Vietnam Portfolio / Children — E. Kenneth Hoffman
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Comments left at the original Vietnam Interactive Portfolio blog 1995-2004
All in the eyes
The eyes of the children tell more than the surroundings they are in. I see eyes that do not understand, eyes filled with terror, and wonder. The eyes are the gateway to the soul.
Complete Adoration
I am merely an ignorant 16 year old girl, and yet the country of Viet Nam has fascinated me for years: the people, the language, the history, the legends, but most of all, the children and the country itself. This collection of pictures, moving, heartbreakingly sad, and all extremely beautiful have touched me deeply. Thank you for sharing them with us.
It could have been me…
I was born in Saigon in January 1972. How my two brothers and I managed to come to America is purely a miracle of God. We were adopted by an American family. If it hadn’t been for their love, these pictures could very well have been of me or my brothers. As I gaze at these frozen moments in time, I feel ashamed that others weren’t as fortunate as myself. Utter helplessness can only describe my thoughts. I want to reach out and share my comforts with those tearwrenching photos…A man who doesn’t know his own heritage…I am lost…looking at these “windows” on my past helps bridge the deep chasm of solitude. Isn’t it ironic, how war raped my homeland, yet I now am part of that machine? Yes, I serve with the United States Army, and I am proud of what I stand for. Maybe I can make a difference in this world…even if I can’t, I will forever try. Those pleading eyes are my inspiration for life.
Trust
First of all, those pictures remind me of my childhood. I was just one of those children in a village in Danang between Monkey Mountain and Marble Mountain… Talking about “trust” and “untrust”, You heard wrong, I think all those Vietnamese children were just children, and children are trustworthy. It was a pity those children grew up in war, I think they are just human, please don’t differentiate children (in) war from other children.
Trust
When we speak of “trusting” we must remember that these children who fought and played a role in the war trusted the adults who told them they must do such things. Imagine being told as a child that you could be a hero, save your country if you participated in a simple game. To us children the war was a game. We had no concept of what our actions would lead to. We were doing what we were told was the right and honorable thing to do. You cannot blame children for the deaths of your soldiers, but you can blame the war that drove children to kill, or the American government which sent the soldiers in the first place…