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The Never Ending War

By Barry Romo

Barry Romo gave this speech at the Bavarian House of Parliament where he spoke as part of a visual arts program about war and its consequences created from the German book abseits der Schlachtfelder by Till Mayer.

42 years ago my nephew was killed in Vietnam.
We served in the same area, at the same time.
I brought his body home to our family.
A flag draped, sealed military aluminum coffin.
Our family could not view his remains.
His death almost destroyed us with anger and sorrow.
35 years ago the U S war in Vietnam ended.
The bullets and bombs stopped but the causalities and the sorrow continue.
We sprayed Dioxin based defoliants with rainbow sounding names.
Agent Orange. Agent Purple. And many more.
We contaminated over ten per cent of their land.
But worse we contaminated the people.
Tens of thousands of deaths.
Tens of thousands of birth defects.
Continuing to this day.
In fact they are worse than land mines which can be found with detectors.
I have been fortunate to meet a number of victims from Vietnam.
These heroes have overcome their birth defects.
But without superpower help.

We have to support these victims.
Students around the world are taught when wars begin and end.
But that is not adequate.
Wars continue after the bullets and bombs.
Casualties continue, after the bullets and the bombs.
You may look at me and think, "not that bad for an infantry combat veteran."
But you would miss what's going on inside me.
You would miss the guilt and the pain of losing my nephew.
The pain of surviving.
I wish I was an isolated case.

Barry Romo is a VVAW National Coordinator.