It’s Been 50 Years. I Am Not ‘Napalm Girl’ Anymore.

[Tennesseer]

I remember.

It’s Been 50 Years. I Am Not ‘Napalm Girl’ Anymore.

I grew up in the small village of Trang Bang in South Vietnam. My mother said I laughed a lot as a young girl. We led a simple life with an abundance of food, since my family had a farm and my mom ran the best restaurant in town. I remember loving school and playing with my cousins and the other children in our village, jumping rope, running and chasing one another joyfully.

All of that changed on June 8, 1972. I have only flashes of memories of that horrific day. I was playing with my cousins in the temple courtyard. The next moment, there was a plane swooping down close and a deafening noise. Then explosions and smoke and excruciating pain. I was 9 years old.

Napalm sticks to you, no matter how fast you run, causing horrific burns and pain that last a lifetime. I don’t remember running and screaming, “Nóng quá, nóng quá!” (“Too hot, too hot!”) But film footage and others’ memories show that I did.

You’ve probably seen the photograph of me taken that day, running away from the explosions with the others — a naked child with outstretched arms, screaming in pain. Taken by the South Vietnamese photographer Nick Ut, who was working for The Associated Press, it ran on the front pages of newspapers all over the world and won a Pulitzer Prize. In time, it became one of the most famous images from the Vietnam War.

Nick changed my life forever with that remarkable photograph. But he also saved my life. After he took the photo, he put his camera down, wrapped me in a blanket and whisked me off to get medical attention. I am forever thankful.

Yet I also remember hating him at times. I grew up detesting that photo. I thought to myself, “I am a little girl. I am naked. Why did he take that picture? Why didn’t my parents protect me? Why did he print that photo? Why was I the only kid naked while my brothers and cousins in the photo had their clothes on?” I felt ugly and ashamed.

Growing up, I sometimes wished to disappear not only because of my injuries — the burns scarred a third of my body and caused intense, chronic pain — but also because of the shame and embarrassment of my disfigurement. I tried to hide my scars under my clothes. I had horrific anxiety and depression. Children in school recoiled from me. I was a figure of pity to neighbors and, to some extent, my parents. As I got older, I feared that no one would ever love me.

Meanwhile, the photograph became even more famous, making it more difficult to navigate my private and emotional life. Beginning in the 1980s, I sat through endless interviews with the press and meetings with royalty, prime ministers and other leaders, all of whom expected to find some meaning in that image and my experience. The child running down the street became a symbol of the horrors of war. The real person looked on from the shadows, fearful that I would somehow be exposed as a damaged person.

Rest of article here: It’s Been 50 Years. I Am Not ‘Napalm Girl’ Anymore.

[chiver78]

I wish there wasn't a paywall...

[Tennesseer]

Jun 6, 2022 10:11:53 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

I wish there wasn't a paywall...

(Don't tell anyone but I will copy and past article in PM to you. (And anyone else who wants to read the complete article.))

[Tiny]

She writes about her experience growing up (the trauma of being disfigured and feelings of being unlovable and without a path in life - until she became an adult - she and her husband now work to help children in war torn countries deal with the trauma of what they have seen, felt, etc).

I think this is a "persuasive" written piece - to persuade those who have survived gun violence to show their scars and what their life is like as well as how photos (of what gun violence does to the bodies of children and adults) may be necessary to enact change.     I do think those who have survived do need to stand up and say something - but how do we protect them - from the internet and from further violence? 

I cannot speak for the families in Uvalde, Texas, but I think that showing the world what the aftermath of a gun rampage truly looks like can deliver the awful reality. We must face this violence head-on, and the first step is to look at it.

I have carried the results of war on my body. You don’t grow out of the scars, physically or mentally. I am grateful now for the power of that photograph of me as a 9-year-old, as I am of the journey I have taken as a person. My horror — which I barely remember — became universal. I’m proud that, in time, I have become a symbol of peace. It took me a long time to embrace that as a person. I can say, 50 years later, that I’m glad Nick (Nick Ut the photographer who captured that iconic photo) captured that moment, even with all the difficulties that image created for me.

The New York Times has had a series of opinion pieces discussing if photos of the dead (or other graphic photos from school mass shootings) would be what is needed to force a change in America.

(I hinted at this in one of my posts where I suggested maybe people with posters of the graphic results of gun violence should be standing outside any place that sells guns - and even gun ranges. TBH, I'm not really sure this a good thing. I'm not sure if it trivializes the victims or if it would even make a difference - I'm guessing most Americans are somewhat numb to graphic depictions of gore and death - as it's served up to us as "entertainment" on TV and in Movies. )

But, back to the article - I have also read that publishing photos has come up in the past. Leonard Pozner (and I think he said other families) gave it some consideration - but he (and the other families) feared the photos would be used against them - remember Sandyhook was considered faked - and the families received death threats and hate mail... Alex Jones is an evil, evil, man... to have knowingly fanned those flames. 

Perhaps, like the Author of this piece  Kim Phuc Phan Thi     the survivors need to step into the spot light and tell their stories and show their "wounds" so we can grasp the horror of what was done to those who didn't survive....      but who will protect them in this day and age??   

