Visualizing Identity: Defoliant, Heroism, and the Images of Operation Ranch Hand

This dissertation explores how visual rhetoric influences both group identity and decision-making within groups. It specifically investigates the visuals utilized during the Vietnam War by the pilots of Operation Ranch Hand, known to themselves and others simply as “Ranch Hands.” The Ranch Hands’ primary mission involved spraying toxic herbicides with the dual objectives of clearing the dense Vietnamese jungle for military access and destroying enemy crops. The study tracks the development and adoption of key visuals employed by the Ranch Hands, illustrating how these visuals not only shaped the group's identity but also left a lasting impact on their actions. I argue two primary points in this dissertation. First, visuals play a dual role in establishing and upholding group identity—both by summoning a specific identity and by making that identity visible. The visuals used by the Ranch Hands were not just passive reflections; instead, they actively crafted and sustained an elite-hero identity intricately linked to defoliant. Second, the identity formed through a group's visuals sets expectations for member behavior. The Ranch Hands' elite hero identity demanded actions in line with that status to maintain the credibility of their identity. For them, this translated into actively seeking risky situations and vehemently defending the safety of defoliant. This defense of defoliant safety persisted decades after the war ended, even in the face of scientific evidence to the contrary.

Embargo status: Restricted until 06/2174. To request the author grant access, click on the PDF link to the left.