I was not born in America, but I call it home. I came to this country after the fall of Saigon, Vietnam, in 1975 when I was a baby. My family and I were among the boat people, and we stayed in Fort Chaffee in Arkansas for a while before we were sponsored by an Episcopal church in Michigan, who generously gave us a furnished house and even a car.
Many have argued that the Vietnam War was technically not a war because it was not declared one by Congress. But the same can be said of the wars in Iraq, Persian Gulf, along with others.
Even as an adult, people would try to tell me, "We should not have been in Vietnam!" and blah, blah, blah, like it's all my fault. Well, I was not involved in the decisions to send military assistance to Vietnam; I was not even born yet in the 1950s and '60s.
In my MOVIE OF THE WEEK post about Rambo: First Blood Part II, I mentioned how U.S. soldiers were unwelcomed and mistreated when they returned home from Vietnam. I can't speak for the entire Vietnamese community, but I am forever grateful for their actions and the U.S government in helping and taking in Vietnamese refugees. And I don't know where my family and I would have ended up if it were not for the kindness and generosity of our Episcopalian church.
I would like to think that most Vietnamese and other Asian-Americans have become productive members of American society. Many of whom had even become public servants. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial was, in fact, designed by an American-born Chinese, Maya Lin.
There are not many movies about the Vietnam War these days, but The Last Full Measure reflects on a time during the very controversial conflict.
Released in 2019, The Last Full Measure is very similar to another excellent movie Courage Under Fire with Denzel Washington and Meg Ryan. Both films are about trying to award service members posthumously the Medal Of Honor, except the former is based on actual events.
Backed by a stellar cast, The Last Full Measure is a very touching film, and it shows, as often the case in governments, how politics and bureaucracy can be counterproductive in achieving an end goal. But not to spoil anything, there's a powerful message at the end by the U.S. Secretary of the Air Force, Whit Peters, played by Linus Roache.
Politics should never be a distraction to the bravery and sacrifices of the United States armed forces during Vietnam or any war. Memorial Day is for remembering and honoring the fallen, and if it were my decision, all U.S. military personnel who died while bravely serving their country would receive a Medal Of Honor.
Comments
Post a Comment