Agent Orange casualties: aftermath of the US war against Vietnam Remembering Vietnam: Agent Orange still causes misery

Her children are 21 and 16 years old, but they still cry at night, toss and turn, scream in pain and suck their fingers to calm down. Tran Thi Gai, who barely sleeps herself, sings lullabies to them. Gaia's children are wheelchair-bound, born in a village affected by Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. The woman believes their health problems were caused by dioxin, a poisonous chemical in a herbicide that the US Army used to spray on communist territory. Thirty-five years after the end of the Vietnam War, only her legacy as Agent Orange remains. Tran Van Tram and Tran Thi Dan need help. Their four adult children crawl around the house on all fours. They cannot straighten up, and with support they walk only a couple of steps, no more. Tram, 61, says their babies were born healthy, but they still couldn't roll over at one year old. They don't know how to speak. Trump remembers US soldiers spraying agent orange over his village in Quanh Tri province, near the former demilitarized zone that separated North and South Vietnam. He used to fish every day in the nearby lakes and streams. And now he and his wife devote all their time to caring for sick children.

(Total 12 photos)

1. Son Ngayen Tri Lam (foreground) and his sister Ngayen Thi Hang sit at home in Cam Lo, Vietnam. Their hands are tied behind their backs to prevent them from hurting themselves. The siblings were born with physical and mental disabilities, which their parents and local authorities blame for sprinkling agent orange in the region at the time. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

2. 60-year-old Tran Van Tram in his house in the village of Cam Thuyen. He and his wife are raising four disabled children. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

3. Children run past a wheelchair standing at the old chicken coop at Tran Van Tram's house. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

4. Tran Thi Gai, 45, comforts her 21-year-old daughter Ngayen Thi Tai. In the foreground lies her second daughter, Ngayen Thi Thuyet, 16. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

5. Ngayen Thi Thai (left) and Ngayen Thi Thuyet sit in wheelchairs outside their home. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

6. Portrait and bust of Ho Chi Minh is on the table in the house. Between 1962 and 1971, the US military sprayed about 11 million gallons of agent orange into the swampy areas of southern Vietnam. Dioxin still remains in the soil and as precipitation in lakes and rivers. It enters food through fish and other oils. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

7. Tran Van Lam (left) and Tran Van Hoang sit in a house in Cam Thuyen village. Vietnamese authorities claim that more than 4 million citizens have been poisoned by Agent Orange herbicides and more than 3 million suffer severe. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

8. Tran Van Hoang walks on all fours to his house. The US government maintains that the number of people affected by Agent Orange is much smaller and that the Vietnamese blame the US for nothing. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

9. Tran Van Luan watches TV while his sister Tran Thi Luu sits on the bed in their house in Cam Thuyen village. The United States spends a tiny amount of its budget to help Vietnam. Last year, the United States provided $80 million to areas where the incidence of the disease is relatively low. However, only 3 million went to help those affected by the effects of Agent Orange. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

10. 45-year-old Tran Thi Gai soothes her daughter, 21-year-old Ngayen Thi Tai (right). Tests by the Canadian Environmental Protection Agency have shown that much of Vietnam has levels of dioxin below critical levels. However, in some "hot spots" it is quite high. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

11. Ngayen Thi Tai looks out the window from his bed. Vietnam's own research shows that the birth rate of children with disabilities in areas where Agent Orange was prevalent is much higher than in "clean" areas. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

12. From left to right: Tran Van Hoang, Tran Van Lam, Tran Van Luan and Tran Thi Luu sit on the porch of their house in Cam Thuyen village. One of the representatives of environmental protection services, Le Que Son, found that dioxin is the most poisonous and dangerous substance on earth. (AP Photo/David Guttenfelder)

(Orange Lantern Corps) - the body appears in the universe. The Orange Lantern Corps consists of only one member, Larfleeze also known as (Agent Orange) as he guards his power very jealously from everyone else. Orange Light is the embodiment of emotion - greed. The rest of the Orange Corps are projections of beings that were killed by Larfleeze.

Biography

Larfleeze is the first and for a long time was the sole owner of the orange light power. In fact, little is known about his past, other than that he comes from a race that has a very long lifespan, as Larfleeze has been around for over a few billion years. He was taken from his parents for unknown reasons and forced to work as a slave. The time that he lived as a slave was very cruel and harsh: his ruthless and vicious masters starved Larfleeze and his fellow slaves in order to get rid of those too weak. Such cruelty and the deprivation of even the most basic rights to existence had a very strong effect on Larfleeze, who at some point began to "hear" the voice of material goods, which they ask him to possess them. Some time later, Larfleeze and other members of his species managed to escape and became a wanted criminal.

