Since the Vietnam War ended and the effects of Agent Orange have become more apparent, many are beginning to look back at the effect it had on the people of Vietnam.

“I was born without legs and missing one hand,” said Tran Thi Hoan.

It is because of America’s chemical war against her people in the jungles of Vietnam that Tran is in this condition. She is a victim of Agent Orange, second generation.

“Lots of people are worse than me.”

Tran is one of many. Her story represents millions living in the shadows of a lasting legacy.

These children will never live a normal life; their deformities are physical signs of human decay. Although their parents were not even born until after the Vietnam War, 18 million gallons of the toxic herbicide, sprayed through the jungles of South Vietnam, is still penetrating the DNA of those born today.

“There are millions and millions of victims still alive and are suffering from illnesses and from cancers,” said Dr. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Phuong, the Director General of Ngoc Tam Hospital in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. Dr. Nguyen is Tran’s doctor and accompanied Tran to testify on Capitol Hill.

The US government has acknowledged a connection between Agent Orange and the health defects and ailments that continue to plague the lives of Vietnam War veterans for generations. But the US has refused to make the same link for the millions of Vietnamese War victims whose lives have been devastated as a result of Agent Orange.

This is why delegations are here in Washington following a report issued by lawmakers, scientists and doctors calling on the US government to own up to its Agent Orange legacy in Vietnam today.

RT is a Russian news organization.

Found by Andy.