Rainbow Death

This poem is written by Hubert Wilson, a soldier from Vietnam, sent by the US government in 1955 to prevent the spread of communism, which they ultimately failed in. However, in the process, there was much damage done to the country and casualties among the population.

USA attempted to use its technology to defeat the enemy and sap their morale. It acheived only the opposite effect. It made the enemy's will to fight even stronger while the public back in America was horrified by the violence dealt to the Vietnamese. They used herbicidal warfare. The defoliants, which were distributed in drums marked with color-coded bands, included the "Rainbow Herbicides"— Agent Pink, Agent Green, Agent Purple, Agent Blue, Agent White, and the most famous Agent Orange. They destroy crops, but most cruelly of all, they cause severe health problems to people, but don't kill them, leading to lifelong suffering.

The poem talks about all of these chemical agents and the effects on the people. More often than not, innocent civilians are hit and not the communists, because they have made adequate preparations. Also some US soldiers are affected, leading to widespread collateral damage. The effects may not have been felt immediately, but after the war, many veterans were unable to return to normality - normal life as an American

Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Agent_orange
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vietnam_war