Video: Vietnam, Looking for Home
I, Gia, which means family, have just discovered an article about the Vietnam War. What I’ve read, I have never heard from my parents or in school. In just one generation older than I, you could find many who fought in the War. A war that was regrettable and destroyed many families. Hundreds of people were missing and many were political prisoners. I feel so betrayed to only have been taught one side of the story. My view of history is not accurate.
Our leaders are wrong to not teach both sides of the story. We need to learn both perspectives to learn and grow. The majority of our population is now under 30 years old and have never been taught about the civil war. We have a distorted view of our history. Should our government decide what we learn? The government remains cautious about what gets aired and is under constant watchfulness. We need more freedom to speak so we can continue to transform.
I dream of a future filled with hope and promise. We need to open ourselves up to the world so we can compete globally. We hosted 2.5 million tourists last year; we are a safe place to visit and want the world to see. And although the city is growing at a feverish pace, there is still much work to be done in the country. I know of a farmer who produced 2 tons of rice last year, earning only $130.
I’m sure there are many that survived the horrors of war, some that can probably still hear and feel the bombings in their nightmares. But, we are a hopeful people but have difficulty adopting to change. We need to embrace our past so we can move forward in today’s global environment.
Wednesday, April 29, 2009
Post #1
President Kennedy’s News Conference from February 7, 1962
http://www.vietnamwar.net/JFK-2.htm
President Kennedy responded to the press regarding their question on American Involvement in South Vietnam. The question was: "Mr. President, there seems to be some doubt, at least on the local level and in the region where this is going on, as to the right of the American people and the rest of the world to know the extent of the battle in South Vietnam. Could you tell us, sir, what the situation is there? How deeply are we involved in what seems to be a growing war and what are the rights of the people to know what our forces are doing?"
The President’s response was factual and straight forward. He simply stated: “There is a war going on in South Vietnam.” He went on to share information on the number of casualties which numbered over 500 in the last week. An astonishing number of killings that happened by bombings and assassinations. It was brutal, fierce guerilla warfare. He stated that it was a war of increasing ferocity. The word ferocity is quite descriptive as it shows the extent of how turbulent the situation was that was leading to the high casualties.
While I try to grasp the number of casualties in a week, I put it into perspective with the number of students at our school. They lost soldiers that would total almost the entire junior class in one week. These young men were sons and brothers, and possibly husbands and fathers. The impact reached far beyond the battle field. The lives of many home and abroad were changed forever.
The President’s response addressed the need for the American people to know what was happening and our political position. He was careful to point out though that he could not compromise the mission and release any information that could be used by our enemies against us. The mission itself, freedom, is what we as American’s hold so dear. Freedom, the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraint. Do we live with the same passion for freedom that our forefathers did? I think not. We take for granted many of the freedoms that men and women have died for. It is a great article to reflect on our freedoms and how fortunate we are to be Americans.
http://www.vietnamwar.net/JFK-2.htm
President Kennedy responded to the press regarding their question on American Involvement in South Vietnam. The question was: "Mr. President, there seems to be some doubt, at least on the local level and in the region where this is going on, as to the right of the American people and the rest of the world to know the extent of the battle in South Vietnam. Could you tell us, sir, what the situation is there? How deeply are we involved in what seems to be a growing war and what are the rights of the people to know what our forces are doing?"
The President’s response was factual and straight forward. He simply stated: “There is a war going on in South Vietnam.” He went on to share information on the number of casualties which numbered over 500 in the last week. An astonishing number of killings that happened by bombings and assassinations. It was brutal, fierce guerilla warfare. He stated that it was a war of increasing ferocity. The word ferocity is quite descriptive as it shows the extent of how turbulent the situation was that was leading to the high casualties.
While I try to grasp the number of casualties in a week, I put it into perspective with the number of students at our school. They lost soldiers that would total almost the entire junior class in one week. These young men were sons and brothers, and possibly husbands and fathers. The impact reached far beyond the battle field. The lives of many home and abroad were changed forever.
The President’s response addressed the need for the American people to know what was happening and our political position. He was careful to point out though that he could not compromise the mission and release any information that could be used by our enemies against us. The mission itself, freedom, is what we as American’s hold so dear. Freedom, the power to act or speak or think without externally imposed restraint. Do we live with the same passion for freedom that our forefathers did? I think not. We take for granted many of the freedoms that men and women have died for. It is a great article to reflect on our freedoms and how fortunate we are to be Americans.
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