Agent Orange and the Children of New Zealand's Vietnam Wars
Since the 1970s, US, Australian and New Zealand soldiers who served in Vietnam have suffered health problems, possibly due to their exposure to chemicals dropped over Vietnam during the war there. The problems continued into the next generation, with many children afflicted with a range of illnesses and disabilities. In each country the matter has been handled differently, and in many ways the struggle has been greatest in New Zealand. The families are still fighting for official recognition of their problems, and in some cases, compensation.
This book tells the New Zealand story for the first time, with the assistance of the wife of one of the servicemen and the mother of two disabled children. It discusses the background to the problem, what has happened in Australia, the US and in Vietnam itself. And five New Zealand families tell their stories. Children in all five families are incapacitated in some way, yet few have received any recognition that their problems may have been caused by Agent Orange or other chemicals.
