by Jim Doyle
In an effort to generate public support for US government funding of the cleanup of Dioxin contaminated sites in Vietnam, and compensation and treatment for Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange, the Ford Foundation, lead by Charles Bailey (C.Bailey@fordfoundation.org), has launched a well funded public relations campaign managed by Communications Consortium Media Center (401 Ninth Street, NW, Suite 450, Washington, DC 20004, Phone: 202-326-8700 Email: info@ccmc.org.)
Bailey, a Director at Ford Foundation who was educated at Cornell University, Princeton University, and Swarthmore College (no military service indicated) has devoted most of the last several years toward achieving the foundation goal of compensation and treatment for Vietnamese Agent Orange victims.
In a 1600+ word article in the June 2010 issue of Alliance (Volume 15, Number 2, www.alliancemagazine.org), “Tackling the Agent Orange Legacy in Vietnam” Bailey devotes a total of 23 words to the problem faced by US Agent Orange veterans and their children while outlining in great detail the Ford Foundation plan for testing and cleaning of Dioxin contaminated sites in Vietnam, including treatment and support centers for Vietnamese affected by Dioxin.
Since 2000 the Ford Foundation and other American foundations, the United Nations and other foreign supporters have committed nearly $24 million dollars to this effort.
In the article Bailey writes passionately and convincingly about the need to address and mitigate the problem in Vietnam. His words are those of someone who seems to fully understand the implications of the use of Agent Orange and the resulting health effects suffered by those who have had their lives profoundly changed by exposure to the Dioxin in the chemical soup that was sprayed over Vietnam during the war.
Despite his understanding and compassion for Vietnamese victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin poisoning, Bailey remains painfully silent about the plight of his fellow citizens who served and were exposed to the same poisons and suffer the same fate. It seems the least he can do is speak on their behalf as well.
When significant numbers of Vietnam Veterans have reported children and/or grandchildren with birth defects related to Agent Orange exposure, why does Charles Bailey fail to act on their behalf?
Is he Waiting for An Army to Die?
Ask him at
* Waiting for An Army to Die: The Tragedy of Agent Orange
Fred A. Wilcox
(Random House 1983)
Selfish comment! Actually, a comment from selfish people. Full of petty jealousy, too. The man was hired to do his job? VETs have Veteran Affairs to take care of. Not satisfactory yet, but a whole lot more and already for a much longer time than the Viet victims and they are the ones who got sprayed the most. Some VETs were the ones who sprayed, too. An injustice to one is an injustice to everyone. A victim of AO is a victim of AO regardless of their origin of nationality. Where's the compassion? Where's the common sense? Where's the humanitarian sense between humans? Also 24 million is a number, not a reality and it's questionable.
ReplyDeleteSurprised at the tone of the comment by Jim Doyle. Yes, Charles Bailey and the Ford Foundation has been supportive of the Vietnamese seriously affected by the use 80 million litres of Agent Orange sprayed over South Vietnam, and has played a major role in campaigning to raised funds for the clean up of the contaminated sites of the former US Bases where Agent Orange was stored and where planes were loaded up for the spraying.
ReplyDeleteDo I really have to remind Jim Doyle that to date neither the US government nor the chemical companies that manufactured Agent Orange, such as Monsanto has accepted responsibilty nor have they paid a cent in compensation to the Vietnamese victims or their families. With near to 4 million victims justice for them is long overdue.
Len Aldis.
London UK