American War weapons and artillery still killing many in Vietnam. American bombs, artillery shells, rockets, landmines, grenades, and other type of unexploded ordnance still haunt Vietnam citizens. The explosive ordinance left over from the American war has killed thousands, in one village alone it has killed in alarming 1300 people.
In one case a six year old boy named Nguyen Vu Lan was watching his cousin as they came across a bomb used in the American War, the young boys were pounding on the metal, only to see their youth disappear in front of them, as the boy watching on took the grunt of the explosion shredding the whole front of his body. The bomb killed the other two boys. The mom of this young boy wants America to be accountable for there actions and contribute towards the many that were injured.
There is little medical care in which these people can receive in Vietnam; they are seeking American doctors to cover surgeries due to American post war destruction. There are many cases similar to this one and America still denies involvement. The Vietnam Veterans are forming a group to inform there citizens about explosive ordinance. They meet with a non-profit group named Golden West Humanitarian Foundation, who focuses strictly on explosive ordinance. They are coming up with ideas to reduce explosion related deaths. The recent estimates have calculated that it will take billions of dollars to clean up Vietnam’s bomb littering. Project RENEW is pushing hard for a casualty decrease and a clean swept of their country.
Title: Vietnam Still in Shambles after American War
Author: Nick Turse
Source: In These Time “Magazine”, May 2009
URL: http://www.inthesetimes.com/article/4363/casualties_continue_in_vietnam/
Student Researcher: Ryan Stevens
Faculty Evaluator: Mryna Goodman
Sonoma State University