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About Oregon daily emerald. (Eugene, Or.) 1920-2012 | View Entire Issue (April 20, 1981)
s* -4 Doubt fogs defoliant’s effects McKenzie Coffee Co. World’s finest coffees . Mexican and Swiss (Jhocolate Rare and Exotic Teas Steamed Bagels Mayflower Building 782 E. 11th 342-2071 By SALLY HODGKINSON Of the Emerald No one is sure of the effects of Agent Orange on Vietnam ve terans, four panelists agreed during a regional conference for Vietnam-era veterans at the University Saturday. But the two veteran activists and two Veterans Administra tion doctors disagreed on the medical risks of Agent Orange NOW OPEN LATE NIGHT FOR YOUR MUNCHING PLEASURE 667 E. 13th MEXICAN FOOD The Cactus Patch Money Saving Specials each week Mexican & Domestic Beers Open til 3 A.M. Fri & Sat c 11 AM. to 1 A M. Mon-Thurst Human Sexuality Symposium May 15-17 Specialists in sex therapy, gender identity and family life will be featured at the 6th Annual Pathfinder’s Symposium. Speakers Robert Stoller, Psychiatry professor - University of Washington Lonnie Barbach, Clinical professor of Medical Psychology - University of California Medical School Richard Green, Psychiatry professor - State University of New York at Stony brook. UO Students $25/General Public $65 Daily fees: UO Students $10, Friday Night/UO Students $5 General Public $30 UO credit available. For registration and more information contact the Continuation Center, 1479 Moss, 686-4231. Co-sponsored by the Department of Counseling and Educational Psychology and the Continuation Center. RIDE YOUR BIKE • HELP YOUR HEART • HELP THE ENVIRONMENT • HELP CAMPUS CROWDING The Survival Center and Circle K are working to increase bicycle use on campus Bikes are the fun and easy way to tackle gas shortages, and price increases, air pollution and exercise needs. Tuesday and Wednesday, special activities to promote bikes will be happening in the EMU courtyard. Bike repair workshops will be running all day, and mechanics will be doing repairs for up to *0% OFF. BIKE REPAIRS UP TO 20% OFF SPONSORED BY THE SURVIVAL CENTER AND CIRCLE K and whether veterans should be compensated for medical prob lems attributed to the defoliant. "There are lots of questions and much confusion," said Keith Martin, a faculty member at Stanford University and the environmental health physician at Palo Alto's VA hopsital. Martin said lab tests on an imals indicate that dioxin, the main toxin in Agent Orange, causes medical damage, but the effects vary from animal to an imal. "Clearly, it’s cause for alarm,” but Agent Orange’s ef fect on humans is still unknown, Martin said. "Science is not going to give us the answer to this problem,” said Paul Merrell, a member of the Northwest Coalition for Al ternatives to Pesticides and a member of a national task force on Agent Orange. Merrell added it is obvious that Agent Orange causes many medical problems the VA refuses to recognize. But the biggest obstacle preventing recognition of these medical problems is disa greement among veterans, he said. ‘‘Our own house is not in order when it comes to Agent Orange.” Because of the political and financial strength of chemical companies, veterans need to band together on the issue if they want to make progress, Merrell said. Don Belcher, a Seattle VA hospital physician, said the ho spital has tested 600 veterans for symptoms of Agent Orange poisoning since November, 1978. Reactions to dioxin poi soning include minor skin dis eases and minor nervous sys tem disorders, Belcher said. Most veterans tested for those medical problems were not directly exposed to Agent Orange, Belcher said. “A lot of people think that there was an orange cloud over Vietnam and no matter where you were, you were exposed.” Numb emotions follow Vietnam veterans home By SALLY HODGKINSON Of the Emerald A well-dressed man walked into the veteran center in Port land, drew the shades and asked center director Mike Maxwell who would listen to him. The man, a successful and happily married lawyer, talked for three hours about his exper iences in Vietnam 13 years ear lier, things he’d never told an yone. Many Vietnam veterans are sharing feelings among them selves for the first time in years, Maxwell told a panel discussing the delayed stress-reaction syndrome — feelings they had been numb to during those years. The workshop was part of the Second Annual Western Con ference for Vietnam-era veter ans held Saturday. Maxwell estimated that 750,000 to 1 million of the 8.9 million men and women who served in Vietnam still are suf fering from the war — many from delayed stress. “But let’s not make a mistake and call veterans walking time bombs.’ They are not mentally ill." While in Vietnam, many ve terans shut off their emotions and reactions to war and con tinued to suppress their feelings once they returned home, said Maxwell, a Vietnam veteran. “The most important thing was to get back in one piece. You learn to stuff your emotions to become an effective combat JOIN A WILDLANDS RESEARCH TEAM In the Mountain West or Canada • Wildlife Research • Wildlands Research SUMMER 1981 Field Courses, 5 Units FALL 1981 Field Quarter, 15 Units Phone (408) 429-2822 or write: WILDLANDS RESEARCH INSTITUTE Cardiff House University of California, Santa Cruz Santa Cruz, CA 95064 soldier. It wasn’t like the John Wayne wars on TV. It wasn’t glorious or honorable.” If not dealt with, the emotional numbness can lead to anger, alienation, guilt, distrust of authority, nightmares, drug abuse or personal relationshiop problems, Maxwell said. University psychology Prof. Linda Sherman estimated that 40-60 percent of Vietnam com bat veterans suffer from some form of delayed stress. Audience reaction to the panel varied. Some veterans said the problem may be in society, not them. "Let's use our anger to change the society that caused it in the first place,” one vet suggested. “Anyone who has been in the military experiences stress," a woman veteran said. A few veterans spoke for the first time in public about their war experiences. , "I put my time in, and I sur vived,” said one. “Being back in this country is survival all over again. I got all the benefits of being a vet: a Seiko watch, my divorce papers and rambling feet." “I don’t know about delayed stress,” said another veteran. "I’m just trying to make it though life." ’S 4c Self Service COPIES • Binding • Two-sided copies • Reductions 344-7894 764 E. 13th Recycle this paper
