NEWS ARCHIVE
Children of Veterans Are the the Innocent Victims of Agent Orange
November 11, 2011
Ed Mattson, published author and medical research specialist, is currently development director of the National Guard Bureau of International Affair-SPP.
Reprinted from the Military Affairs Examiner
The debate goes on and probably will until the end of time as to the effects of DIOXIN on dozens of health related issues. The Veteran on this Veteran’s Day does not have to be reminded of the long battle with the Veteran's Administration, the Department of Defense, and 13 chemical manufacturing companies on the massive exposure to dioxin from the use of Agent Orange and other defoliants during the Vietnam War.
The same hold true for the public population, both in the United States and many other countries, where dioxin laced products were used in a effort to "improve our lives," by limiting growth of weeds, vegetation, and disease carrying insects, only to learn that increase health issues would become a nightmare for many of those exposed. We now understand that we cannot rewind the clock and easily solve the problems caused by dioxin, but must learn how to deal with it in a fair and equitable manner to all who have health related issues, and find ways to prevent further exposure. Read more»
International study: Vietnam War legacy continues to poison humans, livestock
Updated April 14, 2011
The first international study of dioxin contamination in Vietnam, conducted in late 2010, has confirmed continuing "elevated levels" of the toxin in fish, ducks and livestock at the Bien Hoa Airbase, urging an immediate halt to their consumption. Agent Orange, contaminated with dioxin, was stored in these areas during the Vietnam War that ended in April 1975. Local residents have suffered the vicious effects of the toxic defoliant, including birth defects and cancer, for more than 40 years. The study was conducted by Canadian firm Hatfield Consultants and final results expected in May 2011. Read more»
Compensate Victims of U.S. Chemical Warfare in Vietnam
By Marjorie Cohn
August 10, 2011
Today marks the 50th anniversary of the start of the chemical warfare program in Vietnam without sufficient remedial action by the U.S. government. One of the most shameful legacies of the Vietnam War, Agent Orange continues to poison Vietnam and the people exposed to the
chemicals, as well as their offspring.
H.R. 2634, the Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act of 2011
[http://www.govtrack.us/congress/billtext.xpd?bill=h112-2634], which California Congressman Bob Filner just introduced in the House, would provide crucial assistance for social and health services to Vietnamese, Vietnamese-American, and U.S. victims of Agent Orange. Read more»
50th Anniversary of the First Spraying of Agent Orange in Vietnam by the US Government - The Time for Justice is NOW!
August 1, 2011:
On August 10th, 1961, the U.S. armed forces began the first spraying of toxic chemicals in Vietnam, launching "Operation Ranch Hand." Even now, fifty years later, a number of "hot spots" are still severely contaminated with high levels of dioxin in the soil and water. Out of about 5 million Vietnamese who were exposed to Agent Orange/dioxin, 3 million people are estimated to be suffering from illnesses or birth defects, large numbers of whom are children and grandchildren of those originally drenched.
Read more»
Read Appeal in HTML» or as a PDF of the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent of Orange/dioxin (VAVA)
Agent Orange is still a ghastly killer in Vietnam
April 11, 2011, Hanoi, Vietnam:
The largest chemical warfare campaign in the history of the world ended 38 years ago but its damaging effects on human health continue to this day. Today, the third generation of Vietnamese still suffer the ghastly legacy left by the Americans. ... Cu Chi District is a case in point with 570 households, where more than 600 people suffer abnormalities from birth caused by contamination of Agent Orange. Read more»
A Rich Year, More to Come
April 10, 2011, New York Times
After falling for two years, the average salary for C.E.O.'s rose 12 percent last year. The average salary for American workers rose 2.1 percent. Ranked 25th highest paid Chief Executive is Andrew N. Liveris of Dow Chemical. Liveris earned 17.7 million in 2010, up 5% from the year before. In 2010 Dow Chemical's profits were up a stunning 438% ! [Dow Chemical made Agent Orange and has never given one penny to clean it up in Vietnam]. Read more»
Vietnam Revisited Wins Honors
March 7, 2011, Los Angeles:
Vietnam Reporting Project fellow Thuy Vu, an Emmy award-winning anchor and reporter for CBS5, recently returned to her homeland of Vietnam. While there she explored the on-going health impact of Agent Orange, and created a half-hour report, Vietnam Revisited, that just won two of the esteemed Associated Press Mark Twain awards.
Unfinished Business: Suffering and sickness in the endless wake of Agent Orange
Jan. 30, 2011: The Cleveland Plain Dealer has published this special eight-part Agent Orange series,
“Unfinished Business,” written by Pulitzer Prize winning columnist Connie Schultz and illustrated with photos by the famed photographer Nick Ut, also a Pulitzer Prize winner. Video interviews by Connie Schultz as well.
