Vietnam: the Unheard Voices - Refugee Educators' Network

214 Viet hJm>~-The Unheurd Voices
gation of each member of the village, \x=hiIc another team starched
the local houses. A medical turn, including dentists, tmtcd those in
necd of care, and at noon a meal was sewed to more than nine
hundred vilhgcrs. Throughout the day, an Arncrican band phycd a
selection of tunes; candy, soap, and souvenir prizes were handed
out; American and Vietnamese psychological-warfare persnnncl Iecturcd
on thc importance of supporring thc SQigc~n govcrnrnenr; and
an outdoor gaIlery exhibited picturcs of VC tcrrr~rism. The Amy
Keportm pointed out the many positive effects of the prcqram:
"The target village 1~~35 thnroughlv searched, and the enrirc population
screened or interrogated, fed a hearty meal and affnrdcd medical
attention. More import an^ each of thc villagers was given a firsthand
oppnrtunity to expericncc the henefits and olserve thc valoc
of thc allied mux in South Viemam." According to one of thc
r~fficers working on the prnjcc~ "Operation Jamboree laid the cornerstone
for projects of this kind in thc future." Meanwhile, the
Vietnamese (cxccpt fur amused children) rtxctcd diffcrcntIv.
"ITow wnuld you feeI," one mid, "if a bunch of burlv foreigners
invaded your hamlet, took away your men, and playcd weird foreign
music to 'entertain' you."
To begin improving the adviser sj~trm we might ask ourselrrcs
how w e would like to sec forcign advisers hehavc in our own country-
Would we want them to Ian1 English? Would wc resent thcir
living above our means? Would w c want them to rcspect our monl
standards? Would we follow chcir advice if thcy knew less than we
did? Unfortunatelv, Americans tend to scr lower standards fnr
thcmsclves when they go abroad. A Vietnamese friend who has
known Americans both in Viet Sam and in the United States put it
this way:
1 personally admire quite a few men and quite a few things American.
But believe me, I had to learn to like them. The trouble w~ith you
Americans is that willy illy yc~u fo~ce people to accept everything and
anything American. Kot that you arc bad guys, or arrogant, or prcpostemus.
No, I klicvc that rhe hmcricans at home are more courteous,
more obliging, more hospitat)lc than most other pplcs. Once you are
abroad. hou-ever, l7ou lose ynur lusrer. Most of yrlu do.