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FEATURE - GLOBAL TIMES ARTICLE

Witness to history: US veteran in Vietnam War regrets dropping cluster bombs, feels hurt to see Ukraine repeat the nightmare

USCMC Press Release: Questions Regarding Recent U.S. Transfer Cluster Munitions to Ukraine

Sep 11, 2023

Anti-Cluster Munitions Campaigners Call on Biden White House to Answer Basic Questions Regarding Recent U.S. Transfers of Indiscriminate Cluster Munitions to Ukraine

Sera Koulabdara, Chair, U.S. Cluster Munition Coalition and CEO, Legacies of War (sera@legaciesofwar.org); Steve Goose, Chair of the International Cluster Munitions Coalition (gooses@hrw.org)

U.S. provided Ukraine with cluster bombs to fight Russia. Survivors say they should never be used

Aug 19, 2023

Ukraine has said the weapons, banned by many countries, are necessary to battle Russia

Nick Logan, CBC News

'It is a year of remembrance': The legacy of cluster bombs in Laos fifty years on

Aug 14, 2023

Today marks exactly fifty years since the last cluster bombs were dropped in Laos.

Tom Crann and Ngoc Bui, All Things Considered: Minnesota Public Radio

Hmong community recalls devastation of cluster bombs as Biden promises bombs for Ukraine

Aug 2, 2023

Cluster bombs were dropped across Laos and Southeast Asia during the Vietnam War. Many didn’t explode, and remain a danger nearly 50 years after the war ended.

Hibah Ansari, ft. Sera Koulabdara, Sahan Journal

Open Letter to President Joseph R. Biden and to his National Security team

Jul 20, 2023

Former U.S. Ambassadors to Cambodia Urge the President to Reconsider Cluster Munitions

Legacies of War Press Release

Open Letter to President Joseph R. Biden and to his National Security team

Jul 12, 2023

Former U.S. Ambassadors to Laos Urge the President to Reconsider Cluster Munitions

Legacies of War Press Release

"The Biden administration will provide controversial cluster munitions to Ukraine"

Jul 7, 2023

The weapon is banned by many countries. NPR's Michel Martin talks to Sera Koulabdara of the U.S. Campaign to Ban Landmines and Cluster Munition Coalition, about why the U.S. think it's worth the risk.

Michel Martin, NPR

Legacies of War and the Lost Lao Food Connection

Jun 21, 2023

Danae Hendrickson is the Chief of Mission Advancement & Communications for the organization Legacies of War. Legacies of War is an educational and advocacy group working to address the impact of the American Secret War.

By Hayley Forney, ft. Danae Hendrickson

Sera Koulabdara named ‘2023 Top 50 Unsung Heroes’

Apr 28, 2023

This special award is given in honor of Sera’s passion and dedication to Legacies' mission. Under her leadership...

Asian Hustle Network

The day the bombs rained down in Laos

Apr 16, 2023

50 years ago today, during the Lao new year, the US blew up my father’s village, leaving a legacy of unexploded munitions.

By Aleena Inthaly, Responsible Statecraft

International Mine Awareness Day 2023 - Jessica Pearce Rotondi

Apr 4, 2023

"What I want my boys to know is something that my family has spent generations trying to understand..."

UNMAS, Jessica Pearce Rotondi

GETTING L-A-O-D

Mar 20, 2023

Philly’s southeast Asian community is done hiding.

By Laicie Heeley, Things That Go Boom

Can Cluster Bombs Show Us How To Stop a Nuclear War?

Feb 6, 2023

Despite being banned, anti-personnel landmines and unexploded submunitions still litter fields from Bosnia to Bangladesh. And they’re even being used in Ukraine. Does that mean the treaties that ban their use aren’t working? Experts say the story isn’t so simple.

By Laicie Heeley, Things That Go Boom

"Legacies of War continues to support UXO clearance in Laos"

Nov 12, 2022

The board members of Legacies of War and its community partners visited the Lao PDR to review efforts to remove unexploded ordnance (UXO) in the Southeast Asian country.

By KPL Lao News Agency

Behind The Scenes Of Our Thip Khao Talk! – 14 Hours of Questions and Editing with Aleena Inthaly

Aug 1, 2022

From the desk and makeshift studio of our Chief of Staff, Aleena Inthaly

By Aleena Inthaly, Hmong Times Online

“Preserving the History of America’s ‘secret war’ in Laos”

May 16, 2022

A new online library documents the CIA-led campaign that made it the most bombed nation in history, the effects of which are still felt by Laotian Americans today.

