During the Vietnam War, the U.S. military sprayed over 20 million gallons of Agent Orange and other chemical herbicides across Southeast Asia to clear foliage and eliminate enemy cover. These chemicals contained dioxin, one of the most toxic substances to humans. This resulted in a wide range of severe health issues for U.S. Vietnam War-era veterans, including various cancers, heart disease, diabetes, and has also been associated with birth defects in their descendants. Veterans have encountered significant challenges in gaining recognition, accessing appropriate healthcare, and obtaining disability services for their health conditions due to historical and institutional denial of their suffering. This denial has hindered efforts to fully understand the impact of Agent Orange, further complicating the pursuit of accountability and justice for those affected. This dissertation examines the complex issue of Agent Orange exposure among U.S. Vietnam War-era veterans, focusing on the systemic denial by state institutions and the consequential struggle for recognition and care. Through a biopolitical lens, my research navigates the intertwined military, political, scientific, and medical narratives and processes that have historically minimized or outright denied the sufferings and experiences of veterans. By exploring institutional denial as both a governing strategy and a source of suffering, this dissertation reveals the profound effects such denial has on the lives of these veterans and their families. Through a combination of archival research and ethnographic fieldwork, I uncover the strategic use of denial by state institutions to control the discourse surrounding Agent Orange exposure. This denial results in the manipulation of scientific information, bureaucratic processes, and political narratives that author and authorize the legitimacy of suffering, often limiting the recognition of veterans’ experiences, concealing the causal connections between exposure and health consequences, and reshaping the veterans’ perceptions of their own bodies and social identities. Furthermore, this dissertation explores the personal narratives of veterans and their families, revealing the “toxic residuals” of institutional denial—physical, emotional, social, and intergenerational burdens that underscore the stark contrast between institutional narratives of Agent Orange exposure and the actual experiences of those impacted. In addition to investigating the formation and effects of institutional denial, my research also highlights the dynamic efforts by veterans to counter institutional denial through developing knowledge networks and resources aimed at alleviating their suffering. These collective actions, rooted in biosolidarity of shared health experiences, demonstrate a powerful commitment to transforming personal experiences of suffering into broader advocacy for change and support. Through these endeavors, veterans and their families have worked to create support systems and foster a community of sufferers united in the pursuit of justice and healing.
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