| Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam |
| After I had missed my flight to Phnom Penh, I ended up altering my itinerary a bit. I flew to Siem Reap to see Angkor Wat and meet Adam, but then I did a short little excursion to Ho Chi Minh City on my own. I really wanted to learn some stuff about the Vietnam War from the Vietnamese perspective. Of course, they call it the American War, which initially feels weird, but after you think about it a bit makes perfect sense. Anyway though, I was only in Ho Chi Minh City for a couple days, so I didn't see a lot of it, but the War Crimes Museum was fascinating. |
| "At about 8-9PM on February 25, 1969, a special naval team, called SEAL (a unit of well-trained special forces), consisting of 7 soldiers led by First Lieutenant Bob Kerry infiltrated Thanh Phong village, Thanh Phu district, Ben Tre province. They entered a cottage and cut the throats of Mr. Bui Van Vat, 66 years old, and Mrs. Luu Thi Canh, 62 years old; then dragged their 3 grandchildren, hiding in a nearby sewer, out and stabbed them to death, then opened one child's abdomen. Thereafter, they moved into the cave shelterof Mrs. Vo Thi Tro's family and took all 16 members on the shelter cover, then shot dead 14 people (including 3 pregnant women) and opened a girl's abdomen. The only victim to survive was Bui Thi Luom, 12 years old, wounded at the legs. Not until April 2001, did former US Senator Bob Kerry confess his crime before the international public opinion." |
| A U.S. soldier holding the remaining portion of an explosion victim. Striking a pose. |
| Dragging a couple bodies behind a tank. |
| Suffocating a guy by putting a towel over his face and dumping water on it. |
| She looks dangerous. |
| Dropping poison to kill all of the growth was a strategy to force people off of their land. The US used this practice mainly against the Southern Vietnamese, our alleged ally. We lacked popular support, and it was feared that villages would harbor the Vietcong. When rural crops were destroyed, people basically were left with one option to ensure their survival: go to the US created concentration camps where they would at least be able to eat. It was a necessary tactic against an army with immense popularity throughout the country. |
| The aftermath of a bombing. |
| Birth defects are all too common throughout the region as a result of the chemicals dropped on Vietnam. |
