The End Goal
By Patrick McDonnell
The Vietnam War lasted from roughly 1955 – 1975 and encompassed 13 nations directly and indirectly fighting. The war was bloody and unproductive -A blotched out portion in world history - a section of the past which America seeks to forget.However, Voices of Vietnam seeks to do something unpopular and different - It wants us to remember - it wants the Vietnam War to not be forgotten. Even more so, it wants those marginalized and abused because of it to be remembered the most, a noble goal if you ask me.
Voices of Vietnam is fighting the unpopular fight, the uphill battle, on the front page of its web page it states “They deserve an apology from South Korean President Park Geun-hye”. This is where my opinion starts to diverge from The Voices of Vietnam Project.
Practically speaking, Park Geun-hye will never apologize for the crimes that the South Korean forces did during the war. She was not president during the time and made no direct decisions that resulted in the actions. Unless she feels some incredible remorse, which is doubtful given the difficult executive decisions that she must make every day, she has little to gain by giving an apology for actions done 50+ years ago. Even more so, if she was to make a public apology, it could jeopardize political relations with Vietnam and it could serve only as a blotch on her Presidency. Even more so, the actions committed were war crimes and thus violate the Geneva Convention which could result in imprisonment of past South Korean leaders, which is definitely an action that Park Geun-hye would not make.
Which brings about the question, why does Voices of Vietnam ask for such as impossible request? Personally, I believe that it is less about ever getting the apology and more about creating a concrete goal and an “enemy” to unite around. By demanding something and painting somebody as the antagonist, it creates a united home front and a more targeted project. Although a little deceptive, It is certainly a successful leadership tactic.
However, to me, it feels a little unproductive, and a little slimy. Similar to how the Vietnam War Memorial in Washington DC is set to give the feeling of cutting into the ground and then healing as you walk out of it, I feel as if the Voices of Vietnam project is not intended to ever provide closure. It seeks to have people remember it, but like all things, memories eventually fade. And perhaps coming to terms with what happened and finding a more realistic goal would be more productive for the aging survivors who had to experience unspeakable things.