Thursday, January 14, 2010

US veterans help to deal with consequences of war

US veterans help to deal with consequences of war

The President of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organisations (VUFO) Vu Xuan Hong met with a delegation from the Vietnam Veterans Memorial Fund (VVMF) of the US in Hanoi on January 12.

The delegation, led by retired US Army General Barry Richard McCaffrey, who is currently an Adjunct Professor at the US Military Academy-Westpoint, and Jan C. Scruggs, VVMF President, arrived in Vietnam on January 11 for a week-long working trip.

The VUFO President expressed his hope that the VVMF officials would gain a better understanding of the current situation in Vietnam as well as the country’s on-going renovation and endeavours to overcome the aftermath of the war. He said he wished the VVMF would continue assisting Vietnam in humanitarian projects to overcome the consequences of Agent Orange/dioxin and clear unexploded ordnance and mines left from the war, thus helping boost the two countries’ relations for their people’s long-term benefit.

They said the VVMF delegation will tour Hanoi , the central provinces of Quang Tri, Thua Thien-Hue, and Quang Nam, the central city of Da Nang and Ho Chi Minh City .

During the trip, the VVMF officials will hand over some personal belongings of Vietnamese soldiers from the war and inform their host of the Congress’s appropriation of US$1 million to project RENEW - "Restore the Environment and Neutralise the Effects of the War"- which aims to prevent injuries through public education and ordnance removal.

On the day, Professor McCaffrey talked with students from the International Relations Academy about challenges to the global community and to the Obama administration.

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