Refugees are persons seeking refuge in a foreign country from war or persecution or natural disaster.
I have seen the anguish, the fear, the sadness, the total dependence and vulnerability in the faces of hundreds of South Vietnamese refugees.
It is a sight, a feeling, an emotion that stays with one forever.
It is because of such past experiences that refugees—whether fleeing war or violence; ethnic, political or religious persecution; or natural disasters—will always have a special place in my heart and in my mind.
Some of you have read about my involvement with South Vietnamese refugees immediately after the Vietnam War.
Others may have read my ramblings during the height of the Iraq war about how disappointed I was with the administration’s response to the Iraqi refugee crisis.
Now that our combat role in Iraq is over and most combat troops are coming home, I hope we don’t forget those three million Iraqis who—as a result of the invasion and occupation of that country—were either displaced internally or fled the country.
Their plight is still appalling.
As I mention in the piece I am sharing with you, with the way Americans are bitterly divided over immigration, I have no illusions that we will significantly increase the number of Iraqi refugees we allow to seek refuge in our country.
However, I do hope that America will continue to show the compassion it has always shown to people in need, through financial and humanitarian support.
Please read “As Troops Leave Iraq, Will America Forget the Refugees?” here.
The author is a retired U.S. Air Force officer and a writer.