Billions of years ago, Larfleeze belonged to a small group of thieves who arrived on the planet Maltus and stole several artifacts from there, among which was a mystical box that was said to be worth more than a star system if the right buyer was found for it. The Guardians of the Universe retaliated and sent their Manhunters after the thieves. Among the valuables they stole, the thieves discovered a certain map that belonged to Krona (one of the Guardians of the Universe), and was supposed to lead to untold treasures. The Thieves Guild followed the map and arrived on the planet Okaara in the Vega system. There they discovered a temple, inside of which was a Power Battery containing the Orange Light of Greed. Succumbing to the influence of the light, the criminals began to fight among themselves for the right to possess it. The Guardians eventually arrived, along with the Manhunters, who wanted to return the box, but due to Larfleeze and the others being close to the battery, the Guardians were unable to retrieve it.

The Guardians and Manhunters who tried to take her were burned by the Orange Light of Greed. Fearing the power of the Orange Light, the Keepers offered the two surviving members of the guild (by this time only Larfleeze and Blue of the five remained) a deal. The criminals give them this mystical box, and the Guardians, in turn, will allow them to possess the Orange Light, but put forward two conditions. First, as long as the Orange Light remains within the Vega system, the Guardians will not interfere. Secondly, for the safety of others, only one of the two thieves will be allowed to possess the Orange Light. Larfleeze explained that the Guardians were in despair and really wanted to return the box, because it contained an entity that is the embodiment of fear, it was. Agreeing to the terms, Larfleeze and Bluch began a fight to the death for the right to wield the Orange Light, with Larfleeze ultimately emerging victorious.

The Guardians left and the Vega system was declared outside the jurisdiction of the Green Lantern Corps.

For billions of years, Larfleeze was left alone and in complete peace. But one day, when the Green Lanterns were pursuing the criminals known as the Spider Guild (later members of the Sinestro Corps), they ended up in the Vega system, thereby violating the agreement they had made with the Guardians. Then Larfleeze simply ignored this violation of his boundaries, believing that the Lanterns did not pursue the goal of mastering the Orange Light. But the last straw in his patience was the arrival of the Controllers. Desiring the power to build their powerful army, the Controllers arrived on the planet Okaara in search of the source of the Orange power. They made their way through the Forest of Weeds and descended into the underground palace, where they finally found the Orange Lantern, but when one of the Controllers picks it up, many projections of Orange creatures appear and attack them. Ultimately, the Controllers were taken over by Larfleeze.

A little later, when a Green Lantern named Stel (from sector 3009) was chasing a member of the Sinestro Corps (from sector 2825) in sector 2828, within the boundaries of the Vega system. After leaving sector 2828 and entering the territory of the Vega system, a member of the Sinestro Corps was absorbed by a huge projection of an entity from the Orange Corps. After Stel calls for reinforcements, he is attacked by a creature that wounds Stel and branded him with the Orange Corps. The Green Lanterns manage to rescue Stel and bring him back to where he was brought before the Guardians. Who were shocked to see the Orange symbol on it, but were even more surprised when a projection of Larfleece emerged from it. His projection accused the Guardians of not following the terms of their boundary treaty and that the Controllers were trying to take his power. When the Guardians tried to explain to Agent Orange that the Controllers were no longer connected to them (like billions of years), he didn't want to listen to them. Instead, Larfleeze began making demands that they would have to fulfill if they didn't want his Lantern Corps to come after them. But Scar (Scar) said that they do not negotiate with the terrorists and destroyed the energy structure. Scar also suggested to the Guardians that the Vega system be returned to the jurisdiction of the Green Lanterns, as well as to go to war with the Orange Lantern Corps.

The Guardians, along with the Green Lanterns, travel to the Viga system and attack the planet Okaara. Among the Lanterns was Hal Jordan, who at the time simultaneously possessed the Green and Blue rings. Arriving on Okaaru, the Greens fought the Oranges in the Weed Forest. During the fight, a Green Lantern named Getty was killed. When Larfleece sensed the Blue Power Ring, he grabbed Hal and dragged him underground, where Jordan came face to face with Larfleece, who says he wants to get it, it's the Blue Ring. Jordan promises to give it to him if he tells how he met with the Guardians, to which he agrees. When Larfleeze finished the story, he demands the ring, Hal explaining that he can't take it off, after which, Larfleeze cuts off Hal's hand, which contains the ring. It is later shown that it was, in fact, an illusion created by the ring. Hal continues to fight Larfleeze, in the fight Hal creates a projection of the Green Lantern army to fight Agent Orange. While Larfleeze's full attention is on Jordan, the Keepers manage to break into his lair. Hal fights Larfleeze and the Blue Rings ask him "what are you hoping for?". Hal responds that he hopes it will stop asking him that question. The ring recognizes the sincerity in his voice, after which, it fully charges the Green Lantern Corps' rings. Once discharged sufficiently, the ring is removed from Jordan's finger and quickly flies off to find a worthy successor from Sector 2814. Larfleeze blames the Guardians for "the blue light is gone" and says he is ready to use his power against them.

The Guardians realize they couldn't put out the Orange Light and make an attempt to avoid further combat. Keepers, they enter into negotiations with Larfleeze and conclude a new deal. In exchange for stopping the fight between them, the Keepers tell Larfleeze where he can get the Blue Ring. Following this, Agent Orange travels to the planet Odym, which is home to Odym, intent on obtaining the ring.

Dark night

While on Odim, the Blue Lanterns greet their newest member, they suddenly notice that the Orange Lantern Corps has arrived, who immediately attack them. To get the source of the Blue Lanterns' power.

The Blue Lanterns were outnumbered by the overwhelming might of the Orange Lantern Corps, even though their Guardians Ganthet and Sayd were with them. The Orange Projections began to lift the Blue Lantern Central Battery from the surface of Odim to take it with them to Okaaru, where the Orange Agent was at the time, watching through the orange battery. However, this process was interrupted by the resurrected victims of the Orange Agent (the bodies of those whose projections are in the service of the Orange Corps) on Okaar, who became participants.

While Agent Orange was being pursued by the Black Lanterns, a leader, Atrocitus, appears on Okaar, who can be said to have saved Larfleeze. However, Atrocitus did not do this out of good intentions, but wanted to take the Orange Battery from him in order to increase his strength to fight against the Black Lanterns. Larfleece, of course, couldn't give it to him, so they went into battle among themselves.

And this time, Larfleeze was lucky, because during their battle, Lanterns from different corps arrive on Okaaru: Saint Walker, Hal Jordan, Carol Ferris, Indigo and Sinestro, who stop the fight. They tell them about the events of Blackest Night and tell Atrocitus and Larfleeze that they all need to temporarily join forces to defeat Nekron and his Black Lantern Corps. Larfleece agreed only on the condition that he be given his own Guardian of the Universe. Sade sacrificed herself for the cause, she agreed, saying that she would serve Larfleeze if he would help them.

Then they all teleported together to Earth in the city of Star City, where they encounter Nekron and they join forces to defeat him. However, their attempt to destroy the Central Battery of the Black Lantern Corps was ineffective, and instead endowed Nekron with even greater power. While they wait for help, Ganthet uses his power to duplicate the rings, saying that despite their differences, the rings are based on Oa technology, allowing duplicates to be produced that will work within 24 hours. The duplicates then go in search of their owners. The Orange Corps ring is found and placed on Lex Luthor due to his desire for power. Luthor, enveloped in greed, begins to fight with Agent Orange trying to take his ring, just like everyone else's. He tells Agent Orange that the Orange Ring's power is the same as the Black Ring, it takes on the identity of who it kills, and that the only thing he ever wanted was to be Superman, who was at the Black Ring's power at the time. Lex attempts to kill Superman in order to steal his identity and turn him into an Orange Lantern to command him. In addition, Luthor manages to take the yellow ring from Scarecrow, who was inducted into the Sinestro Corps and even tried to take the Red Ring from Mera, but was stopped by the other Lanterns. But finally, he was stopped by Agent Orange, who knocked out Luthor by hitting him with his Orange Power Battery.

bright day

Larfleeze and his Orange Lantern Corps made the decision to stay until they could get everything Earth had to offer. However, Krona soon intervenes and sends Hector Hammond to steal the Power Battery from him. He succeeds and Hector becomes the new owner of a creature called the Snake (which is imprisoned in the Orange Lantern's battery). This causes Larfleeze to once again team up with the Lanterns he aided during the Dark Night to capture the Emotional Entities and stop Kron.

