Transcript
Agent Orange was used extensively by the US military as a so-called defoliant during the Vietnam War.
It has since been found to be highly toxic, and is linked to cancers, deformities and numerous other illnesses.
LEROY FOSTER: I was a young airman - I was 18 years old - and three days after arriving [in Guam]...they put me on this 750-gallon trailer that I pulled with a five-tonne airforce blue bobtail truck. And I pulled that trailer around spraying Agent Orange herbicides on-base and off-base at Andersen [air base].
AMELIA LANGFORD: So at the time, did you know it was Agent Orange? or did you know the effects? how toxic it could be?
LF: No, I didn't know. They told me it wouldn't hurt anybody but the guy that I relieved - he had testicular cancer and he was being flown back to Hickam Airforce base to have his testicles removed. And I don't believe he lived.
AL: And you now suffer health problems?
LF: Yeah, I have 33 autoimmune diseases and heart disease and several cancers and they had to cut out my rectum and colon - and I know that was from sitting on that trailer being soaked in Agent Orange because the wind would blow it right back in my face. My own granddaughter... she was born with 24 fingers and toes.
AL: The US Department of Defence has said that it did not use Agent Orange on Guam. Is that correct?
LF: Yeah, they're still denying it. But the airforce - they have me rated with combat-related special compensation for my diseases that were caused by Agent Orange. So they're telling the public that there wasn't any [Agent Orange] but they're treating me totally different. They put it in my APRs -handling vegetation control duties - they admitted all of that on paper but they tell the public differently. They lie to the public.
AL: This is a hard question to ask - but how long do you think you've got left? Obviously you're struggling with a lot of different health problems now?
LF: I don't think I have long to live at all. They just took blood work from me about two months ago and my cancer cells doubled. They told my wife that the colon rectal cancer has returned. But I haven't had any more tests because I'm refusing any more treatment until they tell the truth.
Vietnam War veteran, LeRoy Foster.
