ipl-logo

Essay On Agent Orange In Vietnam

527 Words3 Pages

Agent Orange was a herbicide used on Vietnam during the 1950s and 1960s. It left thousands of Vietnamese civilians and U.S. veterans diseased and dead. It wiped out miles and miles of jungle and foliage across Vietnam and its bordering countries. Even though Agent Orange’s purpose was not to directly kill people, it was one of the biggest causes for death in the Vietnam War.

What Is Agent Orange? Agent Orange was a group of chemicals used in the Vietnam War. It was part of Operation Ranch Hand, a family of defoliants used on Vietnam jungle. These agents include: Agents White, Purple, Blue, Pink, Green, and of course Orange. The chemicals get their names from the color of the stripe painted on the drums that contained them. The U.S .sprayed almost 19 million gallons across jungle from 1962-1971. These mixtures of chemicals were mainly sprayed …show more content…

Vietnam reported an estimated 400,000 Vietnamese civilians dead of Agent Orange related causes. Another 500,000 next-generation children were born with serious congenital birth defects. U.S. veterans were also seriously affected. Veterans reported themselves and their families having mental and physical problems including: AL amyloidosis, chloracne, B-cell leukemias, Type 2 diabetes, Hodgkin’s disease, ischemic heart disease, multiple myelomas, Non-Hodgkin’s lymphomas, Parkinson’s, peripheral neuropathy, prostate cancer, soft-tissue sarcomas, and respiratory cancers.
Another issue veterans and other military personnel were and still are concerned about is that the planes that dropped Agent Orange, C-123’s, have residue left behind on the drums and the wings. These cargo planes were kept in service for ten years after the Vietnam War, and it is likely that residue was left on cargo and medical supplies. The veterans who flew them and Air Force active pilots are still concerned about Agent Orange

Show More
Related
358 Words | 2 Pages

4. The Vietnam War saw the use of many controversial military tactics used by both the United States and their allies, as well as the Viet Cong and NVA. On the American side, one of the most prevalent and well known missions was Operation Ranch Hand, a decade long herbicidal warfare campaign that is still causing terrible birth defects to this day. The herbicides used in Agent Orange were contaminated with an even worse chemical, known as TCDD, which is a heavy carcinogen and teratogen. In the period that it was used, agricultural lands were sprayed with Agent Orange in an attempt to starve the enemy by destroying the main crop in the region, rice.

Read More
972 Words | 4 Pages

Agent Orange was a various mixture of many chemicals combined together to expose the hidings of the Northern and Viet Cong Troops throughout the forest, also to exterminate those plants and herbs that they may use that are consumable and of use to the Vietnamese army. From the years of 1961 to 1972 many acres of Vietnam land were sprayed with Agent Orange, approximately over 19 millions gallons were used across 4.5 million acres. Alongside Agent Orange it was a war of attrition, back and forth trying to make one another weaker with simple plans as weakening them would strengthen and conquer the other. They waited one another out, the U.S. had plans of destroying their hidings spots and plants they’d use as a food source so they would be hungry and less prepared for combat. They were only invading troops, not knowing many strategies for engaging and weakening their biggest opportunity was with the agent orange to atleast get rid of some of their food supplies so they’ll be hungry and not be able to fight much or even perform

Read More
489 Words | 2 Pages

People after the war are so distressed they either wanted to take it out on certain people or thought that they are fully responsible for the war and their suffering. The Crucible only mentioned this ingredient once when Abigail became upset over “Indians smash my dear parents' heads on the pillow next to mine. And I have seen some reddish work done at night.” Abagail was clearly upset, so he/she wanted to

Read More
766 Words | 4 Pages

Chemical warfare was very dangerous and caused many deaths in WW1. There were three different types of gases used in battle mustard, chlorine, and tear gas which was the least deadly. Western nations had a treaty against poisonous weapons but the british broke the treaty when they deployed tear gas on german soldiers. Soon after German soldiers struck back with chlorine gas, which was very deadly if exposed to lungs or eyes. The french allies did not expect nor know how to prepare for a gas attacks.

Read More
326 Words | 2 Pages

A country changed forever, with a beginning but possibly no foreseen end. Agent Orange worked its way into the very roots of nature and mankind. “ ...war not just on vegetation but also on the roots and essences of life itself,” as stated by Hitchens in his essay, “The Vietnam Syndrome.” Honestly, I don’t believe that those who decided to spread this chemical ever knew what the immense cost to human life would be, or just how long its effects would last. Generation after generation have felt and seen it’s maliciousness and destruction.

Read More
1512 Words | 7 Pages

The Vietnam war totaled in a number of around 550,000 deaths both military and civilian. The war was fought during the years of 1955 through 1975. The creation of Agent Orange aided in the mass number of lives that were taken and the endless amount of medical problems that accompanied being exposed to the herbicide. The different things to consider during the wrath of the Agent Orange is who came up with it, how was it was used and for what reason, and the medical health risks that came about to being exposed to the deadly chemical.