Read summaries of the entire series»
Or go straight to the section you are most interested in:
Part 1: The Vietnam War ended but a silent threat from Agent Orange remained»
Part 2: Friendship Village provides support to people affected by Agent Orange»
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Part 5: Heather Bowser, children touched by Agent Orange find a common bond in Friendship Village»
Part 6: Ending the lingering threat of Agent Orange begins with awareness»
Read all of of Agent Orange series»
Related Stories by Connie Schultz
Mushroom Farm gives women veterans a place, a purpose, a life»
Agent Orange leaves behind a toxic footprint»
Background on how the report was constructed»
Map of Agent Orange Hotspots in Vietnam (Hatfield Consultants)»
Speaking Out Over Decades of Silence: Vietnamese-Americans Soldiers with Agent Orange Poisoning
Mon, Nov 22, 2010, The California Report, KQED Radio, Reporter: K. Oanh Ha
California is home to many Vietnamese-Americans who fought alongside the U.S. during the Vietnam war. Over time, these soldiers developed cancers because of their exposure to the chemical defoliant Agent Orange. But while American-born vets can get medical care and disability compensation for their Agent Orange-related illnesses, America's former allies get no such benefits.
Luc Nguyen is now a naturalized citizen, but in the 1960s he was a South Vietnamese soldier, working as a translator for the U.S. military. South Vietnamese soldiers frequently got Agent Orange on their skin and clothing when patrolling jungles that had been sprayed. Others were exposed when they sprayed agent orange by hand or helped transport and mix the chemicals.
Luc's former American commander, retired 4-star general Louis Wagner, says there's no question he and Luc were frequently exposed to Agent Orange. "We sprayed it with hand sprayers around our own compound, Wagner said. "Obviously when it was being sprayed, you'd breathe it, unless you had a respirator, which we didn't."
Both Wagner and Luc have been diagnosed with prostate cancer, one of the illnesses recognized by the Veteran's Administration as Agent Orange-related. Seven years ago, when Luc's doctors diagnosed him with both prostate cancer and non-Hodgkins lymphoma, they gave him only months to live.
Department of Veterans Affairs begins payment for new Agent Orange Claims
Nov. 1, 2010
WASHINGTON, DC– VA Encourages Affected Vietnam Veterans to File Claims: The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) has begun distributing disability benefits to Vietnam Veterans who qualify for compensation under recently liberalized rules for Agent Orange exposure. Up to 200,000+ Vietnam Veterans are potentially eligible to receive VA disability compensation for medical conditions recently associated with Agent Orange. The expansion of coverage involves B-cell (or hairy-cell) leukemia, Parkinson’s disease and ischemic heart disease. Read Dept of Veterans Affairs (VA) Press Release»
• Veterans interested in applying for disability compensation under one of the three new Agent Orange presumptives should go to www.fasttrack.va.gov and call 1-800-827-1000 (VA hotline). Read more about the Agent Orange Claims process.
• Prefer to apply with your own physician instead of a VA one? See www.vba.va.gov/disabilityexams/
• Want to talk to another vet? See www.girightshotline.org/links/
Hanoi Art Benefit for International Agent Orange Day 2010 by VAVA
August 8, 2010
The sixth “Justice and Heart” art programme was held in Hanoi in the presence of Deputy Prime Minister Nguyen Thien Nhan, National Assembly Vice Chairwoman Tong Thi Phong, and Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Pham Binh Minh. Read more»
Vietnam's Forgotten War Victims
July 23, 2010—Al Jazeera English, author: Chris Arsenault
When Hillary Clinton, the U.S. secretary of state, visited Vietnam on Thursday she extolled the country's "unlimited potential" and strong trade relations with the US. But the words must have rung hollow for Nguyen Ngoc Phuong, who has seen his potential destroyed by American chemical poisoning. Read more»
Vietnam’s Children and Grandchildren
April 2, 2010—GlobalPost by journalist Geoffrey Cain
Four decades on, Agent Orange continues to ravage the children and grandchildren of those exposed. A special report including slideshow .
Read and see more»
VA to Automate New Agent Orange Claims Process
March 9, 2010
WASHINGTON — The Veterans Affairs Department has announcedy that it will begin to automate how it pays claims for Vietnam veterans who have any of three illnesses recently linked to Agent Orange exposure. It is the VA’s first effort at automating claims processing in its 80-year history.
