Friday, July 27, 2012

Another under-told story about the Vietnam War

We've all heard a lot of stories about draft dodgers taking off to Canada but since not many heard about the flip side, Canadians coming to fight with US forces in Vietnam, here's one to use as a reminder.

Vietnam War caught up to Windsor vet, son says
July 26, 2012
Posted by: Rebecca Wright

Vietnam War veteran Daniel Newton cheated death many times in combat but the war finally caught up to him when he died Sunday at the age of 67, his son said Thursday.

He said his father was exposed to Agent Orange and it was a contributing factor in his death.

“Agent Orange played a key role in his failing health. They used to take baths in that over there and a lot of vets that were exposed to it have gotten ill over the years,” said John, adding his father also suffered from a bad heart and diabetes.

He said doctors told his father that Agent Orange poses a serious health hazard. It was used as a defoliant by the U.S. military and has been linked to a variety of illnesses, including skin ailment, cancer and diabetes.

He said his father enlisted because he wanted to help save South Vietnam from communism. It wasn’t a popular choice in Canada, but he went anyway.

Newton was one of the 40,000 Canadians who volunteered to fight for the U.S. during the Vietnam War.
read more here

No comments:

Post a Comment

If it is not helpful, do not be hurtful. Spam removed so do not try putting up free ad.