Forgotten

  "Between 1964 and 1973 the United States conducted a secret air war, dropping over 2 million tons of bombs and making tiny Laos the most heavily bombed country in history. Millions of these 'cluster bombs' did not explode when dropped, leaving the country massively contaminated with 'bombies' as dangerous now as when they fell 30 years ago."  On Wednesday we went to COPE Center a place that informs people of the secret war. The secret war went on during the Vietnam war and was kept secret from America and others because it was against the Geneva Accord. In the Geneva Accord Laos was claimed a neutral country and so no wars were to happen there. In the movie it explained that sometimes they would not be able to go to Vietnam due to weather or when coming back from Vietnam they would have left over bombs so they would empty out the extra bombs on Laos. Cluster bombs are a larger casing that have thousands of little bombs in them. The bombs are dropped and they have a spin cycle that causes them to explode after three spins many of the bombs that were dropped didn't get the required spins and so they landed on the ground. Laos has millions of bombs left on the ground and could go off at any time and the Laos people have moved them and tried to remove as many as they can but they can be hidden as well as go under ground and be washed up by rain. For many they have to farm the land to get food and survive, and they continue to work even with the threat of bombs everywhere.
   Now if that wasn't depressing enough, the most depressing thing is that no one knows about it. There has been no help from America. They are slowing removing them but Lao people are removing them, not America the one that put them there! It is so sad to me to think that thousands of people have died because of something that people in my country did, and even in my town in America, there are people making bombs that I know. I feel like when America kept the war a secret the made a whole people group disappear. But I to am to blame too, when I was told about Laos I had no idea where it was and I had know idea that it was the most heavily bombed place in all of history. In the movie they talked about a man visiting a town and asked about casulaties and how many they had, the Lao people said they didn't have many. When they said how many casulaties there were it was a very high number and when asked why they didn't say that before, the Lao people though it was normal to have many people die. That is the life they had adapted to and accepted. Lao people shouldn't have to accept dieing they should except living. Now I know these people should not be forgotten. People who throw you a party because you have arrived ( they normally never have parties), people who buy you new skirts, and worry about you when you are sick, and help you learn languages and teach you how to cook and tell you that they love you already. Watching this movie just makes me realize that America has done a lot to hurt the world and when people think of America they have a single story that American's like guns. But I am here to change that single story, I am here to tell the Lao people that they are not forgotten, that not all American's drop bombs. Some American's are loving and kind and giving. 
  My first two weeks here and I already know these people will change my life and that Laos for me will never be forgotten.