Agent Orange still claims victims...children...you CAN help

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For those of us who remember the Viet Nam war, it was terrible. For those of you who fought during that time, I thank you. But, we have all heard of the dreaded thing called Agent Orange. "American veterans of the Vietnam War were seeking recognition of Agent Orange syndrome, compensation and treatment for maladies that they and their children suffered from; many exposed to Agent Orange have not been able to receive promised medical care through the Veterans Administration medical system, and only with rare exception have their affected children received healthcare assistance from the government." Wilkapedia As I've said, the children born in the land are being affected by that chemical! But, rather than sit back and say, "Oh, those poor people, sure wish I can help!"...you CAN help! I was born in Viet Nam some 34 years ago. As far as I know, I escaped that horrible chemical but it wasn't until a month ago that a dear friend of mine, "Doc" (who is on my Yahoo! 360* friend's list) informed his friends of this cause they are wanting to do. http://www.orangecarers.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=26&Itemid=43 Here's a little tidbit from their website... THE WALK A SUMMARY OF THE ORANGE WALK WHAT: The ORANGE WALK is planned from Ho Chi Minh City in the south of Vietnam to the northern city of Ha Noi, a distance of over 1000 miles/1700 kilometres along the beautiful east coast of the nation. The burning motivation for the walk is to raise funds to assist the very many children afflicted with terrible birth defects as a result of generational exposure to Agent Orange, used extensively during the Vietnam war. WHO: While there are five core people intent on making a difference to these children, anyone, the world over, is invited to join us for all or a small distance. If you are able to be with us for part or all of the journey, we will gratefully add your name to the [About Us] Roll of Honor, with your permission. You will also have earned your very own Orange Walk t-shirt (supplied by one of three nations - the US, Vietnam and Australia), if you manage to cover 25 miles! Please see under the [About Us] tab to learn more about the core participants. Doc Bernie Duff, a US Vietnam veteran and Bui Thi Bao Anh, a Vietnamese citizen, are the masterminds behind this momentous walk and it is has become a living, breathing entity to them and to others from multiple nations throughout the world who are participating and assisting, many ‘behind the scenes’. WHY: Nobody has an exact number of those people affected by what is commonly referred to as “Agent Orange” in Vietnam. Bernie and Bao Anh have personally seen too many of them to ever count, let alone determine an “official” count. “Doc” is himself a victim of Agent Orange, as were many of his peers (both sides, as well as civilians) who fought during that war. When he first returned to Vietnam in 2005 and saw kids affected with Agent Orange, kids born with malformed (or no) arms, legs or eyes and still other kids born with huge heads laying on beds for their entire lives, he began to feel the real pain of Agent Orange in Vietnam. “Orange pain” is not simply a problem that belongs to those people who suffer from the effects of Agent Orange, or to any one country, but rather, to people throughout the world who feel the pain of small children. It is time to move beyond old war wounds and stop pointing fingers of blame. Instead, it is time to help ease the suffering of children who, at the time of the Agent Orange sprayings, were not yet born. Simply stated, this walk is for ALL of us…as citizens of the Human Race. WHEN: APRIL 5th 2008 – JUNE 2008... And, there is more to the website, but you'll just have to look at it. Even if you're not able to go along with them on this journey, help in anyway you can.