WESTFIELD - Cory Ahonen, the assistant secretary in the Executive Office of Veterans Services, joined state Sen. John Velis and state Rep. Kelly Pease at American Legion Post 124 on Friday to proclaim Aug. 10 as Agent Orange Awareness Day.
Post 124 Past Commander Fred Benda said Massachusetts is now the 17th state in the union to recognize the Orange Heart Medal, bringing recognition to veterans who were exposed and subsequently were affected by Agent Orange during their military service in the United States Armed Services.
“I’m honored to be here. This is an important milestone. Just want you to know, we stand ready,” Ahonen said, to receive claims from veterans and their families that were exposed to Agent Orange.
Ahonen then read the proclamation signed by Gov. Maura Healey, Lt. Gov Kim Driscoll and Secretary of State William Galvin to declare Aug. 10 as Agent Orange Awareness Day, citing the 8 million U.S. personnel that served in the Vietnam War from 1961 to 1971, when Agent Orange was used, and the 11 million gallons of the orange powder that was sprayed over the land, exposing 2.6 - 3.8 million U.S. personnel.
The proclamation also went on to list some of the serious illnesses caused by Agent Orange, and state that only 800,000 Vietnam veterans who were exposed are still alive, that there are 200 deaths every day; and their children show higher incidences of genetic disease.
Pease said Benda invited him to meet last fall and winter to put together “this wonderful resolution” that he said was signed by all of the state senators and 138 of the 160 state representatives.
Velis referred to what the Vietnam veterans went through, shaking his head. “It took so long for the government to even talk about it — reprehensible,” he said, adding that the work of the Vietnam veterans today will ensure that the next generation of veterans won’t have to go through the same thing. Velis also recognized past commander Benda, who he said “lived through this horrific journey.”
Benda said the Orange Heart Medal Foundation was the work of Ken Gamble, a U.S. Navy Veteran who underwent several cancer operations due to his exposure. He said veterans apply for an Orange Heart Medal for free from orangeheartmedal.org.
Benda said he served from Sept 7, 1970 to Sept 7, 1971 in the 823rd Red Horse Combat Engineers as a carpenter specialist in the masonry shop.
“I was stationed at Tan Son Nhut Air Force Base, building a 10-family housing unit for Vietnamese and their families. We didn’t realize at the time that right across the street was a mine field covered in grass. One day, we could see that the claymore mines were visible. It must have been sprayed,” Benda said, adding that he only learned two years ago that his location was part of Operation Ranch Hand, which sprayed the chemicals, which he said were made by Monsanto in Massachusetts, at the Bien Noa Air Base and Tan Son Nhut Air Base where he was stationed.
Benda said he wrote a bagpipe tune to honor the Agent Orange Heart Medal and Awareness Day, and thanked Pease for doing all of the paperwork. Benda is the Post 124 Piper.
“We appreciate all your work, and expect nothing less (than a bagpipe song.) We will make sure it gets to the Senate,” Pease said.
“This wouldn’t have happened without Benda,” said Velis.
After the ceremony, Veterans Service Director Julie Barnes said, “Fred 100% spearheaded this whole thing. If Fred hadn’t initiated it, it wouldn’t have been done.”
Barnes said it has been Benda’s lifelong passion to bring awareness to Agent Orange and the things that happened in Vietnam, and to honor those who were lost, including five friends from Westfield High School whose pictures are displayed on the banners at the Vietnam Veteran Memorial in Parker Park.
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