Last Ghost of War

VIETNAM ERA EDUCATIONAL CENTER HOSTS A FILM ABOUT AGENT ORANGE IN VIETNAM

On Saturday, November 3, at 1:00 p.m., the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial Foundation will host a presentation of the film The Last Ghost of War. Narrated by actor Kevin Kline, this documentary film examines the harmful effects of chemical herbicides, commonly known as Agent Orange, used by American forces during the Vietnam War. The film will be introduced and discussed by its Producer-Director, Janet Gardner of Rocky Hill, NJ, Co-producer Pham Quoc Thai and Attorney Constantine Kokkoris of New York.

This program will be held at the Vietnam Era Educational Center in Holmdel, NJ.

At Tu Du Hospital in Saigon, the painful aftermath of the Vietnam War is all too evident. Babies in a special unit have enlarged heads or are missing limbs. Pham Thi Thu Linh, born without arms, writes with her feet. A boy with a shrunken leg careens around the corridor in a wheelchair. Thirty years after the end of the Vietnam War they are among several millions diagnosed by the Vietnamese as victims of Agent Orange. In The Last Ghost of War, we meet several who are plaintiffs in a class action suit against thirty-two US chemical companies. Attorneys, activists, scientists, and a military historian take us, through this documentary, to a new battlefield. These Vietnamese victims are seeking compensation and justice. The film also focuses on a Long Island couple, Michael and Maureen Ryan. Their daughter, Kerry, was born with 22 birth defects after Michael's exposure to Agent Orange during his wartime tour of duty in Vietnam. The question is were these dioxin-laden herbicides chemical weapons? And if so, who should be held accountable in the wake of what was allegedly the largest chemical warfare operation in history?

The Last Ghost of War was made possible by a grant from the New Jersey Council for the Humanities, a state partner of the National Endowment for the Humanities. Any views, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this film do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities or the New Jersey Council for the Humanities. A presentation of the Center for Asian American Media with funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, The Last Ghost of War was produced by The Gardner Group, Inc. It is licensed for broadcast in Norway, Australia, in the Middle East through Al Jazeera, and in Vietnam, distributed worldwide by WGBH-International.

This screening is dedicated to the memory of former President of Veterans for Peace David Cline. Lecture attendees are asked to RSVP to (732) 335-0033. A donation of $5.00 per person is suggested. The Vietnam Era Educational Center is located adjacent to the New Jersey Vietnam Veterans’ Memorial off the Garden State Parkway at exit 116. The Educational Center is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 AM – 4 PM. Admission is free for veterans and active-duty military personnel. Regular adult admission is $4.00; student and senior citizen admission is $2.00; and children under 10 are admitted free.