In October 2009, Veteran's Administration Secretary Eric Shinseki added three more illnesses to those linked to the herbicide: Parkinson’s disease, B-cell leukemia and heart disease. He told Congress this would generate 228,000 more claims in the next two years. Currently, almost 40 percent of Agent Orange disability claims take an average of 161 days to process; without automation the addition of these 228,000 claims will increase the processing time to 190 days. So, not only did Shinseki’s efforts allow more Agent Orange disability claims, but his decision to automate claims will get VA care even quicker. All Veterans interested in applying for disability compensation under one of the three new Agent Orange presumptives should go to www.fasttrack.va.gov and call 1-800-827-1000 (VA hotline).
Agent Orange Victims Remembered on Dia de los Muertos
October 26 - November 21 2009
At the Main Gallery of the Mission Cultural Center in San Francisco, California an alter honoring victims of Agent Orange was displayed. Click here to see photos by Judith Sandoval
Mr. Nguyen Van Rinh, President of VAVA, Elected
September 27-30, 2009
At the VIIth Congress of the Vietnam Fatherland Front Mr. Nguyen Van Rinh was elected to the Presidium of the Vietnam Fatherland Front at its VIIth Congress. The Presidium is the leadership body of the Vietnam Fatherland Front, a huge umbrella group of popular organizations. We congratulate Mr. Rinh on this new leadership opportunity to further serve people living with Agent Orange.
2009 Veterans for Peace National Convention
August 5-9, 2009
This years convention, held at the University of Maryland, brought together a spirited crowd. Far from defeated they organized a forum entitled The Agent Orange Campaign After the Lawsuit: Now We Really Get to Work" and showed the movie Vietnam: American Holocaust. www.vfpnationalconvention.org
Agent Orange Report Commissioned by Congress Released
May 28, 2009
CRS Report for Congress: Vietnamese Victims of Agent Orange and U.S.-Vietnam relations, Order No. 34761
[webmaster note: this is the same document released in 2010 by WikiLeaks. It was public, not part of a "leaked cable."]
Major International Tribunal on Agent Orange in Paris
May 15-18, 2009
PARIS— The International Peoples' Tribunal of Conscience in Support of the Vietnamese Victims of Agent Orange
1. The People of Vietnam and People of Conscience all over the world, VERSUS The Government of the United States
2. The People of Vietnam and People of Conscience all over the world, VERSUS 37 U.S. chemical manufacturers
RULING
International Tribunal's Decision of the International Peoples' Tribunal of Conscience in support of the Vietnamese Victims of Agent Orange
• Executive Summary
• Full Decision (pdf, 2,7MB)
• Press Release, March 2, 2009 (pdf)
The panel of international judges included Jitendra Sharma, President of the IADL and Supreme Court lawyer, India, Claudia Morcom, judge, Michigan and Juan Guzman, Judge, Chile, the judge who tried Augusto Pinochet.
The judges heard testimony about the personal impact of Agent Orange from Vietnamese, U.S. and South Korean victims and from renowned scientists from May 15-16th.
Supreme Court’s Denial of Vietnamese Agent Orange Lawsuit Denies Justice
March 2, 2009
“It is unfortunate that U.S. courts have chosen, contrary to U.S. and international law, to deny justice to millions of Vietnamese who suffer from the spraying of dioxin-laden Agent Orange which has left several generations of victims severely sick and disabled,” said attorney for the Vietnamese plaintiffs, Jonathan C. Moore... But while this particular legal action may have ended it has succeeded in awakening an unstoppable worldwide effort to assure justice and compensation for Vietnam’s Agent Orange victims! Read Press Release.
Read March 3 Statement of VAVA in English
Read
Statement of VAVA in Vietnamese
Statement of the Vietnam Fatherland Front in Vietnamese, March 4, 2009.
Statement of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Associations March 6, 2009,
Le Comité Français pour le Village de l’Amitié à Van Canh.
Press release of Association d'Amitié Franco-Vietnamien, March 12, 2009.
Statement of Len Aldis, British Vietnam Friendship Association, March 9, 2009.
Statement of the U.S. Peace Council.
We Visit Thai Nguyen Provincial VAVA Chapter
February 14-15, 2009
A brief picture report
Vietnam Veteran Gen. Eric Shinseki to Head Veterans Administration
January 21, 2009
Former Vietnam veteran, and former Army Chief of Staff, and retired General Eric Shinseki was sworn in to become the Secretary of Veterans Affairs. Shinseki said in a statement that veterans harmed during military service deserve the “best this nation has to offer.” His appointment offers veterans living with Agent Orange better chances of obtaining long denied medical treatment and assistance.
Chicago Tribune Publishes Watchdog Report—Agent Orange: A legal legacy
Dec. 4, 2009
This Chicago Tribune Watchdog Report investigates the effects of Agent Orange/dioxin on:
• Vietnam War veterans and
• Vietnamese nationals who were exposed to Agent Orange, and,
• children of Vietnam veterans (U.S. & Vietnamese) whose birth defects have brought Agent Orange into a second generation.
Part 1: For U.S., a record of neglect»
Part 2: 'Insult to injury'»
Part 3: Born into controversy»
Part 4: A poison still potent»
Part 5: Danger not averted»
Link to all articles, photos, slideshows and interactive map»
Chicago Tribune Publishes Best Map of Spraying Missions in Vietnam
Searchable! Find YOUR exposure.
2009
The map below can be used to find defoliant spraying missions by U.S. and South Vietnamese forces over Vietnam, as well as Laos and Cambodia. The missions began in summer 1961 and ended more than a decade later, in spring 1971.
(1) Search by the name of town, month or year for spraying runs that affected you.
(2) After finding the spraying missions you are looking for, you can click on the lines on the map to get more details about the missions, such as the number of legs, or runs, the number of gallons and the type of defoliant.
(3) Take screen shots (Ctrl-click-3 for PC; Cmd-shift-3 for Mac)
and copy and paste all text information. Put them all in a word processing document (like FreeOffice or Microsoft Word).
(4) This information can be very helpful for appealing any denials of Veterans Administration benefits.
This interactive map is based on the Herbicide Exposure Assessment-Vietnam database developed by Jeanne Stellman, professor emeritus at Columbia University's School of Public Health, and Columbia University epidemiology professor Steven Stellman. They cleaned data from a 1974 National Academy of Sciences database and supplemented the records with documents from the National Archives. The database is considered the most comprehensive available on spraying missions.
www.chicagotribune.com/health/agentorange/chi-091204-agentorange-map,0,1959438.htmlpage
The Second National Congress of the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA)
December 2–3, 2008
HANOI: The Congress gathered 399 delegates, including Mr. Le Kha Phieu, Mme. Nguyen Thi Binh, Mr. Nguyen Thien Nhan, Mr. Huynh Dam, Mr. Nguyen Khoi Nguyen, and Lt. General Le Van Huan. Besides delegations from France and South Korea, the U.S. delegation representing VAORRC includes Paul Cox, Claire Tran & Jonathan Moore. Heading the delegation is Paul Cox (Read Paul Cox's statement » and Claire Tran's statement ».
The delegation visited VAVA chapters at Quang Ninh, Ho Chi Minh City (Mme. Dang Hong Nhut's Hoc Mon Center, Peace Village II, Thien Phuoc Center, Cu Chi), Da Nang and Soc Son during its post-Congress 5-day tour.
 VAORRC delegation at the Congress |
Paul Cox addresses the Congress read» |
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 VAVA national delegates |
 Jonathan Moore addresses the Congress |
 Machine shop at Hoc Mon Vocational Training Center. Credit: Claire Tran |
 The Congress Presidium with Dr. Ngoc Phuong (3rd from left), Prof. Tran Xuan Thu (4th from left), new VAVA President Nguyen Van Rinh and Dr. Nguyen Trong Nhan (center) |
The Congress Hall |
 Photos We Brought to Show Activities in U.S. for Vietnamese Victims of Agent Orange |
December 4, 2008
Interview on return from Congress on Democracy Now! (read and hear)
The Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin was licensed on December 17, 2003 and founded on January 10, 2004 in Hanoi with ten members on its First National Congress. VAVA became an active member of the Vietnam Fatherland Front in 2005. VAVA is a non-profit organization with 5 departments: external relations, press & information, organization, advocacy, finance, science & administration. It has received about 86 billion VN dongs from public donation for its activities in the past 5 years.
The Second National VAVA Congress elected 87 to its National Board, and 19 to the Standing Committee. Today, VAVA has about 100,000 members in 53 of Vietnam's 63 provinces, 300 districts and 2,000 grassroot wards/communes throughout Vietnam.
Agent Orange Documentary Premieres in Spain
November 25, 2008
A great Agent Orange web blog spot in Spain with Emilio Astier Amigós de los afectados del agente naranja contains links to the newest 2-part TV series in Spain covering the topic of Agent Orange in Vietnam,
Documentos TV T22: Lluvia tóxica.
VIETNAM: The Secret Agent Shows at Museum of Modern Arts
Wednesday, October 29, 2008, 6:00pm
The Human Arts Association, Green Mountain Post Films, and Producers Jacki Ochs and Daniel Keller, will screen the newly minted 16mm archival print of the 1983 documentary VIETNAM: The Secret Agent, made possible in part by NYWIFT's Women's Film Preservation Fund.
