In Vietnamese, they say, “Making Peace is a treasure:” Dĩ hoà vi quý. I searched for this gift during a two-month journey from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi in early 2020 and Laos before COVID shook the world. I came to Vietnam for a writing and art residency on the impact of the war and forgiveness. I am a USN Vietnam-era veteran, and though far from combat, the war always haunted my memory and inspired me to be a lifelong peace activist. My primary challenge was to set aside all my assumptions. Landing at the modern airport in Ho Chi Minh City, I quickly realized there had been a seismic change in this country over the past fifty years. Vietnam is rooted in its rich cultural legacy, and it is also a young, vibrant nation on the move, with most people under thirty. Despite the modernity, I saw the legacy of the war: the site of the My Lai massacre, the war museums with the preserved fetuses of the Agent Orange victims, the programs to locate UXOS (unexploded bombs), and the orphanages and vocational schools that care for the children and young adults with Agent Orange. I was wonderstruck by the magnificent vistas from the Mekong Delta, the shimmering green rice fields, Marble Mountain, the serene BaNang mountains, and the two thousand miles of coastline. However, the greatest treasure of this land is the extraordinarily kind, resilient, and welcoming people. It was a great joy to see all the children, from tots to teens playing everywhere, and all the handsome young men and women! I kept asking myself: Why did we (Americans) want to destroy this country and these people? The Agent Orange/dioxin poison remains. The US military sprayed the toxic pesticide throughout the country from 1962-1971, knowing it was toxic to people and the ecosystem. A common fallacy is the Americans were trying to remove the “jungle” foliage and that the herbicide was benign. No, the US intentionally tried to destroy the forests, ecosystem, and farms to force villagers to move to the cities. Agent Orange has affected twenty to twenty-five percent of the land of southern Vietnam, along the length of Laos, and into Cambodia. Even fifty years after the war, children are born with congenital disabilities, and many victims receive no support or compensation. We visited schools and vocational centers like Friendship Village, founded by George Mizo, an American veteran. I played music, spoke with the young adults at the center, and was grateful to see how these people, even with significant disabilities, had so much joy despite their limitations. There is a need for a hundred or more centers like this throughout the country. People need to know the epic struggle of the Vietnamese in their courageous fight for freedom against almost insurmountable odds; their strength and courage is a core part of the Vietnamese identity. The United States had undermined the independence movement since the 1940s and, during WWII, the Viet Minh, under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, aided the US and Allied troops against the Japanese occupation. The French Vichy had collaborated with the Japanese. The Viet Minh bravely fought against the occupation and supported the allies. Nevertheless, the USA reneged on its promise of freedom, rejected Vietnam’s independence, and became mired in an unwinnable war. France, which had occupied Vietnam for one hundred years, was rearmed by the Americans until soundly defeated in 1954 at Dien Bien Phu. This victory led to the eventual collapse of all French colonies. With typical American hubris, the US military refused to accept the Vietnamese victory and continued the war until their defeat in 1973. The Vietnamese struggle for freedom was like David versus Goliath; though they were supported by the Chinese and Russians, it was the North Vietnamese’s grit, courage, and resilience that won the war. The numerous Rambo and American war movies are a pathetic farce and negate the truth of this war. The South Vietnamese government was a corrupt legacy of the French occupation and a puppet of the USA. President Diem was so corrupt the CIA had him assassinated. The Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc immolated himself protesting the war in downtown Saigon on June 11, 1963. His profound sacrifice embodied the courage of the Vietnamese people. In this monumental folly, 58,200 American soldiers were killed and over 150,000 wounded. America’s loss, though tragic, pales to the Vietnamese’ losses: more than two million Vietnamese were killed, a country devastated by decades of war, and millions of people still affected by Agent Orange. The most poignant moment for me was meeting North Vietnamese veterans; even knowing I was a US Navy veteran, there wasn’t any palpable bitterness. Every family in Vietnam has a grandparent, uncle, or relative who was killed in the war. I am humbled by the Vietnamese’s courage, sacrifice, and willingness to forgive. Veterans like Chuck Searcy have worked in Vietnam for twenty years with Agent Orange remediation and removing UXOs (unexploded ordinances). Through the persistent advocacy of Senator