A war's legacy

The author of this story just astounds me with her perspective of the Vietnam/American war. She is Vietnamese but studying here in the U.S. Linh's class project about the war consisted of names of soldiers who died in the war both Vietnamese and American. Her caption read "What's the difference? There is no differe...nce after all. People from both sides of the battlefield are still having trouble right now."

Linh wrote the article in response to the 5 part series published by the Chicago Tribune. Linh writes the series reminds the two governments and people of the bitter legacy of a war that is day by day endured by those who did not even fight during the war.

Sharon L. Perry
Widow of an American Vietnam Veteran
Founder, Agent Orange Legacy
Children of Vietnam Veterans

A war's legacy

The Tribune's recent series on Agent Orange particularly interests me for a simple reason: I'm Vietnamese. Months after I left the country for the United States as an exchange student, now the issue of what intriguingly ties our two countries together is once again being addressed: the legacy of the Vietnam War.

For the last few months, people keep asking me about how it feels to be here learning about the very war that still leaves painful consequences in my country from an American perspective. Being a teenage girl, it's hard to articulately state my position -- even choosing the proper name for the war is difficult to me. In Vietnam, we call it the war against (powerhouse) America.

But if there is one thing that I'm sure of, it will be the sad effect that both Americans and Vietnamese have to endure until now, 35 years after the fall of Saigon. It will be the Agent Orange issue.

Thanks to the Tribune's series, I am able to gain a broader knowledge of the problem of not only Agent Orange but also many toxic chemicals that were used during the war to destroy the Viet Cong's shelter, the forests in the South. What really strikes me is the fact that, as demonstrated in the articles, both Americans and Vietnamese were poisoned by the chemicals. After all, Agent Orange just couldn't identify whom it would ruin.

When my history teacher asked me to decorate a box to state my position toward the war, I covered it with names of Vietnamese and Americans who died during the war, with a little note: What's the difference? There is no difference after all. People from both sides of the battlefield are still having trouble right now.

The Chicago Tribune's Agent Orange series thoroughly addresses the problems, reminding the two governments and people of the bitter legacy of a war that is day by day endured by those who did not even fight during the war.



-- Linh Nguyen, student, North Shore Country Day School, Winnetka