Composition of the Orange Lantern Corps

Leaders

• Larfleeze - Sector 2828. The only member of the Orange Lantern Corps. He is too greedy to share his rings. However, during the events of Blackest Night, when Ganset uses his powers to create a duplicate of his ring, he is possessed by Lex Luther.

Members

• Cade - Sector 2. He is a world-famous thief, Cade was found by Larfleeze, after which he became his right hand. Cade was nicknamed "mean" for his talents. He is of an unknown race, possesses orange skin, four legs with three toes, and the ability to stick to walls. He had a relationship with a Green Lantern, a girl named Jade. When Larfleezo found out about this, Cade was exiled and joined the Indigo Tribe.

• Bloom (Blume) - Sector 2751. Orange Lantern with the appearance of a huge alien head, he comes from the planet Blobba. He patrols the Vega system. He absorbed a member of the Sinestro Corps from Sector 2825 and branded a Green Lantern named Stel with the Orange Lantern logo. During the events of Blackest Night, he was revived as a member of the Black Lantern Corps.

• Clypta - Sector 2829. An Orange Lantern from the Thieves star system who is resurrected as a member of the Black Lantern Corps during the events of Blackest Night.

• Controllers Arrive on Okaaru in search of the source of the Orange Light's power, which they planned to use to create their own corps. After finding the Orange Lantern, they were confronted by Larfleeze, who killed them all and thus joined the ranks of the Orange Lantern army.

• Glomulus - Sector 2826. When he accidentally finds Larfleeze's palace, he was absorbed by Bloom and turned into one of the Orange Lanterns. During the events of Blackest Night, he was revived as a member of the Black Lantern Corps.

• Gretti - Sector 2828. A former Green Lantern who was torn apart by Larfleeze's projections during the Green Lanterns' attack on Okaaru. After his death, his identity is stolen and he is immediately reborn as an Orange Lantern. During the events of Blackest Night, he was revived as a member of the Black Lantern Corps.

• Guardians of the Universe While Larfleeze's thieves' guilds and Guardians fought over the orange lantern, one of the Guardians was killed. He was shown transformed into a projection into an Orange Lantern. However, Sade stated that Larfleeze could not turn the Guardian into an Orange Lantern, suggesting that the Guardian's projection was a normal construct and not the Guardian's spirit.

• Nat-Nat - Sector 228. An Orange Lantern from the planet Limea Rock who is resurrected as a member of the Black Lantern Corps during the events of Blackest Night.

• Sound Dancer - Sector 911. An orange lantern from the Obsidian Depths who is resurrected as a member of the Black Lantern Corps during the events of Blackest Night.

• Tammal-Tayn - Sector 2813. An Orange Lantern from the planet Fulip who is resurrected as a member of the Black Lantern Corps during the events of Blackest Night.

• Turpa A member of the same thieves' guild as Larfleeze, he is from the planet Ogatu. Together with the guild, they steal the card from the Keeper. Turpa was killed by the power of the Orange Light before Larfleeze and Blue began fighting to the death for the Orange Lantern.

• Warp Wrap - Sector 2. An Orange Lantern from the planet Cairo who is resurrected as a member of the Black Lantern Corps during the events of Blackest Night.

Former members

• Hal Jordan - Sector 2814. , who, during his first encounter with Larfleeze, was able to take possession of the Orange Battery and temporarily became a member of the Corps. But Larfleeze got his Power Battery back after Hal was overwhelmed by the hunger of the Orange Light.

• (Lex Luthor) - Sector 2814. During the Blackest Night storyline, Luthor received the ring and became a member of the Corps for 24 hours.

• Hector Hammond - Sector 2814. An enemy of Hal Jordan who, after ingesting the Orange Lantern Battery and freeing the Serpent, becomes possessed by the Deceiver. Although he did not have the Orange Ring with him, but being the owner of the essence, he did not need it.

• Krona - Sector 0. During the events Green Lantern Wars, Kron briefly manages to take control of Larfleeze's ring, as well as the other six rings he used against the Green Lantern Corps, but the ring returned to its owner after Hal Jordan killed Kron.

• Kyle Rayner - Sector 2814. When Kyle becomes a "magnet for the rings", among those he attracted to him was the Orange Lantern Ring.

The oath

What's mine is mine
And mine and mine
And mine, and mine, and mine!
Not yours!

