For them, the most worthwhile thing to do now is to find a way to ease the pain and loss, heal the unhealed wounds of war, and move towards the best things between the people of Vietnam and the United States.
Light hearted, when back
“I feel relieved and happy to see that the Vietnamese people are living in peace. Your country, compared to the war, has really changed rapidly,” Peter Mathews, an American veteran who participated in the Vietnam War and is now over 70 years old, shared with tears in his eyes right after arriving in Vietnam, setting foot in Ho Chi Minh City in February 2023 for the first time after nearly half a century since the war ended.
Relieved, also by the friendliness that the Vietnamese people showed him when he returned to the place where he fought 60 years ago. More than half a century ago, when he returned from the war, Peter Mathews said he had to face a psychological crisis for a long time, and had to drink alcohol to try to forget the not-so-good memories of the war.
American veteran Peter Mathews came directly to Ky Xuan commune to present a souvenir book to the relatives of martyr Cao Van Tuat.
And the most comforting thing for Peter Mathews is that this trip helped him return the diary that he had kept with him for 56 years. Peter Mathews said he found a small notebook in a backpack of a Vietnamese soldier when he participated in the campaign in Dak To, Kon Tum in 1967. This information was later shared by Vietnamese media and social networking sites with the hope that the souvenir would be returned to its owner.
Fortunately, the diary contained quite complete information. The Military Command of Ha Tinh province coordinated with relevant units to verify the information and later confirmed that the diary belonged to martyr Cao Van Tuat in Cao Thang village (Ky Xuan commune, Ky Anh district). Thanks to that, in February 2023, the American veteran had the opportunity to return to Vietnam.
“I felt guilty for keeping the diary for so long. I understood that it was unfair to the parents and family of martyr Cao Van Tuat - who always wanted to receive the mementos of their loved ones back,” Peter Mathews confided.
Having returned the diary to its owner's relatives, Peter Mathews shared with the Vietnamese press that: "Part of me feels relieved" . And that, "after this trip, I think I can return home, close the door, close the past and start talking about the good things in this country, instead of the war" .
Wish to cooperate and help Vietnamese people more
That is the thought that American veteran John Terzano has shared many times when returning to the S-shaped country. To the Vietnamese press, John Terzano has long been a familiar name because this US Navy veteran who fought in Vietnam from 1970 to 1974 was one of the US veterans who led the effort to normalize Vietnam-US relations several decades ago.
Mr. John Terzano talks with President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations Nguyen Phuong Nga.
John Terzano, along with John Kerry and Bobby Muller, were also active members of the organization “Vietnam Veterans Against the War” (VVAW), co-founders of the organization “Vietnam Veterans of America” (VVA-1978) and the Vietnam Veterans of America Foundation (VVAF-1982). “My close friend Bobby Muller and I worked hard in Washington DC, demanding that the US Government have policies and support for our veterans, former comrades as well as Vietnamese people exposed to Agent Orange” - John Terzano recounted.
Recently, in January 2023, John Terzano was a member of a delegation of 26 international delegates from 15 countries, who directly or indirectly supported Vietnam in the resistance war against the US, to Vietnam on the occasion of participating in activities commemorating the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Paris Agreement on ending the war and restoring peace in Vietnam.
For John Terzano, with Vietnam, it is not only the “kindness, goodness and openness” that he felt so clearly when coming to this land but also the admiration for the bravery and spirit. Mr. John Terzano shared that he and other American veterans realized that the war of the past could not harm the hearts and minds of the Vietnamese people. Vietnam continues to move forward with its own capacity and ability. And after visiting the S-shaped country, veterans like him returned with the desire to cooperate and help the Vietnamese people more.
Join hands to heal the wounds of war
“The massacre in Son My was a crime. My participation in the Vietnam War was a mistake, a crime, and that crime contributed to causing much suffering, grief, and death for the Vietnamese people. Returning to the US and thinking about what I did, I cannot erase the memory. The important thing is that I look forward to the future, to peace, to join hands to heal the wounds of war in Vietnam,” said Mike Boehm, an American veteran who fought in the Vietnam War.
In 1969, after returning to the US, Roy Mike Boehm's mind was still haunted by the brutality of war, especially the massacre in My Lai hamlet, Son My village, Son Tinh district, Quang Ngai province, even though he did not participate.
For the past 30 years, American veteran Mike Boehm and his friends have traveled to remote areas of Quang Ngai to help poor women and children in difficult circumstances.
Also because of that haunting feeling, for the past 30 years, Mike Boehm has been a person who has been attached to, accompanied and helped the women of Son My and Quang Ngai province, so familiar that the people here call him "Mr. Mai of women" . For the past 30 years, he and the Madison Quakers, Inc. Organization have coordinated with the Quang Ngai Women's Union to organize many activities to support livelihoods and social security for poor women and children in the province.
Activities such as preferential loans, building charity houses, giving bicycles, scholarships, and clean water with a total cost of more than 3.8 billion VND. Through that, many families have escaped poverty, stabilized their lives, and strived to develop the economy. "I hope my small actions contribute to easing the pain of war in Vietnam" - the American veteran confided.
Especially since 1992, he returned to Son My for the first time and every year after that, he has been present at the Memorial Ceremony for the day 504 Son My compatriots were massacred. Every year, this American veteran often wears ao dai, traditional Vietnamese turban, to Son My to play a violin to commemorate the victims of the massacre, the song is called "Ashokan Farewell" (Farewell Ashokan).
“Every time I come here, I feel very sad so I often play the violin to remember the past and wish for a better future,” said Mike Boehm. With the concept of “returning to Vietnam is like coming home,” the veteran’s greatest wish, with the sound of the violin and his efforts to share, is to heal some of the wounds of war that his country has caused in Vietnam; at the same time, he sends a message calling on people around the world to live compassionately and peacefully. “All the past is linked to the future, but we should put the past aside and look towards the future together. I find that the Vietnamese people are much stronger than I thought,” said Mike Boehm.
Thu Ha
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