I’m a Navy retiree writing about a unique group of veterans who served our country commendably in Vietnam and some adverse effects of their experience that continue to affect them.

The 1973 Paris Peace Accords ended U.S. Involvement in the Vietnam War and Pres. Nixon proclaimed in a speech that “peace with honor” had been achieved. But things turned out differently than expected.

While U.S. involvement in Vietnam did come to an end, the war there did not. It ended with the fall of Saigon, South Vietnam about two years later. And in a sense, the war will never be over for some Vietnam veterans.

These veterans are referred to as Agent Orange veterans. More than 300,000 of them have died since Mr. Nixon’s speech from exposure to Agent Orange, a toxic herbicide used extensively in Vietnam as a defoliant. 

That is a rather significant number when compared to around 58,000 military personnel killed in Vietnam during the war, who have been memorialized by an impressive granite structure in our nation’s capital.

A nonprofit organization was established about one year ago in the Beehive State to recognize the state's Agent Orange veterans with a memorial that will help increase public awareness of America’s experience in Vietnam.

That organization is called the Utah Agent Orange Veterans Foundation and its chairman, Larry Kerr, happens to be an Agent Orange veteran. You can learn more about Larry at agentorangeheroes.org. 

The foundation’s Facebook page is a great place to find some very insightful information about Agent Orange and other Vietnam veterans dealing with lingering health effects of the war in Southeast Asia.

Nelson Thibault, USN, Retired