Martha Marx

SEN. MARX LEADS SENATE TO RECOGNIZE AND HONOR VIETNAM VETERANS EXPOSED TO AGENT ORANGE

Today, State Senator Martha Marx (D-New London) led the State Senate in its passage of a resolution recognizing and honoring veterans of the Vietnam War who were exposed to Agent Orange. The resolution is intended to recognize veterans who made great sacrifices in service to their country as the chemical agent they were exposed to has caused health issues and deaths for countless men and women.

“Veterans of the Vietnam War served their country and did not receive the rewards they deserve for the sacrifices they made,” said Sen. Marx. “We owe it to them to recognize what they lost and how they suffered in light of the serious health issues caused by Agent Orange.”Nearly 20 million gallons of the herbicide were sprayed over the land of Vietnam during the war to destroy vegetation and crops in an effort to fight guerilla warfare over the span of a decade. More than two million veterans were exposed to the chemical, which has been tied to a number of serious illnesses including but not limited to cancers of the throat, prostate, lung and colon, leukemia, lymphoma and heart disease.

Approximately three hundred deaths occur per day nationally among Vietnam veterans that can be tied to Agent Orange, but names of fallen servicemembers from the effects of Agent Orange are not recognized as fatalities of the Vietnam War.

The chemical has also been tied to genetic damage, with some children and grandchildren of exposed veterans having conditions such as spina bifida.