Week 8_Miguel Flores_ASA150E

Fred A. Wilcox’s Legacies of Chemical Warfare in Vietnam underlined stories that frame the narrative regarding the effects of Agent Orange (AO) on humans. Wilcox parsed through many personal stories to capture the essence of his book. At the time of the war, many were affixed to the usual tactics that happen during the war – man to man combat, gun shooting, bombing, and ambush attacks, but the war reintroduces a strategy that is, I believe far worse than any other methods of warship, so dangerous and messy. Chemical weaponry was not a new tactic; it was used in World War II when the Third Reich used it to eliminate the Jews – sarin gas chambers were the go-to when expelling such “inferior” races. Fast forward to the late 1960s to early 1970s, the United States’ use of Agent Orange was primarily intended for defoliation campaigns throughout Viet Cong infiltrated regions in Vietnam. The U.S. had hoped that through defoliation campaigns, they could centralize their attacks against Viet Cong. However, contrary to their main intention to deforest shrubberies and hardwood forests, innocent civilians were caught up in these exchanges and they were the ones that suffered the most. Forty years after the spraying of Agent Orange, its adversary effects are at an all-time high – infants are being born with deformities, malformations, and brain damages. Vietnam forestations, ecosystems, and water sources have been contaminated and there are no ideal solutions to the effects – the damage has been done and it seems irreversible. The accounts of Dr. Tan of the Peace Village and Dr. Phuong of the Tu Du hospital are testaments to these new generations of Vietnamese children who are being born with congenital disabilities.

Supplementing the compelling exposé of Wilcox on the effects of AO on humans and the environment, documentaries and podcasts on the victims of AO provided visuals and significant weight in assessing the current condition of Vietnam and those people who were affected. In the documentary Vietnam 35 Years Later: Agent Orange, it underscored the effects of AO and how communities are dealing and living with dioxins in their environment. The communities are stuck and defeated when the local government did not find any solutions to the problem. The United States has not recognized its wrongdoings, but non-profit organizations have cultural exchanges for Vietnamese Americans to educate them with the real aftermath of the war. Chau, Beyond the Lines, follows Chau, a young adult who decided to leave the Lang Hoa Binh Agent Orange Camp, a facility that treats and looks after children who were born with birth defects. Chau struggled navigating around the city and looking for a stable job, but he found solace in making art and profiting from it. Yellow Rain by Radio Lab featured the story of Eng Yang, one of the Hmong who were affected by this yellow rain coming from the sky. Yellow rain was suspected to be some chemical, but research studies had an absurd conclusion explaining that yellow rain was bee droppings. Eng Yang and the community took it as an offense and a ridiculous conclusion to the mysterious release of rain onto a concentrated population of Hmong. From these multimedia sources, it essentially brought in a varied scope on the issue regarding chemical weapons that were used in the war. 

         Going back to the story of Eng Yang, was the government trying to cover up the use of chemical warfare by concluding that it was just a natural phenomenon? Why did a lot of Hmong die because of this yellow rain? What could be the cause? These are questions that needed to be answered for the sake of closure for the victims and people who were affected by this. 

References:

“Chau Beyond the Lines:" http://www.beyondthelinesfilm.com/watchfilm

Fred A. Wilcox. Scorched Earth: Legacy of Chemical Warfare in Vietnam. 2011.
Introduction; Chapter 1: Ecocide; Chapter 6: Generations; Chapter 7: Jurisprudence; Chapter 11: Chemical Children; Chapter 12 Evidence Room, Chapter 13: Letters Don’t Lie.

Marsh. Radio: “Yellow Rain. Radiolab: https://www.wnycstudios.org/podcasts/radiolab/segments/239549-yellow-rain

“Vietnam 35 Years Later: Agent Orange" YouTube. uploaded by vietnamjourno, 17 Sept. 2010,  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kkbnFfldsOc