Agent Orange Victim's Memorial by Taylor Dinh

Agent Orange Victim’s Memorial

1

Veterans

Who Was Affected?

The veterans affected by Agent Orange were those who served during the Vietnam War. A common misconception that people have is that only those who handled the chemical were affected, but it was everyone who had any contact with it and the environment. The veterans affected then brought it back to their families, and it now continues to affect their families for generations, and will continue to affect them.

2.8 million veterans and their families were exposed to Agent Orange.

Civilians

Who Was Affected?

The civilians affected by Agent Orange are anyone that lives or has lived in the Indochinese Peninsula during and since the Vietnam War. Agent Orange has permeated into the environment and now water, plants, and animals are contaminated by it. Anyone who comes in contact or consumes these things will be exposed to Agent Orange.

4 million civilians from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia were exposed to Agent Orange.

2

Agent Orange is an herbicide used in the Vietnam War. It contains Dioxin, a carcinogen, which helped to kill the forests and agricultural crops during the war.

Dioxin is known to cause a plethora of health issues, such as cancer, birth defects, miscarriages, a skin condition called chloracne, diabetes, heart disease, etcetera.

For exposure to Dioxin to be harmful, you only need to come in contact with is less than a milligram per kilogram of your mass. This is a tiny amount, and exposure can be from consumption of exposed food or drink, or through touch. Over 13 million gallons of Agent Orange were used during the Vietnam War.

Agent Orange

3

4 Why Do They Need A Monument?

I think that victims of Agent Orange and their families deserve a monument because they have been forgotten. Veterans have only been compensated monetarily via a court case that only compensates health issues for the veteran, but not their families.

The civilians have not been compensated at all, as any compensation would be admission that the US government used chemical weapons during the Vietnam War. This is a violation of the Geneva Convention, resulting in admission of the US committing war crimes during the Vietnam War. The civilians affected by Agent Orange will likely never be compensated.

I would put this monument in front of Exploratory Hall because a lot of people walk past it, and it would encourage people to interact with the statue. Students could take food from the food plants, much like the food forest near the art and design building.

Exploratory Hall

5

6

Vietnam War Memorial

I would put this monument in front of the Vietnam War Memorial because it remembers both veterans, civilians affected and both of their families. Since many veterans have been affected by Agent Orange, I thought it was appropriate to put the monument here.

Statue

7

I want the statue to be two figures with unidentifiable features, representing anyone who was affected by Agent Orange. This could be veterans, civilians, or their families. The viewer can also imagine themselves in their place.

8

Water I put a fountain in the monument to represent the water that the veterans and civilians could not drink for fear of being exposed to Agent Orange. Water is an essential part of life, so it's scary to think that something so important could be contaminated.

Plants

9

I put a small garden of edible plants at the bottom of the monument to represent the food that veterans and civilians could not eat for fear of being exposed to Agent Orange. Even now, plants and animals are affected by the residue of Agent Orange in the environment, which in turn affects the people living there.

Text: https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/agent-or ange-1

Sources

Images:

https://www.flickr.com/photos/13476480@N07/48946177358 https://www.npr.org/2017/09/14/550939307/new-ken -burns-series-remembers-vietnam-war-through-the -eyes-of-everyday-people https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/chronic-lymphocytic-leukemia-agent-orange#agent-or ange-and-cll https://science.gmu.edu/academics/departments-units/biology/ contact https://www.sartle.com/artwork/vietnam-veterans-memorial-maya-lin https://uatvonline.net/2020/09/07/wild-band-of-razorbacks-fountain-vandalized/ https://www.highmowingseeds.com/organic-non-gmo-sweet-thaibasil.html

10