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Vets 'Bust' Chemical Plant

By Milwaukee VVAW

On July 12, 1984, the Hercules Chemical Plant in Milwaukee was turned in by a neighbor for a possible chemical spill. There were 3 alarms worth of fire trucks including the hazardous material unit.

The next day Milwaukee VVAW received a phone call from one of its members whose "Nam vet brother lives by the factory. He remembered the Agent Orange demonstration of May and knew we were out for Hercules' blood.

The VVAW Chapter met on Sunday and, armed with the informant's information, two members volunteered to look into what had happened. One member got the copy of the chief officer's alarm report and it looked like a possible leak of PCl3 (phosphorous trichloride); we thought we smelled a cover-up. Another VVAW brother researched the procedure of how to report this to the Department of Natural Resources (toxic waste pumping) and we were on our way.

With the May 7th sellout of the Agent Orange court case to the chemical companies by the lawyers, we wanted the hide of Hercules Chemical.

To make a long story short, only one gallon was spilled and the gas cloud witnessed that night was only fog. The chemical plant was able to prove only one gallon was lost. So VVAW did not get our revenge, but our eyes are glued on them.

—Milwaukee VVAW