How did agent orange help and harm the US?

please help me with this one. i know that it was a plant killer but how did that help/harm the U.S?

How did agent orange help and harm the US?
It was intended to clear jungle, fields and brush to make it easier to find %26amp; destroy the Viet Cong but it was not successful so it did not help much.


It besmirched the reputation of the US by the use of toxic chemicals - chemical warfare - setting a precedent for Saddam Hussein in his attacks on the Kurds. The chemicals ruined productive agricutural land and caused birth defects among humans and animals , the effects of which are being felt in Vietnam to this day. iI has probably caused permanent genetic damage in some people the effects of which could last for generations.
Reply:Agent orange helped by defoliating the jungles in Viet Nam, it hurt because of the affects of long term exposure to the agent. Exposure to agent orange caused health problems.