LETTER: Thank you to McGovern for opposing the Vietnam war

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To the Editor:

Dear Senator McGovern,

I would like to express to you my deepest and eternal thanks and gratitude for all of your work and contributions to our nation and our world. I thank you for your leadership, statesmanship and courage in opposing the Viet Nam war and demanding its end. You were the moral conscience of our nation. Thank you for your work in addressing the issue of hunger, in the U.S. and around the world.

I am originally from Vietnam, grew up mostly in Michigan, and am a proud Midwesterner.

During the Vietnam war, our family would pray daily for the bombings to stop, and for the bloodshed and killings to end. My mother did not see her family for decades as a result of the tragic war.

Your vocal opposition to the war was instrumental in compelling the various parties from the Vietnamese and U.S. governments to the peace talks in Paris. Your moral conviction to end the war saved countless precious American and Vietnamese lives.

I worked as a volunteer in your presidential campaign.

Your teaching about working for peace will live on brightly in the hearts and minds of your fellow Americans and people all over the world.

I write regularly about working for peace. In this humble way — through my published writings — I, as you have taught us so well, call on our fellow human beings to reclaim our belief and reverence for the sanctity of human life.

I have imparted this lesson to my son, Minh Jeffrey. Senator McGovern, through your own deeds and words, you have served and will continue to serve as our great teacher, who reminds us to “turn swords into plowshares.” Senator McGovern, with all the wonderful people of South Dakota, my family and I uphold you in our thoughts and our prayers, and we embrace you tightly with All of Our Deepest Respect, Our Eternal Gratitude, and All of Our Love.

-Your Vietnamese American friend

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