DRAFT
selected by Ngô Thanh Nhàn, December 23, 2015
The 10th Agent Orange Justice Tour, December 8 to December 20, 2015
- Hosted by the Vietnam Agent Orange Relief & Responsibility Campaign (VAORRC)
- Joined in New York by Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW) and Veterans For Peace (VFP)
- Joined in Washington DC by Veterans For Peace (VFP), Vietnam Veterans Against the War (VVAW), Iraq Veterans Against the War (IVAW), and Children Of Vietnam Veterans Health Alliance (COVVHA)
As we approach the holiday season, we are welcoming our 10th Vietnam Agent Orange delegation to the United States. This is an exciting moment as we open the next stage of our campaign to achieve justice for Agent Orange victims in Vietnam and the United States.
This visit comes in response to a visit to Vietnam made by Campaign Board members Bishop Thomas Gumbleton, Jeanne Mirer and Merle Ratner to support the work of our partner organization, the Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin (VAVA) which represents over 365,000 Agent Orange victims. Bishop Gumbleton spent time at several centers for young Agent Orange victims in January and February 2013.
“I had not been to Viet Nam in over 20 years. I was shocked when I returned… It was an eye opening experience. Our delegation visited with families and individuals who are still suffering the unspeakable consequences of Agent Orange. The greatest tragedy is that the second and third generations of babies are being born with the same horrible deformities. This experience increased my determination to work very hard within our political system to bring about an adequate response to heal the hurt that we caused.”
Program Preview
— December 8-13: New York City
— December 14-18: Washington DC
— December 18-20: New York City
The Vietnam Association for Victims of Agent Orange/Dioxin in Vietnam (VAVA) delegation
 Nguyễn Văn Rinh President |
 Nguyễn Minh Y VAVA Special Advisor |
 Phạm Trương, VAVA Director of International Relations |
 Đào Thị Nguyên, President of VAVA Đồng Nai |
 Trần Thị Hoan 2nd generation victims |
 Nguyễn Trọng Phú interpreter |
December 8, 2015
— Arrival in Manhattan at Alma Mathews House
— Meeting with Cathy Dang (CAAAV: Organizing Asian American Communities), Chhaya Chhoum, Socheatta Meng and Le Dai Duong (Mekong NYC) in Chinatown, NY.
Front from left: Le Dai Duong, Cathy Dang, Tran Thi Hoan, Socheatta Meng, and Chhaya Chhoum. Back from left: Nguyen Trong Phu, Merle Ratner, Dao Thi Nguyen, Ngo Thanh Nhan, Nguyen Van Rinh, Pham Truong and Nguyen Minh Y.
December 9, 2015
— Meeting with Marci Reaven and Lily Wong at the New York Historical Society
— Briefing for the Delegation on events to come
— Welcome dinner with the Vietnam Mission to the UN with Ambassador Phạm Thị Kim Anh (fourth from right), Susan Schnall (second left) and Hà Mi (left)
December 10, 2015
— Meeting with faith leaders organized by Dough Hostetter, Mennonite Central Committee, at 777 UN Plaza
— Public event at Martin Luther King Jr. Labor Center of 1199 (the first US union to oppose the US war in Vietnam) – chaired by Susan Schnall and Frank Velgara.
Special thanks to Estela Vazquez (Executive Vice-President, 1199 SEIU/United HeathCare Workers East), to Ambassador Phạm Thị Kim Anh, and to Frank Velgara, Radhames Morales, Randy Jackson,… and the statements of solidarity of J.J. Johnson, VFP and VVAW members. Poetry by Sarah N Mess (Warrior Writers) and Vinie Burrows, …
Chhaya Chhoum gave the last speech. Present also were Socheatta Meng, Joyce Wong and members of Mekong NYC…
A painting was donated by painter Bibi Tran to the Campaign for fund raising…
December 11, 2015
— VAVA meeting with Southern Christian Leadership Conference at the Most Precious Blood Church, 109 Mulberry Street
— Fundraising event at Jeanne & Frank Mirer’s home
December 12, 2015
— Film interview
— Veterans For Peace Holiday Event at Goddard Riverside Community Center, 593 Columbus Avenue
Tran Thi Hoan is dancing with the band…
December 13, 2015
— A moment with May Fu
— VAORRC meeting with VAVA at Susan Schnall’s place
December 14, 2015
— Travel by Amtrak to Washington DC
— Arrival at the International Guest House, 1441 Kennedy Street, NW
December 15, 2015
Moments with Hải-Bình Nguyễn, and friends in the International Guest House morning breakfast, …
and moments with Ambassador Pham Quang Vinh…
Moments with Senator Sheldon Whitehouse…
December 16, 2015
— Meeting with US State Department and US Agency for International Development
— Meeting with COVVHA
December 17, 2015
— Congressional and press briefing, Cannon House Conference Room 121
Susan Schnall, Merle Ratner, Nguyễn Văn Rinh (VAVA), Paul Cox (Vietnam veteran), Trần Thị Hoan (Vietnamese 2nd generation AO victim), Heather Bowser (US 2nd generation AO victim), Joshua Kelly (US 2nd generation AO victim), Michael McPhearson (Veterans For Peace), Matt Howard (Co-chair, Iraq Veterans Against the War) and Ngô Thanh Nhàn (Vietnamese American)…
— Meeting with Congresswoman Barbara Lee, Capitol
December 18, 2015
December 19, 2015
A short tour of New York: Washington Square, Broadway and Ground Zero…
December 20, 2015
— VAVA/VAORRC Summation meeting and a Memorandum of Understanding was signed
— VAVA Delegation leaving for Vietnam at John F Kennedy International Airport
2015 Agent Orange Justice Tour 