Leahy, the USA is helping to clean up some of the most contaminated “hot-spots” sites of Agent Orange. Nevertheless, it’s only a fraction of the aid needed. A key book to understanding the harms inflicted is From Enemies to Partners: Vietnam and Agent Orange by Charles R. Bailey and the movie “People vs. Agent Orange.” This poison affects all the places it was handled and stored: Vietnam, Japan, Okinawa, US military bases, the Philippines, and more. To make peace with our past, we must remediate the damage we’ve done, and those actions are the first steps to forgiveness. The work of cleaning up Agent Orange and removing unexploded ordinances must also occur in Laos and Cambodia. We cannot ignore our responsibility for the war: the destruction of vast forests and ecosystems, cultural and historical treasures that have been lost, and this land shattered by bombs and poisoned by herbicides. The Vietnamese, Laotian, and Cambodian governments urgently need financial assistance for landmine removal and Agent Orange remediation. One
VIETNAM LAOS CAMBODIA: MEDICAL & SCIENTIFIC AID NEWS BULLETIN
Namaya is a Vietnam-era U.S. Navy veteran, a poet and an artist. Though far from combat, the war always haunted his memory and inspired him to be a lifelong peace activist. The following is his essay Vietnam: A Journey to Forgiveness: Legacy of Agent Orange. “In Vietnamese, they say, ‘Making Peace is a treasure’: Dĩ hoà vi quý. I searched for this gift during a two-month journey from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi in early 2020, and to Laos, before COVID shook the world. I came to Vietnam for a writing and art residency on the impact of the war and forgiveness. My primary challenge was to set aside all my assumptions. Landing at the modern airport in Ho Chi Minh City, I quickly realized there had been a seismic change in this country over the past fifty years. Though this country is rooted in its rich cultural legacy, it is also a young, vibrant nation on the move, with most people under thirty. Despite the modernity, I saw the legacy of the war: the site of the My Lai massacre, the war museums with the preserved fetuses of the Agent Orange victims, the programs to locate UXOs (unexploded bombs), and the orphanages and vocational schools that care for the children and young adults with Agent Orange. I was wonderstruck by the magnificent vistas from the Mekong Delta, the shimmering green rice fields, Marble Mountain, the serene Ba Nang mountains, and the two thousand miles of coastline. However, the greatest treasure of this land is the extraordinarily kind, Namaya: veteran, poet and artist. resilient, and welcoming people. It was a great joy to see all the children, from tots to teens playing everywhere, and all the handsome young men and women! I kept asking myself: Why did we (Americans) want to destroy this country and these people? The Agent Orange/dioxin poison remains. The US military sprayed the toxic pesticide throughout the country from 1962-1971, knowing it was toxic to people and the ecosystem. A common fallacy is the Americans were trying to remove the “jungle” foliage and that the herbicide was benign. No, the US intentionally tried to destroy the forests, ecosystem, and farms to force villagers to move to the cities. Agent Orange has affected twenty to twenty-five percent of the land of southern Vietnam, along the length of Laos, and into Cambodia. Even fifty years after the war, children are born with congenital disabilities, and many victims receive no support or compensation. We visited schools and vocational centers like Friendship Village, founded by George Mizo, an American veteran. I played music, spoke with the young adults at the center, and was grateful to see how these people, even with significant disabilities, had so much joy despite their limitations. There is a need for a hundred or more centers like this throughout the country. People need to know the epic struggle of the Vietnamese in their courageous fight for freedom against almost insurmountable odds; this strength and courage is a core part of the Vietnamese identity. The United States had undermined the independence movement since the 1940s. During WWII, the Viet Minh, under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, aided the US and Allied troops against the Japanese occupation. The French Vichy had collaborated with the Japanese during the war, but the Viet Minh bravely fought against the occupation and supported the allies. Nevertheless, the USA reneged on its promise of freedom, rejected Vietnam’s independence, and became mired in an unwinnable war. France, which had occupied Vietnam for one hundred years, was re-armed by the Americans until soundly defeated in 1954 at Dien Bien Phu. This victory led to the eventual collapse of all French colonies. With typical American hubris, the US military refused to accept the Vietnamese victory and continued the war until their defeat in 1973. The Vietnamese struggle for freedom was like David versus Goliath; though they were supported by the Chinese and the Russians, it was the North Vietnamese’s grit, courage, and