Sharing to Heal the Wounds
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| Margaret Caroline Carlson Delogne, Founder and Executive Director of the “Two Sides Project,” delivers remarks at the meeting. (Photo: Dinh Hoa) |
Speaking at the event, Margaret Caroline Carlson Delogne, Founder and Executive Director of 2SP, stated that the gathering aimed to connect American and Vietnamese children who share the same loss of a loved one, enabling them to exchange information, share their grief and suffering, and heal the wounds caused by war. Although once standing on opposite sides of the battlefield, today the peoples of both nations can sit together, listen, understand, and spread the message of the precious value of peace.
At the meeting, many stories were shared about the journeys to search for the remains of loved ones, the memories preserved, and the pain that still lingers. Families from both Viet Nam and the United States expressed hope that the gathering would help ease their losses and nurture their aspirations for a peaceful world.
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| Ta Thi Hong shares the story of receiving the keepsake of her son, martyr Nguyen Ngoc Tho. (Photo: Dinh Hoa) |
Ta Thi Hong (born in 1932, Hanoi), mother of martyr Nguyen Ngoc Tho, shared the difficulties her family endured and the story of receiving her son’s keepsake - a green pith helmet (mu coi) safeguarded for more than half a century by an American veteran, now returned directly to her family.
Tran Thi Thu Ha (born in 1977, Hanoi) recounted the story of her uncle, martyr Tran Van Mieu. To enlist at the age of just 17, he wrote a letter in his own blood expressing his desire to join the army and devote himself to protecting peace for the nation. During his service, he always hoped the country would soon achieve peace and reunification so he could return home to celebrate Tet with his family and enjoy his mother’s banh chung. But that wish never came true; he died in Quang Nam (now Da Nang City) in 1969 at a very young age. Ha said that meetings with American veterans have become opportunities for both sides to sit together, share, listen, and exchange information with families. These encounters are not only a way to revisit the past but also a means to heal and soften the enduring pain of war still felt in many households.
In recent years, the increasing number of American veterans returning keepsakes to the families of Vietnamese martyrs has contributed to healing the wounds of war and easing the sorrow of the martyrs’ loved ones.
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| Wendy Dawn Zimmerman (center) and her son Bradley Ross Seltzer (left) share at the meeting. (Photo: Dinh Hoa) |
Wendy Dawn Zimmerman is the daughter of Charles “Chuck” Owens Jenkins, Jr., a member of the United States Army Special Forces. He was killed in the Battle of Dong Xoai in 1965. At the time of his death, Wendy was only two months old, but she has always been comforted by knowing that her father had the chance to see her photo. This return to Viet Nam holds special meaning for her: meeting Vietnamese people, walking the lands where her father once served, and extending heartfelt sentiments to those who share the same loss of loved ones to war.
Accompanying her was her son, Bradley Ross Seltzer, 31, the first grandchild to participate in 2SP’s journey to Viet Nam. With a deep interest in history and culture, Bradley expressed his desire to listen directly to stories from both sides to gain a clearer understanding of the war’s impact on the Vietnamese people and the country.
Many proposals for overcoming the consequences of war
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| Nguyen Thanh Thuy (left) presents several proposals related to the search for the remains of fallen soldiers. (Photo: Dinh Hoa) |
Nguyen Thanh Thuy is the daughter of martyr Nguyen Thanh Toan, who sacrificed his life in 1969 in Quang Ngai Province when she was just five months old. It took her family 20 years of searching before they were able to bring his remains home. That journey has left her constantly concerned about the anguish faced by many families who have yet to find the remains of their loved ones. As a result, she has been actively involved in the Association for Supporting Families of Martyrs in Thai Binh Province (now Hung Yen Province), visiting many cemeteries and photographing thousands of headstones to send to volunteers, helping connect and return numerous martyrs’ remains to their families.
At the meeting, Nguyen Thanh Thuy made several recommendations. For Viet Nam, she proposed that search and recovery units, veterans, and former resistance forces review the original burial locations and coordinates of martyrs to carry out exhumation and repatriation efforts. She emphasized the need to expedite DNA sampling for remains already interred in cemeteries but lacking identifying information, so that the martyrs’ names may soon be restored. In addition, she called for more support policies for martyrs’ families, particularly to facilitate the transportation of remains from distant locations, such as providing airfare and train fare assistance to ease their burden and ensure safety.
She suggested that American friends encourage veterans who served in the war to provide information about burial sites or locations of past battles, thereby supporting Viet Nam in locating and recovering the remains of missing martyrs. She expressed her hope that the United States would continue assisting Viet Nam with machines and equipment for genetic analysis to improve the effectiveness of identifying martyrs.
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| Kimberly Carlson Benner, daughter of Air Force Captain John W. Carlson, offers several search-related recommendations. (Photo: Dinh Hoa) |
Kimberly Carlson Benner, daughter of Air Force Captain John W. Carlson, who was killed in Bien Hoa (Dong Nai) in December 1966, also shared her suggestions on search methods. She noted that families can make use of social media and online veteran groups, many of which are organized by unit or branch, to share and compare information. She emphasized the importance of returning the keepsakes of American service members and Vietnamese martyrs, as these are emotional tokens that families can hold on to. Additionally, she proposed establishing a flexible coordination mechanism so that when one side discovers information or remains, there is a quick and official channel to notify the other.
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| Vice President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations (VUFO) Dong Huy Cuong (front row, fifth from right) presents the Medal “For Peace and Friendship Among Nations” to Margaret Caroline Carlson Delogne, Founder and Executive Director of 2SP, along with a Certificate of Merit from VUFO awarded to the organization. (Photo: Dinh Hoa) |
On this occasion, Vice President of the Viet Nam Union of Friendship Organizations Dong Huy Cuong presented the Medal “For Peace and Friendship Among Nations” to Margaret Caroline Carlson Delogne, Founder and Executive Director of 2SP, and a Certificate of Merit from VUFO to the organization. He highly appreciated 2SP’s contributions to the process of reconciliation and the strengthening of Viet Nam-US friendship; its “Peace House” initiative; and its activities supporting poverty reduction in Viet Nam.
Margaret Caroline Carlson Delogne expressed her honor in accompanying Vietnamese partners and emphasized that the project now belongs to the sons and daughters of both Viet Nam and the United States. According to her, the greatest gift that can be bestowed upon those who fell and their families is the good values built after the war: peace, friendship, and a future illuminated by compassion. She hopes that connections between the peoples of the two countries will continue to nurture and inspire future generations of peacebuilders.
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| Vietnamese and American delegates exchange gifts and take commemorative photos. (Photo: Dinh Hoa) |
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