a day ago
Vietnam vets impacted by Agent Orange given new recognition
Applications are now open for Vietnam veterans eligible to receive an Agent Orange Medal.
A special pinning ceremony will be held 4-6 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 5 4-6 p.m. as part of Agent Orange Awareness Day at the Vietnam Wall display in Kinder. The names of medal recipients will be read during the ceremony, and those in attendance will be pinned.
Valarie Trahan, of the Allen Parish Tourism Commission, said the medal and ceremony aims to recognize veterans who were exposed to, affected by and continue to suffer from the effects of Agent Orange, a herbicide and defoliant used during the Vietnam War.
'We want the medal and the ceremony to be our way of letting these veterans know they were not forgotten because this was a tragedy for our veterans,' Trahan said, noting that many veterans are still suffering from the side effects of being exposed to Agent Orange. 'Hopefully this will help heal their heart and somehow let them know they are not forgotten.'
There are 18 medically acceptable conditions for the medal, including amyloidosis, non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma, prostate cancer, Parkinson's seaside, respirator cancers, multiple myeloma, hypertension.
Applications for Agent Orange Medal are being accepted through Aug. 25. Applications are available at the Allen Parish Tourist Commission Office on U.S. 165 in Oberlin or by calling the Tourism Commission at 337-639-4868.
Over 60 applications have been received so far.
The American Veterans Traveling Tribute, a replica of the national memorial in Washington, D.C. will be on display Nov. 3-7 next to the Inn at Coushatta on U.S. 165 in Kinder.
This eight-foot-high, 360-long-foot wall serves as a powerful tribute to those who served in the Vietnam War and the more than 58,000 who lost their lives, according to Allen Parish Tourism Director Adagria Haddock.
'These men and women gave their all and for the ones who survived, this will be a welcome home,' Haddock said. 'This is our time to honor and love them and show them the respect they deserve.'
Special crosses will also be on display to honor Allen Parish soldiers who died in the war.
The wall will be escorted from I-10 along U.S. 165 to Kinder at 10 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 2, by a motorcade of police and emergency vehicles, motorcycles, and vintage cars. Local Vietnam veteran and Coushatta of Louisiana tribal member Lovelin Poncho will serve as grand marshal.
The wall will officially open at 10 a.m. Monday, Nov. 3 with a ceremony and will remain open to the public 24 hours a day through 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7.
The exhibit will also feature the Cost of Freedom Wall, a 72-panel exhibit listing all wars, including the 9/11 attacks and the names of fallen soldiers. A Vietnam War museum will also be on display.
Daily ceremonies will include guest speakers, wreath laying and other presentations, a Farewell to Soldiers ceremony, candlelight vigil and sounding of Taps each evening. A special Nightingale ceremony will be held at 6 p.. on Thursday, Nov. 6 to honor nurses who served during the war.
For more information, to volunteer or to make donations, contact the Tourism Commission at 337-639-4868.
