At the invitation of the United States Institute of Peace, Attorney Nguyen Xuan Binh, Vice President of the Vietnam Association for Supporting Families of Fallen Soldiers, and his delegation went to attend the 2nd Annual Dialogue Conference on Peace and War Legacies in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia. During this trip, Attorney Nguyen Xuan Binh had a few emotional notes.

The Relic Helmet and Veteran Bob Conner

On Saturday morning, September 16 (US time), we left Washington DC for New York. The American veterans met in Philadelphia to present a memento of a Vietnamese martyr.

At 8am, the car picked us up at the Shakespeare Theater. After about 2 hours of driving, we arrived in Philadelphia. Along the way, we connected and kept in touch with Mr. Bob Conner, 76 years old, a US veteran.

The travel agency's car only gave us 1 hour so everything had to be urgent and precise.

Finally, we met at the famous Liberty Bell, considered a symbol of the free world. This bell once rang to call the people of Philadelphia to hear the Declaration of Independence of the United States and also rang to signal the end of slavery.

The author attended the 2nd Annual Dialogue Conference on Peace and War Legacies in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

I walked over and took a quick photo with the special bell. When I walked out, I saw my old friend Bob Conner standing there.

Thang and Tien, two younger brothers in the same group who had a relationship before and had worked a lot with Mr. Bob, stepped forward to hug him, touched and happy.

A short while later, 77-year-old veteran Richard Magner, whom we had just met in Washington DC, also drove 2 hours to arrive. I was introduced as the Vice President of the Association for Supporting Families of Vietnamese Martyrs.

After a firm handshake, Mr. Bob emotionally told me that his brother had died in Vietnam. He felt attached to and loved the country and people of Vietnam. He wanted to contribute to the search and identification of martyrs' graves in Vietnam.

I shook his hand again, sharing with him the sad memories of my fallen brother. At the same time, I thanked him for his contribution to the search and identification of the martyr's grave. We also promised to work together more closely for this meaningful work.

With limited time, Bob Conner was moved to give us the pith helmet, with the soldier’s name and enlistment date still engraved on it… My brothers and I received it, cherished it, and treasured the priceless keepsake. At the same time, we pledged to find the best way to deliver it to the martyr’s family.

Later, Thang and his brothers started to research, synthesize, and screen and initially identified a martyr's family that satisfied all the information.

Visit New York, see the Statue of Liberty

This is not my first time in New York, so the feeling from my last visit, more than a decade ago, suddenly comes flooding back.

New York welcomed us with a bustling stream of cars. Several hundred-year-old iron bridges, still elegant and sturdy, connected the past and present.

The bus took us straight to the ferry. It was packed. Tourists of all ages and skin colors were excited.

The sea breeze was cool. The sun was shining brightly. After a while, the music played a happy, lively tune. Hundreds of young people on the deck sang along. Lively, wonderful!

The city on both sides of the river with skyscrapers, modern and strong attract tourists' eyes.

The ferry sailed around New York Bay. It passed close to Liberty Island. People were amazed and happily took pictures.

The pith helmet of a Vietnamese soldier in the United States.

The Statue of Liberty, full English name is Liberty Enlightening the World. This is a gift from the French people to the United States, so the Statue also has the French name La Liberté Éclairant le Monde.

For over 100 years, the Goddess has stood there, torch raised high. True freedom has always been the burning desire of every person, of every nation, the desire of all mankind!

The ferry passed by, I asked my friend standing next to me on the deck to take some souvenir photos with a beautiful symbol of freedom.

I want to tell my friends around me that I come from Hanoi, Vietnam, the resting place of the One with the immortal truth: "Nothing is more precious than Independence and Freedom" (Ho Chi Minh).

Yes, let independence come to every nation, let friendship sprout and flourish under the light of freedom shining everywhere!

Vietnamnet.vn