My article with regards to Agent Orange produced the result I wanted because it generated some responses. And those responses, plus some research, has turned up some things which require attention by anyone reading this article AND the American and Canadian people.

Agent Orange is a defoliant which was used by the U.S. Military during the Vietnam War. It is composed, or is supposed to be composed of equal parts of the chemicals 2,4-D and 2,4,5-T. The by-product of this combination is TCDD or dioxin. It is a colorless substance, which was code-named after the orange stripes used on storage barrels.

In 1971, the U.S. Military ceased using Agent Orange following increasing evidence of the harmful effects of the substance for humans. Dioxin has been linked to a variety of illnesses, malignancies and disorders. Many health effects resulting from exposure are delayed.

Although Canada did not participate in the Vietnam War, the Canadian government has confirmed that Agent Orange was sprayed on the Canadian Forces Base in Gagetown, New Brunswick in 1966 and 1967. No other incidences of Agent Orange testing or use in Canada have been confirmed.

Soldiers and civilians who lived and worked at CFB Gagetown have launched a class action against the government, alleging they were poisoned by Agent Orange and other toxic defoliants sprayed on the military base.

A statement of claim filed in Ottawa alleges from 1956 to 1984 the Department of National Defence sprayed a variety of carcinogenic chemicals, including Agent Orange, Agent Purple and Tordon 101, also known as Agent White.

Some of the chemicals contain such persistent organic pollutants as hexachlorabenzene and dioxin.

The claim alleges the plaintiffs and others suffered horrifying health effects such as cancer, organ failure, birth defects and neurological damage. The suit alleges some people have died as a result of their health problems.

According to the statement of claim, the government lied about the extent of spraying and the potential for harm.

Ken Dobbie is a walking medical horror story and he says its all because of toxic defoliants used at CFB Gagetown.

"I want the government to acknowledge that they did poison the base," said the 57-year-old father of two, who now lives in Kingston.

He says he was employed at CFB Gagetown in a government make-work project in 1966 that saw 200-250 teens working to clear and burn brush sprayed with defoliant.

No one was given protective gear and they ate their lunches next to the burning brush.

Since then, he's had peptic ulcers, gastro esophogeal reflux and "toxic hepatitis." In 1981, a benign growth began forming on his thyroid. He's been told the frontal lobes of his brain have atrophied by 30%. In 1998, his gall bladder "died" and doctors found he has a cirrhotic liver. He's recently been diagnosed with Type II diabetes.

"What amazes me is all the women and kids who are sick," he said. "We all have one thing in common -- we were all in that training area."

July 4th an outreach meeting with Col. Ryan Jestin, Commanding Officer, Base Gagetown. Col. Jestin committed to undertake soil, water, and vegetation testing for dioxide and other chemicals throughout the training areas of Base Gagetown rather than limit the testing to only the plots where Agent Orange and Purple were tested in 1966 and 1967.

The purpose of that meeting was to gather input, on where the samples for the tests should be collected, directly from veterans who were involved or inadvertently affected by the Chemical Spray Program. As we know, 2,4,5 T and 2,4 D were mixed and used throughout the training grounds as a herbicide to defoliate trees and brush as early as 1956. We also know that many veterans and civilians were directly and/or inadvertently exposed to these chemicals. Dosages of the mixtures in the mid-50's and early 60's generally contained higher levels of dioxin than mixtures used in the late 60's and early 70's.

The testing of samples from the training grounds of Base Gagetown will be conducted this summer by an independent company chosen by open tender. It will be open ended to allow for more testing later if the need arises. All results will be released to the public.

The Federal Government has acknowledged compensation for one veteran exposed to Agent Orange at Base Gagetown (2 others were for exposure to Agent Orange in Vietnam), they have a moral and ethical obligation to provide and gather information through an open/independent process that will lead to the compensation of all people directly affected, veterans and civilians, from exposure to highly toxic chemicals used as part of the chemical spray program at Base Gagetown.

That is in Canada!

The United States used Agent Orange in Vietnam. How much testing was done to ensure that military personnel would not be affected by Agent Orange and other chemicals? And if they did realize there was a great risk, did they do what was right and take the best precautions, or did they drop the chemical on the jungle anyway? When they did order the chemical dropped, did they make sure our troops on the ground knew where it was going to be and did they make sure our troops had the best protection available? Did they take into consideration the innocent civilians in South Vietnam and act accordingly, or simply go ahead and drop the chemical on the jungle? I think we all probably know the answers to those questions.

I was not aware that Agent Orange was a problem in Canada, but it was and is and now they have veterans and civilians with the same problems our Vietnam veterans and Vietnamese civilians are having. We all know this now because the flame burning and illuminating the problems is growing bigger and brighter.

The apathy by the Canadian government and the United States government is something we cannot and should not ignore. Both governments are directly responsible for the use of Agent Orange and other chemicals. They both did not adequately do their homework and charged ahead without thinking. And the result is that those who were exposed are the ones who are and will pay the price. But the government should stand up to be counted and not only tell the whole truth and nothing but the truth, but compensate those who were exposed. They should not have to pay their own medical bills and the families of those who die the funeral expenses.

There are some things here we need to get to the bottom of now! We need to know exactly what chemicals they did use in Vietnam, the potency, the ingredients, and where and when they dropped them. And they need to tell the truth so that those who were in those areas who were exposed to the chemicals can be given appropriate and proper medical treatment at the expense of the government who sent them there in the first place.

I am concerned about one other MAJOR aspect to the matter of Agent Orange and other chemicals we used in Vietnam: what did they do with the chemicals they did not use? If they buried them, where did they bury them? If they destroyed them, how and where did they destroy them? These questions need to be answered but these questions also lead to some more questions we need answered: If we used chemicals like this in Vietnam, did we also use these same chemicals in Korea? And if we used chemicals in Korea, did we also use any chemicals in Iraq? Did our enemies in Iraq use any chemicals?

The TRUTH on all of this needs to be brought out now and I urge all veterans who are reading this who served in Vietnam to contact me and let me know your thoughts. You may not be sick and you may be healthy, but believe me, some of these chemicals can lie dormant for a long time before they act on certain individuals. You never know when they will suddenly become active or when something will trigger them to activate. So be honest, and stand up to be counted. Also, it just might save your life. I held a SECRET clearance and I learned some very interesting things about chemicals and other matters in two branches of the military. Listen to what I am saying because, while Agent Orange is bad, there are some that are much worse and I pray to God we never used them.

Agent Orange, and purple, and white and whatever other chemical was used in Vietnam is a silent killer than can stalk those who served in Vietnam. Vietnam Veterans, you need to stand up and be counted and we all need to band together to make sure the truth of this is brought out.

One other note: When the Canadian government tested Agent Orange and probably other chemicals, what did they do with what was left over?

The cloud hanging over America and Canada is becoming more transparent and one day the contents of those clouds will become visible. But that will only happen when two governments who claim to be concerned and say they are doing all they can stop being so apathetic and quit sweeping things under the rug. They both know the whole truth and beyond and they have to learn to quit taking protective measure to hide things in order to protect themselves. They need to step up to the mike and tell the truth.

We are the people and we vote for those in power. We can make some changes by voting for people who will do what is right and carry out their duties with integrity. But we can also make sure our candidates make promises that they can carry out and promises based on truth, integrity and common sense.

Agent Orange was used! It created major HEALTH problems for those exposed to it. Let us all pray that the TRUTH prevails and that our elected representatives one day will stand up to be counted and DEMAND that the TRUTH be made public and corrective action taken to compensate those who have been imprisoned in the ring of injustice.