On April 30, 1975, U.S. troops left Saigon for the last time. With their final exit it seemed that the war in Vietnam was over. Unfortunately for the residents of Vietnam, the echoes of that war still rage on to this very day. Lives continue to be lost.
When Americans talk about the Vietnam War, we focus on our own veterans. What too many people fail to understand is the sheer magnitude of suffering and consequences that our past military actions have left in Vietnam.
Before the war, there were 3,000 villages in the Quang Tri province. After the war, there were 11.
Dong Ha City in Quang Tri is devastated by the aftermath of war, 1968.
The Quang Tri province was one of the most heavily bombed areas of Vietnam—nearly 15 million tons of explosives were dropped here. The Department of Defense believes 10 percent of these explosives have yet to detonate.
Since 1975, 31 percent of the 7,100 casualties in the Quang Tri province have been children. There are 3,400 people living with disabilities, caused by accidental UXO detonation. There are 15,485 victims of Agent Orange, and 5,000 children born with birth defects. Overall, more than 100,000 Vietnamese residents have felt the affects of unexploded UXOs, and Agent Orange has affected 3 million.
But one NGO seeks to change all of that.
An unexploded United States MK-82 bomb is safely moved by Project RENEW's bomb squad.
“The challenge has to be not to clean up every bomb and mine, but to make Vietnam safe,” said Chuck Searcy. Searcy was born in Athens, Georgia, and is a veteran of the Vietnam War. In 1992 he returned to Vietnam as a tourist. Nearly 20 years ago he moved to Vietnam to help repair diplomatic relations. In 2001 he helped launch Project RENEW in the Quang Tri province with one goal in mind: peace for Vietnam.
“These legacies can be brought to some kind of closure in a very few years…” Searcy said. “We can all step back with some measure of satisfaction, finally, and say that after all of these years we did the right thing.”
Searcy (left) talks bomb removal with members of Project RENEW's staff.
Project RENEW has employed over 200 local staff members, and their approach follows four steps: clearance, assistance, education, and development. The staff members of Project RENEW have worked to safely detonate and clean up leftover bombs and mines. They provide assistance to disabled victims, and have even been able to provide amputees with prosthetic limbs.
Project RENEW educates residents of Vietnam, and even the children are now able to identify explosives and call one of the UXO disposal teams. The staff also provides community development classes to educate families on staying safe and making a living.
These young Vietnamese children celebrate the completion of a risk education class with Project RENEW.
Before Project RENEW the number of annual accidents in Quang Tri caused by UXO detonation was 45. That’s 45 incidents each year between 1996 and 2001. After Project RENEW? Between 2002 and 2012 there have been nine accidents…total.
With the help of Project RENEW there may be some closure between Vietnam and the United States. The deep wounds of war may begin to heal, and Vietnam can finally be safe.
