USA TODAY International Edition
Decades- old bombs still litter my birth country
Weapons’ deadly legacy continues across Ukraine
Like much of the world, I cannot look away from my screen as I watch countless videos and read reports of the millions of refugees fleeing Ukraine.
The most chilling of these reports for me came when U. S. Ambassador Linda Thomas- Greenfield addressed the United Nations and drew our attention to “videos of Russian forces moving exceptionally lethal weaponry into Ukraine, which has no place on the battlefield. That includes cluster munitions.”
Cluster munitions. Cluster bombs. Bombies. Whatever you call them, they will remain true to their design. I know from growing up in Laos. These indiscriminate weapons will kill now or kill later. Often decades later.
Monday is International Mine Awareness Day, and I’ll be joining hundreds of humanitarians and disarmament colleagues at the U. N. I’ll be speaking on the lingering impacts of unexploded ordnance and mines in Laos.
I was 6 in 1990 when my parents said we were going to a “far off” land to visit my uncles and aunties.
Where war decisions were made
We landed in Washington, D. C., and for the first time in my life I was riding in a car – looking through the windows at the massive buildings and endless vehicles. We passed the White House, the Pentagon. Little did I know that these were the locations where the decisions to bomb my birth country were made.
Like many refugees and immigrant families, we were forced to move around depending on the availability of jobs and places where other family members settled. Nonetheless, I made friends, played tennis and soccer, and drank warm apple cider. I was all American. I belonged here and proudly called the United States home. Laos became a distant memory.
My life changed in 2015.
My older brother, Bay, called me from Washington, D. C., and asked whether I had ever heard about an organization called Legacies of War. Bay sent me its link, and I couldn’t stop reading about Laos’ history and its ties with U. S. history. All of a sudden, my birth country came back to me. No matter how horrific or painful, I couldn’t stop digging. By the time I closed my computer that day, I was trembling. I felt betrayed, angry and full of sorrow – mainly, I was ashamed that I didn’t know the depth of this history. My own family history.
Why is there an organization advocating for the removal of bombs that were dropped nearly five decades ago during the Vietnam War? Why are there still bombs left?
From 1964- 73, the United States dropped more than 2.5 million tons of bombs on Laos during 580,000 missions. That’s equal to a planeload of bombs every eight minutes, 24 hours a day, for nine straight years. It earned Laos the title of the most bombed country per capita in history.
The United States was not at war with Laos. This was all part of America’s efforts to destroy communist North Vietnam’s supply routes to South Vietnam. The people, historical sites and land of Laos became collateral damage.
The worst part about uncovering all of this is learning the reality that 30% of the bombs dropped did not explode on impact, leaving millions lurking beneath the surface – bombs that can still kill to this day.
I started volunteering with Legacies of War. In 2019, as its new leader, I returned to Washington. My first assignment was to go back to Laos to familiarize myself with the unexploded ordnance sector. While there, I retraced my childhood steps walking to school. I realize now that it was a great risk for my parents to send my siblings and me to school knowing that danger was lurking inches beneath our feet.
In fact, 40% of unexploded ordnance accidents occur when children mistake these tennis ball- size bombs for a toy ball.
Countless survivors, victims and their families shared their stories with me. Some shared the fear that looms as they farm their land, not knowing whether the next time their shovel hits the earth will be their last. Others share concerns of the dangers of bombs shifting from floods, from digging a fire pit and many other everyday activities.
The recurring message that came up in each of my conversations was this: We want these bombs removed. We just want to live in peace and safety.
I left Laos overwhelmed with thoughts of the 80 million cluster bombs that remain.
Since our founding in 2004, Legacies of War has successfully advocated for U. S. funding for bomb clearance and victim assistance in Laos, The current $ 45 million a year greatly reduces the number of casualties. While this is the highest level of funding in history, it’s not enough.
Remove unexploded ordnances
America must show greater leadership in resolving the deadly legacy of its secret war in my birth country. Next year will mark the 50th year since the last bombs were dropped on Laos.
The Legacies of War Recognition and Unexploded Ordnance Removal Act, sponsored by Sen. Tammy Baldwin, DWis., and Sen. Jerry Moran, R- Kansas, will authorize funding of $ 500 million over five years for the removal of land mines and unexploded ordnances in Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.
They are not the only countries plagued by deadly explosive remnants of war. We are witnessing the barbaric use of cluster bombs in Ukraine now and their prior use in 41 other countries, including Syria, Eritrea and Serbia.
Perhaps one of the most important roles that Legacies of War is able to serve for Americans and the people of Laos is our unique ability to be a bridge toward healing by providing an authentic space for honest dialogues.
As someone who is both Lao and American, I feel for both countries and its people. Although the common history was ignited by war, the path forward looks brighter as we create new legacies of hope together.