Remediating the effects of toxic chemicals in Quang Tri: A nonstop journey (II):

II. Memories and AO pain

Those who have witnessed the US military aircraft spraying toxic chemicals (TC) on the forests and their homeland, are all obsessed by the cruelty and destruction that TC brings. But no one thought that the level of cruelty they witnessed at that time would have such heavy consequences for later life. Although the war has receded for more than 45 years, many people in Quang Tri are still suffering from the same pain called Agent Orange.

Obsessed with the bare forests

The house of Mr. Ho Thanh Binh (born in 1935) is located peacefully at the foot of a hill in Ka Tang village, Lao Bao town, Huong Hoa district. In his large garden, Binh digs a pond to raise fish, grow crops for his family needs and economic purposes. Choosing for himself a clean and healthy lifestyle is a way for him to forget the obsession in his memory and the disease that torments him every time the weather changes.

In his memory, Binh remembers that in 1963, the US began to spray TC along Huong Hoa border. In August 1967, when his unit (C19, Tri Thien Military Region) marched from Vinh Linh district, Quang Tri province to Thua Thien Hue province to prepare for 1968 Tet Offensive, he witnessed the American aircraft spraying TC in the area of Trieu Phong and Hai Lang districts. “Just an hour after the US sprayed the poison, wild banana trees fell in mass. The forest full of luxuriant trees suddenly became bare, allowing people to clearly see blue sky above. Bodies of dead small birds fell all around us. Even the monkeys on trees, and fishes in the stream were also killed. Although we were informed in advance, we were all shocked because what happened in front of us was so fast and catastrophic", Binh recalled. Before that, to deal with dangerous tricks of the enemy, as a political officer of the unit, Binh ordered his men to dig shelters, wells 3 meters away from streams and wear anti-poison masks. However, due to the influence of TC, Binh fell unconscious from 14:00 to 19:00, and had to stay for treatment while his comrades marched forward.

Binh has 7 children, 3 of which were affected by Agent Orange. Two of his AO affected children have died. After his demobilisation, his health was not good, he had to go to hospital very often. Therefore, he decided to move from Khe Sanh town to Ka Tang village, where there is plenty of fresh air.

Mr. Hoang Kim Cu (76 years old), in Mai Trung hamlet, Cam Chinh commune, was a commune guerrilla from 1964 - 1975. In 1965, he witnessed 4 American C130s spraying TC from the west of Trieu Phong district to the southwestern area of Cam Chinh commune, Cam Lo district. In 1967, American aircraft conducted another TC spray closer to residential areas. In 1972, in an interview with a Japanese TV reporter about the crimes of the US imperialists, he described in great detail the waves American planes sprayed TC on his homeland. He said: Vung Cua area, including Cam Nghia and Cam Chinh communes of Cam Lo district, was inherently a rich land, surrounded by green trees and sweet fruits. However, only after the American sprayed the TCs, only the trees with latex survived, the rest all fell, the landscape was so desolate. At that time, our people advised each other to drink a lot of sugar water and sugarcane with the thought that these things would help push toxins out of our bodies. Of course, that's just the thinking of Cu and many other Cam Chinh residents at that time. They later learned that the water they drank, no matter how sweet it is, could not push the poison out of their bodies if they were accidentally infected. “Since 1970, people in Cam Chinh commune started to restore production and cultivation. The trees gradually turned green again, but the people did not. Those who have been infected with TCs, besides contracting serious diseases, also gave birth to children with malformations. They live in extreme poverty", he said.

"Giving birth, the earth eats up"

At the age of 72, Mrs. Le Thi Mit from Phuong An 2 village, Cam Nghia commune, still has to take care of her son named Nguyen Van Truong (born in 1988). Now more than 33 years old, Truong is even less capable than a 3-year-old child when he depended all his activities on his elderly parents. Mrs. Mit bitterly said: "Having given birth to 4 children, 3 of whom were infected with Agent Orange. Two of my AO children have died, only Truong survives. I don’t know whether he will die before us or not to end this suffering. People have children to rely rest on when they are old, but when I give birth to my children, the earth eats them up.”

Oldage and weak health make it difficult for her to take care of this disabled son. However, she makes an interesting comparison: “In the past when I had to take care of 3 disabled children all together, hardship was even a hundred or a thousand times more. There was even no bed in my house because if we bought one, it would soon be broken by them. All day long they are red with the earthy color. The second guy had a habit of biting his hand so I had to tie it up. Being annoyed, he screamed all night and day. We couldn’t have a single night of full sleep".

However, deep in this mother's heart is the biggest obsession of her healthy son. When he reached adulthood, although her family does not many members, and she had to take care of the two disabled children, she still urged him to go to the Central Highlands to settle down because she thought that, seeing her family’s circumstances, who would dare to marry him. Fortunately, her grandchildren were all born healthy, which was their only consolation. The pain of having unhealthy children is not the story of Mrs. Mit's family alone. She said: “Mr. Ky's family has a deformed daughter; Mr. Duong's family also has two children (one has passed away); Mr. Luu’s daughter has only one eye. Later, many people learned about the poison. In the past, they only blamed their fate. After the war, some people in the commune used the container of the toxic chemicals to store rice for their daily food... ".

Seeing a stranger coming, 4 children infected with Agent Orange of Mr. Tran Van Tram (born in 1949) and Ms. Tran Thi Dan (born in 1950), Tan Hoa village, Cam Tuyen commune, Cam Lo district crawled from inside the house. Looking at the children lined up in a vertical line, Tram said sadly: they also come here for sunbathing several times a day. Sometimes they come out and then stand there all day in the burning hot weather in the summer. Ms. Dan pointed to each of her children and introduced: The oldest one is Tran Van Luan, born in 1976; the next one is Tran Van Hoang, born in 1983; the female one is Tran Thi Luy, born in 1985 and the youngest one is Tran Van Lam, born in 1989. Sometimes when the guest comes, I have to call their names to help me remember. Then she burst into tears: "Give them a name just to write on the birth certificate, because they don’t hear and understand their names whenever I call”.

The small house hidden behind the long alley of Mr. Tram and his wife is so peaceful. However, the life in it is not so peaceful at all. In Quang Tri province, there are many houses that are not so peaceful because of Agent Orange.