Erin and I visited the War Remnants Museum Monday morning, which could have easily gone by the name of Victory Over The Imperialist American Dogs In Spite Of Devilish Atrocities Museum. As an American, if you visit, be sure you bone up on the basic facts of this conflict or you could come away believing that the French Indochina war and our Vietnam war were one in the same and that the peace loving North Vietnamese were just working happily in their fields when American bombers suddenly appeared overhead to rain bombs down specifically on women and children. Sometimes the most dangerous lies are those that have bits of truth within them.
You will not read or hear about the Viet Cong programs to kill educated South Vietnamese to protect their revolution, much akin to what the Khmer Rouge did in Cambodia, just on a smaller scale. Nor that if they entered a village and saw a small child with a US bandage on the leg, that they would cut the leg off in front of the parents for taking the medic's aid - a warning to others - just like the Taliban have done in Afghanistan.
But, it was a sobering time even knowing the propaganda. No doubt many humans suffered, and greatly - especially children, and that always breaks my heart. I know we did not have clean hands either - war brings out both the best and the worst in people, and we Americans understand that all too well these last few years.
I thought that perhaps this visit was the most subsurface anti Americanism I had felt. There was a line of school children lined up getting ready to go in. They were watching me and I waved. The teacher scowled at me and motioned for the kids not to wave back - and none did. Perhaps a smiling and waving (clearly) American might spoil the lesson about to be imparted.
You will not read or hear about the Viet Cong programs to kill educated South Vietnamese to protect their revolution, much akin to what the Khmer Rouge did in Cambodia, just on a smaller scale. Nor that if they entered a village and saw a small child with a US bandage on the leg, that they would cut the leg off in front of the parents for taking the medic's aid - a warning to others - just like the Taliban have done in Afghanistan.
But, it was a sobering time even knowing the propaganda. No doubt many humans suffered, and greatly - especially children, and that always breaks my heart. I know we did not have clean hands either - war brings out both the best and the worst in people, and we Americans understand that all too well these last few years.
I thought that perhaps this visit was the most subsurface anti Americanism I had felt. There was a line of school children lined up getting ready to go in. They were watching me and I waved. The teacher scowled at me and motioned for the kids not to wave back - and none did. Perhaps a smiling and waving (clearly) American might spoil the lesson about to be imparted.
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