By Saqib Rahim, NBC News

“I’m part of the shameful landmine legacy in Laos. When is Biden going to fix it?”

Feb 7, 2022

The president promised to reverse his predecessor’s embrace of these indiscriminate weapons of war but has so far yet to act.

By Mike Burton, Responsible Statecraft

Witness to history: US veteran in Vietnam War regrets dropping cluster bombs, feels hurt to see Ukraine repeat the nightmare

Aug 31, 2023

Many fear that Ukraine, which has received many cluster bombs from the US, will become the next unfortunate casualty to share Laos' fate.

Hu Yuwei and Wang Wenwen, ft. Mike Burton, Global Times

Laos 50 Years On

Aug 17, 2023

Exactly 50 years since the bombing stopped in Laos HALO is still clearing up unexploded bombs in the landlocked South East Asian country. JJ Chalmers talks to Sera Koulabdara, CEO of Legacies of War and to William Hunter, who runs HALO's Laos programme.

Beyond Bombs with JJ Chalmers

Declassified: A Conversation with Legacies of War

Aug 10, 2023

SEAD's Kaysone Syonesa Schneider sits down with Legacies of War's Aleena Inthaly & Danae Hendrickson.

The SEAD Project

Deadly UXO Explosion Kills Two Children in Xayaboury

Jul 31, 2023

A fatal blast caused by suspected UXO in Phiang District, Xayaboury Province has claimed the lives of two children.

The Laotian Times

Why the U.S. sending cluster weapons to Ukraine is divisive

Jul 19, 2023

Fifty years after the last bombs were dropped on Laos, unexploded cluster munitions continue to be dangerous making the U.S. decision to send cluster weapons to Ukraine controversial.

Jason Aldag, ft. Sera Koulabdara, Washington Post

"Biden is wrong to send cluster bombs to Ukraine. 50 years later, they're still killing in Laos."

Jul 11, 2023

With cluster bombs, the killing doesn't stop when the war ends. Wherever they land, children playing, gardening, herding cattle or digging an irrigation canal decades later all become dangerous.

By Titus Peachey, USA Today

"Why are cluster munitions controversial?"

Jul 7, 2023

"America is sending another deadly weapon to help Ukraine fight Russia. The Associated Press reported the White House has approved Ukraine's request for cluster munitions — bombs and artillery shells that open in the air to release dozens or hundreds of "bomblets" to destroy multiple targets at once."

By Joel Mathis, The Week

"Advocates remember the war 50 years ago"

May 25, 2023

When Lee Po Cha traveled to Laos in November 2022, he was given the opportunity to detonate a bomb. It was the first time in 48 years he had been back to his birth country.

By Agnes Constante

The Long Reckoning of America's War in Vietnam

Apr 24, 2023

A discussion on how a small group of persistent and dedicated actors in both countries have led efforts to heal the legacies of war

Stimson Center

An Ambassador's Call To Rid Laos Of Unexploded Ordnance

Apr 5, 2023

It’s time for the US to finally clean up the unexploded ordnance it left behind in Laos during its “secret war.”

By Ambassador Douglas A. Hartwick, Inkstick

I dropped cluster bombs on Laos in US 'secret war.' Ukraine shouldn't want this nightmare.

Apr 4, 2023

All that was accomplished by using these inhumane weapons was to leave a trail of destruction that remains to this day, and a deep sense of regret for U.S. veterans like myself.

By Mike Burton, USA Today

'I don't want it to happen again': Don't send cluster bombs to Ukraine. Just look at Laos.

Mar 18, 2023

In my birth country, since the last bomb was dropped 50 years ago, only 1% of the contaminated area has been cleared, posing danger to children walking to school and farmers working their land.

By Sera Koulabdara, USA Today

"Sera is the first Lao-American to be elected to lead the ban on cluster munitions and landmines"

Jan 23, 2023

Ms. Sera Koulabdara, the head of the Legacies Of War, was recently elected as the Chair of the USCBL-CMC (US Campaign to Ban Landmines-Cluster Munition Coalition)

By Buasawan Simmala, VOA News

"American Secret War Veteran Works Toward a Better Future for Laos"

Nov 11, 2022

Col. Mike Burton makes his first visit back to Laos nearly 50 years after he was deployed to serve in the American Secret War, this time to address the impact and support the clearance of UXO

By Amrita Paul, The Laotian Times

“How a new library sheds light on the US ‘secret war’ in Laos”

Jun 14, 2022

Most Americans learn something about the Vietnam War at school. Fewer learn about the shadow war that was being fought alongside it.

