The negative impacts of war are immeasurable and span generations.
Photos above: The images of Father Yong Kham and the team are at the site where his son was killed. Photos by Kayleb Lee.
It was a privilege for our team to meet with "Paw" or "Father" Yong Kham (64 years old) and his son, Ali (18 years old). Father Yong Kham was only a child during the American Secret War and recalls seeing and hearing bombs rain down on his village. He also shared living and going to school in a trench.
Two of Father Yong Kham's siblings were killed during the war due to indiscriminate cluster bombs. Decades later in 2003, Father Yong Kham's eldest son, Tong Dum, died due to a fatal UXO accident.
It was deeply painful for Father Yong Kham and Ali to share their story but they felt that it was important to tell their story and this message:
"What happened in Laos should never happen again. No country and its people should have to go through this."
We couldn't agree more and will continue to educate more people about our shared history and work towards building a new legacy of hope.
We are so thankful to our friends, HALO Trust, for arranging our visit and introducing us to Father Yong Kham and Ali.
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