The Silver Rose

Veterans whose illnesses have been linked to Agent Orange exposure are invited to the Stars and Stripes Museum in Bloomfield, Mo., July 22 to receive the Order of the Silver Rose, a medal created just for them.

The Vietnam Living History Day event at the museum July 22 will honor all Vietnam veterans.

Agent Orange is an herbicide dropped on jungles in Vietnam to eradicate the enemy's hiding places. The Veterans Administration began developing a registry of illnesses when Vietnam veterans began developing unexplained illnesses. Forty-three illnesses have been associated with Agent Orange exposure.

Veterans who die from an illness linked to Agent Orange do not qualify for a Purple Heart or other official military medal, so the daughter of a Navy hospital corpsman who died from an Agent Orange-related disease created the Silver Rose for them.

The medal provides attention to a problem long denied by the federal government and recognition to veterans who have long suffered with diseases brought on by their military service.

The museum is open from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday, Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday and from 1 to 4 p.m. Sunday or by appointment. For information about the ceremony, phone the museum at (573) 568-2055.