Agent Orange Vietnam War

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Shortly after the end of WWII, the communist Soviet Union and the democratic United States were at odds because of their mutual distrust of the other’s political policies. Driven by the fear that one's influence would overpower the other’s, both countries began an intense race for supremacy over the world stage. Democracy vs. Communism. The. The world was soon divided, with communism reaching new heights in popularity and territory. British Prime Minister Winston Churchill dubbed the growing number of communist countries and the distinct territory that they swallowed, the “Iron Curtain”. The United States’ (US) fear of the Iron Curtain’s expansion led to US engagement in proxy wars, a war instigated by a major power which does not itself become involved (Oxford Dictionary). The …show more content…
Not only would Agent Orange destroy the Vietnam’s food sources and contaminate the water, Agent Orange would attack every system in the human body, including the nervous, reproductive, digestive, and respiratory systems. Even US army soldiers were not immune to Agent Orange's effects. Millions of veterans returned from Vietnam with light to severe exposure to the chemical. The Cleveland Clinic states that “over 300,000 U.S. veterans and over 400,000 Vietnamese people died from exposure to Agent Orange from 1962 to 1971” (Cleveland Clinic). Some immediate effects of Agent Orange include trouble breathing, rashes, and blurred vision. However, the long-term effects of Agent Orange include: (Hill & Ponton) Horrifyingly, the effects of Agent Orange do not end with one generation because the toxic dioxin is passed down through the mother to her newborn. Agent Orange is nationally recognized by the scientific community, “to cause neural tube defects, deformities of sensory organs, clefts in the palate, and deformities of limbs”(Adepitan, 1:46) in

Agent Orange In The Vietnam War

Agent orange Matthew Lambert I chose to do my History research task on the use of Agent Orange and how it affected people in the Vietnam War. Nature The name ‘Agent Orange’ came from the orange stripe on the barrel that they used too keep the herbicide in. From 1961 to 1972 the U.S. military conducted a massive program with the aim to destroy the Vietnam jungle and forest so the Vietnam and Viet Cong troops fighting the U.S. American planes and helicopters deployed a liquid spray out from the…

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Agent Orange Vietnam War

What exactly was the Agent Orange used in Vietnam War? 1962- 1971 It is a blend of tactical herbicides the U.S. military sprayed, during Operation Ranch Hand in the Vietnam War in the South Vietnam country. 12 million gallons of it, enough for 18,000 sq. miles was sprayed onto 66 sq. miles of South Vietnam. The main purpose was to remove trees and dense tropical foliage that provided enemy cover where and to defoliate hiding places used by the Vietnamese, their main food source which was the rice…

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Agent Orange: Rainbow Herbicides During The Vietnam War

Agent Orange is the most commonly known Rainbow Herbicide used in the Vietnam war. The Rainbow Herbicides are a group of "tactical use" chemicals used by the United States military in Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Herbicidal warfare had been a military dream since the 1940s when researchers began to brainstorm ways to use chemicals in the United States to keep experimenting with the chemicals. In 1961, test runs began. The chemicals were deployed as part of Operation Ranch Hand, a military…

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Agent Orange: Birth Defects In Vietnam

Introduction: Agent Orange was a chemical weapon that was used in the Vietnam War from 1961-1972. This chemical alone killed 400,000 people, and the nation of Vietnam reports half a million birth defects in children due to Agent Orange (History.com staff, 2011). This chemical, while being deployed in Vietnam over 40 years ago, still has significant impacts on the younger generations being born in Vietnam today. There has been a staggering amount of cases of children with birth defects, and, according…

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Why Is Agent Orange Bad

Agent Orange was an herbicide used along with Agent Blue, Agent Purple, Agent White, Agent Pink, and Agent Green. Agent Orange created many health issues, which caused long term effects like cancer and brain tumors. Despite the post-war problems, Agent Orange was effective for what was necessary at the time. Agent Orange was an Arsenic-Laced Herbicide that was used to help see the enemy better during the time of the Vietnam War. Arsenic is a chemical that has the possibility of being used for many…

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Vietnam War Effects

The reminisce of war has a lasting effect on every society involved. We can point the blame of that war at both parties involved, but the ultimate negligence is the country that enters another country; destroys its future for life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness and leaves without worry of survivability of everyone involved. All aspects of war and the methods used to win that war can be very bitter and have a lasting effect on not just the countries fighting that war but also the generations…

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Chemical Warfare in Vietnam Essay

uses of Greek Fire to wide spread mustard gas use in World War I to nerve agents used in the modern day wars. Although most of these chemicals used were for anti-personnel purposes, chemicals used during the Vietnam War era perhaps had the most horrific effects, then and even still today. These chemicals were extensively used during the war effort by the United States military as defoliants but the effects on the civilian population of Vietnam grossly outweighed any possible good the chemicals could…

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Vietnam war Essay examples

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Essay on Effects of Vietnam Vets

during the 1970’s, after he returned from the Vietnam war. My grandmother explained to me that this happened as a result of traumatic experiences that my grandfather endured during this war. He was diagnosed with a condition called Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). After learning about my grandfather’s condition I became interested in seeing if others suffered with it as well. Therefore, I decided to write this paper on “What effect did the Vietnam war have on soldiers when they returned to the…

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The Destructors

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