Both Le Ly and I had been invited by UM Marquette to speak about Vietnam years ago. She is one of many who have inspired us with our work- healing for all.
For those who many not be familiar, Le Ly is a famous author and humanitarian. She had fought during the war in Vietnam. There were many families such as hers who were split during the war, and many of the people were simply caught in between. Choices are made based on survival. For all this woman has come through and to be able to forgive all her “enemies” as she has is amazing.
Her first book – When Heaven and Earth Changed Places
Some of you may have even seen the movie based on her book.
The next day we had a discussion with the staff of the University about Vietnamese and American relations. The night before Le Ly and I hung out in her room until about 2am talking about our stories and sharing our work and vision for the future.
Stories are powerful and I have seen new relations develop today between the people from both countries. There are more similarities than differences and we can come together to form a common bond and work toward healing for everyone. I have been able to witness this myself.
Excerpt From Book: “The least you did- the least any of us did- was our duty. For that we must be proud. The most that any of us did- or saw- was another face of destiny or luck or God. Children and soldiers have always known it to be terrible. If you have not yet found peace at the end of your war, I hope you will find it here (book). We have new important roles to play”.
“Some people suffer in peace the way others suffer in war. The special gift of that suffering, I have learned, is how to be strong while we are weak, how to be brave when we are afraid, how to be wise in the midst of confusion, and how to let go of that which we can no longer hold. In this way, anger can teach forgiveness, hate can teach us love, and war can teach us peace. ~Le Ly Hayslip
Some of Thuy’s Reflections Below, for more –Healing my wounds of war, go here
Veterans, War, and Peace 