A veteran remembered

King Herbert Norris, 73, of Chaptico died April 16 at MedStar St. Mary’s Hospital from complications related to cancer. Norris was drafted into the United States Army five days after graduating from high school and was the last person from St. Mary’s County processed for the Vietnam War. He was assigned to the 212th MP Company at Long Bihn ammunitions dump 10 miles northwest of Saigon, but exposure to the toxic defoliant Agent Orange first caused health problems related to his central nervous system in 1979. Southern Maryland News ran a story on King’s exposure to Agent Orange titled “Vet says Agent Orange ‘could knock a dragon out’” in the March 29 edition. He was diagnosed with prostate cancer in 2014. In 2020, he was diagnosed with leukemia, and earlier this year, his cancer returned and metastisized to his spinal column.