Boy, 14, Found Dead from Vietnam Era Bomb

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/fromthefield/claerpath/112127988597.htm

Victim's mother.
Tran Hong Chi

Quang Tri Province, Vietnam- A young boy was found dead by his mother last week after he failed to return home from farming peanuts early in the morning on July 8, 2005.

Duong Ba Tien, 14, apparently was digging in the dirt when an unknown Vietnam War era device exploded and killed him on the spot. His mother found him a few hours later.

"Here explosions happen all the time." his father reported to Clear Path Intenational a US based landmine and bomb accident survivor assistance program operating in central Vietnam "We hear explosions everyday."

Video of this interview can be found at: http://www.cpi.org/cpiblog/archives/000368.php

Although the Vietnam War ended 30 years ago, by some estimates over 350,000 tons of bombs that did not detonate when dropped remain in the ground. This ordnance regularly claims lives and limbs in this still war-ravaged province. Since the conflict ended in 1975, nearly 40,000 Vietnamese have been killed by by these munitions.

[Wickerman]

1. The war that keeps on giving

I imagine sometime in the distant future folks in Iraq will tell similar tells of losing their children to munitions left over from a war they themselves weren't even alive during. :cry:

[Up2Late]

2. Tragic but true, here's a website for a Land mine clearing organization

From the website: <http://www.thislandwasmine.org/tlwm/index.html>
They have 30 second PSA ads on their site too.

At a related site, their is a PSA that asks, "What if, we had the same problem in America...?" <http://www.stoplandmines.org/slm/index.html>



What would you do if you had to worry about landmines every time you went to the store, took a drive in the countryside or went to see your doctor?

That's the reality for millions of people in about 80 countries. With such large numbers of people affected by landmines in countries that may seem very far away, it's sometimes easy to forget about the problem.

Landmines may not be in your backyard, but they're in the backyards of people all over the world. The United Nations is helping dozens of countries end the threat of landmines. You can help too by donating to have a minefield cleared.

The fight against landmines is a fight for the rights of people to live free from fear, in a safe environment conducive to development and peace.

<http://www.thislandwasmine.org/tlwm/index.html>
(More at link above)

[oneighty]

4. There have been deaths

in the USofA from unexploded Civil War ordnance.

I was Navy EOD years ago and participated in rendering safe unexploded ordnance (Mostly cannon balls but some early Parrot Rounds) when Fort Sumter was renovated in the late fifties. Lot of cannon balls in the Charleston, S.C. area

180

[Up2Late]

5. Wow, I hadn't even thought of that...

...Is that one of the reasons they don't build on Civil War battle fields? We have quite a few near where I live.

[oneighty]

6. I cannot speak to that.

But during my time in EOD Unit two in Charleston there were a number of accidents where people would drill holes into cannon balls. Get injured.

There was a house in the area that had a chain fence around the property. They also had a number of cannon ball set in concrete. We were asked to examine the cannon balls and found them to be loaded with black powder. We cleaned out cannon balls for people for free. It was interesting.

Sometimes cannon balls would be dug up when ditching for foundations sewers water lines and such.

If you ever get to Charleston be sure to visit Fort Sumter.

180

[leftchick]

3. I imagine it will be happening in Afghanistan and Iraq

and perhaps Iran and Syria 30 years from now. American freedom.

:(

[bennywhale]

7. Here in Britain there are still streets evacuated when Luftwaffe bombs are

found. It happens with surprising regularity. About once a year it appears on l;ocal news.

I was recently in the Balkans and there are vast swathes of those countries still covered in cluster bombs and DP bombs dropped by NATO. It will take decades to clear.

Isn't war great.

[fujiyama]

8. Wow 40, 000

To put that into perspective, the total number of Americans killed was 58, 000.