resilience that won the war. The numerous Rambo and other American war movies are a pathetic farce and negate the truth of this war. The South Vietnamese government was a corrupt legacy of the French occupation and a puppet of the USA. President Diem was so corrupt the CIA had him assassinated. The Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc immolated himself protesting the war in downtown Saigon on June 11, 1963. His profound sacrifice embodied the courage of the Vietnamese people. In this monumental folly, 58,200 American soldiers were killed and over 150,000 wounded. America’s loss, though tragic, pales to the Vietnamese losses: more than two million Vietnamese were killed, a country devastated by decades of war, and millions of people still affected by Agent Orange. The most poignant moment for me was meeting North Vietnamese veterans; even knowing I was a US Navy veteran, there wasn’t any palpable bitterness. Every family in Vietnam has a grandparent, uncle, or relative who was killed in the war. I am humbled by the Vietnamese’s courage, sacrifice, and willingness to forgive. Veterans like Chuck Searcy have worked in Vietnam for twenty years with Agent Orange remediation and removing UXOs (unexploded ordinances). Through the persistent advocacy of Senator Leahy, the USA is helping to clean up some of the most contaminated “hot-spots” sites of Agent Orange. Nevertheless, it is only a fraction of the aid needed. This poison affects all the places it was handled and stored: Vietnam, Japan, Okinawa, US military bases, the Philippines, and more. To make peace with our past, we must remediate the damage we have done, and those actions are the first steps to forgiveness. The work of cleaning up Agent Orange and removing unexploded ordinances must also occur in Laos and Cambodia. We cannot ignore our responsibility for the war: the destruction of vast forests and ecosystems, cultural and historical treasures that have been lost, and this land shattered by bombs and poisoned by herbicides. The Vietnamese, Laotian,
Vietnam: A Journey to Forgiveness: Legacy of Agent Orange
In Vietnamese, they say, “Making Peace is a treasure:” Dĩ hoà vi quý. I searched for this gift during a two-month journey from Ho Chi Minh City to Hanoi in early 2020 and Laos before COVID shook the world. I came to Vietnam for a writing and art residency on the impact of the war and forgiveness. I am a USN Vietnam-era veteran, and though far from combat, the war always haunted my memory and inspired me to be a lifelong peace activist. My primary challenge was to set aside all my assumptions. Landing at the modern airport in Ho Chi Minh City, I quickly realized there had been a seismic change in this country over the past fifty years. Vietnam is rooted in its rich cultural legacy, and it is also a young, vibrant nation on the move, and most people under thirty. Despite the modernity, I saw the legacy of the war: the site of the My Lai massacre, the war museums with the preserved fetuses of the Agent Orange victims, the programs to locate UXOS (unexploded bombs), and the orphanages and vocational schools that care for the children and young adults with Agent Orange. I was wonderstruck by the magnificent vistas from the Mekong Delta, the shimmering green rice fields, Marble Mountain, the serene BaNang mountains, and the two thousand miles of coastline. However, the greatest treasure of this land is the extraordinarily kind, resilient, and welcoming people. It was a great joy to see all the children, from tots to teens playing everywhere, and all the handsome young men and women! I kept asking myself: Why did we (Americans) want to destroy this country and these people? The Agent Orange/dioxin poison remains. The US military sprayed the toxic pesticide throughout the country from 1962-1971, knowing it was toxic to people and the ecosystem. A common fallacy is the Americans were trying to remove the “jungle” foliage and that the herbicide was benign. No, the US intentionally tried to destroy the forests, ecosystem, and farms to force villagers to move to the cities. Agent Orange has affected twenty to twenty-five percent of the land of southern Vietnam, along the length of Laos, and into Cambodia. Even fifty years after the war, children are born with congenital disabilities, and many victims receive no support or compensation. We visited schools and vocational centers like Friendship Village, founded by George Mizo, an American veteran. I played music, spoke with the young adults at the center, and was grateful to see how these people, even with significant disabilities, had so much joy despite their limitations. There is a need for a hundred or more centers like this throughout the country. People need to know the epic struggle of the Vietnamese in their courageous fight for freedom against almost insurmountable odds; their strength and courage is a core part of the Vietnamese identity. The United States had undermined the independence movement since the 1940s and, during WWII, the Viet Minh, under the leadership of Ho Chi Minh, aided the US and Allied troops against the Japanese