May 12: Hanoi – The Things They Carry

May 12: Hanoi – The Things They Carry

 There is a great book about the American War from a US vet’s perspective called The Things They Carried by Tim O’Brien, which is an appropriate title for this day. My Photo theme as I wandered the old city of Hanoi was the things the street vendors carried (see photos). And then in the evening we arranged for a guest speaker at the class meeting.

Chuck Searcy (http://www.vn-agentorange.org/hotzone_20060829.html) was a Vietnam Veteran and now coordinates support efforts in Vietnam for land mine victims (http://www.landmines.org.vn/). He spoke very movingly of his life growing up in the south in a “military family” in Georgia, and then his induction into the Vietnam War in 1967 and his quick disillusionment. “Imagine this. Here I am, a Georgia Boy. I believed everything the government told me. It was the greatest government in the world, and the greatest country in the world. And then I realized the government lied to me.” After he returned home, Chuck became involved in the anti-war movement, and was disowned by his family. Two years later he was reconciled with his family after they also felt the war was wrong. In 1992 Chuck returned to Vietnam as a tourist with an American Vet friend of his. Right before landing in Ho Chi Minh City, both he and his friend had panic attacks, wondering what they were doing this for. “Here we are, two Vietnam vets returning to Vietnam. They are going to hate us. But within hours of landing, we are surrounded by Vietnamese, and all we feel is total warmth and welcoming.” Chuck has been working in Vietnam ever since. His work includes supporting children with polio by providing leg braces, supporting victims of Agent Orange, and working on land mines issues: financial support for families and individuals affected by land mines, child education about land mines, and on site medical trainers for land mine victims. Chuck spoke for about half an hour, showed a short video on Project Renew, and then answered questions. The students asked great questions and were so appreciative of the work he is doing.

We each carry so much with us: the mistakes we made, memories of regret, painful experiences. But we also carry love, the support of our friends and families, and the ability to transform the world.