[CPEO-MEF] HERBICIDES, GLOBAL: Studying Vietnam War-era Agent Orange contamination on Guam

[Lenny Siegel <lsiegel@cpeo.org>]

Guam needs truth known on the environmental sins of military's past

Editorial
Guam Daily Post
Dec 5, 2017 

The U.S. Government Accountability Office team's presence on Guam this week, apparently to gather information related to Vietnam War-era Agent Orange contamination on the island, is an encouraging initial step.

Guam's high cancer rate and veterans suffering from cancer, which some of them believe was caused by exposure to the herbicide, or other chemical contaminations as a result of the military's presence here, is getting increased attention from Washington, D.C.

As far as we can recall, there has been no official acknowledgment – at least in recent years – that the herbicide, which was used to clear vegetation in the Vietnam War, was ever used on Guam.

But a handful of veterans, among them retired Master Sgt. Leroy Foster, attest to having been involved in the handling of Agent Orange on Guam decades ago. Foster has told U.S. lawmakers he "power sprayed" the herbicide as part of his duties as a 19-year-old airman on Andersen Air Force Base, to clear vegetation.

…

For the entire editorial, see
https://www.postguam.com/forum/editorial/guam-needs-truth-known-on-the-environmental-sins-of-military/article_ac48cc86-d8be-11e7-8382-57b6deb44c6f.html

--

Lenny Siegel
Executive Director
Center for Public Environmental Oversight
a project of the Pacific Studies Center
P.O. Box 998, Mountain View, CA 94042
Voice/Fax: 650/961-8918 
<lsiegel@cpeo.org>
http://www.cpeo.org

_______________________________________________
Military mailing list
Military@lists.cpeo.org
http://lists.cpeo.org/listinfo.cgi/military-cpeo.org