Raymond Trinh
ASA 150E
Prof. Valverde
In Scorched Earth, Fred Wilcox presents the effects of chemical warfare on the Vietnamese people and their environment, where, even today, more than three million people are sick and dying from birth defects, cancer and other illnesses. This can be directly traced to Agent Orange and other dioxin chemical exposure. Wilcox states, “Nearly forty years after the last spray mission, scientists continue to find high levels of dioxin in the food and water near abandoned military bases and in the blood, fatty tissue, and mother’s milk of the Vietnamese who live near these installations”. Wilcox examines the long term consequences for future generations in Vietnam. He constantly calls for the United States government to finally admit its role in chemical warfare in Vietnam. Fox states “Why don’t these families blame the United States or the chemical companies for their plight? Why don’t they demand compensation - a new house, a motorbike, private medical care?”. Fox demands the chemical manufacturers of Agent Orange to compensate the victims of their greed and to stop using the Earth’s rivers, lakes, and oceans as toxic waste dumps. Vietnam has chosen August 10th, the day to commemorate its citizens who were affected by Agent Orange.
Decades after the Vietnam War, will the U.S. government finally admit its role in chemical warfare in Vietnam now?
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