Fager: Agent Orange's legacy remains painful for Vietnam War veterans

Agent Orange Day

Partly, it's the calendar: Aug. 10 will mark 50 years since the first load of powerful defoliant was sprayed by U.S. forces on the Vietnam landscape in 1961. It was the beginning of what was initially called Operation Hades, then was soon renamed and expanded into Operation Ranch Hand.

Over the 10 years of Operation Ranch Hand, planes and trucks sprayed some 20 million gallons of such defoliants across parts of Vietnam that added up to an area as large as Massachusetts.

It has been 50 years since Operation Hades began. For both its American and Vietnamese victims, there have recently been some positive steps taken. But the story of Agent Orange is far from over.

The Source

Make Agent Orange History: Agent Orange Day - August 10th

Get the Badge on FB

Agent Orange Day is an annual holiday in honor of victims and survivors of Agent Orange. It is held August 10th in commemoration of the day in 1961 when the U.S. began aerial spraying of toxic herbicides over Vietnam. This year Agent Orange Day will take on an even greater significance because it marks the 50th anniversary of that fateful day.



In honor of the millions of people affected by Agent Orange around the world, Make Agent Orange History is running a Facebook badge campaign in which Make AO History encourages their followers and friends to change their profile pictures and stand in solidarity with those who have been touched by the toxic chemical.



Make Agent Orange History will have a Facebook app that enables users to upload the badge to their wall and add it as their profile picture (sample image attached). Last year, with very little advance preparation, they succeeded in getting more than 300 people to change their profile pictures and post the badge. This year, AO History Day believes they can reach 1,000 people. But they will need your help.