December 14, 2012: Phan Thi Kim Phuc

[BigV]

Sundae, from what you read of her autobiography, during her "no walk in the park", did she come through it alone or did she have allies? That second picture seems so serene, do you think she still has a chip on her shoulder?

[glatt]

The photographer of that second image appears to be Joe McNally, who writes in his blog about how a few years ago he was working for Life magazine and was assigned the task of tracking her down and getting a current picture of her.

She was an anti US propaganda pawn of communist Vietnam. Was eventually allowed to move to Cuba, where she met her Vietnamese husband. They flew from Cuba to Moscow for their honeymoon, and when their plane stopped over in Canada, they defected. They have lived in Canada since.

[Sundae]

Originally Posted by BigV

Sundae, from what you read of her autobiography, during her "no walk in the park", did she come through it alone or did she have allies? That second picture seems so serene, do you think she still has a chip on her shoulder?

Slight correction to what I wrote before - it was not an autobiography, rather a biography written with permission and input.

She had allies, but she found them in peculiar places. She was in no position to step out of the spotlight and simply be cared for by her family. She was a fighter though.
Her whole life was shaped first by the war and secondly by the physical trauma of her injuries.

As Glatt says, she was never allowed to be normal.
The life she had before simply did not exist. She lost family in the attack as well as her privacy and a life free from pain; napalm is the gift that keeps on giving. She also encountered racism in Canada (possibly still does when not recognised).

Not sure she has a chip on her shoulder per se. She embraces the country she lives in and has a strong Christian faith. She chose to use the injuries that put their stamp on her whole life and the curiousity of the public to do something to help others.

I admire her enormously. Physical disfigurement is hard to bear, let alone to celebrate and use to raise awareness.

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by BigV

Sundae, from what you read of her autobiography, during her "no walk in the park", did she come through it alone or did she have allies? That second picture seems so serene, do you think she still has a chip on her shoulder?

No, those are just scars from the napalm.