The girl in the picture is named Kim Phuc. This picture is the one that has haunted my childhood memories.
The first time I saw it on TV, I was with my parents and I was stopped dead in my tracks. I recall asking them what these kids were running from and they told me that during the Vietnam war the V.N.A.F. (Vietnamese National Air Force) accidentally bombed a village called “Trang Bang” which was 25 miles west of the capital city of Saigon, with Napalm.
I couldn’t get it out of my mind then, and it still conjures up those same emotions even when viewing it after all these years.
I have just found out that she lived literally down the street that we live on, about 3 blocks away. She even gave birth to her 2 children at the hospital that we both work at. I never in my wildest dreams, thought that I would one day have even the smallest connection with this person.
Kim Phuc also has a great non-profit Foundation for children who are victims of war. She has a great Canadian connection and now identity that makes me proud to be Canadian.
This event, that unfolded right in front of our eyes, is one that I can remember where I was when I first was first exposed to it, how about you?
Keep on Jammin’
This is a Video of what happened to her on that horrific day.