Okay, um, why did the Amerasian issue come up when it did and why did it take so long?

Well, I believe it took so long because, um, in a lot of ways...

Start again, with the Amerasian issue.

I believe the, the Amerasian issue took a while to surface because, um, ah, a lot of, uh, the Vietnam war itself, and a lot of the problems associated with it went in the closet. Certainly for Vietnam veterans. Um, even relating to being a Vietnam veteran, went in the closet for many, many years, and there were other immediate concerns for Vietnam veterans in education, um, employment, just getting on with their own lives.

And it's just years later, as you grow out of being a teenager, and get a little older and um, more mature, you reflect back on your life and you realize that there are things still back there that you have to take care of. And um, when we went to Vietnam, uh VVA, uh, there were major concerns for us, uh, the MIA question, the problems with Agent Orange that we wanted to discuss with them.

And it was really then, on the first the trip back that Amerasian issue literally met us on the street. And, uh, that's when it dawned on us, that there was this ah major problem, major issue that we had to deal with, and it was our responsibility in part to deal with it. Because as leaders of Vietnam Veterans America, um, it was our responsibility. We had to make sure that that we help resolve the issue. That's why we got in it.

And what's happening on that now... in resolving the issue. What's been done and what's going to be done?

Well, it's moving ahead, uh, like the MIA issue, there wasn't government to government discussions then on that issue and there's not government to government direct government to government discussions on the Amerasian issue today. So, oh, uh, in an attempt to fill a void what we offered the Vietnamese was for them to work with the private sector, um, American private sector by VVA forming a task force of voluntary agencies, uh, that they can directly communicate with.

It was just a lot more efficient than carrying on discussions with twelve or fifteen different agencies. So they agreed to that. We came back. We formed the task force. Uh, we asked them if they would receive a delegation to carry on these direct discussions, and in the interim, what they did was, um, uh, agree to allow, uh, groups of Amerasian children and their family members to come out once a month.

So once a month we have voluntary agencies that go in and literally sign for these children so the Ordely Departure Program can process them. And, um, but we're really looking to expand that because there are quite a few thousand still there.

What is the position of the Amerasian children in Vietnam, as you understand it?

Well, I, as I understand it, their position is similar to the other children in Vietnam which is a severe, uh, they have severe economic problems. They have uh, shortages in uh, in uh food, powdered milk especially, um, with medicines, especially during the rainy season, infectious diseases, those sorts of things. The conditions in the hospitals often are atrocious.

They have real problems, and I think for us, you know, we look at it again as as those are our children, we have to do something for them. And I, but the issue is a little bit complicated because it's just not the Amerasian children who will, who want to leave Vietnam. There are those who are going to want to stay. And so we have to look to that and the long term problem that poses.

And we have still that obligation. So we would like to see them with sufficient food and medicines to get them by. And we can't, in, in... for that portion of the children we can't just look at it just as Amerasian children, because if they were at an orphanage, we couldn't very well send in medicine and say only give them to the Amerasian children, because we would be injecting our own prejudice, in at that point...

So I think that we look at it in terms of those Amerasian children who're wishing to depart Vietnam and be reunited with family members here if possible, and also those children, children as a whole that will stay in Vietnam, and what can we do to help them out.

What, how do the uh, full Vietnamese look at these Amerasian children?

Well, it's hard to say. I, there is this issue of discrimination that surfaces uh, periodically. We don't believe that there's an actual um, government policy of discrimination. I think it's basic human nature though, that um, that these kids from time to time with certain people run into problems. I mean we still have that, we still have a discrimination problem in this country. I'm sure that, uh, every society has it.

I think they do, too. So I think Amerasian children are the, run into problems there. If Amerasian children were brought here, they would run into problems, and do run into problems here. I mean there are adoption agencies that specialize in helping to place Amerasian children here, and they will tell you that Amerasian children do have special problems, because it's an identity thing. Where do they belong? Do they belong here? Do they belong in Vietnam? And for those children, um, uh, they need special counseling and special care in order to develop properly.

I understand that more Amerasian children are coming whose fathers are not identified or don't want them than who do.

Yeah, that's, that's, that's what we find. I think there's a little bit of a misunderstanding about who the fathers are. I think for the most part, the the, the uh, soldier in Vietnam was, the average age was nineteen. He was out in the field, and for the most part they weren't the fathers.

Certainly some of them were. They, uh, in a lot of ways, they just didn't have time to be fathers. They were surviving. That what they were spending their time on. Uh, there are those, however, that were in, uh, in the rear areas in Saigon, in other areas that were full, civilian employees, that were um, career military people that spent years in Vietnam.

That had the ability to have their own home, uh apartment, uh, go into town when they wanted to, had the run of the place, if you will. Those are the people that had the time to um live with women. To get married, or not get married, or whatever. And uh, I think in a large part, those are who the fathers are. And I think um, with these many years later, many of those people are either just they're older, they're not in a, really in a position to be raising children now.

They could be married here, um, have their own family, and it would be, could be very disruptive, to to bring in another woman again, and their, and former children. So for a lot of them I think that, that it isn't a matter of being reunited with their fathers. For some, yeah. And we have helped individual members who've asked us to do that. But I think that for the large majority they're with their mothers or aunts or uncles or whoever, and that's who's bringing them up and that's who will be bringing them up. Whether it be there or here.

Thanks.

You're welcome.