Since then, Mr. Ron Carver has continued to pursue the “Fight for peace” for the Vietnamese people. Mr. Ron believes that American veterans can interact with the Vietnamese people, with Vietnam veterans, historians and university students to heal the wounds of war. Mr. Ron worked tirelessly to have the book “Waging Peace in Vietnam” published in Vietnamese with the title “Fighting for Peace”. The book was co-edited by Mr. Ron, Ms. Barbara Doherty (his wife) and David Cortright. All three of them are peace-loving journalists. Since the book was published, they have held exhibitions introducing the book to 19 universities in the US and 8 universities in Vietnam.
True to the book’s preface, he and his American friends wanted to rewrite the stories: “To the millions of people on both sides of the front lines, those who were killed, injured, and suffered psychological trauma from guns, bombs and chemical weapons during the war in Vietnam. To the conscientious people of today and future generations, those who courageously stood up against the unjust war.”
Together with a group of veterans, historians, and American scholars, Mr. Ron has implemented many humanitarian projects in Vietnam, providing effective support to the Vietnamese people in areas affected by war and natural disasters. .
In the house of Mr. Ron and his wife, there are two spaces that can be immediately recognized through objects and images of the country and people, which are Vietnam and South Africa. According to Mr. Ron’s explanation, Vietnam and South Africa are two countries he has a lot of attachment to and have heroes that he idolizes, including President Ho Chi Minh and Madame Binh (former Vice President Nguyen Thi). Binh) and South African leader Nelson Mandela.
On the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the Comprehensive Partnership between Vietnam and the United States (2013-2023), Mr. Ron along with three American friends were awarded the Medal “For Peace and Friendship between Peoples”. “This is the highest award of the Vietnam Union of Friendship Organizations to recognize the important contributions of individuals to peace, solidarity, friendship and cooperation between the Vietnamese people and others.” At the medal awarding ceremony, Vietnamese Ambassador to the US Nguyen Quoc Dung congratulated and expressed his admiration and appreciation for the tireless activities of American friends, including Mr. Ron. for peace and justice, contributing to healing the wounds of war for the Vietnamese people and strengthening mutual understanding and tightening the friendship between the two peoples. According to Ambassador Nguyen Quoc Dung, Mr. Ron and American friends are silent heroes in America but are known by millions of Vietnamese people, because they can be proud to be part of historical milestones in the relationship between the two countries.
The group of reporters from the Vietnam News Agency residing in Washington DC had the opportunity to meet Mr. Ron again in the historic days of April, to hear him open his heart when talking about the good relationship between the two countries after upgrading relations in 2019. last. Mr. Ron said that the relationship between the two peoples has been very important since the war ended. However, it took the United States too long to reach the highest level of relations with Vietnam. He felt regretful because the two countries had to go through 20 years of embargo from 1975 to 1995, this should never have happened. But the American people, especially veterans, have done the work of the US Government. They began bringing medical supplies to Vietnam, helping to build medical stations and schools right after the war ended. Since then, peace-loving Americans began to come to Vietnam, participating in clearing unexploded bombs and mines left by the US. Mr. Ron feels happy that this effort of the American people has recently received more support from the government. According to him, that is what any country should do.
In his story, Mr. Ron is still pained by the pain left by the legacy of war on the Vietnamese people, saying that Americans need to continue to accept responsibility and help to cope with the severe consequences. from this war. For him and other peace-loving Americans, this war is not over. During the past 8 years, he has had more than a dozen trips to Vietnam to implement projects on overcoming war consequences and education. Mr. Ron and his peace-loving American friends vowed to spend their entire lives pursuing the journey of “Fighting for peace” for Vietnam.
