12 area Vietnam veterans receive medal for Agent Orange exposur

BLOOMFIELD, Mo. -- U.S. Army veteran Robert Wolfenkoehler was injured in the Vietnam War, but he received no Purple Heart.

His injury, type 2 diabetes, took years to develop after he was exposed to Agent Orange, a herbicide used during the war.

Wolfenkoehler, 58, of Jackson, was one of 12 Southeast Missouri Vietnam veterans who received the Order of the Silver Rose medal Saturday afternoon honoring victims who developed illnesses as a result of Agent Orange.

The ceremony was held at the Stars and Stripes Museum/Library in Bloomfield as part of the Vietnam Living History Day.

More than 20 million gallons of Agent Orange, a chemical defoliant, were used by American forces during the Vietnam War. The chemical eliminated cover for the enemy and allowed for easier movement through the jungles.

"At the time we didn't know what it was," Wolfenkoehler said, noting it was just a mist that came down while he was on the ground with his unit.

Following the war, several Vietnam veterans began to develop cancers and other illnesses that were linked to Agent Orange exposure. To date, 43 illnesses have become associated with exposure to the chemical.

Like so many other veterans who developed illnesses due to Agent Orange, Wolfenkoehler does not qualify for the Purple Heart, much to his dismay.

"We are causalities of war," Wolfenkoehler said. "There's a lot of veterans that are dying from Agent Orange."

No Department of Defense or other federal government medal has been established for veterans who have lost their life or health due to illnesses from Agent Orange. The Order of the Silver Rose, a private, not-for-profit organization, seeks to change that.

"We, the members of the Silver Rose, believe the people of the United States need heroes, and we have been overlooking many of them. This is just one way we can recognize these heroes and offer our thanks today," said Sheldon Hartsfield, interim director of the Missouri order.

U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson spoke at the event, stating that it was not fair to Vietnam veterans affected by Agent Orange that the Department of Defense has failed to issue them Purple Hearts.

"It is unbelievable to me, and to so many of my colleagues in Washington, that those medals are not awarded to soldiers who were chemically injured by Agent Orange, which was a weapon of the Vietnam War," she said.

Because the Department of Defense awards a Purple Heart to injured soldiers, they should do the same for those affected by the chemical, Emerson said.

"You are such an important part of our lives and your service should be honored just like the service of every other veteran who we honor," the congresswoman said.

State Rep. Jack Jackson, R-Wildwood, also spoke at the ceremony, thanking the veterans for their work during the war.

Hartsfield, a Vietnam veteran, encouraged everyone who served in the Vietnam War to see a doctor and get screened regularly because of illnesses that can develop because of Agent Orange.

"We were all exposed to it," he said. "Early treatment saves lives."

About 120 people attended the ceremony Saturday, which was the first time the Order of the Silver Rose presentation occurred in Bloomfield. The museum/library association hoped it would be come a regular event there, with as many as four presentations a year, according to Hartsfield.

The Order of the Silver Rose was developed 1998.

kmorrison@semissourian.com

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