danausmc
10-01-2006, 08:33 PM
IT’S THE KIDS
During the years of the Viet Nam War, one of the things that stood out the most was the love of our soldiers for the Vietnamese children. It’s too bad but many Americans, even to this day, believed that their own soldiers enjoyed shooting women and children. These were their own sons we’re talking about. Since the main stream media ignored how their soldiers really related to the Vietnamese children and much of the information coming out of the entertainment industry defamed our sons in uniform, it’s no wonder people were so profoundly and negatively informed. Consider the movie Born on the Fourth of July, which is a typical example. That movie portrayed our troopers as being almost uniformly baby killers. In recent years Viet Nam vets have frequently been invited into school classrooms to tell their experiences in order to give students a first hand insight into that period of our history. When open for questions of the vet, very commonly the first two questions are, “How many people did you kill?’ and, “How many babies did you kill?” It is so tragic that even our own children have this twisted perception because the exact opposite happens to be the truth (with rare exceptions).
I, personally, with virtually all Viet Nam vets, remember clearly how children would run up to them, even out in the jungle villages as well as the larger towns, so they could hold the hands of the GIs, have their picture taken with them and, of course, receive more candy and gum than was really good for their health. I was one of many chaplains, officers, NCOs, and soldiers who supported orphanages, children’s homes and schools, hospitals, and even leprosariums which commonly housed whole families. Indeed, with few exceptions, the children of Viet Nam truly loved American soldiers. I could talk on about soldiers risking, or even sacrificing, their very lives for the sake of the kids. I could talk from first hand about how the enemy used kids as shields while they shot at the Americans because they knew the Americans did not want to shoot back, and would only do so under the most extreme combat situations. (If you doubt what I’m saying, then you just weren’t there and you don’t know. So please keep an open mind).
“So what,” you say? “What does that have to do with anything? The Viet Nam War was over a long time ago.” My response is two-fold: Number one, I’ve learned from many personal observations, reports from friends who visit Viet Nam, and from other reliable sources, that the Vietnamese people today, as we speak, truly love and highly regard the American people. This is particularly true for Viet Nam vets who once fought on their soil. It’s common knowledge that well over half of the Vietnamese people today weren’t even born until after the conclusion of that war. Yet even these young people show a strong regard for Americans. If you doubt what I say, I suggest you go over there as a tourist, which is easy to do, and find out for yourself. Many of my personal friends and associates do just that. Many of these are Viet Nam vets. So it is my opinion that, even though Viet Nam today is still a highly regimented society run by a highly oppressive government, the people have many benefits, liberties, and personal aspirations which they could not possibly experience had it not been for the selfless role of the American soldier on behalf of them and their children (who are now mature adults).
My number two response to the “so what?” question is this: Through news sources, internet email from soldiers in Iraq, personal relationships with many soldiers returning from Iraq, and other reliable sources, it is clear that much of the Viet Nam experience is being repeated now with our young uniformed men and women in Iraq. Soldiers are swarmed by kids when they go on patrol and when they visit the civilian community. Whenever the children can get to a GI, they do. Sure, they get their candy, just like the old days of Viet Nam. But kids still love American soldiers, want to be around them, and clearly understand that American soldiers love them too. For their own reasons the media vastly overplays the ugly, however true, aspects of the war in Iraq, which is shame on them. In similar proportion, they downplay the beautiful, yes beautiful, relationships and bonding that forms between our sons and daughters, and our grandsons and granddaughters in uniform, with the children they are fighting for. They are committed so these kids can aspire to a life better than anything they’ve known so far.
A further and profound reality that I predict, is that twenty, thirty, forty years from now and after the final battle of Iraqi Freedom, the children will be grown, the country will be more stable (hopefully, much more stable), and the people will have strong memories of and even bonds with those troopers who fought to give them opportunity to make a new life and gain a new hope for themselves.
So are we seeing history repeat itself? Yes, we are. Are we learning from these lessons of history? It’s too early to tell. Are the Vietnamese people better off because our soldiers walked there? Overall, yes they are - just go and see for yourself. Are they as well off as they would be if things had been handled better? Of course not. So let’s learn from that experience and do better with the Iraqis. At least let’s recognize that our soldiers, both men and women this time, are our kids and grandkids. They love the Iraqi kids and the Iraqi kids love them. So whatever our politics of the war, it is clear that this relationship between the younger generations will benefit us all for a long time to come - from both the American and the Iraqi points of view.
I’ll close with one more thought about children. I’m sure we all agree with the obvious, that children are our future. How a nation’s children turn out will determine the course and character of that country, whether Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan or any other. We should be proud and honored that this generation of men and women in uniform have such a love for children, wherever they are. Personally, I believe these values come from our Judeo-Christian heritage of a strong regard for human life, especially the lives of innocents such as children. Whether or not you are Christian or even religious in your orientation, I believe it’s valuable to be reminded of what Jesus had to say about how important children are. He said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Mark 10:14-15 NIV).
I’m so proud that our men and women in the uniform of our great land have such a profound love for kids around the world, especially in war time. I’m honored to have served in Viet Nam where I could observe and be a part of the love shown by our soldiers in that place and time. I’m so proud of our young generation serving now in the same tradition of caring for the kids, even in the difficult circumstance of war, whether Iraq or any other hot spot around the world.
I know you’re proud too.
God bless you. God loves you. So do I.