Read More
1666 Words | 7 Pages

Chemical weapons are weapons that are used to induce mass destruction to many victims leaving them in a state of agony often resulting in death. Gas masks are used to provide some protection for the chemicals. Next, the destruction of the chemical weapon was very vast as can be seen through the death and the environmental changes. Chemical weapons may be any toxic chemical that can cause death, injury, temporary incapacitation or sensory irritation through its chemical action. In Remarque’s

Read More
732 Words | 3 Pages

On top of the dramatically climbing number of casualties, there was also a lot of controversy regarding the horrific effects that the fighting had on the mental status of soldiers. “The bitter Vietnam experience has left the United States Army with a crisis in morale and discipline as serious as any its oldest and toughest soldiers remember.” (New York Times Article, Document I ) Many times, returning soldiers would suffer from extreme anxiety and depression, dealing with the difficult memories left in place of fighting in the war. “I know my happiest moment in Vietnam was when I was hit, because I “knew” I was homeward bound.

Read More
1064 Words | 5 Pages

The Innocents in War How would one describe the meaning of “innocent”? To be innocent is to be guiltless and harmless. In war, can anyone be innocent? During the Vietnam war in the 60’s, a mass killing happened in the small village of My Lai.

Read More
1111 Words | 5 Pages

According to WorldAtlas.com, the use of these chemicals in the Vietnam War created the second worst chemical warfare event in history, second only to an event in 600 BCE. In an article stating the top 10 worst chemical warfare events in history World Atlas justifies the Vietnam War being the second worst with, “Agent Orange itself breaks down within a week, as a result producing a compound called dioxin. Dioxin lingers in some conditions for up to 100 years and is estimated by the Vietnamese government to have caused up to 400,000 deaths, and 1.5 million birth defects.” The backlash to the use of these chemicals was huge, and the U.S. government was the main target for supporting the production and use of these disliked weapons. After they were exposed for using these chemicals, even more people opposed the war and the US’ decisions.

Read More
854 Words | 4 Pages

It seems to be rather unusual nowadays, but the Beatles influenced British and American culture even by their hairstyles. Before the Beatles has popularized so called "moptop" hairstyle, the long hair was assigned to people called "longhairs". Longhairs were people classified as bohemian artists and generally poor or freethinker people. The long hair was seen as a rebellion though the long hair was accessible for women only.

Read More
1164 Words | 5 Pages

Air Defense Artillery systems were put to use during the Vietnam War era. The systems had to do more with battlefields than to protect air bases. The weapons used were to serve as a geographical benefit. Heavy firepower was used to deliver serious land warfare. Methods of Air Defense Artillery systems deployed were executed by a variety of missions.

Read More
1389 Words | 6 Pages

In world war I and II, returning soldiers were recognized as heroes. The war in Vietnam completely changed this perspective as returning soldiers were frowned upon and strongly criticized. Anti war protests and the media turned the American people against returning soldiers. Veterans began committing suicide when they Witnessed first hand that their own country didn't care for or support them. Soldiers and veterans suffer immensely from mental disorders resulting from the horrors they've witnessed in war.

Read More
351 Words | 2 Pages

suicide rates are double, maybe even triple Civil War rates. There were more documented military suicides in 2010 alone than the entire four years of the Civil War, as 295 service members committed suicide in 2010 versus the 278 documented suicides in Union soldiers during the entire Civil War with force sizes being relatively equal during both wars. Researchers have tried to identify exactly why there has been a dramatic increase in PTSD in modern times versus the past, but a variety of factors complicate the issue with any number of stressors capable of being the culprit, from military training, to overseas deployment, to the transition back to civilian life, to combat itself. These numbers reflect a dangerous crisis as it demonstrates a need for care and services for not only the new generation of veterans, but an increased need for care on top of the necessary aid provided to Vietnam War Veterans who continue to suffer from PTSD as well, even today. These statistics thus reflect a problem for not only the military service members of today, but the service members of tomorrow as well, as whatever factors increase the risk of PTSD today will most likely increase the rate of veterans suffering from PTSD in years to come unless the reasons for this increase can be pinpointed and specifically

Read More
1436 Words | 6 Pages

Even though widely used, flamethrowers were still ineffective, being extremely cumbersome (soldiers had to carry both a petroleum tank and a gas-filled tank, both highly flammable and vulnerable to enemy fire) and unable to create a fire that burned for any prolonged period of time. To prolong the lifetime of the fire created, U.S. scientists started developing (in secret) a new kind of flammable weapon during WWII. By mixing petroleum with latex, they managed to create a jelly-like substance, which was the first attempt at creating what would be later known as napalm. Due to the Japanese campaign on Southeast Asia (where most of the latex-producing trees were located) a new way of producing napalm had to be

Read More

More about Essay On Agent Orange In Vietnam

Related Topics

Open Document