"...excellent...a tough, angry look at the consequences of exposure to Agent Orange...a chilling issue that is effectively addressed here." —The New York Times
"...a scrupulously researched, even-handed expose about dioxin and its use (or, rather, abuse) in Vietnam." —L.A. Herald Examiner
"...one of the year's most terrifying horror films!" —Boston Globe (1983)
Agent Orange Day in San Francisco
October 30, 2008
Proclamation of the City of San Francisco designating October 30, 2008 the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange day
Scientific report 2008 (pdf); Online streaming (Flash; small); Downloadable .mov (14MB)
• Agent Orange resolution of United Teachers Los Angeles - 10/29/2008
• Agent Orange policy of Veterans For Peace - 08/31/2008
• Agent Orange policy of the American Public Health Association - 11/06/2007
2008 Justice Tour: Vietnamese Women Agent Orange Victims
Visits 10 US Cities, Sept 28–Nov 1, 2008
Press conference at the Supreme Court, Oct. 6 2008>
The International Corporate Campaign begins!
Dow and Monsanto: Do the right thing -
Compensate Vietnam's Agent Orange Victims!
Get more info here
VFP National Convention 2008
August 27, 2008
Agent Orange Policy of Veterans for Peace
The 2008 National Veterans for Peace Conference held a special Seminar on Justice for Agent Orange Victims featuring Paul Cox, Susan Schnall, Jeanne Mirer & Sandy Kelson.
See Program
Detailed slideshow Lasting Legacy of the American War in Vietnam presented by Susan Schnall
.mov downloadable version14MB | streaming Flash version
Agent Orange Day 2008: 47th Memorial Day for Victims of Agent Orange
August 10 2008 activities
Statement of VAORRC,
VAVA activities
Vietnam: VAVA, the Red Cross, AO walks,...
France: Collectif Dioxine, Les Enfants de la Dioxine...
Phan Thi Cao, 16, a H're ethnic, travels 2 km to Ba Vinh school in Quang Ngai on her hands.
Read the story of a second generation victim of Agent Orange at Vietnam News 8/29/2008.
Agent Orange: A personal requiem
A very moving and well done documentary by Masako Sakata takes you into her life, that of a Janpanese American widow whose veteran husband died of Agent Orange. Ms. Sakata visits Vietnam and journies with other partners of men with Agent Orange to hear their stories in a mesmirizing cross-cultural dialog that occurs across two continents.
In Japanese (日本語) with English translation
The San Francisco Public Library, in association with Veterans for Peace, presents on July 10, Thursday, at 6:00 PM. The presentation will be in the Koret Auditorium of the San Francisco Library, 100 Larkin Street (at Grove).
A Dedication to David Cline
Families, comrades and friends gathered on Memorial Day May 26, 2008 in Pershing Field, Jersey City to remember and celebrate the life of David Cline. Photo: Merle Ratner:
Agent Orange Experts Testify Before Congress
Our Forgotten Responsibility: What Can We Do To Help Victims of Agent Orange?
10:00 AM, May 15, 2008
U.S. House Committee on Foreign Affair Subcommittee on Asia, the Pacific, and the Global Environment
Congressional Hearing
Eni F. H. Faleomavaega (D-AS) Chairman
Hearing Agenda and testimonies,
Statement of VAVA,
Speech by Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong and
Statement of Dr. Arnold Schecter,
Press Release May 15 2008
and Congressional Briefing May 16 2008 (pdf)
More pictures at Hearing page.
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Chairman Eni F.H. Faleomavaega on the Congress webcast. |
Jeanne Mirer (IADL, VAORRC), Bill Perry (VVAW), Dr. Phuong (VAVA) & Merle Ratner (VAORRC), May 15 2008. |
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Vietnam VTV1 & VTV2 on the US 2nd Circuit Court opinion:
"wrong legally, ethically and morally". Picture by Nhím.
Full text of the US 2nd Circuit Court decision Feb 22 2008 &
Statement of VAVA (Feb 25, 2008) &
Press Release of VAORRC (Feb 26), Response of Vietnam Association of War Veterans (March 7), Appeal of the Peace, Friendship and Solidarity organizations of Vietnam (March 7),
Statement of the Vietnam Fatherland Front (February 29),
Statement of Global Exchange [French version] (March 8)...
Renowned Painter's Agent Orange Tribute
Painting by Sallie Latch (San Miguel de Allende, Mexico) was made into a VAORRC/VAVA banners for 15 chapters of VAVA on a VAORRC fact finding tour December 11-January 2, 2008, from northernmost to southernmost provinces Vietnam.
A Tribute to Dave Cline
January 13, 2008
A large group of family, comrades and friends came to Connolly's in Manhattan to hear a tribute of stories, songs and rembrances of our co-founder, leader, husband/father, friend and veteran extrordinaire, Dave Cline.
