Fifty years ago, during the Vietnam War, the United States sprayed more than 20 million gallons of herbicides over the lush countryside of Vietnam. The chemicals used, contaminated with dioxin, had such a horrific effect, it can only be described as "chemical warfare." It has been a half-century since that divisive war. In the US, it is an increasingly distant memory. Younger generations only know of it through history books, news footage and the stories of their grandparents. They have no idea that the war has never really ended. In Vietnam, it has seeped into the soil, contaminated the water and food supply, and corrupted the very DNA of the Vietnamese children. One in 10 children born in Central Vietnam has a serious birth defect that can be linked to environmental toxins. Many become orphans because their parents can't care for them. And birth defects are common among the children of American veterans who served in Vietnam. My name is Laura Ellis, and I am a surgeon and wellness doctor. I believe that the environment, and its impact on our health, is the key issue of our time. I have a story to tell… but it's not the story you think it is. It is not a story of blame, or condemnation or despair. This is a story of hope… a story of how the world community—with the Vietnamese people—is dealing with, and learning from, the devastating aftermath of chemical warfare.