Waiting for an Army to Die: The Tragedy of Agent Orange [Paperback]

Fred A. Wilcox (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1989

Telling a tragic and important story, Vietnam War veterans who were exposed to Agent Orange chronicle their discovery of the cause of serious illnesses within their ranks and birth defects among their children, as well as their long battle with a government that refused to listen to their complaints.

Editorial Reviews

From Library Journal

First published in 1983, this volume received wide praise and made ALA's most notable list; it was "highly recommended" by LJ 's reviewer ( LJ 7/83). Despite that , it went quickly out of print. This paper edition contains the original text plus a new introduction by the author, who discusses the class action suit brought against the government by Vietnam veterans suffering from their wartime exposure to the herbicide. With America's newfound willingness to talk about Vietnam, this book should see a lot of use.-- MR
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Review

• "My bible on the issue of Agent Orange." --Tom Hayden
• "This is a sad and frightening book, and it should not be disregarded." --Tracy Kidder, author of The Soul of a New Machine and Mountains Beyond Mountains
• "It is impossible to read this book without feeling outrage and despair, for the story of Agent Orange is a tragedy that affects not only Vietnam veterans, but all Americans and their offspring." --The Saturday Review --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 248 pages
• Publisher: Seven Locks Press (November 1, 1989)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0932020682
• ISBN-13: 978-0932020680
• Product Dimensions: 8.7 x 5.6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,195,770 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Engrossing Read, March 13, 2005

By 

Laurie Mclaughlin "NYlawstudent" (Brooklyn, NY) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Waiting for an Army to Die: The Tragedy of Agent Orange (Paperback)

Wilcox personalizes the tragedy of Agent Orange by telling the individual stories of those who suffered from the side effects of Agent Orange and the terrible treatment they received. My family is among those who suffered. We lost my father, a Vietnam Veteran, at age 33 from melanoma cancer. And it is a comfort to me that someone is willing to tell the story of the government's mistreatment of its veterans.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Eye opening history of Agent Orange damages, May 26, 2010

By 

David Majiros (Latrobe, PA, US) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Waiting for an Army to Die: The Tragedy of Agent Orange (Paperback)

Great reference, concise, and informative. Mixes the law and research to explain the damages caused by Agent Orange.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Waiting For An Army To Die, September 19, 2010

By 

Rocky Rhodes - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Waiting for an Army to Die: The Tragedy of Agent Orange (Paperback)

I should preface my review by saying that I served in north central Vietnam in 1967-68. I served on river patrols while there and was exposed to Agent Orange the whole time I was there in country. I made application and was accepted to receive a part of the chemical company settlement. My first born son has an IQ of about 30 (without speech they can't accurately diagnose an IQ), he is physically incapable of speaking, his eyes were screwed up at birth (corrected with early surgery) his kidneys were displaced (located in areas doctors had never experienced) and he had elasticity of his skin. He's 5 feet four inches tall and 140lbs. Every male in my family, for at least four generations, exceeded 6 feet in height and 200 lbs in weight. My second son is completely "normal" and healthy individual.

So, I read this book to learn about what other vets had experienced. I have always accepted my son's condition and moved forward, never looking back and always trying to make the most of an unfortunate situation. I postponed my marriage because of the possibility of being in a combat theatre and coming home in the infamous plastic bag. When I returned home in one piece, thinking I had dodged the "bullet," we married and started the traditional family. Only to find out later, I hadn't dodged the small particle (Bullets) of Agent Orange which ended up being more devastating than the one you receive a Purple Heart for. A couple months ago, I read where the Agent Orange Compensation Program funded by the chemical companies has been drained. I've had the legs rashes, the skin cancer, kidney problems but never thought it was bad enough to apply for compensation from the Program thinking that when I passed away, whatever my share of the fund was would help take care of my dependent son. That's not going to happen, now.

With that background, onto the review.

As I said before, I purchased the book to learn about the experiences of other Vietnam vets exposed to the Agent Orange. I found the first third of the book informative. The second two thirds when he was addressing the chemical being used in other markets become somewhat uninteresting and boring for me. I think the author was more interested in the government and chemical companies cover up of the use of Agent Orange. While I agree the cover up existed, it wasn't what I was searching for when I read the book. For that reason, I was a little disappointed.