OPERATION RANCH HAND
Operation
Ranch Hand was a special unit of the Air Force that was utilized
in the Vietnam War from 1962 to 1971. Operation Ranch
Hand sprayed herbicides over areas in South East Asia, using
the herbicides to replace firepower and manpower on the ground,
to remove vegetation covering the Viet Cong and their infiltration
routes and secret bases in the jungle, to destroy crops to deny
the Viet Cong food, and to clear out foliage surrounding transportation
arteries to make ambush more difficult and air attacks easier
(19).
