Podcast: Play in new window | Download
Korat RTAFB, 70th Aviation Detachment, Circa 1968
Episode 2501 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature a report about the use of toxic herbicides in Thailand during the American Vietnam War. This follows a series of episodes aired on this podcast that featured the Merry Band of Retirees’ report on the secret war in Laos fought by the U.S. against the communist forces in Indo-China.
The report that will be featured next is titled, Use of Agent Purple, Agent Orange and Agent Blue on Royal Thai Air Force Base Perimeters in Thailand during the Vietnam War. It was submitted by Kenneth R. Olson and Larry Cihacek. Olson was a professor in the College of Agricultural, Consumer, and Environmental Sciences, University of Illinois, Urbana, Illinois [krolson@illinois.edu]. He is a US Army Vietnam Era Veteran and professor emeritus of soil science.
Cihacek is a professor at the School of Natural Resource Sciences, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota. He is US Army veteran and professor of soil science.
In this episode, the introduction of the peer-reviewed paper will be featured. The abstract reported: Seven Royal Thai Air Force bases in Thailand were used by the United States Air Force (USAF) during the Vietnam War as staging hubs for operations in Laos and Cambodia.
Five bases in Thailand, including Nakhon Phanom (NKP), Ubon, Korat, U-Tapao and Udorn endured sniper fire interdiction, perimeter penetration, and sapper (combat engineer) attacks.Nam Phong an eighth Royal Thai Air Force base was used by the United States Marine Corps air operations starting in 1972.
US Military personnel stationed throughout Thailand were also attacked by Communists insurgents. Two herbicides, Agent Purple and Agent Orange containing 2, 4, 5-T contaminated with dioxin (TCDD – 2,3,7,8 tetrachlorodibenzodioxin)and a third herbicide, the arsenic-based Agent Blue, were routinely received at these Thailand airbases in support of air missions and to keep airbases and perimeter fences clear of vegetation.
Listen to episode 2501 and discover more about the use of toxic herbicides in Thailand during the American Vietnam War.
