Robert S. Geissinger-The victims and the families of the victims who died in Hue deserve justice

Mồ chôn tập thể Mậu Thân Huế 1968

The victims and the families of the victims who died in Hue deserve justice, and those responsible should be held accountable for their crimes against humanity when they murdered thousands in Hue, Viet Nam in 1968.

Robert S. Geissinger

Olympia, WA

2011 A.D.

I was born in Allentown, PA in 1952, and lived there until the family moved to Virginia in 1960. From there we later moved to California in 1969 where I finished high school and joined the United States Marines in 1971. I served in the Marines until 1979, when I moved to Washington State where I have lived for the past 31 years.

I can trace my family roots back to an ancestor that came to America in the 1700’s along with other family members who have participated in key events in American history including three Presidents of the United States. I am also part Cherokee, however, I cannot claim I understand the Native American experience in this country.

I believe in one world, one people. I saw a movie about a month ago, where a white supremist made what was supposed to be a derogatory remark by calling a man a “multi-culturalist.” I believe I am a dedicated multi-culturalist. I believe in the value of all human-kind, regardless of race, religious belief, gender, age, sexual preference, and cultural background. I believe that all people are deserving of being treated with dignity and respect, and that all have value. I am also a student of history. I have studied much on the 20^th century, most particularly World War Two, and have a developed sense of events that led to the many calamities of that and our current century.

I believe we all need justice, and that everyone, regardless of station in life should be accountable for what they do and don’t do, even nations. While I am proud of many of our national accomplishments, I am not proud of how Americans have treated many ethnic groups in and out of this country. While we haven’t always lived up to high ideals of our nation, we have on a number of occasions publicly voiced our errors. I recently read an article about the nation’s chief solicitor deliberately withheld reports from the United States Supreme Court that indicated Japanese-Americans were not considered a threat while the court was deliberating on whether to withhold or strike down President Roosevelt’s order to intern them in 1942. It is heartening that we can openly admit our wrongs.

I believe the American people have a vested interest in the country of Viet Nam. My own father served in the United States Navy on River Patrol Boats (PBRs) out of Vung Tau in Viet Nam in 1966-67. He returned to Viet Nam while serving with a Naval Construction Battalion about 20 miles east of the Cambodian border in 1970-71. Much of my training while in the Marines was preparation for combat in Viet Nam. Although I did not serve in the country, I always felt a kinship with the Vietnamese people and their struggle against communist aggression.

I met Joseph Pham a few months ago, and we have had several conversations regarding the circumstances that led to the invasion of South Viet Nam by North Viet Nam in 1975. We recently discussed the massacre of thousands of Vietnamese by the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong during their Tet Offensive in 1968, most particularly the murders that took place in Hue City.

Following along with my belief that all persons should be accountable for what they do or do not do, I believe the current Vietnamese government must answer for the thousands of deaths wrought by their hand in Hue City, and elsewhere throughout the Indochina area. Casualties amongst combat forces, even irregular forces such as the Viet Cong can be expected in any conflict, however, the murder of thousands of unarmed people simply for their beliefs or station in life is simply wrong, and the persons responsible should be held accountable.

I am not suggesting American or South Vietnamese forces were saints or without responsibility for many deaths, but I am saying the murders that took place in Hue City should not have happened. If the Cambodian people can seek out Pol Pot and hold him accountable for the millions of deaths that occurred in Cambodia , the Vietnamese people here in American and in Viet Nam deserve to have justice for the five thousand deaths occurring at the hands of the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong in Hue. How many deaths does it take to make it worth pursuing the murderers of persons simply because of their station in life? What constitutes crimes against humanity? In my opinion, one death is too many and every nation has to accountable and responsible for the lives they take, no more, no less than each individual person.

The American government still has an office within the Justice Department that continues to pursue Nazis who committed horrific crimes against humanity, in the name of bigotry and hatred. We continue to pursue persons responsible for the murder of thousands in Bosnia during the breakup of Yugoslavia, then why don’t we pursue the murderers of thousands in Hue City in 1968?

If crimes against humanity committed by the Nazis were wrong in 1942, wrong in Cambodia in 1979, and wrong again in Bosnia in the 1990’s, then who speaks for the thousands murdered by the North Vietnamese and Viet Cong in 1968? Such crimes deserve our continued attention and commitment to hold the persons responsible accountable, if only to gain recognition they should not have committed those crimes.

I believe the slavery practiced in my country from its birth and through the civil war was wrong. I believe the practices of the American government towards Native Americans was abysmal and wrong. I believe the occupation of the Philippines at the end of the 19^th Century was wrong. I believe the internment of Japanese-Americans during WWII was wrong. I believe the invasion and occupation of Iraq was wrong. All that being said, I also believe this country has at least demonstrated the capacity to accept responsibility for its actions in the past. Even the Russians eventually admitted the murder of 20,000 Polish officers in 1940. I cannot say that about the current Vietnamese government and the murders that took place in Hue.

The victims and the families of the victims who died in Hue deserve justice, and those responsible should be held accountable for their crimes against humanity when they murdered thousands in Hue, Viet Nam in 1968.

Robert Geissinger, CDP, Executive Director

Guysinger Publications, Training & Consultation

XXXXXXXXXXXXX

Olympia, WA 98516

Telephone: XXX-XXX-4371

E-mail: xxxxxx@xxxxxxxxxx

Olympia, WA

2011 A.D.