Capabilities

Agent Orange is the only wielder of the Orange Light of Greed, he wields an orange ring and a Power Battery to recharge it. Some of the basic abilities are similar to those of other Corps' rings: the ability to fly and the ability to create energy constructs. The most unique feature of the Orange Light is the ability to steal the identities of those whom the Orange Agent kills. After these creatures have died, they appear as orange projections that serve Agent Orange. The Orange Lanterns are capable of stealing the identities of others for Larfleeze. Orange light also has the ability to absorb energy constructs created from Green light, but cannot absorb blue and violet light constructs. When Larfleece faced a team of New Guardians made up of representatives from six other corps, the only lantern capable of destroying his structures was a decoy from the Indigo Tribe.

Larfleeze's strength is enhanced as he is in constant contact with his battery. Due to this, he can create projections of all the creatures whose identities he has stolen, even when Larfleeze is very far away from them. Larfleeze's control over his ring is so strong that he was able to retain control of his ring when a mystical outside force turned Kyle Rayner into a ring magnet. However, the Orange Light induces an insatiable hunger in its owner (which can be satisfied if a Blue Lantern is near it).

In the media

Animated series

Larfleeze appears in the Green Lantern animated series, voiced by Dee Bradley Baker. He appears in an episode called "Larfleeze", in which Razer first tells Hal and Kilowog the legend of the Orange Lanterns. They then go to the planet Okaara to borrow his battery from Larfleeze, however, he does not want to give it. When Jordan takes it, he is attacked by projections of the Orange Creatures, as well as a projection of Larfleeze himself. Hal becomes a member of the Orange Lantern Corps for a while, but manages to get out of it when his teammates arrive.

video games

Larfleeze appears in DC Universe Online.

Larfleeze appears in Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham.

It's April 30th, the 40th anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War, and many Vietnamese are still suffering from the defoliant Agent Orange that was sprayed over their country.

The consequences of its use are severe mental and physical disorders in several generations of people who find themselves in the affected area.

Defoliant exposure has been linked to respiratory cancer among both Vietnamese and American veterans, as well as congenital malformations among their children and grandchildren.

During the conflict, the US military sprayed millions of liters of Agent Orange into the Vietnamese jungle to uncover the locations of North Vietnamese troops.

40 years later, Reuters photographer Damir Shagol traveled to Vietnam to meet with people who had experienced the effects of the poison.

The US stopped spraying Agent Orange in 1971, the war ended in 1975. Twenty years after the conflict, many residents of Vietnamese towns and villages knew nothing about the defoliant. Now, forty years later, hundreds of families are still suffering from it.

Agent Orange is one big tragedy, consisting of many small ones, and the reason for them all is human actions.

"When talking about an anniversary, it's easy to fall into the trap of 'before and after' clichés, or worse, blurt out something new and miss the mark.

But I still wanted to tell the story of the aftermath of Agent Orange. Some of my colleagues raised their eyebrows in surprise and asked if I couldn't find anything new? Why retell a story that has been told many times?", - says the photographer.

Vietnam's Agent Orange/Dioxin Victims Association (VAVA) told Reuters that more than 4.8 million Vietnamese have been exposed to the herbicide, and more than three million of them suffer from deadly diseases.

Thang Thi Thang washes his son Doan Van Quy outside their home in Truc Ly, Quang Binh province. Doan Van Kui's father served in the anti-aircraft artillery and lived in areas poisoned by Agent Orange for a long time. Two of his sons were born with serious health problems.

If you look to the right during takeoff at Vietnam's Da Nang Airport, between the departure terminal and the yellow wall separating the airport from the densely populated surroundings, you can see an ugly scar on the already not very beautiful face of the Vietnam War.

Barrels of defoliant were stored at this location at the airport. The American army sprayed defoliant over the territories of Vietnam. Now, more than forty years later, the site is finally being cleared.

Photographs of Dang Van Sanh (right) and his wife Nguyen Thi Thin at their home in the village of Le Son Bac, north of Da Nang. Dang Wang San was sprayed by Agent Orange while fighting in the jungle and died of throat cancer. He had four children, two of whom died immediately after birth. His son Dang Van Son survived, but he is very sick, and his granddaughter is also sick.

Deformed fetuses in a hospital in Ho Chi Minh City. The doctor at the hospital attributes the frequent deformities to the defoliant.

Dang Thi Quang with son Nguyen Van Binh at his home in Quang province. Nguyen Van Binh's father served in the transport unit of the North Vietnamese army, he spent a lot of time in places that are considered to be the most affected by the defoliant.

“Shortly after I started taking pictures and talking to the victims and their families, I realized that I needed to rethink how to tell this story. The immediate and natural reaction was to come up close, almost face to face, to show what happened to human bodies.

