Veterans Day from the other side: ‘American War’ memorials in Vietnam
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- November
- 11
We spent an hour today trying to get to the former 25th Infantry Division base in Cu Chi, which our guidebook incorrectly stated we could visit. It turns out it’s all part of a Vietnamese military base now, completely closed to the public. My father took some of the red, rocky dirt home as a memento, at least.
After a tour of the Cu Chi tunnels, we discovered two memorials nearby: a large cemetery and a temple whose walls list the names of more than 44,000 Vietnamese people from the Cu Chi area killed in the “American War.”
Here are my father’s thoughts on the unexpected Veterans Day experience:
“Every Vietnam War veteran is very familiar with the wall in Washington, D.C. I was very moved to see that the other side had places like Arlington Cemetery and the Vietnam War memorial. I have experienced the loss of friends, and I’m sure there are comparable feelings on the other side from people who lost loved ones.”
Please visit my website at:
http://www.Vietnambabylift.org
for photos of Bernie Duff’s Vietnam “Operation Babylift” paintings and for information about the Vietnam “Operation Babylift” of April, 1975.
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