Text written by WikiBrother Gabriel Brandino , from @moshinhell
The lyrics we're going to explain today tell a bit about the Vietnam War.
Let's talk about the song "Agent Orange" by the classic thrash metal , Sodom .
The song, as the name suggests, is about the use of "Agent Orange" by the American army, more specifically about an operation called "Operation Ranch Hand".
This operation took place between 1962 and 1971, and was one of several operations in the Trail Dust , which aimed to spray herbicides over large areas.
It is estimated that around 20% of all Vietnamese forests were sprayed in these operations.
Agent Orange is a chemical herbicide and defoliant, which is a mixture of equal parts of two herbicides: 2,4,5-T and 2,4-D.
"Spread death
across their farms.
Attack the population...
Only you protect the forest."
The attacks were primarily carried out on civilian farms.
And that last sentence relates to the motto the American army used to mock the US Forest Service, whose motto was "Only you can prevent forest fires."
"Scars have healed.
Cancer grows in their innocent souls.
Memorials of flesh and blood.
They survived, punished illegally
. Poisoned until the end of their lives.
Physical deformity.
What medicine will help them?"
The Operation Ranch Hand exposed approximately 4.8 million Vietnamese to Agent Orange, resulting in 400,000 deaths due to a range of cancers and other diseases.
Studies suggest that the number of deaths and infections caused by herbicides is even higher.
But it is known that these attacks caused not only cancer, but irreversible illnesses, especially congenital malformations and neurological syndromes in millions of civilians in the country, including thousands of children.
"Agent Orange:
A fire that doesn't burn."
The song's refrain is more than clear in saying that Agent Orange is a fire that doesn't burn... Because even without feeling the effects, it's killing you little by little.
The use of Agent Orange by the Americans resulted in numerous legal actions.
These actions led to UN assemblies and conventions on environmental modification, with the Vietnamese always demanding compensation for the damage and lives lost, but these demands were never reversed.
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