Alive: One Third of the U.S. Vets who Served in Vietnam

Veteran remains committed to helping those who served

July 3, 2011 - According to Government Public Information Office statistics filed in 1997, of the 2,709,918 Americans who served in Vietnam, less than 850,000 are estimated to be alive today, with the youngest American Vietnam veteran’s age approximated to be 54 years old. In a commentary that followed the issuance of these statistics, a publication in Texas was quoted as saying, "So, if you’re alive and reading this, how does it feel to be among the last one third of all the U.S. vets who served in Vietnam?"

And these alarming statistics are of concern today, according to recently appointed Vietnam Veterans of American (VVA) Chapter 480 President Bill Chandler.

In a recent interview with Chandler, who is a Tioga County resident serving veterans throughout several counties, many of the surviving Vietnam veterans are showing the affects of a toxic defoliant that was used to clear jungle brush during herbicidal warfare — Agent Orange.

During the Vietnam War, between 1962 and 1971, the United States military sprayed 12,000,000 U.S. gallons (50,000,000 L) of chemical herbicides and defoliants in Vietnam, eastern Laos and parts of Cambodia, as part of Operation Ranch Hand.

According to the Agent Orange Relief & Responsibility Campaign, a grass-roots organization established to provide advocacy to Vietnam-era veterans, millions on both sides of the conflict were affected by the use of these chemicals.

But back in Tioga County, N.Y., Bill Chandler and others are working to assist veterans that are showing signs of the affects of Agent Orange.

"Agent Orange was a vegetation killer that they would spray into the jungles to clear underbrush for visibility," said Chandler who served during the Vietnam era. "It is causing problems like leukemia, cancer, and other physical ailments. It’s killing these guys." {read more}