[Tiny]

Jun 6, 2022 10:11:53 GMT -5 chiver78 said:

I wish there wasn't a paywall...

I am beginning to see a problem -  I can get all the misinformation I want for free on line.... but to have access to actual reporting I have to pay...  

I get it that newspapers/journalists should be paid - it's their livelihood.      

Do public libriaries give online access for free to their patrons?     IN the past you could walk into a library and read the paper copies of whatever papers the library subscribed to.

 

[Tennesseer]

Jun 6, 2022 10:25:20 GMT -5 Tiny said:

She writes about her experience growing up (the trauma of being disfigured and feelings of being unlovable and without a path in life - until she became an adult - she and her husband now work to help children in war torn countries deal with the trauma of what they have seen, felt, etc).

I think this is a "persuasive" written piece - to persuade those who have survived gun violence to show their scars and what their life is like as well as how photos (of what gun violence does to the bodies of children and adults) may be necessary to enact change.     I do think those who have survived do need to stand up and say something - but how do we protect them - from the internet and from further violence? 

I cannot speak for the families in Uvalde, Texas, but I think that showing the world what the aftermath of a gun rampage truly looks like can deliver the awful reality. We must face this violence head-on, and the first step is to look at it.

I have carried the results of war on my body. You don’t grow out of the scars, physically or mentally. I am grateful now for the power of that photograph of me as a 9-year-old, as I am of the journey I have taken as a person. My horror — which I barely remember — became universal. I’m proud that, in time, I have become a symbol of peace. It took me a long time to embrace that as a person. I can say, 50 years later, that I’m glad Nick (Nick Ut the photographer who captured that iconic photo) captured that moment, even with all the difficulties that image created for me.

The New York Times has had a series of opinion pieces discussing if photos of the dead (or other graphic photos from school mass shootings) would be what is needed to force a change in America.

(I hinted at this in one of my posts where I suggested maybe people with posters of the graphic results of gun violence should be standing outside any place that sells guns - and even gun ranges. TBH, I'm not really sure this a good thing. I'm not sure if it trivializes the victims or if it would even make a difference - I'm guessing most Americans are somewhat numb to graphic depictions of gore and death - as it's served up to us as "entertainment" on TV and in Movies. )

But, back to the article - I have also read that publishing photos has come up in the past. Leonard Pozner (and I think he said other families) gave it some consideration - but he (and the other families) feared the photos would be used against them - remember Sandyhook was considered faked - and the families received death threats and hate mail... Alex Jones is an evil, evil, man... to have knowingly fanned those flames. 

Perhaps, like the Author of this piece  Kim Phuc Phan Thi     the survivors need to step into the spot light and tell their stories and show their "wounds" so we can grasp the horror of what was done to those who didn't survive....      but who will protect them in this day and age??   

Unfortunately, this NY Times article will be behind a paywall too. But a good read. It's an opinion piece of what you mentioned above.

Should We Be Forced to See Exactly What an AR-15 Does to a 10-Year-Old?

I remember tye pictures posted after the end of WWII of German citizens of towns were concentration camps were located being forced to walk through the camps to witness the piles of dead bodies of the unburied camp residents. The German male residents of these towns (and some female residents too) were forced by allied troops to bury the dead camp residents.

The pictures were published in newspapers around the world.

While I somewhat agree with the author of the article I linked above. Some times we need a good punch to the gut by posting pictures and to get things done.

[djAdvocate]

Jun 6, 2022 10:50:31 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Jun 6, 2022 10:25:20 GMT -5 Tiny said:

She writes about her experience growing up (the trauma of being disfigured and feelings of being unlovable and without a path in life - until she became an adult - she and her husband now work to help children in war torn countries deal with the trauma of what they have seen, felt, etc).

I think this is a "persuasive" written piece - to persuade those who have survived gun violence to show their scars and what their life is like as well as how photos (of what gun violence does to the bodies of children and adults) may be necessary to enact change.     I do think those who have survived do need to stand up and say something - but how do we protect them - from the internet and from further violence? 

The New York Times has had a series of opinion pieces discussing if photos of the dead (or other graphic photos from school mass shootings) would be what is needed to force a change in America.

(I hinted at this in one of my posts where I suggested maybe people with posters of the graphic results of gun violence should be standing outside any place that sells guns - and even gun ranges. TBH, I'm not really sure this a good thing. I'm not sure if it trivializes the victims or if it would even make a difference - I'm guessing most Americans are somewhat numb to graphic depictions of gore and death - as it's served up to us as "entertainment" on TV and in Movies. )

But, back to the article - I have also read that publishing photos has come up in the past. Leonard Pozner (and I think he said other families) gave it some consideration - but he (and the other families) feared the photos would be used against them - remember Sandyhook was considered faked - and the families received death threats and hate mail... Alex Jones is an evil, evil, man... to have knowingly fanned those flames. 

Perhaps, like the Author of this piece  Kim Phuc Phan Thi     the survivors need to step into the spot light and tell their stories and show their "wounds" so we can grasp the horror of what was done to those who didn't survive....      but who will protect them in this day and age??   

