War Legacies Project

The War Legacies Project focuses on the long-term impacts of war to develop a fuller understanding of the costs of war, increase public understanding of these costs, foster public dialogue about the impacts of war and conduct programs that help mitigate the impacts of war at home and abroad.  Currently our work  is primarily focused on the long-term health and environmental impacts of the use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War. We also work to address the on-going impacts of unexploded ordinance.

US House holds hearing on Agent Orange in Vietnam - June 4, 2009

Last Ghost of War on PBS

For viewing dates and times check you local PBS station at http://www.pbs.org. Most of the stations are showing the film on their digital station PBS - World.

Last Ghost of War looks at the on-going consequences of the use of chemical defoliants and herbicides during the war in Vietnam through the lens of the current lawsuit against Dow, Monsanto, and 35 other chemical companies that manufactured the products. Who was responsible? What should be done today?

WLP is working with documentary filmmakers Janet Gardner and Pham Thai to coordinate screenings of this new film. To arrange a screening in your community contact shammond@warlegacies.org.

More information about the film is at the Last Ghost of War Website or at The Gardner Group Website

Recent News:

WBUR's Here and Now - Feeling the Pain in Laos  BBC's Jill McGivering's story on the impact of UXOs in Laos. Aired June 11, 2009. Webcast

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National Organization for Disabled report US Vietnam Veterans and Agent Orange: Understanding the Impact Forty Years Later June 2, 2009

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Vietnam's Lingering Ghost: Facing the Legacy of Agent Orange - HDNET - World Report reveals the ghost that the United States left behind when our troops left Vietnam Agent Orange. Greg Dobbs traveled to Vietnam for a report that reveals hundreds of people - especially children born years after the war - suffer from grotesque, debilitating deformities, mental retardation and cancer. Many Vietnamese believe these conditions are a direct result of Agent Orange. Should the U.S. be doing more to help the children who are still suffering over 30 years after the war? Available for viewing on iTunes for $1.99.

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The FY2009 Omnibus spending bill passed by congress and signed by President Obama in early March contained an additional appropriation of $3 million “to continue environmental remediation of dioxin contamination at Da Nang Airport and related Health activities in nearby communities in Vietnam.”

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On March 2, 2009 the US Supreme Court denied the writ of certiorari filed by the lawyers for the Vietnamese plaintiffs to hear the case against the chemical companies that produced Agent Orange. At the same time the court also refused the writ of certiorari for the suit filed on behalf of US veterans against the chemical companies.  This brings an end to the legal battle against the chemical companies.

Agent Orange Events:

Agent Orange: Landscape, Body, Image Exhibit at UC Riverside, California Museum of Photography May 2 - August 29, 2009 Agent Orange: Landscape, Body, Image features photographs and installations by Goro Nakamura, Dinh Q. Lê, Doan Duc Minh, and Binh Danh.  Curated by Lan Duong, Assistant Professor, Media and Cultural Studies, UC Riverside and Christina Schwenkel, Assistant Professor, Anthropology, UC Riverside. More info 

New Books on Agent Orange:

The History, Use, Disposition and Environmental Fate of Agent Orange  By Alvin Young (April 2009)  This book was commissioned by The Office of the Deputy Under Secretary of Defense (Installations and Environment) with the intent of providing documentation of the knowledge on the history, use, disposition and environmental fate of Agent Orange and its associated dioxin.

"INVISIBLE CHILDREN: The Third Generation of Agent Orange Children in Vietnam" by Marilyn M. Tycer. "Invisible Children" explores the lives of 45 children at the Peace Village II in HCM City, Viet Nam who are affected by the Vietnam War-era herbicide Agent Orange.  Available at Amazon.com or at  Createspace.

About the artwork in the top panel: The first three works are by the Vietnamese artist Vu Giang Huong.  Giang Huong's late husband,  Dr Le Cao Dai is profiled in the third painting. Dr Dai was one of the leading Vietnamese scientists researching the impacts of Agent Orange. The last painting of the girl erasing Dioxin is by the artist  Nguyen Du. This work was commissioned by WLP for a special exhibit  on Agent Orange by Vietnamese artists . This and other the 29 other works are available for exhibit in the US.

War Legacies Project 144 Lower Bartonsville Rd, Chester, VT 05143

Tel: 917-991-4850 Fax: 917-591-2207 email: info@warlegacies.org