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Scottish Sun
2 days ago
- General
- Scottish Sun
Moment TV daredevil Guy Martin makes savage war weapon napalm as he tours Vietnam 50 years after fall of Saigon
Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) LEGENDARY motorbike racer Guy Martin tried his hand at making napalm as he headed to Vietnam to mark 50 years since the end of the war. For the latest "Our Guy in…" Channel 4 series, Guy travelled from Hanoi in the north of the country Ho Chi Minh city in the south and saw first hand the legacy of a war that claimed more than 1.3million lives. 11 The US deployed terrifying weapons such as napalm - a fearsome mixture of chemicals used to burn through miles of thick jungle 11 Mixing a small amount of its components, Guy was able to see the weapon behind some of the most horrific imagery that defined the Vietnam War Credit: Alamy 11 South Vietnamese forces follow terrified children after a napalm attack Credit: Instagram Speaking exclusive to The Sun, Guy said: "They're all looking forward, they're not dwelling on the past, and they're not letting the war define them. It just blew me away." The war between the communist North and western-aligned South intensified in 1965 when the US committed serious force over fears that Soviet influence was spreading in the region. After eight years of intense fighting, the US finally withdrew in 1973 and in 1975 evacuated the country once and for all, when Communist forces surrounded the country's embassy in the country's capital of Saigon, since renamed Ho Chi Minh city. In total, 58,000 American troops were killed - over half of whom were aged just 18. Guy took a Soviet-era motorbike down the route of the legendary Ho Chi Minh trail, a supply route used by the Viet Cong communist guerrillas. It proved crucial in giving them the upper hand over the much more technologically advanced Americans. More than a million tonnes of supplies were transported via the trail, often using nothing more than pushbikes and improvised bridges to cross rivers. But limited resources and a deep knowledge of the landscape made the Vietnamese skilled engineers, and experts at creating boobytraps that would prove devastating to the Americans. In response, the US deployed terrifying weapons such as Napalm - a fearsome mixture of chemicals used to burn through miles of thick jungle. Mixing a small amount of its components in a jar, Guy was then able to see for himself the weapon behind some of the most horrific imagery that defined the war. He said: "That is the worst weapon. Absolutely horrible. "The fire would be that intense, it'll drag oxygen from wherever it can get it, so it'll suffocate whoever's in the building. "The heat would be a thousand degrees. You're not lasting long." Another weapon used with devastating effect by the United States was a herbicide called Agent Orange, designed to destroy vegetation in an attempt to deprive the Vietnamese of cover. 11 Guy paid a visit to Son, a lecturer who is battling the devastating impact of a herbicide called Agent Orange 11 A helicopter sprays Agent Orange on a dense jungle Credit: Instagram/Chloe ferry 11 Guy visited Vietnam to mark 50 years since the end of the war Like the millions of bombs dropped, its legacy can still be felt today. Guy paid a visit to Son, a maths and computer programming lecturer who is one of those battling the effects today. His father was in the north Vietnamese army, and at one point during the war found himself soaked in the liquid dropped from an American plane. Tests conducted years later confirmed he had been poisoned, and he passed away from cancer in 2006. The genetic damage caused by the chemical has left Son born with birth defects and unable to walk. Guy said: "They used the same weed killer than they use to kill the weeds on the side of the road, but it was 20 times stronger. 'And the landmass that they covered was bigger than Wales.' 11 Phan Thi Kim Phuc, 9, bearing the scars of a napalm strike two months earlier in 1972 11 Nine-year-old Phan Thi Kim Phuc is comforted by her mother in 1972 two days after a napalm attack on her village 11 Dao Van Loi, 69, holds his daughter who suffers from disability problems as a result of Agent Orange used in the Vietnam War An estimated 3 million Vietnamese are still affected by its aftermath. In one month alone, the US dropped as many bombs on Vietnam as it during the entire Second World War. Many of them failed to explode on impact, meaning that acres of the country remain highly-dangerous no-go zones. In total, more than 100,000 people in the country have died since the end of the war as a result of left-over explosives. Guy joined the frontline of the effort to clear the countryside as he headed out with a team of charity workers. 