Speak out against Agent Orange use on Okinawa

On May 30 we will celebrate Memorial Day, a time to remember our brave heros who served our country who have did as a result of combat and injuries suffered during our past wars.

Okinawa was a central area in the Vietnam War. B-52 flights were conducted around the clock over South and North Vietnam, along with reconnaissance flights from SR-71 reconnaissance aircraft.

At the height of the Vietnam War, from 1968 to 1969, over 250,000 troops were stationed on the island, also a central point for training before going to Vietnam.

To keep vegetation at a minimum, large areas of the island were sprayed with Agent Orange, to include Kadena Air Base, which also stored the chemical and conducted spraying flights. I know firsthand, because I stood guard on the C-123 transport aircraft that conducted the spraying.

Today, many veterans who were stationed on Okinawa are suffering the effects of Agent Orange exposure, prostate cancer and Type 2 diabetes. Yet they cannot get the medical treatment for this exposure because the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs refuses to accept Okinawa as an Agent Orange exposure area. Thailand was recently added, along with the Korean demilitarized zone.

This is only part of the problem. The main problem is our own government has refused to acknowledge Agent Orange was stored and sprayed on Okinawa. The Pentagon has outright lied, saying Agent Orange was never present on Okinawa, yet there are eyewitnesses and overwhelming evidence to prove it was there. The Ryukyu government on Okinawa is now exposing it.

Another problem is our elected officials: U.S. Rep. William Keating and Sens. Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren, along with the rest of the members of Congress, have been approached about speaking out, to no avail.

So why the denial and cover-up?

The time has come for all Americans to speak up for those who were exposed so our veterans can get the treatment they so deserve. We need our elected officials to speak out and put the pressure on the Pentagon to stop lying and openly admit that Agent Orange was used on Okinawa. The proof is overwhelming, as seen in a video on Agent Orange available at https://youtu.be/5tRkP2b3dsM.

— Thomas J. Sullivan Jr. of West Yarmouth is retired from the Air Force.