vietnam
We must do everything in our power to make the world recognize that our veterans are still paying a high price for fighting the war in Vietnam. Agent Orange is slowly taking the lives of these brave veterans. The government has recognized some diseases but the rules to compensation can be complex. It was in the 1960's that we were in the process of trying to destroy vegetation and brush in Vietnam, in doing so we proceeded to contaminate one of the largest parts of the environment, Humankind. War Veterans were exposed to Agent Orange and now live their lives with a disease not necessarily curable. The question remains did these Veterans know about the hazardous effects, and how are they being compensated now? Agent Orange was the code name for a herbicide developed for the military, primarily for use in tropical climates. It destroyed covering vegetation to protect the American and allied troops from ambush. The product "Agent Orange" was named so for the orange band that was !used to mark the drums it was stored in. Agent Orange "was a reddish-brown liquid containing two herbicides: 2,4,5-T was contaminated in the manufacturing process with a type of dioxin - 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin, also known as TC
to the sun. Hodgkin's Disease is characterized by usually painless but progressive enlargement of lymph nodes (or glands) and other lymphoid tissue. Hodgkin's disease most often occurs in people 15 to 35 years of age and over 50."(Encarta1999) The cause of Hodgkin's is unknown. There are some general symptoms that are associated with Hodgkin's and they are fever, night sweats, weight loss, and loss of appetite. The outcome is impairment of the immune system. The determinant of this disease is done through a biopsy, which is the removal of the enlarged lymph node and sent for a pathological study. "If the disease is diagnosed at an early stage and has not metastasized, radiation therapy is commonly used."(Encarta1999) Besides the health risks to the Veterans, news from the Institute of Medicine states, "The results of three epidemiological (disease) studies suggest that a father's exposure to herbicides may put his children at a greater risk of being born with spina bifida, whi! he possible illnesses attributed to Agent Orange, justice was starting to be served. On October 1,1997, the Atlantic Monthly reported, "The Agent Orange Benefits Act takes effect today, entitling Vietnam veteran's children born with the congenital birth defect spina bifida to receive up to $1,200 a month from the Department of Veterans Affairs. Congress passed the act after the National Academy of Sciences issued a report citing new evidence that veterans' exposure to the defoliant Agent Orange." (Atlantic Monthly, 1) It was not until after 1990 that illnesses, other than chloracne (reddening of the face), were recognized by the government to be connected to Agent Orange. Compensation for those exposed to Agent Orange was few and far between. It is through The Department of Veterans Affairs that the Agent Orange compensation list can be obtained. After 1990 this list was expanded by the Department of Veterans Affairs, to 10 diseases. Most of the diseases are cancers and the on! ying of Agent Orange in southern Vietnam, dioxin levels in human tissue were as high as 900 times greater in Vietnamese living in southern Vietnam than those living in Northern Vietnam where Agent Orange was not used."(Arison5) It was not until 1993, when the Institute of Medicine News reported, "Evidence exists linking three cancers and two other health problems with chemicals used in herbicides used in the Vietnam War, a committee of the Institute of Medicine has concluded. Those diseases are soft tissue sarcoma, non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, and Hodgkin's disease as well as chloracne and prophyria cutanea tarda (PCT)."(Turner-Lowe1) An explanation of each disease follows: Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma refers to any group of cancers of lymphoid tissues that multiply. These are found mainly in the lymph nodes and the spleen. The symptoms are related to painless swelling of the lymph nodes in the neck or groin region. There is an attempted cure for Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, through chemother! ly birth defect is Spina Bifida. The veterans who are eligible are those who have a medical condition and are fit to be chosen to receive medical care at the Department of Veterans Affairs Hospitals. The veterans now receive government compensation whether they are service connected or non-service connected. It has taken 30 years for the government to finally disclose that Agent Orange has actually been a contributing factor to many of these cancers and birth defects. Men and women have been fighting, for a long time, to have some acknowledgment as to the causes from Agent Orange. To some, recognition of Agent Orange's destruction to the human body is not enough. Something should have been done a lot sooner, these men and women should have been told about the herbicide and many cancers could have been prevented. Knowledge is the key. Agent Orange has ruined many lives. Mike Castle, a man I met on the Agent Orange website, e-mailed me a letter that demonstrates from a veteran's! d a seizure disorder
Some common words found in the essay are:
Agent Orange, Ranch Hand, Air Force, Institute Medicine, Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, Hodgkin's Disease, Mother Nature, South Vietnam, agent orange, Cutanea Tarda, Choices Trade-off, ranch hand, air force, institute medicine, birth defects, department veterans, veterans affairs, vietnam veterans, department veterans affairs, operation ranch hand, hand study, operation ranch, ranch hand study, institute medicine 1, effects agent orange,
Approximate Word count = 2668
Approximate Pages = 11 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
