On June 8, 1972, Nick Ut took one of the iconic photos of the Vietnam War. This one merely depicts one to the damage to vegetation and property that Napalm could do. Out of respect, I’ve left the “Napalm Girl” photo merely for you to recall from memory. For me it is seared there almost as permanently as it has been in the life of Phan Thi Kim Phuc.
Ms. Phan Thi survived the burns from being covered in the chemical and now lives in Ontario, where her foundation for children survivors of war is based. Her Op Ed in the New York Times, marking the passing of 50 years since her photo was taken, talks about her life and how she has both endured and grown over the passage of time. I commend it to any and all who may still have the capacity to care and learn from someone who has endured, survived and ultimately given grace to others.
The photo not shown here was taken by Mr. Ut, who helped save Ms. Phan Thi. Mark Edward Harris, a fellow photographer who was also there wrote of experience in Vanity Fair in 2015.
I have little doubt that worse acts are being perpetrated in Ukraine every day now, which makes one wonder about the human capacity for evil. Amid all that darkness, hope still renders light from the likes of a few.