'People are still getting killed because of unexploded mines and fields,' Guy said. 'They've been at it for 30-odd years, just working their way through the fields, using the metal detectors to find the mines and bombs, and then doing a controlled explosion,' Guy added as he reflected on joining in the operation. 'It was great to be part of.' After heading out into the field with metal detectors, Guy and the team came across three unexploded bombs in the small area they were sweeping. A controlled explosion is then performed once the device is wrapped in sandbags, the detonation cord dragged out to a safe distance, and locals warned to clear the area. Guy was then shown how to use the detonation switch, and after a countdown from ten, triggered the explosion. 'There was muck and stuff flying everywhere,' he said. 'And this was a daily occurrence.' Our Guy in Vietnam airs on Channel 4 at 9pm, Sunday June 1. 11 Bombs with a mixture of napalm and white phosphorus jelly dropped by Vietnamese AF Skyraider bombers explode
The Irish Sun
2 days ago
- Entertainment
- The Irish Sun
Moment TV daredevil Guy Martin makes savage war weapon napalm as he tours Vietnam 50 years after fall of Saigon
LEGENDARY motorbike racer Guy Martin tried his hand at making napalm as he headed to Vietnam to mark 50 years since the end of the war. For the latest "Our Guy in…" Channel 4 series, Guy travelled from Hanoi in the north of the country Ho Chi Minh city in the south and saw first hand the legacy of a war that claimed more than 1.3million lives. Advertisement 11 The US deployed terrifying weapons such as napalm - a fearsome mixture of chemicals used to burn through miles of thick jungle 11 Mixing a small amount of its components, Guy was able to see the weapon behind some of the most horrific imagery that defined the Vietnam War 11 South Vietnamese forces follow terrified children after a napalm attack Credit: Instagram Speaking exclusive to The Sun, Guy said: "They're all looking forward, they're not dwelling on the past, and they're not letting the war define them. It just blew me away." The war between the communist North and western-aligned South intensified in 1965 when the US committed serious force over fears that Soviet influence was spreading in the region. After eight years of intense fighting, the US finally withdrew in 1973 and in 1975 evacuated the country once and for all, when Communist forces surrounded the country's embassy in the country's capital of Saigon, since renamed Ho Chi Minh city. In total, 58,000 American troops were killed - over half of whom were aged just 18. Advertisement Read more on Guy Martin Guy took a Soviet-era motorbike down the route of the legendary Ho Chi Minh trail, a supply route used by the Viet Cong communist guerrillas. It proved crucial in giving them the upper hand over the much more technologically advanced Americans. More than a million tonnes of supplies were transported via the trail, often using nothing more than pushbikes and improvised bridges to cross rivers. But limited resources and a deep knowledge of the landscape made the Vietnamese skilled engineers, and experts at creating boobytraps that would prove devastating to the Americans. Advertisement Most read in News TV In response, the US deployed terrifying weapons such as Napalm - a fearsome mixture of chemicals used to burn through miles of thick jungle. Mixing a small amount of its components in a jar, Guy was then able to see for himself the weapon behind some of the most horrific imagery that defined the war. He said: "That is the worst weapon. Absolutely horrible. "The fire would be that intense, it'll drag oxygen from wherever it can get it, so it'll suffocate whoever's in the building. Advertisement "The heat would be a thousand degrees. You're not lasting long." Another weapon used with devastating effect by the United States was a herbicide called Agent Orange, designed to destroy vegetation in an attempt to deprive the Vietnamese of cover. 