The division also holds a later edition of the map from 1972, which is not shown in this blog. military and civilian personnel located in Thailand during 1969. It includes, on its reverse, a map of American installations within the Thai capital of Bangkok. It should also be mentioned that the Veteran’s Administration outlines other situations where veterans may have been exposed to Agent Orange on their website.Ĭonsidering the amount of inquiry around this matter, finding official maps that offer highly-detailed depictions of the locations where Americans were based in Thailand and that were made during the Vietnam war has proven elusive, even at the Library of Congress. While trying to locate such materials, this author discovered an interesting map in the Geography and Map Division’s Titled Collection that shows the locations of U.S. But in the case of veterans who served solely in Thailand, the Veterans Administration states: “To receive benefits for diseases associated with herbicide exposure, these Veterans must show on a factual basis that they were exposed to herbicides during their service as shown by evidence of daily work duties, performance evaluation reports, or other credible evidence.” This writer notes that the policy is source of debate, anger, and frustration for some American military veterans and their families. government makes a presumption of exposure for those who served on land in Vietnam for the purpose of filing a claim with the Veterans Administration. In response to veterans and their families suffering from the effects of Agent Orange, the U.S. However, there was a terrible consequence: Exposure to Agent Orange resulted in cancer, birth defects, and other significant ailments. Public outcry and official investigations followed. The intended result was to expose enemy forces who relied on the trees for cover. In Thailand, Agent Orange was used to clear the jungle around bases, as a means to enhance security. Agent Orange is an herbicide that was used to defoliate the thick jungle in Vietnam and elsewhere in Southeast Asia, such as the Korean Demilitarized Zone. Chief among the reasons that they have sought this information is because some American personnel were exposed to Agent Orange while serving in Thailand. forces in Thailand during the Vietnam War. Over the years of this writer’s service at the Library of Congress, veterans and their families have sent me questions about maps that show the locations of U.S.

Cartographica vietnam ams