Written by Sarah Kohl, University of Vermont Larner College of Medicine Class of 2026
One of the exhibits focused on the effects of Agent Orange. I found that exhibit really interesting for several reasons. First, I learned that the long-term and congenital effects of dioxin poisoning are seen through several generations. There were deformities seen in the fourth-generation after exposure to Agent Orange. There were so many different types of congenital abnormalities that I had never seen or heard of which was fascinating from a medical perspective.
While in that exhibit, there were a few children running around, commenting on how "weird" the people in the pictures looked. I was really conflicted about having kids in that museum. On the one hand, it is important to expose kids to history at a young age and not hide away the horrible things that have happened in the past. But also, I think they need to have the emotional capacity and enough maturity to be able to see those pictures and understand their meaning.
Sitting from left to right: Dr Mariah McNamara, Sarah Kohl (UVMLCOM MS1), Kristyne Drozdz (RUSM MS4), Kevin Ito (UVMLCOM MS1)
Going to the museum was very eye-opening for me. I learned a lot, more than I thought I would to be honest. I am embarrassed that I was so ignorant about so many things around the war but I am glad that I was able to learn more and really see how awful the war was for everyone. I feel like I have greater context for Vietnamese-American relations and I want to keep learning more because it is so important to have a strong understanding of history. It all felt much more real and I was surprised by the visceral emotions I experienced.
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