occupation. The French Vichy had collaborated with the Japanese. The Viet Minh bravely fought against the occupation and supported the allies. Nevertheless, the USA reneged on its promise of freedom, rejected Vietnam’s independence, and became mired in an unwinnable war. France, which had occupied Vietnam for one hundred years, was rearmed by the Americans until soundly defeated in 1954 at Dien Bien Phu. This victory led to the eventual collapse of all French colonies. With typical American hubris, the US military refused to accept the Vietnamese victory and continued the war until their defeat in 1973. The Vietnamese struggle for freedom was like David versus Goliath; though they were supported by the Chinese and Russians, it was the North Vietnamese’s grit, courage, and resilience that won the war. The numerous Rambo and American war movies are a pathetic farce and negate the truth of this war. The South Vietnamese government was a corrupt legacy of the French occupation and a puppet of the USA. President Diem was so corrupt the CIA had him assassinated. The Buddhist monk Thich Quang Duc immolated himself protesting the war in downtown Saigon on June 11, 1963 and his profound sacrifice embodied the courage of the Vietnamese people. In this monumental folly, 58,200 American soldiers were killed and over 150,000 wounded. America’s loss, though tragic, pales to the Vietnamese’ losses: more than two million Vietnamese were killed, a country devastated by decades of war, and millions of people still affected by Agent Orange. The most poignant moment for me was meeting North Vietnamese veterans; even knowing I was a US Navy veteran, there wasn’t any palpable bitterness. Every family in Vietnam has a grandparent, uncle, or relative who was killed in the war. I am humbled by the Vietnamese’s courage, sacrifice, and willingness to forgive. Veterans like Chuck Searcy have worked in Vietnam for twenty years with Agent Orange remediation and removing UXOs (unexploded ordinances). Through the persistent advocacy of Senator Leahy, the USA is helping to clean up some of the most contaminated “hot-spots” sites of Agent Orange. Nevertheless, it’s only a fraction of the aid needed. A key book to understanding the harms inflicted is From Enemies to Partners: Vietnam and Agent Orange by Charles R. Bailey and the movie “People vs. Agent Orange.” This poison affects all the places it was handled and stored: Vietnam, Japan, Okinawa, US military bases, the Philippines, and more. To make peace with our past, we must remediate the damage we’ve done, and those actions are the first steps to forgiveness. The work of cleaning up Agent Orange and removing unexploded ordinances must also occur in Laos and Cambodia. We cannot ignore our responsibility for the war: the destruction of vast forests and ecosystems, cultural and historical treasures that have been lost, and this land shattered by bombs and poisoned by herbicides. The Vietnamese, Laotian, and Cambodian governments urgently need financial assistance for landmine removal and Agent Orange remediation. One
My Lai Prayers Jan 2020
Mothers were cooking rice porridge breakfast on the wood stoves, children laughing and singing, and fathers getting ready to work in the rice paddies. Then American soldiers descended on this village and in a few hours they executed 504 men, women, and children. The women and girls were raped. War came and went, one conqueror after another, the Chinese, French, Americans, but the rice farmers’ life was largely immune to the turns and twists of empires except on that day, March 16, 1968. Few soldiers showed remorse, “We were following orders.” said the soldiers. Few held to account for the murders, and eventually, all the soldiers were acquitted. What compels soldiers to turn into soulless creatures devoid of humanity? Today, fifty-one years later I slowly walk through My Lai village my eyes filled with tears. I walk along the paths with the footprints of the men, women, and children fleeing in panic from the soldiers. My steps are a prayer and meditation. The sky is serenely blue. Songs of the birds fill the morning air. Are they the souls of the people killed? The profusion of pink and purple flowers and a hint of jasmine belies the tragedy. There is a large brass Buddhist bell. I toll this sonorous bell and light incense. I am empty and alone with my thoughts and the memories of these people. I have no poetic or holy words to heal the insanity. There is only one word that roars back to me Why? Namaya 2020- bio: Namaya is a poet and artist, a Vietnam era veteran, and a lifelong peace activist. www.namayaproductions.com
Vietnam: I am the generation of Witness and Fire
