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The Call
 ars do not end when the bombs stop falling and the fighting ceases. The devastation
continues long after, in the land and in the minds and bodies of the affected
population.
Today,
three million Vietnamese suffer the effects of chemical defoliants
used by the United States during the Vietnam War. In order to deny
food and protection to those deemed to be "the enemy," the U.S. defoliated the forests of Vietnam with the deadly chemicals Agent Orange,
White, Blue, Pink, Green and Purple. Agent Orange, which was contaminated
with trace amounts of TCDD Dioxin — the most toxic chemical known to science — disabled and sickened soldiers, civilians and several generations of their offspring
on two continents.
In
addition to the millions of Vietnamese still affected by this deadly
poison, tens of thousands of U.S. soldiers are also affected. It
has caused birth defects in hundreds of thousands of children in
Vietnam and the U.S. — that is, the second and third generations of those who were exposed to Agent
Orange decades ago. Medical evidence indicates that certain cancers
(for example, soft tissue non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma), diabetes (type
II), and in children spina bifida and other birth defects, are
attributable to the exposure.
The
deadly mark left by Agent Orange on the natural environment of
Vietnam includes the destruction of mangrove forests and the long-term
poisoning of soil and crops.
Surviving
Vietnam veterans in the U.S., after many years of organized action,
have finally achieved limited compensation from our government
for some illnesses they suffer due to Agent Orange poisoning. While
this struggle continues, the three million surviving Vietnamese
victims received no such compensation, nor any humanitarian aid
from the U.S. government.
Our
government has a moral and legal obligation, under international
law, to compensate the people of Vietnam for the devastating impact
of Agent Orange, and to assist in alleviating its effects. Indeed,
the U.S. government recognized this responsibility: In the Peace
Accords signed in Paris in 1973 the administration of Richard Nixon
promised to contribute $3 billion dollars toward healing the wounds
of war, and to post-war reconstruction of Vietnam.
Nonetheless,
30 years after the end of the Vietnam War, our government has yet
to make good on its formal commitment and moral obligation to assist
the Vietnamese people's recovery from the chemical warfare waged
against them and their land. Neither has it met its responsibility
to the peoples of Laos and Cambodia, whose lands were also poisoned
by the same chemical weapons.
Our
focus is achieving justice for the Vietnamese victims of Agent
Orange. We are also mindful of the fact that our government has
continued to use chemical weapons, including depleted uranium and
napalm, in Iraq and other places. Our actions therefore are part
of an on-going international campaign to end the use of toxic weapons
and to achieve justice and accountability for all victims.
The
Vietnam Agent Orange Relief and Responsibility Campaign (VAORRC) is an initiative of U.S. veterans, Vietnamese Americans and all concerned about
peace and justice. Vietnamese citizens have filed a lawsuit to
hold the chemical companies responsible for the crimes against
humanity of which their products were a part. Now it's our turn
to act: With this campaign, we seek to fulfill our responsibility
by insisting that our government honor its moral and legal responsibility
to compensate the Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange.
We
invite you to join us in:
- Signing
the petition for justice for Agent Orange victims. Our goal is one million signatures in this country. The petition will be presented
to Congress and the President.
- Educating our
friends, co-workers and neighbors about the suffering caused
by Agent Orange in Vietnam and in other wars our government has
waged. Organize an event at your home, school, community center
or place of worship. Contact us for films and educational materials.
In the months ahead, we will bring Vietnamese Agent Orange victims
to tour communities throughout the nation with disabled U.S.
veterans. Contact us if you would like to host a visit by this
group to your area.
- Public
donations for Vietnamese Agent Orange victims. Collected funds will go to the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin and to our educational work within the U.S. to achieve the goals of this campaign.
Tax deductible contributions may be sent to Veterans For Peace/VAORRC.
Achieving
real justice for Vietnamese Agent Orange victims will be an important
step toward our government's taking full responsibility for the
long-term devastation that its chemical weaponry caused the Vietnamese
people and all Vietnam War veterans. This tragic chapter in our
nation’s history will not be satisfactorily closed until WE THE
PEOPLE of the United States compel our government to do the right
thing. Thirty years late is better than never!
Thank
you for your participation and support. Together, we can make The Vietnam Agent Orange Relief and Responsibility Campaign a resounding success!
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