By Mike Hastie

This photo is my way of remembering a dreadful day in Vietnamese history, committed by my
government. Millions of American people who were very much against the war, will remember March 16, 1968. As a U.S. Army medic in An Khe, Vietnam, I am very sorry that I was ever involved in the war. I have carried this pain all of my life, but each time I return to Vietnam my pain becomes less, because the Vietnamese people are very kind to me. In 1994, I made my first trip back to Vietnam. When I was in Hue, I gave an old Vietnamese woman some money because she was very poor, and I carried so much shame for ever being in her country during the war. As I walked away from her, I returned to her and kissed her on the cheek. After I kissed her, I realized I was kissing my mother. The emotional connection
between me and the Vietnamese people was very powerful at that moment. I was born in America, but my heart is Vietnamese.