Agent Orange also 2-4-D and 2-4-5T combined
Posted by William G. Smith on 8/11/2013, 16:00:58
I was in the USAF as a jet eng. mechanic for 1962-1966 serving in Takhli for 5 week in May/June of 1964 and there was no AO there then. I was born in 1941 and lived on a farm in South Arkansas raising a variety of crops. We had 2-4-D using it on unwanted weeds and grass and also had 2-4-5T using on unwanted bushes like pecan sprouts persimmon sprouts. it had to be sprayed on the leaves so the plant would die and with it the roots. There was a fellow that was a government agent (advisor on farming) who told my father to never mis this stuff and use it together. he didn't say what would would happen.This was some potent stuff. my father got some on his clothes by spraying bushes and walked in the garden between rows of tomato plants and killed or stunted the plants. people who used this stuff in hand sprayers started wearing rain gear when applying it. another farmer used 2-4-5T sprayed about a 100 yards of bushes and killed 50 acres of cotton the fumes from this stuff was just as lethal to some plants as the direct contact. we mixed this stuff about 2 quarts in 55 gallons of water. there were cautions about contact with skin and breathing this stuff.Whoever thought of using AO in S.E. Asia was the biggest idiot in existence at that time. This stuff was applied with aircraft over there to cover a large area and that means a large number of troops and civilians got drenched during application which would be in a fine sprayand also remember all the GI's that did not wear shirts. also the fumes with this type of application(aircraft) would be very hazardous to your health.Pilots who flew the acft would be in danger and would the civilian population. Did anyone see evidenge of AO like large numbers like acres of dead trees and seeing propeller acft and helocopters going back and forth over the same area applying AO. A tank sprayer used on the ground wouldn't be as hazardous as acft. The fumes will travel a long ways like for miles another farmer in Arkansas got 100 acres of cotton killed and 2-4-5T was sprayed 10 miles distance. does any one remember if the barrels of Ao had any warnings. Some one had to mix it and apply it. Has any of thesse people stepped forward? Wikipedia has more detailed info on this. Good luck to all
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