By Harmeet Kaur, CNN

“Undetonated bombs still litter my birth country. Ukraine war shows world hasn’t learned”

Apr 4, 2022

As a war refugee from Laos, I call on America to resolve the deadly legacy of its secret war in my birth country.

By Sera Koulabdara, USA Today

“Veteran Mike Burton to Lead Legacies of War Organization”

Jan 18, 2022

Retired Air Force officer Mike Burton was selected to be the board chairman of Legacies of War.

By Mike Burton, The Columbian

US human rights organizations condemn cluster munitions aid to Ukraine

Aug 31, 2023

‘short-sighted, inhumane, and a complete disregard for intl law’

Hu Yuwei, ft. Sera Koulabdara, Global Times

Ukraine Can Learn From Southeast Asia

Aug 15, 2023

Cambodia and Laos have direct experience with the aftermath of U.S. cluster bombs, now deployed on the battlefield in Ukraine.

Verena Hölzl, Foreign Policy

Ukraine’s Cluster Bomb Dilemma — with Sera Koulabdara, Romeo Kokriatski and Danny Postel

Aug 3, 2023

In July, U.S. President Joe Biden made the controversial decision to send cluster bombs to Ukraine. Though neither the United States, Ukraine nor Russia is party to the 2008 convention outlawing them...

Danny Postel, ft. Sera Koulabdara, Romeo Kokriatski, The Lede Podcast

Moral, Personal Stances for Laos and Cambodia Over Cluster Bombs

Jul 29, 2023

Southeast Asian countries are warning about the long-term dangers of cluster bombs in Ukraine after the United States sent the explosives to Kyiv earlier this month for use in their drive to recapture territory seized during Russia’s invasion.

Tommy Walker, ft. Titus Peachey, VOA News

Biden’s Decision to Send Cluster Bombs to Ukraine Is a Tragedy

Jul 19, 2023

Any battlefield advantage is outweighed by the death and destruction these weapons cause.

Don Super, Inkstick Media

"Cluster Bombs Are a 'Tragic Necessity' for Ukraine: Ex-Ambassador"

Jul 8, 2023

"We strongly condemn the use of cluster munitions by all parties in the war in Ukraine and call for the immediate end to the use of these horrific weapons anywhere in the world," said chair of the CMC and CEO of Legacies of War Sera Koulabdara, who was quoted in the release.

By Kaitlin Lewis, Newsweek

"Reps. Jacobs & Omar unleash plans to stop WH cluster munitions to Ukraine"

Jul 7, 2023

“I applaud the NDAA amendment proposed by Reps. Jacobs and Rep. Omar,” Sera Koulabdara, CEO of the advocacy group Legacies of War, told RS. “I urge them and other leaders to continue to stand on the side of the basic human rights to live free from the fear of cluster munitions and speak out publicly to their colleagues and the American people.”

By Blaise Malley, Responsible Statecraft

Sera Koulabdara named ‘Unstoppable 100: Trailblazing Women & Girls Honoree’

May 13, 2023

We are Celebrating and shining the light on amazing Women and Girls from all walks of life, who are walking in their power, leading and inspiring change around the world.

Role Model Magazine and Ford Motor Company

Textiles show history of Secret War in Laos and how women perceived conflict

Apr 17, 2023

Monday marks 50 years since the U.S. ended its nine-year bombing of Laos. Traditional textiles with missiles, grenades and attack planes offer a haunting glimpse of the attacks.

By Saqib Rahim, NBC News

UN Mine Action Symposium

Apr 4, 2023

What impacts do UXO have on the environment?

Jules LeBlanc + Hayley LeBlanc ft. Sera Koulabdara

Embracing your origin story, healing generation trauma and using social media to make a career pivot and land your dream job with Danae Hendrickson

Apr 4, 2023

Many of us experience generational trauma and mental health issues, and they impact our life and career choices.

By Samorn Selim, Career Unicorn

"Jimmy Carter's Call to Ban Mines and Clusters is Still Urgent"

Mar 13, 2023

The US must heed its former president’s call and rid the US arsenal of these indiscriminate weapons.