11 Guy paid a visit to Son, a lecturer who is battling the devastating impact of a herbicide called Agent Orange 11 A helicopter sprays Agent Orange on a dense jungle Credit: Instagram/Chloe ferry Advertisement 11 Guy visited Vietnam to mark 50 years since the end of the war Credit: Damien Storan/PA Wire Like the millions of bombs dropped, its legacy can still be felt today. Guy paid a visit to Son, a maths and computer programming lecturer who is one of those battling the effects today. His father was in the north Vietnamese army , and at one point during the war found himself soaked in the liquid dropped from an American plane. Advertisement Tests conducted years later confirmed he had been poisoned, and he passed away from cancer in 2006. The genetic damage caused by the chemical has left Son born with birth defects and unable to walk. Guy said: "They used the same weed killer than they use to kill the weeds on the side of the road, but it was 20 times stronger. 'And the landmass that they covered was bigger than Wales .' Advertisement 11 Phan Thi Kim Phuc, 9, bearing the scars of a napalm strike two months earlier in 1972 11 Nine-year-old Phan Thi Kim Phuc is comforted by her mother in 1972 two days after a napalm attack on her village 11 Dao Van Loi, 69, holds his daughter who suffers from disability problems as a result of Agent Orange used in the Vietnam War An estimated 3 million Vietnamese are still affected by its aftermath. Advertisement In one month alone, the US dropped as many bombs on Many of them failed to explode on impact, meaning that acres of the country remain highly-dangerous no-go zones. In total, more than 100,000 people in the country have died since the end of the war as a result of left-over explosives. Guy joined the frontline of the effort to clear the countryside as he headed out with a team of charity workers. Advertisement 'People are still getting killed because of unexploded mines and fields,' Guy said. 'They've been at it for 30-odd years, just working their way through the fields, using the metal detectors to find the mines and bombs, and then doing a controlled explosion,' Guy added as he reflected on joining in the operation. 'It was great to be part of.' After heading out into the field with metal detectors, Guy and the team came across three unexploded bombs in the small area they were sweeping. Advertisement A controlled explosion is then performed once the device is wrapped in sandbags, the detonation cord dragged out to a safe distance, and locals warned to clear the area. Guy was then shown how to use the detonation switch, and after a countdown from ten, triggered the explosion. 'There was muck and stuff flying everywhere,' he said. 'And this was a daily occurrence.' Our Guy in Vietnam airs on Channel 4 at 9pm, Sunday June 1. Advertisement 11 Bombs with a mixture of napalm and white phosphorus jelly dropped by Vietnamese AF Skyraider bombers explode 11 Le Thi Nhon (right), 24, and her younger sister Le Thi Hoa, 15, both victims of Agent Orange used during the Vietnam War Credit: Instagram
Yahoo
6 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Letter: Corrupt corporation at root of so many veterans' plights
Those who serve in the military take an oath to support and defend the Constitution against all enemies foreign and domestic. 'Nothing easy about all this' (Reading Eagle, May 26) aptly notes that for many Vietnam veterans the domestic enemies were the most formidable. Dow Chemical reaped huge profits and bears responsibility for years of suffering and painful deaths for veterans. The defoliant Agent Orange was sprayed directly into areas occupied by our troops. No scientific studies were required before its utilization. As the article noted, surviving the rigors of combat was only the beginning of a tortuous existence for veterans who contracted deadly diseases. Dementia has occurred for many who were 'lucky' enough to survive until midlife. Veterans who visit long-term care facilities see the excruciating impact corporate America has had on their brothers in arms. Dow and other companies made a fortune at the expense of our troops. Those lucky enough to come out of the jungle alive sometimes faced another impediment. Many were charged with petty offenses that resulted in a less than an honorable discharge. Only later did the reason become obvious. Veterans who received a general discharge were ineligible for health benefits when they reentered civilian life. Vietnam presented a myriad of challenges, both foreign and domestic, for so many young Americans. Jay N. Abramowitch Wyomissing
The Guardian
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Guardian
What is ecocide and could it become a crime under international law?
From the legend of the Romans' salting of the fields of Carthage, to Iraq's burning of Kuwait's oilfields, to Israel's bulldozing of Palestinian olive groves, wanton acts of environmental destruction have long been a military tactic. But while armies and their leaders have been held to account for the human victims of their violence, the natural world has been a silent victim, often overlooked and disregarded, even when its destruction has had a material impact on the lives of the people it supports. In recent years, however, a global campaign has been running to recognise 'ecocide' – an act of violence which is to nature as genocide is to people – as a crime under international law. The concept of ecocide dates back to the 1970s, when it was first used by a biologist, Arthur Galston, to describe the mass deforestation caused by the use of Agent Orange by US forces during the Vietnam war. It was raised as a concept at several environment summits in the ensuing decades, until gradually falling into obscurity until the 2000s, when a pioneering barrister, the late Polly Higgins, revived it. When Higgins rebooted the campaign for the criminalisation of ecocide, she defined it as 'the extensive damage to, destruction of or loss of ecosystem(s) of a given territory, whether by human agency or by other causes, to such an extent that peaceful enjoyment by the inhabitants of that territory has been or will be severely diminished'. The Rome Statute is the treaty which established the international criminal court (ICC) and laid out four international crimes: genocide, crimes against humanity, war crimes and the crime of aggression. Campaigners would like to see ecocide listed as a fifth crime against peace, targeting the very worst harms to the environment, usually on an industrial scale or over a large area, and making key decision-makers accountable. Actually, yes, it is – at least in the context of war – according to a rather obscure sub-clause of the Rome statute. Article 8(2)(b)(iv) of the ICC's Rome Statute stipulates as a war crime, within the context of an international armed conflict, the act of: 'Intentionally launching an attack in the knowledge that such attack will cause […] widespread, long-term and severe damage to the natural environment which would be clearly excessive in relation to the concrete and direct overall military advantage anticipated'. However, no charges under the provision have ever been filed. Experts suggest that is because the article sets a high threshold, requiring that such an attack on the environment must be 'intentional', and that the damage must be 'widespread, long term and severe', as well as 'clearly excessive'. The proposal seeks to lower the threshold to 'unlawful or wanton acts committed with knowledge that there is a substantial likelihood of severe and either widespread or long-term damage to the environment being caused by those acts'. This would apply most importantly outside the context of armed conflict, with corporations and states potentially held liable for their roles in environmental destruction no matter the circumstances. But it would also help during armed conflict, according to Jojo Mehta, chief executive of Stop Ecocide International, who says it would 'create a clear tool for justiciability in wartime'. Cases under the Rome statute are heard by the ICC in The Hague, the same court that heard South Africa's genocide case against Israel, either via a case brought by the UN security council, or because states or even private individuals have petitioned the court's prosecutor to begin an investigation. However, the ICC is intended only as a course of last resort, so any states or organisations wanting to bring cases before it would first have to exhaust all domestic opportunities to bring cases. This is what is under way in Ukraine, where the state prosecutors are using the country's own domestic courts to seek justice for the immense environmental damage caused to the country since it was invaded by Russia. Ecocide was very nearly included in the Rome statute at its inception in the 1990s; its current revival, says Mehta, is very much down to the efforts of Ukraine since Russia's invasion three years ago. Around the same time, Stop Ecocide International came up with its own international definition that has become an inspiration for a host of countries introducing their own laws at a national level. 'There are dozens of countries talking about this, and there are, I think, probably nine or 10 proposals around the world that are in progress in individual jurisdictions, [and] there are one or two that were already in place, like in Belgium and in France.' Meanwhile, the EU recently passed an environmental directive which, while it only mentions ecocide in its preamble, provides strong protections that member states will have to harmonise with their own laws. The key obstacle, Mehta says, is public understanding. 'I think about two or three years ago, we passed the point where any government wants to be seen publicly objecting to this law, because they will just look crap,' Mehta said. Instead, what is more likely is that some states would try to sidestep the introduction of such a law, either with weaker versions or by claiming there is already enough legislation on the books. The countries that have most strongly supported the introduction of the law are those that are most affected by environmental destruction. They include: Ukraine, reeling from its war with Russia; Vanuatu, Fiji and Samoa, which are struggling with sea-level rises; and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, which has been outspoken over biodiversity.
Washington Post
7 days ago
- General
- Washington Post
Vietnam vets' annual ceremony relocated from D.C. due to Army parade
Janet Zamora never had the chance to visit D.C. with her husband. They talked about it, longing to meander down the National Mall and see the Vietnam Veterans Memorial up close. But he was too sick to travel, she said, riddled with illness from exposure to Agent Orange during his five years with the Air Force in the Vietnam War. After he died in December, days after his 80th birthday, she applied for him to be part of a ceremony held at the memorial that annually honors hundreds of veterans who fought in the war and died after they came home. She'd go alone, for him.
