George Laughton Claxton, died Monday August 22, 2022, in Sandusky, Michigan, after a lengthy illness. Born on April 4, 1943, to Pastor John Claxton and Elizabeth Laughton Claxton, George is survived by his twin, Edwin, and his extended family of fellow veterans and Agent Orange/toxic exposure advocates. A veteran of the Vietnam War, George served his country in the U.S Army from 1965-1970; While in Vietnam, he served a two-year tour with the 25th Infantry Division (Tropic Lightning). Early on, George was quick to recognize the health impact of military toxic exposures, devoting his post-service life to seeking justice for veterans exposed to herbicides while in Vietnam. He served as longtime chair and advisor to Vietnam Veterans of America’s National Agent Orange/Dioxin Committee. In his home state of Michigan, he served for 10 years as State Service Director. His life’s work is deeply entwined with the Agent Orange movement. In 1978, George organized a rally on the steps of the Michigan Capitol to raise attention for the issue, complete with prominent speakers and a shopping cart filled with oranges, each labelled “dioxin.” In response, the State legislature authorized the Michigan Agent Orange Commission and appointed George as a member. The commission contracted a research study of Vietnam veterans and measured for body burden of the toxins from a cross-section of military occupation specialties. The results proved all incountry personnel had been exposed to the toxins. George holds the distinction of being the second individual plaintiff in the 1983class action suit, Re “Agent Orange” Product liability Litigation, which pitted Vietnam veterans against the seven chemical companies who manufactured the herbicides and insecticides used in Vietnam. His filing, Claxton vs Dow Chemical, et. al., was 163-pages long. In the suit against the VA, decided in May 1989 (Nehmer v. Veterans Administration), George was one of ten plaintiffs who was the beneficiary of the court decision forcing the VA to reformulate its Agent Orange adjudication rules. As an advocate for veterans incarcerated, George frequented prisons to dobenefits work for veterans inside, many of whom had severe PTSD. Concerned that the state and VA were failing to provide adequate healthcare to the incarcerated veterans, he persuaded the Michigan Department of Corrections and Veterans Administration medical centers to provide transportation from theprisons to the VA medical centers. The author of the Michigan Physicians Guide on Agent Orange, George holds a BS from Northern Michigan University; he attended Cooley Law School in1974-1975 and 1978-1980. He returned to Vietnam three times toparticipate in the exchange of information with the former enemy and attend First Citizens Conference on Dioxin and Symposium on Herbicides in War. George, a lifetime member of Vietnam Veterans of America, Veterans of Foreign Wars, Disabled American Veterans, American Legion, and AMVETS,gave of himself 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, for a lifetime committed to uncovering truth and delivering justice to those still recovering from their war.Among his many awards are the VVA’s Commendation Medal; he is the sole recipient of the VVA Agent Orange Medal. George spent his days online, compiling the latest research reports on toxicants.He assisted attorneys with their briefs, and when not at his desk, he travelled at his own expense to educate veterans’ families regarding generational health effects of Agent Orange. He was deeply concerned about the birth defects associated with a parent’s exposure to toxins. When told President Obama had signed the children of veterans' toxic research law, he replied, “Yes! we got it!!” Unfortunately, George’s health prevented him from recognizing that President Biden had signed the PACT Law on August 10, 2022. The provisions of the law are what George worked toward his entire adult life. Cremation has taken place and no services are planned at this time.