European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - October 7, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Magazine adm. Elmo Zumwalt or. During a flight Over Vietnam in 1971 . Air Force planet right spraying defoliant chemical agent Orange Over dense vegetation in South Vietnam in 1966. The Zumwalt and agent Orange by Debbie Schupack United pres  Lyrel n i l arh Ito in Iho chaos of  n Elmo ii Wall 111 made a Choice that has spun n tragedy for iroc generations. Zumwult s Lory is Replete with tragic irony he suffers from two cancers Bolh of them he believes caused by wartime to counters Wilh agent Orange. The use of Ifie do valiant was ordered and regulated by his lather adm Elmo Zumwal jr., he Navy s in country cd Mandor of the Vietnam War. Elmo Zumwalt ill s 9-year-old son Russell has a severe learning disability which i he family believes is also linked to the father s herbicide exposure. I think the thing Hal captures the imagination of people is the fact that the irony is there in t in ironic that this sort of greek tragedy was in the making Zumwalt said in a recent interview i can understand and see the irony that the father who is spraying the agent Orange increasing he agent Orange concentration has a son who s on lha receiving end of the spraying who actually comes Down with a terminal illness that May to related to it. But there is More to the zumwalts1 Story told now in a just published Book called my father. My son written by John Pekkanen. I Don t believe the irony is the most important part of the  the younger Zumwalt said while on vacation at West Onslow Beach , "1 think the most important part of the Story is that people who Serivo Lolow and support individuals play a very important role and that can make a difference. The love and support i got from my family and in my Vietnam experience Hal sort of support from my Crew members made a difference in to being Able to  Zumwalt. An Roth graduate of the University of North Carolina a Chapel Hill volunteered in 1969 to be officer in charge of a patrol boat along Vietnam s web of coastal Waterways and major Rivers. In the thick of the War. He patrolled the Oua ton River in the fast Light Pcf-35. About the same time his father the Admiral worried Hal enemy ambushes from the densely overgrown River bancs were reaping Loo Many . Casualties. So he increased the use of agent Orange a defoliant thought in the Early 1970s Lobo harmless to humans. The Navy s River pal Fol casualties about 6 percent a month before the spraying quickly dropped to less than 1 percent a month alter agent Orange began Cahng away at the foliage said the elder Zumwalt. The dense Jungle overgrowth was such that you could be shot at at Pool Blank Range with the vegetation there Elmo Zumwalt Iii said. Ii was hard to see How anyone could miss a boat or miss Tho people on the boat. But when agent Orange came in and did its Job it would eat the foliage Back hundreds of feel and sometimes thousands of Yards so it made our Chance of survival on the boats much greater and our Day to Day preoccupation in that combat environment was with  survival is a Lull a Day to Day question for Zumwalt. In 1983, he was told Hohnl nodular poorly differentiated Lymphoma a slow moving cancer two years Lacr he found to also had hot skin s Diso Aue. N last moving aggressive cancer six months ago Zumwalt underwent a Bone marrow transplant thai included Wooks in an isolation room at a Seattle Hospital and doctors now say he has about a 60 Porcell Chance of recovering from both cancers. The Zum Walls also struggle Wilh what they believe to be another agent Orange affliction. Elmo Russell Zumwalt in or Russell suffers from sensory integral Ion  a Complex of sensory and attention problems Hal have trapped a Normal mind inside Tho Little boy. Bui the Amily unwaveringly stands by the Admiral s decision to Uso and increase the concentration of the herbicide. The decision to use agent Orange was the right decision then and will probably prove to be the right decision 20 or 30 years from now Zumwalt Iii said. The Amity says they Are thankful thai Zumwalt is still alive 16 years Afler the War which he May nol Hava been it agent Orange was not used to strip the foliage. Many tires in my Battles i be Felt dose to dying he said. Bui i never had any moments that i said i wish i had t Gona to Vietnam. Many times i just wish i had More  Elmo along with a few Hundred others has suffered a major tragedy the Admiral said. "1 equate it to the kind of thing you have to do to during wartime dropping naval gunfire so close to your own forces thai you lose some lives to hold Back Tho enemy. You take casualties in War in order to reduce casualties. Tuesday. October 19b6 the stars and stripes Page 13