Abstract

A top-secret US Department of Defense project during the Vietnam War involved the spraying of defoliants and chemical weapons. Portions of the program were expanded into the United States and other countries where military personnel were ordered to spray unidentified material into the air and environs. This case study involves one officer’s questions regarding what was being sprayed into the open-air, his subsequent refusal to participate in potentially harmful spraying, and the resultant harsh sanctions that abruptly ended a stellar military career.

Presenters

Lisa Martino-Taylor
Assistant Professor of Sociology, Department of Sociology, Southern Illinois University Edwardsville, United States

Details

Presentation Type

Paper Presentation in a Themed Session

Theme

2021 Special Focus—The Opportunities of Crisis: Resilience and Change in World History

KEYWORDS

US Military; Chemical Weapons; Vietnam War; Open-Air Tests; Deviance

Digital Media

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