This month I got two of the most distressing pieces of news
I could imagine. The first was a headline: US to use Galápagos island as a
military airfield. The second came from my grandmother: two of our family
friends are in the end stages of Agent Orange poisoning.
I’m from Guam; one of the countless islands of the Pacific
used by the United States military as a base. At just 8 miles wide and 30 miles
long, about a third of our island is covered by military installations with
more build-up expected. My family and my community know all too well what being
used as an airfield means. 52,000 veterans have organized into the group Agent
Orange Survivors of Guam to lobby for benefits related to their exposure to the
infamous herbicide while serving in the Pacific.
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