RPCV (Fiji & Mali) writes book on Agent Orange

National Agent Orange Day is August 10. While COVID-19 races through the U.S. population, another invisible killer continues to rage among our already endangered population. Agent Orange continues to contaminate and kill civilians and veterans more than 50 years after spraying. Two Marines, Brent MacKinnon and Sandy Scull, have published a personal account detailing damage done to both body and soul: Agent Orange Roundup: Living with a Foot in Two Worlds.

This tells of the loss of innocence, betrayal and final acceptance of Stage 4 cancer 50 years after their tour of duty. The Department of Veteran Affairs estimates over 300,000 Vietnam Veterans have died from the herbicidal defoliant known as Agent Orange; The Vietnamese casualties are in the millions. This collection of powerful art, prose and poetry captures their journey from the home front, into the meat grinder and the long struggle for recovery.

Lt. Charles “Sandy” Scull, a transpersonal psychologist and Cpl. Brent MacKinnon, M.A. a non-profit nomad, will soon join the hundreds of thousands felled by dioxin. Scull’s poems have appeared in poetry journals and anthologies, and appeared on Book’s TV and Bill Moyers Journal. He appeared on the Oprah Winfrey Show as an expert guest for his anthology,” Father, Sons & Daughters” (Tarcher/Putnam). He and MacKinnon met on a trip in 1988 to Russia and Kazakhstan to offer counsel to veterans of their war in Afghanistan.

MacKinnon has worked with Native Americans, Vietnamese, Latinos, prisoners and CAP poverty projects. He served two tours in the Peace Corps (Fiji 1974-75 & Mali 1978). While in the Marine infantry he was assigned to live alone in the village of Nong Son. That experience began his teaching career.

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The book is available on August 10, 2020 from Amazon, Kindle, and Bookstand Publishing for $19.99.