In the 1960s, the United States was at war with Vietnam. In an attempt to counter the Vietnamese guerrillas, the United States sprayed herbicides throughout Vietnam and this method of warfare has been controversial ever since. The use of herbicides in Vietnam caused widespread death and suffering, not only among the Vietnamese, but also among American veterans. However, the United States denies causing these problems, continues to use herbicides today, and will not even help victims medically or financially. This was and still is a crime, whether the United States wants to admit it or not, and if this problem is not investigated and addressed quickly, many people will continue to suffer. Before understanding why herbicide warfare was and still is an important topic, you need to know what herbicide warfare is. Herbicide warfare is a type of chemical warfare whose goal is to destroy vegetation and agriculture. In Vietnam it was used to prevent the enemy from hiding in vegetation and to destroy or damage food production. Many types of chemicals were used during the Vietnam War and still today. A total of fifteen herbicides, named after their color, were used during Operation Ranch Hand in the United States, but the best known is Agent Orange (Trautman, 1). Agent Orange is a mixture of toxic chemicals that kills vegetation and is mixed with kerosene and diesel fuel so that it sticks to plants for a long time (Trautman, 1). When sprayed on vegetation, Agent Orange kills it within days and also pollutes soil and water. So what's the problem? Agent Orange and other herbicides destroy ecosystems; they have also been found in plants, water, fish and other animals, including humans. Since this began in the middle of a paper, without pressure from its own citizens, the United States has refused to change tactics and the debate on this issue would not end with war. A ghost of battles past. Nature 452.7189 (2008): 781. MasterFILE main edition. Internet. January 30, 2014. Hitchens, Christopher. “The Vietnamese syndrome”. Vanity Fair 552 (2006): 106. MasterFILE main edition. Internet. February 4, 2014. Moreau, Ron. “Of peace and poison.” Newsweek (Atlantic edition) 133.18 (1999): 88. MasterFILE main edition. Internet. January 30, 2014.Stellman, Jeanne Mager Stellman, Steven D. Christian, Richard Weber, Tracy Tomasallo, Carrie. “The Extent and Patterns of Use of Agent Orange and Other Herbicides in Vietnam.” Nature 422.6933 (2003): 681. MasterFILE main edition. Internet. February 4, 2014. Trautman, Jim. “Petrified Forests.” New Internationalist 323 (2000): 14. MasterFILE Main edition. Internet. January 30. 2014.