Guest commentary: Afghan refugees need America’s compassionate spirit

The hopeless evacuation from Afghanistan jarred our conscience for bully reason. For me, it’s due to the fact that my ain household was near down successful Vietnam aft Saigon fell successful 1975. We yet fled connected a vessel and resettled successful the United States. I was lone 3 years old. Today, I’m a proud
American and enactment successful our assemblage arsenic a physician. Even though I ne'er served successful the military, warfare has shaped my beingness story. What I’ve learned is that the powerfulness of America is not successful our subject might, but it is successful the mighty hearts of the American people.

In the 1970s, courageous men and women from World Vision responded to the flood of Vietnamese refugees pouring retired successful rickety boats. This Christian humanitarian enactment sent a vessel to assistance the refugees. While the satellite dismissed families similar excavation arsenic a governmental problem, the World Vision unit saw america arsenic quality beings. Out successful the South China Sea, they rescued my family, provided for our needs, and brought america to safety. The heroes of this rescue ngo were besides the countless Americans who donated financially. They helped a radical of radical astir of them would ne'er meet.

When my household was being resettled successful America, a tiny Lutheran religion successful Fort Smith, Ark., welcomed us. They greeted america astatine the airdrome with lukewarm smiles and nods that needed nary translation. They drove america to our caller location and paid the rent for six months. Volunteers brought donated furniture, clothing, and nutrient for my family. They besides enrolled my older siblings into schools, signed america up for societal services, and helped my begetter find a job. We don’t retrieve astir of the volunteers’ names, but we’ll ne'er hide their compassion.

Over time, our neighbors invited america to church. I could not recognize what the aged men and women taught during Sunday School. But their faces communicated intelligibly however overmuch they cared. In simple school, my teachers had to walk other clip with maine due to the fact that I struggled
with English. My friends’ parents drove maine to shot signifier and world competitions erstwhile I couldn’t get a ride. When I applied to assemblage and didn’t person a typewriter, the school’s caput typed my handwritten scribbled mess. When I got into Harvard but had nary money, scholarships paid for it. This signifier of kindness and generosity continued for years until I graduated from aesculapian school.

As a tegument crab surgeon, I person the profound privilege of caring for our veterans. I’m peculiarly fond of Vietnam veterans due to the fact that we are each products of the aforesaid war. This horrific trauma hijacked and everlastingly changed our lives. For many, the losses are truthful large that we are inactive grieving decades later. We each suffered, but we are besides survivors. All is not lost, and our friendships contiguous are impervious of that. War is ne'er final.

My beingness communicative has been shaped by Americans who did not talk Vietnamese oregon recognize my culture. They did not person each the answers to a “refugee problem.” They lone saw my household arsenic individuals with needs. And they did what they could. They cared, and they responded. These Americans did not person subject oregon governmental authority, truthful they exercised the top powerfulness we person arsenic humans. And that is the powerfulness to emotion their neighbors…even erstwhile they are strangers. My travel from the ashes of warfare yet evolved into an adoption story, erstwhile the compassion of America made maine 1 of her own.

Even though subject engagement successful Afghanistan is over, we tin inactive assistance the survivors. In the coming weeks, Afghan airlift evacuees volition beryllium settled present successful Colorado. My aesculapian practice, churches, businesses, and neighbors are partnering with Lutheran Family Services Rocky
Mountains. We anticipation to invited them with the aforesaid kindness that my household received. Together, we tin constitute our corporate communicative with the enduring religion that bully volition ever prevail.

Perhaps 1 of these Afghan children could find a harmless home, turn up, and go a doc successful our precise ain community. Wouldn’t that beryllium an unthinkable story?

Dr. Vinh Chung, is simply a erstwhile exile and arrogant American. He is simply a surgeon astatine Vanguard Skin Specialists. His memoir Where the Wind Leads is disposable everyplace books are sold. To find retired however you tin assistance invited refugees to Colorado, sojourn Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains.