Agent Orange

So the government has finally caved in on the Agent Orange issue, after veterans complained for more than a decade (“House Passes Agent Orange Claims Funding,” Part A, Jan. 30). It would have been nice if the government had done the right thing in the first place, but too little too late is what the Vietnam veteran has come to expect.

Indeed, the action was taken in response to Iraq’s chemical weapons and on behalf of America’s latest crop of war veterans, not because the Vietnam veteran has come to enjoy a renaissance of respect. Let’s face it: The government has treated the Vietnam veterans despicably for many years, and tossing a few crumbs at this late date is slim reason for the bureaucrats to pat themselves on the back and quack about how “healing is afoot.” The anger will never heal.

ROBERT BORDEN, Santa Monica