It's a dry, almost judicial approach to photography. When at a hospice near Hanoi I took some photographs of a child who was born without eyes and other victims whose bodies are horribly deformed, I felt that my plan was working, but not in the right way. The faces and eyes in the photographs hurt, the focus is in the right place, but it seemed that I was missing the surroundings, and perhaps the story itself, "says the author of the photographs.

Former soldier Nguyen Hong Phuc (63) with his son Nguyen Dinh Loc (20) at the Agent Orange Friendship village near Hanoi. Nguyen Dinh Loc recently underwent surgery to remove a brain tumor.

In a village, Le Van Dan, a former soldier in the South Vietnamese army, dressed in a worn-out uniform of the former enemy army, the Communists, told me about being hit by a defoliant sprayed by American planes near where his house now stands.

While this brave man spoke through broken teeth, his two grandchildren were given milk provided by the government aid agency in a room behind the kitchen. Both children were born with severe developmental disabilities. According to the doctors, it has to do with Agent Orange.

In a small village in Thai Binh province, in a cold, unfurnished room, Doan Thi Hong Gam huddled under a blue blanket. The dirty walls of the room speak of anger and struggle. Due to aggression and serious mental problems, a woman has been kept in isolation since the age of 16. Now she is 38.

Another village and another picture. Former soldier Do Duc Du showed me the cemetery on the hill behind his house, where he buried 12 of his children, all of whom were born disabled and died in early childhood. Near the existing graves there are several places for his daughters, who are still alive but very ill.

Do Du Du himself fought for the North Vietnamese and survived exposure to a poisonous defoliant. For more than twenty years, he and his wife have been trying to have a healthy child. In the fact that one after another the children died, they saw a curse or bad luck, they prayed and went to spiritual teachers, but nothing helped.

They only learned about Agent Orange after their fifteenth child was born sick. I photographed their youngest daughter. It wasn't easy.

Village after village more and more terrible pictures appeared, they were accompanied by even more terrible stories. I kept the camera at a distance. I shot through mosquito nets and against the light, photographing details and reflections. We took a lot of notes so as not to miss the important details needed in order to create an accurate picture. Then we drove further south.

In Da Nang, near the international airport, we visited with a young couple who have lived in this place since the late 1990s. When they first arrived here, the man went fishing and collected snails and vegetables.

The family was poor and appreciated any food. They didn't know that Agent Orange, kept nearby, had poisoned the water in the lake next to the runway and everything in its vicinity.

Pictured: Dai Van Bien and his son Lai Van Man (left) at their home in Tuong An village in Thai Binh province in northern Vietnam. Dai Van Bien was a scout in the North Vietnamese army, he served in an area that was heavily infested by Agent Orange. Dai Van Bien's two sons were born mentally and physically handicapped.

In 2000, their daughter was born, she was ill from birth and died at the age of seven. Their son was born in 2008 with the same symptoms as his sister. I took a picture of him, then we took the family to the hospital, where the boy received a blood transfusion. A blind and very sick boy held my finger and finally blew a kiss into the void. I saw it from afar, already when I was leaving.

synthetic origin. It was used by the British Army during the Malaya War and by the US Army in the Vietnam War from 1971 to 1971 as part of the Ranch Hand devegetation program. The name came from the orange color of the barrels used to transport this chemical.

Story

Agent "orange" was a 1:1 mixture of 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) and 2,4,5-trichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4,5-T) and, like a number of other used in the conflict of chemicals ("Agent Purple", "Agent Pink", "Agent Blue", "Agent White" and "Agent Green"), was produced using a simplified synthesis technology. As such, it contained significant concentrations of dioxins, which cause cancer and genetic mutations in people who come into contact with them. In total, about 14% of Vietnam was exposed to this poison. Since 1980, attempts have been made to seek compensation through litigation, including with companies producing these substances (Dow Chemical and Monsanto). Veterans from the US , New Zealand , Australia and Canada were compensated in 1984 . In 1999, some 20,000 South Korean Vietnam War veterans filed two separate lawsuits seeking $5 million in compensation. On April 23, 2002, one of the Seoul District Courts dismissed the veterans' claim, but on June 15 of the same year, the veterans filed an appeal. On January 26, 2006, the South Korean Court of Appeals ruled that US companies Dow Chemical and Monsanto were required to pay US$62 million in compensation to 6,795 South Korean veterans.

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An excerpt characterizing Agent orange