Chaplain Larry Haworth
176 Rainbow Drive, #7627
Livingston, Texas 77399
LEHaworth@aol.com
During the years of the Viet Nam War, one of the things that stood out the most was the love of our soldiers for the Vietnamese children. It’s too bad but many Americans, even to this day, believed that their own soldiers enjoyed shooting women and children. These were their own sons we’re talking about. Since the main stream media ignored how their soldiers really related to the Vietnamese children and much of the information coming out of the entertainment industry defamed our sons in uniform, it’s no wonder people were so profoundly and negatively informed. Consider the movie Born on the Fourth of July, which is a typical example. That movie portrayed our troopers as being almost uniformly baby killers. In recent years Viet Nam vets have frequently been invited into school classrooms to tell their experiences in order to give students a first hand insight into that period of our history. When open for questions of the vet, very commonly the first two questions are, “How many people did you kill?’ and, “How many babies did you kill?” It is so tragic that even our own children have this twisted perception because the exact opposite happens to be the truth (with rare exceptions).
I, personally, with virtually all Viet Nam vets, remember clearly how children would run up to them, even out in the jungle villages as well as the larger towns, so they could hold the hands of the GIs, have their picture taken with them and, of course, receive more candy and gum than was really good for their health. I was one of many chaplains, officers, NCOs, and soldiers who supported orphanages, children’s homes and schools, hospitals, and even leprosariums which commonly housed whole families. Indeed, with few exceptions, the children of Viet Nam truly loved American soldiers. I could talk on about soldiers risking, or even sacrificing, their very lives for the sake of the kids. I could talk from first hand about how the enemy used kids as shields while they shot at the Americans because they knew the Americans did not want to shoot back, and would only do so under the most extreme combat situations. (If you doubt what I’m saying, then you just weren’t there and you don’t know. So please keep an open mind).
“So what,” you say? “What does that have to do with anything? The Viet Nam War was over a long time ago.” My response is two-fold: Number one, I’ve learned from many personal observations, reports from friends who visit Viet Nam, and from other reliable sources, that the Vietnamese people today, as we speak, truly love and highly regard the American people. This is particularly true for Viet Nam vets who once fought on their soil. It’s common knowledge that well over half of the Vietnamese people today weren’t even born until after the conclusion of that war. Yet even these young people show a strong regard for Americans. If you doubt what I say, I suggest you go over there as a tourist, which is easy to do, and find out for yourself. Many of my personal friends and associates do just that. Many of these are Viet Nam vets. So it is my opinion that, even though Viet Nam today is still a highly regimented society run by a highly oppressive government, the people have many benefits, liberties, and personal aspirations which they could not possibly experience had it not been for the selfless role of the American soldier on behalf of them and their children (who are now mature adults).
My number two response to the “so what?” question is this: Through news sources, internet email from soldiers in Iraq, personal relationships with many soldiers returning from Iraq, and other reliable sources, it is clear that much of the Viet Nam experience is being repeated now with our young uniformed men and women in Iraq. Soldiers are swarmed by kids when they go on patrol and when they visit the civilian community. Whenever the children can get to a GI, they do. Sure, they get their candy, just like the old days of Viet Nam. But kids still love American soldiers, want to be around them, and clearly understand that American soldiers love them too. For their own reasons the media vastly overplays the ugly, however true, aspects of the war in Iraq, which is shame on them. In similar proportion, they downplay the beautiful, yes beautiful, relationships and bonding that forms between our sons and daughters, and our grandsons and granddaughters in uniform, with the children they are fighting for. They are committed so these kids can aspire to a life better than anything they’ve known so far.
A further and profound reality that I predict, is that twenty, thirty, forty years from now and after the final battle of Iraqi Freedom, the children will be grown, the country will be more stable (hopefully, much more stable), and the people will have strong memories of and even bonds with those troopers who fought to give them opportunity to make a new life and gain a new hope for themselves.
So are we seeing history repeat itself? Yes, we are. Are we learning from these lessons of history? It’s too early to tell. Are the Vietnamese people better off because our soldiers walked there? Overall, yes they are - just go and see for yourself. Are they as well off as they would be if things had been handled better? Of course not. So let’s learn from that experience and do better with the Iraqis. At least let’s recognize that our soldiers, both men and women this time, are our kids and grandkids. They love the Iraqi kids and the Iraqi kids love them. So whatever our politics of the war, it is clear that this relationship between the younger generations will benefit us all for a long time to come - from both the American and the Iraqi points of view.
I’ll close with one more thought about children. I’m sure we all agree with the obvious, that children are our future. How a nation’s children turn out will determine the course and character of that country, whether Iraq, Iran, Afghanistan or any other. We should be proud and honored that this generation of men and women in uniform have such a love for children, wherever they are. Personally, I believe these values come from our Judeo-Christian heritage of a strong regard for human life, especially the lives of innocents such as children. Whether or not you are Christian or even religious in your orientation, I believe it’s valuable to be reminded of what Jesus had to say about how important children are. He said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it.” (Mark 10:14-15 NIV).
I’m so proud that our men and women in the uniform of our great land have such a profound love for kids around the world, especially in war time. I’m honored to have served in Viet Nam where I could observe and be a part of the love shown by our soldiers in that place and time. I’m so proud of our young generation serving now in the same tradition of caring for the kids, even in the difficult circumstance of war, whether Iraq or any other hot spot around the world.
I know you’re proud too.
God bless you. God loves you. So do I.
Chaplain Larry Haworth
176 Rainbow Drive, #7627
Livingston, Texas 77399
LEHaworth@aol.com