Published: May 21, 2009 11:09 pm      

Quilt of Tears recalls Agent Orange victims

By Audrey Stanton

REGISTER-HERALD features editor

RAINELLE — Living veterans aren’t the only ones honored in Rainelle this weekend.

Under a large white tent in the town’s industrial park, “The Quilt of Tears” exhibit features a collection of 26 quilts honoring victims of a deadly herbicide used primarily during the Vietnam War.

“It’s an emotional sight for many of the veterans who see it,” said Henry Snyder, a veteran who is suffering for the ill effects of Agent Orange. He and his wife Shelia travel with the exhibit, sharing its message anywhere they can. The Florida couple took over the cause after the widow who started it could no longer do so.

They say hundreds of thousands of Vietnam veterans have suffered and died from the effects of Agent Orange. Yet an accurate figure is anyone’s guess because most cases aren’t traced. They place it around 500,000. Most death certificates list the cause of death as cancer unless a widow states otherwise, the Snyders say.

The quilt panels tell a sad story, one of veterans who returned home but then suffered detrimental effects from serving in Vietnam. These veterans have no permanent memorial. But here, snapshots on fabric show husbands, fathers, grandfathers, little brothers, teachers and others — all of whom died from various cancers linked to Agent Orange. Most of the victims were somewhere between 55 and 58 years of age.

Phrases such as “Sprayed and Betrayed” and “Lovingly remembered, sadly missed” dot the orange panels.

Even children with birth defects linked to the herbicide have their places on these quilts.

“It is emotional,” Shelia Snyder said, “but it’s therapeutic. Many who come here meet others and they talk. They may know someone who died from it, or they may meet others who are sick like they are.

“You can’t forget these guys,” she added. “ ... If we let go, that affects the ones fighting in Iraq right now. We’re standing up for all the troops and how they’re treated. All they want is health care. They’re the ones putting it all on the line for us. They deserve to be taken care of.”

The public is welcome to view the quilt exhibit from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. through Monday.

For more information about Agent Orange, contact the Agent Orange Victims and Widows Support Network at 863-422-7788. Shelia and Henry Snyder are the national directors.