong, the war was likely sped up and eventually cut shorter than if there hadn't been any use of Agent Orange within Vietnam. By cutting the war shorter, you would also theoretically be saving a myriad of lives that weren't even needed to be put in danger.

Cons of Agent Orange

Even if you try your best to convince yourself that the use of Agent Orange was valid, by using basic human judgement and logic, nine times out of ten people would say that the harsh negative effects of its use madly out shadow the short list of positive effects. Hundreds of thousands, if not millions of people are still effected by the chemical today, in an abundance of cruel and unusual ways that provide only suffering from the person whom had the unfortunate pleasure of coming in contact with Agent Orange. Many studies that have taken place in an attempt to make some sort of connection between these diseases have resulted in either unclear results, or their findings being published in rather washed out vernacular that fails to provide a conclusive answer to the issue at hand. In addition to this, the millions of people who are or have been affected by the toxin are denied any sort of compensation for their ailments, which is fueled by the U.S. Government's conviction to creating a facade that the use of Agent Orange is in no way connected to the health issues thrust upon the masses.

Long Term Effects

Although the heavy use of Agent Orange dates back to almost 40 years ago, many various groups of people are still being effected by it to this day. Without even including the massive amount of environmental damage that was thrust upon Vietnam, the country claims that half a million children have been born with serious birth defects, as well as up to two million people that are still suffering from cancer and other related illnesses caused by Agent Orange. The Vietnamese aren't the only group of people feeling the harsh effects of Agent Orange, up to 2.8 million U.S. veterans claim that their interaction with Agent Orange is responsible for their various cancers, nervous disorders, and skin diseases, without even regarding the birth defects that have also been thrust upon their offspring.

The Incredibly Inventive, But Highly Corrosive Weapon: Agent Orange

By: Garrett Gebhardt

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Works Cited Page

Origins of Agent Orange

Haberman, Clyde. "Agent Orange’s Long Legacy, for Vietnam and Veterans." The New York Times. The New York Times, 11 May 2014. Web. 24 May 2016.

History.com Staff. "Agent Orange." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 01 Jan. 2011. Web. 24 May 2016.

Joseph, Janice. "History: Agent Orange/Dioxin in Vietnam." The Aspen Institute. Aspen Institute Agent Orange in Vietnam Program, Aug. 2011. Web. 24 May 2016.

N/A. "Why Agent Orange?" Agent Orange Record. Agent Orange Record, n.d. Web. 24 May 2016.

Although the British were the first to use defoliants in a war scenario, Agent Orange was one of many color-coded herbicides that the US forces sprayed over the rural landscape of Vietnam during the war in hopes of clearing out vegetation that provided many enemy forces with cover, as well as taking out their crops which provided food for much of the opposition forces. It was a 50/50 mixture of two herbicides, 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T. These chemicals themselves only remained active and toxic for days or weeks, however it contained a toxic contaminant, dioxin, that didn't degrade as easily and is still causing health problems to this day. The herbicides that were used in Vietnam, such as Agent Orange and Agent white were up to 50 times as powerful as typical herbicides that would be used in the agricultural industries. The rationale behind the use of these extremely intense chemicals was that the spread of communism had to be stopped at all costs, and that through various military and economic operations, they were to provide Vietnam with a viable and increasingly democratic society.

A Bit of Reflection Upon the Use of Agent Orange

Personally, I believe that the use of such harmful chemical weaponry is completely unwarranted, however I can definitely understand how one who was living in the time period in which Agent Orange seemed viable thinking that the effects caused by it were completely justified. For example, had many of the people known that the use of such chemicals would later lead to millions of innocent people being affected so drastically, the use of Agent Orange would probably be completely frowned upon, and viewed as a borderline war crime. However, the past is the past and there's really nothing that can be done to change it, however I believe that there should be more of an effort to help support those affected by Agent Orange, and that some sort of settlement should have been reached, which required the offenders to pay some sort of fine that would go towards the overall benefit of those suffering from Agent Orange ailments.

Reformation Efforts

Amidst the efforts to cover up the entire operation as well as the severe effects of contact with the chemical, there are places of solace for many of the victims to seek in order to garner some sort of relief for their sufferings. It is a sort of taboo in present day Vietnam to be included in a family which contains a person suffering from some form of a deformity, which leads to many babies born with deformities caused by Agent Orange to be abandoned by their families and essentially left to die. Some good-hearted souls have started orphanages around Vietnam that specialize in the acceptance and rehabilitation of many children and adults whom suffer from some sort of Agent Orange related ailment. However, not much else has been done to help alleviate the sufferings of those whom were exposed to Agent Orange, as many of the key role players in the use of Agent Orange continue to deny its connection with such disorders and diseases, thus preventing any sort of settlement or compensation being put into action.