Unfortunately, this NY Times article will be behind a paywall too. But a good read. It's an opinion piece of what you mentioned above.

Should We Be Forced to See Exactly What an AR-15 Does to a 10-Year-Old?

I remember tye pictures posted after the end of WWII of German citizens of towns were concentration camps were located being forced to walk through the camps to witness the piles of dead bodies of the unburied camp residents. The German male residents of these towns (and some female residents too) were forced by allied troops to bury the dead camp residents.

The pictures were published in newspapers around the world.

While I somewhat agree with the author of the article I linked above. Some times we need a good punch to the gut by posting pictures and to get things done.

i strongly support this.
sanitizing violence is an easy out for those that promote it.
showing it in all of it's ugliness is pretty much how the anti-abortion crowd got their way.
we should use this same FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT to regulate guns.

[Tennesseer]

Jun 8, 2022 17:51:47 GMT -5 djAdvocate said:

Jun 6, 2022 10:50:31 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Unfortunately, this NY Times article will be behind a paywall too. But a good read. It's an opinion piece of what you mentioned above.

Should We Be Forced to See Exactly What an AR-15 Does to a 10-Year-Old?

I remember tye pictures posted after the end of WWII of German citizens of towns were concentration camps were located being forced to walk through the camps to witness the piles of dead bodies of the unburied camp residents. The German male residents of these towns (and some female residents too) were forced by allied troops to bury the dead camp residents.

The pictures were published in newspapers around the world.

While I somewhat agree with the author of the article I linked above. Some times we need a good punch to the gut by posting pictures and to get things done.

i strongly support this.
sanitizing violence is an easy out for those that promote it.
showing it in all of it's ugliness is pretty much how the anti-abortion crowd got their way.
we should use this same FIRST AMENDMENT RIGHT to regulate guns.

Knowing the quote below, it was not enough to move the Republicans on the House Committee on Oversight and Reform:

“Sweet Miah,” Dr. Guerrero said, noting that he had known the girl for her whole life and that she had survived major liver surgeries as a baby. Dr. Guerrero grew up in Uvalde and attended the same school, Robb Elementary, as a child. He said he ran outside to tell her parents that she was alive.

Speaking to the House committee, Dr. Guerrero described returning to the emergency room to horrifying sights: two children who he said had been “pulverized” and “decapitated” by bullets.

An Uvalde pediatrician says he will ‘never forget what I saw’ after the shooting.

And AR-15 style weapons are needed why?

[thyme4change]

Jun 6, 2022 10:50:31 GMT -5 Tennesseer said:

Jun 6, 2022 10:25:20 GMT -5 Tiny said:

She writes about her experience growing up (the trauma of being disfigured and feelings of being unlovable and without a path in life - until she became an adult - she and her husband now work to help children in war torn countries deal with the trauma of what they have seen, felt, etc).

I think this is a "persuasive" written piece - to persuade those who have survived gun violence to show their scars and what their life is like as well as how photos (of what gun violence does to the bodies of children and adults) may be necessary to enact change.     I do think those who have survived do need to stand up and say something - but how do we protect them - from the internet and from further violence? 

The New York Times has had a series of opinion pieces discussing if photos of the dead (or other graphic photos from school mass shootings) would be what is needed to force a change in America.

(I hinted at this in one of my posts where I suggested maybe people with posters of the graphic results of gun violence should be standing outside any place that sells guns - and even gun ranges. TBH, I'm not really sure this a good thing. I'm not sure if it trivializes the victims or if it would even make a difference - I'm guessing most Americans are somewhat numb to graphic depictions of gore and death - as it's served up to us as "entertainment" on TV and in Movies. )

But, back to the article - I have also read that publishing photos has come up in the past. Leonard Pozner (and I think he said other families) gave it some consideration - but he (and the other families) feared the photos would be used against them - remember Sandyhook was considered faked - and the families received death threats and hate mail... Alex Jones is an evil, evil, man... to have knowingly fanned those flames. 

Perhaps, like the Author of this piece  Kim Phuc Phan Thi     the survivors need to step into the spot light and tell their stories and show their "wounds" so we can grasp the horror of what was done to those who didn't survive....      but who will protect them in this day and age??   

Unfortunately, this NY Times article will be behind a paywall too. But a good read. It's an opinion piece of what you mentioned above.

Should We Be Forced to See Exactly What an AR-15 Does to a 10-Year-Old?

I remember tye pictures posted after the end of WWII of German citizens of towns were concentration camps were located being forced to walk through the camps to witness the piles of dead bodies of the unburied camp residents. The German male residents of these towns (and some female residents too) were forced by allied troops to bury the dead camp residents.

The pictures were published in newspapers around the world.

While I somewhat agree with the author of the article I linked above. Some times we need a good punch to the gut by posting pictures and to get things done.

Stranger things put a disclaimer on the latest season that likened their previously filmed opening scene to Uvalde, TX. They apologized and suggested to not watch it if it would upset you. I watched it. I would not have connected the two, but since they put that thought in my head 90 seconds before I saw it, I got way, way more uncomfortable. It did not seem like fiction at that point.