Shroud of War: Invocation I am the Vietnam generation. I am the generationof witness and fire. I was a hospital corpsman during the Vietnam Warand, though far from combat,the war hauntsme and my generation. This war of decades ago,and unending warsof the American war machineshrouds my waking hours. Vietnam: Fire. Redemption. Love. I am the Vietnam Generation. I hold the memory of two millionVietnamese children, men, and womenkilled during the War of Liberation. I hold the memoryof 58,229 Americanand 55,000 French soldiers killed.Not killed for patriotism.Not killed to save a nation.Sacrificed for the Industrial War Machine. How do we care for themillions of wounded soldiers and childrenmaimed with bombs and Agent Orange?How do we make contrition for the400,000 Vietnamese killed by Agent Orange? Can we restorethis land destroyed by bombsand Agent Orange? How many generationswill it take to heal this country? Is there a salve that cansoothe the scars of napalm bombs?Is there a salve that will healthe skin of those burned with phosphorous? When will we Americanscare for the thousands ofchildren deformed born today? When will there be contrition? When will we atone forMy Lai and the unknown massacres? While Dow Chemical’s napalmincinerated Vietnamand burned people alive the chairman of Dow ChemicalCarl A. Gerstackerplayed golf on immaculate green lawns. While Monsanto gained fortunes forits stockholders with Agent Orange. The war profiteers made theirpoisons and guns to destroy Vietnamand proclaimed the greatness of democracy. While Nixon scuttled a peace deal in 1968so he could get elected.While McNamara formulated the calculus of war.Eisenhower, Kennedy, Johnson, Kissinger, and all the architects of monumental hubrisstoked the furnace of war. While those safe in draft deferments,protested the warthe poor and working-class young menwere sucked into the vortex of conscription. How do we care for the thousandsof homeless veteransnow huddled on the streets? I don’t want to be known asthe Woodstock generationwith its ephemera of peace and love.I want us to hold in our bonesthe imperative of peace and contrition. Do we have the courage to benddown on our knees insupplication? How do we heal thethe evil of war? Noble Saints of Peace You are the warriors of the higher conscience,who refused to march off to war. You are the noble saints of peacewho came to Vietnam and cared for the children.You are the soldiers who returned and are nowworking for justice in Vietnam. You are the four students at Kent State shot dead bysoldiers while they protested against the war. The courageous monks, driven mad with pain,burned themselves alive to stop the war. To those who chose prison over waryou are the noble saints of peace. Your acts of resistance and loveshines with fearless courage. Witness: Cambodia I journeyed to Cambodia, where the genocide and killing fieldswere created by the American war machine. Twenty-five percent ofCambodians killed.The soul of a nationdestroyed by genocide. Children born afterthe Americans went safely homeare still maimed and killed by landmines.Children in wheel-chairs begging.Eyes famished for hope and asked us,“Please, help.” Where is our mercy and justice?How is their forgiveness?Where is our contrition? The killing fields and landminesare underfoot as I walk through the Mekong. Laos, Cambodia, and Vietnamare strewn with landmines and Agent Orange. Landmines dropped by B-52sin a rain of evil, blacker than evil itself. Where is the shamethat should burn in our soul?Where is our repentance? Where is our courage to end all war? Laos Beautiful innocent Laos. Nestledin the mountains, ancient Buddhist land,still infested with landmines thatdestroy and maim children decades after the war. Today, I walk through the rice paddies,our guides point us to the right path,but there are no signs, no guidepoststo the landmines. I met the children at the hospitalwith their legs blown off by landmines, andother children without hands and armsmaimed by cluster bombs. Are we shamed by our deeds?When will we bend to our kneesto beg for forgiveness? When will we heal the sins of war? The Industrial War Machine Vietnam, Panama, Grenada, Iraq, Yemen,Afghanistan, Pakistan, and all our wars is the necklace of our war machinemade from the skulls of children. We have raped and ravagedcountries around the globe. Our trillion dollar platinum platedwar machine is lacquered withthe blood and bones of its victims. When will we oppose war andinvest this treasure in ending poverty? When we willend our desire for the false profits of war? We, the Woodstock generation,born in the shadows and fire of war.We saw the nightly newswith the daily tallies of death,while our brothers and kinwe’re killed for a war of lies. What of the greater love? Humility?Contrition?Atonement? I am the Vietnam generation.I am the generation of witness and fire. Tune in! My soul is no longer on ice. I burn with the shameOf our wars! Our shame should burn as brightas the phosphorous bombsthat we dropped in Vietnam I burn with rage! I don’t want our generation to beknown for the delusionsof pot and drugs, turn on,tune in, drop out, the fogof forgetting. I need us to be thethe generation of remembrance. We were born in the fire ofNagasaki and Hiroshima, in the ashes ofthe Korean War and the inextricablenightmare of Vietnam. The path to contrition How will our actions ofatonement and justicelead to healing? How will we become the generation of contrition? We are the Vietnam generation. We are the generationof witness and fire. NamayaMay 2021 See More…
