HR 17: Veterans who were victims of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War; commend

House Resolution 17

By: Representatives Blackmon of the 146th, Ballard of the 147th, Bonner of the 73rd, Williams of the 168th, Hitchens of the 161st, and others

A RESOLUTION

Honoring and recognizing the veterans who were victims of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War.

WHEREAS, our nation was conceived by individuals who were willing to sacrifice their personal safety to ensure our individual and collective freedom, and the State of Georgia is especially proud to be the home of so many valiant men and women who have performed above and beyond the call of duty; and

WHEREAS, more than 228,000 men and women from Georgia served in the Vietnam War, of which 1,584 were killed in action and 8,534 were wounded; and

WHEREAS, approximately 234,000 Vietnam veterans currently reside in Georgia; and

WHEREAS, the citizens of the United States have, throughout the years, been called upon to take up arms against the enemies of this great nation, risking their lives and leaving their loved ones behind to honorably safeguard the freedoms and liberties guaranteed to all Americans and vanquishing those who threaten our way of life; and

WHEREAS, more than eight million citizens of this country honorably served during the Vietnam War, during which time the chemical Agent Orange was widely used in Vietnam by the United States Armed Forces as part of Operation Ranch Hand, the herbicidal warfare program, between 1961 and 1971; and

WHEREAS, nearly 20 million gallons of the orange powder were sprayed over the land from helicopters or low-flying aircraft, destroying vegetation and crops in order to deprive enemy guerrillas of food and cover for their activities, which exposed 2.6 million American soldiers to the herbicide and defoliant chemical; and

WHEREAS, Agent Orange is a dioxin and cancer-causing chemical that enters the body through physical contact or ingestion and moves into the human cell nucleus, where it attacks the genes and causes a number of serious illnesses, including leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, ischemic heart disease, soft tissue sarcoma, amyloidosis, diabetes, and cancers of the throat, prostate, lung, and colon; and

WHEREAS, Agent Orange also causes genetic damage, and in some cases, the children and grandchildren of veterans exposed to Agent Orange have been born with spina bifida and other abnormalities; and

WHEREAS, today, approximately 800,000 Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange are alive, and approximately 300 deaths occur among them every day; and

WHEREAS, while fallen comrades are memorialized on The Wall at the Vietnam Veterans Memorial in Washington, D.C., the veterans who are victims of Agent Orange are not recognized as fatalities of the Vietnam War; and

WHEREAS, it is most appropriate that we should honor these veterans to the full extent of our ability, as they have made untold and innumerable sacrifices to preserve the liberties we enjoy today and that our progeny will hopefully continue to cherish for generations to come.

NOW, THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES that the members of this body honor and recognize the veterans who were victims of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War for their courageous service to our nation as some of America's most heroic citizens.

BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Clerk of the House of Representatives is authorized and directed to make appropriate copies of this resolution available for distribution to the public.