DANANG, Vietnam (Reuters) - Sailors from a U.S. aircraft carrier on
Wednesday visited a Vietnamese shelter for people suffering from the
effects of Agent Orange, a chemical used by the U.S. military during the
Vietnam War to destroy foliage.
Of the 4.8 million people who were exposed to Agent Orange,
some three million are still suffering from its effects, including
children born with severe disabilities or other health issues years
after their parents were exposed, according to the Hanoi-based Vietnam
Association for Victims of Agent Orange.
“I think it’s
very powerful to see the circumstances in which we’re here today
compared to, say, 40 years ago,” said Gordon Watkins, a sailor from the
visiting USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier who was at the shelter in
Danang.
“I’m here in a T-shirt and shorts, and I’m
playing with children,” said Watkins, who was holding a young Vietnamese
boy in his arms.
“I think that’s a really good step,” said Watkins, who along with other
sailors made incense sticks and plastic flowers with the children at the
shelter.
On Tuesday, a U.S. Navy band visiting Vietnam with the
carrier performed a rendition of “Noi Vong Tay Lon”, a Vietnamese song
about national unity which was popular during the war.
The
United States will soon finish a five-year, $110 million program
designed to clean soil contaminated by Agent Orange at Danang
International Airport.
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