The Bomb Lady

When I read the story of Nguyen Ahn Duong, who was honored recently as one of the U.S. federal government's top civil servants, I did not feel proud that she represented women being recognized in the field of science, I was completely mortified by her naivety and astonished at her very selective memory.

According to Thomas A. Betro, director of the Naval Criminal Investigative Service, "Doung is one of the most important weapons-developers of the modern era."

After reading the News article and watching the video about Ahn, I immediately thought: Alden Pyle is alive and well today! Alden Pyle was one of the characters in the novel written by Graham Greene, called ‘The Quiet American’. Pyle was a young, destructive American, determined to implement his ideals and morals into Vietnam, using methods that were unethical and deadly. He was described by another character as being ‘… impregnably armoured by his good intentions and his ignorance.’

Ahn you embody Alden Pyle as you too are misguided. To say that you do your job for Patriotic reasons and that you owe your services for the 58,000 Americans and 260,000 South Vietnamese that lost their lives in that war is beyond ridiculous. Please let me re-fresh your memory of some facts that you have forgotten.

Approximately 19 million gallons of Agent Orange was used by the US military in South Vietnam, (that is on your people, not the North). Millions of Vietnamese are still suffering today, physically and mentally from diseases caused by dioxin laced toxic chemicals, particularly Agent Orange. Do you think that the war was about saving and assisting the people of the South?

During the Vietnam War, Americans routinely referred to all Vietnamese, both friend and foe, as “gooks.” Back then you were just a ‘gook’, you were just a lucky person that escaped; the US military did not aim to save you. My intention is not to depress you with distasteful facts but simply to improve your vision.

The Hanoi government estimates that in 21 years of fighting, four million civilians were killed across North and South Vietnam, and 1.1 million North Vietnamese fighters died. Are these people insignificant to mention or were they just collateral damage, dying for democracy? Just like you, they too had family members who waited by the gate for their loved ones to return home.

What about the Cambodians and Lao? They were secretly bombed by the U.S. An estimated 100,000 Cambodian peasants died and about 400,000 Lao were killed. They too were sprayed with Agent Orange. That is not bad considering Cambodia and Laos were NOT even in the War. These people did not make a choice themsleves, that they should 'die for democracy'. But then again, who gives a shit about them?

Ahn you are profoundly misguided. The use of your scientific knowledge for the purpose of producing bombs is an indecent attempt to advance foolish, unrealistic, and catastrophic ideals that will no doubt lead to the deaths of so many more innocent civilians.

I honour and mourn the loss of all people that died in the Vietnam War: The American soldiers, the North and South Vietnamese soldiers and civilians, the Cambodians and the Lao. I am very sorry Ahn, but I do not see you as a symbol of American purpose and patriotism but simply a dangerous naivete.

I was inspired to write this post after reading about Ahn on Emre's site, his post titled 'The Mother of all Bombs'.