The night before I was to leave, my dad and I were sitting at the kitchen table as he read through the standard tour list: Arlington Cemetery, the Smithsonian Institute, the Lincoln Memorial, the Capital building and more. He had been to D.C. a few times and was sharing his thoughts on each historical landmark. However, he stopped dead on the last item on the itinerary - The Vietnam War Memoiral. [The memorial was only 6 months old at the time, having been opened on November 13, 1982.]
He stared at the page for a while, though I don't think he was reading. When he finally looked up, he asked me to do something for him. He asked me to put my hand on the wall and say a prayer. He wanted me pray for all the veterans listed on the wall, those not on the wall, and all the families of the veterans. He got up from the table and went to bed.
I did as my dad asked and have a memory I will never forget about visiting the Vietnam War Memoiral.
This week, Carmen - aka capriliz - answered my Jenga game challenge to write a lens about Agent Orange and Vietnam Veterans. The resulting lens blew me away. Her research was thorough, including facts, videos, photos, maps of the areas sprayed and much more.
She explains that the long term effects of exposure to Agent Orange has been debated for decades. She lists the illnesses attributed to the exposure and others that are still being considered as caused by the toxic chemical.
One of the most controversial parts of the lens is the duel that Carmen included. The way it was worded made it hard to answer: Do you think using Agent Orange was a justified decision at the time?
There are answers on boths sides but, truth be told, I think we all wish there had been a middle ground - and maybe a crystal ball during the war.
She shares information about the class action suit against the manufacturers and the fact that only about 50,000 Vietnam veterans ever recieved any compensation before the settlement ran out. At that time, many of the affected veterans didn't have symptoms yet. This topic hits home with me. My dad is a 100% Agent Orange disabled Vietnam Veteran. He has been through so much health-wise in the last 10 years -- almost all attributable to exposure to the chemical.
The amount of information Carmen included is substantial -- but not overwhelming. Her reporting of facts raise questions in the reader's mind -- one of which is, "Were the consequences worth the risk?" We may never agree on the answer but we should learn from the experience.
Image Credit: Veterans Card by LivingLife
Stories about the effects of Agent Orange, and other stories about the after-affects of war, need to be told... and repeated often. capriliz did an excellent job bringing us the facts about what Agent Orange did to our soldiers. Good choice for review, Mandee.
ReplyDeleteWhat a wonderful story. This is a topic that is very near and dear to my heart as my husband is a Vietnam veteran. I wasn't with him when he was there, but have been with him over the last 21 years. I have seen the effects that the war had on him in many ways. We are now realizing that some of the physical ones are Agent Orange related as he was Air Force Security Police as a dog handler. He spent a lot of time (as many of the guys did) lying on the ground after it had been sprayed.
ReplyDeleteThank you, too, for using my card. That has very special meaning. Those guys and my husband are part of a group called The Last Patrol who do a performance all over the country that was created to honor and remember their fallen brothers and sisters, and those who did come home. This was taken at one of their performances in front of a traveling Memorial Wall. I have heart many "Welcome Home!”, many reunions, and much healing at these special occasions. God bless all our veterans past and present!
I am friends with war veterans now who still haven't been able to make that road back home in their hearts and minds. It breaks your heart to see them suffer the way they do. Thank you for sharing your story.
Mandee, thank you for sharing your personal experience here. I can see why this lens had such an impact on you. Carmen handles a sensitive subject well, presenting the facts objectively. It is something we should never forget.
ReplyDeleteThanks ladies.
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