Agent Orange Operation Hades Vietnam

During the Vietnam War, the U.S. military sprayed about 73 million liters of Agent Orange on Vietnam in a campaign it first called Operation Hades to strip away vegetation that hid Viet Cong forces. It destroyed forests, mangrove swamps, and cropland. U.S. soldiers, unaware of the danger, sometimes showered in the empty 55-gallon drums, used them to store food, and repurposed them as barbecue pits. The dioxin in Agent Orange contaminated soil, water, and food chains, causing long-term health problems, birth defects, and environmental damage that still affect both Vietnamese civilians and American veterans.

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