The Vietnam Experience ... A Soldiers Story, Petaluma CA

Cynthia

The exhibit from birth to marriage to death, must be a real stirring display. As are all of the others 

It is surprising to me that though we witness war and the devastating effects, there is always another war. How little we value others' lives.

Cynthia, This is why I am a subscriber.

Thank you for sharing this moving post. How else would I have everknown anything about the beautiful Kim Thuy and her epic saga set to music? Music, ironically the universal language. Could anything else other than love itself even hope to transcend war.

It is so heart rendering to watch and to realize every lost life was that of a loved and cherished being with heart and soul and a thwarted resolve to live life free of oppression.

Cynthia - Very moving video! I was too young to remember the Viet Nam war but has heard so many stories from friends and family who do remember what it was like as a child of the war. The stories from the my friends who lost their fathers to the war are always the saddest.

"I was 11 years old............"  Somethings just stay with us for life.  I'll come back to watch the video.   My day has been up and down but still perfect.  I can already imagine what the video would do to me and I don't want to end my day in tears.  I'll catch it tomorrow.

Cynthia... I was a teenager, 16, who had just started working in the Wall Street area of NYC during the Vietnam War - the confrontation and riots between the hippies (vets home from the war), and construction workers building the original Twin Towers were heart wrenching.  Too many vets, overdosing on drugs.... it was a terrible time. Yet, I'm glad that at least now, their stories are being told.  They died for our freedom. It's the least we can do to remember them.

My husband "served" America during the Vietnam Conflict -- it was never classified as a War.  My husband was a staunch, flag-waving American citizen.  He never missed a July 4th celebration (and I understand so many were affected in different ways).  He would cut off the television when and if Jane Fonda appeared on the screen.

He suffered from horrible nightmares and he was not a hippie, nor did he use drugs -- he was one of the "lucky" ones.  He was there during the bombing, shooting, sniper attacks in his bunker at night.  He was there during the napalm and he was there when "Agent Orange" WASN'T used.  Our own government would not admit the use of this poison on our own men -- they were expendable.

He was diagnosed with Lung Cancer which he fought for eight long, painful years and near the end of that eight years he was also diagnosed with a second primary cancer -- Kidney Cancer.  He still insisted on having his flag wave on our house and in front of my office.  He fought with The VA for benefits and treatment for eight long years and near the very end of those long, long years, The VA finally admitted, in writing, that his cancers were the result of having been exposed to "Agent Orange".  Finally. . .  They offered him treatment through VA and generously offered to pay him $58.60/month from that point, as compensation for his illness.

Do I need to tell you what he told the VA to do with all that money?  I am thrilled to hear of this wonderful acknowledgement to the men and women who served during the Vietnam Conflict.  Thank you and I apologize for going on so . . .

I will always remember being on my school bus one day and seeing a senior wearing this weird, non fashion bracelet.  I asked her about it and she told me it was for her brother, Michael Paul Burns,  who was still listed MIA in Vietnam.  (This was in the early 80's.)  From that very moment on, I've been 'fascinated' and have had his bracelet with me ever since.

I've had the honor of being to The Wall in DC a few times, I've witnessed Rolling Thunder and had the honor of talking with many Vietnam Vets.  They'll always have a special place in my heart.

 

Hi Cynthia, Thanks for the post. I'm bummed I missed it. I'm a product of the war and have always dealt with mixed feeling about it. One the one hand, it was a terrible war. On the other hand, if it didn't happen, I wouldn't be here. My father, who was in the Navy during the war, met and fell in love with my Vietnamese mother. So, it's an event that I will always be connected to both in a positive way and in a negative way. Very ying/yang.