By Titus Peachey, Inkstick

"50 years later, peace treaty that was supposed to end Vietnam War still haunts my family"

Jan 21, 2023

My father's fellow pilots were shot down a week after the Paris Peace Accords were signed 50 years ago. The crash fed his post-traumatic stress disorder and survivor's guilt endlessly.

By Heather Atherton, USA Today

Recovering a Bombed Past with Sera Koulabdara

Sep 1, 2022

Sera Koulabdara is the Executive Director of Legacies of War. In this episode, Eugene sits down with Sera in the beginning of a three part series with Legacies of War to provide some background on the Laos bombings conducted during the American "Secret War" on Laos and how it resulted in family separation, both for Sera's family and others.

By Eugene Lee, Divided Families Project

“Ohioans reconcile with Secret War in Laos during AAPI Heritage Month”

May 31, 2022

From 1964 to 1973, the U.S. dropped more than two million tons of ordnance over Laos. Central Ohio is now home to tens of thousands of Laotian-Americans.

By William Weinstein, 10 WBNS Ohio

“Celebrating International Women’s Day: How dressing as a boy helped me survive war”

Mar 8, 2022

The experience led me to America – and to legacies of both fashion and war

By Khamsone Sirimanivong, USA Today

Past

“Meet SapSap, a Racine-Area Laotian Restaurant With a Cause”

Dec 3, 2021

The Asian fusion restaurant in Racine County serves up meals with the goal of educating people about Laos’ history and culture and raising awareness about the effects of Secret War in Laos.

By Jonathon Sadowski, Upnorth News

“America’s Secret War in Laos Uncovered”

Sep 9, 2016

More bombs were dropped on Laos than over Germany and Japan in WWII combined.

ByBob Woodruff and Karson Yiu, ABC News

“Obama to Announce $90 Million Package to Clear Laos’ Unexploded Bombs”

Sep 6, 2016

President Barack Obama said Tuesday that US has an “obligation” to help Laos recover from a brutal secret bombing campaign that destroyed parts of the Southeast Asian nation.

By Elisa Labbott, CNN

“U.S. Bombs Dropped Decades Ago in Laos Still Killing People”

Sep 5, 2016

A U.S. secret operation in Laos that ended 43 years ago is still creating fresh wounds.

By Adriana Diaz, CBS News

“Why Biden must reverse Trump policy on landmines now”

Apr 8, 2021

These destructive weapons continue to kill decades after formal cessations of hostilities.

By Sera Koulabdara, Responsible Statecraft

“After War, A New Legacy of Peace in Laos”

Sep 7, 2016

When I was 6 years old, my family fled Laos, a country in Southeast Asia the size of Minnesota. As refugees welcomed by the United States, my parents’ wish for their children was to not look back, but to take every opportunity provided in our new homeland to live a happy, fulfilled life .

By Channapha Khamvongsa, The Medium

“Obama Heads to Laos for ASEAN Summit, Historic Visit”

Sep 5, 2016

The deadly legacy of U.S. bombings over Laos during the Vietnam War still lingers to this day.

By Ron Allen, NBC News

“Obama to Address Lethal Legacy of Secret War in Laos”

Sep 5, 2016

Yianyang Bounxieng remembers playing with bombs as a child growing up in Xieng Khouang...

By Amy Sawitta Lefevre, Reuters

“The Fight to Demine Laos”

May 11, 2017

While imagery of the “American War” in Vietnam was being blasted across newspaper front pages, radio stations, and televisions in the U.S., the Nixon administration and the CIA were secretly showering its neighbors, the small, land-locked Laos, and Cambodia, with millions of bombs...

By Claire Knox, Anthony Bourdain: Parts Unknown

“The Heroes Behind Obama’s Historic Announcement in Laos”

Sep 6, 2016

The United States will devote $90 million to finding and disposing of 50-year-old unexploded bombs.

By John Cavanagh, The Nation

“My Friends Were Afraid of Me: What 80 Million Unexploded US Bombs did to Laos”

Sep 5, 2016

For two years after the accident, Yei Yang refused to leave his home.

By Rebecca Wright, CNN

"Barack Obama lands in Laos for first U.S. presidential visit"

Sep 5, 2016

President Obama arrives in Vientiane, Laos for the first time.

By Josh Lederman and Kathleen Hennessey, The Associated Press

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