Agent Orange is linked to serious health issues including cancers, severe psychological and neurological problems, and birth defects, both among the Vietnamese people and the men and women of the U.S. And among those who were lucky enough to survive the trenches of Vietnam, the health issues – now generations later – have been a living nightmare. However, according to the EPA, Agent Orange, which contains the poisonous chemical dioxin, was the most commonly used. sprayed more than 20 million gallonsof various herbicides over Vietnam, Cambodia and Laos from 1961 to 1971. Wearing bandanas, cowboy hats or gleaming helmets, tens of thousands of bikers descended on Washington Sunday to parade in honor of US soldiers missing in action in foreign wars, a now 30-year-old tradition known as 'Rolling Thunder.' (Photo by Eric BARADAT / AFP) (Photo credit should read ERIC BARADAT/AFP/Getty Images) military veterans take part in the 31st annual Rolling Thunder Ride for Freedom motorcycle parade in Washington DC, on May 27, 2018. Vietnam War veterans search for names on the Vietnam War Memorial as thousands of bikers and. vetswho were exposed to the poisonous chemical while serving and later died. However, the wall does not document any names of the estimated 2.8 million U.S.

The Vietnam Memoriallists the names of more than 58,000 Americans who died overseas.

And, the repercussions of war-time actions in Vietnam are still being felt, more than four decades later, as the decedents of those brave men and women battle health issues related to a frightening ghost of their ancestor’s past: Agent Orange. This is particularly true for soldiers of the Vietnam War. Sadly though, as time goes by we are finding that those who made it home oftentimes brought the deadly echoes of war home with them. Memorial Day (unlike Veteran’s Day which honors those who served) pays tribute to those who died on the battlefield for our country. While honoring those who made the ultimate sacrifice during war, Memorial Day also presents an opportunity for Americans to reflect upon the loss of life because of war.

Thousands of years later bases