David Cline was a highly decorated, disabled Vietnam War combat veteran. Returning stateside he became active in the Oleo Strut coffeehouse near Fort Hood, Texas, as described in “Sir! No Sir!” the award-winning documentary about GI resistance. He served as a national coordinator of Vietnam Veterans Against the War for more than 20 years. As President of Veterans For Peace 2002-2007, he oversaw tremendous membership growth and helped start Iraq Veterans Against the War. He also co-founded the Vietnam Agent Orange Relief & Responsibility Campaign.
Click for flyer and Susan Schnall's speech.
Touring Vietnam: December 13, 2007 – January 26, 2008
We traveled to Vietnam and met with different VAVA chapters and locations: Hanoi, Ho Chi Minh City, Ca Mau, Can Tho, Tay Ninh, Bien Hoa, Bien Hung & vicinity, Dong Nai, Thai Binh, Hai Phong, Tuyen Quang, Thanh Hoa, Pleiku, Bon Ma Thuot,...
Meeting with school children in HCM City, December 22, 2007.
Meeting with AO children in Ca Mau, December 19, 2007.
Meeting with AO children in Danang, December 14, 2007.
Meeting with VAVA Danang, December 14, 2007.
Meeting with VAVA Hanoi, December 13, 2007.
Veterans Day San Francisco
November 11, 2007
Veterans for Peace and other veterans groups and individuals marched with Agent Orange signs and literature this year in the Veterans Day march in San Francisco. Crowd feedback was enthusiastic the contingent received media coverage.
with banner for victims of Agent Orange.
Vietnam Agent Orange Public Health Tour: November 1-14, 2007
Featuring:
Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong, a leading clinician / researcher on the effects of Agent Orange on women and children in Vietnam from Tu Du Hospital, Ho Chi Minh City.
Read more about this public health tour.
Dr. Phuong, Vice President of the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange (VAVA)
(click for her short bio and full CV) toured Washington, DC where a policy of the American Public Health Association on Agent Orange (Vietnamese version) was passed on November 6 2007.
Read the
VAORRC Press Releaseon this historic event.
See research results of Dr. Phuong's work
click here for Flash Video Format
(larger format and Quick time formats to come)
New Agent Orange brochure is available!
Agent Orange & Birth Defects: The Legacy Continues
Published Nov/Dec 2007, The VVA Veteran
By Betty Mekdeci, Executive Director, Birth Defect Research for Children
The soldiers are dying. But, even more tragically, the children they have left behind are suffering. Sometimes at Birth Defect Research for Children we hear from veterans, but usually it is wives and children who send us poignant messages:
“I lost my husband from a cancerous brain tumor 13 months ago. My son has many disabilities, including Tourette’s syndrome, mental retardation, mild cerebral palsy, hydrocephalus, and he is profoundly deaf. He will never be able to live on his own.”
Since 1991, we have recorded thousands of such cases in our National Birth Defect Registry. Read more»
Commemorate August 10, 2007: Int'l Day for Victims of Agent Orange
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The first US spray in Vietnam this day 46 years ago on this day... |
Appeal of the Vietnam's Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin, June 1, 2007.
Biographies of the AO delegation
Midland, MI
Prof. Tran Xuan Thu at the dioxin contamination advisory in Midland, June 21, 2007.
US Court of Appeals Hearing June 18 2007
A pictoral account of the 10-US city Tour. Click thumbnails to see larger.
Crowds of Americans and international supporers came to the hearing for the Vietnamese Agent Orange victims lawsuit against the U.S. chemical manufacturers
Balloons outside with supporters, they packed the Courtroom (woman holding balloons is their for neice, a second generation victim of Agent Orange)
and a lot of press, AP, Reuters, TV Channel 4, 21, Newsday... Photos: Tuoi Tre, Dawn Reel.
Vigil in San Francisco, by Veterans For Peace, Chapter 69... See a pictorial report by Jeff Paterson.
Actions in Paris, France by Le Collectif Vietnam Dioxin... See more at Une Bougie pour les victimes de l'AO
See more photos.
Actions was held in San Francisco, New York, Portland OR, and counting, across the U.S. In Paris, France and Hattingen, Germany internationally.
"End Vietnam's Air War," by Danielle Trussoni, in New York Times Opinion, June 18, 2007.
Vietnam's Agent Orange Survivors 
– 6:30 pm - Saturday, June 16, 2007 at Martin Luther King Jr. Labor Center/1199 SEIU (310 West 43rd St), New York. An evening of moving experience: Dave Cline offered Mr. Nguyen Van Quy his purple heart.
