Mai Vang- Week 8 Blog 7

During the Vietnam War, America resorted to using chemicals to draw out the Vietnamese soldiers hiding in the forest. This action has resulted in major casualties to those alive and those that have yet to be born. In an informative article, “Agent Orange: Terrible Legacy of the Vietnam War,” by Marjorie Cohn, we are introduced to the effects of Agent Orange. Cohn began her article by drawing her audience to this topic by giving stories and examples of what Agent Orange can do. For example, she gave an illustration of how the children grew to be disabled and the unnecessary premature death that was associated with the chemicals. “The child never grew. she remained 6.6 pounds and…[died] at the age of 17 months… By the age of 18, the were bedridden. One died at age 23 and the other at age 25” (Cohn, 2015). These victims were exposed to a chemical called Agent Orange which contain a deadly component called dioxin.  After giving the examples, Cohn went on to explain the effects of dioxin in detailed. The effects later concluded that the US has act in aggression and violated the law, as well as acting in an inhuman manner. The US has promised to compensate the soldiers and their family but the process has been slow. By 2015. the US had begun cleaning up the dioxin in Vietnam. Through this article, we saw that the results of war was everlasting. War affected both Americans and Vietnamese as they were surrounded by this chemical. Thus, many of the children grew up unable to contribute to a better Vietnam. The relation Vietnam has with America is complicated as America has stalled to provide $3 million to Vietnam to compensate for the damages. But here, we see that Vietnam still open their arms to America in hope of receiving help.  

Question: Does those affected with Agent Orange has to undergo continuous medical treatment? If so, how is being paid for when most contracted with the disease comes from poor families?

Cohn, Marjorie. "Agent Orange: Terrible Legacy of the Vietnam War." The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 01 May 2015. Web. 21 Feb. 2016.