Full Circle: Reflections from a Daughter of a Vietnam Veteran
- Danae Hendrickson
- Nov 10
- 5 min read
From the desk of: Susan Hammond, Founder and Executive Director of War Legacies Project, Co-Chair of the War Legacies Working Group
Whenever I return to SE Asia, as I will in a few days, I always remember my first trip to the region in the spring of 1991. I was first drawn to Vietnam because I wanted to get a better understanding of what was so important about this far away country that it took my father away from me for his two tours when I was a child. My father rarely talked about the war, instead spoke of the beautiful countryside and the wonderful Vietnamese he worked with there.
I thought perhaps seeing the country would help me better understand why more than 58,200 Americans and more than 3 million civilians and combatants from Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia had to die. But after more than 30 years working in the region I still do not have a clear answer of “the why”. However, I have learned that even fifty years after the war ended, there are long lasting legacies still impacting the U.S. Veterans and their families; the people of Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam; and the environment. I have dedicated the better part of my life to help mitigate these impacts, especially those of Agent Orange (AO).
In the late 1990s, while in Hanoi, I met my first family impacted by AO. The father had spent many years fighting in the south. The oldest daughter, who was born before the war, had studied at Columbia University. The youngest daughter, born after the war, had severe physical and cognitive disabilities that required round the clock care. At the same time, my own father has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s, likely due to his service in Vietnam. As an American, whose country was responsible for these impacts, I knew I had to do something and thus my advocacy began.
Over the years I have been able to work with so many amazing Vietnamese doctors and scientists as well as collaborated with other westerners that were raising awareness about the long-term health and environmental impacts of AO and pressuring the U.S. to be accountable. I will always remember Co Nhut who was in the resistance during the war. She was imprisoned in the Tiger Cages, miscarried a fetus with severe malformation believed to be due to her exposure to AO, and sadly died from cancer. Co Nhut introduced me to many victims of AO including one young girl born without arms and with malformed legs that we have provided school fees to since preschool. She is now a senior in high school and a talented artist.
Progress on addressing AO was finally made in the mid-2000s. Former Vermont Senator Patrick Leahy and Tim Reiser, his staffer on the Foreign Appropriations committee, ensured funding was allocated to clean up the dioxin contamination as well as to support health and disability programs in areas where AO was used. It has been an honor to have a small part over the past two decades and to work in concert with many others to get this funding targeted to reach those in need. While the funding has so far continued under the Trump administration, its future, especially for support for people with disabilities, is uncertain. The U.S. funding is also just a drop in the bucket reaching only a small percentage of those in Vietnam impacted.
WLP does not receive U.S. funding but instead relies on the generosity of individual donors and small foundations such as the Chino Cienega Foundation. One project that I have been so humbled to be able to manage at WLP is the Bob Feldman Fund. Bob and his wife Nancy wanted his VA benefits to help victims of AO in Vietnam, since at the time the U.S. was not providing any assistance. Since his death in 2006 from cancer due to his exposure to AO, Nancy and Bob’s family and friends as well as others inspired by the work of the Fund have donated more than $612,000. This has enabled WLP to provide support to over 680 families caring for severely disabled children in central Vietnam. Thousands of Feldman cows are now roaming the hills, dozens of small businesses have been supported and numerous homes have been built or repaired. While reaching only a small percentage of those in need, each family the Fund has helped has proven that small investments can make a huge impact.
In 2014, WLPs advocacy work on AO began in Laos. Our team has surveyed over 270 villages in five districts in Savannakhet and Salavan provinces along the Ho Chi Minh Trail that were heavily sprayed with Agent Orange. We found that there are high rates of birth defects in this region similar to those found in Vietnam. We have helped more than 100 of those we identified receive medical care. This includes young Ban who was born with severe club feet and unable to walk. After months of medical care and rehabilitation in Vientiane, Ban is now running around the soccer field with his friends.
After our work was profiled in the NY Times Magazine by George Black, we were finally able to encourage the U.S. - thanks to the help of Senator Leahy and Tim - to allocate $4.5 million over three years to support people in Laos impacted by AO. Sadly, the USAID funded OKARD project, which had just begun to reach those with birth defects in three of the sprayed districts of Laos, was cancelled by the Trump administration.
As soon as WLP gets our permission from the Lao government, we will begin to help the over 800 people with disabilities on our list to access the medical care or rehabilitation services they need. For many this requires a 24 hour journey to Vientiane and help to navigate the complexities of the Lao medical system. WLP is committed to support as many as we can with funds that are generously donated by those who want to make sure that the victims of AO in Laos are not forgotten. We will also continue to advocate for the U.S. to do the right thing and reinstate these programs supporting people with disabilities in Laos whether due to AO or unexploded ordnance.
As an American, and daughter of a Vietnam Veteran, it is the least I can do to help remedy these long-lasting wounds of the American war.