Read transcript and hear radio interview of Vietnamese survivors on Democracy Now!.
| The Last Ghost of War | |
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A new documentary film on the legacy of Agent Orange in Vietnam, by Janet Gardner and Pham Quoc Thai of the Gardner Documentary Group, 2007. Read details. See PBS Broadcast on the Last Ghost of War webpage for schedule of shows in your area from November 2, 2008 to January 16, 2009. |
Demo at the Trocadero Square, April 29, 2007, for victims of Agent Orange in Vietnam
Public appeal of the international lawyers concerning the responsibility of the U.S. toward Vietnam for the sprayings of Agent Orange/Dioxin on the Tenth Anniversary of the International Chemical Weapons Convention of 1997.
Korean Veterans, Victims of Agent Orange, Meet in Vietnam
Founding Ceremony of the Vietnam Chapter of the Coalition of Korean Combattant Associations
of Victims of Agent Orange
March 10, 2007 at 11:00 AM, Daewoo Hotel Hanoi, Vietnam
Famous Agent Orange Victim Weds in Vietnam
December 16, 2006
Nguyen Duc was no ordinary victim of Agent Orange. We Mr. Duc was born a siamese twin and the entire nation followed his story and the drama of his separation. His historic wedding of with his new wife, Thanh Tuyen, occured surrounded with the proud love of their families
in Ho Chi Minh City, December 16, 2006. An informal gathering
of friends the next day vowed to support victims of Agent Orange. Read story here.
Suffering and Smiles
A photographic exhibition entitled Suffering and Smiles by Doan
Duc Minh, brings the multi-faceted lives of Agent Orange survivors and victims to the U.S. October 19-26, 2006 at Supreme Trading, 213 North
8th Street, Brooklyn, New York 11211, Tel. (718) 218.6538.
32 South Korean Victims of Agent Orange Visit U.S.
South Korean victims of Agent Orange came to bring their case to the United Nations and to Washington DC, August
21 – September 1, 2006. They are demanding reparations from the chemical companies that were contracted to produce the defoliant Agent Orange, yet did not take out the dioxin in the process of doing so.
See reports from the UN and picture
report from Washington DC
Oslo Conference on Dioxin
On August 21-25, 2006 their was an international conference on Dioxin highlighting the current research occuring on Agent Orange.
Oslo (Norway) Conference Site
current Agent Orange research papers.
Report to the Veterans For Peace National Convention
The 2006 VFP convention, held August 9-12, 2006 at the University of Washington (Seattle), held a number of workshops and talks on Agent Orange. Read more (pdf).
"The manufacture
and use of Agent Orange is a human rights violation against Vietnamese
victims, by Lệ Hà, Vietnam
Net, Hanoi, February 23, 2006.
And
Their Children: Four million Vietnamese still suffer after-effecs
of the U.S. military's defoliant Agent Orange,
by Cydney Gillis, Real Change News, Seattle, WA, December 15,
2005.
South Korean
Vietnam War veterans still haunted by Agent Orange,
by Kim Hyung-jin, Yonhap News, February 15, 2006.
Mental
health problems caused by war service afflict veterans' families
and children too, Collateral
Damage, by Kellie Bisset, The Weekend Australian, February 11,
2006.
Cancer risk
increased for Vietnam vets who didn't spray Agent Orange
, Obesity, Fitness & Wellness Week, May 14, 2005.
Court rules U.S. firms pay South Korean Vietnam veteran Agent
Orange victims, , by Kwon
Ji-young,Korea Herald, January 27, 2006.
Agent Orange
Victims win lawsuit: South
Korea Court ordered two U.S. firms to pay $62 million in medical
compensation, by Kim Tong-hyun, The Korea Times, January 26, 2006.
Dow and Monsanto
ordered to pay damages over Agent Orange
to Vietnam veterans in South Korea, Agence France Press, January
26, 2006.
The aftermath
of Agent Orange, local
woman forms nonprofit to aid affected children, by Kimberly Nicoletti,
Aspen Times Weekly, January 14, 2006.
Agent Orange,
Program
#37-05, Univ. of South Florida, produced by Miae Kim, January
3, 2006.
More initiatives
in support of Vietnamese AO victims, says Mme Binh, Vietnam
News Agency, December 30, 2005.
December
7th 2005 Agent Orange Tour to Portland, by Dan Shea, Veterans
For Peace, Local Chapter 72, and KBOO
interview, by Miae Kim, December 29, 2005.
U.S. vets join
Vietnamese Agent Orange victims, by Elisabeth Schreinemacher,
Inter Press Service News Agency, Human Rights, December 19, 2005.
Repercussion
of Agent Orange —
an exhibition of panel posters in Hanoi, December 16-21,
see Nhan Dan Daily, December
17, 2005.
