LIEN-HUONG NGUYEN
The long, bitter Vietnam war officially ended 20 years ago, on April 30, 1975. This day, however, marked the beginning of yet another war, more silent but not less relentless, the war of survival against retaliation and persecution for hundreds of thousands of wounded, disabled South Vietnam Army veterans abandoned to die in the Army hospital of Saigon after their physicians had left. In those dark, tragic moments, beyond all propaganda and lies, now shone through history as the unwavering language of truth. It bore witness to how, on this day of April 30, 1975, Sergeant Le Van Trang with fresh bandages wrapped around his eyes, helped carrying on his back young Captain Do Phan, paralyzed from waist down by a gaping abdominal wound, into the evacuated streets of Saigon after being evicted from their hospital beds by the invading Communist Army. Left inside the hospital were only the few agonizing, mortally wounded patients themselves too weak to move. And thus has been the way of life in the past 20 years for the inseparable Trang and Phan - how the blind, guided by the lights in his comrade�s eyes, has been wheeling the hemiplegic through the streets of Saigon, earning their living by playing songs on the guitar.

Those same incapacitated men were once soldiers who had bravely fought for more than 2 decades the most ravaging battles of the Vietnam war on the hills and in the swamps to safeguard peace, keeping bombs and fire away from the old capital of South Vietnam. They are also the most unfortunate ones who were wounded on the eve of the collapse of Saigon while desperately raising the last defense to save time for millions of Vietnamese to reach to safety at sea.

Twenty years have passed, a new generation has been born and war memory has faded. Yet those who had once sacrificed their precious youth and blood for a free homeland, continue to pay the price of war losers.

Moved by the plight of these uncared for, long forgotten soldiers, a young physician in Paris, Dr. Phan Minh Hien for the past two years has created his own organization, "Aide aux Mutil�s de guerre du Vietnam", seeking donations from the hospitals and public to provide them with some relief assistance. In his individual effort, he has helped bringing new hopes of life to thousands of veterans, through gifts of wheelchairs and monetary aid. "The lonely harbinger�s wings, nevertheless, can�t bring to flourish a full Spring". In an emotional open letter to the Vietnamese community this summer, Dr. Hien appealed to all Vietnamese abroad to join him in his humanitarian operation. A local movement in the Bay Area in support of this worthy cause, led by Mr. Le Dinh Vong, a former South Vietnam Army Lieutenant Colonel and political prisoner, is gaining momentum. Let�s hope that all former Vietnamese refugees will respond to this message of humanity whole heartedly in laying to rest the immense suffering, and in restoring the dignity for our fallen soldiers.

Donations of any kind are greatly appreciated and please send them to:

Mr. Le Dinh Vong
1595 Orangewood Dr.
San Jose, CA 95121
U.S.A.
(408) 239-0341