Mu 1974, mchimwene wanga wamkulu Nhi anaphedwa ndi bomba la napalm: Pofunitsitsa kugonjetsa zigawenga za azimayi za National Liberation Front (NLF), gulu lankhondo la ARVN linagwetsa napalm mbali zonse ziwiri, kupsereza aliyense, kuphatikizapo mchimwene wanga. Mayi anga atabwera kudzatenga matupi oyaka moto a Nhi, adangodziwika ndi mano.
Nkhondo itatha, ndinakhalabe ku United States kukamaliza maphunziro anga. Abale anga anayi ndi mabanja awo anabwera ku US pa boti pakati pa 1975 ndi 1981.
Monga wophunzira wapamwamba m'chigawo cha Gia Định, ndinalandira maphunziro a US Agency for International Development kuti ndikaphunzire ku San Jose State University ku 1968. Nditafika ku California, poyamba ndinathandizira koma posakhalitsa ndinatsutsa nkhondoyo nditaphunzira mbiri ya Vietnamese ndikuwerenga "Beyond Vietnam" pambuyo pa kuphedwa kwa Martin Luther King, Jr. Kenako, mu 1972, ine ndi ena 30 tinapanga bungwe la Union of Vietnamese ku US (UVUS) pambuyo poti mnzanga wapamtima komanso wophunzira mnzanga wodana ndi nkhondo, Nguyễn Thái Bình, atawomberedwa ndi wothandizira chitetezo wa ku United States ovala yunifolomu pa phula la Tân Sơn Nhat. ndege pamene akuthamangitsidwa ku Vietnam. Imfa ya Bình inayambitsa chipolowe chachikulu ku Sàigòn. Mamembala a UVUS onse adalankhula motsutsana ndi nkhondoyi, limodzi ndi Vietnam Veterans Against the War kuyambira 1972 mpaka 1975.
Ndikupitilizabe kugwira ntchito ndikukweza mavuto a Agent Orange pakati pa anthu aku Vietnamese - ku Vietnam ndi ku US - komanso omenyera nkhondo aku Vietnam. Chofunika kwambiri ndi zotsatira zomwe Agent Orange, omwe ali ndi dioxin (imodzi mwa mankhwala oopsa kwambiri omwe amadziwika ndi sayansi) ali nawo pa ana ndi zidzukulu za omwe amawapopera mankhwala ku US panthawi ya nkhondo. Mazana a zikwi za ana awo tsopano akudwala zilema zowopsa za kubadwa ndi kansa. Boma la US, pomwe layamba kuthandiza kuyeretsa Agent Orange yomwe idatsalira m'nthaka ku Vietnam, silinapereke thandizo kwa achinyamata omwe akhudzidwa ndi Agent Orange, kaya ku Vietnam kapena ku US Ndi Vietnamese America (onse. ARVN ndi anthu wamba) omwe adakhudzidwa ndi Agent Orange sanalandire kuzindikira kapena kuthandizidwa. Boma la US ndi opanga mankhwala, makamaka Dow ndi Monsanto, sanachite zoyenera ndikukwaniritsa udindo wawo kwa omwe akuzunzidwa!
Mndandanda wa PBS "Nkhondo ya Vietnam" udali kusintha kwakukulu kuposa zolemba zakale zankhondo, kuwulutsa mawu a US ndi anthu aku Vietnamese ndikuwonetsa tsankho lankhondo. Komabe, kutcha nkhondoyo "nkhondo yaku Vietnam," zikutanthauza kuti Vietnam ili ndi udindo, pomwe ndi French ndiyeno US idayambitsa ndikuikulitsa. M'malo mwake, ndi "nkhondo yaku US ku Vietnam."
Ngakhale ali ndi mphamvu, filimuyi ili ndi zofooka zingapo, zomwe ndikambirana zitatu:
Choyamba, gawo la gulu lankhondo laku Vietnamese ku US kuyambira koyambirira kwa zaka za m'ma 70s silinawonekere mufilimuyi. Kuphimba kwa kayendetsedwe ka nkhondo yolimbana ndi nkhondo kum'mwera kwa Vietnam ndi kochepa.
Chachiwiri, pomwe zolembazo zimatchula za Agent Orange podutsa kangapo, zimanyalanyaza zotsatira zowononga thanzi kwa anthu aku Vietnamese ndi US ndi ana awo ndi zidzukulu kuyambira 1975 mpaka pano. Iyi ndi nkhani yomwe mabanja mamiliyoni ambiri amasamala nayo ndipo ndi gawo lofunikira kwambiri pakuyanjanitsa komwe filimuyo imayamika.
Congresswoman Barbara Lee adathandizira HR 334, The Victims of Agent Orange Relief Act ya 2017, kuti akhazikitse udindo wa boma la US kuthana ndi vutoli.
Chachitatu, mawu a achinyamata a ku Vietnam aku America, pamodzi ndi anzawo a ku Cambodian ndi Laotian, omwe mabanja awo amavutikabe chifukwa cha kusokonezeka ndi kuvulala, samveka.
Nkhondo sizitha pamene mabomba asiya kugwa ndipo kumenyanako kuleka. Chiwonongekocho chikupitirirabe pakapita nthawi, m’dziko ndi m’maganizo ndi m’matupi a anthu okhudzidwa. Izi ndi zoona ku Vietnam, ku US pakati pa asilikali akale a ku Vietnam, magulu a Vietnamese-, Cambodian- ndi Lao-America, makamaka pakati pa ozunzidwa kwambiri pankhondo omwe akuvutikabe ndi zilema zokhudzana ndi Agent Orange.
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Dr. Ngô Thanh Nhàn ndi mnzake komanso wothandizana nawo wotsogolera wa Center for Vietnamese Philosophy, Culture & Society of Temple University. Ndi membala wa board wa Institute for Vietnamese Culture & Education, ndi Mekong NYC (okonza madera a indochinese ku NYC). Anali membala woyambitsa wa Peeling the Banana m'mbuyomu komanso Mekong Arts & Music, New York Asian American ochita masewera ochita masewera.
Dr. Nhàn anali woyambitsa wa Union of Vietnamese ku US, kutsutsana ndi nkhondo ya US ku Vietnam (1972-1977), woyambitsa ndi mtsogoleri wa Association of Patriotic Vietnamese ku US, akuthandiza mtendere wosatha ku Vietnam (1977-1981) ), ndi woyambitsa wa Association of Vietnamese ku US, kwa US-Vietnam normalization of maubale (1981-1995). Pakali pano ndi co-coordinator ndi woyambitsa wa Vietnam Agent Orange Relief & Udindo Wogwira Ntchito.
Nkhaniyi ndi gawo la mndandanda wa WHYY kuwunika momwe United States, zaka makumi anayi pambuyo pake, ikuchitirabe nkhondo ya Vietnam. Kuti mudziwe zambiri za mutuwu, onani zolemba 10 za Ken Burns ndi Lynn Novicks "The Vietnam War." Mamembala a WHYY awonjezera mwayi wopezeka pamndandandawu kudzera WHYY Pasipoti mpaka kumapeto kwa 2017.
