Agent Orange Once Again in The News
The list of diseases that people who were exposed to Agent Orange can now get, has grown to 15. The new diseases caused by this chemical are hairy cell leukemia, Parkinsons, and ischemic heart disease.
Agent Orange was the name of a combination of chemicals that were used during the Vietnam War to clear the jungles so the American soldiers could find their enemies more easily. When these soldiers started to come home they began to show symptoms of some serious illnesses. The government tried to deny it at first but there has been so much proof and such a high number of sick veterans they had to admit that Agent Orange was responsible.
Veterans and Suicide
Veterans are twice as likely to try and commit suicide than other people. One in five comes back suffering from traumatic stress disorder. Over four hundred are homeless, and that number is rising. There are over 600,000 veterans who have to wait six months or more for disability payments. Some are uninsured and have to wait or are refused services. Is it any wonder they are depressed enough to want to kill themselves?
The Department of Veterans Affairs is addressing this problem by implementing a suicide hot-line of sorts, but it’s more than just a friendly voice to talk to. This hot-line has been designed so that when someone in crisis calls, the operator is able to contact other help immediately in that veterans area so that the suicide attempt could be averted and the veteran could receive the help they so desperately need.