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Episode 2925 of the Vietnam Veteran News Podcast will feature the Asia Times story about the use of Agent Blue in the American Vietnam War.
The Merry Band of Retirees have been investigating the biological warfare used by the US in the American Vietnam War. First they studied the effects of Agent Orange applications in the War, now they are looking at the effects of the use of Agent Blue.
Two members of the group recently distributed a press release about the use of Agent Blue. The presser was picked up by the Asia Times after no interest in the topic was shown by US media outlets.
The title of the press release is Vietnam chemical warfare’s secret toxic legacies: Agent Blue – Why has no major news organization in the United States ever investigated use of Agent Blue in the Vietnam War?
It was submitted by Kenneth R. Olson and Bryan R. Higgins. Ken Olson (krolson@illinois.edu) is a professor emeritus of soil science in the Department of Natural Resources and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois, Urbana. Bryan R. Higgins is a distinguished service professor emeritus of geography and planning at the State University of New York, Plattsburgh.
According to the press release, for over 50 years US news about chemical warfare during the American Vietnam War has been dominated by the story of Agent Orange and its devastating impacts.
During the Vietnam War period, however, another diabolical concoction called Agent Blue was also used extensively in Vietnam. This arsenic-based herbicide was used to kill rice and the public knew little about its use.
Here’s a one-sentence preview of the findings: As both the Vietnamese rice farmers and US military personnel who were exposed to Agent Blue can attest, poisoning the water you drink or the local food you eat is not a good idea.
Listen to Episode 2925 and discover more about the Asia Times story about the use of Agent Blue in the American Vietnam War.
Vietnam Medal of Honor recipient Army 2LT Robert Leisy.
