Arizona state’s Congressman Noel Campbell who participated in the war in South Vietnam in 1968 (Photo: VietnamPlus). Hanoi (VNA) – The US veteran stood still, his face turning pale with red eyes and trembling lips, unable to utter a word when he met the first Vietnamese coming from today Vietnam that he has met after the war.
I missed the opportunity to accompany Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Ha Kim Ngoc in his trip to Arizona state, during which the diplomat had several meetings with US veterans who participated in the Vietnam War.
However, I still believe that I will have a chance to meet them, or at least hear from them directly about their unforgettable memories during the time when they served in the army in the Vietnamese battlefield as well as the spiritual consequences of the war haunting them day by day.
Above all, it is the feelings and specific actions of those people, who have stood on the other side of the battlefield, that have contributed to promoting the increasingly good relationship between the US and Vietnam.
Throughout the story of Ambassador Ngoc about the meetings, I was deeply moved by the image of Congressman Noel Campbell, who had participated in the war in South Vietnam.
He was not able to overcome the barriers in his soul and have not dared to return to Vietnam although 52 years have passed. He stood still, his face turning pale with red eyes and trembling lips, unable to utter a word when he met the first Vietnamese coming from today Vietnam that he has met after the war.
Therefore, I decided to write a letter to Campbell with a hope of getting to hear f him, a witness of history, sharing his own life story since joining the Vietnam War on the occasion of Vietnam celebrating the 45th anniversary of the liberation of the south and national reunification and 25th anniversary of normalised relations between the US and Vietnam.
During a phone call with me in late April, Campbell burst into tears when recalling the days he participated in the war in Vietnam.
Campbell said he was born and grew up in Phoenix, Arizona. After graduating from Arizona State University with a Bachelor of Science degree in business in 1965, he took part in two US Navy training programmes and became a US Navy pilot.
Vietnamese Ambassador to US Ha Kim Ngoc presents gift to Arizona state’s Congressman Noel Campbell who participated in the war in South Vietnam in 1968 (Photo: VietnamPlus). In 1967, when the battle in Vietnam became fierce, he voluntarily went to Vietnam, and one year later, he joined
In 1967, when the war in Vietnam became fierce, he volunteered to go to Vietnam and in 1968, he joined the Seawolves Helicopter Attack Squadron supporting the US Navy SEAL task force in patrolling on canals and the Mekong Delta.
During his one-year stay in Vietnam, Campbell never asked why he or other American soldiers were in the Southeast Asian nation, neither think that every nation must have its own sovereignty and aspirations.
However, after the war, he realized the truth: America had made a terrible mistake and he had been part of that mistake. “I am proud to serve my country and do my duty, but what I did to Vietnam was a mistake,” the veteran admitted.
It haunted him for a long time, until his meeting with Ambassador Ngoc in Arizona, when he was able to recall his wartime memories and talk about what he had done during the war as well as things that tormented him for the past 52 years. He once wished he and other American soldiers had done differently from what happened in the past.
Recalling his time serving at the Vietnam battlefield, Campbell said that he never forgot the beauty of South Vietnam, the Mekong Delta, and the city he had set foot on and the people he had met.
For him, there is nothing happier when Americans recognize their mistake in the past and when he can hope for a peaceful and better relationship between the US and Vietnam, especially when Senator John McCain had a visit to Vietnam and became one of the pillars in promoting the normalisation of Vietnam-US relations.
Campbell also expressed his delight when Arizona state is speeding up the establishment of a trade representative office in Southeast Asia, and promoting a twinning relationship between Phoenix city and a Vietnamese city, as well as when seeing the US-Vietnam relationship growing stronger in all areas.
Many people like him are exerting efforts to support and contribute to trade and economic exchanges between the US in general and Arizona in particular with Vietnam, for a brighter future of the bilateral relationship./.
