OH HCR27

Ohio's 134th General Assembly honors and recognizes victims of Agent Orange exposure during the Vietnam War as heroic citizens who served the nation.

Nearly 20 million gallons of Agent Orange was sprayed over Vietnam from 1961 to 1971 as part of "Operation Ranch Hand," exposing 2.6 million American soldiers to the herbicide and defoliant chemical.

Agent Orange is a dioxin and cancer-causing chemical that causes serious illnesses including leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, ischemic heart disease, soft tissue sarcoma, diabetes, and cancers of the throat, prostate, lung, and colon, and causes genetic damage in some cases.

Only 800,000 Vietnam veterans exposed to Agent Orange remain alive today, with approximately 300 deaths occurring among them daily, yet these victims are not recognized as Vietnam War fatalities.

The Clerk of the House of Representatives shall transmit authenticated copies of this resolution to Ohio news media.