This is a bit much, as these same United States soldiers killed the people of Vietnam and destroyed their country. For the very first time, I have seen a news article that actually presents the idea that the Vietnamese suffered as much, or more than the Americans in the Vietnam war, an unusual viewpoint for a mainstream American newspaper to be writing about. For this, the LA Times is to be commended. There are a number of problems with the article, but it is still a step forward. The article is about a Vietnamese woman named Pham Kim Ky, whose son, Ho Viet Dung, fought for the North Vietnamese army in the Vietnam War, and has been MIA for 25 years, presumed dead.
Several things are admirable and unusual about the article.
By showing the numbers of MIAs on both sides, the reader can see that Vietnam is worse off in this respect. The article also portrays North Vietnamese as human beings with personalities and feelings, instead of describing them as a ruthless fighting force, backwards peasants, or brainwashed commie tools. Often, one can tell about a widespread social problem by telling the story of one or several individuals, helping the reader get a proper perspective and context of the problem. Secondly, any implication of guilt on the part of the United States is deftly sidestepped. These actions are described as though they had happened without any cause or agent.