Put Sarge On The Wall: Agent Orange and The Wall

Recently, Chuck Cordle tried to get his father's last dying wish fulfilled. To have his name added to the Vietnam Veterans' Memorial Wall after he died. Chuck has started a cause, and you can find it here: Put Sarge On The Wall.
Sarge, best known for his popular blog "Sarge Charlie," didn't die in combat in Vietnam. He was, however, a veteran of that war and was sprayed with Agent Orange.

Agent Orange was used to defoliate the forests of Vietnam. It was also directed at farmlands and got into the food chain and water supply.  This herbicide was developed by Monsanto and Dow chemicals. While in Vietnam, the veterans were told Agent Orange was "harmless."  From Wikipedia:

"During the Vietnam War, between 1962 and 1971, the United States military sprayed nearly 20,000,000 US gallons (75,700,000 l) of chemical herbicides and defoliants in Vietnam, eastern Laos and parts of Cambodia, as part of Operation Ranch Hand."

The effects were broad sweeping, sociopolitically, environmentally, and on health.

"Vietnam estimates 400,000 people were killed or maimed, and 500,000 children born with birth defects."  -Wikipedia

For U.S. Veterans, the effects were also great.

"Studies showed that veterans who served in the South during the war have increased rates of cancer, and nerve, digestive, skin and respiratory disorders. Veterans from the south had higher rates of throat cancer, acute/chronic leukemia, Hodgkin's lymphoma and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, prostate cancer, lung cancer, colon cancer, soft tissue sarcoma and liver cancer. Other than liver cancer, these are the same conditions the US Veteran's Administration has found to be associated with exposure to Agent Orange/dioxin, and are on the list of conditions eligible for compensation and treatment. -Wikipedia ^[35]" 

Sarge Charlie was one of these. After the war, he battled cancer three times. Finally, it killed him last month.

Chuck wants nothing more than to have his father's name on the wall. However, his request has met rejection from one former Army LtColonel, who told him that in order to get your name on the wall, you must have died in combat. But I want to point out: the wall is not run by the Army. It is run with funds from a private, nonprofit organization. (Correction noted by Chuck: the DOD decides who gets on and who doesn't, and a virtual wall has been added. See Chuck's point of view below in the comments).

^{I'm not one for messing around with tradition. In fact I didn't join the cause at first because I am uncomfortable with changes to our public institutions. But then I remembered some of our patients from our private practice.}

<sup>As time goes on and our understanding of the struggles that occur in the aftermath of war broaden, I think there is room to discuss the intent of this memorial. While he did not die in combat, Sarge died as the result of the after effects of war. As did so many others. Whether it was Agent Orange, or PTSD that led to self-isolation, alcoholism, or suicide, the affects of war sometimes led to a death that could take decades to complete. It was tortuous, and often no one believed them when they said that they felt sick. They thought they were going crazy, and sometimes that kind of rejection just drives some people under.


So I'm open to adding his name, and others. Because to not recognize their deaths is giving a free pass to companies who profit greatly off war, and in comparison, give very little back to those who fight. I don't know how the families of those whose names are carved in the wall will feel. But let me point out the obvious: they were all brothers (and sisters --because I do count nurses and other women who served) in arms. They served together. They fought together. They saw awful things. They shared laughs, and fears. Those who lived past combat, thought of their fallen comrades all the time. Why would one veteran reject another?

 The addition of the names will necessitate more panels on the wall. But let every American truly comprehend the real costs of war, and never repeat the mistakes of the past. Let us all understand the power of these large corporations, and how they affected not only those who were sprayed by Agent Orange, but also left their families to watch them suffer, and by circumstance, suffer as well.</sup>

Some might disagree. And I'm fine with that.  To the late Sarge and to Empress Bee, whose kindness has served as a beacon in the early days, when I felt lost.