The deaths that were experienced in Vietnam due to Agent Orange and other jungle diseases have become well known by the general public. However, it is suicide that has resulted in the deaths of over 150,000 Vietnam soldiers during and after the war. An enormous amount of suicides resulted from what most people call “protecting our country”. The Vietnam War brought more than fifty-eight thousand deaths and is to some one of the darkest battles in United States history. If not killed during the war, many believe any Vietnam veteran would return home great and proud. But this is not the case. Many Vietnam veterans have committed suicide before, during, and after the war. Not only have these men and woman risked their lives for our country, but now, return different people and can not comprehend whether or not to continue their lives. Many people believe we win wars, when in actuality, no one does, especially those who serve in the armed forces (Suicide Wall, 11-10-2000).
The Vietnam and other wars have mentally and sometimes physically dismembered many veterans. Another factor that plays a role in a war-related suicide is the addition of many on-site diseases such as defoliants, Agent Orange in particular.Made up of equal parts N-Butyl Ester 2,4,-D and N-Butyl Ester 2,4,5,-T, Agent Orange made many Vietnam soldiers go insane (Vietnam Veterans, 11-10-2000). This atrocious chemical lead and still today leads to death, deformation, and diabetes. Dr. Joel E. Michalek, who deals with statistics for the air force, was the first to notice a link between Agent Orange and diabetes. But the federal government was not willing “…to spend millions of dollars on such studies”. Dr. Michael Gough, a retired biologist was quoted as saying “the conclusion I’ve come to is that there is no evidence whatsoever to support any connection between low-level dioxin exposure and any human disease”. Some say they will not do research because it is another thing “…that will be linked to the health complaints of Vietnam veterans” (Kolata, A16). There is hope still. In 1996, Clinton ordered disability benefits for Vietnam veterans suffering from prostate cancer and nerve disease associated with Agent Orange. Eventually, the government will fund more and more diseases for those who served in the war and were exposed to the substances. No one really knows for sure what it does, but many diseases have been associated with the deadly defoliant, Agent Orange (Purdum, A17).
There have been so many suicides committed by Vietnam veterans; it is now on the most efficient tool of the twenty-first century. Sites have popped up all over the Internet dealing with the men and women who served in the Vietnam War. One site, apparently just on this subject, tells of different information on those committing suicide the most, Vietnam Vets. The site, “Suicide Wall”, “…is an attempt to determine how many Vietnam veterans have actually taken their own lives…” (Suicide Wall, 11-10-2000). An on going study on why and how these suicides take place is continuing everyday. A big controversy is actually how many people did take their lives due to the war. The United States have their statistics, but Australia went in-depth to see an actual amount. The U.S. claims about 58,000 suicides have taken place due to the war. This count is about 20% of all deaths in the Vietnam War, which would be placed in the category of suicide. But Australia believes through the same and other statistics that about 150,000 people committed suicide. That would bring the United States’ percentage to approximately 50% of a suicide rate. No one could actually ever know how many died due to post-dramatic stress and different defoliants from the Vietnam War, but an ongoing struggle to understand the mishaps of this war seems will be continuing in the years to come.
Many veterans served in Vietnam between 1969 and 1973. Many statistics on suicide seemly display the facts of the Vietnam War. The “…mortality rate in Vietnam Veterans was 17% higher than for Vietnam-era veterans during the first five years following discharge” (Kelley, 1997). Michael Dean served in Vietnam for only two years and nearly never participated in combat. In 1986, he killed his
