John Siegfried

“The horrors of war are real, and it is not just combat zones that are dangerous. As you will read in this treatment by John Siegfried, American combat forces have had to contend with external conditions that go far beyond the battlefield. From the chemical defoliants in the Vietnam War, to the ‘dirty’ environments of the Middle East campaigns, our Veterans have been dealing with over four decades of lawsuits, contention, and a legacy of health issues that have impacted them and their descendants. Cancers and other disorders - both physical and emotional - have plagued our brave Armed Forces. More than two dozen medical conditions, both chronic and insidious, have caused trauma and a horror that remain for decades. This book details the physical and the mental impacts of war, and the environmental conditions that have been imposed on our fighting forces. We are paying the price today for the indiscriminate use of Agents and Chemicals, as well as the long-term effects of combat related injuries. I am hopeful that through John’s book, the surfacing of these issues will be a renewed call-to-action for all government agencies that play a role in the identification and treatment of our impacted Veterans.”.
Ralph Galati
Captain: USAF Vietnam Veteran
POW

“John Siegfried’s spotlight on the unexpected (by the servicemembers at least) aftermath of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, in both an historical and present-day context of the traumatic outcomes of Vietnam’s herbicide debacle, is the horrific authentication to man’s obvious inability to learn from the past. All Veterans suffering, from their ‘call to duty’ in recent wars, will certainly find this absorbing narrative overwhelming in its abundant facts and all-too-true details. Similarly, readers will also find the text instructive, leading them towards a more comprehensive research into various health issues, in concert with recognizing the Veterans’ struggle with illnesses, early deaths, and the disillusionments with those federal agencies charged by law to assist – in every way - all those Veterans that served. But, as those of us who have fought this battle well know: Our Veterans are not alone. Systemic change at the top is essential: And can come none too soon.”
Paul Sutton
Vietnam Veteran
USMC (Ret).

“The past 60 years have been marred by indifference on the part of the Department of Veterans Affairs towards the Disabled Veterans they are pledged to serve. From the jungles of Vietnam to the mountains of Afghanistan, the VA has shunned those who have placed their bodies, their sanity, and their very lives at risk. Whether through bureaucratic intransigence, sheer incompetence, or callous negligence, the VA has caused the deaths of more service members then the combined armies of the North Vietnamese, Iraqis, Al Qaeda, or the Taliban.
In ‘The New Agent Orange,’ John Siegfried captures the frustration of America’s hero’s as they engage in a last battle - not against a foreign enemy - but against the very organization chartered to care for them.
With the recent passage of the PACT (Promise to Address Comprehensive Toxics) Act, relief has been extended to an additional 3.2 million Veterans. That includes additional Agent Orange Veterans in the Central Pacific and Southeast Asia, radiation Veterans from Spain, Greenland and Eniwetok, and burn pit veterans from Southwest Asia. The job is not finished. Other areas of military toxic exposure remain uncovered. Even for those covered by PACT, they have not yet crossed the finish line. Now these Veterans must wend their way through an archaic, bureaucratic morass, designed to delay, deny until they die. The struggle continues!”

Commander J. B. Wells U. S. Navy (Retired)
Attorney at Law
Chair
Military-Veterans Advocacy, Inc. ®
PO Box 5235
Slidell, LA 70469-5235
985-641-1855
985-290-6940 (direct)