A Humanitarian Concern that We Can Do Something About

It was Bobby Kennedy, after his visit to South Africa, in 1966, who said something like:

“Let no one be discourage by the belief that there is nothing that one man (or one women) can do about the enormous array of the worlds ills: about misery or illness, injustice or violence. Few will have the greatness to bend history itself, BUT each of us can work to change a small portion of events, so that we can all help to write the history of our generation.”

GREAT WORDS TO LIVE BY!

Today, I got up early to take a walk in the city of Hanoi. Out the front door of my hotel, turned left past the Vietnamese Government’s equivalent of Blair House. I was quickly reminded of our GREAT meeting last evening in that same building with Madame Phong, the Vice-Chair of the National Assembly of Vietnam. She is the highest ranking official we are scheduled to meet, but she is powerful enough to be one of the leaders of encouraging the Vietnamese Government to strongly adopt the U.S. — Vietnamese Dialogue Group on Agent Orange’s PLAN OF ACTION, which will finally “end the tragic legacy of the Vietnam war” and perhaps bring peace to some of the victims of that war still suffering from the exposure to the herbicide spreading that so damaged the environment. We were delighted that after an hour and one half meeting, Madame Phong strongly endorsed the Plan. More about the plan later.

Continuing on my walk, I took a left turn (what do you expect from someone who often “turns left” and walked to a beautiful lake that was a cross between Central Park in New York and my neighborhood lake in Burke, Virginia. At 6:45 a.m., to the sounds of American country music, they were dancing in a large oriental open stage, there were tons of people playing badminton, children learning to skate, elders exercising together in artistic movement. In the center of the first park, there were flowers being laid on shrines, children laughing and smiling at this stranger walking in their midst. Finally, when I got to the lake, I was greeted to the sight of thousands and thousands of people power walking, fishing, taking pictures, elders in groups talking and everyone caught up in the joy of the moment. What a GREAT way to start the day.

As I walked back to the hotel, I was reflecting on the pictures I will carry back with me to the United States and how this trip has helped me to understand the need to press hard to right the wrongs of the war and to build a new partnership between the U.S. and Vietnam. If we are Plan is successful, maybe then every day will be more walks in the park and less violence, terrorism and war. AND MAY THAT GOOD VIRUS SPREAD ALL THE WAY AROUND THE WORLD.

Today is our last full day of meetings. We will be working with government and civil society groups to explain the Plan of the Dialogue Group and seek their full and active support. Wish us well!

Here are some facts to remember after 35 years since the end of the war:

The harmful effects of Agent Orange/Dioxin are still being felt by millions of Vietnamese, including children.

Over 4.5 million people have been exposed. 3 million suffered health effects. 150,000 children have birth defects and severe illnesses later in life. The Impact is continuing.
20 million gallons of Agent Orange were stored, handled and sprayed over a quarter of the country. The chemicals denuded 5 million acres of land and destroyed crops.

Agent Orange was sprayed at up to 50 times the concentration recommended by the manufacturer.

There are chemicals still in the soil, toxic over decades, and in the water and food sources.

The herbicide is still found in high concentrations in “hot spots”, like we saw at the Da Nang Airport, where the defoliant was processed.

It is linked to cancer, diabetes, and nerve and heart disorders in people directly and indirectly exposed, and to spina bifida in offspring.

The neglected issue has been caught in the tangled web of geopolitical and scientific conflict.

Is that enough information to capture the attention of our two governments?

Is this the year that we will finally do the right thing and clean us the damage American’s caused by using these toxic chemicals during the war?

Will our work in Vietnam remind us that after the soldiers leave Iraq and Afghanistan, there will be decades of work to clean up after those wars?

I hope and pray that our Interfaith Delegation will be a spark that ignites an international call to ACTION.

May it be so… May it be so…