Case Study of Napalm / Agent Orange use in the Vietnam War

Napalm is a highly flammable liquid fuel used as an incendiary bomb. A mixture of gasoline and a chemical thickening agent, Napalm was a sticky gel that attached to the skin. During the Vietnam War, B-52 bombers dropped this bomb that resulted in such a degree of muscle and bone burns that most who experience the substance soon died from the trauma. The chemical substance was designed by researchers at Harvard University along with the United States military as a weapon that would seriously maim rather than immediately kill subjects- a strategy employed by the US military at the time. Concurrent along with use of Napalm was Agent Orange, a herbicide used to clear out vast quantities of forest used as hiding spaces for the Vietnamese National Liberation Front.

Consequences

Both substances caused extensive damage to not only people, but the environment of the country. There are no precise renderings of the death toll associated with these two chemical weapons. However, a report published in 2003 stated that in excess of 650,000 Vietnamese people were suffering from chronic conditions associated with the chemicals. Additionally, the Red Cross estimated that nearly 500,000 Vietnamese have already died from these complications. During the war 10% of Vietnam was intensively sprayed with 72 million liters of chemical agents, of which 66% was the herbicide, Agent Orange. In addition to the Vietnamese damages, American soldiers who were incidentally and accidentally exposed to the chemicals incurred significant damages. These veterans later formed a unified block and sued the makers of these weapons for 180 million US Dollars.

Citizen Response

With the disorganization associated with the war effort, citizens were not cognizant of the chemicals dropped by the bombers until it was too late. Rather than stay away from the fighting and flee from their towns, many Vietnamese stayed where they were, thinking they were safe from ground troops. However, they did not realize the bulk of the attack was aerial and incendiary in nature, hence the immense number of civilian casualties.

Government Response

Government response to the dropping of Agent Orange and Napalm was negligible and revealed an unprepared war effort. When it was eventually discovered the tactic employed by the United States troops, Vietnamese military leaders instead turned a blind eye to the damages incurred by their civilian populace. Instead they focused on harnessing the power of this flames insofar as their ability to limit American ground-troop progress and camping abilities. Government officials did not even make media announcements indicating the risks of these American assaults until weeks after they occurred. This apathy towards their own people resulted in far more casualties than were necessary under the military circumstances.

Regarding the United States government involvement, little care was given to their own troops, many of whom contracted complications associated with the chemicals. Indiscriminate bombings will obviously result in some self- casualties, which obviously occurred for the United States. Additionally, the decision to be so extensive and deadly with the use of these chemical weapons led to widespread anti-military protests. The government eventually ceased its use of these weapons near the end of the war effort and after intense public and private sector pressure.

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