SUNSET, Utah — A memorial honoring those impacted by Agent Orange in Vietnam is coming along over in Sunset, being built by those who know the lasting effects all too well.
“I did two tours in 'Nam back to back, and I brought home with me a lot of the Agent Orange," said Larry Lee Kerr. "I'm now 78, and I developed throat cancer, another cancer in 2023.”
“All the aircraft that I had to guard and be out on the fly line when they're doing taking off and stuff got me exposed," said veteran Joseph Vigil.
Agent Orange is a harsh chemical roundup that was primarily used during the Vietnam War.
“The plan was to defoil their jungles and stuff so we could see the enemy," Kerr said. "The shelf life and service life of that chemical just goes on forever. So it was in the air, it was in the water, it was in the food supply.”
Kerr started the Utah Agent Orange Veterans Foundation. He didn't want those who lost their lives to be overlooked.
“I kept reading about losing all my veterans I served with to the Agent Orange and everything," he said. "It's been in my mind to build an Agent Orange memorial for years.”
The memorial shows about 750,000 veterans have died from different effects of Agent Orange.
"I just lost too many, too many," Kerr said.
The panels of the memorial, donated by the foundation, are being assembled by the hands of those who are still suffering from the chemical.
“I only served from 70-72 because of issues I faced while I was there," veteran Andy Vigil said. "So it's an honor to work with Larry and my brother Joseph on this memorial."
The mission is to remember those who are no longer here and share their memory for years to come.
“Our time is running out, and we want to leave these memories for our children and grandchildren," Kerr said.
The goal is to complete the memorial by Veterans Day.
For more information, you can visit: https://www.agentorangeheroes.org.