Vietnam:
Lessons of forgiveness and hope, by Bette Lee, The Portland
Alliance, Volume 25, No. 12, December 2005, page 9.
The U.S.
people support the Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange. by
VN, Lao Ðộng Daily, Dec. 15, 2005 .
The Agent
Orange victim delegation concluded its successful tour of the
U.S. by VNA reporter in New York, Nhân Dân Daily,
Dec. 14, 2005.
Agent Orange
discoverer tries to make amends. by Linda Conner Lambeck,
Connecticut Post (Bridgeport, CT), Dec. 10, 2005 .
Agent
Orange victims: "The war continues in the bodies of Vietnamese".
by Pepe Lorenzo, People's Weekly World Newspaper, Dec. 8, 2005.
Vietnamese
reparations "tour": For me, a night of sadness, anger
and partial redemption. by Jack Dalton, Dec. 7, 2005 .
Agent Orange victims speak by Russell Max Simon, December
4, 2005...
An old
enemy comes to U.S. by Chau Lam, Newsday
November 17, 2005, reprrinted in Los Angeles Times,
Nov. 27, 2005 .
Vietnamese
victims of Agent Orange touring the U.S. by Paddy Colligan,
Nov. 26, 2005 .
March 2006
International Conferene on Agent Orange: in Hanoi, Vietnam—The
Call.
AFP English,
November 28, 2005 at the Wall: Vietnamese, Americans highlight
plight of Agent Orange victims
Chicago
Tribune, November 25, 2005: Vietnamese aided on war poison
claim
By Oscar Avila... Read here.
Washington,
Nov. 26 (VNA) - C-Span,on Nov. 25 evening carried a segment
presenting two books written by Philip
Jones Griffiths, about Viet Nam and the consequences of Agent Orange/Dioxin
in the war-torn country.
Soldiers and Scientists present Depleted
Uranium—the Agent Orange of the Iraq War 11/10/2005
at the Riverdale-Yonkers Society for Ethical Culture (Bronx, NY).
Solidarity
message from Nodutdol for the Korean community development
to VAVA delegation on November 16, 2005 at the Community Church
of New York. See Programme.
Lao Dong
(Labor Daily) reported 11/12/2005 on the victims of Agent
Orange touring the United States... and how the U.S. Embassy denied
Nguyen Muoi's visa because he is poor and unemployed...
Dedications by young Vietnamese to victims of Agent Orange. Click
dioxinvietnam.blogspot
(English) and chatdocdacam.info
(Vietnamese)
November 6, 2005: International Day of Action in 6 countries:
10,642 email blitz. Read Appeal from
Collectif Vietnam Dioxine in France.
From Vietnam to Bhopal: Monsanto's
Agent Orange - Agent of death by
S. Chatterjee
Ecology Prof Fukurawa Hisao of the
Kyoto Univ.
compared the U.S. use of Agent Orange to that of the atomic bombs
in Hiroshima and Nagazaki. Read Lao
Dong 11/4/2005.
Vietnam Children of Dioxin organizes
a November 2005 tour of 6 cities in France for musician Nguyễn
Thanh Tùng, a young Vietnamese victim of Agent Orange, performing
solo on monochord.
Vietnam-Russia Tropical Center: Russian Scientists announced a
universal treatment with peptide for victims of Agent Orange.
See Lao Dong Oct 29, 2005
Brief
by Agent Orange victims was submitted to the 2nd Circuit Court
of Appeals in New York on September 30, 2005 against 36 US chemical
companies. See full brief and comments.
Washington DC - Sept. 24, 2005: Agent Orange
issue raised at the United for Peace and Justice national mass
action against the war in Iraq. See picture
story.
Ambassador Michael Marine said the U.S. Environment Protection
Agency is collecting samples of soil in the Da Nang airport, a
dioxin warehouse during the war, ... Read
more...
Agent Orange victims
are appealing the dismissal of their lawsuit against the US chemical
firms that made and supplied the chemicals sprayed over Viet Nam
during the war. Briefs will be submitted to the US Court of Appeals
on September 30. Read Vietnam
News, Sept. 20, 2005
Eurofins Ergo is testing dioxin level in Vietnam. Read Tuổi Trẻ Online Sept. 17, 2005
The story of Mai Giảng Vũ, Tuổi
Trẻ Daily, Sept. 10, 2005.
Our Campaign and VAVA —
a report from Hanoi, May 20, 2005 by Merle Ratner.
Meet with
Dr Phan Thị Phi Phi, representative of the Vietnamese Agent
Orange victims suing the U.S. chemical companies at 1199 Bread
& Roses Gallery, March 5, 2005 at 3:00 PM, Manhattan.
