VVA town meeting on generational effects of Agent Orange/Dioxin

West Virginia State Council of Vietnam Veterans of America will hold a town hall meeting to address the birth defects, diseases and learning disabilities affecting children and grandchildren of Vietnam Veterans. The forum will be Sunday, March 17, 2 p.m. at the Fayetteville Memorial Building.
“We cannot be silent about the effects of our battlefield exposures on our children in the face of overwhelming evidence connecting many diseases and birth defects to exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam,” said Bill McDonald, Agent Orange Chair for the West Virginia State Council of Vietnam Veterans of America.
“We encourage all Veterans with children and/or grandchildren suffering from illnesses, learning disabilities or physical disabilities to come share their stories. We will explore issues surrounding Agent Orange exposure, including scientific information, health effects and methods for educating the public and elected representatives about the issues of Vietnam Veterans, their children and their families,” McDonald said.
The goal of the town meeting is to bring attention to the hidden cost of our service and to encourage the government to create and maintain a registry of these birth defects, as well as assist our doctors in finding ways to diagnose and treat these birth defects. Veterans of all wars are subject to many contaminates and most were not aware of what was being used or what effects most would have on their health.
“Our children are innocent victims of our war and need the help of our government to cope with these problems. We worry, who will be there to take care of them when we are gone?” McDonald said.
In keeping with the VVA founding principle, “Never again will one generation of Veterans abandon another.”
For local information contact Dave Simmons dsimmons@vva.org or Connie Jones at jonconscave006@aol.com.