Associates of Vietnam Veterans of America Join Local Residents in Protest at Fort Detrick, the home of Agent Orange, Other Toxic Herbicides

PRESS RELEASE
Associates of Vietnam Veterans of America, Inc.
8719 Colesville Road, Suite 100
Silver Spring, MD 20910
(301) 585-4000

IMMEDIATE RELEASE February 22, 2011 No. 11-01

Press Release Contact:
Suzanne Blohm-Weber
(386) 986-9153


Associates of Vietnam Veterans of America Join Local Residents in Protest at Fort Detrick, the home of Agent Orange, Other Toxic Herbicides
Associates of Vietnam Veterans of America (AVVA) will join Fighting for Frederick residents and The Kristen Renee Foundation members in a peaceful protest Wednesday, February 23 at 2:00 pm at Rosemont Avenue & Montevue Lane in Frederick, Maryland.
The protest is scheduled prior to the meeting of the Restoration Action Board (RAB) it’s Public Meeting at the Hampton Inn at 1565 Opossumtown Pike beginning at 6:30 pm. The RAB will discuss methods for remediation groundwater supplies in the area surrounding Fort Detrick that have become of contaminated by the toxic chemicals developed and tested at Ft. Detrick.
“Ft. Detrick is at the center of the nightmare that has been Agent Orange for over 40 years,” said AVVA National President Nancy Switzer. “First we watched our spouses suffer from a long list of illnesses caused by their exposure to toxic chemicals like Agent Orange, used all over Vietnam and tested right here in the United States, and now we see our children and grandchildren suffer the intergenerational affects of this horrible poison.”
Agent Orange and several other highly toxic herbicides were tested at Fort Detrick during the 1950’s and 60’s as a tactical weapon to deny food and cover to enemy forces. It is estimated that 20 million gallons of Agent Orange and its chemical cousins were sprayed in Vietnam during the war.
“Now local residents are looking at cancer clusters, contaminated water, and other effects of this lethal legacy,” Switzer continued. “Soldiers expect to be injured in war, but by our enemies, not our own government. Who drafted the children of Frederick County?”
Accompanying these events the “Agent Orange Quilt of Tears” will be on display at the Hampton Inn on Opposumtown Pike. The Quilt of Tears was begun by Jennie Lefevre, one of the original Agent Orange Widows, dedicated her life to raising awareness of Agent Orange and its catastrophic environmental & health effects. Lefevre died in 2004.


Peaceful Protest from Agent Orange Exposure and RAB Meeting Demonstration
The Vietnam Veterans and The Kristen Renee Foudation, Fighting for Frederick asks you to join us in a Peaceful Protest in Support of Vietnam-Era U.S. Veterans/Victims Who Suffered from Tactical Agent Orange Exposure (Created and Implemented by Fort Detrick) and a Community Demonstration prior to Ft Detrick’s RAB (Restoration Advisory Board) Meeting on
Wednesday February 23, 2011
1:30pm – 6:30pm
Frederick Md


Peaceful Protest: Location 1
(Meet at corner of Rosemont Avenue & Montevue Lane in Frederick, Md)
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
2:00pm – 4:30pm

RAB Meeting Demonstration: Location 2
1565 Opossumtown Pike, Frederick, Md. 21702
(Meet at corner of Thomas Johnson Dr and Opossumtown Pike Road in Frederick, MD)
Wednesday, February 23, 2011
5:30 pm - 6:30 pm

RAB Meeting: Location 3
Hampton Inn
1565 Opossumtown Pike, Frederick, MD 21702
6:30 pm

Notes To Volunteers and Attendees:
*Volunteers/Attendees will meet at 1:30pm before rally
*Special arrangements have been made for the "Quilts of Tears" to be displayed at the hotel
*There will be no demonstration on private property
*Bring your signs, family and friends, and your bottled water
*Parking is available in the Pizza Hut parking lot at 1830 Rosemont Ave

Come take a stand! Together we make a difference for our children, their children and our future.

For More Information Contact:

Mokie Pratt Porter of Vietnam Veterans
of America (VVA)
mporter@vva.org

AVVA Contact:
Nancy Switzer
switzer3@frontiernet

Lou Krieger (Veteran)
louk1065@gmail.com

Susie Funk (KRF/FFF)
727-512-7272
susiefunk@yahoo.com

Sheila Cherizad (KRF/FFF)
813-857-2629
sheilac91@gmail.com

Media contact for the VVA:
Mokie Pratt Porter
mporter@vva.org

Media contact for the Kristen Renee Foundation:
Rachel Kelley-Pisani
703-203-4961
Rachelkelley73@aol.com