Fred Wilcox, associate professor of writing, has written several books addressing the Vietnam War and the effects of Agent Orange poisoning on Vietnamese civilians and veterans. Wilcox encourages students to learn more about the effects of toxic chemicals and help reduce hazardous pollutants in the environment.

Contributing Writer Laura Murray spoke to Wilcox about his research that exposed the truths about Agent Orange.

Laura Murray: What sparked your passion for this topic?

Fred Wilcox: My cousin served in the military for about 20 years. Right before he died, he pulled me down and whispered in my ear, “Ya’ know Freddy, I don’t go for this Vietnam thing.” He said, “Promise me you won’t go.” That was another huge shock that my cousin, a loyal soldier, a loyal American, would say something like that. There he was on his ward, dying of neglect. I began to try to find out what was going on over there.

LM: What is Agent Orange?

FW: Agent Orange was an herbicide. It could kill triple canopy jungles in Vietnam. The problem was that Agent Orange contained something called dioxin, and it contained the most deadly form of dioxin; it’s called TCDD Dioxin.

LM: What were the consequences and how were soldiers affected?

FW: Many different kinds of cancers, diabetes, Parkinson’s disease and heart problems. The list has really grown over the last few years. A lot of veterans don’t make it beyond 50 or 60 years old. So many of these men have died of various illnesses that are related to Agent Orange exposure.

LM: How do you help war veterans who have been exposed?

FW: Over the last 20-25 years, I and other people have lobbied to try to convince the U.S. government to stop stonewalling, to stop saying there’s no evidence when there was and there is, and to care for the people who they asked to go to a war zone and who did go.

LM: How have you been changed by your work?

FW: I hardly believe any politician. Our government doesn’t care about people. If they don’t care about the people who went to Vietnam, then who do they care about? Well, I’ve concluded pretty much they care about the very rich, they care about big business, and they care about their own power. Everything that ever happens to benefit the people they have to be forced to do it.