Vietnamese-Americans preparing to mark the Monday anniversary of the end of the Vietnam War had mixed feelings but expressed sympathy for former Sen. Bob Kerrey, facing media scrutiny over his leading role in an apparent massacre in the Mekong Delta in 1969. I kind of feel sorry for him having to go through all that, and for the families in the village,'' said one young Vietnamese-American woman in northern Virginia's Eden shopping center in suburban Washington.
All signs are in Vietnamese and few people speak good English.
Organizers plan several events over the weekend to commemorate the 26th anniversary of the end of the war on April 30, culminating with a demonstration in downtown Washington. It is likely to be an event attended mostly by older people, not the young. From shoppers in suburban Washington, to a California-based radio broadcaster serving the Vietnamese community, the Kerrey incident is a reminder of the accidents, tragedies and sorrow of the war, and the need to heal old wounds. He said he will watch with interest how local papers in Vietnam cover the Kerrey story to see if it will be used for anti-American rhetoric or for historic reconciliation. Kerrey said on Thursday he could not justify, militarily or morally, a combat mission he led in Vietnam 32 years ago during which more than 20 unarmed civilians, mostly women and children, were shot and killed.