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Vietnamese Combat Vet Says, "It's Time for Reconciliation"

By David Cline

In 1969, Nguyen Ngoc Hung was drafted into the People's Army of Vietnam (the NVA) and from then until his discharge in 1975, he served as a combat soldier with the 309th Regiment in the Quang Tri and Thua Thien area. He carries with him many memories of the war along with a tattered black and white photo of his 18 year old brother, who was also in the Army and is one of the 300,000 Vietnamese soldiers still missing in action.

After the war ended, Hung got out of the Army and sent to school to learn English. After graduating, he went to England to further his studies. He is now an English professor at the Foreign Language College in Hanoi, the capitol of united Vietnam.

On November 1, 1990, Hung came to the United States at the invitation of the National Network of Indochina Activists and the Asia Resource Center, for a national tour to promote friendship and reconciliation between our two countries and people. He travelled to many cities including Boston, New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Washington, Atlanta, San Francisco, Santa Cruz and Los Angeles. While in Washington, he visited the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and on Veterans Day, he joined the VVAW observance at the New York City Memorial, where he burned incense and spoke in remembrance of those who lost their lives on both sides.

Throughout the trip, Hung met with veterans to talk about problems Vietnamese vets face and to learn about the aftereffects of the war on Americans. He participated in Vet Center rap groups and met with many groups ranging from VVAW, Vets for Peace, Black Veterans for Social Justice and Vietnam Veterans of America to traditional groups like the DAV, VFW and American Legion. He also spoke to many church groups, community organizations and labor unions.

During his trip, he often made an impassioned plea for our government to end its policy of hostility toward Vietnam which ranges from an economic embargo to a refusal to normalize diplomatic relations. "I believe it is ridiculous that we are still fighting the war. It is unhealthy and abnormal. I am here because it is time to put it behind us."

On December 17, Hung returned to his native land. Before he left, he reflected on his mission. "People try to forget the war but they can't—the wounds are too deep. I remember walking into a room full of veterans in New York City. I could tell that they didn't know whether to hate me or not. Many of them were huge, 2, 3 times my size. But when I explained why I had come, they were very friendly. They knew too well about war and about killing. We understood each other better than anyone who didn't share our common experience. To me, it is sometimes frightening to be among old enemies. But the time for reconciliation has come and I have seen that many Americans are ready for that."

The only question is: Is our government ready?